There should be a combination of alphabets for the 'throwing up' sound. If you've got any ideas please pass them across.
For me they surfaced right after yr. 2000. From the fun-filled to the bizarre, every time I checked my box, there'd be a fresh batch. From friends, and more annoying, from strangers.
The rise to fame of the internet and communication thereby has birthed....
The Fwd Ninjas
My friend Domike Isiodu coined this term a while back and it made an impression, seeing as I witnessed the many mailbox purging sessions he had to carry out each day to get to his actual email messages.
Don't get me wrong, I love a good joke any time. What I hate are the ones I call threat letters, with the ubiquitous 'fwd this to 4billion people in seven minutes or your computer will shut down' clause at the end. I tire for people.
I have opted to see these things in as good a light as possible, but also to study why they thrive:
We love to keep in touch. Have you poked anyone lately? (Can I get an amen from the facebook crew?) It's all good. Really it's very necessary. To know that we aren't alone, that we aren't losing it, and that if we are, there are people who can help us get 'it' back - whatever it is. It is amazing how your faith is strengthened by meeting someone who has owed more money than you and paid it off, or who was unemployed for longer than you but has landed 'the Job' or who suffered an illness but walked out of the hospital unaided.
Faith is powerful. God is awesome. So why can't we just believe He can handle any challenge in our way? I like to believe that it might be because we haven't heard Him say it in a language He knows we understand best - through a living witness.
'So when you are come out of these trials and your children/friends ask you how far, let your children know that it was by the strength of the Hand of God that you were delivered' (Exod 13:14 paraphrased) This is why Jesus came back after the resurrection - to be our first living witness to say 'it is done and it is available to everybody'.
My peoples, when you get those almost meaningless offline messages, texts, email messages (email does not have plural: so stop writing 'emails'. ka ji ko?), do reply. Cud be someone is shouting for help on the smoke-screened battlefield of life, and they just at least want to know that they are not alone.
But sha let's not send those ones with funny funny ultimatums!
Much love.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Public Service - Lighting Candles
Hi. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.
It has been a long time since I heard someone being referred to as a 'Public Servant'. I guess it must be a reflection of the times. People kinda shy away from the the title 'servant' most likely because it reminds them of their househelps, security men or drivers.
I have a personal policy that guides a lot of my writing - I don't advertise the evil, decay or wrong doings of any one or thing. I proffer solutions, and take actions at my level, and beyond. So I won't go into detail about how wrong this misconception is or how prevalent it is.
Our society will thrive when everyone thinks beyond their personal gain to the good of the community as a whole. To this end, I like to see everybody as public servants. I serve the public whenever I find I can.
There is a story in the Bible about the Apostle Paul running into a man who 'held an entire city spellbound' by his witchcraft. I take away from this story the fact that people will listen to whoever is on the soapbox.
Where we have had a shortage of right examples, useless shallow nincompoops have stepped up to the mic. Put on your telly for 48hours and you'll get my point. Take a drive down your street. The traffic warden 99.95% of the time is more concerned with the prospect of extortion than with traffic control.
The result? Young people, leaderless, follow after the bling-draped, foul-mouthed, godless, illiterate morons displaying a mindless self-centered short-sighted perspective on everything from money to love to relationships to society. On the streets you have university graduates breaking through barricades where possible to drive on the opposite lane because they are in a hurry. This is so frequent that christian friends complain about it being a real temptation.
I have taken up my office as a servant of my public to embarass any of my fellow citizens who has taken leave of their senses and tried to drive 'one-way'. I was particularly proud to see someone else who, probably as pained as I was, did the same thing to a would-be defaulter. Oh yes it cost everyone a few minutes of waiting, but, if we don't take time to (learn how to) drive right, we will pray that a few weeks in the hospital will take care of the cost.
There are no free lunches. If you want your society to change, you have to stick your finger in it and root out the trash that is clogging up the pipes.
We are all human; we start out wanting to do right without hurting anyone, but if there are no restraints, sooner or later, we'll feel like we can bend a few rules, endanger some lives and get our way. So if the relevant authorities, 'the system' as we call it doesn't work, be the system where you can.
I have taken a personal interest in everything around me to ensure it's done right. If we all do this in our 'publics' we will begin to light candles. We will remind people that rules don't slow you down - they extend your life. In whatever community you find yourself, do endeavour to be on duty as a public servant from today.
Find out where your local PHCN/NEPA office is and get to know all the people who work there, and their superiors. Also get to know where the nearest police station is and the chap in charge. You may be tempted to shrug away from these offices due to past impressions, but I assure you, it will help more than it will hurt.
As a wise man once said, take your cue from salt. If you are boiling a pot of yams, you add a little salt to it for flavour. Now does the salt swirl around in one corner and say 'the yams have a different outlook on life than I do, so I won't mingle with them'? NO! It jumps on the yams, seeps into them and leaves them irreversibly changed.
Your society, your backyard, your closet is your challenge; don't run from it - face it head on.
It has been a long time since I heard someone being referred to as a 'Public Servant'. I guess it must be a reflection of the times. People kinda shy away from the the title 'servant' most likely because it reminds them of their househelps, security men or drivers.
I have a personal policy that guides a lot of my writing - I don't advertise the evil, decay or wrong doings of any one or thing. I proffer solutions, and take actions at my level, and beyond. So I won't go into detail about how wrong this misconception is or how prevalent it is.
Our society will thrive when everyone thinks beyond their personal gain to the good of the community as a whole. To this end, I like to see everybody as public servants. I serve the public whenever I find I can.
There is a story in the Bible about the Apostle Paul running into a man who 'held an entire city spellbound' by his witchcraft. I take away from this story the fact that people will listen to whoever is on the soapbox.
Where we have had a shortage of right examples, useless shallow nincompoops have stepped up to the mic. Put on your telly for 48hours and you'll get my point. Take a drive down your street. The traffic warden 99.95% of the time is more concerned with the prospect of extortion than with traffic control.
The result? Young people, leaderless, follow after the bling-draped, foul-mouthed, godless, illiterate morons displaying a mindless self-centered short-sighted perspective on everything from money to love to relationships to society. On the streets you have university graduates breaking through barricades where possible to drive on the opposite lane because they are in a hurry. This is so frequent that christian friends complain about it being a real temptation.
I have taken up my office as a servant of my public to embarass any of my fellow citizens who has taken leave of their senses and tried to drive 'one-way'. I was particularly proud to see someone else who, probably as pained as I was, did the same thing to a would-be defaulter. Oh yes it cost everyone a few minutes of waiting, but, if we don't take time to (learn how to) drive right, we will pray that a few weeks in the hospital will take care of the cost.
There are no free lunches. If you want your society to change, you have to stick your finger in it and root out the trash that is clogging up the pipes.
We are all human; we start out wanting to do right without hurting anyone, but if there are no restraints, sooner or later, we'll feel like we can bend a few rules, endanger some lives and get our way. So if the relevant authorities, 'the system' as we call it doesn't work, be the system where you can.
I have taken a personal interest in everything around me to ensure it's done right. If we all do this in our 'publics' we will begin to light candles. We will remind people that rules don't slow you down - they extend your life. In whatever community you find yourself, do endeavour to be on duty as a public servant from today.
Find out where your local PHCN/NEPA office is and get to know all the people who work there, and their superiors. Also get to know where the nearest police station is and the chap in charge. You may be tempted to shrug away from these offices due to past impressions, but I assure you, it will help more than it will hurt.
As a wise man once said, take your cue from salt. If you are boiling a pot of yams, you add a little salt to it for flavour. Now does the salt swirl around in one corner and say 'the yams have a different outlook on life than I do, so I won't mingle with them'? NO! It jumps on the yams, seeps into them and leaves them irreversibly changed.
Your society, your backyard, your closet is your challenge; don't run from it - face it head on.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Life in the sheep fold - That sweet Spirit
I love Pizza
Our life in God is like a very 'correct' pizza, enriched with an assortment of surprises, well-dispersed along the plains of perfectly baked flour that have been lovingly coated with molten cheese... (I leave the rest to your imagination)
Every christian knows that Jesus compared us to sheep। Why, he called Himself the Good Shepherd (John 10:14). This is one of many things Jesus told the disciples in a bid to get them to understand who he was and who they were.
I know that the sheep fold example talks about just one view of the Kingdom, but it interests me because it speaks of our continuing need for instruction, counsel and guidance।
After we learn the first few things about the Kingdom, we charge into the world and grab everybody by the collar and go 'repent or perish!' It takes a lot of energy to get people saved! So after a while, we run out of steam; then God calls us back to the fold। This cycle repeats itself throughout our lives, and these seasons of refreshing are carried out by an erudite faculty.
Welcome to the department of the Holy Spirit। I think He is a better example of a multi-tasker than the usual 'mother/wife in the household' idea...
...When we have chewed a mouthful of the emptier portions of our segment, He causes us to encounter a chunk of protein, lying alongside a piece of mushroom and some pepperoni। After that a cold sprite is on hand to douse our reactivated taste buds.
I love the Holy Spirit because He is really everything। He can use anything or any one to get a message across to you; but beyond that, He can tell you if the stuff you are hearing is right. (and believe me we hear a lot everyday - from the world, from our peers, from ourselves in the bathroom when we are alone, doing self-assessment)
God's love casts out fear from my heart because if I didn't know that He has approved of me already, I'd feel really rotten everytime I flopped। I'd think that an opportunity has just been lost and life is passing me by and... on and on and on। When we get caught up in this we could go on for weeks. Till we are exhausted. Then that sweet Spirit speaks (I burst out in tongues here) Sometimes he talks like a Delta man:
"Omo, na me wey call you। Everytin wey dey, dey my hand। U bi my pikin; u bi my pesin. Na me hol whistle, na me dey give prize. I don declare say na u go win. Wetin con dey worry u like dis? I don tell u before say u and lagbaja no dey go de same journey - so make u no dey look 'im side. Dis tin wey do u, dis place wey u dey, ur neighbours call am graveyard because dem be illitrate - me I dey call am valley of shadow of death - na one of my best classroom. When the microwave finish, eh, na so u go hear 'CHING!!!' and e go come be like say na yesterday we dem see u as one small boy, and overnight u come be Prime Minister.
Everytin wey dey, dey my hand। So...tell dem say No shaking!"
I don't know how anyone can live without that sweet spirit। If you won't tell your neighbour to get saved, at least tell him/her what they are missing।
The peace of the Lord be with you।
Derek Nwafor
Our life in God is like a very 'correct' pizza, enriched with an assortment of surprises, well-dispersed along the plains of perfectly baked flour that have been lovingly coated with molten cheese... (I leave the rest to your imagination)
Every christian knows that Jesus compared us to sheep। Why, he called Himself the Good Shepherd (John 10:14). This is one of many things Jesus told the disciples in a bid to get them to understand who he was and who they were.
I know that the sheep fold example talks about just one view of the Kingdom, but it interests me because it speaks of our continuing need for instruction, counsel and guidance।
After we learn the first few things about the Kingdom, we charge into the world and grab everybody by the collar and go 'repent or perish!' It takes a lot of energy to get people saved! So after a while, we run out of steam; then God calls us back to the fold। This cycle repeats itself throughout our lives, and these seasons of refreshing are carried out by an erudite faculty.
Welcome to the department of the Holy Spirit। I think He is a better example of a multi-tasker than the usual 'mother/wife in the household' idea...
...When we have chewed a mouthful of the emptier portions of our segment, He causes us to encounter a chunk of protein, lying alongside a piece of mushroom and some pepperoni। After that a cold sprite is on hand to douse our reactivated taste buds.
I love the Holy Spirit because He is really everything। He can use anything or any one to get a message across to you; but beyond that, He can tell you if the stuff you are hearing is right. (and believe me we hear a lot everyday - from the world, from our peers, from ourselves in the bathroom when we are alone, doing self-assessment)
God's love casts out fear from my heart because if I didn't know that He has approved of me already, I'd feel really rotten everytime I flopped। I'd think that an opportunity has just been lost and life is passing me by and... on and on and on। When we get caught up in this we could go on for weeks. Till we are exhausted. Then that sweet Spirit speaks (I burst out in tongues here) Sometimes he talks like a Delta man:
"Omo, na me wey call you। Everytin wey dey, dey my hand। U bi my pikin; u bi my pesin. Na me hol whistle, na me dey give prize. I don declare say na u go win. Wetin con dey worry u like dis? I don tell u before say u and lagbaja no dey go de same journey - so make u no dey look 'im side. Dis tin wey do u, dis place wey u dey, ur neighbours call am graveyard because dem be illitrate - me I dey call am valley of shadow of death - na one of my best classroom. When the microwave finish, eh, na so u go hear 'CHING!!!' and e go come be like say na yesterday we dem see u as one small boy, and overnight u come be Prime Minister.
Everytin wey dey, dey my hand। So...tell dem say No shaking!"
I don't know how anyone can live without that sweet spirit। If you won't tell your neighbour to get saved, at least tell him/her what they are missing।
The peace of the Lord be with you।
Derek Nwafor
Adult Education
I have never been in a hurry to pull rank or seniority on anyone, but some realities have begun to creep up on me. One way or the other, I am older than (some) people. I am married, have a 2 year old daughter, and work for myself. I am getting older. If I could shrug it off five years ago, I can't now.
I had heard many times that having children changes you. Well I guess it is best experienced. One of the biggest lessons becoming a parent has taught me is UNselfishness. Beyond this I have seen so much of my relationship with God in my relationship with my daughter that I am humbled daily. (Children wonder why grown ups are so reflective)
I begin to relate with God - how His love works through His gifts, His rules, His forgiveness, His mercy, and His favor to name a few. At Winona's school, they had all the kids dress up in trad for independence day. They had a lot of fun no doubt, but I remember getting rather upset that the school photographer didn't take enough pictures with her in them. You can imagine. I was only stopped from taking it further when I realised that this is how God is about us.
We are His stars. We have to shine. He is not happy when we are not at the top of the christmas tree. When we are not being our best. He just wants it to be that whosoever is born of Him stands out and yes OVERCOMES the world. Please don't be overwhelmed by God's demands - It comes with being a dad. Especially when you know you are omnipotent and that you have put the seed of greatness in your kids.Have a great christmas my people.
I had heard many times that having children changes you. Well I guess it is best experienced. One of the biggest lessons becoming a parent has taught me is UNselfishness. Beyond this I have seen so much of my relationship with God in my relationship with my daughter that I am humbled daily. (Children wonder why grown ups are so reflective)
I begin to relate with God - how His love works through His gifts, His rules, His forgiveness, His mercy, and His favor to name a few. At Winona's school, they had all the kids dress up in trad for independence day. They had a lot of fun no doubt, but I remember getting rather upset that the school photographer didn't take enough pictures with her in them. You can imagine. I was only stopped from taking it further when I realised that this is how God is about us.
We are His stars. We have to shine. He is not happy when we are not at the top of the christmas tree. When we are not being our best. He just wants it to be that whosoever is born of Him stands out and yes OVERCOMES the world. Please don't be overwhelmed by God's demands - It comes with being a dad. Especially when you know you are omnipotent and that you have put the seed of greatness in your kids.Have a great christmas my people.
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