IF YOU MISSED CAMPUS NIGHT AT DODOMA, YOU MISSED THIS

CAMPUS NIGHT CHAPTER TWO - DODOMA CONDUCTED AT CHIMWAGA HALL (UDOM). STUDENTS IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD. AWESOME PRAISE & WORSHIP, TESTIMONIALS, WORD OF GOD ETC. HOW WONDERFUL...!

YOU DON'T WANNA MISS THIS - CAMPUS NIGHT DODOMA (CHAPTER TWO)

YOU DON'T WANNA MISS THIS - CAMPUS NIGHT DODOMA (CHAPTER TWO)

WILL BE CONDUCTED AT CHIMWAGA HALL @THE UNIVERSITY OF DODOMA THIS FRIDAY FROM 20:00HRS - 05:00HRS. A CHANCE TO PRAISE AND WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH, ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS. TELL YOUR FELLOW NOT TO MISS TOO...!!!

CHARACTER AND PITFALLS OF LEADERSHIP BY REV. GERALD OLE-NGUYAINE

CHARACTER AND PITFALLS OF LEADERSHIP

LEADERSHIP CHARACTER

•     Definition:

Character is a leader’s inner sense of moral strength that determines how he or she acts when no one else is looking.

•     It’s foundational to leadership success.

•      Character and trust are tied together.

•     The leader’s character inspires the confidence and trust of others.

•     Leadership effectiveness depends greatly on trust, which must be earned by a demonstration of good leadership character.

•     A leader is one who leads the way, and people choose to follow leaders they trust.

•     Closely related to character is integrity.

•     The Bible uses the term “blameless” to describe integrity (Gen 17:1; 2 Pet 3:14).

•     Integrity means consistency between what we believe, what we say and what we do.

•     The ultimate test of leaders’ credibility is whether they do what they say. 

•     Leadership involves making unpopular decisions and taking difficult actions.

•     It takes integrity to do the right thing when it may be unpopular.

•     Essentially, a call to spiritual leadership is a call to character formation.

•     In Galatians 4:19, Paul desires a change in the Galatians’ character to become conformed to the character of Christ in reality, not in mere appearance.

PITFALLS OF LEADERSHIP

Definition:

-       A pitfall is a trap or a snare that you can fall into before you even know what has happened.

•     Often leaders shipwreck their careers, their organizations, and their families by making careless, foolish choices, which tarnish, discredit, and humiliate them.

•     Some leaders go from victory to victory.

•     Others begin with great promise, but eventually fall and become forgotten.

•     No one sets out expecting to fail. So, what happens?

•     Leaders’ failure can usually be traced to mistakes they could easily have avoided.

•     Let’s examine some common pitfalls that cause spiritual leaders to fail.

Common Leadership Pitfalls

1.        Pride

2.        Sexual Sin

3.        Cynicism

4.        Greed

5.        Mental Laziness

6.        Oversensitivity

7.        Spiritual Laziness

8.        Domestic Neglect

9.        Administrative Carelessness

10.    Prolonged Position Holding

1.    Pride

• Pride is the leaders’ worst enemy.

• It has caused the downfall of many (Prov 16:18).

• Pride drives leaders to seek the limelight.

• Pride overinflates the ego (Dan 4:29-31).

• Spiritual leaders are God’s servants, but pride can cause them to act as if God were their servant, obligated to answer their selfish prayers and to bless their grandiose schemes.

• God hates and opposes pride

-          (Prov 6:16-17; James 4:6; Lk 18:14).                           

• Pride is a sin that festers in people, making them unreceptive to God’s guidance and the wise counsel and support of other people (1 Sam 13:13-14; Jn 15:5)

2. Sexual Sin

• Has the power to destroy a career, a family, and a reputation, all in one blow.

• Safeguards against sexual temptation and its destructive devastation:

–    Enlist “accountability partners.”

–    Practice what you preach.

–    Consider the consequences (Prov 7:24-27; 14:12).

–    Develop healthy habits (e.g. spousal protection).

–    Pray and ask others to pray for you.

3.    Cynicism

•     Leadership is a people business.

•     People always let you down – they will criticize, question the leader’s motives, and second-guess his decisions.

•     Thus, making the leader cynical – distrustful, skeptical, and suspicious of them.

•     When leaders focus on the negative, seeing only problems and weakness, they lose the optimism required to overcome difficult challenges.

•     A leader must have a positive attitude.

•     A cynical spirit reflects a lack of belief in God.

•     A critical spirit in spiritual leaders reveals that their hearts have shifted from God.

4.    Greed

•     Money and possessions can be either good or bad in a leader’s life.

•     The hunger for material things can destroy spiritual leaders; it can tempt them to act unethically.

•     Money is not the most important thing in life; Obeying God’s will is.

•     Wise leaders…

a.    Do not allow themselves to be enslaved to money; they use their money to glorify God.

b.    Know that the measure of their success is not the size of their bank account but the quality of their lives.

c.    Invest their lives in things that bring the most lasting and gratifying rewards.

5.    Mental Laziness

•     Problem solving is an essential function of leadership.

•     Creativity and innovative thinking is necessary in leadership.

•     Leaders cannot afford to become intellectually stagnant.

•     Good leaders never stop learning.

•     Methods that worked a decade ago may be ineffective today.

•     Leaders who aren’t continually growing will eventually find themselves with skills that are obsolete.

•     Wise leaders seek the company of wise people.

•     They read books and articles that stretch their thinking.

•     They read the biographies of great leaders and thinkers.

•     Spiritual leaders tap into the eternal wisdom found in Scripture.

•     They allow the Holy Spirit to guide and align their thinking with God’s will, not society’s latest fad.

•     Leaders don't jump to conclusions. They process the facts and seek to determine the truth of their situation.

•     Spiritual leaders spend purposeful time with God, allowing him to guide their minds to the truth regarding the condition of their organization.

•     Great leaders are thinkers. They are transformed by the renewing of their minds (Rom 12:2). They never stop learning or evaluating, so they never stop growing.

6. Oversensitivity

•     If you cannot handle criticism, you shouldn’t be a leader.

•     Criticism, second-guessing, and motive-questioning are unpleasant.

•     But they are inevitable aspects of leadership.

•     A leader takes a decisive action and is criticized for being too reactionary.

•     A leader cautiously refrains from taking action and is chastised for indecisiveness.

•      One way or the other a leader will be criticized!

•     How leaders should respond to criticism…

•     Honestly examine their hearts to be sure the criticism is without merit

•     Leaders must face criticism with integrity before God and before people

•     Ultimately it is God’s approval and not people’s that matters most

•     When leaders know they have obeyed God, they set aside the desire to defend themselves

•     They find their security in God’s affirmation

•     God’s promise: Isa 54:17

•     The wisdom of a right decision will prove itself over time. Wise leaders let God prove the purity of their motives and the wisdom of their actions.

•     True leaders are more interested in doing the right thing than they are in their popularity.

•     Sometimes, the right thing to do is not the most popular.

•     Spiritual leaders must keep criticism in perspective.

•     Criticism will come, and it will hurt, but it must not be allowed to derail leaders from God’s call upon their lives.

•     Before giving in to the temptation to quit, leaders should revisit what they know God asked them to do.

•     Remember John 15:20!

7.    Spiritual Laziness

•     Leaders are driven people; they see to it that things get done.

•     Spiritual leaders often get busy with ministry while spending less time with God.

•     “doing” vs. “being”

•     Life apart from Christ is meaningless. Wise leaders never forget that (Matt. 6:33).

8. Domestic Neglect

•     Get your priorities right:

–    God first, then family, then ministry.

•     Every leader must balance the responsibilities of their leadership role with their commitment to their families – leader at work; leader at home!

•     Nelson Mandela…

–    Fight to liberate his people; goal achieved.

–    The Nobel Peace Prize; president of South Africa.

–    Suffered two divorces.

•     Mandela confessed that although he loved his wives, his work always came first and his marriages suffered as a result.

9. Administrative Carelessness

•     Leaders are, by nature, visionaries.

•     Focusing too much attention on the vision – where the organization is going.

•     Neglecting to build the organization to arrive at the destination – to achieve the vision.

•     Like a traveler who looks at the road map and knows exactly where he is going.

•     But forgets to monitor and maintain the fuel and oil levels of his vehicle.

•     Leadership demands both focus and balance. Are you task-focused or people-focused?

•     Accomplish the task, but don't ignore or trample people along the way.

•     Wise leaders build up the people who will achieve the organization’s vision.

•     Clear, timely communication is absolutely essential to a successful organization.

10.    Prolonged Position Holding

•     It is better to leave them longing than loathing,” so goes the old maxim

•     Wise leaders know when the time has come to exit graciously and allow a new leader to step in

–    Julius K. Nyerere, Nelson Mandela exited well – earned respect of many

–    Robert Mugabe has overstayed his presidential welcome – not wise!

•     As a leader once you are no longer as effective as you used to be, it is time to come up with an exit strategy

•      Older leaders tend to have difficulty giving their blessing to the emerging generation of leaders

•     Leaders with integrity recognize when they have made their most worthwhile contributions.

•     Then they graciously hand over the reigns of leadership to the next generation.

•     King Hezekiah is the classic biblical example of a leader who overstayed his mandate.

•     He had been a good and righteous ruler of the nation of Judah (2 Kings 18:5).

•     After ruling for fourteen years, Hezekiah contracted a terminal illness.

•     The prophet Isaiah told the king to get his house in order for it was God’s will that he should soon die.

•      King Hezekiah wept bitterly and prayed for his life to be spared.

•     God granted his request and promised him fifteen additional years of life.

•     During his extended rule, Hezekiah made two major blunders:

–    First, he showed all the treasures of his kingdom to envoys from Babylon who visited him.

–    Such foolish indiscretion would later cost his successors – the Babylonian armies came to forcibly relieve Judah of the same treasures.

–     Secondly, Hezekiah had a son – Manasseh, but failed to raise him to the fear of God.

•     During his extended rule, Hezekiah made two major blunders:

–    Upon Hezekiah’s death, Manasseh became king.

–    Manasseh commenced the longest, most wicked reign in Judah’s history.

–    By the time Manasseh’s reign ended, Judah's immorality and idolatry were so perverse and had reached such intolerable levels that God’s judgment on the nation was irrevocable.

–    By prolonging his leadership beyond what God had planned for him, Hezekiah planted the seeds for his nation’s moral demise.

Conclusion

•     Developing a healthy awareness of the pitfalls that can bring failure and disgrace to leaders is the first step to avoiding them

•     The second step is putting safeguards in place that will provide protection in times of temptation or indecision

•     Third, leaders should have before them the continual reminder that:

•     Their organization is more about people than it is about productivity.

•     They are not indispensable.

•     The most effective, efficient thing they can do for their organization is to maintain a close, vibrant relationship with God.

Here are some questions to consider:

•     Do I pray regularly with at least one other leader?

•     Are there other leaders with whom I am free to be candid about my personal struggles?

•     Who holds me accountable to follow through on what I know to be God’s will?

•     What safeguards have I built around my relationship with my spouse? Are they adequate to protect me from temptation?

•     How am I presently studying and applying God’s Word to my life?

•     Have I built safeguards around my time with God?

•     When was the last time I clearly heard God speaking to me? How did I respond to what he said?

•     Do I have people who are willing to challenge my actions when they think they are harmful?

•     Is the fruit of the Spirit growing in me? (Gal 5:22-23). Am I becoming more and more like Christ?

Reference

Henry Blackaby and Richard Blackaby, Spiritual Leadership: Moving People on to God’s Agenda, (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 2001).

Thank You.

Rev. Gerald Ole Nguyaine.

CAREER'S DAY AROUND THE CORNER...!!!

Hi people all around Tanzania....this weekend (7th May, 2011) at the University of Dodoma there will be a happening at the Lecture Theatre Two special for Christian students all over Dodoma Muicipality. The main theme is career's development on Godly ways..special focus being "the purpose of God with your Career!". We welcome all you here from 13hrs till 18hrs, and it is our hope that you won't leave without being impacted! Presenters among many will be: Dr. Charles Sokile (UK High Commission) and Mr. Samwel Mlay from Dar es Salaam, Rev. Gerald Ole-Nguyaine (TAG-ICC), Mr. Pius Chaya (Udom), opening remarks by The Principal College of Humanities and Social Science, prof. Rubagumya.
KARIBU SANA.....

"THE SPIRIT OF CORRUPTION IN TANZANIA; ITS EFFECTS IN OUR GENERATION AND THE NEXT" ANTI CORRUPTION SEMINAR AT UDOM-SSH LT 2 ON 16th JANUARY, 2011 BY PASTOR GERALD OLE-NGUYAINE

© Rev. Gerald Ole-Nguyaine UDOM January 16, 2011

 THE SPIRIT OF CORRUPTION IN TANZANIA

Its Effects in Our Generation and the Next

What Comes to Mind

When you think of the word “corruption,” many other related ideas come to mind. Let me mention but just a few: bribery, fraud, dishonesty, lack of integrity, crookedness, unfair play, injustice, lies, greed, etc. Corruption takes on many forms and shades.

The Bible Condemns Corruption

No doubt, the Bible condemns corruption. That means it is evil. It is sin. Indeed, corruption is a demonic act of injustice against humanity. Someone said, “Ufisadi ni ufishaji” – meaning, grand corruption is an act of killing. Certainly, it is. Think about it!

Let’s consider a few Scriptures against corruption:

• “A wicked man accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the course of justice” (Prov 17:23).

• “Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous” (Ex 23:8; cf Deut 16:19).

• “Cursed is the man who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person” (Deut 27:25).

• “Extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart” (Ecc 7:7).

• “In you men accept bribes to shed blood; you take usury and excessive interest and make unjust gain from your neighbors by extortion. And you have forgotten me, declares the Sovereign LORD” (Eze 22:12).

• “For the company of the godless will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of those who love bribes” (Job 15:34).

• “Both hands are skilled in doing evil; the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire -- they all conspire together” (Mic 7:3).

• “Through these he [Jesus Christ] has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (2 Pet 1:4).

• Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver (Mt 27:3).

• The Jewish leaders tried to bribe the guards at the tomb of Jesus to lie about the disappearance of Jesus’ body (28:12).

• Felix, the governor and also judge, an immoral person who not only stole the wife of Azizus, king of Emesa, Drusilla, but also offered to set the Apostle Paul free for money (Ac 24:26). For not offering bribe, Paul had to remain in prison.

• Simon the sorcerer tried to buy the power of the Holy Spirit with money. Peter condemned him saying: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!” (Acts 8:18-24).

I have cited only a few of the Scriptural texts to show that the Bible condemns corruption. And, it is interesting to note that the Hebrew root word for bribery means “ruin.” Surely, bribery and corruption lead to ruin.

Corruption in Tanzania

Corruption is a big problem in Tanzania. You don’t need to be a genius to know that. It may be categorized as petty corruption or grand corruption.

Petty Corruption is “bureaucratic corruption.” It includes giving and receiving of bribes, embezzlement of public funds, and illegitimate use of public resources – often by low-level government employees.

Grand corruption is “ufisadi papa.” It refers to the misuse of public power by heads of state, ministers and senior officials for private financial gain, resulting in large-scale misappropriation of public funds, contract kickbacks, and the like. The EPA, Richmond, and Dowans scandals are examples of ufisadi in Tanzania.

Both types of corruption are rampant in the society, and evident in Politics, the Police, the Judicial System, Tax Administration, Public Procurement and Contracting, Natural Resources Management, Licenses, Infrastructure and Public Utilities. Basically, corruption stinks everywhere in Tanzania!

Our Response

What should be our response to widespread corruption in the society? Let me propose that, as Christians, we must have a righteous anger against corruption. We must resolve to put a stop to it. It is killing our people.

You only need to visit our public hospitals to appreciate what I am saying. Why should our people die preventable deaths, just because someone misappropriated the funds that were meant to provide the necessary medicines, medical equipment and improved facilities for them to be treated and cured?

You need to visit our public primary schools and please help me answer the question, why after 50 years of Independence our children still sit on the dirt and write with their fingers on the dust of the ground as they try to learn – just because someone embezzled the funds that were allocated to improve their learning conditions?

I could go on and on and talk about villages that are inaccessible because there are no roads, while God has blessed this country with a wealth of natural resources that, if tapped and distributed equitably, could network the whole country with roadways.

Friends, something must be done. If we continue to remain silent; if we continue to turn a blind eye to corruption, not only will it continue to ravage our very own life, but also a time will come when our children, and our children’s children, will ask us: “Why did you accept corruption?” We will have handed down to our children a raped country with a ruined economy, ruined politics, ruined social life, and ruined everything!

Effects of Corruption

Corruption can cripple a country. Take Zimbabwe for example. It was once envied as a stable economy – dubbed “the breadbasket of Africa.” But what remains of Zimbabwe today? Because of corruption, its economy has collapsed. The breadbasket of Africa has become an empty basket!

Zimbabwe is in a political, economic, and social crisis. Why? It’s all because of corruption. I am afraid the same thing will happen to Tanzania – God forbid! – if we do not decisively deal with this spirit of corruption that has permeated the social fabric of our nation.

When corruption becomes entrenched in a society, poverty becomes the order of life for the majority as the wealth of the country gets only in the hands of the few who hold power. It is crucial that the wananchi hold the power for decision-making about important matters pertaining to the destiny of their country. That is why we now need, more than ever before, a new constitution for our beloved country, Tanzania.

Again, corruption leads to poverty. And poverty will shatter the aspirations of the people for a better life, for hope and for a future. Consequently, notions of right and wrong, which were once commonly held assumptions in our society, begin to slip away as people desperately struggle to survive by all means possible.

In turn, crime and violence will increase. Some of the citizens who are sidelined in the economy may tend to justify their criminal acts in taking for themselves – mostly for survival – part of the wealth that those wielding power have denied them.

As crime increases, peace and security are threatened. The more insecure people feel, the more irrational they may behave. We must preserve our God-ordained peace by ending corruption in our country. Tanzanian has been nicknamed “Africa’s haven of peace.” I am not sure if we can still boast of that prestige given such incidents as the recent killing in Arusha of innocent citizens by the police who were supposed to protect them. I concur with Mabere Marando who recently stated that the victims’ blood serves as the ink that writes the foreword for the much needed new constitution for Tanzania!

In a corrupt society, as the Holy Scriptures clearly state, justice is perverted. Those who hold power get away easily with grand criminal offenses, while the poor languish in prison for petty crimes. A powerful politician who is found guilty of vehicular manslaughter evades prison by simply paying a TZS 700,000/= fine, while there may be a man in jail who simply stole a chicken – probably because he was hungry! That is the current state of affairs in our beloved Tanzania.

Needless to say, corruption leads to suspension of the rule of law. Furthermore, politics lose a sense of principle. The only guiding principle is to stay in power for as long as one can, and that means, by whatever means! That is what is happening in Ivory Coast right now. This sort of thing is almost becoming a trademark in African countries’ presidential elections. The vote of the people no longer counts!

Friends, no one should stay in power indefinitely. History shows that the longer one stays in power the more corrupt he becomes. According to Lord Acton, British historian and liberal philosopher, “Power tends to corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” More power must be in the hands of the people. Their vote should decide who rules over them when. Their voice must be listened to and respected.

We may further consider the ramifications of corruption. It infringes on the fundamental human right to fair treatment. All persons are entitled to be treated equally because we are all created in the image and likeness of God (cf. Gen 1:26). But often one person can bribe to get rights and privileges undeserved at the expense of the other who is truly deserving of those rights and privileges.

Mahatma Gandhi warned against what he called seven social sins. These are politics without principle, wealth without work, commerce without morality, pleasure without conscience, education without character, science without humanity, and worship without sacrifice. Corruption is the bedrock of all these social sins. As a nation, we are guilty of most, if not all, of them. It about time we cleaned our own house!

In Micah 6:8, we read that God wants His people to be just, merciful, and humble. He wants us to be fair in our dealings with all people. He wants us to show genuine compassion and kindness to all people – especially those in need. He wants us to walk in humility and fellowship with Him.

Social change begins with personal change. If we are to be used of God as agents of change in Tanzania, we must first be changed ourselves. How do you view corruption; do you see it as a way to get rich quickly or as a terrible social sin that needs to be dealt with?

Stopping corruption begins with us personally. It demands our honesty in every respect. We are to be credible in managing and accounting for our time, talents and money. We have to be faithful stewards.

As aspiring young people, you must be driven by a sense of servitude; not by the gains of the position you would hold in society. You must not expect to enter public service or private business practice with a get-rich-quick mentality. Nothing comes easily. Hard work is required. Attitudes towards greed for power and wealth, plunder and extravagance must be dropped. 

As the saying goes, it takes two to tango. Granted, corruption is an unholy alliance between two parties – a corruptee and a corruptor. That is, for corruption to take place there must be a person giving it and a person receiving it. Well, you put a stop to corruption by resolving in your heart that you would never offer or accept a bribe.

Tanzania is our country. It belongs to all Tanzanians. Its various natural resources are God’s endowments for the benefit of all Tanzanians. I refuse to accept the claim that Tanzania is poor. In reality it is not. It is the politics of corruption and irresponsible leadership that have caused our people to live in the mire of poverty right in the midst of abundant of wealth.

I believe we can still make Tanzania a place of prosperity for every Tanzanian living in the city and in the village, if we get rid of this monster called corruption. With that conviction, I challenge you to arise and say, “No more corruption in my country!”

God bless Tanzania!

God bless you!