Ebyafaayo bya A. W. Tozer

Abasumba abasinga obungi basomesebwa omulimu nga tebannaba kugukola. Aiden Wilson Tozer teyakolebwa bwe atyo. Teyatuula mu kibiina kya ssekendule, teyayiga ku ttendekero lya waggulu, so teyamala na lunaku lumu mu seminari. Yava ku faamu enaku ey'e Pennsylvania nga tewali kintu kimusembeza wabula empisa ey'okusoma, era yamaliriza obulamu bwe ng'ekkanisa yonna eyogera Olungereza emutunuulira ng'engeri ya nnabbi — omusumba eyamala emyaka egisukka amakumi ana ng'agamba Abakristaayo abeewummudde nti baamativu ne Katonda omutono ennyo okusinga bwe yali abawa. Ekyewuunyisa ku Tozer si nti omulenzi ow'oku faamu eyeeyigiriza yafuuka omu ku bawandiisi b'eby'okwewaayo abasinga okujuliza mu kyasa kye. Kyokka kiri nti omusajja eyali ayagala nnyo okubeerawo kwa Katonda, mu maka ge, yandibadde muzibu okubeera naye.

Omulenzi ow'oku faamu eyeeyigiriza

Yazaalibwa nga 21 April 1897, okumpi ne La Jose — mu kitundu kya Newburg mu Clearfield County, mu byalo eby'ebifaamu eby'e Pennsylvania ey'ebugwanjuba. Waaliwo obwavu era waaliwo n'okusoma okutono nnyo. Mu kifo ky'ekyo, waaliwo omulenzi eyasoma buli kimu kye yasobola okutuukako. Amaka gaabo oluvannyuma ne gasengukira e Akron, Ohio, era mu malaibulale ne mu maduuka g'ebitabo ebyakozesebwa dda, so si mu bisenge by'okuyigirizibwa, Tozer mwe yafunira okusoma kwe. Yasigala, mu bulamu bwe bwonna, ng'eyeeyigiriza yekka — era ekyo kisaanidde okukisseeko omwoyo, kubanga buli kye yavaamu oluvannyuma kyazimbibwa ku ekyo. Okuyiga okujjula mu bitabo bye kwakuŋŋaanyizibwa omusajja eyataweebwako n'agenda n'akwenoonyeza.

Enkyukakyuka yajja bwe yali ng'aweza emyaka kkumi na musanvu. Bwe yali atambula ng'adda eka mu Akron, yawulira omubuulizi ow'oku nguudo ng'akubiriza abamuwuliriza okukoowoola Katonda okusaba ekisa. Tozer yaddayo eka, n'alinnya mu kasenge ak'engulu, era eyo n'awaayo obulamu bwe eri Kristo. Temwali kibiina, temwali mukolo, temwali musomesa — ekigambo ekyawulirwa mu nguudo n'omulenzi yekka mu kasenge ak'engulu. Kyateeka enkola ey'obulamu bwe bwonna: ebintu ebikulu byandibaddewo wakati we ne Katonda, mu kyama, ng'oluggi luggaddwawo.

Mu 1918 yawasa Ada Cecelia Pfautz. Baali bafumbo okumala emyaka nga amakumi ana mu etaano, okutuusa lwe yafa, era baali baazaala abaana musanvu. Emyaka ebiri oluvannyuma, mu 1920, yaawulwa mu Christian and Missionary Alliance — nga talina na satifikeeti n'emu ey'oku mutimbagano. Yatandika butandisi okubuulira, era ekibiina ky'eddiini ne kitegeera kye kyali kiwulira.

Omusumba mu Southside

Obusumba bwajja mu nnamba. Toledo, Ohio, mu ntandikwa y'emyaka gya 1920. Indianapolis okumala emyaka nga etaano oluvannyuma lw'ekyo. Oluvannyuma, mu 1928, ekkanisa eyandimukutte emyaka amakumi asatu mu gumu: Southside Alliance Church mu Chicago. Eyo Tozer gye yafuukira Tozer. Yabuulira, yawandiika, yasoma; era okuva mu 1950 yakola n'obuvunaanyizibwa bw'okulongoosa akatabo k'ekibiina ky'eddiini, The Alliance Weekly — akaddibwa erinnya The Alliance Witness mu 1958 — ng'akwata obulongoosi obwo okutuusa lwe yafa. Yakolerako n'ekiseera nga omumyuka wa pulezidenti wa C&MA mu nkomerero y'emyaka gya 1940. Mu 1959 yava mu Chicago n'agenda mu Avenue Road Church mu Toronto, gye yamaliriza emyaka gye egisembayo.

Abantu kye baajjukira si kwe kuddukanya nsonga za kkanisa. Kyali obubaka, obwatera obutakyuka. Tozer yabuulira ng'alwanyisa Obukristaayo obwafuuka obwakungulu era obw'ensi — ng'alwanyisa amasanyu agambazibwa ng'okusinza, ng'alwanyisa okukkiriza okw'okwewummula, okwematira kwokka, okwali kulese okwagala Katonda yennyini. Yayita abakkiriza baddeyo eri ekintu kimu kye yalowooza nti baali bakivuddeko mu kasirise: okunoonya Katonda, si lwa kye Katonda awa, wabula lwa Katonda yennyini. Kyekyava ayitibwa emirundi mingi nnabbi eri ekkanisa. Yalunda ekisibo ng'omusumba bw'akola atya asinga okweraliikirira endiga gye ziwaba okusinga okwagalibwa ekisibo.

Ekituuka mu birowoozo byaffe bwe tulowooza ku Katonda kye kintu ekisinga obukulu ku ffe.

— A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy (1961)

Ekigambo ekyo kyokka, olunyiriri olusookera ddala mu The Knowledge of the Holy, kikwata obuweereza bwe bwonna mu bufunze. Yali akakasa nti obuzibu bw'ekkanisa mu musingi tebwali bwa mpisa oba bwa nteekateeka wabula bwava mu kuba n'endowooza entono ennyo ku Katonda — era nti eddagala si nteekateeka wabula okulaba obulungi era mu kutya okwa Katonda bw'ali.

Ng'avunamye wansi ku ttaka

Emabega w'okubuulira waaliwo obulamu bw'okusaba abo abaali bamwetoolodde bwe baalaba nga tebusoboka kunnyonnyola. Tozer yatuukanga mu kifo kye eky'okusomera ku makya, n'aggyako essuuti ye n'ayambala empale enkadde aleme kuginyoola, n'atandika okusaba ku sofa — n'oluvannyuma n'aserengeta ku ttaka, amaaso ge mu kaapeti, era n'asigala eyo. Yasabanga ng'avunamye, ng'agalamidde ku ttaka, oluusi okumala essaawa nnyingi. Kyali kusinza okusinga okusaba. Obungi bw'ebiseera teyabanga asaba Katonda bintu. Yabanga atunuulira Ye.

Kino kye kyali ensibuko ya buli kimu. Ekitabo kye ekyamanyibwa okusinga, The Pursuit of God, kyava mu njala eyo y'emu eyamumira. Okusinziira ku bawandiisi b'obulamu bwe, kigambibwa nti yawandiika ekitundu ekinene ku kyo mu kiro kimu ng'ali ku lugendo lwa gaali okugenda e Texas, ng'awandiika okuyita mu ssaawa ez'ekizikiza. Kyafulumizibwa mu 1948, era kikyali kye kitabo abantu abasinga kye baba boogerako bwe boogera erinnya Tozer. Okusaba kw'enkomerero yaakyo kusomebwa ng'okuyiika kw'essaawa ziri ez'oku kaapeti.

Ayi Katonda, nkombye ku bulungi bwo, era bunkkusizza ate ne bunnyweza ennyonta ey'okwagala ekisingawo.

— A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God (1948)

Yawandiika ebitabo nga mwenda mu bulamu bwe — mu byo mwe muli The Root of the Righteous ne The Knowledge of the Holy. Ekitundu ekinene eky'olukalala oluwanvu olukyali ku linnya lye kaakano kyafulumizibwa nga amaze okufa, nga kikuŋŋaanyizibwa abalala okuva mu mbuulira ze ne mu biwandiiko bye eby'obulongoosi. Yali, ku nkomerero, mubuulizi eyagwa mu kuwandiika, era ebigambo bye ebisongovu bilina obufunze bw'omusajja eyamala obulamu bwe ng'ayogera ekigambo kye kimu okutuusa lwe kyagwanira ku lunyiriri lumu.

Ebbeeyi ey'omu maka

Kyandibadde bukuusa okulekera awo ekifaananyi. Okwewaayo okwafuula Tozer omukulu ku katebe k'okubuuliriza kwali kwa bbeeyi ya maka, era abaasasula baali mukyala we n'abaana be. Kigambibwa mu bujjuvu era mu bwesigwa nti yali ewala mu mutima okuva ku Ada n'amaka, ng'amalibwamu Katonda n'okusoma n'okuwandiika mu ngeri eyaleka kitono ku ye eri bo. Yakwata ssente mu ngeri eyabakuuma nga baavu — ng'agaba oba ng'agaana ekitundu ekinene eky'ebyenfuna n'ebyamagoba ebyamujjira. Ebyafaayo eby'obulamu ebisaasira nga eby'a Lyle Dorsett tebibikweka. Omusajja eyawandiika mu ngeri ekwata ku mwoyo ku kwegomba Katonda yandibadde, eri abo abaali basula mu nnyumba ye, oluggi oluggale.

Ekigolola kigambo kya kyokka, era kisaanira wano kubanga ky'amazima. Tozer bwe yafa, Ada oluvannyuma yaddamu okufumbirwa — omusajja ayitibwa Leonard Odam. Nga omuwandiisi w'obulamu bwe Lyle Dorsett bw'ategeeza, mikwano gye bwe baamubuuza obanga yali musanyufu, kigambibwa nti yagamba nti teyali nnakasanyusibwa mu bulamu bwe okusinga awo: Aiden yali ayagala Yesu Kristo, naye Leonard Odam anjagala nze. Si lunyiriri lwa bukyayi. Lwa kasirise, lunyeenya omutima, era luyogera ekintu nga tewali kwebaza kwa mufu okwandikyogedde. Omusajja ayinza okunoonya Katonda n'omutima gwe gwonna ate n'alemererwa abantu abamuli okumpi — era ebitundu byombi ebyo bya mazima, so tewali kimu ku byo kisangula kinnaakyo.

Waliwo okugololola kumu okusaanidde okwogerwa mu bwangu, kubanga kutera okukyamizibwa. Tozer oluusi agambibwa nti yagaana ebidiguli eby'ekitiibwa. Teyakola bw'atyo. Yakkiriza bibiri — okuva mu Wheaton College mu 1950 n'okuva mu Houghton College mu 1952 — wadde nga teyalina diguli n'emu gye yali afunye mu kusoma. Ekitera okwogerwa, era ekituukana n'omusajja, kwe kuba nti teyawulira bulungi ne bitiibwa era kigambibwa nti teyayagala kuyitibwa Dr. Naye yakkiriza ebidiguli. Omulenzi ow'oku faamu eyeeyigiriza yaweebwa ekitiibwa, ku nkomerero, amasomero ge yali atasomeddemu.

Omusajja wa Katonda

Yafa nga 12 May 1963, olw'obulwadde bw'omutima, mu Toronto, ng'akyali musumba wa Avenue Road Church. Yasooka okuziikibwa okumpi ne Chicago, era omulambo gwe oluvannyuma ne guggyibwayo ne gutwalibwa mu Ellet Cemetery mu Akron, Ohio, okudda okumpi awo we yakulira. Amalaalo ge kabonero akaayaaya obwereere, era ekiwandiiko ekiri ku go kimpi ng'ekimu ku bigambo bye ye.

A.W. Tozer — Omusajja wa Katonda.

— ejjinja lye ery'oku malaalo, Ellet Cemetery, Akron, Ohio

Bigambo bituufu ku jjinja ettuufu, era kyaliko, mu kasirise, omusango omuzibu okusingawo — kubanga omusajja ali wansi waalyo yamanya okusinga omuntu yenna ekyo bwe kya bbeeyi okuba ekyo n'ekitaliiko kirala. Tozer yali musumba wa mazima, era yalabirira emyoyo mu ngeri yokka gye yamanya: ng'agoberera Katonda n'amaanyi mangi nnyo abantu be ne batasobola kwewala kulaba nti waaliwo Omuntu asaanira okugoberera. Yeeyigiriza buli kimu okuggyako ekintu kimu kye yalina okusinga, kwe kwali okulumwa ennyonta ey'okwagala Katonda omulamu ennyonta obulamu bwonna gye butamalako. Yawandiika nti ffe bennyini kye kitimba ekikweka amaaso ga Katonda gye tuli. Yamala obulamu bwe ng'agezaako okuggya ekitimba ekyo mu kkubo — ng'awangula, mu kitiibwa, mu lujjudde, ate ng'adaaganira, mu bwesigwa, mu maka. Byombi bya mazima. Kyekyava obujulizi bunywera.