My brother, Paddy, receiving his first Communion as Mum watches over.
Back in the '90s, I remember Mum complaining about one of us crying too much during Mass. She nonetheless had us go to church, where we grew in knowledge, skill and character.
My eldest brother, Joe Kagigite, became an altar boy, as did Bob and Paddy. But it was my kid brother, Symo, who developed the deepest faith if what happened to him one Saturday in 1998 was anything to go by.
That Saturday, Symo attended a healing Mass with a broken arm and testified he was healed. He even told our catechist, a good-natured man named Josphat Karanja, about it. Faith healed what medicine could not.
Image from StockSnap. On Monday of last week, I received a call from someone claiming to be a KCB employee. He politely told me that KCB was changing its PINs from four- to six-digit numbers before asking me some questions.
When he asked me if my KCB account is active or dormant, I told him to check that on his end. Soon, I was able to tell he was a con artist. I grew impatient, ended the call and went for my evening walk.
Before leaving home, I regretted why I had ended the call. I wished I could have let my conversation continue so I could know how crafty some people are. And when I called back, the con artist didn't pick my call.
The opportunity finally came on Thursday when "another KCB employee" called at around 2pm. Like the other guy, he told me KCB was changing its bank PINs. But I noted he was talking of five digits, not six.
He began by asking me if I had received an SMS from KCB. When I told him I hadn't, he checked on his end and confirmed the SMS was still being sent. The SMS soon arrived under the name "KCB", just like all genuine KCB messages.
As I had expected, the guy asked for my KCB PIN. When I declined, he told me he needed the PIN so he could send me the five-digit PIN I'd start using. And he was talking so nicely.
Then I made up the number 3234, and the guy said he was busy checking something on his end, which I'm sure was trying to withdraw money from my KCB account. Moments later, he asked me when I last used my KCB account.
I told him I couldn't recall the date. Then he informed me my KCB account was dormant and requested I visit the nearest KCB branch to have my account activated. With that, he ended the call.
No sooner had he ended the call than I received an SMS from KCB that said, "Transaction Failed. Your PIN or password is wrong. Please check and try again." What a crafty evil man!
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Also check out "The Conman's Shadow".
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Spread the Love
"Always be full of joy in the Lord; I say it again, rejoice! Let everyone see that you are unselfish and considerate in all you do... Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything; tell God your needs and don't forget to thank Him for His answers. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand."
~ Phillipians 4:4-7 (TLB)
About the Author Name: Thuita J. Maina Marital status: Single Lives in: Kiserian, Rift Valley, Kenya Mission: Inspiring the world to godly living, one person at a time.
Just for Laughs
There was this drunkard called Azoge who loved drinking at Josiah's Bar. On being told a certain Hon. Nanga was flying to America to be conferred a law degree so he could be admitted to the bar, Azoge replied, "Why fly all the way to America to be admitted to the bar while you can get into Josiah's Bar any time?"
Author's Note I am learning to treat life as a journey, not a destination; I have therefore given up the things that weighed me down and I am now living my life to the fullest because the tomorrow I had always hoped to live my dreams may never be mine.
Fun Facts
The fear of having no cell-phone service, running out of battery, or losing sight of your phone is called Nomophobia, reportedly affecting 66% of people.
A single Google search needs more computing power than it took to send Apollo 11 to the moon. The Apollo computer was less equipped than a modern toaster.
Besides being some of the biggest names in the tech industry, HP, Apple, Google and Microsoft have another commonality. They all started in garages.
"So many of us take for granted the wonderful construction of the human body and the workings of its various parts. Some of us even expect it to function efficiently with less than the minimum care and attention. Learn as much as you can about your body and how the care of it can give you that greatest blessing of all—good health."
"My life in politics was a joy. I loved campaigns and I loved governing. I always tried to keep things moving in the right direction, to give more people a chance to live their dreams, to lift people's spirits, and to bring them together. That's the way I kept score."
~ Bill Clinton
Scientific Marvels
Space travel
Heart surgery
Fibre-optics communication
Concorde
Radios
Computers
Anesthetics
My Supreme Desire
To borrow Elbert Hubbard's words, my supreme desire is to radiate health, cheerfulness, calm courage and goodwill. I wish to live without fear, hate, guilt, worry or jealousy; to be honest, natural, confident, clean in mind and body—ready to say "I don't know" if it be so; to treat all men with kindness; and to meet any loss, failure, criticism and rejection unabashed and unafraid.
Greatest American Presidents
Abraham Lincoln
George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
Franklin Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Woodrow Wilson
Andrew Jackson
Finding Peace in Turmoil
"Moses' rod on the ground was a frightful serpent; in his hand, it was a marvelous wand. Thus are tribulations. Considered in themselves, they are terrible; considered in the will of God, they are honors and pleasures."
~ St. Francis de Sales
Toughest Colleges to Get Into
MIT
Princeton
Harvard
Yale
Stanford
Brown
Columbia
Why You Should Trust God
"Men and women who turn their lives over to God will find out that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities and pour out peace."
~ Ezra Taft Benson
The 7 Greatest Scientists
Albert Einstein
Isaac Newton
Galileo Galilei
Nikola Tesla
Aristotle
Archimedes
Charles Darwin
You Matter
"Always be yourself. Never try to hide who you are. The only shame is to have shame. Always stand up for what you believe in. Always question what other people tell you. Never regret the past; it's a waste of time. There's a reason for everything. Every mistake, every moment of weakness, every terrible thing that has happened to you, grow from it. The only way you can ever get the respect of others is when you show them that you respect yourself and most importantly, do your thing and never apologize for being you."
~ Unknown
The Most Industrialized Nations
United States
Japan
Germany
France
United Kingdom
Italy
Canada
Keys to Success
"...in his effort to withstand temptation, to economize, to exercise thrift, to disregard the superficial for the real - the shadow for the substance; to be great yet small, in his effort to be patient in the laying of a firm foundation; to so grow in skill and knowledge that he shall place his services in demand by reason of his intrinsic and superior worth. This is the key that unlocks every door of opportunity, and all others fail."
~ Booker T. Washington
The 7 Social Sins
Politics without principle
Wealth without work
Pleasure without conscience
Knowledge without character
Commerce without morality
Worship without sacrifice
Science without humanity
Cherish What You Love "Cherish your visions, cherish your ideals, cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts - for out of them will grow all heavenly environment, of these if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built."~ James Allen
The World's Largest Cities
London in England
New York in the United States
Tokyo in Japan
Berlin in Germany
Chicago in the United States
Shanghai in China
Paris in France
Benefits of Optimism
"In terms of success, optimistic people out perform their pessimistic colleagues. Research shows that they are consistently promoted higher and make more money while working fewer hours than those who think pessimistically. Optimists also contribute more significantly to social progress. It is the optimists who start and run successful companies, who win elections and carry out reforms, and who make breakthroughs in the realms of science and technology."
~ Pepe Minambo
The World's Greatest Lakes
Caspian Sea in the Commonwealth of Independent States, C.I.S. (formerly U.S.S.R)
Lake Superior in North America
Victoria Nyanza in Central Africa
Aral Sea in C.I.S.
Lake Huron in North America
Lake Michigan in North America
Demonstrating His Love
"Take your communication for instance - the way you address others. It ought to be with loving, gracious and edifying words. Never talk people down. Never use words that hurt and demean people. Communicate excellently with others without destroying their self-image or making them feel sorry for themselves. Talk to people in a way that they never forget the excellence of your words, the love and grace of Christ that you communicated. It's how God wants us to love."
