Divine Inspirations

By Steven Taga Mapepa

Is a big fire not born out of just a small spark? Small sparks have the potential to turn into huge flames of fire, which have the dynamic ability to grow into an inferno that cannot be extinguished. Such is the power inherent in the potential of the human spirit, thoughts, ideas, gifts, and talents. Therefore, do not consider your thoughts, ideas, gifts, and talents insignificant to the ever-growing and emerging needs of humanity. Life is an ongoing research project. It is an odyssey of seeking knowledge of the sacred secrets and mysteries of our divinity and humanity. We are all involved in this collective and collaborative effort and venture of the enduring human spirit and enterprise of searching and researching for truths for the benefit of all.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 19, 2019
• ISBN: 9781984533395

Steven Taga Mapepa

An all round multi talented artist at the core, an educator in the field of expressive arts. A music and English Lecturer who taught at Solwezi Teachers College in Africa, in the northwestern province of Zambia. A trained Chaplain at IU North Hospital in Carmel Indiana. A trainer of music and has travelled widely in the USA, training praise-and-worship groups and building Praise and Worship teams. A recording artist and also called "The Teacher " and trained in Christian arts in Bloemfontein, Orange Free State, in the republic of South Africa from 1996 to 2001. Pioneer in planting schools in the arts in general and trained at Evelyn Hone College of Arts in Zambia, Lusaka, 19871989. Holds a degree in general studies-liberal Arts from IUPUIUSA, Indiana University. Pioneer in educational reforms and coauthored national educational materials in the study area of expressive arts in Zambia for tertiary institutions nationwide . The author of "The Divine Encounter and "Divine Revelations and Manifestations." A community and national leader at various levels, serving as PAC chairman of NWP with the Zambia National Arts Council and national vice president of the Zambia Association of Musicians, and conflict resolutions mediator and facilitator. Educator, life coach, and preacher. A leader with diverse gifts and talents, serving as ministry and music director with RICC pastoral board in Indiana, USA.

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Copyright © 2019 by Steven Taga Mapepa.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2018906703

ISBN:             Hardcover           978-1-9845-3341-8

                       Softcover             978-1-9845-3340-1

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CONTENTS

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Foreword

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1   Divine Inspirations

Chapter 2   I Have Found The Light! A Radically Revolutionary Discovery Of Finding God!

Chapter 3   The Children of God

Chapter 4   Home

Chapter 5   The Things I Have Resolved Never To Engage In Or Even Try To Tolerate Coming From Either Me Or Anybody Else

DEDICATION

I dedicate this book to my late mother M’hlan’gano Mwana wa Mudanisi, and my father Fenesi Mhikoyashe Taga Mapepa. I am also grateful to their ancestral genealogies and lineages for the sacred gift of sharing their biological bloodline and lives. I thank them for helping raise me in this physical world with the help and grace of God our father who is our greatest divine ancestor. I am thankful to my parents because they raised me with all they had to give. They are the pillars of my formative inspirations. They helped nurture my potential, gifts, and talents. They are blessed, and they are a blessing to me and my siblings who share their genetic pool with me. We are grateful that we are their gift to the world and mankind.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My greatest gratitude goes to God the Father our creator, Jesus Christ the son, and the fire of the Holy Ghost. I am deeply indebted to my biological parents, my father Fenesi Mhikoyashe Taga Mapepa, and my mother M’hlan’gano Sarah Mwana wa Mudanisi (late). I honor them for giving birth to me and raising me well with immense love and freedom. My most profound and heartfelt love and thanks goes to the love of my life, my wife Sombo Brenda Mutwale for encouraging me and supporting me to pursue my passions and gifts of Music and writing. Much appreciation goes to my seeds of flesh and blood, my children Rungano, Rutendo, and Rudo. I thank God for this family he blessed me with. They are my immediate support system and they cheer me on as I embark on various projects of life.

Let me also thank my biological siblings: Sisi Siphiwe, Sisi Kettiwe, the late budi Ngonidzashe (Ngoni), budi Onias-Webbyster (Late), Mirriam (late), Muthandazo-Charity, Tambudzai-Judy (late), Muchakabvu (late Reeves), Try (late), Cheniso, Dzingayi (Ziggy), Zetty, and Deliwe (late). I wish to extend special thanks to my great friend and brother Webby Mukosha Kasele for being a great husband to my sister Muthandazo and for being my friend and great inspiration through all these years.

Special thanks go to my little sister Rutendo Samantha Tawonezvi Nazitwere for being the force that pushed for the birth of my books. She is the midwife to the birth of my all my books. She was always inspiring, encouraging and pushing me to higher heights. She always believed I could do better. Thanks to Sisi Tarirai Tawonezvi, (Samantha’s mother) for believing in me and having unwavering confidence in my divine calling. You are the best sister I have here in the USA!

Thanks go to Babamukuru Dr. Caleb Mashushire for validating my gift in writing; and thanks to his wife Tina Walker Mashushire for always praying for me and my family. I wish to thank my Director, trainer, mentor, friend and leader in Chaplaincy at IU (Indiana University Health) North Hospital, Carmel Dr. Marla Coutler McDonald for her immense support, inspiration, love, encouragement, and hospitality. She believed I could reach far and touch the stars. My fondest love and thanks also go to Dr. Joseph Choga for being such a dear friend and great encourager and support in all my endeavors. I thank Dr. Bill William Jackson for being my Professor, mentor, and friend who believed in my artistic prowess and gave me all the material and financial support that enabled me graduate from IUPUI University. I thank Mr. Reuben Mwamutenta Musakabantu, my former English Language and Literature Teacher at Mumbwa Secondary School in Zambia, Africa and former Minister of Education in the government of the republic of Zambia. He encouraged me and even dared call me the most prolific writer among all his students in my senior class. This was very generous of him because I did not consider myself anywhere close to that designation. I was flattered by those kind remarks. Those words triggered my passion for writing and inspired me to live up to that lofty ideal. Hence, I am able to write the books I am writing now. Deep gratitude goes to Samuel Allan Mulenga, my childhood friend, for inspiring me from childhood to do music and inviting me over and hosting me at his home in the USA. My profound thanks also go to George Chanda Mulenga for his love and friendship and hosting me at his Ramada hotel room for an entire year as I went to school at IUPUI University in the USA.

Thanks also go to Dr. Dale Gurajena (my Bishop), his wife Pastor Lina, and all their children (My disciples). I am deeply indebted to them for their love and friendship as I served in their ministry in the pastoral board of Fortress of Faith Tabernacle in Brooklyn Cannassi, New York, USA. I am indeed greatly indebted to Apostle Florian Kamanda and his wife Nelly for ordaining me and my wife in the Royal priestly order and allowing me to serve in the pastoral board at RICC (Restoration International Christian Center). Thanks to Elder Anthony Brown (cousin to the late Bob Marley) for believing in my musical abilities and sponsoring my album recording at the Troops Studio Bronx, New York, USA with Kirk, (My Jamaican family) the great recording and sound Engineer.

I also wish to thank my fellow Chaplains: Captain Samuel Cabrera, Lee Ivey, Debora, Chaplain Mike Parrot and the President of the IU North Hospital who was gracious to me and hosted me for lunch on several occasions. He was such an encouragement and inspiration. Thanks to Lester David Scott, my son Abishai Ngulube in Tennessee- the music genius- doing a great job on my new album. Love to my son Patrick Goba for wonderful recording sessions at his studio in Indiana. Thanks to my dear friend achimwene Fred Malenga. He was such an encouragement and support in the process of publishing this book, but he had only one problem with me. He said: I have only one problem with you because you don’t know how much potential you have. He encouraged me to stretch myself to higher heights. He told me that not even the sky is the limit because it is all an infinite and empty endless space. To all those names of my very good friends who made valuable contributions to my life and do not appear on this list, please do bear with me for the limitation of space to include you all. I am grateful to you all!

FOREWORD

Isn’t a big fire born out of just a small spark? Truly, a huge fire can be born out of just a small spark. Small sparks of fire have the inherent potential of turning into huge flames of fire. These flames have the dynamic ability to grow into a raging inferno which cannot be put out. Such is the dynamic potential power that thoughts and ideas have. They have the potential ability to transform the entire embodiment of the human knowledge corpus and intellectual landscape. Just think of what a tragedy it would have been if everyone had kept their own thoughts and ideas to themselves and never shared them with anyone; where would the human race be in terms of progress of intellectual pursuits, explorations, discoveries, experimentations, inventions, advancement, overall development and progress of the human civilization enterprise?

Now, the question is: What contribution are you making to the advancement of the common wealth of the human heritage in whatever field of human endeavor you are gifted in? Aren’t your gifts and talents meant to benefit the very essence of the survival and progress of the human species in particular, and the whole of God’s creation in general? Therefore, do not consider your thoughts and ideas as insignificant to the overall needs of mankind. Your mind is a rich sacred resource and reservoir of knowledge. Do not despise, underrate, and disregard the power of your mind as inferior. Doing so is undermining your very self worth, essence, and purpose. Your mind has explosive power to generate ideas that can cause radical changes to the human condition through inventions and enrichment of our universal human heritage. Therefore, whatever humble contribution you can make does make a significant difference.

The life experience and existential phenomena are an ongoing research project. This human project intends to respond to the natural human need for knowledge of truth of our existential experiences. We need to give interpretation and understanding to our natural urges in order to know and understand the overall meaning of life. We desire to know what it really means to be a human being. We are on a continuing search for answers to the deep seated sacred secrets and mysteries of our divine origins and our manifested physical nature. We are travelling on an odyssey of explorations, discoveries, and creative inventions. We are searching for what has been hidden and concealed in the life phenomenon of our existential experience and nature. We are all involved in a collective human exploration endeavor, venture, and ongoing human experiment. We are all in the process of generating new ideas churned out of the human intellectual machines and laboratories of our mysteriously spiritual incisive sacred minds. It is a research project that attempts to benefit all of us so that we can cope with the ever emerging and increasing human needs and challenges. We need to provide answers and solutions to the daunting human problems that have dogged, haunted, and hounded humanity for ages past, present, and future. This is the research project through divine inspirations enacted through the genius creativity and ingenuity of the human mind, soul, and enduring spirit.

In order for the human race to progress and move forward in leaps and bounds, we need to analyze our knowledge corpus in hindsight from our history and past, have deep insights in the present, and forecast with foresight into the future. We need to ponder hard on our individual and collective destinies in our common human pursuits. We should do this in order to better our personal individual lives, that of general humanity, our habitation, and environmental resources that are visible and invisible. We need to do this so that all these things can serve us well and improve our overall wellbeing. We need knowledge, understanding, and wisdom in order to advance the common cause of moving the human race forward towards progress.

Our common humanity, our common and collective human heritage, is our common wealth individually and collectively in our communities and societies at large. God’s breath is a sacred gift that keeps us alive. We should be as free as this air we breathe and embrace our liberty to think, believe, and act in ways that will move the advancement of humanity forward. We must act in freedom in pursuit of those things that will bring happiness to the human race. Hence the universal human rights declaration and proclamation of independence of the United States of America which says that: "We hold these truths to be self evident that all humans were created equal with unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; and that we have freedom to think and believe, conscience and religion, including freedom of assembly and association, freedom of movement and so on.

We were all created in the image of God our creator and were given a common heritage of having the common red blood pumped from our hearts and running in and through our veins. We are occupying the same land and inhabiting the same environment which is our planet earth. We are breathing the same air, and drinking the same water. We all have equal access to all other essential natural resources in our ecosystem for our sustenance and survival. In all our diversity, we need unity of common purpose towards causes that benefit all. We need to act in a spirit of inclusiveness on one hand, and armed with the exclusiveness of our unique personalities, gifts, talents, and experiences that enrich the composite nature of what our differences are. With this, we can all positively contribute to the whole human enterprise and ongoing human research project.

We have idiosyncrasies which define the diversity of our nature as a united human force. Each one of us, and every one of us, should embrace our unique nature and being. We may look different, but we are similar in our core common humanity. We do share common needs and face common challenges in this life. We need to generate common solutions to our common problems that confront us at every turn in our advancement towards the ideals and values we cherish. Our similarities are much more than our differences. We have our common aspirations and goals that we need to achieve together. We are all the same one human race and yet endowed with special unique gifts and talents. We are also uncommon in many various ways. These differences we have have the benefit of enriching our diversity and creative nature of what we are able to contribute to the whole human enterprise. We are all pieces of one big jigsaw puzzle that needs to be pieced up together in order to create and find common form and meaning. We must view one another as God’s pieces that are incomplete and imperfect in our individualities, but complete and perfect in our unity before the eyes of our creator God our Father. We complement each other as each one of us fulfills our purposes, responsibilities, duties, and obligations in our various human societies. We are entities and pieces of one whole who are striving to achieve common goals for the betterment and benefit of all inhabitants of the planet earth from one generation to another.

PREFACE

Isn’t a big fire born out of just a small spark? Haven’t you experienced sparks of new thoughts that have just flashed through and brightened the cloudy and dark skies of your mind? Such sparks have the potential to turn into huge flames of fire that have the dynamic ability to grow into an unstoppably unquenchable thirsty inferno right? Throughout the ages, God has constantly breathed the inspired word and transmitted messages through the sages, prophets, teachers, and scribes as his conduits, vessels, instruments or messengers. He did this so that he could communicate a timely message and a word in season to those he intended to reach out to and touch in each dispensation and every generation of mankind and beyond.

Posterity inherits the wealth left behind by their ancestors who honorably handed down their accomplishments and achievements for the benefit of successive generations that inhabit our planet earth. We don’t live for ourselves but for God and others. We inherit the wealth of treasures that have been left for us by those who came before us. We are successors of an inheritance that has been toiled for and labored for ages. It is an ancient treasure stored in the hands of time that gives and passes on the heritage. As an offspring of the human ancestry and lineage, ask yourself what contribution you are making to the advancement of the common wealth of the human heritage in whatever field of human endeavor you are gifted in. What will you have added to the wealth of ideas and knowledge towards the progress and advancement of humanity before you can exit out of this earth?

The messages that God has transmitted over a long span of time are for the purposes of inspiration, edification, motivation, encouragement, warning, guidance, wisdom, direction, revival, healing, and provision of wise counsel, advice, teaching, invention, and all kinds of information that God deemed necessary for the survival and progress of the human species and all creation in general. God is connected to each and every one of us and lives in each and every one of us. He is the living power resident in us. He resides in us; so, let him preside over our lives, human affairs, and destinies. He was, and is still meeting the needs of the human race he created through what I have come to call divine inspirations. He dwells in and among his creation.

The life experience and existential phenomenon is an ongoing research project emanating from the creative impulses and urges of the continuing search of the deep seated sacred secrets and mysteries of our divine origins and human nature. We need to ignite and rekindle the burning flame of our investigative creative and genius nature. We were placed on this planet to have dominion over all the created things. We are in an odyssey of exploration and discovery. We desire to know the unknown. We are all learners in a universal class. Indeed, we are all novice students of life. No one has been down this road of life before. We are all pioneers charting new frontiers into the unknown future.

We are all searching for the truth of the reason of our common human existential experience and condition. We have made some progress, but we are not there yet. We are walking down this road of life as individuals. Each one of us is walking alone on this journey of life. We have a relative sense of belonging, but surely, this is a lonesome journey. You were born alone, and you will die alone, and be buried alone. You will face God your creator alone. The illusion of collective existence should not blind us to the truth that we are walking all alone on this journey of life. We desire to make sense of why we exist and pursue that purpose for the fulfillment of the yearning and yawning void in us that desires to know what has been hidden and concealed in the life experience and nature of our being. We have an emptiness to fill. Searching for the unknown is one of our greatest pursuits. This is why we have a mind of exploration and discovery.

Throughout our human existence and experience, we are in the process of generating immense amounts of ideas churned out of the machines of our mental workshops and theoscientific laboratories of our mysteriously incisive and sacred minds. We are all involved in a collective human exploration, discovery and actively ongoing human experiment. We, the human race have gathered a wealth of information and knowledge in the past, in the present, and will continue to do so even in the immediate and far distant future.

We are engaged in this research project in order to come up with products that will benefit all others so that we can cope with the ever emerging and increasing human needs that challenge our intellectual creativity and ingenuity. The process towards achieving this is what I am calling the human research project through the deployment of human genius creativity and ingenuity that is constantly and consistently engaged with realities seen, and unseen, known, and unknown through the ages and stages of human advancement and progress.

Once these novel ideas were enacted, they caused improvements to the human existential condition, experience and life as a whole. We need fresh and new ideas that will inspire others and bring the best out of them. We are like twigs and firewood that are joined and heaped together in order to keep the fire of the enduring human spirit burning. We need to motivate each other in order to achieve the common and greater good inherent in human nature. We need to pursue the common human vision that we are all capable of achieving once we consciously apply ourselves to the project of life and living.

Each one of us has a part to play in this search and research project for knowledge, understanding, and truth according to our various and diverse human needs and endeavors. So, do not consider your ideas to be of no value and insignificance. Your thoughts and ideas are greatly valued and are indeed significant. You never know, your thoughts and ideas might just make a great difference in somebody else’s life and to the human race as a whole. Do not underrate and undermine yourself. You are just as important to this research project of life as anybody else. Do your part! It will be greatly appreciated! There is no thought or idea too small or too trivial to fail to cause an impact to the overall wellbeing of the human race.

How did the great minds invent things that no one ever thought would be discovered or made? Think about the invention of a wheel, motor engines, electric bulb, Aeroplanes, locomotive engines, automobiles, ships, space ships, telescopes, televisions, computers, cell phones, radios, satellites, and various other things and machines of all sorts. All these inventions were once but just a secret idea in somebody’s mind until somebody was crazy enough to go public and act on those unheard of ideas and came up with solutions. Solutions were found to air, land, and water forms of transport and various man-made machines.

These sophisticated and complex invented machines are being used in many spheres of human development projects. They are being used in industrial work and manufacturing of goods, medical breakthroughs, Liberal Arts, Space exploration and cutting-edge scientific and technological inventions and discoveries. These inventions and discoveries spread over in all spheres and areas of human endeavor. We need creative, radical, and revolutionary minds that are not afraid to create and invent new things. You have heard that you must strive to leave the earth better than you found it. If it is not you who should dare do this, who then do you think will? Don’t count yourself out! You have heard the old saying: Stand up and be counted. So stand up and arise from your slumber and be counted among those who dared dare.

We all carry unique novelty that no one else has. Each one of us is unique and special in our own ways. This does not call for comparison and competition; but for appreciation of diversity and unity in the common purpose and pursuit of advancing the human research project and programs. Each one of us brings a unique and special contribution to the overall accomplishment and achievement of our common human cause and experimental research project. If you have a novel, strange or peculiar idea, do not hesitate to work on it and bring out tangible results out of it. It has value and will definitely contribute to the common needs of the human race.

Other people might try to mock, tease, despise, scoff, and discourage you; but do not give up or lose focus on your pursuits, dreams, aspirations, and projects. Pessimists, skeptics, Cynicists, scoffers, discouragers and all forms and sorts of prophets of doom will try to stand in your way and do everything they can to stop you. We are all differently gifted and have immense treasures of deposits of diverse talents. Each individual is walking on a lone path. We all have unique talents and gifts. You could possibly have the one idea that would possibly salvage the human race out of an age old quagmire and several persistent problems that have pursued us from time immemorial. You could possibly radically transform the world. You can literary change and flip history and break new frontiers. We need groundbreaking and earth shaking discoveries and inventions. We all complement each other and are all involved in a collaborative effort to solve daunting human problems. We all depend on each other’s being, no man is an island. We are all interconnected in the human web of interdependence and interconnectivity, and intraconnectedness.

No one knows it all, or has it all together in this life. There is no one with the monopoly of wisdom and knowledge. We are all novices involved in a common search party. We are all here on this planet earth for the very first and last time before we can transition to another realm. We are all aliens and not permanent residents or citizens of this world." We are all essential parts of this common human research project called life and living. We are all parts of this great organism and machinery with many parts working together which is called humanity. We are all novices on this planet and are free to generate new ideas and make new discoveries and inventions that have not yet been born. In view of that, let me say this again: Just think of what a great tragedy it would have been if everyone kept aloof with our own thoughts and ideas and held them to ourselves and never shared them with anyone else. Where would the human race be in terms of discoveries, progress and development?

This is a profound statement and question that seeks to challenge what you are doing with your divine inspirations and aspirations. Do not waver or flinch, chase your dreams! They are yours; and were probably given to you alone and no one else. We need to begin to be engaged in the operations of wider spheres of communication and transmission of essential thoughts and ideas that need to be implemented for the common good and advancement of the human race. Do not underrate or underestimate the treasures hidden inside of you. Set yourself in motion and begin to function as an essential part of a whole without which the machinery cannot operate efficiently and effectively. You are very important to this human experience, experiment, enterprise and project.

We, the human race are all inherently and intrinsically a curious kind of species. We desire to know and initiate progress. We are constantly and consistently making improvements to our human condition and experience. We are doing this through the life experiment and newly inspired ideas that are born out of our creative nature endowed to us by our creator. When these ideas are implemented we begin to see practical developments and solutions to our human plight and odyssey towards the Holy Grail. This is a common human quest and endeavor intended to search, discover, and know the truth of our identity and purpose in relation to our creator and to all that is created in our planetary environment.

Our divine spiritual projector projected our existence, purpose, personalities and the manifestations of our beings in order to begin pursuing the divine plan of our creator. The meanings of the word project which I am referring to are: to cast into the future or forecast, to predict, expect, estimate, calculate, think, reason out, plan, and reckon. I also mean an individual or collectively collaborative enterprise that is carefully planned and designed to achieve a particular aim and objective. Such is a research project. We are the project and projection of our maker who desires to accomplish his divine purposes through each one of us. We, the human race are God’s business enterprise that he cares so much about as his business partners. He actually calls us as his fellow co-workers. Therefore, we are co-creators in his business of life, vision, mission, and purpose. We need to be fruitful and procreate our own kind and manipulate the environmental resources entrusted to us and produce products that end up benefitting all. We need to be good Stewards and caretakers of the resources we were given in all their various forms whether they are tangible or intangible. We need to be productive constructively and positively.

We are all pieces of planned work or activity. We are each a planned set of interrelated tasks to and with others. We have been executed over a fixed timeframe and within a certain cost and other limitations that should be completed over a specific period of time. We have been called to undertake and embark on a real life experience research project within the confines of our life spans. Therefore, we must come up with new and fresh ideas and facts to our life projects. We must leave behind a legacy of our own through whatever little humble contributions we shall have made. Having done this, we will continue to venture into the unknown mysteries of the infinite eternity of the future that lies ahead of us.

While research means a systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and draw new conclusions; we are that very research project. We were designed to seek and accomplish noble, sacred, and worthwhile causes. These are purposes we pursue through the search and research project of the life experience we are already immersed and engaged in. This means that each one of us is a new being with a research project. The life project has given us the task that has so much to seek and search. We are in the process of looking for answers through investigation, exploration, experimentation, testing, analysis, fact-finding, examination, and field work. We need to probe, scrutinize, view and review, study and draw conclusions to our findings for the benefit of all.

The best school and form of education is the real life experience through living it. We were sent to this earth to research and find out our purpose and meaning of our own life experience. We were planted here on this soil of the earth as seeds by our maker. He expects us to be fruitful and produce a bumper harvest for his children to eat. He will motivate each one of us through divine inspirations so that we can seek and find worthwhile causes to fulfill in our lives before we die and leave this earth. We seek out our purpose so that God, the source of everything will give us knowledge, understanding, and wisdom as we journey along with an ever present God consciousness and awareness of who and