Re: Fwd: Fwd: Fwd: I didn't believe it myself....

There should be a combination of alphabets for the 'throwing up' sound. If you've got any ideas please pass them across.

For me they surfaced right after yr. 2000. From the fun-filled to the bizarre, every time I checked my box, there'd be a fresh batch. From friends, and more annoying, from strangers.

The rise to fame of the internet and communication thereby has birthed....

The Fwd Ninjas

My friend Domike Isiodu coined this term a while back and it made an impression, seeing as I witnessed the many mailbox purging sessions he had to carry out each day to get to his actual email messages.

Don't get me wrong, I love a good joke any time. What I hate are the ones I call threat letters, with the ubiquitous 'fwd this to 4billion people in seven minutes or your computer will shut down' clause at the end. I tire for people.

I have opted to see these things in as good a light as possible, but also to study why they thrive:

We love to keep in touch. Have you poked anyone lately? (Can I get an amen from the facebook crew?) It's all good. Really it's very necessary. To know that we aren't alone, that we aren't losing it, and that if we are, there are people who can help us get 'it' back - whatever it is. It is amazing how your faith is strengthened by meeting someone who has owed more money than you and paid it off, or who was unemployed for longer than you but has landed 'the Job' or who suffered an illness but walked out of the hospital unaided.

Faith is powerful. God is awesome. So why can't we just believe He can handle any challenge in our way? I like to believe that it might be because we haven't heard Him say it in a language He knows we understand best - through a living witness.

'So when you are come out of these trials and your children/friends ask you how far, let your children know that it was by the strength of the Hand of God that you were delivered' (Exod 13:14 paraphrased) This is why Jesus came back after the resurrection - to be our first living witness to say 'it is done and it is available to everybody'.

My peoples, when you get those almost meaningless offline messages, texts, email messages (email does not have plural: so stop writing 'emails'. ka ji ko?), do reply. Cud be someone is shouting for help on the smoke-screened battlefield of life, and they just at least want to know that they are not alone.

But sha let's not send those ones with funny funny ultimatums!

Much love.