Beacons of Hope: The Quest for Somewhere Solid to Place My Foot

By Samuel G Njenga

We are living in very uncertain and challenging times given the pandemic of COVID-19 and the health and economic implications for many people and many nations. In times like these, we look for hope to keep us going. We also often find many simplistic answers in faith not helpful. This book does not seek to provide easy and shallow answers but rather to accompany you as you wrestle with the difficult questions of faith. Where is God in such times?
The book you are holding in your hands is a compilation of sermons that I gave at a time of transition in our church. In 2016, the Anglican diocese of Johannesburg made a decision not to recognize our small congregation as a parish. This decision thrust us into a very difficult process of just trying to survive. Later we found that we could develop our identity by being faithful to God as a small independent congregation. During this time, there were a lot of uncertainties and changes
in the political sphere nationally but also globally. As usually happens in life, we found ourselves as a family either facing or accompanying families that were facing major traumatic experiences. The theme of ‘searching for hope’ became an apt description of my deeper longing for some solid footing. I found myself oscillating between utter despair on one hand and brave hope on the other. The Scriptures became for me pointers of a living hope, a hope that allowed me to journey with the questions, a hope that refused to settle on shallow, simplistic answers. I invite you, therefore, to journey with me and the many companions you encounter in the following pages as we experience these Beacons of Hope. The stories told are raw. They are told in a conversational way so that you too can hear them as the first audience did.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Samuel G Njenga
• Release date: Apr 20, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463874639

Samuel G Njenga

Samuel Njenga was born in Kenya and trained as a teacher. He was involved in the Anglican Church from an early age serving as an altar boy and later as a lay preacher.In 1992, he joined the Fellowship of Christian Unions (FOCUS) in Kenya to serve God among university students and later answered God’s call to be sent out as a missionary to South Africa to work with the Student Christian Movement (SCM). He continues to serve God in leadership development and in preparing Christians for serving in the Kingdom of God. Samuel works as a management consultant which he sees as extending his calling into the corporate world. He is currently also serving as the convening leader at Church Unusual in Johannesburg. He is married to Thembela and they have two teenage children, Wanjiru and Njenga.

Book preview

Beacons of HOPE

The quest for somewhere solid to place my foot

Samuel G Njenga

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © November 2019, Samuel G Njenga

The right of Samuel G Njenga to be identified as the author of the work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright Act 98 of 1978.©

Beacons of HOPE ©

All rights reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction in other ways, and storage in databanks. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in electronic, print, web, or other format without the express written permission of the Author.

Contact Info:

Samuel G Njenga

email: [e-mail]

Edited by:

Joan Houston

email: [e-mail]

ISBN: 978-0-620-85828-1

Dedication

I dedicate this book to the memory of my late parents

Geoffrey and Florence Njenga

who through their life and deeds

taught me to anchor my quest for hope

in the love of God

Contents

Dedication

Reviews

About the Author

Acknowledgements

Foreword

Introduction

Part 1: Hope in Our Pain

Chapter 1: Joy Comes in the Morning

Chapter 2 : After Day Zero

Chapter 3 :Why is Rachel weeping at Ramah?

Part 2: Journeying in Hope

Chapter 4 : What Is Your Value

Chapter 5 : Face your Goliath

Chapter 6 : Seize the day

Part 3: Giving Hope to Others

Chapter 7 : The Christian Commitment

Chapter 8 : Connected to Connect

Chapter 9 : The Reality of Being Connected

Epilogue

Reviews

If you’ve ever gone through a difficult time, you know how crucial it is to have a companion with you on the journey. Sammy has written Beacons of Hope to be that very companion as you navigate the challenges of life. All of us need hope, which in today’s world, is often hard to find or keep hold of. I highly recommend this book as your companion on the journey. You will not regret it.

Rev Dr Paul Siaki, Founder pastor of Church Unusual, currently at St Martins, Rosebank.

This book is a page turner... thought-provoking and crisply written, personal and practical, but, most importantly, quite accessible to a very wide audience. It’s going to bless believer and agnostic because it speaks to human experience in its intricate shared simplicity.

Dr Sam Tshehla, School of Religion, Philosophy & Classics, University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Beacons of Hope is an apt title for conversational book which invites you on a journey of faith. It is as if you are sharing a cup of coffee with the author as he helps you think through the paradox of how to remain hopeful despite of the messiness of life. He offers practical biblical perspectives for dealing with life’s difficulties.

In over 20 years of friendship with Sammy, I’ve always hoped he would share his gift of insightful reading of scriptures with a wider audience. In this book he shares his heart openly. He is raw, vulnerable, incredibly wise, and forever graceful. He offers his insights without judgement.

Dr Andiswa Flatela, Medical Doctor in Khayelitsha, Cape Town.

About the Author

Samuel G Njenga was born in Kenya and trained as a teacher. He was involved in the Anglican Church from an early age serving as an altar boy and later as a lay preacher.

In 1992, he joined the Fellowship of Christian Unions (FOCUS) in Kenya to serve God among university students and later answered God’s call to be sent out as a missionary to South Africa to work with the Student Christian Movement (SCM). He continues to serve God in leadership development and in preparing Christians for serving in the Kingdom of God. Samuel works as a management consultant which he sees as extending his calling into the corporate world. He is currently also serving as the convening leader at Church Unusual in Johannesburg. He is married to Thembela and they have two teenage children, Wanjiru and Njenga.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the following people, without whom I would not have been able to publish this book:

Church Unusual

The congregation at Church Unusual who like me, continue on an unknown path drawn by a hope for something better and something more.

My family

My family, especially my wife, Thembela, who wipes my tears and dances while sharing my joy. Wanjiru and Njenga, who are not only the greatest teen children in the world, but also my most important audience.

Joan Houston

Joan Houston, whose labour of love painstakingly took fragments of my raw sermons and turned them into this book. Thank you, Joan, for encouraging me when I had lost sight of the shoreline.

Rev Dr Paul Siaki

My friend, Rev Dr Paul Siaki, who opened a whole new world to me by inviting me to the journey of Church Unusual.

John Bewsey, Dr Sam Tshehla and Dr Andiswa Flatella

John Bewsey, Dr Sam Tshehla and Dr Andiswa Flatella for your friendship and companionship as I have wrestled with my life pathways. Thank you for reading the manuscript and for your encouragement.

Jim Johnston

Jim Johnston, who taught me the value of quietness and solitude.

Heather Johnston

Heather Johnston, my mentor, friend, mother, and sister. You constantly and persistently reminded me to keep writing and in so doing, have also become a beacon of hope for me.

Foreword

Samuel G Njenga was my colleague and friend in Church Unusual for three years. During that time I got to know him well as we worked alongside each other in many ways. He has the gift of communication that makes his stories crystal clear and understandable to his audience at all levels of development. These messages were always received with great acclaim by all. This book will uplift the reader with these thought provoking-messages delivered to the congregation of Church Unusual.

We are all a part of God’s creation and He dearly loves each one of us. At times we easily forget that God is always there for us and wants the best for us. The one issue that separates us so easily from this loving parenthood of God is that of hope. Sammy Njenga has put together this encouraging book to revive the glow