Let us not forget.

Don't lose sight of what is important.

This though...

So true.

Wearing His Armor.

We have to surrender ourselves to The One who knows what's best for us.

Poetry and I....

These are the videos of  four of my best P4CM poems.

1. JUST GOD BY EZEKIEL AZONWU.

 

Eziekel Azonwu was the first P4CM poet i came across last year and this was the actually the first poem i listened to and i couldn't help listening to it over and over again.

One of my best lines from this is ''once you give God some space, He will Bruce Willis that Armageddon.'' that had me screaming!! Its a beautiful poem.

2. I WILL WAIT FOR YOU BY JANETTE IKZ.

  

  

I will wait for you is one poem i enjoy listening to over and over again. its been a huge blessing to me indeed. i personally feel like she stole the thoughts from my heart and put them all together to create this amazing piece. The more i listen to it, the more it becomes a prayer for me. i love it!!! its also a joy to know that presently Janette's wait is over. She got married months ago and i am happy for her. This is an encouragement to all sisters waiting patiently on God for His Gift.

below is an excerpt from the poem that i love.

''I’ll stay in my bed… alone, and write poems, about how I will wait for you
He won’t even come close,
Our fingers won’t even interlock
We won’t even exchange breath
Cause I have thoughts that I’ve ‘saved as’ in a file that God has only equipped you to open.
I will no longer get weighted down,
From so-called friends & family talks,
About the concern for my biological clock
When I serve the Author of Time.
Who is NOT subject to time,
But I’M subject to Him,
He has the ability to STOP, FAST FORWARD, PAUSE, or REWIND at any given time…
So if we could role play,
You would be Abraham & I would be Sara
Or you can be Isaac & I can be Rebecca – a servant’s answered prayer
I am bone of your bone, flesh of your flesh,
Made up of your rib Adam!
And once we meet, like electrons
I will be bound to your nucleus, completely indivisible atom.
We even speak the same math: 1 + 1 + 1 = 3, which really equals 1 if you add Him.
We were all created in His image,
But you have the ability to reflect, project & even detect the Son.
If I were to explain what you looked like,
You would have to look like a star,
A son of the Son..
I would gain energy simply from the light on me.
I would need you , in order to complete my photosynthesis
I await your revelation, but once again from the genesis, I will wait for you ♥
And I will know you… because when you speak I will be reminded of Solomon’s wisdom,
Your ability to lead will remind me of Moses,
Your faith will remind me of Abraham,
Your confidence in God’s Word will remind me of Daniel,
Your inspiration will remind me of Paul,
Your heart for God will remind me of David,
Your attention to detail will remind me of Noah,
Your integrity will remind me of Joseph,
And your ability to abandon your own will, will remind me of the disciples,
But Your ability to love selflessly & unconditionally will remind me of Christ.
But I won’t need to identify you by any special Matthews or any special Marks,
Cause His word will be tatted all over your heart.''

3. COUNTERFEIT GOD'S BY JEFFERSON BETHKE.

Jefferson caught my attention with his '' why i hate religion but i love Jesus'' piece but this one i really liked a lot. Jeff was witty in this video and i am sure that anyone who watches this will agree with me. Very nice poem.

4. READY OR NOT.

and finally Ready or not.  One of the reasons i liked this was because it was done by two of my favorite poets. What a brilliant combination. Its so deep, intense, insightful and convicting. It portrays the present state of the church and how Jesus would likely react on His return! He is coming back soon, will you be ready??? 

I thank God for the lives of Eziekel and Janette and i pray that God continues to use them.

Looking for our needs in the wrong place.

 

The first time i saw this, my heart melted. I thought it was cute, adorable and a little annoying!! I  didn't appreciate the fact that adults were present and not doing anything but feeding their amusement. i however hoped that he was fed well later on. Honestly i was almost close to tears. Babies get me all warm and mushy inside, hahaha they are innocent, sweet and amazing. The video was recorded at an orphanage in Russia (you can hear them speaking Russian in the background.) and the babies are brothers. Apparently the little tiger on the right was very hungry and in need of food so he turned to his brother and started sucking off his face. Now all he wanted was food and he was desperately looking for it in the wrong place.

Well we could argue and say ''oh he is a baby! He doesn't know what is right from wrong.'' The action is permissible and we would have a point. A good one indeed. He is just a child after all. food was all he wanted and even if he wasn't getting it, he wasn't going to give up (note how he cries and seeks his prize whenever his brother turns his face). The truth is no matter how long he had been at it, he would have never gotten any satisfaction because his brothers cheek isn't a milk reservoir.

Watching this made me reflect later on. it reminded me of how very much like this baby we are sometimes. isnt it interesting that some of us spend a lot of our time, resources and energy seeking what we need in the wrong place. Whether its from the issue of our career goals to marital status, we are guilty of doing the very same thing we see this baby doing. We keep knocking on the wrong doors and refusing to change our directions even when we see that nothing is fruitful. Others are so much blinded by their desire that they allow desperateness to get the better part of them. Some of us have a hard time even figuring out exactly what we need and so we end up just chasing the wind.

 Remember the story of the woman with the issue of blood ( Luke 8:43-48)? She spent a lot looking for a solution to her problems but her efforts were fruitless. She went about for 12 years until she met The One who had the very thing she was seeking in His garment. Some of us can relate to her story as well as the analogy of the babies action in the video.

You see dear christian, God knows our needs, He knows just what we need and when we need it. There is nothing that escapes His loving eyes. He is all knowing. Oh how wonderful it is to know that we have a Father who cares so much for us that He  pays attention to every detail of our lives. Philippians 4:19 says that Our God will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. He alone should be The One we turn to and depend on for our needs. i smile as i finish this post now because The Lord's  prayer just flashed across my heart. it says;

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your Kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom,
the power and the glory are yours.
Now and for ever.

                                                                           Amen.

Oh how great are the works of His hands..

I took this during summer while on a short vacation by the sea. I and Tobi had decided to go watch the sun set. Beautiful isn't it? I love to see sights like this. It warms my heart and makes me marvel at how great God is and how beautiful the works of His hands are. 
This verse comes to my heart every time I come across this picture. Psalm 113:3---  From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised. Glory! Hallelujah.

Keep pressing on daily.

Knowing when to let go.

It is true that God brings people into our lives for a reason and purpose and He can also take them out too if they have accomplished His purpose but sometimes we don't understand this and so we end up fighting so hard to hold on to the people that God wants us to let go of.  This can be very exhausting emotionally and physically and most times the result is devastating. 

I remember sometime ago someone I had been friends with for a couple of years suddenly went all cold and AWOL on me and left me wondering what the issue was. I know I tried hard to see that I was giving all that I could to see that the relationship lasted but it was fruitless. I knew it but I didn't want to let go. I cared for this fellow. They were dear to me. I struggled within for a while until one day in Church, the pastor preached about the story of Paul and Barnabas and after a closer look and much studying of the Word I saw things differently and clearly. It was easier for me to let go and the peace that followed was amazing! I understood that I had to know when to trust God and let go. Not everyone who comes into your life is there to stay. Most are just passing through and us having the knowledge of God's will when it comes to relationships is very important. His word says that His thoughts towards us are thoughts of good and not of evil to give us an expected end and God never lies. He isn't a man that he should, He is God Almighty. We need to trust Him well enough to let go easily when its necessary. 

Sweet Lord.....

Happy November..

Its November already!!!! The year is almost over! Can you believe it? 
The events that ushered in this year still remains fresh on my mind. The prayer service, dinner and fireworks that followed afterwards.. I can't believe its all winding up!!! God is amazing! I know usually for some of us, stock taking starts now. We bring out our mental and physical lists trying to cross out our goals and achievements. For some of us, its joy and laughter that follows while others sadness and regrets... Whatever the case might be let us not lose hope. Its not too late to start from where you are now. God is the God of times and seasons. With Him all things are possible. His ways arent like ours so as we get ready to round up the year let us have the flame of hope burning wildly within us.
As long as there is life there is hope! Jesus Christ is our hope for tomorrow. With Him, the best is yet to come, there is no giving up. 
Happy new month everyone!

In His image.

So its that time of the year again when God paints our side of the earth white. The leaves turn yellow and fall of their trees and the nights are cold and long and one's entire schedule is turned upside down trying to adapt to the harsh and beautiful weather but the wonderful thing about this season is that even though it sucks having to put up with being stuffed in balloon like jackets and wearing boots that seem to weigh you down, I am never alone.  Jesus paints a smile in me...I am beautiful! I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and its all because I am made in His image. 

Enough said!

LOVE.

If it is yours...

Independence Day post; If My people called by My name.

 Today started out as every other normal day for me. I had been so occupied at the college to even pay so much attention to the day and what it meant to me as a nigerian. Truth hurts people say and i agree. My heart had been heavy the day before as i had read online the terrible  happenings in the country. I thought to myself " what is there to be happy about? After 54 years? " Then halfway into my day i got the call  that would change the direction of my heart. It was from my pastor. The Lord had given Him a word for the nation. There was still hope! All wasn't lost! Things could change! Oh how my heart leapt for joy after listening to it. The full message is below. 

Dear fellow Nigerians, let me use the opportunity to congratulate you on the independence day Celeberation and to thank God for His mercy and longsuffering towards us as Lamentations 3: 23-24 says it is of The Lord's mercies that we aren't consumed. They are new every morning, Great is His faithfulness. Thank God that He hasn't judged us as a nation according to the level of our iniquities and spiritual misbehaviour. 

The lord has told me that this isn't a time of merry making but a sobering time for all. It is a period of humility, brokeness and repentance before God through praying and fasting. This is something that everyone born in that country must do. 

The Lord said " I have done and given that land all she needs to be the best but unfortunately the people have done all they can to make the land worse" Then He drew my attention to 2 Chronicles 7:13 and 14. Verse 13 says "If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people" beloved, does this not describe our land? Famine, chaos, diseaseses, insecurity, drought and pestilence...the list goes on. It would be foolish of anyone walking in The Spirit not to see the similarity here. It is glaring! 

Now despite everything brethren there is still hope because there is also a solution to the many problems that plaugue our nation. We see it in verse 14. "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." There are 4 major steps outlined here.

1. Humility. 

We as a nation must acknowledge that we have sinned against The Lord through our evil lifestyle. 

2. Pray for mercy.

3. Seek His face in truth and in spirit.

4.Turn away from our evil and wicked ways.

Beloved, Glory to God for giving us the antidote we need for this situation. Whenever a continent, country, city, town, village, community, family or even an individual find themselves in the verse 13 situation then the way out of it would be to do as The Lord said in the following verse. My prayer is that your heart will be genuinely touched and convicted after reading this and you will be moved to get on your knees and cry out to The Lord daily. God bless you. 

                                                                                          Pastor Elijah Sogo.

           

Do you hear Him speak?

Attention Ladies!!!

These are very interesting tweets via Tovares Grey also known as   @godlydating101 on twitter. I found all of these tweets to be fire crackers and if you take out time to go through them you will agree with me too!!!

Gbam! He hit the nail on the head...like a friend of mine would say "I ain't got time for them chewing gum boys! I know my worth"

As a Christian woman, you should know what really matters.

Don't spend too much time complaining about having a relationship you aren't ready for!!! Humble yourselves! Seek Jesus and let Him get you ready!

Gbam!

Just because you are single now doesn't mean you are incomplete! Jesus is everything!

A godly man will never try to coax you into giving up your standards.

Dear sisters, a man that loves God should be the one to set the chords of your heart's strings singing!!!! God is love and only when a man genuinely loves Him can he be able to love his fellow man unconditionally! 

Happy Birthday to my No 1 Superman Nife!!!

My Baby Niffy Niffy just turned 6 and I still can't believe it! God is so great! I can still remember the first time I saw him, i had paid aunty sade and her husband a visit for the first time since mother's passing and there he was, the little cute rascal climbing out of his walker and crawling over to the door trying to get outside. Not caring how many times his parents would pick him up and put him back in his walker, he kept climbing out until they just let him be and I took him up in my arms and smiled at him and he responded back with a toothless smile and I saw for the first time why my mum doted on him.....it was then our bond was formed and it has been stronger than ever..... Nifemi, my baby, my sweetheart, my little superman happy birthday! My prayer for you is that God continues to keep and guide you. May He continue to shield you in Jesus Name. I love you.so much! 

This is so me!!!

This picture makes me smile...

Be a light!!!

Have you ever walked into a dark room and accidentally bumped any part of your body against an object because you couldn't see? I can't remember myself but I do recall the pain that comes with it. If I had a light source with me, then I would have been able to have avoided getting hurt. This is one great importance of Light. It shows the way.

Jesus Christ in Matthew 5:14-16 tells us that as Christians we are the light of the world and that we should let our light shine so that all would see and give Our Father all the glory! Isn't it interesting that He calls us the light? We know that light makes things visible. It exposes the shape or form, nature and even deformities of objects it falls on. We must understand that we as Children of The Father of lights ( James 1:17) by our lifestyle and examplex show the rest of the world what God requires, what is the condition of man, what is the way of duty, peace and way to heaven. 

The first time I studied this passage i pictured God looking down at the world and seeing His children as tiny dots of light shining back at Him ( like this picture below taken from space) and the question came up in my heart, would He see me too shining? I checked myself and made up my mind to make sure that i would do all I can by His Grace not to be found wanting. My light would shine for men to see.

Paul writes in Phillipians 2:14-15 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation among whom ye shine as lights in the world! Beloved we are the light bearers of The Gospel of Jesus Christ. This song below used to be favourite song for me as a child. As I write this post, it comes up in my heart.

This little light of mine,

I am going to let it shine.

This little light of mine.

I am going to let it shine.

This little light of mine,

I am going to let it shine.

Let it shine,

Let it shine,

Let it shine! 

Happy new month! Goodbye August, Welcome September.

Allo September!!!

As for me and my house, we will serve The Lord.

The first time I saw this, my heart skipped a beat. I couldn't help but falling in love with it. It almost brought tears to my eyes. It captured the kind of picture that I had imagined in my mind about my future family for years! It almost looked like I was looking at myself.....the kids look like quadruplets (not what i envisioned) but I wouldn't mind having 4 angels at a go if The Lord Wills it! 

The book of Joshua 24:15 came to my heart immediately. It says that "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

It is a painting by Aaron Hicks.

Food! Food! Food!

The dangers of wearing corsets.

My younger sister and I were chatting a while ago on Facebook when she shared with me her plans to start using a corset. I wasn't too excited even after listening to her list out all the wonderful benefits and effects it could bring to the body; one of which includes waist slimming. I then shared with her the dangers of doing so and boy oh boy was she stunned! She had no idea that there were any disadvantages and quickly changed her mind after that. 

The image above shows how the internal organs are arranged in a woman who uses a corset and how they are in a non corset user. You dont need to be a medical student or a doctor to see the difference! It is glaring! 

The shape and positions of the liver and stomach have been altered. The next thing to note is how constricted the lungs are. Even the intestines are altered in shape and size also. This can lead to a lot of health problems. I was even shocked while doing my research on this to discover that even some pregnant women in their first trimesters use corsets with the belief that it will help them to stay fit, forgetting the damage this could bring upon the innocent child. 

Here are some of the disadvantages below.

It can cause the internal organs to move out of their original positions.

As it is tight, it can cause breathlessness and discomfort while moving, as well as indigestion.

It can also cause redness and chafing of the skin.

The corset does not allow enough air to fill in the lungs. Thus, a person has shallow breathing in only the upper portion of the lungs, which gives rise to mucus and cough.

There is a danger of fracturing the ribs under very high pressure.

The intestines also get compressed, causing constipation.

Some popular corsets include: 

The full body or hourglass corset.

The underbust  corset.

There are so many ways to achieve that shape or waistline that you are looking for.  Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and diet and also incorporating effective workout routines can help.  You don't need to wear a corset! Its dangerous!

A True Friend.

A true friend should be radical.
They should love you when you are unlovable.
Hug you when you are in need of a hug.
and bear you when you are unbearable.

A true friend should be fanatical.
They should cheer while the rest of the world boos.
Dance when you get good news.
Cry when you cry too.

But most of all, a true friend should be mathematical.
They should multiply your joy.
Divide your sorrow.
Subtract the past,
and add to tomorrow.
They should be able to know how to calculate the deep need of your heart
and be bigger than the sum of all your parts.

Celebrating Pastor Sogo's Birthday.

On the 9th of July was our Pastor's birthday and I was given the task of cooking for a large amount of people and after a lot of deliberation I decided to prepare fried rice (Nigerian Style) and I am happy that I chose to do this. 

It would be the first time cooking for a large number of people and I didn't want to make any mistakes! When cooking for a smaller pack of people, its as easy as learning abc as long as you know what you are doing but things are a bit different when you are cooking for a large group of people. You have to take great care so as not to mess things up. 

It would be the first time for our Georgian and Arab brothers and sisters to taste an African dish so I was determined to make sure it came out just perfect!! I made some fried fish marenaed in tomato sauce to go with it. It was a nice combination and everyone enjoyed it! I thought I would put up the recipe here.

Ingredients: 

1. Rice

                                                     

2. Carrots, onions and spring onions. 

3.Green Pepper

             

4. Red pepper

                                               

5. Hotdogs, tinned corn and peas

                 

 6. Curry powder.

7. Salt

      

8. Pepper 

                                   

9. Garlic or ginger powder.

                                  

10. Maggi (chicken flavour)

                           

  11. Fresh fish. (Herring)

                

  12. Tomato paste.

                  

   13. Unsalted butter.

Method.

1. Wash rice and per boil for 20 minutes. Add some curry powder at this point until you get your desired shade of green color. Also add the maggi and salt too.

          

 2. Wash and cut all vegetables into cube sizes.

3. Chop the hotdogs into the same sizes as vegetables.

4. Clean fish and soak it in garlic or ginger mix with salt.

     

5. Put some unsalted butter in a pot and melt over low heat.

6. Put salt and stir fry all the vegetables at once.

7. Add some 2 cups of water and leave to boil for 10 minutes.

8. Put some unsalted butter in another pot and stir fry some onions.

9. Pour the tomato paste and add half a cup of water.

10. Fry fish and add almost immediately with a little seasoning to the boiling paste.

11. Add rice to the vegetable stock and leave to boil for 15 minutes. Also add the hotdogs, corn and peas.

12. Serve together with a cold drink.

Sometimes we have to just trust Him and let it go...

Happy August!

Its a new month! The 8th month of the year. The month of new beginnings. God has been so faithful to me. I can't believe how fast the days have gone by. It seems just like yesterday when we said happy new year to one another now its already autumn. The leaves are gradually turning brown, the nights are getting cold and windy.

In a world full of so much evil, God has been faithful to us all and kept us from danger. From the beginning of the year to this very moment, we haven't been consumed because of His mercies. Glory to God in the highest amen!

Happy July.