...Afunrun gin a Anya!!! (Aug 31, 2008 - Aug 9, 2009)

My Golden Sunday..."You've Arrived at Your Destination...!!!"

2009-08-09T20:40:00.018+01:00

Song of the week: Jeremiah Gyang [Featuring: M.I] – Kauna Allah!

Encouragement Verse: “...O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” – Isaiah 64:8 (NIV)

Quote of the week: “Whatever happens, just relax and manage to make a smile. Life is not a problem to be solved but a gift to be enjoyed. Make everyday your best day!” --- Author Unknown

Thank you God for a golden journey through these four seasons of HOPE.

I glorify your Holy name. I have definitely arrive at this destination by the grace of God. The miracle I seek has not yet come to past but I believe you are doing something new in my life. And at the appointed time you will bring to pass the work you have begun in my life... [Amen]

Thank you, Jesus!!!

So I know you are asking me, “What next?”

Mmmmm! I wish I can honestly tell you that this is what will happen but I would be telling you a lie.

What I can write (for now) is that I am grateful for a NEW BEGINNING!!!

*** Thank you everyone for your encouragement and walking with me through each stages that brought me to this new beginning...God bless you!!!

Credits:
Picture source: Ishockphoto

49th Sunday...Jésu ti tun mi sé...!!!

2009-08-02T20:39:00.018+01:00

Song of the week: Coko – Rescue Me

Encouragement Verse: “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” – Romans 12:12

Quote of the week: “Just as God did not spare His Son from suffering, we cannot expect our lives to be free from difficulties. However, like Jesus, our lives are in our Father's hand. He will never abandon us.” --- WAU.org
My Journey began with a reverberation of Cece Winans’ Alabaster box playing continually in the distant. But it was what spurred me to a new beginning…a fresh start…and gave birth to My Genesis.

And even when it did get so busy, I still took time Out of My Busy Schedule to keep you all posted with what I thought has been a life-changing journey for me.

When I thought I would not make it, I completed the tenth (10th) post [“It had to be at 10:00am”]…and then I surprised myself and made it past the fifteenth (15th) Post [“The Shroud of the Past”]…and it got even better, the twenty-fifth also flew past like yesterday…and now what do I have??? It is the ‘Golden Sunday’ post gazing me at the face; but I can only Praise God for His goodness to me. It was not easy, but I will surely do it again in heart beat. It was a fun experience for me and a lot did happen in the course of these weekly Sunday post…

Just TRUST…
I once got to the point that I felt like this did not make sense any more and thought about quitting, at least, no one will notice or care. But I had to tell myself that this was not just a floating idea than came to mind but it was one that birthed in me by God. I did not have to understand but just TRUST…

Love is UNSTOPPABLE…
I was/am not perfect, believe me when I write that I did cheat every now and then but it was different because I knew the consequences for my action, so I made an effort to work on my weaknesses.

Oh my habit!!! I have to exclaim because you need to understand what I mean??? Gosh! Those habit that keep resurfacing when you want to do something significant…[One does not have to do anything to please God…He is already pleased and in love with us]. Now I do understand what Paul (bible) meant when he wrote, “…When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.” (Romans 7: 21)

Saving the BEST FOR LAST…
You know what??? God does save the BEST FOR LAST…the LAST may not be next week but it will come on a day when you least expect it.

In almost fifty Sunday post, I can type these important gifts;

*My bad habits are not completely extinct but I am able to manage them properly
*Being able to reconcile with an estranged family member…
*Learning to take responsible for my own issues (We all have baggage...)
*Learning to forgive (for I myself, have hurt others also)
*And one more, went back to school…and this time around, it is more interesting than the first time (very interesting). I am there to be impacted upon and to impact on others…
We are SO CLOSE…
Even though I know we (Bankole & I) are far apart…for now, like Ruth, I will be going about my business. You know do something for me, as opposite, doing something only when I get married…can’t put my life on hold.

Lastly, I say, “Jésu ti tun mi sé…” [Translated: “Jesus has changed me…”]

Credits:
Picture source: iStockphoto

48th Sunday...Defying Gravity!!!

2009-07-26T20:38:00.023+01:00

Song of the week: Jeremiah Gyang – In Love With You

Encouragement Verse: “He will make the darkness bright before them and smooth and straighten out the road ahead. He will not forsake them.” – Isaiah 42:16 (TLB)

Quote of the week: “Lord, allow others to be drawn to you through the gift & character you have embedded in me.” --- Daniel D. (The Violinist)

Two Sundays and one heartbreak…whose heart got wrecked? It was my heart…

My very first thought was to just crawling into some corner and cry my pretty eyes out but then why shed these tears for a situation that I am a Victor and not a Victim. Yes, my heart was broken but I did not have to compromise or stay in relationship (too long) that did not have a promising future for me. So emphatically it wasn’t worth me spilling my precious tear drops for...

For three (3) days, this heart of mine fought to stay afloat the river of joy but it sank until God breathe life back into it. From the disappointment I arose to inscribe into my life’s story that this Love in my heart has defy gravity…again it has won the battle of being engulfed by the bitterness that tries to surround this situation. Lord, I am MOVING FORWARD.

…in utter disbelief, I read the note from the stranger over and over again. Distracted by the worries which life temporary threw at me, but then I was killed softly by the poetic words of my stranger. He came heating the oven when he neither was neither ready to cook nor did he know what to cook. For a moment, he acted like the real deal but then I discovered a Judas in his character. Underneath it all, I found the wolf’s clothing…

And then with one line, the relationship that was still a toddler hit the roads of uncertainty. He said, “You seem to be passionate about God”? “Yes”, I said. “It is God that has kept me sane all these years…” And the next thing I got was ‘THE NOTE’…it was over before it began.

Surely I know that I am not possessed by the spirit of any river goddess, and neither is there anyone out there in my village cooking up something suspicious against me. The Answer for the non-sticking relationship is? It just not the right time and so another one bites the dust in my search for Love…

What takes the weight off me is the faith I have in God to see me through the end of this and the fact that I have another chance to make a difference. So my readers, it is back to living out the life of ‘Elizabeth’ (the main character) in the Jane Austen’s book, ‘Pride & Prejudice’. Maybe in the end, I may get my Mr. Darcy…LOL

[It can only get BETTER…]

HAVE A SPLENDID WEEK WONDERFUL BLOGGERS…!!!

Credits:
Picture source: GettyImages

47th Sunday...Love is UNSTOPPABLE!!!

2009-07-19T20:38:00.015+01:00

Song of the week: Daniel D. (Violinist**) – Knock You Down

Encouragement Verse: “You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance..” – Psalm 66:12 (NIV)

Quote of the week: “Love means to commit oneself without guarantee, to give oneself completely in the hope that our love will produce love in the loved person. Love is an act of faith, and whoever is of little faith is also of little love.” --- Erich Fromm

Reading your comments on the last post, some felt like there was something missing from ‘Love comes knocking’. But what can I write than I have been swept away…an unstoppable current of Love has overwhelmed me that all I can do for now, is to just fall. And if I fall on my face, let God help me.

So I guess you figured it out, that is going to be an ongoing process that may have a happy ending or a another new beginning (Let’s just put it that way…no sad stories here. LOL)

I am stunned by the stranger, ‘Roti’ that I know I definitely haven’t done enough justice relating the direction this heart of mine is sailing. So if you avoid the comment segment like a plague, I forgive you.

So I ask myself, “How did I get here? And when did I get there? Is ‘Roti’ trying to oust ‘Bankole’ from the safe haven called ‘My Heart’?” [Ok! I know ‘Bankole’ may not be real to you but he is real to me.]
I always knew when to reverse out of the driveway of any unfamiliar zone but in this situation, I am poles apart with a sensible explanation.

God, please help me with this one, I need You to walk with me as I move forward…

[To you readers, Please forgive me but I can’t think properly, it is like I am under a spell. ]

Credits:
Picture source: istockphoto

**You can check out the channel 'DDProductions2007' for more from Daniel D. (Violinist)...'Knock you down' originally by Keri Hilson but I love this mix...Enjoy!!!

46th Sunday...Love comes knocking!!!

2009-07-12T22:37:00.003+01:00

Song of the week: Solange – Sandcastle

Encouragement Verse: “...Declaring the end and the result from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure and purpose.” – Isaiah 46: 10 (Amplified Bible)

Quote of the week: “And all people live, not by reason of any care they have for themselves, but by the love for them that is in other people.” --- Leo Tolstoy

“...I am hopeful I’d not be turned away before I have a chance to step into the presence of the Queen...” - The Stranger* (2009)

You may have heard or read this: “Open Your Door When Opportunity comes knocking…” For me, it is tempting to swing wide those doors especially when those open wounds have just healed. But what can I do when victory came knocking at the door of a woman once bended out of shape…

Even with so much distraction inside the house, I still gambled with a possibility theory outlined by my simple soul.
I peeped. But the face of the stranger, an alien to my memory.

He speaks. His smooth voice, yet the memory chips in my brain find no match to his voice. I shut back the blinds and was about to walk away when suddenly I hear a familiar name.

I froze on the spot. And to myself, I wondered how he was able to know that name. The only name that could thaw out this frozen heart once closed to love. Without knowing, I give him access…a total stranger.

He did not barge in on me still his presence invokes loads of curiosity about who this man is. The man who has the courage to step into the presence of the Queen…

[But what will happen next? Would this just be another love story that blows with the wind or would the tranquility of the atmosphere keep it around hanging in there long enough for a conclusion to a future best selling love story? The answer is unknown …but only God knows best!]

The story continues…

Credits:
Picture source: istockphoto

[*The Stranger*...I call him 'Roti' for now]

45th Sunday...Giving A Second Chance???

2009-07-05T20:37:00.024+01:00

Song of the week: M. I – Pulling Me Back & Jordin Sparks – Battlefield

Encouragement Verse: “...What are you, O mighty mountain? Before [Zerubbabel*] you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of 'God bless it! God bless it!.” – Zechariah 4: 7 (NIV)

Quote of the week: “Always be willing to give someone a second chance. After all, that’s what God does for you. Now in extending grace you can get hurt and disappointed, but if you're going to be Christ-like it's a risk you must take...” --- [Excerpt from The Word for Today, May 24, 2009]

*I thought really hard about my pick for this ‘song of the week’ - Pulling me back by M.I... [M.I. is a Nigerian rapper that I have so much respect for] before choosing it. I don’t really listen to rap music but this song does it for me. But since I am unable to upload his song I decided to play “Battlefield” by Jordin Sparks…

Have you ever been in a relationship (any kind of relationship) where you know you are been used but you still stick around because you love that person and don’t want to hurt their feelings? That I would write is my recent dilemma…

The actual post I wanted to write was about giving a broken relationship another chance but after last night…I find that I have been hurting myself.

This relationship (with this person) I have found out has become so toxic that I fear that it might contaminate my future relationship. Nothing I will ever do will make them accept me for who I am…they will never be at peace me even if I change who I am.
I tried to give it a second chance but my time has become too valuable to spend so much time feeding a relationship that is already dead and buried…I need to walk away from it.

Prayer: “God, please help me! I have tried my best to show how much I am willing to try to make this relationship work but God I am broken. I need to let go off it or I find I might become so bitter. Help me, God!!!”

**I know my quote of the week contradicts this post but I believe that there are some relationships that are still worth fighting for…and I know and pray that when it is time to back out of the drive way of that relationship, you will do the same. God bless you!

*Recent Update: On KemiPenelope.com => !!! One Night with 'Bankole' !!!

Credits:
Picture source: istockphoto

44th Sunday...Lettin' Go Of the Crutches !!!

2009-06-28T15:28:00.001+01:00

Song of the week: Syesha Mercado – I Believe

Encouragement Verse: “...God He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” – II Corinthians 1: 21 - 22 (NIV)

Quote of the week: “Refuse to be locked in the room of previous bad decisions...” --- Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo

“God will hold us more responsibility because we have seen more than our parents have seen…admit the failure and possess the future…”[1]

God stopped me on my track and spoke to my Spirit when I was about to get angry at a friend whom I realized I had began to use as a crutch. So what is Crutch? Or can I write, ‘Crutches’, since generally most people need two to move properly.

“Crutches are medical devices used when a patient is injured usually anywhere below the waist. They usually consist of supports to provide the patient with extra stability to enable normal movement.”[2]

Now, what led me to bring up this whole account/explanation on what Crutches are, I am sure you may or may not be wondering…?

Well, the drama about the Crutch played out a week ago, when I had a very important appointment to meet with someone. I certainly needed help getting around to the place of my appointment since it was out of my way. For this reason, I had called a friend to pick me up at certain time and also made arrangement to leave the office earlier than my close time.

As noon-time approached, I buzzed her many times on her mobile, but no one answered the call. By this time, I was becoming really nervous…which in a few minutes, changed to fury. To show how furious I was, I even began rehearsing the lines; I was going to rain down on her when she finally picks up her phone. But no avail, she still did not.

Right at that point, I decided to call the person I was scheduled to see and cancelled my appointment. And as I got off the phone with them, I was even angrier than a minute ago.

I knew had no other choice than to go home (since I had left my office area to wait for her) so I walked to bus stop as the rain fell. As I stood there, still contemplating what I was going to tell my friend for disappointing me, God stopped me on my tracks. He was like,

“Kemi, why are you using your friend as a crutch? I placed her in your life as a temporary helper to assist you when I deem it necessary then. But now you have to let go of those crutches you have place in her and hold on to me. Let me be your CRUTCH!”

It was then that I recognized what I had been doing and how ungrateful I had been towards my friend. This friend of mine in the past, had gone above and beyond in assisting me. This realization made me cry.

I had been making serious plans to get a new car but kept putting it off because I thought it was not necessary getting one right now. You know with recession, inflation, credit crunch...you name it! I used those excuse. But who was I to decide when the time was or not. All I had to do was show up and then show my faith in God…and from that point God will work with my little faith.

So by evening when she (my friend) finally returned my call, she apologized that she had overslept. I was no longer angry…I even found myself apologizing for being so ungrateful and how I should have had a back-up plan.

So what am I writing here? But that we should hear from God in any situation we are faced with. And ask ourselves when we find ourselve getting angry that there's no one on earth that will ever meet all our needs.

So I tell you bloggers, readers, commenters…let's let go of the crutch we have found in your friends, spouses, parents, siblings, leaders, Ministers…it is time to let God be your CRUTCH!!!

Have a fulfilled week, holding onto God as your crutch…!!!

Credits:
Picture source: istockphoto
Song "I Believe" originally sang by Fantasia Barrino (American Idol)

[1] Lines from a Sermon by Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo

[2] Crutch, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crutch

43rd Sunday...A Dance With Dad!!!

2009-06-21T18:31:00.002+01:00

Song of the week: Luther Vandross – Dance With My Fat her

Encouragement Verse: “Generation after generation stands in awe of your work; each one tells stories of your mighty acts..” – Psalm 145: 4 (The Message)

Quote of the week: “My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.” --- Jim Valvano

I don’t know what stories you have of your Father in your archive…Maybe there are good ones…properly bad or even worst, Ugly ones. But what I do know is that a Father is one who is warrior, one who is not afraid to love even when they know how hard it is for a man to show affection.

I found it kind of TRICKY composing a line or two for my Father; I guess it is becuase I realized I was never program to say those ‘lovey-dovey’ words about Dad, who I have to write really means so much to me.
Most of us, grew up learning to keep Mother’s day special…but it was not until I grew older that I realized that there was a day set aside specially for Fathers. And then again, musicians even made the matter worst because there are more songs dedicated to Mothers than there are of Fathers.

But when I look back in my life, I know my Father played an important role in the person I am today. He made me an independent woman who first believed in who I am before people believe in me. A fighter. A woman of Virtue. My Father first validated me…My Father made me still have a heart to love when I could have stop loving.

He does not say much but when he does speak I gain immeasurable wisdom from him...

Memories of my Father?

The night he prayed with me when I was unable to sleep. The Days, as a valiant, he fought to keep at bay crooks of the night. I remember when I would run into the restroom and cry eyes out after eavesdropping on conversations between my Father and Mother.
He would speak about the battle he had to fight to provide for his family. In all his struggles, he never came back empty handed.

He could have been a coward and ran off but he did not.

I love you, Dad.

“Father, you made me a beautiful woman any man would be blessed to have as a wife.”

[I find myself wondering...
Did I give you your due..
For all that you've done for meDid I ever thank you?

For all of my childhood memories
For helping me deal with life's stresses
For helping me accept my defeats
And celebrate my successes?

Or for teaching me the value of hard work,
Good judgement, courage, and being true
The laughter, smiles, and quiet times we've shared
Did I ever thank you?

If I have forgotten,
I'm thanking you now
You taught me right from wrong....
I hope you know
how much you're loved and appreciated
I hope you, instinctively, knew it all along.

Happy Fathers' Day, Dad

excerpt from Card Poems, "Father's Day Poem Verses quotes", Dad Poem #10]

Picture source: istockphoto

42nd Sunday...My Time to Bloom !!!

2009-06-14T20:35:00.037+01:00

Song of the week: Omolara [ft. M.I] – Tonight

Encouragement Verse: “Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it.” – Ezra 10:4[NIV]

Quote of the week: “Take a chance! All life is a chance. The man who goes furthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare.” --- Dale Carnegie

January 1, 2009 (New Year), I wrote in my journal:
“…it is not going to be a year free from trials…or tribulations but God will see us through it all. I may or may not get to meet that special one but in my process of finding ‘the One’…”Bankole*” I will get healed spiritually…”

[* at time of writing, I had another name in mind but down the road that was lost in the forest of yesterday…]

God has a reason why we have to go through a series of ‘Soap opera’ moments before we get our breakthrough…Realize that if everything came to us easily then people won’t be able to embark on the journey of self-discovery or growing in relationship with God. Definitely, everything does happen in accordance to His wisdom and timing…
So what does Kemi have to share this Sunday?

[As I flip through entries in my little book, I personally call, ‘Pink Book of Encouragement’]

Um…Ok, I will share with you, what might seem like an insignificant testimony but it is something that I see the hand of God.

As these Sundays hasten toward my ‘Jubilee’ Sunday…I can’t help but share another ‘Amazing Grace’ instant with readers of this blog...

On the preceding Sunday, I shared with you on how I began this ‘Sunday Blogging’ and how God used a Pastor to minister into my life His provision. But unknown to me, something was happening that I did not realize until I was speaking with a friend, when it hit me like a ton of brick what was happening.

On the weekend, when I complete my milestone of fifty (50) Sunday post, it will be the same weekend I will be a Bridesmaid at my friend’s wedding [Check out, ‘Making it Easy’ post].

When I began this journey, little did I know that it will be happening this way…Even my friend (getting married) was uncertain that she would be marrying the guy she was dating at that time. When she first told me that she wanted me to be one of her bridesmaids, I wanted to give her ‘100 reasons’ why I could not but I did not want to disappoint her heart because I was one of those who kept encouraging about finding the ‘One’.

[Sidetrack tale: Another surprise, is that this will be the first time I will be a Bridesmaid in my life…I have been a last minute Maid of Honor (MOH) once but never a Bridesmaid…Have caught the bouquet like a gifted skilled athlete trained for bouquet-catching but never the Bridesmaid. I have bought almost all the aso-ebi for my entire friend’s wedding…but never the Bridesmaid…]

Anyways, I realized that these series of coincident event have been taking place before my (How do I write ‘Korokoro’ eyes in Queen’s English? That will be for another day…anyways) eyes.

The funny thing is that on my ‘Jubilee Sunday’ post, I will actually be sitting in the Church of the pastor that God used to minister to me. First time there and I will be going there because that’s where my friend will be getting married in.

The year (in my own context of posting) will be ending with me as a bridesmaid dancing with my friend down the aisle to God’s altar celebrating His goodness in both our lives.

And like another friend put it, it is your ‘time to BLOOM’…

Next Sunday:
~ Remember to write a letter to all the fathers to show your appreciation to them...

Pixel source: Istockphoto

41st Sunday...From emptiness to His fullness!!!

2009-06-07T18:22:00.009+01:00

Song of the week: Seal – This Could Be Heaven

Encouragement Verse: “[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.” – Philippians 2:13 [Amplified Bible]

Quote of the week: “Our strength often increases in proportion to the obstacles imposed upon it.” --- Paul De Rapin

Have you observed how redecorating a particular room has an enormous outcome not just on that room but also how it determines the outcome of the other rooms? Well, that what God want to do in our lives. He sees our determination to change on the interior part of our life and His love for us makes Him reach out a helping hand to our broken and wounded hearts. And as we experience this transformation, people begin to notice a difference in our lives…and also it impacts their lives in some way...

This Sunday, I begin my countdown to my ‘Jubilee’ post…and with only nine (9) Sunday post left, I recall the reason behind this Sunday journey.

Ok, let’s do the moonwalk back to the past…

One of these years (in this century), I found myself in hot waters with some relative while led me into a period of anger, bitterness, and depression. Months to come, I fell into the fallacy of blaming others for the problems I was facing. I blamed everyone but myself. And when I found myself in the corners of failure, I would run my mouth of excuses as to why I was still in the same place. Even giving myself a pat on the back for successfully swindling the mind of my listeners…I made myself the perpetual victim…How pathetic!

Now help me hit the Fast-forward button on the remote called ‘Life’to the present (ok, not quite the present as in this year but last year)…

Here I was a broken woman, hungry for change in some areas in my life, I decided to seek other ways to betterment. Since it wasn’t a stranger who hurt me but someone I would be unable to purge out of my life, I knew I needed the grace of God. I could have given up but I wanted more…I was not ready to settle for less (Remember NTA 2 Channel 5’s Slogan, “Don’t settle for less”). So definitely Miss Kemi was not about to settle…I needed MORE.

So one Sunday, I decided to do something different and it was to listen to a preacher on TV[ Now, you need to understand where I was coming from, I was the closed minded kind (Madam I.T.K - I TOO KNOW) and I did not believe in seeking out help from others – My belief was that they would try to sway me from my faith. But down the road, I learnt that if you have a strong faith & understanding in God nothing can shake from the place you stand...I wanted to be transformed but I needed not to fall into the excuse that it was the Church I attended that made me this way]

As I watched and listened on, his words encouraged me to believe that I could still experience change in my life but I have to be willing to open up to God to use me to His glory. At this stage, I found myself in tears and it was like the huge burden (in my heart) was hauled away.

To be honest, the battle is not over but that was the beginning of God taking charge of my life. It was then I decided to begin my Genesis the Sunday after… [Even though I began this blog March, 2008]

I still keep pressing forward with Hope in my heart believing that things will be different because I will be MAKING AN EFFORT to pursue change not just in the areas concerning my life but in the way of thinking, my relationship with Him...and then my walk with other people He places in my path .

By His grace, I WILL BE A GRADUATE in every stage because I will make an effort…

***Remember to listen to the calm voice in the midst of your storm

Next Sunday On Afunrun gin a Anya:
~ It is my time to bloom like the flowers...It is SUMMER!!!

Pixel source: Gettyimages

40th Sunday...2 ½ times disappointed but 1 big VICTORY!!!!!!

2009-05-31T11:04:00.007+01:00

Song of the week: Hezekiah Walker – Moving Forward

Encouragement Verse: “As the distance of East from West, so far from us does He put our faults...” – Psalm 103: 12

Quote of the week: “Whenever you choose to change for the better, your life automatically gains more value. Don't be stagnant in your secret sins, take a hold of Jesus' garment and let Him make you whole again.” --- Jaycee [Lamp]

I have come to realize that as I write the next chapter of my journey into the next phrase of my life, there will be those who will deride me. I should be afraid of the decisions I have made, afraid to love again...Worst more, afraid of what the future holds for me...But I won’t relent as I go forth in faith. For the Lord is truly my strength!!!

The process of beginning a new journey to finding your life’s purpose can be scary but you just take the first step in faith and God will carry you the rest of the road. [Remember poem, “Footprints In The Sand”]

So you might wonder why the title, “2 ½ times disappointed but 1 big VICTORY”. It came about as I decided in my last post to start another blog to impart encouraging word (By His Grace) into the life of people out there. I also remembered the story about how I began to pursue acquiring a visa to visit abroad.

The very first time I was scheduled for an appointment at the Embassy in Victoria Island, Lagos (In Nigeria), I was so excited because I was convinced I was definitely going to get it. I had all the exact documents (or so I thought) that was required by me to submit but I was in for a disappointment…a disappointment that almost paralyzed my faith in believe I could attain anything I set out to get.

After that incident, I stayed clear awhile (to be precise, four years)…then I took a crack at it again, this time with a renewed hope that was soon to be lost again. Twice disappointed already.

But once more I pressed forward…this time approaching the battle field with caution. Listening firmly to what the Holy Spirit had to say about the place I was going to. And just as I got dressed for my appointment…I got in my Spirit not to go forth. Hence I went out when the day was dawn, to splurge the money (I should have paid for my application fee) to pamper myself with. [My half ‘½’ disappointment]

By the end of that day, I was making a vow with God that I won’t come to that place until my status changed (2 ½ times I applied as a Visitor)…my victory did not come until I gave up thinking about it and went about my duty in life like nothing happened to me. At this point, My friends were tired of hearing say the same old story about traveling abroad but I still believe a miracle would come. And when God did give me my victory, He made sure it would be a hit-maker in the eyes of those who teased me. God gave them an Oscar winning performance that saw me doing the Victory dance.
He gave me a ‘Lottery Win’…So I was not just a visitor to the new land, a legal Resident. [My Big Victory…]

[*Now you know…that Kemi has set sail on a mission to do the Lord’s work in a foreign land…I guess this post is like coming out of the closet but not in negative/bad way]

Thus I press forward in faith, ready to make a change & sacrifices that will make a difference in my life by seeking God’s anointing to remove those thorns that have covered my life. I SURRENDER TO GOD…I am MOVING FORWARD in faith…Join me as I go forth (Amen)

God bless you all

*Breaking News:

New Blog Alert!!!

>>>Pop in and show some love >>> Kemi Penelope

Upcoming:
~ While, next Sunday (On this blog) read as I came from emptiness to His fullness at a time like this.

Pixel source: Istockphoto

39th Sunday...Another Leap Of Faith!!!

2009-05-24T13:34:00.005+01:00

Song of the week: Gbenga Ogundeyi – Felefele Laye

Encouragement Verse: ...“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.” – 2 corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

Quote of the week: “Anger makes you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were.” --- Cherie Carter-Scott

So I needed to do something to eliminate the dissonance that exist in my mind about beginning another blog...but how do I share an in-depth yarn about the adventurous and not so adventurous world of Kemi? I am not just that blogizen (Citizen of Blogville) who take pleasure in blogging every Sunday. It is more than just that, I am a woman who has a not-so perfect past, a struggling-to-be-the-best present but definitely a bright future that is not completely rid of all the normal hurdles I have to jump over but one with dreams that are been fulfilled.

Now in order to approach the future with open arms, one needs to make peace with the ghost of their past. And even though I know that I still only but a work-in-progress, I am without a doubt not the same person I was four years ago.

I was heartbroken, angry, and ripped myself to bit's thinking that my happiness was dependable on those who were in my life. But I was burnt by that foolishness and in turn, I found emancipation of the pain, by keeping a journal that was crammed with records of bitterness, disappointment, regrets. That did not help.

Understandable I know I can’t be completely be rid of the past (I still have the scars that reminds me of it) but I am making an effort to see the sun shining in every cloudy situation and to be a better person because of the experiences, not just for me but for ‘Him’…ok, I need to give this ‘him’ a name…hmmmm, let me see…I think I will settle with Bankolé* (My ‘Bankolé’ is in no way connected to any Bankolé or Banky you may know, so drop the suspicious thought)…and that’s what his name will be until death do us part…

So let the building of my castles in the air begin…once Bankole and I, have crafted a solid foundation of friendship and love, we will definitely bring the castle down for the world to see…LOL

*The Blog to be officially launched in June...Watch this space!!!

Do have a wonderful week my fellow Blogizens…

38th Sunday...Praisin' My Way Out!!!

2009-05-17T15:00:00.004+01:00

Song of the week: Asa – Iba

Encouragement Verse: “...I have put will keep on hoping for your help; I will praise you more and more.” – Psalm 71:14 (NLT)

Quote of the week: “When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place.” --- Unknown

...Sometimes when you don’t know what to do about a situation you are facing, it is best you simply Praise your way out of it. And before you know it, you will be at the other end of the tunnel of your problems...

So to you (inclusive me), who thinks that you should have been much further than this by now…just remember that,

“God will only release favor and promotion in our lives when He knows OUR CHARACTER CAN HANDLE IT.” - Joel Osteen

[This weekend was a bit busy for me but I am Thankful despite everything...have a wonderful week ahead.]

God Bless,

Kemi

Images from: Photobucket

37th Sunday...This is for you, Mama…!!!

2009-05-10T20:32:00.017+01:00

Song of the week: Chris Brown & Keri Heilson – Superhuman

Encouragement Verse: “Every time I say your name in prayer—which is practically all the time—I thank God for you, the God I worship with my whole life in the tradition of my ancestors.” – 2 Timothy 1:3 (The Message)

Quote of the week: “Your arms were always open when I needed a hug. Your heart understood when I needed a friend. Your gentle eyes were stern when I needed a lesson. Your strength and love has guided me and gave me wings to fly.” --- Sarah Malin

Iya mi (Mrs. Penélopê),

Ok, I know I have been a problematical child lately, and I am sure you keep wondering if someone must have switched your real child at birth.

But “Mama, it is still me…your Prodigal Daughter”

In my journey of self-discovery, I have realize that I never took the time to know the real you and where you are coming from.

You were a novice when it came to being a woman, wife and mother…but you raised me the way you knew best. I guess God had other plans for your mother that you had to face the new world of motherhood alone. I am sure if they had a University course for being a mother, you would have registered for it. But even then you never backed down from your pursuit of being the best you could be.

You trusted God and knew that you will be able to face every mountain. I see so much of you in me and I get scared…but that is who I am. I remember times you whop me when I did something naughty but you alway made it up to me that I forget the whopping of yesterdays. Now, when I look at how far I have come, I realize that you have made me into a ‘Strong Black Woman’ - ‘Superhuman’, I am.

Even if we quarrel more than we speak…I still love you for giving me a chance to make a difference in the world. You could have done away with me but you did not.

Iya mi, I am still getting to know you better…

I want to hate you but Gosh! When I think about the wonderful things you have sacrifice for me…I just can’t help but love you.

I laugh at the fact that even if I have informed you like a million times against trying to hook me up with every eligible bachelor, you still secretly do it…in fact, eHarmony & match.com, don’t have anything on you…

I love you, Iya mi…we are in this together and I know we’ll find a common ground pretty soon…just be patience with me.

**To every mother, especially blogging mother, thank you for sharing your experience of Motherhood with the world. You women are simply, Superhuman.

Images from: Getty Images

36th Sunday...!!!

2009-05-03T20:32:00.018+01:00

Song of the week: Jedi – Jehovah

Encouragement Verse: “And I pray that as you share your faith with others it will grip their lives too, as they see the wealth of good things in you that comes from Christ Jesus.” – Philemon 6

Quote of the week: “Each time anyone comes into contact with us, they must become different and better people because of having met us. We must radiate God’s Love...intense Love does not measure...It just gives.” – Mother Theresa of Calcutta

On this my 36th Sunday Post...The “Song Of The Week” is a special dedication to everyone: Idon't have to mention names because You all know Who you are...!!!

...This past week has been two kinds of crazy with deadlines to meet… [I don’t know why we Nigerians like to wait to do everything last minute?]

So I had a project to submit before Thursday and here was I on Monday, I still did not have any idea on how to start the project. By Tuesday, I started playing around with different concepts on what to work on…and suddenly, down the road, I blacked out on ideas. Since I can’t kill myself, I decided to sleep over it until Wednesday…and by this now, time had already begun to tick away…announcing each second, minutes and hours that have begun to go down the drain as waste water…

”Hmmm! God save me, I needed to thinking fast or else I lose any chance of possible promotion to the next level.”

Wednesday zoomed by like a fast moving train introducing Thursday to my Calendar…With others having theirs (projects) beautifully package, I was still trying to put finishing touches to my own…[Thank God for Risi*[i] who assisted to make my project more presentable…]

Time for Presentation: Because I was late, I had to present my own project with the last group. And when it was finally my turn, I decided to showcase mine behind two other partner’s in crime because I was kind of embarrass by what I had put together.

But Guess what? They decided to switch the rule on me and begin with mine… I was certainly taken unaware. OMG! I wanted to die…I was not expecting this to go this way…Haba! Someone should have given me hint on that, and then I would have taken first place to present instead…

There was no place to run to, except to slide under the table and die a slow dead from embarrassment…but just then, I could not believe the news my ears was gathering, I was actually getting rave review about my project…and it ended with “Great Job, Miss Penélopê !!!”

I was like ‘Humph!’ Who would have thought otherwise…anyways, I have officially retired from ‘Last minute doing of project’, I will have to start learning to start on time (I hope? LOL)

Meanwhile on Last Week Sunday’s Post…I’d like to thanks everyone who left a wonderful comment and to ease Aloted’s mind, I will certainly reveal ‘Little by little’ the lady behind ‘Miss Kemi Penélopê’ but put it in mind that I also need to protect the identity of my friends, family…in my life.

Also Bloggers, if you have any question you’d like to ask me, you can leave a comment or simply email me: Kemipen@gmail.com (If you’d like to remain anonymous)

Anyways, do have a wonderful week and remember that “Good things just don’t happen; you have to go after it…” (I should also give myself that advice…LOL)…Enjoy the wonderful music dedicated to you ALL…!!!

[i] * Not their real name

Picture source: Getty Image

35th Sunday...Knowing Kemi Penélopê!!!

2009-04-26T14:30:00.000+01:00

Song of the week: Mary Mary – God in me

Encouragement Verse: “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, you will abound in every good work.” – 2 Corinthians 9: 8

Quote of the week: “If you think you're too small to make a difference, then you've never spent a night in bed with a mosquito.” --- Anita Roddick

Fifteen Sundays left and then what…? I really don’t know but when that time comes I will take the step to what next.

In the intervening time, I decided to formally introduce me, myself & I, to the members of the B* World (a.k.a, ‘Blogsville’).

The name Kemi Penélopê was born from the fictional character in the 2008 movie called, ‘Penelope’ (a fairy tale about a girl who has trouble finding the right Prince Charming to break her curse of being part pig[I])…

What is interesting is the odd similarity I share with this fictional character ‘Penelope’...

The Curse: Oh yes I do have flaws (or that part of me) that I conceal away from the eyes & ears of the world for fear that they will only judged me without getting to know the real me.

Different Suitors: Penelope had to endure meeting different suitors who her mother was hoping will be the one to break the curse. I have had my own share of ‘hook-ups’ that have either run away or I have personally chased away out of my life…I guess I do them the honor before they decide to actually run away. I know that is wrong way to go about it but if you were in my shoes, you’d probably do the same.

Met ‘Max’: I met ‘Max’ who knew the Real Me...he never judged me but he could not give me what I wanted...and I could not completely commit to the relationship because I feared he may not be accepted.

Running away from home: Ok, I did not exactly run away from home but I did leave the beautiful and comfortable ‘Penélopê’ mansion to live on my own: I know, not so African. But I have to writethat it was my biggest leap to self-discovery…excited yet frightened that I may fail at this venture. It was not my comfort zone so I did not know what to expect…and worst of all, I had to start from the very beginning (not a very easy place to start). Papa & Mama Penélopê were definitely not happy with my decision and won’t speak to me (but they are finally coming around to accepting my decision).

The World Outside the mansion: It has been an emotional roller-coaster ride to self-discovery. I have had my ‘Allelluia’ days and then there were those days that it felt like Heaven had shuts its doors to my prayer. But God is not man and I have discovered His kindness in Psalm 34...I know He loves me and He never judges me because although it may not look or sound like this situation was planned by God but I do see the hand of God at work in my situation.

I have discovered things I never believed I was capable of doing myself…and although I can as slow as a turtle, when I have to make a major decisions but I always get there in the end.

[I] Penelope, http://www.penelopethemovie.com/
Image from: Movie-List

34th Sunday...Making It Easy!!!

2009-04-19T20:31:00.016+01:00

* Please click song title to watch & Listen the song of the week...

Song of the week: Keisha White – It Takes A Stronger Man

Encouragement Verse: “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you. – Isaiah 54: 10 (NIV)

Quote of the week: “When you get to the end of all the light that you know and it's time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of two things will happen: either you will be given something solid to stand on or you will be taught how to fly.” --- Edward Teller

Last year, I made up my mind I won’t be attending any other friend’s wedding until I walk down the aisle myself…I have lived faithfully to that promise since then until I got a call from my friend last night…she decided she’d like me to be on her train. Don’t get me wrong, I am truly honored that she has chosen me and I am definitely happy for her but I am tired of being the ‘Bridesmaid and never the Bride…’

So I guess I have to take my dieting serious (Update: I have managed to drop five (5) pounds since my last post “Making the right choice”)

Meanwhile I will be making it easy for the guys when they have to make a decision...(call me crazy but I call it honesty)

‘Caveat emptor’…[Latin for “Let the buyer beware”]

So how far will you go to get a guy to fall in love you even when you realize that ‘He’s just not that into you…’? And why do we have to hide the ‘Real Us’ just to get someone to love us, well actually the ‘Fake Us’? Well, I decided to take a different approach with the guys and I almost certainly will mess up my chances of ever getting ‘Hitch’ but at least, I can hold my head up and say, ‘I did not compromise who I really am…’

And just to make it uncomplicated for the guys and to kind of shrink the list of potential toasters, I would be wearing the ‘Caveat emptor’ sign on my fore head…Letting them know upfront my flaws.

I am no longer interested in ‘Window shoppers’ who simply do not have a serious intention of purchasing or ‘Testing Officers’, who waste my time trying to sample the product, "excuse me, but I am no guinea pig". And to those who leave the job of ‘finding-a-mate’ to Agents (Friends…), I guess you will never know the joy of getting the real face value of what would have been yours and since those agents work on commission, they definitely may decide to keep the ‘goods’ for themselves.

Anyways, let me leave it at that for now but I am serious about this…

33rd Sunday...Allelluia...On the Third Day!!!

2009-04-12T20:30:00.010+01:00

Song of the week: Wale Adenuga – Ta lo dabi re

Encouragement Verse: “He is risen...” – Matthew 28:7

Quote of the week: “The resurrection gives my life meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no matter what my circumstances.” – Robert Flatt

On this my 33rd Sunday Post...Y

...I praise God for keeping His promise...
For He gave us, His only beloved Son to die for our sins,
So each year we get to nail our sins to that 'Old rugged cross',
And then we feel our sinful nature buried forever,

But suddenly, there's a shout of Allelluia...!!!
For...on the Third day,
Because He lives, we have become a new creation...

Jesus is Alive...
We are alive again,

Praise God!!!

To Everyone, I wish you a Happy Easter Celebration,
God has given us another chance for a new life...

So Rejoice!

Jesus is the joy of the Dance...!!!

Picture source: Getty Image

32nd Sunday...A Eureka Moment!!!

2009-04-05T20:29:00.033+01:00

Song of the week: Shanice Wilson – Don't Break My Heart

Encouragement Verse: “I love you, God— you make me strong. God is bedrock under my feet, the castle in which I live, my rescuing knight.” – Psalm 18: 1 - 2 (The Message)

Quote of the week: “There is nothing that waste the body like worry, and one who has any faith in God should be ashamed to worry about anything whatever.” --- Mahatma Gandhi

Had a ‘Eureka Moment’ this Thursday…

[How do you feel when you find something you’ve been looking for over ten years? Excited??? Emotional??? Or simply, indifferent???

Nah! definitely not indifferent, I think you will have that moment when you just want to shout ‘Eureka’ or even do more than that…You know tell everyone who cares to listen what has happened...as you tell me yours, do take time to read about my own moment this past Thursday…]

…So I think the year was 1996, and it was around that year that CD players began to work their way into the minds and pockets of people who loved to brag about acquiring new high-tech gadgets. The new magic box saved a lot of people the time spent rewinding those audio cassette with their pen/pencil or even their fingers when we had to replay their favorite track again and again.

Worst of all, having to screw open these audio cassette and bond back the broken tape that have been ripped off while playing... [Thank God those days are long gone, like those shoulder pad…LOL]

Anyways, I decided to travel during the holiday break that year to spend some time with my cousins... One of my cousins who was in the University back then use to play the hell out one particular song on her new CD player (Yeah! She was one of the fortunate ones back then...) Unfortunately, I was forced to listen to it because I shared a room with her and my little cousin. I had to listen to it everyday until somehow the song eventually grew on me. At that time, I always thought the song was featured in the soundtrack of the movie, ‘Boomerang’ but I was so wrong.

After my vacation was over and I was back home, I began listening to radio everyday, hoping I would get to listen to it but I never did get to hear it again. I am sure you will say, 'At least, Kemi, you got saved by the bell...' Yes, I should be happy but I had also fallen in love with the song...sometimes I found herself humming the only part I still knew. And when the internet was invented, I tried to searching for it but yet again, I was unlucky. Also never hear it on radio either.

Sooner or later, I gave up hope ever finding it until this past Thursday when that same song resurfaced in my “Blast from the past” archive file...

This time, I decided to ask a colleague if she had ever heard the song. I sang the part I knew to her but she also had never heard the song. She recommended we search for it on the internet. I took her advice and did so. And as luck would have it, the search brought up links to the song, ‘Don’t break my heart’ by Shanice Wilson.

I wasn’t sure if it was the exact song I have been searching for but I decided to try looking for it on my beloved YOUTUBE (I wonder why I never checked there until now?)...The song began to play and when it got to the chorus, behold it was The One,

“OMG! EUREKA! EUREKA!! EUREKA!!! Gosh! I have found it!!!”

[I repeatedly said to myself even though I would have wanted to go tell it on the mountain about my goodnews.]

And for the first time I took my time to listen to the lyrics of this long searched for song and I have to write that now I do understand why my cousin was so in love with this song (you've got to listen to it to understand...Click the title link to listen)...and to me, it was worth the long wait and search…so worth it, I have to write.

This might be an insignificant tale but if you have been waiting to hear that one song that could change your whole life forever…or you have been waiting for that someone or something that makes all the waiting worth while…You will understand my excitement.

I want to let you know that nothing you do is in vain…it might be irrelevant to those you tell your story to but God has a hand in it. He planned it all. He planned this to happen to me so I could reassure someone that He has not forgotten about you…and guess what? Sssh! don’t tell anyone but YOU & I, are His Favorite!!!

See you on Easter Sunday...

...Images from: Getty Images

31st Sunday...Making The Right Choice!!!

2009-03-29T20:28:00.043+01:00

* Please click song title to watch & Listen the song of the week...
Song of the week: Mandisa – My Deliverer

Encouragement Verse: “You will go out in Joy and be led forth in Peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” – Isaiah 55: 12 (NIV)

Quote of the week: “If God sends us on stony paths, He will provide us with strong shoes.” --- Alexander Maclaren

I wrote these little thought to myself after watching the 2007 Nollywood movie titled, ‘A letter to a stranger’…

Why did Jemima have to choose ‘Fred’at the end of the movie? Was ‘Sadiq’ not also deserving of her love to change her mind? I know this only a movie but it unquestionably does happen in reality. In fact, everyday we are faced with a similar dilemma. Honestly, we love ‘Fred’ but what would happen down the road or ten years from now?

And if our choice is to be ‘Sadiq’, will it only be a phase that eventually fades away, quickly turning into that regret...? An infatuation...

Gosh! This can be so hard...!!!

Facing the same dilemma when I remembered what I had written a long time ago. So what will you do when you have to make a decision between two things, person, or maybe a job…especially when both choices seem so attractive? Let me know your thoughts..

Meanwhile, this is the chapter (of my life) I am reading...

“You seem to have added weight…” I heard those lines, like the one hundredth time this month. My reaction immediately was I had to set myself up for some serious dieting. I could not even believe my eyes when I checked my weight in the scales, I had gained more than 10 Pounds/4.54Kg in the course of two Weeks (I am sure even more).

Just 10 Pounds and already my clothes don’t fit right. There's definitely the need to do something before things began to get out of hand. So I will join other fellow bloggers who have began to walk-out and also I have to watch my eating habits.

My goal is to lose at least 20 Pounds/9.072Kg.

**Thinking to myself: Why do we ladies always worry about our weight when a guy makes a comment about it...And to think that we've made up our minds never to let it get to us, but it still does...LOL

So, I guess I have another new task at hand...

...Images from: Getty Images

30th Sunday...Love The Place You Are!!!

2009-03-22T20:27:00.020+01:00

* Please click song title to watch & Listen the song of the week...

Song of the week: Ohenmaa Mercy – Edin Jesus

Encouragement Verse: “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to thinking about. Your workmanship is Marvelous – and how well I know it.” – Psalm 139: 14 (TLB)

Quote of the week: “The wise man in the storm prays to God, not for safety from danger, but for deliverance from fear. It is the storm within that endangers him, not the storm without.” --- Ralph Waldo Emerson

...it was Saturday, when I heard my phone ring as I had my breakfast. It was a friend I hadn't spoken to for a while…We got talking about different things and one talk led to another, then she said something to me about not getting too worried about the place/situation I am right now but I should learn how to appreciate it and in due season, and at the right time I’ll definitely move to the next level.

[Need I say, this friend of mine is a Muslim but the words she spoke made my heart blossom like flowers…God is surely no respecter of man, He does how He wants to and chooses who He wants to…and knows when to send the right person to breathe life through the words they speak into your life...]

>>>Sometimes we find ourselves in places that we spend our time complaining about instead of finding out ways we can get out. It is like being in a deep hole with no way of getting out…instead of complaining about being there and stay in the same spot forever, you can joyfully start looking for ways to get out. And need I say, you just may need the help from those who make your life a living hell in the hole to get out.

>>>Or we just may say it’s because we are not in the right environment that is why we have not yet prospered or some uncle or aunty has done some ritual using. But we forget that geographical location does not determine our success what God has put inside us. Read this quote by Thomas Edison...

“Most of my ideas belonged to other people who didn't bother to develop them.”

Neither can human stop the destiny God has mapped out for us…

“If God is for us, who can be against us?” – Romans 8:31

>>>And maybe you are still single (like me), and you think it was because some man or woman jilted you that is why you are not yet married. But I tell you that you should be thankful to God that you become heir to that baggage that came with that relationship. That relationship was meant to be temporary…for the better portion that God has kept aside specially for you. [No one ever stays permanently in our life, all comes and goes. What would matters in the end should be, how they saw us live our life.]

>>>Then just maybe it is your job…you hate your job, your colleagues and most of all, your boss…and even when you’ve prayed that you get another job/position, you still find yourself in the same place two or more years later.

What do we do?

One of the best ways to getting out of situation is realizing that there’s no condition that is permanent…surely one day this will pass. Appreciate it and learn to love it (even if there’s nothing to love about it) and just when we start getting comfortable…Guess what? God is ready to give us another task. and like the Jeffersons, it is time to move up. What can I say, but that is just God’s way of saying that you have done a great job and it is time for a promotion.

[Remember the Parable of the Talents: Matthew 25:14-30…only those who use their talents properly got more]

So Seek the propersity of the place/situation you find yourself, for it is only when it prospers that you prosper…learn to HOPE for the promise of tomorrow as APPECIATE the place I find myself today…

>>>I guess I am trying to write here that I need to step up my game so God can find me worthy for the next level [Amen]

Images from: Getty Images

29th Sunday...I Need To Slow Down!!!

2009-03-15T20:27:00.014+01:00

Song of the week: Third Day – Call My Name

Encouragement Verse: “Have mercy on me, O GOD, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.” – Psalm 51: 1 (NIV)

Quote of the week: “Attitude is Everything...Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain. Each day is not promised to us, but with each day that we are given, let’s make a difference!” --- Author Unknown

Eight month ago, My Genesis began [See my First Sunday Post] with Hope & Faith that I will have a bountiful harvest at the end of it all (Amen).

And like Esther, I wonder how God's revelation about my destiny will ever come to past. Every road that leads to the fulfilment of God‘s promised blessings seem to have one obstruction of some sort: some caused by my own making while others caused by some other reasons.

We need to recognize those obstacle which we have brought about by our own doing and ask God to help us ‘Slow down’ before it leads to our destruction...
I am thankful to God that I can post my Sunday post again which happens to be my Twenty-nineth Sunday post, to begin the new week...also am all grins today that my journey is still not over. So this Sunday, I ask,

“God for what reason am I here...show me what You want to make of my life. Please don't cast me to the side...don't remember my sins which I do know is alway before You. But You, O Lord, forgive me. Have Mercy but let me know Your plans for my life...”

My Flaws
Like glue, my bad habit have stuck with me...and they keep accumulating like keepsake items that I am never in need of but I just keep around...

I definitely need to do something about them before they overtake me. I have to realize that God can only help me when I do call on His name. For it is when we are weak...that God is strong.

Also on my own, I decided to add more fun to my struggles knowing that I will overcome in the end. I need to make an effort to change instead of telling myself that I will but keep going back to the dirt. I guess I am tired of repeating the same exam which is the core course to my long overdue graduation to the next level.

God Has A Sense of Humor

So this is what I decided to do (by His grace)...Get a calender which I will insert 'Smiley faces’ as each day goes by (only if I do earn them though)...
If I succeed in doing something positive each day, then I reward myself with ‘Smiley faces’ but if I succumb to my own desire and eat dinner once more with the devil then I get a sad face. Each Month I get to calculate how far I have fought to stay steadfast to my promise to God. I just want to make it fun because who said, God does not have a wonderful sense of humor...[*Wink]

He Does...

I also need to alway remember that “I am God's temple therefore I need to take care of it until the day God visits me and finds me worthy of His heavenly place..."

*Remember I can't do it alone without God and you, Guys who have been an encouragement to me. God bless you as I read your input.

Images from: Getty Images

28th Sunday...A Day Too Late!!!

2009-03-08T20:26:00.012+01:00

Song of the week: Gogo – Almighty God

Encouragement Verse: “… seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” – Jeremiah 29: 7 (NIV)

Quote of the week: “There is not one blade of grass, there is no color in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice.” --- John Calvin

Definitely, am a day too late but I guess better late than never. So this is my Twenty-eighth Sunday post and still reading the Book of Esther. There’s so much to learn from the book of Esther. About the way, she carries herself with grace...knowing what she wants but never taking a step faster than God. I am still learning to just trust God with everything and I may probably have start from the very beginning again. Am I afraid of starting from the beginning? Of course, I am...even the thought of it does scare me but I believe that the Lord is surely my strength.

“Lord, show me my blind spot…”

My Shortcomings
Honestly, at this point of my journey I have to say, am like the woman in this image…am so exhausted. I keep fighting but I never get to that point where I get Victory…am running but yet I still have not found the finishing point. Sometime I get this feeling that I have not done enough...I strive to be better each week but it is like I find myself right at the very place I started. I guess am too hard on me...but Gosh! I need strength...

Well, what can I do, the fight continues and I just have to rise once again and keep fighting…“but I need to tell you, God, please don’t leave me alone”...Give me strength once again.

Images from: Getty Images

27th Sunday...Dancing to the Life around Me!!!

2009-03-01T20:26:00.003+01:00

Song of the week: Jazzi Tee – Gbaajoo

Encouragement Verse: “When I walk into the thick of trouble, keep me alive in the angry turmoil. With one hand strike my foes, with your other hand save me. Finish what you started in me,God. Your love is eternal—don't quit on me now.” – Psalm 138:7 - 8 (The Message)

Quote of the week: “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be.
Now put foundations under them.” – Henry David Thoreau

On this my 27th Sunday Post...Y

...and for this new month, I will begin studying the Book of Esther, which I believe has been put in my spirit by God to read for sometime now...but I have sturbbornly ignored that call. But I have to say that I am now becoming a bit curious as to why this revelation/passage has been so strong within me. I guess it is time for God to reveal His plans for me...

Prayer:
...May God use this Book of Esther to change my life in a positive way...

On the side, I will continue my Dance to the life around me. Have a wonderful week!!!

Picture source: Getty Image

26th Sunday...How Quickly I Forget!!!

2009-02-22T18:30:00.004+01:00

Song of the week: Pheel – God Dey

Encouragement Verse: “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” – Isaiah 46: 10(NIV)

Quote of the week: “The reason man may become the master of his own destiny is because he has the power to influence his own subconscious mind.” --- Napoleon Hill

On myTwenty-sixth (26) Sunday, I remind myself why I began this journey...[Sunday Sunday Blogging...when I could have been doing something else with my time]...So easily have I forgotten the reasons...the drive I had when it all began last August...so quickly I have gotten distracted...forgetting that I am still expecting my Triplets.

I have forgotten that God has given me the power with my words to influence my destiny. It hit me this week when we (My Friend & I) were having our usual “Power Wednesday” and I said something that my friend quickly began to reprimand me. She added, “I know that it is not you speaking now...you need to use your lips and confess greatness into your life...it sounds obscure right now but with time God will reveal His plans...”

Her words bring to mind the Jeremiah 29: 11 Bible verse:...“I know the plans I have for you...plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

I Dare to Believe even when everthing seems so vague at this point but I ain’t giving up at least not until I know how this story ends...I love the way ‘The Message’ bible unravels the same Bible verse of the week;

“Think about this. Wrap your minds around it...Remember your history, your long and rich history. I am God, the only God you've had or ever will have — incomparable, irreplaceable — From the very beginning telling you what the ending will be, All along letting you in on what is going to happen, Assuring you, 'I'm in this for the long haul, I'll do exactly what I set out to do...the man I chose to help me. I've said it, and I'll most certainly do it. I've planned it, so it's as good as done.” – Isaiah 46: 8 - 11

On Friday, I went shopping but then I thought to myself, “Why am I trying to get something to wear when I don’t have anywhere to wear it to?”…but a reply came in chorus saying, “You may not have anywhere to wear it to but you can wear it when you come to see me on Sunday at Church…”

I say once more, “God I Dare to Believe...it may seem impossible right now for me to believe but like Sarah (in the bible) I Dare to believe...I want to get dressed and ready for that miracle as hard as it might seem that it will happen but I will go out there trusting in You, Lord. I want to be one of those this year who have something great to write and speak about at the end of this year...and I want to be that channel that will bring people to Believe again...Believing that You, GOD, can do the unfeasibility...Thank you, Jesus...”

Listen to the Song of the week: Pheel ‘God dey’

Images from: Getty Images

My Silver Sunday...Let me feel your 'Halo' again!!!

2009-02-15T21:23:00.023+01:00

Song of the week: Beyoncé – Halo

Encouragement Verse: “May God Almighty grant you mercy.” – Genesis 43: 14 (NIV)

Quote of the week: “Fortitude is like courage, helping us to draw nearer to God and do what is right in spite of fears and difficulties...”

My Silver Sunday…

So I am waiting??? But what exactly am I waiting for? What have I been looking for that I still haven’t found? I keep waiting for that thing…that moment. Waiting for that day when I will make the earth stand still with my happenings…or that ground breaking moment when I can say, “Yes, this is it!” But waiting has made me so foolish to the point that I seem to have forgotten how to dance to the life around me. Forgotten what it is to be really in love…and taking the risk to just fall even when I know I could hit the hard ground below.

I have become so self-absorbed…and easily I have forgotten how roses smell…

My heart has all the recipe of Love, yet I have been unable to prepare anything from what it holds inside. Maybe it is my pride that holds me back…or maybe it is the belief that I am so unworthy of your love for me that it has made it hard for me to simply embrace this love that you give to me…

With each song you played, your heart spoke of what resided in it…and each time you played you looked my way with love in your eyes, still yet my pride held back the urge to reciprocate this love. I have been beaten many times that I have forgotten how to simply love. I find myself over-spiritualizing love…forgetting that it is only those who take the risk at falling in love who will eventually beget love.

But if we could turn back the hands of time to yesterday, I’d like to ask you just one question before you walk away from my life forever...”Would you forgive me and Let me feel your ‘Halo’ again…? I am ready to ‘FALL AGAIN’…even if it does not make sense.

Click‘Halo’to Listen to the song of the week...--> ‘Halo’

Images from: Getty Images

24th Sunday...All I Can Say...!!!

2009-02-08T14:22:00.015+01:00

Song of the week: Samsong – Bianule

Encouragement Verse: “...let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” – Hebrews 12: 1 - 2 (NIV)

Quote of the week: “Enter every activity without giving mental recognition to the possibility of defeat. Concentrate on your strengths, instead of your weaknesses... on your powers, instead of your problems.” --- Paul J. Meyer

"...is that I am humbled by what I see right now...right here where I have found myself. Humbled to just listen for once instead of trying to teach what I think I know..." -- Kemi

23rd Sunday...Dear Toks...!!!

2009-02-01T21:21:00.014+01:00

Song of the week: Rihanna [Ft. Ne-Yo] – Hate that I Love you

Encouragement Verse: “Let Love and faithfulness never leave you; ...write them on the tablet of your heart.” – Proverbs 3:3 (NIV)

Quote of the week: “...If we pattern our relationships based on God's word & instructions, I believe that ours will be the most fulfilling relationships in the world.” --- Unknown

Dear 'Toks',

How long do you want to me to keep acting these 'Romantic Comedies' drama around you? I am tried of pretending that we are only just friends. Yeah! I know I am making it so complicated...and I know you don't need that right now. But what if we were really meant to be...what if God placed in your life to be around when you heart gets broken, giving you time to realize the 'gem' that you've been looking for is right in front of you.

You just don't get it...and I wonder when you will get it that I am in Love with you and that I am waiting for the day when you will realize that my feelings (for you) are real...And that the guy I have been talking about...is YOU!

Gosh! maybe I should come outright and let you know what my heart has been dying to spill out? Or maybe I will just take it with me to the grave...or just wait until you get it? But will you ever? I am scare that my wait will be in vain...Lord, help me.

Love,

Kemi

So I did not get what I set out to get last weekend but it does not have to end there...it is a new month (month of LOVE) and again, we have Twenty-eight days to experience a lot of amazing ways to love and say, 'I love you'. The choice is ours...

And once again, I mark another Sunday of blogging...I sign out on that note but I pray for Twenty-eight days of amazing Love...

Images from: Getty Images

22nd Sunday...It doesn't have to end this way...!!!

2009-01-25T16:20:00.002+01:00

Song of the week: Gbemileke – Gbo Pe Mi

Encouragement Verse: “And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.” – Psalm 12:6 (NIV)

Quote of the week: “Don't follow your dreams; chase them.” --- Richard Dumb

It better be worth all the wahala (problems) I have taken to get to the other end of the earth...and during a terrible weather...with a lot of unpredictable happenings.

Gosh! I have got to be so crazy to do this. The saying was so right, "Curousity kills the cat..." LOL!!!

Wetin I go do? (Translated: "What would I do?") Anyways, Life is all about taking serious risk...they may kill you or make you a better person but in all, the most important thing is that you've lived life to its fullest. And at the end of life's journey, you can easily say, " God, your servant has seen your glory...you may take me now".

Honestly, in the back of my mind I wish this is where my search ends but what do I do if it still goes further than that point? And if it doesn't, do I keep my life on hold? Definitely not...I am better than that...I can't give up right now. Instead I will keep living each day like I will die tomorrow...struggling to be worthy of Heaven.

"God make me worthy of this gift that You've prepared for me..."

There is always a good ending to every stories...!!!

21st Sunday...The In-Laws!!!

2009-01-18T14:18:00.001+01:00

Song of the week: D'Banj – Olorun Maje

Encouragement Verse: “If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land.” – Isaiah 1:19(NIV)

Quote of the week: “Without inspiration the best powers of the mind remain dormant, they is a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks.” --- Johann Gottfried Von Herder

Little by little, I am picking up speed in my quest for CHANGE. Everyday I am learning and I know there’s still room to change for the better …I know I can’t be perfect or I probably will need to pack up my bags and journey to ‘Heaven’…because that’s the only place where Mr. Perfect & Miss Perfect live.
Down here, what we find are people with flaws and we either take them as they are or keep searching…

To all my Single ladies…

Anyways, this past Thursday, we had a discussion about being single and still seriously searching… (Always a hot topic when you get an ‘invite’ from an old friend getting married). Anyways, the discussion was about how some in-laws can be so cruel to their daughters-in-law (as usually) when a thought hit me like a light bulb.

Now there are three things we will have to live with, when we eventually get married: Our husband, the marriage (at least, if divorce is not in your vocabulary) and your in-laws. These are all part of the whole package of saying “I do”… it is either all or nothing especially if you are an African...let alone, a Nigerian.

Ok, back to our ‘Light-bulb’ moment…One thing that really struck me was the fact that when we are seriously searching for Mr. Right/Perfect (actually, we never find him because he never remained on earth when other angels remained behind…) even years before we finally meet him by stoke of luck and attending a lot of Singles seminars, we seriously storm heaven with our prayers. [Notice that I am using the word, ‘Seriously’ a lot…LOL!!!]

And then the two love birds meet and eventually fall in love before deciding to take it to the next level: Marriage (at least, that how it is suppose to be)…we bid farewell to all the single ladies and immediately become members of the ‘Power of a Praying wife’ club who dedicate their lives seriously (once again) triggering an earthquake in heaven (could have called it, ‘Heaven quake’…anyhow) with our prayer for a successful marriage…and now for the In-laws...??? What happens to them, please don’t they also need prayers???

If you've watched the movie, ‘Monster-in-Law’ then you will see the necessity of praying also for the In-laws or asking God for a ‘Naomi’ as a Mother-in-law so we can exclaim like Ruth (Read, Ruth 1:16 – 18)…ok, lets be honest we can’t all have Saints as In-laws but prayer does tone down their plans to cause any storm in your marriage.

Think about it all my single ladies…What do you think???

Do have a wonderful week ahead…until next Sunday when I will be ‘Sleepless in Seattle’… Adieu!!!

Images from: Getty Images

20th Sunday...They Don't Fit...!!!

2009-01-11T21:18:00.024+01:00

Song of the week: Shola Allyson-Obaniyi – Eledumare

Encouragement Verse: “Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” – Amos 3:3 (NIV)

Quote of the week: “Joyfulness keeps the heart and face young. A good laugh makes us better friends with ourselves and everybody around us.” --- Orison Swett Marden

So it was Tuesday, and I unwavering decided to put on the newest member of my Shoe Club to the office. I was going to ‘drop it like it HOT!’ even when I knew they seriously hurt my feet at first wear…Even when my ‘feet conscience’ (transmitting ‘word of warning’ to the brain) sounded the alarm at the harm this could trigger but I deliberately pay no heed to the voice. It was like I was saying, “Damn, my good judgment…”

I stepped out of the house in style in those cute shoes. And like a fast moving train, I was off to work. Getting there in a record-breaking time...I was like the ‘Michael Phelps’ on land. I just could not wait to catwalk for my colleagues and become the envy of all the ladies there…” But by mid-afternoon, I had a rude awakening, my feet began to hurt so bad…those shoes that once brought me pleasure began to kill my feet softly…By now, I could hear over and over again as my conscience rang sense into this head of mine, ‘They don’t fit…’

I was unable to concentrate again. My hurting feet began to hurt badly, the clients on the other side of the phone, my Boss…and my colleagues all fought to gain my attention but I was lost in the World of ‘Yeah! I won die o’
Before I knew it, I felt sick and suffocated with pain… I was already sweating like a Pig and automatically became the ‘Clock Watchman’… keeping tab as seconds turned into minutes, and minutes into hours… By three, I was unable to take it any longer that I had to politely excuse myself from the office to go home.
Once inside my flat, I got rid of them and avoided them like a plague after that. At this point I was so relieved; it was like a heavy burden was lifted.

Now, ask me what have I learnt from this experience? The simplest answer I can give for now [still recuperating …LOL]: “Can two walk together, except they…agreed?”

Images from: Getty Images

19th Sunday...Happy New Year to You All...!!!

2009-01-04T07:05:00.018+01:00

Song of the week: R. Kelly – I Believe

Encouragement Verse: “Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.” – 1 Chronicles 29:12 (NIV)

Quote of the week: “God has a kingdom niche carved just for you. There are people He wants you to meet, lives He wants you to influence. He is tailoring your personality in such a way that you will hit it off with unsaved men and women who otherwise would never have the opportunity to experience a relationship with a believer. You are the instrument God wants to use to change someone's distorted perception of Christianity. You will be the one God uses to reshape someone's thinking and thereby prepare the way for salvation. That is, if you willing to make the discovery of His will your priority.” --- [An Extract from a book by Bishop Eddie long]

On Monday…only Two days obstructed my view from 2009…the fog of the relics of 2008 impeded everything and also my dress sense that I ended up wearing my Michael-Jackson-style pants to work, you know, the kind that’s afraid to touch the floor and we ladies, give it another name, Capri pants. My hair was also a mess...looking like one Tina Turner’s clone (hair-wise)…

By Tuesday…the thickness of the fog of 2008 seems to have began to eased out a bit and by today, my excitement for the New Year had amplified…Mind you, Hair still a mess...

...taking me into Wednesday , the cusp of the New Year, I watched as 2008 began to fade into the background of the yester-years each hour that I could only thank God with my Friend (during Power Wednesday) as we reminiscence the days gone by…We could only be appreciative that we’ve been given the grace of yet another day…and in a short while…yet another Year too…

And after a long wait, it was finally HERE, Thursday…
Yeah!!! And it is 2009…Happy New Year!!! …Ok, I have to confess that I have been listening to Eldee's “Bosi Gbangba”…non-stop since last year (December 31, 2008)...I know o, it is soooo last year abi??? Anyways, it is all good...
So, it is the New Year, but I found myself kicking my feet up with Old movies...and some new ones also…I have to write that If my poor DVD player could nag like a woman then I would have had my ears full...lol
My mobile was bombard with “New Year” messages...and I reciprocated...(People are keeping it cheap even in the New Year, Haba!!! LOL!!!)

Then it was Friday (Strictly, a ME day)…No work for me, so I spent it giving myself a treat, a well-merited treat…went shopping until my feet were hurting. Learning to put myself on top of the list of “people-to-make-happy” [Me first, then Others follow]...

By Saturday…I just did some restructuring...sorting out my bills and important documents. This year I need to begin to think about putting more “actions” to my words...

“This is my year of new discoveries”

Then it is Sunday…the Year 2009…First Sunday…and my Nineteenth Sunday of Sunday-Sunday blogging…and to top it all…
My BirthdayHappy Birthday to a Wonderful Woman…An Imperfect woman but a woman who realizes that she's a Work-In-Progress, but she is still looking for direction…and who wants to learn to walk in a ‘moment-by-moment dependence on the Holy Spirit’…Happy Birthday, Beautiful Child of God - Me!!!

Thank you, God, for the ‘Gift of another Year’…

Picture source: Getty Images

18th Sunday...The perfect holiday!!!

2008-12-28T07:30:00.008+01:00

Song of the week: Essence – Philipians 4 vs. 8

Encouragement Verse: This is how God showed his love amongst us: He sent his one and only Song into the world that we might live through Him.” – 1 John 4:9 (NIV)

Quote of the week: “May your Christmas be as peaceful and bright as new fallen snow.” --- Author unknown

So let the countdowns into 2009 begin...10, 9, 8, 7, 6...but Hold up...

Before we get ready to jump the hurdles into 2009; I have to exclaim that it has absolutely been a “Perfect Holiday” for me...and beyond doubt, an incredible Year.

Wow! 2008 had its Good, some bad...and yet Ugly moments…but against all odds; we can gracefully say/write that we have live to tell the tales of them to all.
So in three (3) day…we’ll be yelling at the top of our voice, “Happy New Year!!!”…and again we’ll begin making those resolutions…Hopefully, this time around we will stay true to them...

So this season, I hold in my arms my “Beautiful One”...knowing He has come that all men & women might be saved...

He comes that we may have a new beginning as the New Year closes in on us all. So to everyone I present the wonderful Gift of Love this season...take it and Let it become part of your life...

I pray that God gives you all the courage to face 2009 will such expectations that at the end of it, you will have the grace to give thanks. And even if you face some storms along the way, I pray God gives you the wisdom to go through them and become champions in the end.

There’s nothing God can’t do...even if you don’t understand what exactly
He is doing...don’t worry in time, He will reveal what He has in store for us all...

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!!
Picture source: Getty Images

17th Sunday...The Coming Gift!!!

2008-12-21T17:15:00.003+01:00

Song of the week: Adol – Orin

Encouragement Verse: “Because of the tender mercy of God,…the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness…, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” – Luke 1: 78, 79 (NIV)

Quote of the week: “GOD WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU EMPTY. If something is taken away, He will replace it with something better. If He denies your request in certain area, it is because He wishes to give you what is best. He asks you to put something down; it is so you can pick up something greater.” --- Roy Lessin

Yet again, I am graceful to God that I was able to soar through the week to observe another lovely Sunday of blogging…and once more I am able to leave my mark in the BLOGSVILLE world. It is my Seventh Sunday...with only one Sunday remaining, as anticipate the coming gift…reason for this season – Jesus…

So after my last post (“Am Expecting Triplets!”), a friend asked me what the deal was with that post…and I told them what I am telling you now, “I don’t have any explanation to make in the interim but by keeping pace with my write-ups, my soul will soon expose its nakedness to everyone…”

Meanwhile I have to put pen to paper about this week. It definitely has been a very hilarious week for this extra-ordinary winner child of GOD…
So where do I begin? The best place to start…

…Monday, on my way to work, another friend tells me about the drama that played out on CNN between Bush and the ‘Shoe-cide bomber’ as he dodge a Size 10 shoe…I had to watched it for myself on ‘YouTube’ to truly get why it was that funny…and after which I was just ROTFL endlessly…

Then there was Tuesday, “Oh my beloved Tuesday, you who brought the surprise of this week…”

Someone really liked me so much that they thought of me when ‘Apple’ unveiled the new ipod called ‘Ipod Touch’. Yes, I have it right here in my hands…I still can’t believe it but it is so true! When I first tore open the wrapping paper I was like,”it is a lie! It is a lie!! It is a lie!!!” But Òmò, it is a very truth o (excuse my fake Queen’s English)…I really did get the ‘ipod touch’…

Wow! Baba God, You are just too much…

Prayer: “Please embarrass my friend with plenty blessing…May their pocket never go vacant with Pounds, Dollars and Euro. Amen”

On Wednesday, I had a really late-night (Tuesday) that I almost went late to work on Wednesday morning…but I was saved by a familiar ringtone announcing my friend’s call for our usual ‘Wednesday prayer’… it was then I realized that it was already 5:30am…I jumped out of bed, brushed my teeth, but neglected other duty (you know...) before dashing out of the house like one beautiful (*wink) crazy woman. Shhh! I know what you are thinking…hahahaha

Thursday, I began reading “Love your life” by Victoria Osteen. So far, I have to write that it is great book…and to end my day, I was so upset with the Bus driver that I did not say a single word as he drove us home…just two miles to my place I decided to come down and walk the rest of the distant to clear my head…

Friday, so glad to see the end of another working week…but come Monday again, I will be glad to come to work…abeg I am not a work-alcoholic but I just love the company I work for and my Amazing job…

Images from: Getty Images except the season greetings one

16th Sunday...Am Expecting Triplets!!!

2008-12-14T14:15:00.002+01:00

Song of the week: Wande Coal – Jehovah!

Encouragement Verse: “Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime; it is theLORD who makes the storm clouds. He gives showers of rain to men,and plants of the field to everyone.” – Zechariah 10:1(NIV)

Quote of the week: “When God is about to do something great, He starts with a difficulty. When He is about to do something truly magnificent, He starts with an impossibility.” --- Armin Gesswein

So it is a ‘Sweet Sixteen’ Sunday for me…and I can feel the development within me.

And In case, I had missed the last memos from the head Office of Heavenly Inc. I definitely got the last one, sent by Angel Gabriel.
Other times, I may have ‘throw the baby out with the bath water’ but it would be different this time around…

I just can’t believe it…I am so excited that such a news as this can’t be kept inside my stomach…I have "Tell it on the mountain"

I have begun to dance for joy to life around me…dancing my blessings into fulfillment…

And with Wande Coal, I sing “Jehovah! Jehovah!! Jehovah!!! I no fit shout, me I love YOU! E pass my moouuuth…Olorun Oba, descend on me! “

Have always wanted just twins…but I guess one those prayers (though weak by my own standard) that I said days gone by, definitely rocked Heaven’s gate that I will be receiving accumulated blessings…

Before ko, abeg, how will people know that God has begun to embarrass me with abundance blessings that it is overflows to those around me…?

I hold my tummy as I am aware of the joy moving within me…Each movement, my heart miss a beat…I am just over the moon...

I have waited…Yes, waited (with a capital 'W') like a lot of us have and still are…and I must say that it is definitely is worth the wait…my joy will definitely be complete as each blessing unfolds in the presence of all…
"I'll be making space for my beautiful ones..."

Lord, I will be carrying them to maturity…and I am praying for a safe delivery…

The week of yore…

Monday, I was under the weather…
Tuesday, still under the weather but was able to climb a step higher than yesterday's position in regards to my health…
Wednesday, feeling rejuvenate and still was able to have another ‘Power Wednesday’ (Prayers via Mobile) with my friend…
Thursday, I was told by a lady on my way to work that ‘remember that a man will always have a childlike mind, so learn to accept him and don’t try to change him…’ (This is true wise talk…)
Friday, My ‘Eji Owuro’…God is always faithful…

Images from: Getty Images

15th Sunday...The Shroud of the Past!!!

2008-12-07T21:40:00.003+01:00

Song of the week: Elliot Yamin – One Word

Encouragement Verse: “…theLORD longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For theLORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!”
Isaiah 30: 18 (NRSV)

Quote of the week: “The human heart, at whatever age, opens only to the heart that opens in return.” --- Maria Edgeworth

Can you believe it???

...it is myFifteenth Sunday

…WooHoo!!! Heh! I have really done well, I have to write...

If you know where I am coming from then you will understand. Before now, Kemi never finishes a project that she starts past a month but look at me…
gosh! I got to give myself a pat on the back!!!

>>>‘So how have you all been?’

I do believe that there’s someone out there reading this right now. And I hope it has been able to inspire you in any way…???

And if you are able to read me like a book as you read my blog, please be honest with your comment when you leave them…Thanks a lot…

So I will share with you another battle of mine…and that is learning to trust and just be vulnerable… [Thanks to a friend who pointed that out]

I guess I have always known that aspect of my sometimes selfish self but it only pinched me harder when recently I missed a ‘grab-the-bull-by-the-horn’ moment…
That incident took a piece of my heart that every so often I still ponder what could have been…I guess I may never know for now...

But it is just so amazing how a load of past events change your perception about life. They can either make you become withdrawn or outgoing about reaching out when you’ve been burnt. Well, God is our strength...

Anyways, Let me leave you with this thought provoking words below...[Read me next Sunday...16th Sunday!!!]

The Shroud of the Past

Progress encumbered by an unforgiving spirit,
And all attempt to dive into the deep-sea of the future,
Frustrated by its foolishness,
Yet again the death of another soul,
The burial procession makes ready its burial,

Another soul trapped in the ‘Maze of the past’
Comfort is camouflaged in the ‘Rags of the present’,
Swathed by its hollow warmth,
Which only leads into another winter of hatred and bitterness,
And its hideous head of resentment,

Unleash from its clutches, I beg
And cuddle the good news that this season brings,
Hoisting the flag of peace in your heart,
And letting God melt the accumulated snow of hatred away from your heart,
As He floods it with His ocean of love, Amen

© 2008 Onaihre All Rights Reserved

Image from: Getty Images

14th Sunday...So let’s just be thankful…!!!

2008-11-30T21:13:00.001+01:00

Song of the week: Midnight Crew – Igwe

Encouragement Verse: “You have put gladness in my heart…I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.” – Psalm 47:7 – 8 (NRSV)

Quote of the week: “We can always find something to be thankful for, no matter what may be the burden of our wants, or the special subject of our petitions.” --- Albert Barnes

Fourteenth Sunday…I just want to show my gratitude...
Truly there’s always something to be thankful for…
For everything missing,
There’s something found…

So when I am ambushed at the Bus Stop by heaven’s tears and all I have is the newspaper that I just bought from the vendor down the street to shield my pricey one-day-old hair-do from its rage.

And every attempt to protect my body and feet prove futile as they become wet with its tears. And the chilliness is becoming intolerable, that I can only grumble …I should remember that at least, I have a place to go to where I will find warmth…and that there are people who find their haven under the bridge…

And when I get to work and nag once more about my job…I should remember that at least, I have a job to complain about…

And also even when I get a call from my family complaining about anything and everything…I should remembered at least, I have a family that cares so much to bug you sometimes (laughing)…

So let’s just be thankful…

Images from: Getty Images

13th Sunday...What a week!!!

2008-11-23T22:13:00.001+01:00

Song of the week: Jeremiah Gyang – Na ba Ka

Encouragement Verse: So tell them, ‘as surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very things I heard you say…” – Numbers 14:28 NIV

Quote of the week:“Work-in-progress: If you hire me, you need to know that. If you marry me, you need to know that.” --- Word For Today (Nov 2, 08)

Hmmmm, I have to write that this week has been rollercoaster week when it comes to my emotions…and I believe these ‘Getty Images’ will be able to illustrate better the events of this past week…

My Monday began this way, “Ooooooh Monday again, do I have to get up?” What a way to start one’s day and week. By the end of the day, I was almost yanking out every strand of my braids from my head…ask me, what happened? Nothing o, I only just got bogged down by the usually Monday rush.

By Tuesday, my hormones was just acting up for no particular reason. On numerous occasions during the day, I was almost drawn to tears…I guess I was already too drained that I needed to fill my spirit with words that would bring back life into my already feeble heart …

This was what Wednesday gave to me. [I have to thank Baba God for bringing into our lives angels disguised as friends.]

I spoke with a friend and she spoke to my spirit and at the end of our small chitchat she gave me the above bible verse which is the bible verse of the week.

I was hearing things when I thought I heard I say…Numbers 28: 8, which was equally great… “Prepare the second lamb at twilight, along with the same kind of grain offering and drink offering that you prepare in the morning. This is an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.”

It is truly amazing how things just work out in the end…

So by Thursday, I had a spill over of the joyfulness that Tuesday gave me… [*I need to alway remember God’s word in my time of struggle]…

And what more can I say about Friday but the usual ‘TGIF’…Let the party begin until the break of dawn – Saturday…but keep in mind that I have to prepare my spirit to receive God’s word on Sunday from the mouth of His sons (Mr. Preacherman) that will keep us enthusiastic for the coming week…

See you next sunday as I go for the fourteenth Sunday…God bless you!

Images from: Getty Images

12th Sunday...Taking it ALL Back!!!

2008-11-16T21:12:00.001+01:00

Song of the week: Cece Winans – Waging War

Encouragement Verse: So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as He told me.” – Acts 27:25

Quote of the week: “God is the God of promise. He keeps His word, even when that seems impossible; even when the circumstances seems to point to the opposite.” --- Colin Urquhart

In forty (40) day, it will be 2009…hmmm! How times flies by!
Believe me when I write that I am thankful for all my accomplishments this year but I am not satisfied.

I believe that I may have held back on several occasions due to the crippling fear of failing or putting great importance on what others would say or think if I made a move. But this time around the battle line has been drawn against those invisible enemies; it is time to wage a war on my fears, compulsions, and every glitches along the road that restrain me from taking possession of what’s mine...

I don’t anticipate repeating the same test I went through this year (and failed) next year. And I am certainly not taking a rain check over the things I have planned to do. This time it is going to be a knock-out!!! Wow! I am so excited…

To be honest with you, I do dread the possibility of chickening out of this deal…but I
have faith in God that He will keep me persistence. And even when I may fall along
the path of recurring sins, I will get back right up again, pressing forward to the point of victory. My spirit will rejoice at what God will do in my life these coming Sundays.

Thirty-eight Sundays left and I am holding my breath because this time I am going to shout for Joy…and even when those random thought of doubt tiptoe into my mind. I will be fighting back and keeping a tab on each triumph. This will be another large red checkmark on my calendar.

On my finance, even when there’s the urge to go on a spending spree…I will walk up to my refrigerator and stare at the picture of the car I glued on it. Gosh! My poor legs are trying to fail me but ‘thank God’ they still want to go on. I am always praying that I don’t fall as I run to catch the bus every morning on my way to work…

So I am definitely taking control of my finances, so come next year (‘…I am using my words to change my situation’) I will be driving MY CAR… [Not borrow/rented] but fully purchased.

And when the past comes pounding hard on my window and the bitterness in it rears its ugly head on my windowpane. I will knock it back into last year. I want peace and I surely want result.

I know I am changing…sometimes I can’t believe how far I have come but I don’t want to be satisfied with little progress. I want more like Oliver Twist. So I will be holding my breath until the moment when I can breathe again…

And God says to me, even “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.” – Isaiah 59:19

Images from: Getty Images

11th Sunday...All Natural 100% Juice (Don’t Hold Back)!!!

2008-11-10T04:00:00.001+01:00

Song of the week: Wale Adenuga – Too Much For Me

Encouragement Verse: He made my mouth like a sharp sword, He hid me in the shadow of His hand. He made me into sharpened arrow and concealed me in His quiver...you are my servant through whom I shall mainfest my glory.” – Isaiah 49: 2 - 3

Quote of the week: “You say, ‘If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied.’ You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled.” --- Charles Haddon Spurgeon

This week was truly a historical week…for me, it was more than just history made but the rebirth of Hope in those who Hope has varnished from their lives while on the road to triumph.

And Nelson Mandela couldn't have said it better in his letter of congratulations to Obama, “Your victory has demonstrated that no person anywhere in the world should not dare to dream of wanting to change the world for a better place…”

And to add to what Mr. Mandela said, is what Rama Yade, a France’s black junior minister for human rights, told a French radio, “This is the fall of the Berlin Wall times ten…” [From an article in Yahoo]

God’s work surely does come to fruition...

The same man who wrote about daring hope in his best selling book, The Audacity of Hope, has risen beyond man’s expectation.

God is truly worthy to be praise and I can only chant along with Wale Adenuga in his song titled, “Too much for me”

God has squeezed, pressed and crushed the juice out from this son of His…And he (Obama) has shown that he can be legally described as ‘All Natural 100% fruit juice’

To the nation, U.S (by God’s grace) he will become an excellent source of strength…and he gather in grain like the sand of the sea, in such quantity (See Genesis 41: 49, Joseph's promotion)

“…God has a plan and He's committed to it…” [Word for Today, November 2, 2008]

So this week, I ask myself these questions:

>> If I were a fruit or vegetable and God squeezed the interior of my life, can I be legally described as ‘All Natural 100% fruit juice’?,

>> Would I be an excellent source of Vitamin C to those around me or those I encounter everyday, bringing strength and His word to those in need of it.

>> Or will He find in me, artificial flavor or discover that I have been blended with other ingredients, such as high-fructose corn syrup?

Prayer: “Lord, squeeze out of me of the juice of the gifts that lay fallow within me…let me be truly worthy to be described as ‘All Natural 100% Juice’, Amen”

Picture source: Getty Images

10th Sunday...It had to be at 10:00am!!!

2008-11-02T09:00:00.001+01:00

Song of the week: Donnie McClurkin – Day Of Elijah

Encouragement Verse: I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” – Philippians 4:12, 13 NIV

Quote of the week: “Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” --- Dickens

Hmmm! against all odds, I delighted to be able to celebrate my ‘Tenth’ Sunday post. It was not easy but I can rejoice. What can I say? I can only give thanks to God for giving me the grace to reach a milestone.

"I AM TRULY A WINNER...Praise GOD!!!"

Change is always good but it can be hard to accept at first. Our human nature always wants to go back to our comfort zone. The secret of embracing change is that there is a lot to behold but we will never know until we do actually agree to CHANGE

So How it began

It began with ‘My Genesis’, a new beginning, a new birth. It was ‘Letting Go’ that let me ‘Flying without Wing’. Now is definitely a ‘Time for Change’ and ‘Out of my Busy Schedule’; I still got the time to write a letter ‘To the one I Love’…because I truly needed closure to be able to get a move on to the direction the wind had began to take me.

Gradually I am ‘Finding my way back’…that ‘When the Past came knocking again’; I knew I needed to take back the keys to my heart and shut that door forever.
It may hurt but I will dust myself of all my past mistakes and in the process, I will be ‘Learning to Forgive’ what the past still holds me guilty of.

Anyways, I am still rejoicing about the first milestone I have accomplished…and counting all my blessings.

Beyond the pale

This Sunday I want to especially, Thank everyone who made life so unbearable for me…Cicely Tyson once said that “Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you never really knew.”

Ok, maybe back then I did not just get it…I questioned God with the ‘Whys?’ and the ‘What?’ because I just could not understand what it was I had done wrong to deserve the happenings. I would even go as far as reminding God about people who had done worst things than I (as if He needed to me reminded) but were having it well with them.
But God is God and is no man…He knows best. He was getting me ready for what was coming ahead…

I am not saying I am perfect now…or saying that trouble moved next door to the Johnsons. What I am saying is that I am seeing past my situation and seeing what God has done and is doing through what is happening and what has happened.

I am who I am today because of the storms I have passed through. Trouble never ends but God gives us the strength to bear each one and the wisdom to get through them. I know I haven’t got to the point God wants me to get to but slowly but surely I will get there. And like a prodigal daughter, God welcomes me back to His throne of MERCY.

I rejoice…

To my Readers: --> ‘Happy New Month...‘May you wake each day of this month with His blessings and sleep each night in His keeping...’

Picture source: Getty Images

9th Sunday...Learning to Forgive!!!

2008-10-27T01:45:00.001+01:00

Song of the week: Jordin Sparks – One Step at a time

Encouragement Verse: “He will yet fill your mouth with Laughter, and your lips with shouts of Joy.” – Job 8:21 NIV

Quote of the week: “With the death of every friend I love...a part of me has been buried...but their contibution to my being of happiness, strength and understanding remains to sustain me in an altered world.” --- Helen Keller

In spite of all the dramas of the week, another Sunday has come to overtake Saturday again…Ok, we are almost there, you can say, if you are reading this post on Sunday…over here it is just 5:45pm. Once more, I have been able to performance the task for the week elapse.

So I wrote in my last post, about old flames that keep cropping up at my time of vulnerability. I should just snub them but I really need to take care of it and finally put a dot at the end of that ancient history.

Well, enough of the old tales…

Anyways this past week I also updated my Goal/Aspiration list for 2008 (I kind of love the term, ‘Bucket list…living each day like it is your last’). As I re-examine it, I was thankful about how much I have accomplished so far. And even if I still haven’t found what I am looking for [“what am I really looking for?”) I can still give myself a pat on the back. So in anticipation to the New Year, I also decided to adjust the list with more ‘Bucket list’, hitting the ‘backslash’ key behind the year 2008 and keying in ‘2009’ at the end. And as this year begins to slip away one month after the other, I’ll definitely be including more goals or probably, I may decide to hit the ‘delete’ key as I go through the list.

Sometimes things may change and another time, it won’t change. Some people may change now while other times, they decide it isn’t necessary. But change is good. Some things may matter now while other times, those things won’t even matter. Whatever may be the case, I want to be able to look back then give Praise to God that He saw me through those difficult situation…helped me change ,my bad habits that estranged me from His love…and gave me the strength to endure the storm. God truly is rescuing me!

So this brand new week I would like to work on changing another flaw – UNFORGIVENESS. If it was a stranger who hurt you, then you could easily detach yourself from them or you may never see them again. But the real test definitely comes when they belong to the same lineage as you. ‘What do you do if they are your brother, sister or parent?’ It is easy to say, ‘I will forgive all’ when asked…but as the saying goes, ‘easier said than done’.

When we confront the reality of forgiving, we discover we have a double standards. I call myself a Christian…but many times I do find it difficult to truly forgiving. Instantly, I erect a wall between them and myself, becoming stingy with those three words that could lift the burden than I carry – I FORGIVE YOU. But God is still working on me and I will find the strength to triumph over this flaw. GOD I NEED HELP TODAY!!!’

8th Sunday...When the Past Came Knocking Again!!!

2008-10-19T20:08:00.001+01:00

Song of the week: Asa – Bi'Banke

Encouragement Verse: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” – Isaiah 43:18-19

Quote of the week: “It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, “Always do what you are afraid to do.” --- Ralph Waldo Emerson

So it was Tuesday, when heard the door to my heart unlock…it was unlocked by a familiar friend who I never took the keys from. Again pursuit by another ‘Blast from my past’...”they sure picked the right time to come back, at my time of vulnerability”. But this time, it was definitely time to bring to a close that part of my past or I will never be able to start the ball rolling to the next phrase of my life. I truly needed closure…it will be hard but Lord, help me…!!!

As usual, he captivated me with those empty promises that sounded sweet but had a hidden agenda. The deep-rooted feelings all came back to me, muddling up my sane thinking…one part, wanted to cuddle those feelings again and go along with the familiar screenplay I was used to (Supporting Actress to the ‘Other woman’). Another cautioned me about my settling for less.

“Gosh! Why do I keep taking that same old road to nowhere?” Just then I heard Asa sing, Bi'Banke. that song smacked me back to the veracity of what was really going on. I had been a fool but I didn’t have to be again. I didn’t have to be that supporting actress that is never remembered when (by right) I had been given the ‘Lead role’ in the story of my life. No, I had to end this now or I will never know what it feels like to say, ‘NO!’ to him.

Just then the words that I feared to utter came out effortlessly. I may have ended a friendship but it was one that had outlasted its welcome…This time I disconnected the plugs.

As for him, I can only pray for him…’God, help him to truly find you and that he will be truly committed to the one he was made to love, Amen’. But as for me, it may hurt now but I am finding the strength to move on.

Am moving on…!!!

Picture source: Rudduck.com

7th Sunday...Finding My Way Back!!!

2008-10-12T20:07:00.001+01:00

Song of the week: Nickelback – Savin' Me

Encouragement Verse: “The locusts have no King, yet go they forth all of them by bands.” – Proverbs 30:27

Quote of the week: “We can always find something to be Thankful for, no matter what may be the burden of our wants, or the special subject of our petitions.” --- Albert Barnes

Even when we begin to doubt our believes and God's promise but it is always brighter just above the dark clouds. All we have to do is never give up or everything we ever believed in will suddenly come to an END. What do I want? My heart knows...but what can I do now to be deserving of this beautiful gift of Love that God wants to share with me and the world???

I feel I am not ready, but He urges me on...and like the writer shared in the Meditation reading of October 8, 2008 (Word for today) "Don't quit your victory is assurred!"...I am pressing forward until I get every mission dished out to me right.

This Sunday I share with you one of my struggles...Anger!!! Sometimes, I fight the temptation to do something right everyday when I awake but it does not ever end up that way. But today I want to give it to God, asking for the strength to be able to overcome it little by little by His grace.

It may not happen instantly but I will surely be breaking ground...but I ask that as you read this, I ask that you pray for me...

“Letting go...but Letting GOD change my shortcomings each Sunday at a time..."

6th Sunday...To The One I Love (Closure)!!!

2008-10-05T20:07:00.001+01:00

Song of the week: Michael Jackson – Speechless

Encouragement Verse: “See now that this has touched Your LIPS, your wickness is removed, your sin Purged.” – Isaiah 6: 6

Quote of the week: “Imagine every day to be the last of a life surrounded with hopes, cares, anger, and fear. The hours that come unexpectedly will be so much more the grateful.” – Horace

Dear RY ,

I have tried on many occasions to just go about my business but out the blue, my thought revisits the moments we spent together. What do I do???

I should be angry with you but I can't anymore because there was a reason for our encounter and now I know it is time for me to let go of what remains of you. You were part of my yesterday that will never be for my today...That love has died and now I mourn for it like I have mourned a loved one long gone.

But the manifestation of GOD's Love that lead you into my life still makes me speechless. I still wonder to myself, "How did it happen?", "What did I do to deserve such a beautiful angel that once creeped into my life?" I know it was definitely Faith that brought this Two Souls together and I am glad I encountered you.

I do not intend to be a Victim forever but I want to be Victor in this situation, likewise you. Although we have gone our seperate way, I think I will continue to hold you in the beautiful place of my heart.

I shall not harbor any bitterness towards you but will continue to pray that when we meet again that God would have blessed us both with all our heart's desire. Take care my former Love.

Love,

Kemi

Picture source: PhotoBucket

5th Sunday...Out Of My Busy Schedule!!!

2008-09-28T20:06:00.001+01:00

Song of the week: Nichole Nordeman – Brave

Encouragement Verse: “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” – Ecclesiates 3:1

Quote of the week: “Remember God's bounty in the year. String the pearls of His favor. Hide the dark parts, except so far as they are breaking out in light! Give this one day to thanks, to joy, to gratitude!” – Henry Ward Beecher

Draw Me a Jesus a Close to YOU...!!!

Picture source: Microsoft office online

4th Sunday...Time For Change!!!

2008-09-21T20:05:00.001+01:00

Song of the week: Ty Bello – Beautiful

Encouragement Verse: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under Heaven.” – Ecclesiates 3:1

Quote of the week: “Remember God's bounty in the year. String the pearls of His favor. Hide the dark parts, except so far as they are breaking out in light! Give this one day to thanks, to joy, to gratitude!” – Henry Ward Beecher

Having Faith aHoping that it shall come to pass aChanging to fit in...(getting rid of the old wineskin)

It's only by God's grace ...that you go through some trials and stay calm. And just giving thanks to GOD while smiling J.

So it is my Fourth (4th) Sunday...and I am all about Change this week. God has began to change me and I can really feel it!!!

For me to be able to embrace what is coming, I'll need to embrace change and stop trying to muddle up the 'new wineskin' and 'old' together...

So Kemi..., it is:

a ...TIME for change...
a...TIMEto let go of the OLD wineskin ...
a...TIME to see the outcome of the Hope we wake up to everyday...
a...and it is TIME to see what is in store ...

"Lord, Change me...I Y You so much!!!

Picture source: Microsoft office online

3rd Sunday...Flying Without Wings

2008-09-14T20:03:00.001+01:00

Song of the week: WestLife – Flying Without Wings

Encouragement Verse: “GOD, the one and only — I'll wait as long as he says. Everything I hope for comes from him, so why not? He's solid rock under my feet, breathing room for my soul, an impregnable castle: I'm set for life.” – Psalm 62: 5, 6

Quote of the week: “Unrest of spirit is a mark of life; one problem after another presents itself and in the solving of them we can find our greatest pleasure.” – Kal Menninger

GOD , this is a hard decision to make but I think by Your grace , I will live with whatever consequences that will come from this decision. GOD lead me to make the right decision.”

My Third (3rd)Sunday...I am learning to fly without wings...learning to have faith in this faithless heartof mine. Everyday, It is a struggle for me to awaken and believe that Hope is staring me at the face again...that something is coming...But I RISE!!!

My third week & forty-seven sundays more to go...So what can I say, I learnt from this past week???

I can say that I have learnt to relax in the face of TRIBULATIONS...because even if I try to do something about any given situation...I truly do not have any control over it. I can only just let go and let GOD!!! And even if I don't see the light at the end of the tunnel, I have to believe that it is there...

So this new week, I am going to Fly without wings in all that I will face...like what some people will say, "I am taking the bull by the horn." Some decisions I will make this week may bring about hurt and even pain...or maybe it may not...but I will take it and what I will be grateful about, is that I tried when I should have just given up...

I will take that LEAP!!!

May you all have a wonderful and fulfilled week...

Picture source: Butler Dancers

2nd Sunday...Letting Go!

2008-09-07T20:02:00.001+01:00

Song of the week: Donnie McClurkin – Again

Encouragement Verse: “The Lord your GOD is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” – Zephaniah 3:17

Quote of the week: “You can develop in yourself the manners, tastes and habits that you most admire in others. The person you most like to meet is the type of person you ought to be.” --- Author Unknown

Indeed, I do need closure to this problem that keeps knocking hard at my door. I can’t keep trying to be the Redeemer in everyone’s live…Just when I decide to make a change, they come banging hard on my door. I do have a choice: (1) to let God do His job by helping me answer this stranger at the door or (2) to simply open the door and try to solve the problem.

Gosh! It is hard to ignore the continuous pounding on my door but I need to learn to ‘Let Go and Let GOD!!!’ ...and understand that I’ll not be able to please everyone in this world. I have to let people put together their own blocks sometimes that is, letting them make their own mistakes and learn from it before they grow because of what they learnt from it.

“GOD , this is a hard decision to make but I think by Your grace , I will live with whatever consequences that will come from this decision. GOD lead me to make the right decision.”

I’ll see you nextSunday...

First Sunday...My Genesis

2008-08-31T18:42:00.002+01:00

Song of the week: Cece Winans – Alabaster box

Encouragement Verse: “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy.” – Hebrews 4:16 NIV

Quote of the week: “With the death of every friend I love…a part of me has been buried…but their contribution of my being of happiness, strength and understanding remains to sustain me in an altered world.” – Helen Keller

The new chapter of my life’s journey began with a message of hope…

”May the God of Hope
fill you with
all joy and peace…” – Romans 15:15

...Who would have thought that I would still be breathing after all the hurt and pain I have been through? But I am still here...and I have survived every blow to my fragile heart that could have knocked me out.

Just when I thought it was over, I was given a ray of HOPE to begin again. So I begin a journey of faith...I don’t know how it will turn out...what more if I will skid off this road and never make it to my new destination.

But what is for sure is that GOD will see me through because He walks with me. I know I will make mistakes as I go along but I’ll not stay down!!!

So why 50 Sundays, you may ask..I simply don’t know but I am following the voice from within. Where it leads me, I will go but I am praying for a safe journey!!!

“Lord, come and walk with me…”