NAIROBI (June 22) - A 73-year-old Kenyan grandfather reached into the mouth of an attacking leopard and tore out its tongue to kill it, authorities said Wednesday.
Peasant farmer Daniel M'Mburugu was tending to his potato and bean crops in a rural area near Mount Kenya when the leopard charged out of the long grass and leapt on him.
M'Mburugu had a machete in one hand but dropped that to thrust his fist down the leopard's mouth. He gradually managed to pull out the animal's tongue, leaving it in its death-throes.
"It let out a blood-curdling snarl that made the birds stop chirping," he told the daily Standard newspaper of how the leopard came at him and knocked him over.
The leopard sank its teeth into the farmer's wrist and mauled him with its claws. "A voice, which must have come from God, whispered to me to drop the panga (machete) and thrust my hand in its wide open mouth. I obeyed," M'Mburugu said.
As the leopard was dying, a neighbor heard the screams and arrived to finish it off with a machete.
M'Mburugu was toasted as a hero in his village Kihato after the incident earlier this month. He was also given free hospital treatment by astonished local authorities.
"This guy is very lucky to be alive," Kenya Wildlife Service official Connie Maina told Reuters, confirming details of the incident.
Tithe
What is tithe?
Tithe is an act of loyalty--recognizing God as owner of our material possessions and lives by returning one tenth of what He places in our hands. It is holy and belongs to God. "A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord" (Leviticus 27:30, NIV).
Why should I tithe?
The primary reason God has given us the tithe system is to help us integrate Him into the material side of our lives. The reason for tithing is to worship. By returning one tenth of our increase to Him, we recognize that God is owner of all He has placed in our hands. Each time we tithe on an income or an increase we remember God is owner of everything He has entrusted into our hands.
What is the primary purpose for tithe?
We have usually declared that the purpose is to support the gospel ministry or the church. The biblical record helps us understand that the primary purpose for tithe is to worship God. We return our tithe to Him through our church. God then uses it to support His church and fund His ministry.
How should I tithe?
The best way to tithe is to set aside 1/10 of your increase in either money or product when you first realize an increase or income, and give it through what you recognize as God's church. Make it an act of worship by remembering God is your Creator and Redeemer. Return your tithe to Him as an act of worship. Accept Him as Lord of every area of your life.
How is tithe used?
Within the Seventh-day Adventist Church tithe is received by the local congregation and sent on to the local conference office as the primary site for distribution and use of tithe funds in keeping with Church Policy. That policy is an agreement by the world church as to how tithe funds will be used. While the distribution percentages vary somewhat in different conferences, the largest portion of the tithe is used to fund the ministry of local churches through pastoral salaries, as well as evangelism and additional services provided to the local church.
Should I tithe on the "net" or the "gross"?
Your question is one that is frequently asked, and there are several aspects that need to be considered in answering it.
The primary purpose of tithing is not so much to collect the money, but rather to help individuals integrate the lordship of Jesus Christ into every area of life, especially the area of finance and material possessions.
It is important that each person have the experience of tithing as an act of worship to God.
The principle of tithing is based on the concept of increase gained by the individual or family. The individual should tithe on all those areas which would be considered direct increase and not related to direct expenses in producing a product or service, etc. The key principle is that we tithe on the increase. (Lev. 27:30-33).
When it comes to taxes, we need to realize that they are normally part of our "increase" because we do receive services in return for them. (We may not like or appreciate those services, but we do receive services.) So most people tax on their gross income if they are on salary. There is also the issue of who we place first--God or the government.
Most people who own and run their own business tend to tithe on their net profit after deducting their business expenses. Here is where you need to be careful and let the Holy Spirit guide you as to how to consider business expenses. The government many times allows us to deduct things which are really part of "increase", such as when we expand the business, or buy new equipment. Some overlook the fact that if you count equipment purchases and depreciation on equipment as business expenses, you are actually counting the same thing twice as a business expense. In addition, there is a difference between our personal expenses for living which include taxes, and the expenses involved in producing a product or running a business. This would be calculated by deducting the expenses for producing the product or service from the total income--thus calculating the increase.
Should I tithe on welfare income?
The principle of tithing is based on the concept of increase gained by the individual or family. The individual should tithe on all those areas that would be considered direct increase and not related to direct expenses in producing a product or service, etc. The key principle is that we tithe on the increase (Lev. 27:30-33). Welfare income is one of the ways God may provide for our family and our needs. Thus it is an increase though it is not earned by our work.
Should I tithe on my income before or after deducting such things as Social Security or retirement contributions?
Remember, the key principle on tithe is that we tithe on the increase,
With Social Security, we need to remember that ultimately we receive back what we have paid in with additional income beyond what we paid in our taxes. That additional income comes from the amount our employer paid, as well as benefits even beyond what was paid in should we live to an older age. So some of our Social Security benefits come from what we have paid in during our working lives. The rest comes from what our employer paid in, and what others have paid to the system. In most cases we will receive more in benefits than what we paid in during our working lives. I have heard three alternatives that seem to apply the principles of tithing on our increase and putting God first:
God blesses in so many ways that some people tithe now before Social Security and continue to tithe after they are on Social Security and count it all as "increase."
Some people deduct their Social Security payments before they tithe as they will tithe on that money when they begin receiving Social Security.
Some people tithe on all of it now. Then when they receive Social Security they only tithe on the difference between what they put into the program and what they take out. But this requires careful record keeping to maintain our own integrity.
Any of the three ways seem to work in applying the principles of tithing on our increase and putting God first.
