Kameel Majdali's Road Ahead

It is a most common practice that stretches back to millennia. Yet, when a high-profile television personality was caught doing it on Zoom - not realising the camera was still ‘On’ - he was sent home in disgrace to have some ‘personal time.’ Many people, including Christians, want to ask about this subject but are afraid to ask. How do we handle it from a Biblical perspective? The ‘subject’ is masturbation, also known as ‘self-stimulation.’ Before we address the issue itself, be assured that it will be handled in a pastoral manner. The goal is to help, not hurt nor condemn, people along the way. No doubt, some who read this article are engaged, casually or regularly, in this practice. It’s time to have a much needed chat. What are we to make of it? First, by definition, masturbation (from now on referred to as SS - ‘self-stimulation’) is ‘ stimulation of the genitals by hand for sexual pleasure ,’ in order to reach a climax - ejaculation or orgasm - without the involvement of t

Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee — Exodus 20:12 (KJV) The 10 Commandments are like 10 rules for life - a good, Godly, blessed life. We have learned that the first four commandments are about God: have no other gods in your life. Do not worship idols. Do not use God’s name in vain. Keep the Sabbath day holy unto the Lord. The next six commandments are related to our conduct with people. Number five is special: honour your father and your mother . It is very simple: righteous people honour their parents; unrighteous people do not. There is blessing for compliance and curses for failure: The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it — Proverbs 30:17 (KJV) The word for ‘honour’ is kabad כָּבַד , related to the word for ‘glory,’ which means heavy. Some other meanings include ‘ to be made heavy, be honour

  In Part 01 , we learned that Zephaniah, the ‘hidden one,’ lived near the end of the kingdom of Judah, especially, after the evil reigns of kings Manasseh and Amon. He inspired king Josiah and the prophet Jeremiah, and Jesus Christ quoted him (1:3 cf Matthew 13:41; 1:15 cf Matthew 24:29). His is the most concise, comprehensive description of the key period known as the ‘day of the Lord’ (1:14-15). Just as Zephaniah was ‘hidden’ from the evil designs of Manasseh, so the meek who seek the Lord may be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger (2:3). In order to encourage serious study of Zephaniah and other books of the Bible, we offer this concise background information.   SUMMARY OF ZEPHANIAH Judah and Jerusalem in the days of good king Josiah are the immediate objects of Zephaniah’s prophecy. By this time, the Northern Kingdom of Israel had already been deported a century earlier in 722 BC . Zephaniah’s ministry may have spawned king Josiah’s reformation, where he destroyed the alta

  We learned in our last article that, ‘Yes,’ it is possible to prosper in the midst of crisis, of which our present world is awash. You can have peace where there is panic and pandemic; joy even where misery reigns; and to be positioned to help others experience the same.   We see this in the life of the patriarch Issac who prospered enormously during a time of drought and famine. How did he do it? It came by obeying the call of God on his life, and then doing the clear word of the Lord. God commanded him to sojourn in the land of Canaan and He would bless him there (Genesis 26:3). Isaac wisely chose to obey God and stay, even though everyone else was fleeing to Egypt. In addition, Isaac had a strong work ethic. He sowed in the land and reaped 100-fold ( Genesis 26:12 ). He dug and re-dug wells in the otherwise dry Negev wilderness. Wherever he inserted his spade (shovel), the water flowed. Opposition All of this is wonderful, but remember, his prosperity stirred up deep envy

The United States votes every four years in the presidential elections. Campaigns are becoming increasingly longer and frightfully more costly. Once the voting ceases, however, the country normally knows who’s the winner within hours. But this is the year 2020 and nothing has been normal. We have had the most serious pandemic since the Spanish flu a century earlier. Countries went into lockdown, affecting the citizenry and the economy. Australia has had its first recession in 30 years. Then there were the American riots and continued social unrest. And when November 3rd passed, in stead of having the issue resolved, as of this writing, we have a contested election that is heading for the courts. Yet there is a recent historic precedent: 20 years ago the 2000 Presidential Election between Vice-President Al Gore and Governor George W. Bush also went to the courts. Even though Bush was immediately called the winner, America had to wait 6 weeks to see who the next President would be.