To Shake The Governor Or Not? Examining Your Life Goals

Doing my job – interviewing Lagos’ Gov. Ambode

It’s the ‘New Year Resolutions’ season all over the world. People see the turn of the calendar as a fresh start and hope to write better chapters in their lives’ story. Good one! Even though, I tend to make my resolutions on the go, whenever and wherever they occur to me, I cannot deny the sense of renewal January 1 of any year brings.

However, as we take time to reflect on what we want or don’t want in 2016, it is very important to ensure we are ‘wanting’ the right and wise things. Some of our desires may need to be re-examined and if they don’t pass the test we put them through, they should be trashed pronto.

Here’s why…

I will never forget that one time my most passionate desire was to meet a certain governor. Nothing ‘ghen ghen’, just a simple meeting that would afford me the golden opportunity of shaking his hand! Dumb ambition? I agree with you.

But before you deliver me to the hangman, let me add that the handshake wasn’t the big deal for me, how it would make me feel was. For some reason, I felt such a meeting and an event would be the ultimate sign that I, too, am destined for greatness.

Of course, I know now how myopic and most certainly, ridiculous, that desire was but the good thing is it has always served as a private lesson for me. A reminder to constantly analyse my life goals and be sure I am focusing on the big picture, always. Making the right demands and ensuring I am most concerned about the important things.

I never shared my ‘handshake’ ambition with anyone , thankfully, so it remained my secret foolish dream. 

To prove just how foolish that moment was, I interviewed a governor on New Year’s Day, on live TV. That got me thinking… how short-sighted my handshake ambition was, how lacking in faith. To think a handshake with a mere mortal would be THE sign of greatness. I am wiser now. No handshake, no matter how highly placed would serve as a confidence booster for me.

Too often, we peg our advancement in life on the weirdest things. We make trivial matters important just because we think they would somehow lead us to our destinies. Truth is, we create what we become.

We are gods, remember? 

Anyway, my point is, we all need to critically examine our life goals, from time to time. Every desire should be held to the light, so we are not wasting precious moments and thoughts on things that aren’t worth it.

 

 

 

Not Inspired But Grateful

So I was supposed to put up another edition of #MondayDoseOfInspiration but I couldn’t because I was not inspired to write anything. I did have something I would like to write on but I wasn’t convinced it was deep enough. Or perhaps, I just couldn’t compose my thoughts in a way I would like to.

I wouldn’t want to just write something for the sake of writing, and not be convinced the message was good enough. Sorry guys, maybe next Monday.

However, I do have something I’d like to share.

Figure The Future

First off…. Let me just say happy new yearrrrrr! Yeah, I know it hasn’t been that long but it feels like it.

Secondly, let me say that I appreciate E.V.E.R.Y.O.N.E who subscribes to my blog and takes time to read or comment, share and all that stuff.

Some people go the extra mile of reaching out to me to say they enjoy what I put on here..  (Shout out to Toba Samuel. You the real MVP🙌).

OK. Down to business.

Power Of Human Mind

Everything around us today – driverless cars, planes, phones, sex change, body enhancement, Sky scrapers – all point to the fact that “if you think it, you can achieve it”.

We have seen flying cars in movies, commercialised inter-planet trips, robots with minds of their own (artificial intelligence) and all sorts of stuff… But guess what, that will be our reality.

These things will eventually happen because someone’s mind conceived them and sooner or later… They will be real.

What are you using your mind to do?

Do you not know that YOU are the most dynamic creation of the I AM?

Remember, if you think it- it can be done. Such is the power God gave man.

#ThinkOnThis

Have a superb weekend💃🏽

We ALL Should Be Feminists

If most men easily accept that women are the “weaker sex”, how come they find it SO hard to stomach women who try to speak up for women or protect women interests? SMH!

My Facebook friends would know that I am one to always talk about such issues and it’s a pity when ANY attempt to say something that doesn’t boost a man’s ego or make women look like second class human beings, some folks (guys, of course) would quickly jump at me with the almighty ‘submissive sermon’.

It’s funny how men who have no authority WHATSOEVER over you also demand submission. For instance, the ‘smart’-ass dude who I was meeting for the first time few weeks ago , who wanted me to submit to him over a non-issue because “that’s how we will know if you will submit in marriage”! Like WHAT DA ——-!!!!!  Who are you brother? My dad? Fiancee?

A random nobody wants me to submit to him on the first date???? (Just remembering it makes me want to explode…) Lol.

Moving on,

In the “Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man’ book (I started reading yesterday), Steve Harvey said a man who loves you will profess that love, provide for you and protect you. According to him, these things are in-built instincts.

Question is, isn’t feminism about protecting women? Isn’t it about shielding women from people (men) who try to suppress or oppress them and make them less than God designed them to be?

If God wanted a subdued (female) gender, He wouldn’t have endowed them (women) with so much intelligence, passion, imagination, desire for greatness and all the other things that make them aspire to MORE than the world is willing to give them.

If there’s one thing that I am so sure of, it is my UNREPENTANT passion about women and the MANY issues that plague them. This is passion God put inside me! (Argue in your wardrobe).

But, what about the men and their issues, you ask? Well, I’m sure there would be men like me, passionate about men/issues. A woman is the best thing I know how to be.

Long and short? We all should be feminists. We all should protect women!

PS: Early momo rant inspired by all ‘African man mentality’ supporters. Oluwa is your muscle!

Write Your Own Story

If there’s one thing I pray to never be… one thing I never will be… it is ‘ordinary’.

Ordinary in the sense of just coming to Earth and leaving without dropping a note, so others know ‘I was here’.

Not gonna happen!

No matter how many humans walk the face of this Earth, I will leave my own little clues behind.

The plan is to die empty; With a smile on my face as death harvests the last of my precious breath.

To die knowing that I was all God enabled me to be. I would have explored every crevice of my being. I would have done all my mind imagined I could do.

For in this L.I.V.I.N.G, I would have written my own story. That’s what motivates me to do whatever I do; Not forgetting that I am always inspired by God.

Have you ever considered what would be said about you when you eventually pass on?

What would you like written? That you were a loving and that no one may ever fill the void you left? OR that you were a hero(ine) and Nigeria or the world would never be the same without you….

In your career, would generations of generations read about you and forever speak of your contributions to humanity?

The list of praiseworthy achievements one could wish for is surely endless BUT…

Your tombstone may be uninteresting, unadorned…. because you never wrote your own story.

I’m not trying to make you think about death. On the contrary, THINK ABOUT YOUR LIFE.

THINK ABOUT RIGHT NOW.

2015 is here and like the thousands of years before it, it is passing away already. What will be written in your life’s diary for this year? You can write it by BEING it or DOING it.

What story are you writing?

PS: Write your own story or someone else will write it for you and it would be too late to edit it.

About Sugabelly And New Truths I’ve Found

Perhaps, you are reading this because I have Sugabelly in the title… you would have to wait until I’ve said a few other things. So bear with me.

I wish I would read and study my Bible as often and as deeply as I should…

Often times, in the morning, I drag myself, half asleep, into the shower to get ready for work/I end up sleeping off if I try to read when I get back at night (I’m totally terrible at night reading)/laziness/procrastination… bla bla bla.

However, thank God for technology and Bible apps. I usually make-up while on transit and even when at home…. I never get sleepy reading the bible on my mobile phone.

So I started reading Acts a few weeks back (motivated by #NoBibleNoBreakfast by @DRockCentre) and I only recently finished the book. I learned so much. About religion, about God breaking protocol, about people who would do anything – even kill – for God’s sake.

Now, let me quickly introduce @SugaBelly; A female artist I made headline for in August.

I had written on the blog about sex. Of course I would have eventually done so on the blog, seeing as it is an interesting topic and I never get to understand why there’s so much fuss about it.

BUT, that post was errr… should I say inspired by Sugabelly but although it was not intended to be an attack at her…  an edited repost made it seem so.

Needless to say that… it wasn’t my best moment on social media. Hehehe. I had 3 days of twitter hell. I certainly didn’t enjoy the negative attention one bit but I knew I spoke the truth. I was unapologetic about that!

However…. (back to my study of Acts)… I learned or more like realised new truths about Christ. His ways. His methods… Love. I learned that even the vilest offender (like Saul) can be touched by Christ and used by Him in great ways. Saul, who became Paul, was instrumental in the Gospel reaching non-Jews. Asians. Europeans. This was a guy who was watching with glee as Stephen was stoned to death… but our God is merciful and full of wisdom and compassion. He can change anyone!

Recently, I also came across a tweet by Joyce Meyer.

It’s challenging to separate sin from sinners, but we only have to look at how God treats us on our worst days. #Mercy

— Joyce Meyer (@JoyceMeyer) October 29, 2014

This was a major eye opener for me. It put the truth many of us Christians ought/need to know in one tweet!

The truth that no matter what wrong others do… our response should be in love and with patience.

Several times… I had tweeted “Love the sinner, hate the sin”.

Even though my post was not an attack… it was perceived so and I failed to correct that impression. I should have. Perhaps my decision to stick out my neck for the truth did not let me see that I was throwing out the baby with the bath water.

Now I realise (a lot more) that if my intention with that post was to make people see sexual immortality (as described by God in the Bible) for what it is and to make them embrace God’s word about sex… it probably didn’t achieve that.

As a Christian, God expects me to win souls over with love. Undeserving love – like He showed us.

So for that… I think it is the Christian-ly thing to clarify the issue.

This does not change the truth that sexual immorality is wrong. As many who engage in such most likely know it’s wrong.

It however changes me. Hopefully, makes me a better person; A Christian indeed.

Shalom.

Quick Thought About Marriage

Accepting to marry someone is the highest level of trust that can be invested in another human being.

For me.. that’s saying… all my dreams and hopes and ambitions and passions and everrrrrything I aspire to in life, will be subjected to my relationship with you.

Because whether you like it or not, who you are tied to determines how fast you run or if you can run at all.

Saying “I Do” means I’m putting my destiny (in a way) in your trust…. It means i’m telling you to not pull me down but help me up. It means I’m telling you to make me better… better than I have tried to be.

It means I’m saying love me… groom me. nurture me… NOT because I can’t do it myself (or try to) but because I trust you to be the steady shoulders upon which I reach out for the stars and all that lies beyond them.
#QuickThoughtAboutMarriage

*Sigh*

Struggles Make Life Beautiful

That title has probably got you wondering if my blog has been hacked or if I am high on pure water or something!

Lol. Fear not people. I know what I’m saying…

So yesterday evening I was busy playing my 1000 and something-th game on Temple Run and the app was really getting on my nerves.

For no reason, the game would freeze and then my runner would not respond to any of my jump, turn or slide commands and it would just carry it’s big head and jump into that green river. Pshew!

I was already thinking of deleting the darn thing but I had been trying to attain the 10k Runner objective. The longest run I had was a little over 8000 meters. I so desperately wanted to hit that 10K.

So I was playing this particular 1000 and something-th game… I was deliberately ignoring the coins… trying to hit the powerups so I could run for longer without dying sudden deaths…

Ahhhhh!!!!

I just died again…  but wait, the scores came in and YEESSSSSS… I made it!

VICTORY AT LAST!!!!! I was high on it. O yes!!! It definitely felt good to win.

This got me thinking about my thoughts on ‘victory’ the day before. I had been watching highlights of Li Na’s game and victory.

It got me thinking… it must feel so good to be a winner. That feeling of being victorious is so potent I’m almost sure it certainly adds more hours to one’s life.

However, I asked my self how often I get to feel that way. I honestly can’t remember the last time I felt like a winner. Maybe that’s because I haven’t had a REAL challenge in a while. I haven’t had a specific goal I was chasing so much… it felt like my very existence depended on achieving it.

Excuse me but that is quite understandable. I’m not a footballer or swimmer or tennis player… I don’t have to play a game every other day or week (except for Temple Run sha).

On the other hand…. I know about struggles. Life’s struggles.

Working to get that paper up. Studying to get those grades up. Praying to get that major deal or job.

Those are games too. Me (or you) against the world. That’s a hard game to play.

But… if you don’t play games or face life’s struggles… chances are you will never be a winner. You will know what it means to be victorious.

Your adrenaline level will never move. That YESSSS!!!! feeling will elude you. You will never truly live.

So, friends…. let’s embrace life including its ups and downs. Let’s play our cards right.

Let’s aim to win…and most of all, aim for victory; because life is a game… you don’t win if you don’t play.

♡,
Mayowa O.

Who Is Your Pastor Answerable To?

I write this article with utmost caution, reverence for God and respect for the Body of Christ – The Church.

After having been engaged in a heated debate with some friends on my Facebook page, I know without a doubt that this should be brought on here.

The moment we refuse to question a man of God who crosses the line, we ourselves have crossed from reverence to idol worship. #MyTake

— WW | #ProjectDDD (@OhluwaMayowa) September 18, 2014

I really cannot remember the immediate reason that brought that thought to me but I know this is an issue that has been recurring in the Church in Nigeria. An issue that almost made me give up on the Church.

In recent years, some prominent ‘Men of God’ (MOG) have been involved in major scandals. The type that make front page of national dailies, for days and even weeks.

And as much as these scandals are worth discussing, it is the reaction of the Church (members of the churches pastored by these men, in particular) that I find utterly worrisome.

If you are an internet junkie, you would notice that stories of such nature receive many heated comments, on popular blog sites.

It is not uncommon to see followers of these MOG attacking other people who judge, disrespect or ridicule their pastor, in the comments box.

They go on and on defending their leader, even if the said leader committed the act, e.g adultery, the common culprit.

This has now caused me to ask the question: Who Is Your Pastor Answerable To?

Apparently, a lot of Christians, especially those who are born-again, tongue-talking and demon chasing, have said that the MOG is only answerable to God, the one who called him. No other person has a right to point out his errors.

They argue that we cannot treat “spiritual” matters the same way we treat political or civil matters.

According to them, only God can judge the matter, so in other words, let everyone shut up and let God deal with the pastor himself.

I beg to disagree.

I remember when a certain OAP made an open confession of having sexual relations with a popular pastor, whose church she had been a member of…

The story was a media sensation but the long and short of it was that the pastor neither confirmed nor denied the allegation.

His promised “robust reply” never saw the light of day.

Although that particular church was not my church and the pastor not mine… I almost gave up on Christianity.

There are so many other cases…

How can people who claim to know Christ, defend iniquity, just because their pastor committed it?

How dare you open your mouth to say those “in the world” are doomed to hell, when your pastor (whose sin you passionately defend) is no different?

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying MOG should not be respected. I am not saying it is unpardonable for them to fall… they are still men, no matter the anointing.

I am saying it is W-R-O-N-G for you (the follower) to say your pastor is only answerable to God, when he has obviously fallen by the wayside.

I’ll explain why it is…

Number 1 – this is the 21st century. Not the old testament.

Nowadays, your church must be registered (in saner climes). This was not so back in the AD or BC days. Which brings me to the three major definitions of Church.

*Church is the body of Christ. All believers together as one. This is the true meaning of Church.
*Church is a building.
*Church is an organisation with hierarchy, positions, constitution (perhaps). E.g RCCG, Living Faith, Celestial Church of Christ, Believers World etc…

The implication of the third definition is that a church is bound by law. So sorry but your pastor -no matter how anointed- can be arrested if he/she commits a crime punishable under human laws.

Saying that your pastor is only answerable to God is giving free reign to all the frauds out there… calling themselves pastors and using church for business.

In essence, any Mathew, John or Peter can set up a church, do anything he likes… and you dare not call him to order because he is only answerable to God, just like your own pastor.

Another reason why your pastor is not only answerable to God but also to his congregation and in fact the world… is that it just doesn’t make any sense.

Your pastor cannot be condemning something and the day he does it… you say he should ride on, because he is anointed. Who does that???

I feel this post is getting too long..so I’ll bring it home.

My take is that… if a MOG falls, we should admit he did so, not form voltron on his behalf. He should repent and ask for forgiveness – from God, from the people he leads and
from the Body of Christ. He should be responsible enough to own up to his mistakes (that’s what real leaders do). He should not form ‘boss’ because he is anointed.

That way, he doesn’t give anyone the opportunity to ridicule him, his church or the Christian faith.

As a follower, please don’t abuse people who call out your pastor, for wrongdoing (especially if he refuses to own up). It shows that you have no values, your church is a joke… and it’s making the rest of us look bad.

Stop making your pastors look like African dads who never apologise for wrongdoing… just because they are the head. That’s ungodly.

God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. A broken spirit and contrite heart, God will not despise.

A MOG who falls is still useful to God ONLY if he repents! Remember, your pastor is still flesh and blood…. he can fall (even though we pray he doesn’t).

God bless his Church and give his people the grace to shun evil and embrace truth. Amen.

Signed:
Yours On The Narrow Path,
Mayowa.