ADD THIS TO THE LIST OF THINGS TO STOP FOREVER

This is about to get really long, but it might be worth the read.
Growing up in the midst of so many Yoruba people with their customs and inexplicable behaviour meant so many things – one of which is repeated sensationalism.
An example of it hit me again yesterday when a lecturer of the Federal University of Technology Akure (whose name I do not know or care to mention if I did) came to do some business with us and was attended to by my uncle and I. Somehow I zoned out and by the time I returned to their realm he was saying something about a pastor who claimed he used to be an agent of evil and he helped give power to so many famous “men of God” both living and dead.
According to the lecturer, this fact was the reason why he doesn’t go to church, because he thinks most pastors get power from the devil.
This raised so many arguments inside my head, but I managed to let something out in form of a question; “who are these pastors?” I asked.
Of course the list started with Pastor T.B Joshua (the most demonized pastor in the world), and it went on to include several other preachers within and around Akure.
Before I air my views, I have no reason whatsoever to agree that any of these pastors were truly called by God, neither do I have plenty of substantial reason to argue the opposite.
My view however, is that this is just a means of making unearned money by the so – called converted pastor. This is not the first or second or fifth time someone has come out to claim that they are the source of “power” these pastors have been tapping from. Each of those times have been from CDs sold by these men and women who claimed to be gods in the past but are now pastors of God himself. This is not even then sad part.
The saddest and most annoying part of it is what I know. What I know is this, fast forward to 10 months from now, for example, someone else will come out and claim these same statements again and people will rally behind them and buy their CDs and books or whatever, attend crusades and so on. But they will all be lies.
I am a believer of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, but I believe there are smarter ways to protect your faith than to bastardise that of others.
More importantly, there are easier ways to make money than to engage in blasphemy.
And dear Yoruba people, there are simpler ways to waste money than buying lies over and over again.
P.S this can happen within any tribe, but I’ve seen it happen too many times with my people to stay quiet.

3 THINGS TO LEAVE BEHIND IN 2015

These are literally the final moments of what has been an interesting year. 2015 has come and it is about to go in a hurry. We all fought battles this year, won most of them, lost some – but in all we were never alone; these final moments should be the time to thank those who fought out battles with us last year – because we’ll need them on the new battlefield that is 2016. 

As the new year approaches too, we can identify so many things that happened last year, which to be quite frank, are not good enough. These things happen both personally and nationally (we’ll talk about the national aspect).
Listening to the President during the media chat yesterday sent me a whole lot of vibes, many good, many others not – so – good. Bottom line though is that as a country, we need to drop so many things in 2015.

1. Sensationalism 

The GCFR mentioned this in one of his answers yesterday. Nigerians are very quick to “sympathize” with just about anyone who claims to have a fight with the government – and this should not be so. Our country is going through hard times and as such, the government needs our support prayers now more than ever.
This Biafra brouhaha in itself is very bad for everyone, but it is made worse by the number of youths who are (permit me to say blindly) raising their arms in vandalism to prove a point they are not even sure of. This fight and others like it need to stop because in a country as big as Nigeria, different sets people will ALWAYS feel marginalized – we don’t need to make a war out of it.

2. Ungratefulness

Someone once said that even if Jesus were to personally come and fix Nigeria, some people would still accuse him of having sinister motives. That person is not far from the truth. Nigerians can be just about anyone but what do we choose to be, ungrateful. This country has a very uninteresting culture of not being able to appreciate good deeds, instead we will find one reason or another to justify out ungratefulness, please friends, let us drop this attitude in 2015. Every form of ungratefulness we show to friends, family and anyone else is wrong and should be dropped. Thank you.

3. Selfish, self – serving attitude

This annoying attitude of ours was brought to the fore more than ever during the Paris bombing last month. People, it is ok to sympathize with other people. No additions or conditions, anything else is selfishness. We live in a country where a Yoruba or Igbo man/woman can open their mouths to say” thank God they are killing their own people” when they get the news of another boko haram attack, yet we call ourselves a nation.
If we cannot show sympathy to our fellow countrymen what charity is there for us to leave home with. Enough is enough.
Let us please drop these attitudes and doings this year and watch our nation go higher in 2016. Have a blessed New Year and pray for Nigeria and the world.

READING THIS MAY HELP YOUR RESOLUTION WORK OUT THIS TIME

One of the major reasons why this season is so much loved by everyone is the multiple celebrations that take place, all of them just one week apart.

The problem however seems to be the days between which you don’t know what name to call them or what to spend your time on – luckily its almost over.

The end of this grey period also signifies the end of the year and for many years now, as the New Year approaches, people begin to make resolutions and promises of things they plan to do or achieve in the coming year, bad habits they plan to drop, good ones they intend to imbibe, bold steps they intend to take. Sadly though, the do not usually succeed.

The success rate of “New Year Resolution” is around 12%(ish) worldwide. This means this practice is a huge failure. Several reasons could be fingered for causing this problem, but some of them could include, but are not limited to the following;

1.       UNREALISTIC RESOLUTIONS

Making a resolution on something worthwhile when we are not in the right position for it is entirely useless. For example, making a resolution to save more money while on a hand – to – mouth income/budget without trying to identify new source(s) of income and key into them. is already a bust. By not setting the required stage for each and every intended resolution, we already make its very foundations shaky and as such it crumbles. Other resolutions too abound – which are all misnamed wishes at best and could be. 

2.       A WISH IS NOT A RESOLUTION, A RESOLUTION IS NOT A WISH

These days, the line between these two have not just become blurred, they are inexistent. Making a resolution out of something you wish for is a total waste of time. Imagine a student resolving to buy a car before the year ends, (assuming he/she can manage to keep their hands clean) this requires a stroke of luck to succeed and should that stroke fail to occur (which it probably won’t) this resolution goes bust. So, as a success tip for making resolutions, separate wishes from them and be very clear on your chances.

3.       PROCRASTINATION IS EVERY WHERE

Many of the resolutions we make are as a result of our procrastination. We defer changes that can be made at any time of the year till the end when it is time to make resolutions again. Resolving to make lifestyle changes like quitting smoking or drinking is something that can be done at any time of the year – so why push it till the New Year? If we can muster up the (procrastinating) confidence to push it this far, the chances are very high that we will push it again.

4.       MEANINGFUL RESOLUTIONS HAVE A HIGHER SUCCESS RATE

When making resolutions, we subconsciously measure their impacts on us and this sort of influences the success of it (or lack thereof). Another example involves a resolution to exercise more, if we have a feeling that doing this would make us look better or feel better then we have the motivation to do it, but on the other hand, a resolution that does not add any decipherable value to us will not be easy to maintain and see through.

These are just four observations of what could make a resolution fail (or succeed, when applied properly). This writer cannot claim to be a professional at resolutions, but he is rather another failed resolutionist who believes learning from mistakes is the only way not to make more of them.

Please make a resolution to #PrayforNigeria and #PrayfortheWorld. It will be quite easy too. 

YOU HAVE THE BEST CHRISTMAS GIFT ALREADY

Merry Christmas dear friends, may the true essence of this season never be lost on us and may it bring us multiple graces that fit all our desires. Amen.

Talking about desires, permit me to get very personal with my point of view this morning (it’s not like I know any other way). We have discussed what Christmas should mean in truth, today I would like to go one better and explain why I think family is the greatest gift of all.

AND WHEN THEY ASK "WHAT DOES CHRISTMAS MEAN TO YOU?"

It has been quite the year for everyone – both in a good and bad sense, but we have to be grateful for the overall good which is the gift of life. Being here is not by chance, but however you choose to see it, we are here and that’s what counts.

So many questions crop up at this time of the year; from Jehovah’s witnesses asking “does the bible ask you to celebrate Christmas?” to your friends and random girls asking for gifts to commemorate the season. The loudest question you are going to hear people ask is “what does Christmas mean to you?”

Ironically, whenever I see clergy men and other “important” people answer this question all the say is “this is not a season to eat and drink in excess… or indulge yourself in …bla bla bla”. 

NOT YOUR NORMAL SUNDAY

In the words of Joseph Addison (I don't really know who that is), Sunday clears away the rust of the whole week. I can not clearly say he is right or wrong.

Every other day I wake up feeling like it's “just another day” and I act like I'm going to trudge through the motions of it "as usual". But I have learnt that there is nothing usual ever going to happen any day any more. I'll share some part of my Sunday with you. It is a blog after all.

I awoke to my father's (phone) call, although he was just in the next room (I like people who don't see the need to shout my name); I had to go make a withdrawal for him after morning prayers so I put on my earphones, turned on the music for the road (sweetest devotion it was for today) and got moving.

HAPPY Sunday!!!!!

You don't have to be a Christian to know that Sundays are beautiful. It is the exact day that provides the true rest that Saturday pretends to offer; and for a Christian like me, seeing the happy faces of people in church makes me happy (a lot of things make me happy).
Talking about happiness, my Jehova's witness aunt once asked my why I didn't like going to church with her while I was staying at her place. The answer was simple, I went once and it wasn't happy enough for me. They say humans are creatures of emotions, my favorite is happiness and quoting a passage of the Bible "in the presence of God, there is fullness of joy..." I don't quite remember the book and chapter, but we all get the message.
Friends, we all go to our places of worship for a variety of reasons all of which boils down to the search for happiness. Today's sermon was on generosity, and it was so good it got me to increase my proposed offering budget; but what matters is that I did it happily.
If you don't feel the happiness at your place of worship, I doubt if it signifies the absence of God - it probably means you haven't encountered him; after all the Holy book also says something about people starving in the face of abundance.
Here's my whole point, you won't find happiness in the house of God until you find happiness within yourself (after all you are the temple of God) about your Church (I mean the people, not the building). So stop changing churches because you feel you aren't encountering God and happiness. That part is on you. And when you receive the next message that reads "happy Sunday", try to smile, most of those people imagine you smiling when the message meets you (at least I do).
Happy Sunday. Smile. The world needs happy people.