Education is not only physical; it is also spiritual. Through revelation, its true essence is revealed unto us. For example, Artists live in different levels of reality, and it takes the perfection of their art to synthesize meaning for others who process data and information differently.

Understanding the importance of education inspires us to purify our desires, align our behaviors, and help us understand the abstract concepts of life as a way of developing our future. The Book of Proverbs shall be used to explore this adventure.

More Love and Blessings Family and Enjoy.

“Ramba Kudhadhamurwa Pfungwa Nowakaipa” 

Scripture: Psalm 23:4 

Preacher: Pastor Takudzwa Chikepe 

https://www.1sail1art.org/the-sailors-review 

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/vachikepe-the-poet/1602341698 

“Some of the Sermon’s Quotable Quotes” 

1. Kune mumwe munhu arikurwisana nemhuka dzemusango! Mamwe matambudziko atiri kusangana nawo ngatisadhipise! Mwari dzimwe nguva vanoda kuti umboone kuti iwe semumhu umbori munhu akaitasei? Tiri kuitwa inonzi, “Mental Bombardment”! Kudhadhamurwa-dhadhamurwa kwepfungwa, iroro raita dambudziko iroro. Musoro wedu kazhinji ungori hwani! Musoro mumwechete, capacity yedu dzimwe nguva inokwanisa kunetsekana! 

2. Saka hypothesis yangu yandinayo ndeyekuti kufunga kuchange kwava “Old Fashion” very soon. Kufunga kuchasara kwabuda mustaira! Tisu hedu takutofungirwa takagara! 

3. Mukufunga ndimo maunosangana nehukuru hwaMwari! Mukusafunga ndimo maunodhonzerwa mumanomano nowakaipa! “Reliance Syndrome”is going to make us forget ourselves and it os going to make us forget ourselves and it is going to cause fear yakaomarara. Mumwe munhu kuti abude mumba asina phone haichatosiyike, chakutoita kunge chikwambo! 

4. Kombuta yako ikafa, mumwe munhu anokwanisa kutosvika pakustroka! “We are becoming a new type of people”, uye zvichakonzeresa fear yakanyanyisa. Dai Mwari vatibatsira tive better than makombutaz. Kombuta inoziva zvese zvako, “that is how vulnerable we have become”, nokuti hapana chaisiri kuziva! 

5. Zvirimo mupfungwa dzako hapana aimbofa akazviziva, asi manje manje zvese zvichange zvakuzivikanwa nekombuta! Tikararama hupenyu hwekuziva zvese zvedenga, zvichatibatsira muhupenyu hwedu hwatiri kurarama! 

6. SaDavid, ngatisvike patinoziva kuti Ishe anesu! Mambo David pavarikutaura in Psalm 23, havasi kufungidzira, it is a declaration! “God will never leave me nor forsake me”, haisi fungidziro iyi, hausi munamato wekukumbira uyu, “It is a declaration!”.  

7. Ngatisvike pakubvunza kombuta kuti, wakagamuchira Jesu Kristu saIshe nemuponisi wako here? Svika pakutizwa nekombuta, ichiti uye wekutendeutsa vamwe auya! Ngatisvike pakudhakwa nezvinhu zvaMwari! Makomo aya achasvika pakukandwa aya! Kristu watinonamata uyu, haasi Kristu wekushuwira uyu! Dai Mwari watibatsira tasvika pakudhakwa nemweya waMwari.... 

ENJOY! :-) 

Sermon Title: “The Tangibility of God’s Joy”

Sermon Preacher: Pastor Takudzwa Chikepe

[email protected]

Scripture: Luke 2:10 (CEB)

Introduction: Joy in Hardship

May the good Lord continue to Bless you so much, Christ family. As we journey together to the end of the year and prepare to step into 2025

When I was a teenager, I faced one of the hardest seasons of my life-a time filled with uncertainty and pain. From nowhere, I developed terrible migraines and severe headaches. We went to the doctors, and they said they couldn’t see anything wrong with me or my head. But the condition worsened, and at this time, I could not sit or speak. I would just cry on my bed the whole day while my mother changed different hot towels on my head and prayed.

Some close friends and family started thinking maybe someone had sent a dark-spell on me, but my parents didn’t listen, and they didn’t stop praying. I vividly remember one time when my parents came with about five of their friends (prayer warriors). They cried and prayed for a very long time. That night, I had a dream. An angel came to me and said, When you wake up tomorrow, press your body upside down against the wall for as long as you can, and do it three times. I woke up feeling better. I did what I was told in the dream, and the migraines and headaches instantly disappeared-and have never returned! And will never return, in the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ!

“I pray that someone will be nourished by God today through these angelic visitations”

It was during this time that God surprised me. This experience left me understanding that when we get sick, God will heal us. God is our healer, and I don’t doubt it because I experienced it.

God is with us, and this is “The Tangibility of God’s Joy”. This kind of joy is not just a passing feeling; it is a reality rooted in God’s presence, one that sustains us through life’s darkest nights.

In context and according to our scripture:

“The angel said, ‘Don’t be afraid! Look! I bring good news to you—wonderful, joyous news for all people”. 

The angel’s message wasn’t just about any Joy! It was “great Joy for all people” The shepherds’ response was immediate! Despite their circumstances, they ran to see the Christ child and then shared the Good News with others. This joy transformed them from exhausted and isolated workers to Ambassadors of God’s message.

The Distinction between Pleasures, Happiness, and Joy

And now, let us talk about pleasures, happiness and joy a little bit, for it is important to  understand these elements of life. As if, sometimes, we might have happiness and different kinds of pleasures and mistake them for Joy!

Defining pleasure, St. Augustine, one of the Church Fathers, believed that sin arises when people prioritize created things or temporary pleasures over the Creator. C.S. Lewis defined pleasures as sensory experiences with the potential of becoming idols. On the other hand, happiness often depends on external circumstances. It is like a cistern or a tank or a reservoir of water-it can hold water for a time, but it eventually runs dry.

Joy, however, is like a fountain connected to a deep underground spring. It flows continuously because its source is God. When we look at the shepherds, their Joy didn’t come from their circumstances.

A Joy that inspires me to preach the Word of God anywhere, anytime: through my gifts, my achievements, and even my weaknesses. A joy that I have even up to this date. I am alive because God chose it so. I am alive because I am part of God’s mission and vision. A strong understanding that anything can happen at any given time, but God is with us, and God will see us through! Because God is Faithful.

So, when life asks, “Why should you rejoice in the midst of challenges?” let your answer be bold and say:

“Because my Joy is connected to the source, and my God is Love; and my God is Joy!”

The End

This sermon originated from a dream I had, which I felt inspired to share with a friend. Through sharing this dream, I came to understand the story of the Prodigal Son in a unique way—different from how many preachers traditionally interpret it.

I believe there was something deeply wrong in the attitude of the older brother, as this story also teaches patience, among other deep lessons. It is truly a great mystery.

Enjoy and be Blessed! In The Mighty Name Of Jesus Christ! Amen.

James 1:17-27

The Road Less Traveled:

Humility Is the Way

Introduction:

The letter of James is a very poetic book. It says one thing at the same time referring to something else, or it can say something that leaves you asking, “Why would the author say that?” or “What am I supposed to do with this?”. A good example is James 1:18, which reads, “We are like the first crop from the harvest of everything he created”. Preparing this sermon, I asked myself, why should we be likened to crops? Does it mean we are already harvested? And in context, what is the meaning of harvest? Or perhaps the author was simply observing the crops at a time of harvest and understood the full meaning of it, matching it to the situation of the letter’s recipients. I sometimes do that as a poet-ha ha ha. In other words, I was inspired to understand that we were created by God for a specific purpose, God is with us, God will never leave us nor forsake us, God will see our lives through to completion, and it is a great joy and honor to be in such a relationship with God.

The letter of James is categorized under wisdom literature, and the author was simplifying everything in a way of making the reader and the listener, understand, “How we come to have this or that? Or what is this or that?”. For example, right now in the 21st Century, if someone wanted to download the “North Carolina Conference of The UMC” application on their phone, how would they do that? The quickest answer might be, “Just download it”. But for you to download it, there are several things involved, and I can list a few:

a) You need to know what a phone is and how to operate it.

b) You need enough money to buy the phone and pay for the monthly subscription, or even be connected to Wi-Fi.

c) You need power and know how to charge your phone, so it doesn’t switch off before you download your Conference application

d) You need to know how to navigate the iTunes App Store or Google Play Store, to download the app.

e) You need to understand English or the operating language of your phone

f) And remember to wear your contact lenses or glasses-amongst other things-just to finally, finally download the Conference application on your phone, so you can use it!

This is exactly what James, the author was doing: explaining where gifts come from, the power and character of God, what we should pay attention to, the benefits of paying attention, the small but important things we sometimes overlook in our Christian journey, the unknown facts about ourselves, how we can be fulfilled, what not to do, how we end up in trouble, how we can improve, what needs to be done, the benefits of pleasing God, what it means to love God, and how to love God.

All this information is richly found in the verses we just read, and it also deeply explains that something unusual was going on in the early Church.

Body

Point 1: God’s Perfect Gifts (James 1:17-21)

1.a) Indeed, something was wrong amongst the recipients of this letter from James. An unusual behavior had taken center stage in that community. Some people were not rational enough to accommodate all believers. Who were those people? That becomes the question! From reading in-between the lines of our given verses, these were gifted people who had a relationship with God, knew the word of God, but didn’t fully practice it. They had oscillating characters and behavior. They were slow to listen to others, quick to speak out, and anger was becoming their way of life. Moral decay and wickedness were starting to swallow them. They became very pompous, forgetting the true meaning of the word, their purpose in life, and losing their identity. As a matter of fact, they were misleading others and ignoring the cries of orphans, widows, and the needy-missing the whole point of being a Christian.

....ETC

SERMON 2:

Christ United Methodist Church

October 6, 2024| 11am. Worship

Pastor Takudzwa Chikepe

https://www.youtube.com/live/uE6EHNsjqjI?si=C6K9Gipm1umivtJn

THE END.

This song is very close to my heart. It tells the story of how difficult the struggle can be before victory. Many people fall during the final battle, but I say: be strong and don't give up—you are just a step away from your destiny.

This is a very prophetic song. Some call it a prayer; others call it a sermon. It belongs to the same class as "Speak Through Us" and "The Teacher."

The best I can say is: enjoy! In the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ! Amen.

Sermon Title: “Tirikudanwa MuMweya NaShe Hanzi Huyai Muone”- 

VaChikepe The Poet:

https://www.1sail1art.org/the-sailors-review

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/vachikepe-the-poet/1602341698

In this powerful sermon, we dig deep into the way Jesus not only saw the external world but knew the thoughts of those around Him, responding with divine wisdom and grace. Reflecting on key moments in the Gospels where Jesus demonstrated great knowledge of people’s inner struggles, we explore the profound truth that the enemy has no authority over our thoughts. Instead, we are invited to activate our inner-selves, finding Christ within, rather than simply seeking the Triune God, externally.

This sermon calls us to grow as Christians by following the example of Jesus, who flowed through the inner thoughts of those Christ encountered, addressing not just actions, but the heart. We are encouraged to do the same-exploring our own thoughts and intentions, discovering the presence of Jesus and the Holy Trinity in the quiet places of our minds and spirits.

Join me as we learn how to navigate our inner lives in Jesus’ style, finding strength, wisdom, and peace by tapping into the divine power that dwells within us.

Scriptures below inspired this sermon:

Matthew 9:4
“Achiziva pfungwa dzavo, Jesu akati kwavari, ‘Sei muchifungisisa zvakaipa mumwoyo yenyu?’”

Matthew 12:25
“Jesu achiziva pfungwa dzavo akati kwavari, ‘Umambo hwose hwakazvipesana huchaparadzwa, uye guta ripi neripi kana imba yakazvipesana haigoni kumira.’”

Luke 5:22
“Jesu achiziva zvavaifunga, akavabvunza achiti, 'Sei muchifunga zvinhu izvi mumwoyo yenyu?’”

Luke 6:8
“Asi Jesu achiziva zvavaifunga, akati kumurume ane ruoko rwakaoma, 'Simuka umire pamberi pavo.' Saka akasimuka akamira ipapo”

Luke 9:47
“Jesu, achiziva pfungwa dzavo, akatora mwana muduku, akamumisa padivi pake”.

Luke 11:17
“Jesu achiziva pfungwa dzavo akati kwavari: 'Umambo hwose hwakazvipesana huchaparadzwa, uye imba inoparadzwa kana yakazvipesana.’”

John 2:24-25
“Asi Jesu haana kuzvivimba navo, nokuti aiziva zvose pamusoro pevanhu. Aisada zvapupu pamusoro pemunhu, nokuti aiziva zvakanga zviri mumunhu mumwe nemumwe”.

John 6:61
“Achiziva kuti vadzidzi vake vairumurira pamusoro peizvi, Jesu akati kwavari, 'Izvi zvinokugumburai here?’”

John 13:11
“Nokuti aiziva uyo aizomutengesa, uye ndiro raiva chikonzero chake kuti ataure kuti havasi vose vakachena”.

THE END

The Diaries of VaChikepe: The Poet

Welcome to a deep and artistic listening session unlike any other-a journey through my life, identity, and worldview. As a poet, preacher, pastor, musician, publisher, theologian, philosopher, sociologist, and more, I invite you to explore the core of what drives me forward. My artistic voyage spans over 18 years, and my spiritual journey is approaching a decade filled with wonder, understanding, and inspired sharing. These experiences are expressed in Shona-a language spoken by over 15 million people in Southern Africa, the essence of my roots-and in English, a language that transcends borders and boundaries.

“CONVICTED BY GOD’S LOVE”

Inspired by this verse from 2 Corinthians 5:13-15 (CEB):

“If we are crazy, it’s for God’s sake; if we are rational, it’s for your sake. The love of Christ controls us because we have concluded this: one died for the sake of all; therefore, all died. He died for the sake of all so that those who are alive should live not for themselves but for the one who died for them and was raised”.

Unto the Kingdom of God, we came to stay, and for good. It is not an easy road, but reaching the destination is the mission and the vision. Our spirits are more important than our bodies, especially when we think deeply about our lives. Our abilities are beyond measure and must be activated by God. Our inabilities in our functionalities as Christians must disappear, and our desire for spiritual growth must always be ahead of our faith capabilities. “God, what is it that you want me to do?” has to be our prayer all the days of our lives because what we know is our ignorance, and far beyond that, there is more for us. In the knowledge and wisdom of God, we need to live in, even when times change, we become the change in time. Tomorrow, we don't know its nature, but from tomorrow, we can prophesy our today and yesterday. Our world is hungry for the manifestation of God’s Glory and Holiness, and unto the table of life, we are called to partake every day and through every breath of our being.

As you meditate with this Podcast, may the Good Lord continue to Bless you so much! In the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ! Amen.

Tichingoti…To God Be The Glory! #zvachose 😁♥️🤝🏿😇🙏🏿👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

Produced By: Standard: Nyabira https://www.facebook.com/share/dkWJvjkVQGGnKGbR/?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Cover Design: Tirivanhu Gono https://www.facebook.com/share/oMyzCyzwWvoqBDsJ/?mibextid=LQQJ4d

#Enjoy And Blessings https://www.1sail1art.org/the-sailors-review 09/23/2024 (c)

Inspired by this verse (Nehemiah 2:8):

“The king gave me the letters and everything I asked for. The king did that because my God was kind to me.” The word that stood out to me from this verse is “kind.” It gave me an understanding that miracles happen when God has been kind to us. What does it mean when God is kind to us? This reminds me of the story of Joseph in prison around 1700 BC! The cupbearer was told by Joseph (Genesis 40:14), “But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison.” However, the scripture says, “The Chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.”

Now, in Genesis Chapter 41! After 2 years, Joseph is still in prison! Then, the cupbearer finally remembers Joseph! This is where Nehemiah around 400 BC comes in, and he awakens! Nehemiah refuses to forget! We refuse to forget in our lives! In the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ! Nehemiah declared that as for those from his land, he would remember them. The Lord is speaking into our lives today, saying “Be Kind” and live to see and experience my miracles! Things unseen by eyes or heard by ears.

Kind=Mambo vakandipa izvozvo, nokuti ruoko rwakanaka rwaMwari wangu rwakanga rwuri pamusoro pangu. Nehemiah akauya akajamuka, uye chakarambwa naNehemiah ihanganwa! Tinoramba hanganwa mukati mehupenyu hwedu! Mubvunzo woti muzuva ranhasi: Ruoko rwakanaka rwaMwari wako rwuri pamusoro pako here? Vagani varikurama vari pasi pebvute ramakomborero ako awakapihwa naIshe? Kana pasina kindness! Tirikunanaira pakufamba! Pachikristu chedu.

Welcome to this one-hour listening session, where I share my life story-who I am, how I understand this world, and what keeps me moving forward. This is one of the most meaningful interviews of my artistic journey, spanning from 2006 to 2024. The interview is conducted in Shona, a language spoken by more than 15 million people in Southern Africa. Shona language has extremely shaped me into the Poet I am today. Through God’s Grace, many more interviews in English are on the horizon.

A special thanks to Ambassador Langton Munyaradzi Chemhere for conducting this interview, to the Norton Residents: Zimbabwe for their Huge Support, and to the Global Sailors Community for standing with your Captain.

More Love and Blessings! Tichingoti…To God Be The Glory! #zvachose

In the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ! Amen.

More information about VaChikepe: The Poet is attached below:
#Enjoy 😊

About the Poet 

Takudzwa Chikepe, famously known as VaChikepe: The Poet, stands as one of Africa's leading Poets. Renowned for his all-around talents, VaChikepe wears many hats-international poet, prophetic-pastor-preacher, aspiring theologian, publisher, musician, dreamer, and visionary.

A two-time featured poet at the Bridgewater International Poetry Festival, VaChikepe achieved significant recognition in 2021 by winning The International Reggae And World Music Award (IRAWMA) for Best Poet in the Mutabaruka Category-a groundbreaking achievement as the first African recipient of this prestigious award. In 2022, he was further honored with Norton’s Medal of Honor, among other accolades.

VaChikepe has graced Duke University's stages as the guest poet for various events, including the Duke Initiatives in Theology and the Arts “Cries of Loss and Hope” concert (2022), Duke’s eighth annual Black Convocation and Reception (2022), and Duke’s Multicultural Affairs’ 50th Anniversary Celebration (2023).

In his own words, "My dedication to the art of poetry and music extends to nurturing more than 500 emerging talents from Africa, helping them refine their craft since 2016. I am also the founder of VaChikepe And The Hundred Sailors (VHS) and the publisher of “The Sailors Review” newsletter/journal." Learn more at www.1sail1art.org

A recent Master of Divinity graduate from Duke University, Takudzwa aspires to become an Elder in the United Methodist Church. He believes that poetry is a calling and utilizes various states of mind, music, and spirituality to define and express it. He also firmly believes that “Art is not just a subject but a financial therapy that can heal nations”.

As a recording artist, VaChikepe has over 50 underground songs and musical poems, with more than 20 officially published on all music platforms since 2021. “Poetry In Music” and “Using Poetry to Understand the Spirituality of Whistling” are some of the workshops he has hosted with Duke Arts at Duke University, and the journey continues… 

https://pathways.duke.edu/modulepage/278

https://pathways.duke.edu/modulepage/356