Thoughts For The Day From Papa ‘a

Good Morning All & Happy Tuesday!

Well, wish me luck today!  I’m running 4-5 miles this morning with an awesome triathlete, Kevin Grady, along the Centennial Trail.  Hopefully, I can draft off of Kevin and keep him within eyesight.  I’ll sure need coffee after our run!  7:00 a.m. is a bit early for a retiree to run, don’t you think???

Happy Birthday today to our neighbor Sam; to Junior Achievement advocate Jackie; to church friend Kristen and long-time friend Mackenzie!  Here’s to all of you!  And Happy Birthday wishes also go to composer extraordinaire Burt Bacharach of “Do You Know The Way To San Jose” fame, who is 92 today; to singer/composer Steve Winwood, who turns 72 today; to actor Bruce Boxleitner, who is 70 today; to country singer Kix Brooks of “Brooks & Dunn” fame, who turns 65 today; to rock musician Eric Singer of “KISS” fame, who is 62 today; to actor Ving Rhames, who turns 61 today; to actor Emilio Estevez, who is 58 today; and actor Jason Biggs, who turns 42 today…whew!  That’s a lot of birthdays!  Here’s to all of you!

Among my letters to Judy that I found stashed away in the basement this past week are a number of mentions of one of my heroes, Festo Kivengere (1919-1988), a Ugandan Anglican leader sometimes referred to as “the Billy Graham of Africa.”  He played a huge role in a Christian revival in southwestern Uganda, but had to flee in 1973 to neighboring Kenya in fear for his life after speaking out against Idi Amin’s reign of terror.  Kivengere had been made bishop of Kigezi and was among several bishops summoned to Amin’s quarters.  Angry mobs called for their deaths.  Eventually, all were permitted to leave but one, the archbishop Janani Luwum.  The others waited for Luwum to join them but he never came out.  The next day the Amin government announced that Luwum had died in an automobile accident.  Four days later, despite threats, 34,000 Ugandans gathered in the Anglican cathedral in Kampala for a memorial service honoring their fallen leader.  Kivengere later authored a book “I Love Idi Amin” to emphasize the qualities of forgiveness for those who wronged you and love of those who persecute you.  Kivengere stated, “On the cross, Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, because they know not what they do.”  As evil as Idi Amin is, how can I do less toward him?”  In 1975, Kivengere shared the Bible Expositer post at Eurofest ’75 with Luis Palau.  Eurofest ’75 was co-sponsored by the Billy Graham organization and was held in Brussels, Belgium at the Palais du Centenaire and the Heysel Stadium.  He was known as a great storyteller and often thrilled his own and other’s children with his storytelling skills.  A favorite story of his:  “One day a little girl sat watching her mother working in the kitchen.  She asked her mummy, “What does God do all day long?”  For a while the mother was stumped, but then she said, “Darling, I’ll tell you what God does all day long.  He spends his whole day mending broken things.”  Kivengere returned to Uganda after Amin’s downfall to continue an active ministry until his death by leukemia in 1988.  Here’s to my hero, Festo Kivengere, and how God did tremendous things through his ministry!

Here is the word definition for the day:

Chatelaine:  A mid-19th century French word for “A woman in charge of a large house.”  It also refers to “A set of short chains attached to a woman’s belt used for carrying keys or other items.”

Here’s the thought for the day:

“And I’d like to give my love to everybody, and let them know that the grass may look greener on the other side, but believe me, it’s just as hard to cut.”

—Little Richard Penniman (1932-2020)

Here’s to a great Tuesday and lots of love and good wishes always!

Press on,

Papa ‘a (Dad, Uncle Mark, Mark, etc.)