TT 187

Must reads:

My Pulpit Message: Contend for the Faith Pg 3-4

CONTEND FOR THE FAITH

King’s Inspiration: Defy that Discouraging Voice Pg 7

Entrepreneur: 4 Little Things You Can Do To Build Confidence

Pg 8

My Pulpit Message Notes

CONTEND FOR THE FAITH

My Pulpit Message Notes are transcribed from the sermon preached at the Nairobi Baptist Church (NBC) Ngong Road on Sunday, 12th March, 2023. Preacher - Reverend Munengi Mulandi. Senior Pastor Nairobi Baptist Church. Scripture: Jude 1:1-4,19 Topic: Contend for the Faith

This epistle was written to the early church that they may be strong in very tough times.

1.

AUTHOR: Jude 1a

2. AUDIENCE: Jude 1:1b-3

3. ATTACK: Jude 1:3-19

AUTHOR - Jude 1a

It is obvious who the author of this particular book is, Jude, or known as Judas, but who is he outside of the name, because it was a very common name? What is the author’s DNA? What was his true identity? And he does that by self-revelation in verse one.

I. Servant / Bond Slave

- Jude, a servant (other versions - a bond-slave) of Jesus Christ and a brother of James. We see several things there that betray who the core of the Jude is. First, a bond-servant, literally a lifetime slave.

-When we read Jude a ‘servant’ of Jesus Christ, sometimes what comes to mind is a waiter. You are in a restaurant and there are some wait staff waiting to attend to you and you order some cold milk and they bring it to you. Sometimes you have a table that is designated and you have a particular waiter for your table, or for your section and so you may call a waiter and they come and serve you etc.

- But this is not that kind of servant. This is beyond dedication to your table. This is a lifetime slave. This is a loyal, and owned, an un-distractable, someone whose full attention is to Jesus Christ. A personal servant. A sign of dedication.

- Jude doesn’t want us to get confused who he is in his core. His true identity, DNA is that, ‘I am a bond-servant, a slave for life, with no choice of relief, willingly, laying my life for Jesus Christ.’

II. Brother of James

- Secondly he says, a brother of James. If you are a brother of James, it also means a brother of Jesus Christ. But why doest he bring it up to the surface?

- Mark 6:3, talking about Jesus, “3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.”

- Acts 1:14 “They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.” These brothers become church fathers. 1 Corinthians 9:5, (Paul trying to defend his rights as an apostle says, “5 Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers…? If really this Jude was a brother of James, then he was a brother of Jesus. But why aren’t those decorations / achievements an integral part of his CV and DNA?

- Several reasons have been suggested by Biblical commentators, one of them is; these brothers did not believe in Jesus. It was until Jesus resurrected and they realised, this is true. Remember these are the same ones who went to take care of Him when He is doing miracles, they are saying, “This man has not eaten for several days, he is out of his mind.” Somethings happens when the facts of this so called half brother of theirs dies and resurrects and they say, it is enough, I need no other argument, I need no other plea. It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me. That is when Jude becomes a believer and his brothers as well.

- But you see, Jude is not too rushed to associate himself with brotherhood with Jesus Christ. Because he knows, we may have shared a mother, but His Father is in heaven. He could not too closely associate himself and his whole DNA with Jesus Christ because he knew, I am unworthy to call Him brother, because He is

so majestic, He is so great.

- Personally, if I had been brought in the same house with Jesus, even with all the respect, I would be calling Him, Bro God. “Bro God niaje? Do you remember that day when we were riding bikes? Do you remember that day when we were in dad’s carpentry shop and then we just mess things up?” But, imagine when He is not around and I am at the shopping mall, and I exclaim, ‘Ah, I’m so tired. You know this day reminds me of the day my big bro and we were just walking and suddenly He touches this montezuma car and the widow of Nain, her son is just healed. That bro of mine!”

- I want to associate myself in ways that show, for me, a proximity.

Lesson from the Author - What do we learn from this author? Humility.

- This humility is the same one found in Jesus. We are told in Philippians 2, ‘Who being in very nature of God did not consider equality with God, something to be grasped.’ If you and I are going to be effective soldiers in the army of the LORD, one of the things that we learn from this author is - humility.

- I’m not saying there is anything wrong with all the achievements, accolades that God has helped us to gather, but have those achievements, accolades, academic, financial etc, entered our DNA? There are things that are supposed to pass through our system and not to become part and parcel of our system.

- Imagine with me, if eating cabbage regularly and in large amounts would bring that cabbage to a point where it is embedded in your DNA so that when you are tested, one of the things peculiar about you is DNA? That is not the role of wonderful things like cabbage. We are supposed to eat it, be nourished, bring nutrients to our bodies and out through the digestive system, not to become an integral part of our DNA. Cabbage should not define us!

- So this example of Jude, half brother of Jesus Christ, he could have said, all those things and he was, but those were facts that they grew up in the same house, but it is not his DNA.

- This author wants to make it abundantly clear, my relationship with Jesus Christ is slave, bond-servant. My relationship with church fathers is, brother of James. - You need some callibration if ‘cabbage’, education, association, material things, different honours that the LORD has allowed you to achieve in this world have entered and they define you, not so Jude.

AUDIENCE - Jude 1:1b-3

Who is Jude writing to?

I hasten to think of who he is writing to, because in 3 John, John is writing to, ‘my elder and dear friend Gaius’. He names him, but Jude doesn’t write to a particular person. When you read the book of Colossians, Ephesians etc they are written to believers around that city of Ephesus, or Thessalonica etc. Those books are specific who Paul is writing to.

- Jude is fairly undefined by geography or by name. There are good indications that is written to the Jewish community of faith because of the reference of many of their cultural books that are not inspired / canonical / part of the Bible, but part of their history.

- But verse 3, is what shutters my mind. He is writing to ‘dear friends.’ This is because, the way we run the community of faith today does not lend itself that when we are writing to each other letters, that we can say, ‘Dear friends’. He says dear friends to them and it is not a PR exercise, or good English manners - how do you do? How do you do- well thank you.’ No. There is something that he has gone through that he knows they have gone through and because of that common denominator, he calls them, ‘Dear Friends.’ Not just acquaintances, but, dear friends.

My Pulpit Message Notes

- I was listening to a Bible commentator talk about this, a Scottish man preaching in the US, has been ministering in the US for a long time and he said when he was preaching to this message he looked at his notes and there was something written there CBK. And he couldn’t remember what CBK meant to the sermon and then it clicked on him why he had written in his notes CBK. Because he and those dear friends he was writing to had something common called CBK. An expression of recipients of the excellencies and riches of God’s grace.

Called Beloved

Kept

i. C- Those who have been Called

ii. B- The beloved of God.

iii. K- Those kept in and for Jesus Christ.

C- Those who have been Called

Jude is writing to people who he is so overwhelmed because of the grace that is common for them and him that he goes into this past, present tense explanation of the grace of God. That they were recipients of that grace that awakens one who is dead in the spirit and made alive in Jesus Christ (Justification). Those who in eternity past, God made provision for and awakened them.

B- The beloved of God.

Those whom grace has embraced. The beloved of the Lord. Those who in the present continuous tense are continuing to receive this grace that is sustaining them through this time (sanctification).

K- Those kept in and for Jesus Christ.

Those who are and continuing (future tense) to be kept for Jesus Christ. And small wonder v 24 “To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence blameless and with exceeding joy” when you have had such a rich common experience with some people, they become dear friends.

- In Kenya we have two football clubs that really antagonise each other, more so in the past as these days there are others who have come into the league. They used to have a tournament called ‘Mashemeji Derby’ meant to say they are in-laws, but the way their fans fight and the players really struggle, there is no mashemeji there. But when the two teams are at Kasarani, City, or Nyayo stadia, it is clear those who are supporting either team. The antagonism is obvious. And dare you sit on the wrong side and start cheering a goal for the other side. From no where people who came dressed smartly, from invisible pockets, come huge stones to fight each other because of a small piece of sewed cowhide called a soccer ball. But the same people come the next weekend and players are drawn from both teams, Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards into the national team and are now playing against Tanzania, suddenly they are together. And when they are able to score several into the goal of Tanzania or Uganda etc, you see these former enemies of last weekend, because of that experience, suddenly they are friends. They hug each other regardless of tongue. They hi-five each other. What changed? A common experience.

- Jude having grown up in Joseph and Mary’s house with his half brother Jesus, having doubted him for years, when he is converted at the resurrection, his eyes on everybody else who has that experience, who have been CBKd, whose real DNA and identity is because of being recipients of the grace of God, he calls them, ‘dear friends.’

Lesson from the - Audience - Lesson here is - grace. This grace transforms our relationships.

- I keep wondering, what would happen to you and I, how strong would our church be if we became genuine, dear friends to one another? This is what Jude writes to them and equips them for all the challenges (panda-shukas - ups and downs) they are about to go through.

ATTACK - Jude 1:3

Jude says in verse 3, I was going to write to you an epistle like the epistle Paul wrote to the Romans. Breaking down precept upon precept, a neat dissertation of the gospel, of the news of Jesus Christ our Saviour. That is what I was planning to write. I was planning to write to you a letter that is almost like Ephesians 2:1-10 just highlighting what the gospel is, what grace is and how we have been redeemed by Jesus Christ, and as important as that may be, much as that is what I wanted to write to you, I feel compelled. I must lay aside what I wanted to write to you, my dear friends, and write to you because we are under attack. We have

been infiltrated. We are under ambush. I must urgently call you. A call to arms. A call to the foxholes, to arm yourselves, not just defensively, but offensively as well.

- So Jude writes to them in verses 3 and 4, “3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.”

- ‘Contend’ is an old word that really means to fight. The root of the Greek word used here is ‘agony’ from which we get the English word, agonise.

- Jude writes to them and tells them, we have been infiltrated. They have secretly entered among us. It is time for war. Agonise. There is nothing passive about this call. It is a call to fight - and not to fight culture, liturgy, or tradition, no. It is a fight for our faith.

- Evangelicals are said to have a knack to major on the minors and ignore the major things.

- In Verse 4 Jude writes to them and says, “4 For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about[b] long ago have secretly slipped in among you.” and he identifies them by two things; their behaviour and doctrine, “They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality (behaviour) and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.”

- Jude singles out the people of God who left Egypt to go the promised land and in between did not believe, how God dealt with them. He deals with human beings in Sodom and Gomorrah all through to verse 19 are examples of how God dealt with the ungodly whether they were human, angelic, or demonic, our God is at war against ungodliness.

- Ephesians 5:11 “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.”

- Jude writing to the believers at that time, tells them that there has been an infiltration, so wake up and fight.

Lessons

H - Humility

G - Grace

F - Fight

Jude writes to them and tells them, it is not enough just to have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

- When it comes to some of these things, there are fallacies that we go through that take us to spiritual passivism. One of them is coined, “What happens on peoples bedroom is their own business.” First class nonsense! Because if anybody was entering that bedroom to do whatever they want with bodies that they had made themselves, that did not belong to this Sovereign and Lord, then perhaps they would have a chance. That whatever happened in their bedroom would be their private business.

- You see Adam was not somewhere walking around the garden, very dissatisfied with manila papers placarding in demonstration ‘haki yangu’ , ‘I need a me honey.’ No. Adam didn’t even know. It is God who saw that he was alone and needed a helper, a companion. And so God has every business to define what happens in our bedrooms and it is in the Bible and it is written, it is prescribed, glory be to God.

- I don’t understand why, when the devil wants to do something, somehow all these devilish things always have a string of immorality. What is it about Godly intercourse that affects the devil? What is about the blessed gift of sex that God gave Adam and Eve and those who are married to enjoy in holy matrimony, what is it that he has a problem with?

- You and I are not fighting our own war. The One who have those bodies has said, in His Word, and so it must be. So you and I must take up this fight and gently instruct, with great patience, those who feel, think and practice otherwise to the glory of God.

2. I hear people saying, ‘Those who live in glass houses don’t throw stones. This person may be doing this, I just leave them, because I may be having a problem with lying. Each to their own sin.’ Again, first-class nonsense! Because once you have been redeemed by Jesus Christ you don’t live in a glass house. “Therefore if anyone who is in Christ he is a new creation, the old has gone, behold, all things have become new”. And Anyway, when I am talking to you, I am not exhigiting my own life and my own experiences. No. I am relying on the Word, ‘It is said, it is said, it is said.’ And not only that, my body is not a glass house. By definition of 2 Timothy 3:16 is the temple of the Holy Spirit. And a house He has gone to prepare for me, coming soon to a theatre near you.

- So Brothers and sisters, are you willing to fight for the faith entrusted to us?

- The Bible also says of these immoral things, this is what some of you were, but by the grace of God, He has taken you from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His Son. And for that, by this grace, not only do we identify ourselves with a DNA that is not cabbage, not only do we relate by a grace that is, ‘Dear friends’, by the way one of the greatest marks of being related to the divine is the ability to forgive.

- Lastly, this elevates us to a place where we are now soldiers willing to fight. Jude dropped everything else he wanted to write to them and says, I needed to write to you to contend, to fight for the faith, for we have been infiltrated already. The enemy is among us. We cannot be passive. It’s a call to arms to the glory of God.

March 13th | 2023

My Life

How to get saved and spend eternity with God

His Love

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.

John 3:16 (NASB)

My response

that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

Romans 10:9-10 (NASB)

My prayer

Lord God Almighty, thank You for Your love for me. Thank You that You sent Your Son Jesus Christ to die for my sins. Please forgive me for all the sins I have committed against You. I believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and that He died on the cross and You raised Him from the dead on the third day. Please write my name in the Lamb’s book of life. Help me to live a life that is holy and pleasing unto You. In Jesus’ Name I pray and believe. Amen

https://sportsspectrum.com/

My Devotional

GREATEST OF ALL TIME

By Reza Zadeh, Denver Broncos chaplain

“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.” — John 13:14

Greatness. It’s something many strive for, and for many athletes, it not only got them involved in sports, but it drives them to prepare, train and compete at a level that will achieve greatness. However, the pursuit doesn’t stop at “greatness” anymore. Athletes want to go beyond greatness and become the G.O.A.T. — Greatest of All Time.

Over the past decade, the term “GOAT” has become a mainstream obsession and talking point. People argue over and over about who is the GOAT. Is it Tom Brady or Peyton Manning? Is it LeBron James or Michael Jordan? (That answer is always MJ.) Can we just stop all conversation and agree that Serena Williams is and always will be the GOAT?

This pursuit of greatness or GOAT status is nothing new to mankind. Those who walked with Jesus also had an obsession with greatness. But the problem isn’t whether we pursue greatness; the problem is how we define greatness, because greatness in the Kingdom of God is not defined the way it is in the kingdom of mankind.

There is an instance in the Gospel of Mark that captures a conversation between two disciples of Jesus when they were able to get Him alone, away from the other 10. The brothers (James and John) tried to persuade Jesus into elevating them to GOAT status in glory, and give them a position and platform that would make them great. They asked Jesus if they could sit on either side of Him as He reigned in His eternal Kingdom (Mark 10:35-45).

Their mistake wasn’t the request itself; their transgression was that they misunderstood what made someone great. They thought greatness was all about position. What they didn’t realize is that greatness in God’s Kingdom isn’t about

a position you are elevated to, but a posture you live with.

Jesus Himself exemplified what greatness is all about the night He was betrayed at dinner with His closest friends. Jesus famously got on His knees and did the unexpected. The master became the servant by washing the feet of the disciples, and in doing this, Jesus displayed what greatness looked like. Scripture tells us:

“The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” —

John 13:2-5

He was able to take off His rabbinic robe and take on the garment of a slave (towel), and, in turn, show all of us what greatness looks like. Greatness isn’t about what you achieve, it’s displayed by how you serve others. You see, greatness in the world is measured by who (or how many) serves you, but greatness in the Kingdom of God is measured by who (or how many) you serve.

Who can you serve this week? Whose feet can you metaphorically wash? What kind of legacy will you leave within your team or community? These are the things that lead to a path of spiritual greatness.

— Reza Zadeh, Denver Broncos chaplain

King’s Inspiration

DEFY THAT DISCOURAGING VOICE

By william King |

When you read the psalms of David, you know that even a person whom God calls “a man after My own heart” is susceptible to discouragement. The pathway down to discouragement is an easy one, a slippery slope and if we let it take us captive, it will hold us prisoners.

When you feel as though you are never good enough, an illness isn’t going away, people are talking negatively about you and you join in with your own negative, critical thoughts about yourself, it drains the life and power out of you. The enemy will try to keep you distracted from what God says about you by reminding you of how your life does not measure up.

So how do you break the chain of discouragement? In Psalm 43, David begins to talk about his overwhelming feelings of oppression and rejection, even a sense of darkness and mourning. But suddenly there is a complete turnaround in his prayer. It is as though he stops in his tracks.

He challenges those negative situations with eyes that begin to focus on God dwelling on His holy mountain, the God who is David’s “joy and delight.” He talks to himself and says, “Why, my soul, are you discouraged? Why so sad?” Then he declares, “I put my hope in God.”

David realized, just as we must, that God has wired us for power, but we have to switch it on. Romans 10:9-10 not only tells you how to get wired, but it speaks of how to flow in it. The apostle Paul says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

If you are a believer today, you have the Lord Jesus living inside of you. The Spirit of God dwells inside you, so you are fully wired. Now switch on the power. When you feel that you’re not good enough, believe with your heart and confess with your words, “No, I am fearfully made.”

Entrepreneur

4 LITTLE THINGS YOU CAN DO TO BUILD CONFIDENCE

www.biblicalleadership.com |

By Joseph Lalonde| Image courtesy: Forbes

You can be unsure of specific skills, tasks, and more. This will drive us to stretch ourselves.

However, if a leader lacks confidence, this deficiency can be a leadership killer. But, don’t fret. There are ways you can build your confidence. In fact, you may be doing some of these things without realizing what you’re doing.

You may think you need to take significant action to build confidence. You don’t. You only have to start with small things. These small things lead to enormous confidence.

1. Accomplish something unimportant but meaningful:

I don’t consider myself a handyman, yet the more I do little handyman-type projects around the home, the more confidence I build that I won’t destroy the house when a big project comes my way. Before writing this, I took out the old curtain rod brackets and replaced them with new Kwik-Hang curtain brackets (they were featured on Shark Tank).

These brackets took me less than 5 minutes to install, but I felt great about my skills in replacing and repairing something in the house. Thanksgiving weekend, our kitchen faucet stopped working. A quick trip to Lowes and I had the new faucet. Replacing the kitchen faucet was a bit more complicated than the curtain rods, but this task was still unimportant in the grand scheme of things, yet there was something meaningful behind it. We could use our kitchen faucet again.

Each time you do something small that you are unsure of, you build a new level of confidence. Your new experience tells you that you cando what you haven’t done before.

Your confidence builds. You feel better about yourself. And those around you recognize that you’re pushing yourself, trying new things, and finding the confidence you lacked.

2. Set and accomplish goals:

Want to know if you can do something? Set a goal and go for it. The goal doesn’t have to be a BHAG (big, hairy audacious goal). It can be something simple.

But, start writing down your goals. Start accomplishing your goals. You’ll not only see your goal list slim down (and then increase as you add more to the list), you’ll realize you really can accomplish what you’ve set out to do.

3. Repeat personal affirmations:

Affirmations are positive statements about yourself or the person you’re becoming. You are to repeat these statements to yourself daily or multiple times a day. Each time you repeat the affirmation, you cement a new way of thinking into your mind.

A couple of affirmations that are hanging on my wall are:

I am grateful to be a leader I live for those I love and I love what I do I am growing daily and learning new ways to think I find my primary worth in what God says, not man

These affirmations were from a sheet I downloaded from Steve Gutzler. They help focus my mind on what’s important. They also remind me where my strength comes from, why I do what I do, and more. These are all confidence builders.

4. Stop playing the comparison game:

The comparison game is dangerous. You’re not only looking to others for affirmation; you’re giving yourself negative affirmations.

By comparing yourself to others, you look for what is wrong with yourself. You seek out the negative rather than the positive.

Instead of playing the comparison game, look at others to see what you can become more like. Use what you see as a motivator to become better.

My Health

Medical Myths: ALL ABOUT STROKE

Ponce, Ph.D.

In 2019, stroke was the second leading cause of mortality globally, accounting for 11% of deaths.

There are three main typesof stroke. The first and most common, accounting for 87% of cases, is an ischemic stroke. It occurs when blood flow through the artery that supplies oxygen to the brain becomes blocked.

The second is a hemorrhagic stroke, caused by a rupture in an artery in the brain, which in turn damages surrounding tissues.

The third type of stroke is a transient ischemic attack (TIA), which is sometimes called a “ministroke.” It happens when blood flow is temporarily blocked to the brain, usually for no more than 5 minutes.

While stroke is very common, it is often misunderstood. To help us dispel myths on the topic and improve our understanding, we got in touch with Dr. Rafael Alexander Ortiz, chief of Neuro-Endovascular Surgery and Interventional Neuro-Radiology at Lenox Hill Hospital.

1. Stroke is a problem of the heart

Although stroke risk is linked to cardiovascular risk factors, strokes happen in the brain, not the heart.

“Some people think that stroke is a problem of the heart,” Dr. Ortiz told MNT. “That is incorrect. A stroke is a problem of the brain, caused by the blockage or rupture of arteries or veins in the brain, and not the heart.”

Some people confuse stroke with a heart attack, which is caused by a blockage in blood flow to the heart, and not the brain.

2. Stroke is not preventable

“The most common risk factors [for stroke] include hypertension, smoking, high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, trauma to the head or neck, and cardiac arrhythmias,” said Dr. Ortiz.

Many of these risk factors can be modified by lifestyle. Exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet can reduce risk factors such as hypertension, high cholesterol, obesity, and diabetes.

Other risk factors include alcohol consumption and stress. Working to reduce or remove these lifestyle factors may also reduce a person’s risk of stroke.

3. Stroke does not run in families

Single-gene disorders such as sickle cell disease increase a person’s risk for stroke. Genetic factorsTrusted Source including a higher risk for high blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors may also indirectly increase stroke risk. As families are likely to share environments and lifestyles, unhealthy lifestyle factors are likely to increase stroke risk among family members, especially when coupled with genetic risk factors.

4. Stroke symptoms are hard to recognize

The most common symptoms for stroke form the acronym “F.A.S.T.Trusted Source“:

F: face dropping, when one side of the face becomes numb and produces an uneven “smile”

A: arm weakness, when one arm becomes weak or numb and, when raised, drifts slowly downward

S: speech difficulty, or slurred speech

T: time to call 911

Other symptoms of stroke include:

numbness or weakness in the face, arm, leg, or one side of the body confusion and trouble speaking or understanding speech difficulty seeing in one or both eyes difficulty walking, including dizziness, loss of balance and coordination severe headaches without a known cause

My Health

5. Stroke cannot be treated

“There is an incorrect belief that strokes are irreversible and can’t be treated,” explained Dr. Ortiz.

“Emergency treatment of a stroke with injection of a clot busting drug, minimally invasive mechanical thrombectomy for clot removal, or surgery can reverse the symptoms of a stroke in many patients, especially if they arrive to the hospital early enough for the therapy (within minutes or hours since the onset of the symptoms),” he noted.

“The longer the symptoms last, the lower the likelihood of a good outcome. Therefore, it is critical that at the onset of stroke symptoms — ie. trouble speaking, double vision, paralysis or numbness, etc — an ambulance should be called (911) for transport to the nearest hospital,” he continued.

Research also shows that those who arrive within 3 hours of first experiencing symptoms typically have less disability 3 months afterward than those who arrived later.

6. Stroke occurs only in the elderly

Age is a significant risk factor for stroke. Stroke risk doublesTrusted Source every 10 years after age 55. However, strokes can occur at any age.

One study examining healthcare data found that 34% of stroke hospitalizations in 2009 were under age 65.

A review in 2013 points out that “approximately 15% of all ischemic strokes occur in young adults and adolescents.”

The researchers noted that stroke risk factors including hypertension, diabetes, obesity, lipid disorders, and tobacco use were among the most common co-existing conditions among this age group.

7. All strokes have symptoms

Not all strokes have symptoms, and some research suggests that symptom-free strokes are far more common than those with symptoms.

One study found that out of the over 11 million strokes in 1998, 770,000 presented symptoms, whereas close to 11 million were silent.

Evidenceof these so-called silent strokes appears on MRI scans as white spots from scarred tissue following a blockage or ruptured blood vessel.

Often, silent strokes are identified when patients receive MRI scans for symptoms including headaches, cognitive issues, and dizziness.

Although they occur without symptoms, they should be treated similarly to strokes with symptoms. Silent strokes put people at risk of future symptomatic strokesTrusted Source, cognitive decline, and dementia.

8. A ministroke is not so risky

“The term ministroke has been used incorrectly as some think that it is related to small strokes that carry low risk,” said Dr. Ortiz. “That statement is incorrect, as a ministroke is a transient ischemic attack (TIA).”

“It is not a small stroke, but a premonition that a large stroke can occur. Any symptom of acute stroke, transient or persistent, needs emergency workup and management to prevent a devastating large stroke,” he added.

9. Stroke always causes paralysis

Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability, but not everyone who has a stroke will experience paralysis or weakness. Research shows that stroke leads to reduced mobility in over half of stroke survivors aged 65 and over.

However, the long-term impacts of stroke vary on many factors, such as the amount of brain tissue affected and the area affected. Damage to the left brain, for example, will affect the right side of the body and vice versa.

If the stroke occurs in the left side of the brain, effects may include:

paralysis on the right side of the body speech and language problems slow and cautious behavior memory loss.

If it affects the right side of the brain, paralysis may also occur, this time on the left side of the body. Other effects may include:

vision problems

quick and inquisitive behavior memory loss.

10. Stroke recovery happens fast

Recovery from stroke can take months, if not years. However, many may not fully recover. The American Stroke Association says that among stroke survivors:

10% will make an almost complete recovery

another 10% will require care in a nursing home or another long-term facility 25% will recover with minor impairments

40% will experience moderate to severe impairments

Research suggests there is a critical time window between 2–3 months after stroke onset, during which intensive motor rehabilitation is more likely to lead to recovery. Some may also be able to spontaneously recover during this period.

Beyond this window, and beyond the 6-month mark, improvements are still possible although are likely to be significantly slower.

My Kitchen

TIRAMISU LAYER CAKE

www.allrecipes.com

Ingredients

Cake:

1 (15.25 ounce) package moist white cake mix

1 cup water

3 large egg whites

⅓ cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon instant coffee powder

Coffee Syrup:

¼ cup coffee

1 tablespoon coffee flavored liqueur

Filling:

1 (8 ounce) container mascarpone cheese

½ cup confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoons coffee flavored liqueur

Frosting:

2 cups heavy cream

¼ cup confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoons coffee flavored liqueur

Garnish:

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 (1 ounce) square semisweet chocolate

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 9-inch pans.

Make cake: Beat cake mix, water, egg whites, and oil in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined, about 2 minutes. Divide 2/3 of the batter between 2 prepared pans. Stir instant coffee into remaining batter; pour into the remaining prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of cakes comes out clean, 23 to 28 minutes. Cool cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Make syrup: Combine brewed coffee and coffee liqueur in a measuring cup; set aside.

Make filling: Beat mascarpone, confectioners’ sugar, and coffee liqueur in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to keep cool.

Make frosting: Beat cream, confectioners’ sugar, and coffee liqueur in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until stiff. Fold 1/2 cup frosting into chilled filling until combined. Store frosting and filling, covered, in the refrigerator to keep cool.

Assemble cake: Place 1 plain cake layer on a serving plate. Using a thin skewer, poke holes in cake, about 1 inch apart. Pour 1/3 of the coffee syrup over cake, then cover with 1/2 of the filling. Top with coffee-flavored cake layer; poke holes in cake. Pour another 1/3 of the coffee syrup over cake and cover with remaining filling. Top with remaining cake layer; poke holes in cake. Pour remaining coffee syrup on top. Spread sides and top of cake with frosting.

Garnish cake: Place cocoa powder in a sieve and lightly dust top of cake. Run a vegetable peeler down the edge of chocolate square to form curls. Scatter chocolate curls over cake.

Chill cake in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.

My Sports

Spaniard Jorge Campillo crowned Magical Kenya Open champion

Jorge Campillo from Spain celebrates winning the Magical Kenya Open on the final day of the event.

[Stafford Ondego,Standard]

Jorge Campillo of Spain is the winner of the 2023 Magical Kenya Open (MKO) that ended at par 71 Muthaiga Golf Club in Nairobi on Sunday.

The Real Madrid FC die-hard fan closed the day on a five under par 66 to lift the global showpiece on its 54th edition on a total four rounds of 18 under par 266 which earned him 460 points in the race to the Dubai finale.

On his last stretch yesterday, the 5 foot 10 inch Spaniard collected six birdies in the par five fourth, par four sixth, par five seventh and par four eighth in the front nine. He posted a similar score in the par five tenth and par four seventh in the back nine.

Campillo was handed the trophy by the Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi for the feat, with Sh43 million prize money to boot.

“Muthaiga is a tricky course, but full of thrills and fun. I feel good to win, it’s always good to win a high profile tournament like this,” he told Standard Sports.

.“I played beautifully on Saturday, raking an eight under on the day is what in “It is good to start the season on a high, I’m now definitely motivated to go for more international cups this year.”

Born in Caceres, Spain, some 36 years ago, Campillo’s game was inspired by golfing legend and former world number one Seve Ballesteros who was his childhood hero.

Ever since, Campillo has been attached to his home town golf club of Norba Club de Golf de Caceres.

Apart from playing golf, Campillo also loves basketball, travelling and watching La Liga giants Real Madrid play.

He sealed a long-awaited first European Tour victory at the 2019 Trophée Hassan II in his 229th career start, following three separate podium finishes earlier in the season.

After that, he did not have to wait long for his second triumph as, just less than a year later, he emerged victorious from a dramatic play-off duel with David Drysdale to lift the 2020 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters title.

As a student at Indiana University, he won the Big Ten “triple crown” in 2008. The same season, he was named the Big Ten Golfer of the Year.

He also won the Les Bolstad Award; a Big Ten Championship in 2008 which was played in the Palmer Cup three times.

The same 2008 he won the Spanish Amateur Closed Championship and was ranked as Spain’s number one amateur for six separate years.

At the same time, Kawamura Masahiro of Japan who tried to give Campillo a run for his money on the last day ended in second place on 16 under par 268. He pocketed Sh28 million of the Sh252 million purse prize that was shared by the 79 golfers who made the cut on Friday.

Third place was shared by Santiago Tarrio of Spain and Ryo Hisatsune of Japan who fired 15 under par 269 apiece which saw each of them go home Sh14 million richer.

Kenya’s sole surviving golfer Mutahi Kibugu finished 65th on one under par 283 to walk away with Sh531,000.

Kibugu will also be awarded Sh1 million by Absa Bank Kenya for being the only local golfer who made the cut in the European Tour event.

www. standardmedia.co.ke | By Ochieng Oyugi | Mar 12, 2023