It's International day of Education and 13 million Nigerian Children are out-of-school!

It’s January 2019 and if you’be been following the trends, the quality of education in Nigeria has steady done down over the past 20 years at least. I left secondary school in 1999 and 20 years later the schools of my time - including my alma mata, are a shadow of themselves. Talk about the king’s and Queen’s colleges of 20 years ago. They are nothing close to what they used to be. Infrastructure has continued to degrade, supply of teaching and learning materials continue to dwindle and the negative effects of the skewed value system we operate in Nigeria continue to destroy the character of both students and teachers.
Today, you will find students who no longer respect their teachers and teachers who believe it’s very ok to set up a market right beside their desk in classrooms. Needless to say, little or no learning occurs in most of our school from primary to tertiary. The case is worse in the public schools.

The story is long so let me go to the one that is ‘paining me’ right now. It’s the story about 13 million children that need to be raised!! I didn’t say 13 million Naira or even 13 million dollars- that wouldn’t be a problem to raise at all. But 13 million children and counting will not be in school today as you read this article and as we celebrate World Education Day! What is an education day with —-% of children below 15 out of school?! Mind you, a lot of these children are not dropouts, they have never been enrolled in a school!!

In 2005, I read a cover story in TELL magazine titled: "Street kids". From that day a fire started up in me. I decided that as much as I can, I will ensure every young person gets the education they need. This fire led me to implement a personal community development project called “wisdom impact club” during my National Yourh Services year in Lokoja, Kogi State, Nigeria in 2005/2006. I went into schools and taught life skills to young people.

Today, this fire has led to the establishment of Wisdom Impact House (WIH). An initiative with the goal to “empower young people for future relevance”. It’s still small beginnings but I, under the name of the organization and with the support of some friends currently have succeeded in returning 15 children to school, and support them by paying their fees and buying books in primary and secondary schools in FCT, Abuja and Lokoja, Kogi State. I am excited about this!! One of the students I enrolled in September last year, was an 18 year old boy who had to be enrolled in primary 2 after the enrollment test. When I saw him dressed in his uniform heading to school one day, my heart pounded and my eyes watered. Joy and sadness in equal proportions. I was happy that he was on the path to getting some skills but what prospects does an 18 year old primary 2 student have in today’s Nigeria? Or should I say the Nigeria that will be when he graduates from primary school at 22 years, or secondary school at 28 years old!!

With all these drama, 15 is just 0.0001% of the growing 13,000,000 (thirteen million) out of school children. Note that the quality of the education is not being accounted for here.

Anyway, it’s World Education Day! Wisdom Impact House is doing her bit. What can you do to ensure access to education for all! What can you do to support improved quality of teaching and learning in our schools?

WIH’s most prominent activity for now is returning children to schools and supporting them with extra lessons in literacy during the holidays. You can support by volunteer to teach at the holiday lessons and you can support financially so that we can keep paying fees, keep enrolling more children, and keep the literacy camps going year round.

Make a commitment to support quality education for all.

Happy World Education Day!

Your can reach me via: Toyin@wisdomimpact.org

Don't stop confessing

Recently, I was trusting God for some very specific things.. I had scriptures I was holding on to and confessing with faith.  Within my own estimation of timing, I felt my prayers were not quite answered as I wanted and I just wanted to relax. My 'deadline' had passed so there was no urgency anymore. However, God reminded me about this scripture in Hebrews 10 verse 23:

Hebrews 10:23 KJV

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:23 NKJV

That scripture brought the spring back to my step!! It says don't stop confessing!! Don't stop believing... God who promised is faithful to keep his word!!

The truth is, God's time is not in our hands! OUR TIMES are IN HIS HAND!! Sometimes when life places a deadline on you, remember that God is Lord over time!! What puts us under pressure does not faze him!  When we learn to live like we truly live IN him, we will not be under any pressure cos we will realize that He is the one doing the living. We will learn to cast the burdens where they belong and allow Christ live IN us.

Sure we are on a journey to this full understanding, but let us be more deliberate about it! Like Paul said, let us continue because God is faithful.

He who calls you is  faithful, who also will do it.

I Thessalonians 5:24 NKJV

So, dear friend...it's not over until God's promise is in your hand. Don't change your confession. God IS faithful, He will do it .

Selah

Blessings from a well

A

well signifies supply. A well signifies provision. There might not be a river in sight but a well brings hope of water. In a patched desert, rivers dry up but wells linger long into the dry season providing succour for all around.

Hagar was despondent lacking supplies. Indeed death was imminent 'cause without water, life ceases. God did not cause it to rain, He did not cause a river to gush forth from a rock. Rather, He 'sent' a well.

Genesis 21:19 KJV
And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.

Jesus' famous encounter with the Samaritan woman was at a well. Was that a coincidence or did Jesus deliberately have to had met her at a well? I guess not, for He would eventually offer her a well of water that springs up into everlasting life.

John 4:14 KJV
But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

What about Rebecca? It was at a well that destiny found her as Abraham's servant prayed God to make his mission successful.

Genesis 24:15-16 KJV
And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. [16] And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.


Ah! We must make mention of the wells dug by Isaac! A source of much contention as everyone struggled for survival by means of the wells. Not until the well named  Rehoboth was dug,  did Isaac finally have peace to enjoy water from his well.

Genesis 26:22 KJV
And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the Lord hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.


The significance of wells can not be over emphasized. Without them scarcity looms and in time death.

Isaiah 12:2-3 KJV
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. [3] Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.


Are you in the desert place of life? Are you in the midst of huge contention? There is a well that the Lord has dug on the path if your journey. May He open your eyes to see it.

Amen.

-Toeying

Day of the African Child 2016 - Right to participate: Let Children be seen and heard.

Today is Day of the African Child.

The African Child continues to live in an intensely challenging environment.
On a day like this the least we can do is reflect on how we view children around us with an aim of making better discisions. What value to you place on them, how do you relate with them, how do you view and take care of their needs?

In our country, the needs of children continue to go uncatered for. As though children begged to be brought into this world, they tend to be treated as a troubling resource consuming entity. You know, like an annoying itch!!

We pay lip service to loving them, but more often than not, we use them simply as a crutch to support our weak egos and seared consciences.

The call for the rights of children has always rang out especially with the enactment of the Child's right act in 2003 but where have we gone since then? Children still hawk during school hours, children still go hungry even in our cities, children are stil being used as begging assistants, children are still being excluded from basic school, children still lack adequate clothing and shelther both at home and in school.

Even the church, who should be the epitome of societal ideals, falls flat on its face in this regard! Building fantastic worship domes that have no space for its children, conducting services that have no relevance to the children. Of course lip service is still paid... especially on children's day... but, how many parents will be happy to have their own service conducted in the spaces made out for their children. How many parents take time to share their faith with their children (if its really so important)?

Children have feelings exactly like yours. They know when they are being catered for. They know when they are important in the scheme of things and believe it or not, they are forming their world view gradually from each and every experience.

Children today are the adults of tomorrow! We owe them every responsibility to grow up in a secure and enabling environment!!

Today is the Day of the African Child! What will you do to make lie better for them? What will you do to make them to be seen and heard?

-Adelakun-Adeyemo Oluwatoyin

Being a Woman

Today is International Women's Day. Someone said over the radio this morning that the day is about feminism, not femininity. Chimamanda Adichie also once said that every woman should be a feminist. When ever the discussion is about women, its not long before the word FEMINISM pops up and takes centre stage just like its about to do now. But, I don't think I want to talk about feminism per say, I just want to talk about being a woman. You can research feminism yourself.

My overall thoughts on the topic of this post is that: being a woman is a dichotomy! Everyday I wake up and many times feel trapped. Why do I need to go to work all day away from home when half the time, I'll be thinking about what happened at home, whats happening at home or what would happen at home later in the day. Why do I have to pursue a career that makes me feel apprehensive and a target for a guilt trip when and if something goes wrong 'at home'. A Yoruba proverb says "a bad child is his mother's". More often than not the woman is told to keep 'her home'. Asked to forgo her career to take care of 'her children'. Admonished to quit her job to 'support her husband'. Compelled to get married to keep up with what society deems expected,virtuous and respectable. What about being threatened to keep quiet in the face of abuse? Oppressed into killing her dreams because, well, she is a 'commodity' to the society- one to be used to bargain for the greater good, more often than not!?

Historically, the place of women in society has been mixed. We have the Queen Aminas, the lady Emotans, the Margaret Ekpos and the Fumilayo Ransome-Kutis who were able to fight against great odds to rise to prominence. But we can't ignore the reality of the millions more who are trafficked as sex slaves, used as cheap labour, abused, discriminated against and bullied in the home and even in the workplace. How about the families and cultures where giving birth to a girl is an unfortunate incident, forgetting that the 'birthing machine' IS A WOMAN! and moreover, sex determination scientifically rests with the MAN?!

The contraption called woman is in deed a complex entity stirring great emotions both left and right. Physically, emotionally, economically and socially, the woman card is a game changer at anytime. Fragile yet strong. Vulnerable yet powerful. Passive yet ferocious.

As we celebrate 2016 International women's day with the theme: Pledge for Parity. I have taken the liberty to voice my stance on the issues of gender equality and parity. My stannce stems from the traditional role of women. By traditional role, I mean mostly biological. In advocating gender parity, the biological role of women especially in child bearing must take centre stage. Let me  quote from an article I read a while ago that put this succinctly: "Women pay heavy baby penalty" (you can read the full article here). This is the true reality and one that must be fundamentally addressed if we are ever going to make any headway in the issues of gender parity. Indeed, what we really mean when we advocate for gender parity? As much as we might want to say that the beginning of this parity is ensuring women's rights e.g. the right to make decisions that affect the, we cannot be judged fair to thrust women such 'rights' when we know that there are uncontrollable circumstances that affect her decisions. In fact, it is as though nature had made some of the decisions for her, at least as far as the interplay between biology and sociology is concerned. As much as a woman might be interested in building a career in the corporates for example, she almost always has to choose between climbing the ladder along with her peers or building a family. Women who have two to three children during their career life, can loose up to 10 years off their career progression. This reality is daunting.

Society must come together to decide what it really wants to do with its Women folk. These pockets and bursts of policies that don't address fundamental issues will not take us very far. For example, when you allow women study engineering but most companies who don't want to employ them are not sanctioned, its just nonsense.

Women must be allowed to create their own sense of achievement and they must be respected for their choices. Like I have emphasized, the biology of women, 'stands against' the society's present push push for parity. A woman who decides to be a 'stay-at-home' mum should not be discriminated against, especially financially. Many women everyday opt for lower paying jobs simply to have more time for their family, especially their children. How do we 'pay' for this selfless sacrifice?

Pushing women into the boardroom, while it has its benefits, creates more problems in my opinion, especially when the same society does not leave the woman alone to make decisions about her need to or not to procreate!!

• Women should be allowed to decide if and when they want to marry.
• If they do get married, their decsion as to if and when they want to procreate should be supported.
• Organizations and institutions must be sanctioned for playing the 'baby card' against women. 
• Society must allow women to take advantage of medical advancements in deciding how, when and indeed IF they want to have children.
• Our labour laws must make it easier for women to carry on their God given responsibility of child bearing with little penalty.

Since I have taken the family bias to achieving gender parity, it behooves on families under pined by cultures, to reorient themselves in these regard. I firmly stand against using women for cheap labour especially in the the home without commensurate recognition and/or compensation. This for me is the greatest stumbling block to the campaign for parity.  You cannot expect an oppressed person to naturally excel. Respect for women must be enshrined in our family values for women to blossom and supply their quota in the development of our society.

As for me I am deciding to be my own personal crusader. As we wait for society to come to terms with the kind of environment needed for women to fulfill their potential, I'll do my bit. I'll keep my own space. I will allow society neither to sterotype me nor to blackmail me. I will fulfil my potential in my own way and in my own time. I will juggle the balls at my own pace! And I will look into the mirror and smile to my self, congatulating me for a job weldone.

Happy International Women's Day! Celebrate yourself and all you mean to the world!!


Please drop your views and comments below. Thanks for reading.

Photo credits: photostock, 123RF

2016: Talk is cheap!

 As we start a new year, I do not need to reiterate the frenzy with which we plot plans and goals and prayer requests. Churches allover the world come up with a watch word for the year. For some it's just a scripture vers; others attach a slogan to it : 'my year of ...'. It's all well and good. I too have a word for this year and it is 'talk is cheap'. You may be wondering how that can be a word for the year so before your mind gets messed up, let me explain.

The scriptural records started with chaos in Genesis chapter 1. And so it was until God spoke. Speech is the concretization of the musings of our heart. Jesus made this clear when he said 'out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks' (Matthew12:24). Before you can speak something out, your heart must be FULL of it. However, when we speak out, tremendous energy is released to bring our words to fulfilment.

Mark 11:23 KJV
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

Ephesians 3:20 KJV
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

Ezekiel 37:4 KJV
Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord .

Ezekiel 37:4 NLT
Then he said to me, "Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, 'Dry bones, listen to the word of the LORD!

We can see the power of the spoken word in this verses. In Proverbs 18:21 (NLT) we read: 'The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.' No doubt the tongue has power, I hope you agree.

So let's wrap it up. Seeing the power we can unleash with our tongue, talking, I say talk is cheap. It costs you and I nothing to speak into the atmosphere. To prophesy to your circumstances. To say what your heart is full of!

Talk is cheap dear friends and it can set great things in motion! Talk is what set our whole world in order for 'God said.... and there was...'

In this year 2016, say it until you have it, say it until you become it, say it until it looks like it,say it until you get there. No one's going to charge you a dime for it.

Talk is cheap!!

Shalom

Keeping a straight walk

1 John 2:26-27 NLT
I am writing these things to warn you about those who want to lead you astray. [27] But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don't need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true-it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.

He is here for you!

Over the past few months, I've toyed with a thought in my mind trying to concretize it. It is the thought that 'God exists for us'. Yes, that might sound counter intuitive but just hear out my warped logic :-) .

Personally, time and time again, I have experience God step in and literally pull me from the edge of the fire. Many times I was on the brink in diverse circumstances and he just shows up and saves the day even though I've ignored asking for his help. Gently, he nudges to remind me that 'I am here for you. Call on me'

The bible tells us that it is in him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). We are also told that it's in him that everything holds together (Colossians 1:17). Friends, God is here for you. He exists to keep your life together. Another scripture tells us that Jesus lives forever to make intercession for us! (Hebrews 7:25).

How then can we go about life ignoring the very essence of our life? How can we ignore the mighty power that God makes available to us in himself and rather decide to live life being harassed by the devil? The only sane reason I can give is, IGNORANCE. The bible alludes to the fact that ignorance kills (Hosea 4:6).

In case you didn't know, or in case it slipped your memory, let me tell you: God is here for you! Quit struggling in the dark alley of life! Stop dwelling on your guilt! Stop measuring your future by your present! GOD IS HERE FOR YOU!! Waiting, knocking, longing for you to call out to him.

Let's stop this cycle of defeat. Decide today that henceforth, it's no longer back and forth but on and on! For if God be for you, who can be against you!! (Romans 8:31)

Selah.

The Power of Fear

There is the common cliché acronym that goes like this: Fear= False Evidence Appearing Real! If you think about it a bit, you'll get the point.

One of the symptoms of fear is worry. A lady who was given to worrying a lot was once asked, 'why do u worry so much'? Her reply: ' Well someone's got to worry about things. If I don't, who will?' She went on to add, ' and half the things I worry about don't happen. So, I must be doing something right!' What do you think of that?
Fear has a great impact on our mind. Take the phobias for example. A phobia is an irrational negative reaction (fear) to certain things or situations. Fear incapacitates us! Phobias are particularly powerful. They are so strong that a person can put himself in greater danger just to escape his phobia. For example, a person with arachnophobia (fear of spiders) will not hesitate to jump out of a moving vehicle if he sees a spider on board!
That's the power of fear! It completely blocks our rational thinking. It counteracts our power of self will! It simply holds us bound!!
If you think about your life, maybe you can find some fears you have harboured in the past, and some that are still present. Our fears may affect others. For example, a parent can fear his child being injured and thus deny the child of stepping out of the house. A boss may fear his subordinates not getting a job done well and thus, holds back from delegating.
The mental attitude of fear, takes a heavy toll on our whole being. It has been linked to many heart and brain problems and even death!
We all have fears. We all come in contact with fear. How can we overcome its incapacitating power?

1. Admit that you are afraid.
2. Answer the question, Why?
3. Decide that you are not going to allow fear push you to inaction or avoidance.
4. Take little steps towards conquering your fear.
5. Ask a trusted friend to help you overcome your fear.
6. Picture yourself free. Think of what you could achieve if you let go of fear.
7. Live life to the fullest!!

Selah

Invest in People

Over the years, I've been blessed with a few great friends. Every now and again I am reminded of the importance of having such people in my life and of course reciprocally too.

You know, the burden of having great friends is being one too! You don't want to be the weak link in the relationship. You don't want to turn the relationship into a parasitic one where you are the parasite!! Nope! You want to have a vibrant symbiotic relationship that adds value to your life in all ramifications!

So please invest in people. Mental illness is fast increasing in our society. Cases of suicide are also on the increase. Depression is fast becoming rampant. You might be the only lifeline your 'friend' has. Take time to build a relationship strong enough to carry the weight of trust and vulnerability. Don't be a hi-fine-bye friend. Stop, take a minute and really talk to people. Really show love to people. Really care about what's going on in their life. It is an investment worth making because tomorrow, you might be the one in need of that infrastructure!

Why not pick out 2-3 people you are going to strategically invest in? One above you, one on your level, and one below you. Begin to build a wall of people around yourself. For indeed says the Yoruba adage "People are your covering".

Cheers!

A carpenter? Give it ur best!!

A few weeks ago, my pastor preached a message titled: 'what's wrong with being a carpenter?' His thrust was that we should not forget that there is a process to every greatness. The place u are today, is right on the path to where you are going to be tomorrow!!

So what's wrong with being a carpenter? Two things:
1. People despise you.
2. You despise it.

The second point is the subject of this post.

I just bought a plate of rice from a small scale food seller aka bukka :-) on getting home, I dished out the food. It turns out she had put in more oil than actual sauce. The little sauce she put in could hardly be enough for half the rice. So here I am chewing at plain white rice smeared with oil, and am thinking to myself how I will never go back there again no matter how hungry I am! She's lost my business and my circle of influence as well!!

What's my point? In my interpretation, she is a carpenter, because that is not the highest level in the catering business but, there is something wrong! She is despising her carpenter-hood!!

When you despise your carpenter-hood
1. You miss your opportunities for moving up
2. You are telling God that you are not a faithful person

It's easy to deal with people despising your "carpenter-hood" but when you despise yourself, it is certain that you will stay at that level at best. The worse news is, you'll probably sink lower.

So dear friends, you might be a carpenter today but, give it your best shot. Give it all the love and commitment you can muster. Determine to be the best carpenter that has ever walked the earth. Do not attempt to cut corner to save a penny because when your customer finds out, you will loose his trust and patronage instantly as well as anyone in his circle of influence.

Come on, show them who is boss! Be a man!! See u at the top!

Selah

Leave me a comment below. Share your views.

Welcome to July 2015

Psalm 90:12 KJV
So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

This is a psalm out of Psalm 90, a psalm of Moses. Yes, Moses wrote a psalm too. This scripture is usually used at birthdays to remind us that our days (years), are moving on!

This verse popped to my mind however, as we turned the half year. 181 days of 2015 had passed and it seems to make perfect sense to number them so as to apply our hearts to wisdom for the next 184 days!

Before we rush off into the rest of the year. Can we take a moment to appraise the days we've already spent?

Did you have goals at the beginning of the year? How are u measuring up now?

What impact did you make in your community/family?

What did want to you accomplish? Did you do it?

What slowed you down?

What made things work?

What did start? What did you stop?

Are you any better now than you were at the beginning of the year? Or is it same'ol and complaining?

July brings a kind of fresh start. Try to pick one thing you'll like to work on and achieve in the next few months. Without deliberate effort nothing worthwhile is accomplished! Wishful thinking won't do it either!

Wisdom says if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. So take out time this weekend, consider what's important to you, ask yourself where u want to be by year end, then make a plan and work towards it.

Even the bible says faith without works is dead. So put your faith to work by making a plan and prayerfully sticking to it.

So what are u gonna work on?

I look forward to seeing a better you at the end of the year!!

Selah!

Jesus Healed Only One!!??

Scripture: John 5:1-23

Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. [2] Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. [3] Crowds of sick people-blind, lame, or paralyzed-lay on the porches. [5] One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. [8] Jesus told him, "Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!" [9] Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, [10] so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, "You can't work on the Sabbath! The law doesn't allow you to carry that sleeping mat!" [11] But he replied, "The man who healed me told me, 'Pick up your mat and walk.'" [16] So the Jewish leaders began harassing Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules. [17] But Jesus replied, "My Father is always working, and so am I." [19] So Jesus explained, "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.
(John 5:1-3, 5, 8-11, 16-17, 19 NLT)

Have u ever noticed from the story above that Jesus healed only one person out of the multitude we are told are gathered there? I didn't notice either until today.

Why would Jesus go to a place filled with sick people and heal only one? Is there a subtle message in that act?

Jesus arrives at the pool of Bethesda, home to multitudes of sick people awaiting the stirring of the water so they could jump in first and be healed. No doubt, many would have been there for many years because the water was stirred only once a year, and that could heal only one person!

We are not told what drew Jesu's attention to the man in the story but, we are told Jesus knew he had been there a long time! Thirty-eight years precisely. Had he been the longest there? We can't say. However, we know the man also 'had no one'. He was completely helpless. He was at the brink of a miracle, but he had no one to help him with the final stretch to reach it.

On this day however, time was collapsed as Jesus zoomed in on his case! Nothing could hold him back from his healing. Indeed, the stirring of the water became inconsequential!! That is, the natural and expected process, a process he had queued up for, for thirty-eight years no longer mattered as Jesus issued a command: 'Stand up, pick up your mat and walk!!' (Verse 8).

Why did Jesus break the protocol? Why didn't he just encourage the man and say, 'Don't worry friend, I will stand by you and when the water is stirred,  make sure you get in first!' ? And moreover, it was a Sabbath day!! You don't work on Sabbaths as the Jewish leaders were all too anxious to point out! (Verse 10).

Some of the answer lies in verse 17 and 19 of John chapter 5: [17] But Jesus replied, "My Father is always working, and so am I." [19] So Jesus explained, "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. Jesus was saying in effect that he had no option but to break protocol because he had to follow his Father! Jesus saw his father opening this man's file so he had no option but to zoom in on him! He saw his father healing this man (possibly out of turn) so he could not but issue the command to perfect the healing in the physical!!

Simply put, the man's day had come!! The books of remembrance had been opened. His long years of waiting had come up for a memorial before God. And nothing on earth could stop him! Not the protocol and not even the legislation!!

Dear friends, God is up to something in your life! It may look like you've been there for thirty-eight years but hold on, God may just be about to break protocol and overturn legislation for your sake!! So, get ready to: Stand up, take up your mat, and walk!!! Hallelujah!!

Get behind me satan!!

Matthew 16:21-23 NLT
From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead. [22] But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. "Heaven forbid, Lord," he said. "This will never happen to you!" [23] Jesus turned to Peter and said, "Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God's."

More often than not, in today's Christian context, the phrase 'get behind me Satan' will be used to rebuke a negative word or circumstance.

Though we as Christians are called to have dominion over the earth and subdue it (Genesis 1:26), we are also called to have many tribulations. In fact these tribulations are called the trial of our faith (1 Peter 1:7). Our faith is not one that is ready made in heaven, but one that matures daily here on earth. We are encouraged to endure persecution as a true soldier of Christ! (2 Timothy 2:3). It is in the process of this endurance that our faith grows.

The issue then, is to be able to pick our battles correctly. Though Peter seemed to be showing his love for Christ by rebuking him for succumbing to, and indeed embracing the prospects of an untimely death, Jesus looked beyond the human point of view. We are told later in Hebrews that he endured the cross and the shame because he was able to see the joy set before him (Hebrews 12:2).

It's great to be able to show off our trophies and shinning gold medals. But I feel that God is more excited about our scars; for in the process of acquiring them we more often than not 'acquired' God. This is his sole delight. Just as Paul affirmed in Galatians 4:19 (KJV)
'My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you'.

So when you are going through the grind that's supposed to build you up, and you are offered a cheap escape, turn to it and say, 'Get behind me Satan,... You are seeing this merely from the human perspective'!!

Selah

LETTER TO NIGERIAN PARENTS (PART 1)

***culled***

Friends,

Let me add the benefit of my time as a student and then resident in the UK. Living in Abuja now. The first thing that I discovered about UK-born, white, English undergraduates was that all of them did holiday or weekend job to support themselves – including the children of millionaires amongst them. It is the norm over there – regardless of how wealthy their parents are. And I soon discovered that virtually all other foreign students did the same – except status – conscious Nigerians.

I also watched Richard Branson (owner of Virgin Airline) speaking on the Biography Channel. To my amazement, he said that his young children travel in the economy class – even when the parents (he and his wife) are in upper class. Richard Branson is a billionaire in Pound sterling. A quick survey would show you that only children from Nigeria fly business or upper class to commence their studies in the Uk. No other foreign students do this. There is no aircraft attached to the office of the Prime Minister in the UK. He travels on BA. And the same goes for the Royals. The Queen does not have an aircraft for her exclusive use.

These practices simply become the culture which the next generation carries forward. Have you seen the car that Kate Middleton (the wife of Prince William) drives? VW Golf or something close to it. But there’s one core difference between them and us (generally speaking), they(even the billionaires among them) work for their money, most of us steal ours

If we want our children to bring about the desired change we have been praying for on behalf of our dear country, then please, please let’s begin now and teach them to work hard so they can stand alone and most importantly be content and not having t “steal” which seems to be the norm these days.

We have Nigerian Children who have never worked for 5 minutes in their lives insisting on flying “only” first or business class and using the latest cars fully paid for by their “loving “ parents.

I often get calls from anxious parents”my son graduated 2 years ago and is still looking for a job, can you please assist!”

“Oh really! So where exactly is “THIS CHILD?” is my usual question. “Why are you the one making this call dad/mum?

I am yet to get a satisfactory answer, but between you and me, chances are that the big boy is cruising around Abuja with a babe dresses to the nines, in his dad’s spanking new SUV with enough “pocket money” to put your salary to shame. It is not at all strange to hear a 28 year old who has NEVER worked for a day in his or her life in Nigeria but “earns” a six figure “salary” from parents for doing absolutely nothing

I see them in my office once in a while, 26 years old with absolutely no skill to sell apart from a shiny CV, written by his dad’s secretary in the office. Of course, he has a driver at his beck and call and he is driven to the job interview. We have a fairly decent conversation and we get to the inevitable question- so, what salary are you looking to earn? Answer comes straight out – N250,000.00. I ask if that is per month or per annum.

“Of course, it is per month”

“Oh, why do you think you should be earning that much on your first job?”

“Well, because my current pocket money is N200,000.00 and I feel any employer should be able to pay me more than my parents.”

No wonder corruption continues to thrive. We have a society of young people who have been brought up to expect something for nothing, as if it were a birthright. Even though the examples I have given above are from parents of considerable affluence, similar patterns can be observed from Abeokuta to Adamawa.

Wake up mum! Wake up dad! This syndrome – “my children will not suffer what I suffered is destroying your tomorrow. You are practically loving your child to death.

I learnt the children of a former Nigeria Head of State with all the stolen(billions) monies in their custody, still go about with security escort as wrecks. They are on drugs, several time because of the drug, they collapse in public places. The escort will quickly pack them and off they go. What a life! No one wants to marry them.

Henry Ford said “hard work does not kill.” We are getting everything wrong in Nigeria now, including family setting. It is time to prepare your children for tomorrow, the way the world is going, only those that are rugged, hard working and smart working that will survive. How will your ward fare?
Please forward this to all parents you know.

***culled***

Marriage: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Marriage is a formal agreement between two people to share their lives together intimately and permanently.

Marriage is almost always a life changing decision for many. Changing homes, changing locations, changing responsibilities, changing jobs, changing experiences. It could really be a roller coaster of sorts.

By default we all want a good marriage. A positive one that makes our lives at least OK. Hopefully better than before but OK would be the barest minimum. With the pressure  to marry so high, I wonder if anyone actually considers not marrying as an option! Today, it seems like the natural progression. Birth- Toddler-Child-Teenager-Adult-Married-Parent-grandparent-Death! Anyway that's not the subject of today's post. Today I am talking about marriage.
So, you are married or (desperately) want to get married. Here are some tips.

How to have a Good marriage
1. Choose the right person: be true to your self and choose someone you love and respect. Take your time here, don't hurry cause... YES, this is the big moment!! (There's so much to say on this point, I need a separate post!)
2. Decide to stick with your decision: Get it written in your heart from when you get engaged that this is for the long haul.
3. Don't take yourself or each other too seriously: You are both human. You WILL make stupid decisions and crazy mistakes. Prime yourself up to handle them.
4. Trust each other: Believe in your spouse. Trust her to do the right thing. Trust him to make the right decision. When you trust your spouse, it gives them confidence and courage to actually not break that trust. Of course, it's not a licence for recklessness!!
5. Be ready to forgive: So the worst happens! And everyone is calling for your spouse's head. What do you do? It's up to you really. Forgiveness is an active decision you take. Forgiveness is not equal to being dumb and it's not to be taken as a license to be irresponsible. It's the highest act of love powered by God himself. Reach out and receive it, then apply it.
6. Be bold: Many situations call for boldness. You must be bold to take your stand against anything or anyone that comes to attack your marriage. You must be bold to discuss issues that are impacting your marriage especially negatively. You must be bold to admit that you have a problem(s) and figure a way out.

How to have a Bad marriage

1. Marry for a bad reason: marry because you are old, all ur friends are marrying or are married, your mum wants grandchildren, the guy/girl is rich, the guy/girl is religious!
2. Style your marriage on something out of cosmopolitan magazine: They do live happily ever after. The issue is they don't tell you 'ever after' what?
3. Make your marriage the hottest gist in town: You work for a gossip magazine so, its part of you. Yes we know, just keep work at work. Not everybody is interested in seeing even your 'clean linens' in public!
4. Try to out do your friend, sibling or neighbour: Competition mode activated. The best you'll be is a good copy. And the rat race? Save yourself the hassle determine to live your life not someone else's. Be self assured!
5. Compare your spouse with your ex or others: Sorry your spouse will never be Denzel Washington or Obama, the lady down the street, your ex girlfriend, neighbour or your siblings spouse. Don't run them to their ruin. Let them be themselves (that's who u married). And its your job to lovingly build them up not tear them down!!
6. Make your parents your no1 advisers: Put mummy's number on speed dial 1 so you can quickly get advice on if its OK for your spouse to spank your child for example.

How to have an Ugly marriage

1. Be unfaithful: From being flirty to actually doing it. Unfaithfulness will slam a dagger down the throat of your marriage. Don't engage it and if you fall, be bold to own up and ask for help!
2. Be jobless: An Idle man's heart is the devil's workshop. When all you do is watch TV all day or gossip with your neighbours, soon you will see some evil, hear some evil and do some evil. Get busy!!
3. Be afraid: Be paranoid. Eavesdrop on phone calls, texts and lettters, Call ur spouse 50 times a day to 'check on them', quiz them about their whereabouts, ask them to cut off all friends (and family), give your spouse curfews.
4. Do not trust: Decide not to trust your spouse. If he's gone to work, surely he's going to 'branch'! Calculate how long it takes to drive from work home and track him!
If she's going food stuff shopping surely she'll go wasting money on some phoney makeup! Always keep her cash strapped.
5. Hate your in laws and show it: don't ever call ur mum-in-law and when she calls send back a busy tone. If she calls thru her child, have them say you are busy washing, cooking, bathing etc. Do not attend family occasions!! Pls don't!

Unfortunately, despite this long list, there is no perfect recipe for any of these types of marriages. You have to keep working at it. Varying the quantities, species, and even experimenting with new ingredients!
Above all, trust God and rely on him!

Today I and my husband celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary and I thank God that its been good so far! I pray for more grace and wisdom to make it even better.

Selah

Please drop a comment and Let me know what you think of my list. Thanks

Big Faith, Little Faith

Matthew 17:20 KJV
And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

I've many times wondered what Jesus meant when he said things like 'oh ye of little faith!'. And then goes on to say 'if your faith is as small as a mustard seed, you can move mountains'!! To make things more confusing, he explains that the mustard seed is the littlest of seeds!!(mark 4:31)

So what exactly is the 'size' of faith that we need to have? Let me share what I think. 

We all know about powerful preachers, pastors evangelists and the likes who preach powerful messages to crowds of people and 'make' amazing things happen like miraculous healings, prophetic words and insights and so on. Now no one needs to tell you that that kind of activity requires big faith as opposed to that required perhaps in your relatively normal daily life!

As I ruminated on this fact and scenario, this is what I realised: We have two sizes of faith. 

- Mustard seed size faith (Matthew 17:20, Luke 17:6) and

- Little faith (Matthew 6:30, Matthew 8:26)

This is confusing because mustard seed is very little to us. So  I updated the sizing to make it easier to relate with. So we actually have:

- Little faith (mustard seed faith)

- No faith (little faith).

Sorry, there is nothing like big faith!!

When the bible says we have little faith, what it really means is that we have no faith (in God)!! We are measuring the possibility of our need and request by our own ability and not trusting in God. 

 (Matthew 8:26 NLT) Jesus responded, "Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!" Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.

On the other hand, when we have the slightest trust in God, wonders can happen. You will agree with me that moving a mountain like everest, for example, is well, impossible! But the Bible says even that can be achieved with a mustard seed size faith (define  little faith here). Now, how much faith do u think will be needed to sort out your rent, bills, or job or health? Can u make the comparism? 

So really its either you have faith (little faith/mustard seed faith) or you have no faith. 

Friends, let's train ourselves to have God as the focus of our faith! Faith in ourselves or other people or circumstances is no faith! 

(Matthew 21:21 KJV)Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.

Have a faith-filled Sunday!!

Selah

Picture credits: intuitiontosucceed.academy and Wikipedia

All I want for Valentine's

OK, so it was Valentine's day yesterday 14th February. I am sure you most probably had a special time with your loved one(s).

We all have come to know Valentine's day as a day to show love in a special way, go the extra mile to make people know that you care. 

We usually give/get Jewellery, perfumes, greeting cards, clothing, a meal out and such. Or we could reach out to the less privileged in the hospitals, homes and prisons.

This year can I suggest to you, all I want for Valentine's is your blood!!

I started thinking about this three days ago. I wanted to give some thing different. Valentine's has always been more between by husband and I, and my friends. But this year, I wanted to do more. To show love that well, went the extra mile. To my great surprise and pleasure, the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) was at our church today! And that was the only extra sign I needed to know I was doing the right thing :). In deed the universe was in agreement!

So I bled for love today; 530ml of it! And I am happy because it will go on to give someone out there a chance at life. The kind of gift that keeps giving! Now that's a perfect Valentine's! Or what do you think?

Do you know that in Nigeria many people die everyday simply because there is no blood to transfuse into them during an operation or after an accident? Blood cannot be manufactured industrially. The only hope for having blood available for those in need is from donors- Healthy people like me and you! 

As you read this today why not make a decision to become a donor and start saving lifes one pint at a time! Contact your local NBTS. Encourage your friends and family to think positively about donating blood. Remember you just might be the one in need of blood tomorrow.

So happy Valentine's! Let's make it a 'bloody' great one!

2015 and simple machines

So the new year has begun. As usual we all can't resist the coercion to 'start something new' at the turn of a new year. Maybe you are an exception, but I couldn't resist and infact didn't resist. As clichéd as new year's resolutions may sound, 
they are not as evil as they are often portrayed to be. Perhaps people have found over the years that their resolutions 'find them out' and so, have become wary of this secret agent! Be that as it may, goal setting which is the main thrust of new year's resolutions still remains an important activity for anyone who what's to become someone!

For this year, 2015, I have set out a number of goals which I hope to accomplish. This post is not about those goals but about how those goals are going to be accomplished. For this year, God took my mind back to basic physics and the concept of simple machines. 

One of the ideas from that concept is mechanical advantage. By leveraging on the simple machine, effort moves less distance than load. Or effort expends less energy than the load to be carried. Applying that to life in 2015, it means I need to create and use some simple machines (there are six designs to choose from)! :-) . If you are a little confused, let me explain. I am talking about the power of teams. Mapping the analogy, my team is the simple machine, I am the effort and my goals are the load. At the moment, I have myself and my goals but for me to succeed at them this year, I need to build and leverage on my team. The bible says one shall chase a thousand and two shall put ten thousand to flight! Just try to figure out the multiplier effect of team work! So, this year, instead of working my fingers to the bones, I'll be looking to piggyback on others - they could be other individuals, institutions or organisations- to get my goals achieved with less effort from myself. Of course, this means sharing the glory but it also means sharing the costs, liabilities and work! Honestly, you can't eat your cake and have it. But then, having a party all by yourself is not much fun anyway. 

So take a cue from me. Don't try to go it alone. You will only burn out halfway and come back sore. Being part of a team is the way up. Remember though as you try to build your team, other people need you on theirs too. Kind of like 'you rub my back, I rub yours'. So yeah, I hope this post helps you to be more successful this year. Go ahead and have a brilliant 2015!

Don't forget to drop a comment below. Thanks

Simple machines image from www.oocities.org

Commitment

Commitment. That's a strong word isn't it? Yes it is. Commitment is about your honour, your integrity. Putting your life on the line to see an issue through.

The other day I was travelling to Ibadan, Nigeria from Lokoja a town in central Nigeria. A journey of 6-7 hours on a good day. We had dropped off some passengers in a city just 2hrs from Ibadan and picked up some new ones to complete the journey. No sooner had we picked the two new passengers than we heard a snapping sound, followed by a scrapping sound that persisted as the vehicle continued on motion. The driver reckoned something had gone wrong with the back spring of the car. Nothing felt particularly wrong with the car to me, except for the scrapping noise of metal against the car frame.

The driver pulled over, assessed the situation and determined it was safe to drive on till we got to a mechanic workshop where it could be checked properly. He got in and drove on much more slowly. But as the sound persisted, passengers began to agitate to get off. Not the least, the two new addons. In fact they insisted they wanted to get off heatedly and presently were allowed to alight.

The rest of us were willing to persevere till at least we got a full diagnosis at the next mechanic workshop. I for one was contemplating dropping off at the next town where my grandmother lived if I felt the car wouldn't get me to my destination.

So were we just more risk averse than those other two passengers or were we plain silly to have continued such a journey on the highway with a faulty vehicle?

I'll tell you what, we were just committed. Lets look at the indicators.

1. We had paid our fares before we took off. If we got off now, we would most probably have to sort ourselves out.Those two hadn't paid as yet.
2. Most of us had heavy baggage. They had just a hand bag.
3. We had formed a kind of camaraderie having travelled together for over 5 hours experiencing the intrigues of the road together. They hadn't.
4. We had come a long way (5 hours). They were just starting out.

So yeah commitment was the difference. As silly and dangerous as it must have seemed, commitment saw us through and got us to our destination. Together we weathered the storm. As we drove on my thoughts kept flashing back to those two who had dropped off along a bushy, lonely highway. 'Did they get another lift quickly?', 'were they beaten by the rain that fell shortly after?', 'did they get home safe?'. Well, I'll never know. Just like they'll never know how we fared either.

It's always quite easy to jump off the boat. But count the cost. There'll always be 'what-ifs' both sides of the coin. Weight your commitment before you throw it all up in the air. Just a little patience might crown your commitment with results.

Selah

Image credits: jasaero.com