Unblurred with Muzi Mthethwa

  The Chase for the Empty Seat There is a quiet obsession that has crept into the modern Church, the chase for the empty seat. Across denominations, cities, and continents, much of today’s church growth conversation revolves around numbers: attendance, capacity, expansion, filled auditoriums, and visible success. Pastors worry when buildings are not full. Leadership teams strategise endlessly about how to attract more people. Sermons, programmes, conferences, and experiences are designed often sincerely to ensure that no seat remains empty. On the surface, this seems noble. After all, the Church is called to reach people. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19) . But somewhere along the way, the pursuit of the empty seat has begun to eclipse the care of the already-filled one. The Seat That Is Already Occupied While leaders anxiously scan the room for empty chairs, there is often a painful silence sitting right in front of them. That silence belongs ...

Introduction There was a time when “ for richer, for poorer ” was not a poetic line it was a warning. A declaration that love would be tested by seasons of lack as much as seasons of abundance. Today, that line remains in our wedding liturgy, but its meaning has quietly been emptied. Not because it is outdated but because it confronts a version of love we no longer want. When Provision Becomes Proof In modern relationships , love is increasingly measured by financial capacity. A man’s affection is assessed by what he can provide, while stability and lifestyle are mistaken for commitment. If provision slows or struggles, love itself is questioned. Even within Christian spaces , this thinking has taken root. Provision is not just expected it is presented as evidence of love. Yet Scripture never defines love by affordability. It defines it by sacrifice. “Love is patient, love is kind… it does not insist on its own way” (1 Corinthians 13:4–5). Money can support love, but it was neve...

  “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten…” Joel 2:25 (NKJV) The prophecy of Joel is one of the most hopeful declarations of restoration in Scripture. It speaks to loss that was systematic, progressive, and devastating. The locusts did not destroy in a moment they consumed in stages. What they left behind was not immediately dead, but slowly weakened, fading, and vulnerable. This is often how the enemy works. Understanding the Locust’s Destruction In nature, locusts attack what is visible first the leaves, the fruit, the tender growth. They strip a tree bare. Importantly, they do not eat the roots. Yet many trees still die after such an invasion. Why? Because the leaves are the tree’s life factories. Through photosynthesis, leaves convert sunlight into nourishment energy that feeds the entire tree, including the roots. When the leaves are gone, the tree can no longer produce what sustains it. Over time, the roots though untouched begin to starve...