Everyday a star is born...

This poem was inspired by a song with the same name by the artistes ~S.O.E

 

Everyday a STAR is born....

Everyday a destiny is fulfilled.

All stars in the Creators eyes,

All of us are truly "stars in His eyes".

We twinkle with His grace,

We twinkle with the gifts and talents He has endowed us with.

Each of us endowed with something really special,

Each of us so UNIQUE and wonderful in our own way....

No two were ever created the same,

Not brothers, nor identical twins, not even them!!!

We may be alike but NEVER the same,

Similar but certainly not a copy.

Like father, like son, the world says;

but the word is "like", not "same".

And that's the beautiful paradox,

That no two stars are ever the same in the night sky...

They all twinkle, they all give light, but no two are the same.

Ask any astronomer if you don't believe me!!!

Of all the millions,
Perhaps even billions of stars in the firmament,

no two are ever the same.

So it is, and so it has ALWAYS been.

And so we are in the Creators eyes,

In the visions He has for our lives.

We were created uniquely and individually,
so beautifully too....

But in trying to CONFORM to the worlds ideals,

Our twinkle becomes enshrouded by the mist,

Then we truly loose ourselves...

Then our light no longer shines,

And we woefully tend towards the darkness.

That's when if we are lucky,

We start to seek and hopefully find our Creator...

 That's when we return to our maker,

For the CORRECT operating instructions.

And when we apply them in our lives,

Wow, the result is an outstanding light!!!

We begin to glow gently, then as we warm up,

Getting comfortable with our instructions,

The flicker of light turns into a thousand light beams,

And we then become bright and shiny STARS...

Twinkling all night long, lighting the way for other travellers,

As they too seek and find their way...

We become the stars that were ordained to from the beginning,

We were ALWAYS stars to Him, always stars to our dear Creator.

But now the whole world clearly sees the star quality,

The whole world now looks on in awe and wonder,

At that bright, shiny, twinkling star,

Wondering where it had been all the while,

Not knowing, not realising that the star was there the whole time,

They just didn't, just couldn't recognise STAR quality.

But the Father always did,

The Creator KNEW His wonderful creations all the time,

We were always beautiful twinkly stars in His eyes,

He was just watching and waiting for us to emerge.

So the next time you watch "stars in their eyes" on the TV,

Take a good look around, all around you are stars in the "waiting".

And all it will take for their stars to start twinkling,

Is the discovery of God and self!!!

And since there are several billion people on earth,

With quite a few more being born everyday,

Certainly a star "IS" born every day,

SEVERAL stars are certainly born each and every day,

You are one of them, and so am I too.

And for that I will forever praise the Lord, Amen...
Hallelujah

By Christie Nonye Akumabor 28/03/10 




We are all truly stars in His eyes

We can do whatever He says we can





TIME IN THE CAVE.....

Hi folks, I was prompted to write this after reading an article about King David's time in his cave. It's the place we all need to go sometime when troubles pile up in our lives, when all our earthly supports have been taken away. When it seems we are all alone and there is no end in sight to the troubles which overwhelm us. I could fully empathise with David's feelings of despair and hopelessness, when he was being hounded by King Saul's soldiers, his mentor the prophet Samuel had died and his friend Jonathan could do nothing to help him......

My trials and troubles have been different as I'm sure have those of everyone else... The death of a loved one; the break down of a marriage; an unrelenting illness in ones child; the loss of a job and as such ones income and economic security; a debilitating illness in ourselves; persecution for ones faith, race, political beliefs or ideology are all major life events that can threaten our happiness, mental well-being, health or emotional stability. And woe betide us if a number of these events all happen at the same time, as they have done on several occasions on my life I must admit!!! That's when we retreat, collapse, and hide away in our caves till we regain our strength.

That's often when we learn the most important things about ourselves. It's when we discover or rediscover I should say our hidden strengths. It's when we discover God and realise He has ALWAYS been there with and for us, we were just too wrapped up in the cares of this world to recognise and appreciate his presence!!! It's where we come face to face with our human frailties, failings and inadequacies, where we can finally admit we are out of our depth and need help [like crazy]... It's where God now fills us with his power that strengthen us in our weakness, [if we would only let Him]. It's where we come to realise that we never had any control over our lives in the 1st place, even when things were seemingly going smoothly.

It's where I have come to depend and rely on God to lead and direct my paths; to trust in him for all things and at all times. I am sure there are a few wonderful select people who don't need to go through the cave experience to learn how to trust God or rely on his strength. But I would hazard a guess that most of us are like King David and even my humble self, who only come to the true knowledge of God and self, by the trials that mould and shape us, as we enter into our caves for a season of growing, strengthening and renewing.

So next time when troubles come knocking on our doors, before we get into a panic and start running around like headless chickens, as I'm often wont to do, ha ha ha. Let's all take a step back and say "hey world, hold on a minute there whilst I go into my cave to seek and consult with my God. Then and only then will I answer you."

Lets look at our times in the "cave" as periods of refreshing, as a kind of necessary spiritual retreat... And lets pray that as we mature and are strengthened by his grace, we will need to retreat into our caves less often and for increasingly shorter periods of time, shalom...

Feeling refreshed after my time out in the cave...

 

Lord, I'm not Job!!!!

Lord I'm not Job. This has sometimes been my heartfelt cry to the Lord at times of trials. At other times I utter it in jest. It really has become a standing joke between God and I when I gently remind Him and myself that "porsin body no be firewood." That I'm only human and can get tired and weary [as if He didn't know already].

Why the analogy to "Job", you may well ask. Well we all know the story of  Job from the Bible and for those who don't or have forgotten; Job was a "righteous man", who lived in times long gone. He was successful, hardworking, prosperous and blessed with a large family too! He served his God faithfully even offering up sacrifices regularly to atone for any sins that "may" have been commited inadvertently by his children. Such was his righteousness, his right-standing with God that he was noted for it, which is where I first beg to differ [I know I am not righteous at all...!].

He lost his family, health, wealth and all his possesions in a series of events that he had no control over whatsoever, all within a short space of time,but still remained faithful to his God. He did not know at the time, that this was only a season of trials, of testings permitted by God at the devils instigation to show his faithfulness and patience. May heaven not remember me like that, or should they???] And Job was faithful and steadfast throughout all his losses and trials despite the urgings of his wife who told him to "curse God and die". He didn't but admonished her not to talk like a fool, saying "if we accept blessings from God we must also accept trouble as well" [Job 2:10].

So in current-day Christian teachings Job has come to signify, patience and steadfastness in the face of [sometimes undeserved] dreadful trials and personal suffering.... "The patience of Job", is now a well-known saying even in the wider non-Christian society. So when I remind God I'm not Job, it's my way of saying "I'm tired God, I know I'm not righteous, I've reached the end of "my" patience, of "my" ability to cope with whatever!!! Please God go and find another one of your more worthy children to submit to the "test", cos me, I WILLINGLY CONCEDE DEFEAT, I WHOLE HEARTEDLY SURRENDER, kindly call off your agents because me sef I don tire!!!

Whether He hears me or not is another matter! Though I feel He does cos I know God has a "wicked" sense of humour, [am I allowed to say that?] and after I've vented, often I feel loads better. Then I hear a "still small voice" reminding me that my own "petty" trials however big they may appear, can in no way compare to Job's or some other peoples. Then I'm encouraged... Then I smile and say again "Lord I'm not Job" but this time with good humour, as a standing joke between the good Lord and myself.

I hope this will encourage any of you who are going through difficult seasons and periods in your life. The bad times will eventually come to an end, we may have learnt some great lessons along the way. We will be stronger by the end of them, and hopefully like Job we'll remain faithful to the God who has blessed us in times of plenty too. And we'd have gained a new and better understanding of our God who only desires good for His children even though we are not always conversant with the ways He brings them about....

GOD'S AMAZING GRACE IN MY LIFE.....

Daily I marvel at God's amazing grace in my life. January 24th 2008, I visited my sister in Farnborough and during our chats, voiced my concerns about a cousin who was expecting a baby, and was almost two weeks past her due date. As a doctor and paediatrician, the implications of a post-date pregnancy are significant to me and I wondered whether her doctors were not considering intervening. Within the next hour I got a text from my brother in Nigeria, with the news that she had just given birth safely to a healthy baby girl, hence quelling all my anxieties.

We chatted further about stuff; friends, family, children and faith. She gave me some God-inspired insights into issues I was dealing with and I hope I did the same for her. I got home and after stuffing my face as I'm wont to do, lay in bed trying to sleep and listening to my favourite CD [or at least flavour of the month CD]. Then the words of a particular track spoke to my heart, "Seasons" by Lara George, as if confirming the dreams and desires God had planted there. No need for deep soul-searching [I do that constantly], thronging through scriptures to find a word or verse that would speak to me. No fasting [sometimes neccessary], praying or asking other christian friends to say a "prayer of agreement" with me.

As I lay in the twilight zone between sleep and wakefulness doing mundane things like listening to music, God used a song writer from Nigeria to speak to me, How awesome.....! No doubt those same words will speak to someone else, somewhere else, about something else, some other time. Who could arrange that, except our  God.... Lest I forget, He had just rescheduled a church meeting for me so I could attend another event; a global prayer session that was being held at the Westminster Chapel the following evening. The two meetings had initially coincided, and I'd pondered which to attend. I had finally decided on the church meeting, to which I owed my first committment. As I checked my emails that evening, lo and behold, the church meeting had been postponed for two hours, thus allowing me to attend the other meeting too, awesome or what???

On a more mundane level, as I'd arrived back at Waterloo Station from Farnborough, I was drawn to the "Sale" sign outside T. M  Lewin's. I went in, and browsed. Something caught my eye, an interesting shirt in pink, green and white stripes. I asked the sales assistant if they did it in a size 18 [I'm a well-rounded lady afterall]. She confirmed they did, and I remember thinking, just before I trifled through the selection, that if God wamted me to buy "that" shirt, they would have it in my size. They did have it, but I also found another lovely shirt in leaf-green , also in a size"18". What was I to do? No way was I going to buy two unbudgeted-for shirts, so I asked a sales assistant his opinion and guess which one he picked? Of course the 1st shirt; which was God's choice for me in the first place....

It may seem trivial to you, but for me, it just goes further to confirm what is becoming clearer daily. If we "let" Him, God will direct "all" our choices, imagine that....! Not only can we not go wrong, we will only have God's choices for us.....! What can top that? What a wonderous way to live?? As I've said, it's God's Amazing Grace, because I know I don't deserve any of this, but I accept it gratefully and praise God joyously all the time, Halleluiah.....!

FATHERS & FATHERHOOD...

This article was inspired by a much loved song by Luther Vandross; "Dance With My Father".

Fathers; we love, respect and cherish them. They sometimes confound and exasperate us, but we wouldn't ever be without them, at least I sure wouldn't be without mine.

The English Dictionary defines a father as; 'A male parent of a human being or animal'. I prefer the 2nd definition along; 'A man who brings up and looks after a child as if he were its male parent'. Further definitions include 'Ancestor -founder of a family', 'Founder -a man who establishes, founds, or originates'. There are several more definitions, but for the purposes of this article, I'll stick with the 2nd definition.

Fatherhood; bringing up and looking after a child, a rather onerous task, MAJOR, MAJOR RESPONSIBILITY, but when done well, ah the rewards it brings...! In todays changing world, where the traditional gender roles are in flux, the vital role of "Father", has sometimes gotten lost, downgraded [to donor of sperm], or left, like unclaimed baggage at the lost-property office. This is such a shame, I should know, cos I had and still have a fantastic relationship with my father. As an innocent trusting child growing up, as a young lady finding her place in the world, and now as a mature adult, discussing lifes issues and meanderings with him.

Guys, if you didn't know it already, you are the first hero your children, particularly your daughters will ever have...! You are the first provider, protector, teacher, knight in shining armour, your children will ever know. And you will remain so in their eyes, if the relationship is maintained and nurturted as the good Lord intended. Yes, they will come to know that you can't solve all lifes problems, that you are human and thus fallible. But they should also know that you'll always be there as a listening ear, to offer words of wisdom and support when ever the need may arise. Your principles and beliefs will form the basis on which they will build their own lives. Do you think you have laid a good enough foundation? If you have, I salute you, if you feel you have fallen slightly short, its never ever too late to improve [something we should all take note of].

I state these unchanging truths, because in todays ever so "changing" world, "the baby often gets thrown out with the bath water". Fathers roles are often disdained and overlooked, when sadly some marraiges inevitably break down. With women commanding ever more economic power [and I'm not suggesting we should return to the dark days of womens complete economic dependence], there is often the feeling that men are dispensable in the childrens lives . True, "men" may be dispensable, BUT FATHERS ARE NOT...! A man who is a "parent" has a defined role to play, and should be given every oppurtunity to live up to the task. If he fails, thats his own look out... And he will live to reap the rewards, as he has sown.

So guys, dudes, fathers, we do love, appreciate, honour, celebrate and need you, even if the world increasingly seems to suggest otherwise. And ladies, if you've got a good guy out there, a good father to your kids, do tell him so. Prompt him to pass on some of what he has learned over the years, to younger less experienced dads, as they too struggle to find and define their roles as "good" fathers. Lets not wait only until fathers day, to tell them we love and cherish them. Like us they sometimes have the need to be affirmed, in this increasingly difficult and complex world.

So to all the great fathers I know out there, and to my own father in particular, I say a big thank you, and dad I love you loads...

On my graduation day with my Dad and sister.

On holiday in my hometown with dad, during the Christmas of '93

Dad with his princesses on his 70th birthday.

The way I feel right now...

The way I feel right now, I would kick God if I came across him.

I would kick Him really, really, really hard,

On the shin bones, where it would hurt the most, or so I would hope...!

In fact since God is Spirit as we are made to believe.

I would wish that just for a moment he could become human so my kick would really have effect.

And I don't mean he becomes Jesus Christ again,

Who has already paid for our sins by his pain and suffering on earth.

I would want to inflict just a little "PAIN" on the Creator of this whole sorry mess,

as the world is today...

As you can imagine I'm rather angry with God right now,

In fact I am pissed off and seriously peeved.

I wish I could give Him a piece of my mind right now,

Which is what I'm actually doing by writing this article.

Maybe, just maybe, I'll feel better after I've vented,

Maybe by letting God know how vexed I am with him it may soothe the deep sorrow in my heart.

Because Lord [and you should know it already since you are omniscient]

You know I am SAD! SAD!! SAD!!! SAD!!!! SAD!!!!!

In fact so sad I contemplated taking my own life last night.

I just didn't have the tools or the energy to do it...

I don't even want to die [because that entails going on to another existence, heaven or hell]

I just want not to EXIST any longer, not even as a spirit entity!!!

I don't even want to go to heaven, cos I'm still so sad and angry.

And they say there is no anger in heaven, so that just won't do.

Some of you "holier-than-thou-art" types will want to castigate me for voicing my feelings,

Go ahead, I really don't give two f**** cos God knows how I feel, whether I voice it or not.

Or do you all want me to add lying to myself to the already dreadful way I feel?

I don't think so!!!

So kindly leave me and my God to sort out matters between ourselves.

Ehen God, back to you as I've said before.

I didn't ask to be created, you decided that all on your own,

Even though you were creating me to a life of pain and anguish,

A lot of it not of my own making..

That is why I will KICK you really hard if I ever get the chance.

You created the world and EVERYTHING in it, abi???

Which means you created the devil and all the EVIL, SICKNESS, ANGUISH AND HOPELESSNESS IN THE WORLD TOO!!!

I won't ask why you did, only you know your reasons,

Which is beyond any kinda reasonable comprehension to me at the moment.

But I will ask why you created ME.

I have the right to do so, or don't I???

I am just soooooo sick and tired of all this pain and anguish.

So please just let me be, just let me cease to exist, you owe me that if nothing else!!!

Otherwise just please appear before me in person and let me KICK YOU so it really hurts,

Just so you perhaps feel a little bit of how I'm hurting right now.

Otherwise you'll be a very WICKED and UNJUST creator,

Which is exactly how I'm beginning to feel at the moment...

By Christie Nonye Akumabor 05/05/10

Beautiful from inside out she is ♥♥♥

Beautiful from inside out she is, 

My strong, brave, big, black beautiful woman.

Comes in many shapes and sizes she does,

Courageous, loving, self-sacrificing, beautiful black woman

Mother to one, mother to all, those are her characteristics.

Regal is her bearing, demure her composure.

From all hues of the "beautiful black rainbow" she hails,

Ebony black, chocolate caramel, golden brown, toffee coloured and light cream,

Fat, slim, curvy or not, kinky-haired or permed,

They are all lovely, beautiful just as God created them.

Mothers of Kings, Princes, Freedom fighters and even slaves,

The beautiful strong black woman, loves with abandon.

Her love has no conditions, and she can bear any burden for love,

For the love of her man, her child, her brothers, sisters, and her tribe.

She asks for no payment in return, often receiving none as her due,

But still she loves, and loves deeply....

God gave the black woman a heart of gold, because he knew,

Hers was a heart that needed to be strong, brave, pure and long-suffering.

Brow-beaten by society, kept in bondage by norms and customs, for many a year,

The brave, beautiful black woman will not stay down,

Will never stay down.....

Like the beautiful phoenix, she arises from the ashes of her suffering,

To birth the dreams and aspirations of future generations.

Like Sarah of old, she will be given laughter for tears, joy for ashes,
Her rewards await her, in heaven if not on earth.

She does have moments of triumph however, small though they may be,

Like when her child succeeds in life and honours her,

The achievements of her man, delight her heart,

The coming of grandchildren, her crowning glory.

Strong, bold, brave, lovely, beautiful black woman, I salute you.

For never giving up, for loving despite the pain,

For triumphing over abuse, betrayal, rejection and abandonment.

For coping with polygamy, concubines, endless pregnancies and infant deaths.

For not succumbing to western ideas and ideals of what beauty is,

For redefining in a way only black women can, of what OUR beauty truly is.

For carrying on, when sometimes our men have given up.

For being there still, when all else have deserted,
Endurance is her middle name, the strong, courageous, beautiful black woman,

And what a lovely name that is....

From the lowliest of prisons, to the loftiest kings thrones, you'll find her,

Loving, supporting, encouraging her husband, her son, her father, brother or friend.

Her love is like a favourite blanket; soft, warm and encompassing,

Her lips sing lullaby's to babes in arms, her arms comfort the crying child.

She holds her man in high esteem, and if he treats her right,

Wow, he can barely cope with the delights....

Wild and untamed, passionate yet submissive, strong yet so soft.

Beautiful from inside out; wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend

I salute all the strong, brave, bold, lovely and loving, beautiful black women I know,
And especially for my dear late mum; Ogbuefi Mrs Ursula Nwanefuru Akumabor

Mbona, Dalu so, Nagode, Ekusé, Asante sana...

By Christie Nonyelum Akumabor 01/05/10

My Mum, Grandmum and Aunt.

Mum and daughter

 With my dear friend and sister Vivian

With my dear Aunt Nneka; "Mother is supreme"

Just moi


With my darling grandmother

My dear friends daughter, a beautiful Bini princess

The beautiful but stolen mask of Queen Idia of Benin

Another time, another look..

ORIGINS, ARISEN....

I had a dream one night, a few years ago now.

My dreams are often a kaleidoscope,

Of incongruent images which make no sense.

But, I remembered this dream,

I remembered it vividly,

Though it made no sense, at the time.

I saw a huge tree in my dream,

With massive branches spreading widely.

I got the impression, quite strongly too

That the tree was located in Benin.

From the tree trunk, arose the figure of a woman,

It looked like she had sprung out of the earth.

It seemed that like the massive tree,

Her roots were firmly embedded in the earth,

from whence she had arisen,

And her arms were outstretched, just like the branches.

What did this mean?

What did this connote?

I wondered briefly, then forgot,

Till I saw a depiction of my dream in a cousins painting,

Not very long afterwards, WOW!!!

How could this be, I wondered?

How could my cousin have drawn my vision?

When I had shared it with no one else,

When I could barely make sense of it myself?

Is it because we are relatives, thus connected?

We are connected, because we are cousins,

We are connected, because we share the same blood.

We are connected, because we both schooled in Benin.

I also lived there for most of my childhood and youth,

While he spent some of his formative years there in boarding school.

We are both doctors, as well as artists,

I'm the literary kind, he's the graphic kind.

So scientific and artistic we both are!

An unusual combination of skills don't you think?

Or is it really???

I digress, as I am wont to do.

So back to my dream.

What does it mean?

Does it even matter what it means???

I've had some thoughts on this,  

But no firm conclusions yet.

I've even come across an Igbo chap,

Who unbeknownst to himself,

Echoed some of my thoughts.

Amazing, don't you think,

That three separate beings,

Could share the same "bizarre" thoughts.

I won't go into the details here,

Of my thoughts, of my clumsy interpretations.

Its too absurd to consciously voice out, even to myself.

So I leave "YOU", with the puzzle of my dream,

Is there anybody out there, who can shed some light?

Like Joseph of old, is there any dream interpreter out there?

My thoughts on the matter include "Origins", "The garden of Eden",

But I make no firm conclusions.

Only the good Lord knows what my dream meant,

And whether it even meant anything at all even....!

If it did, I know in time all WILL be revealed,

Selah...

By Christie Nonye Akumabor 20/04/10



Queen Idia of Benin

Then I went and found this picture of me,
which I'd completely forgotten about



Just moi, sporting my new Masai look

LIFE; A JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY OF SELF AND GOD

Who am I? I would occasionally ask, staring at my reflection in the mirror.

What makes me act the way I do? What am I here for? What's my purpose on this earth?

What determines self is a fundamental question that man has asked throughout the centuries.

The answers have often eluded even the greatest thinkers and philosophers of the times.

So do I now have the answer to this profound question? Yes, a resounding yes!!!

I am a wonderful being of God's deliberate creation.

He's my Father and He created me. His is the handwriting on the wall of my life. 

I am the delightful dance to the tune He dictates, as "He Pays The Piper".

I am the blank page, on which He will draw the most beautiful designs.

I am anything and everything He says I am,
And what He says is fantastic!!!

My earholes have been unblocked, unclogged now...!

Earholes that were clogged with the limited perceptions of the world.

Clogged, with the negative attitudes of others, which I'd imbibed over time.

Clogged, with the memories of past failures and disappointments.
No longer...! No more do I hear that cacophony of senseless noise.

I now hear only the sweet melody of my Creator's voice,

As He speaks words of encouragement to me.

A voice only I can hear, and there is no interference from without, anymore...!

A voice so clear that it sinks deep down into my being, where it resonates with my soul.

I now know who I am, and the knowledge has set me free...!

Free to soar like an eagle, into the clouds or wherever my Creator would have me go.

The knowledge was there from the beginning,

Was integrated into my being from when I was first created.

It got lost somewhere along the way,

But on my journey through life I've rediscovered it, and Wow...!

What a wonderful and fantastic discovery it was, a real Eureka moment...!

Wait and see the beautiful dance my Creator will lead me in.

Listen out for the wonderful duet we'll create,

As He leads me down the paths He has laid out for me.

It's going to be a wonderful journey from here on in,

And I really can't wait to get started,

I hope you all will soon begin your journeys of discovery with the Lord.

And for those of you who have already commenced, It's an amazing trip isn't it?

I hope to meet up with you somewhere along the way.

You'll know it's me, by the accompanying whoops of joy, loud music and riotous dancing that'll follow in our wake.

Lord I thank you, because I am fearfully and wonderfully made...

By Christie Nonye Akumabor 18/04/10

I am fearfully and wonderfully made, thank you Lord

I can soar like an eagle anywhere my Father takes me

 And we'll dance together more beautifully and gracefully than
these dancers



Yep, my Atilogwu dance with the Lord sure has started ((*_*))

THE DARK DON'T SCARE ME ANYMORE....!

The dark don't scare me anymore....!

The night no longer holds any terrors.

I used to be scared of the dark, like all kids were,

But aged 8, I asked the Lord to help me,

And He sure did answer my plea.

I can now confidently go anywhere in the dark,

It has been so since I was 8.

I know there are some dangers out there,

Robbers, muggers, rapists and snakes.

But whilst I do not willingly court danger,

The dark sure don't scare me anymore....!

I asked God when I was 8,

To help me conquer my fear of the dark,

And like the loving generous Father He is,

He responded at once to my request.

I am now a child of the night,

When I often do my best work.

When I can work without growing weary,

When inspiration comes to me unbidden.

At night I would often complete tasks begun in the day,

Like tidying my room as a growing teenager,

Down to the last detail, down to the last shoe, in it's right place,

Despite my mums pleas of  "Christie please go to sleep."

As an adult my presentations got their finishing touches at night.

Even this poem, was started and finished this very night.

The dark don't scare me anymore....!

Because I asked God for help about it as a child,

At a time when I had complete faith and trust in Him.

How I wish I could have that child-like trust again,

How I pray for that unwavering belief in His Omnipotence.

I do occasionally happen upon glimpses of that trust,

Like when He helped me conquer my fear of pedestrian overhead bridges recently.

I believe, but I sometimes still waver, unfortunately...

I believe, but I sometimes think God is saying no and then I waver again.

I need to rediscover the child in me, who believed, hoha.

I hope to find her as I journey through life,

That child who once believed, that once trusted fully, will be found...

I REALLY DO NEED TO FIND HER!

Because if the dark don't scare her anymore, once I find her;

NOTHING WILL EVER SCARE ME, ANYMORE, EVER AGAIN!!!

So Lord, please help me seek and find her,

Cos, the dark really don't scare me anymore....!

By Christie Nonye Akumabor 18/04/10



No longer afraid, ha ha ha

My ten year old unafraid self

JESUS, WHO IS HE......?

Jesus, the only son of God, the Christ, the Messiah. Immanuel; "God with us", the greatest man who ever lived on earth, who'll ever live on earth........!

Angels announced his impending birth. The son of a humble couple, from the town of Bethlehem in Judea [current day Palestine]. Descended from the royal lineage of King David, his destiny foretold by prophets long since gone [Is 7:14]. A new star heralded his birth, wise men came from the far off east, following that bright star, to pay him homage. Nearby shepherds came to worship at his feet, Herod heard and was scared, he tried to have him killed, but Jesus was taken away to safety in Egypt on an angels beckoning. [Matt 2:15]

What was his purpose here on earth, what did he come to do......?

He came to do the most generous thing, the noblest thing any man has ever done for another, throughout the course of history. He came to teach us about his Father, despite the scorn, ridicule and derision he received along the way. He came to reunite us with our Creator, from whom we had been separated, since the fall of Adam at the beginning of time [Gen 3:23-24]. He came to preach good news to the poor, heal the sick, give sight to the blind and set the captives free.

He came as a living sacrifice, to atone for all our sins by the giving of his life and the shedding of his blood on the cross. He did this while we were all still unrepentant sinners, he did this even when we whipped him, cursed him, spat on him, stripped him of his garments, strung him up and nailed him to the cross. And yet, he still prayed for us, prayed that God his father would forgive us "because we did not know what we were doing" [Lk 23:34]. Jesus knew this was the reason he was sent to earth, to die in a most horrible manner for our sins, and yet he came willingly......, like a lamb to the slaughter.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" [Jn 3:16]. Jesus came to love us, sinners, as His Father loved him. He entreated us to obey his commands and remain in his love, just as he had obeyed his Father's commands and remained in Gods love. Yeah, he commanded us: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love  has no-one than this, that a man should lay down his life for his friends [Jn 15:9-13]. We are his friends if we do what he commands, he has made known to us everything that he learned from his Father, and again he commands us to love each other [Jn 15:17].

For me, this is the very essence of Who Jesus is, this is the basis of the redemptive message he brought to the world. "God loves us, He wants to save us, He sent his only Son to save us, He desires that we love Him whole heartedly, and He also desires, actually commands us, to love each other, as He has loved us.

If we claim to know who Jesus is, are we doing what he commands.......? Thats an imponderable question.

THE IDOLS IN OUR LIVES

Our expectations of what we should have acheived in life are often the greatest idols in our lives. I.e. our career goals, financial success, marraiges, children, the way our spouses/family/friends treat us. Nothing ever turns out the way we expect, or when we expect it, and we find it sooooo difficult to let go of our expectations, or at least I did.......! That's when they become the idols in our lives.

They take our focus off God and stop us believing in Him, then we scramble around aimlessly, trying to attain the unattainable, acheive the unacheivable, repair the irreparable, sometimes we even attempt the ridiculous and try to turn back time!! We need to surrender complete control to God, then trust Him to sort every single thing out....

He really will [Phil 4:19], He is able to, He tells us He will, and most importantly, He wants to... He just needs us to trust Him completely and He will give us every good thing. 'For I know the plans I have for you', declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'. Jer 29:11

Dear friends, if this resonates with you, then you're probably like me, trying to hold on to the "steering wheel" of your life instead of surrendering complete control into God's very capable hands. And if it doesn't, then I thank God you've already found complete trust in Him. As for the rest of us, we are still works in progress. Just try it and see. What do you have to loose??? Afterall if you could have sorted it by yourself, it would no longer be an issue... Just trust God with the small and big issues in your life and prepare to be amazed. And we don't have to be righteous or deserving for God to sort us out. He created us, and because he loves us regardless, he will always answer us whenever we cry out to Him...

He'll shower us with love if we ask and then just keep still

God IS love

And he sends us a rainbow to remind us of his undying love

He will answer us when we call on him

 

GOD SPOKE TO ME AGAIN THIS MORNING............

WHY WE MUST CONTINUE TO PRAY...

God spoke to me again this morning. I was in the "twilight zone", that period between sleep and wakefulness, when God spoke to me in His clear precise voice. I've heard God's voice clearly on several occasions, the 1st time was when I was 10 years old. In the last year or two the occasions have become much more frequent and I now instantly recognize His voice.

He said "WE MUST CONTINUE PRAYING EVEN WHEN WE FACE OBSTACLES." The immediate context was in relation to the resolution of a serious family feud between some friends of mine. One sibling had become so angry with the entire family and had refused to speak to or have anything to do with any of his siblings for several years despite entreaties by the parents and serious attempts to resolve the issues. In the past few months the person had started speaking to one of the siblings and had even deigned to attend a family birthday party. The rest of the family were pleasantly surprised to see them and even though things are not completely right yet there's now hope for a complete resolution of the feud and a return to good family relationships and interactions.

I talked briefly about the rapproacment with one sister and while we rejoiced about the direction of things, the sister stated that she will continue to pray for full resolution and increased love within the family. We will ALL face challenges and trying situations in our lives and need to pray unceasingly regardless of whatever obstacle is in our path... Our God who hears and answers all prayers is listening and will answer us in due time. In the meantime we must keep praying. The previous evening I had just received the answer to a prayer request I had made over 6 months earlier! The person I was actually praying about had even since died, but God had heard and answered my prayer though I didn't know it until that night...

My youngest brother was diagnosed with a brain tumour just over a year ago and passed away after about ten months of illness. At the same time as he was diagnosed in America, there was another young man of his acquiantance who was diagnosed with the same type of brain tumour in Canada. Even though I didn't actually know the young man in question, I prayed for his recovery anyway... The similarities between himself and my brother were uncanny. Both were born and brought up in the same city in Nigeria, attended the same university, had a similar circle of friends, had recently relocated to Canada and the United States respectively and were both recently married with young wives and children. When I heard the other young man's illness had progressed and he'd slipped into a coma and it seemed likely he wasn't going to recover, I asked the Lord to please let him regain conciouness even if briefly, in order to speak to his wife before he passed on.

When I heard he'd died, I asked if he had ever regained conciousness and was told no. That I thought was the end of the matter. That evening as I received condolences about my brother from a family friend, he told me he was also a close friend of the other young man and had even been to visit him in Canada. Without my asking, he stated that the young man had undergone an operation to relieve the pressure in his brain, and he did recover conciousness, albeit briefly! I then asked if his wife had been present at the time and what do you expect...? Of course she was and had been able to speak with her husband for a while before he slipped rapidly back into unconciousness. He did not realise the significance of what he'd told me but I was so grateful to God that He did answer my prayer, even though I hadn't known it at the time.. I felt like leaping and shouting out praises to God there and then. It may seem like a little thing to some of you, but that God answered my prayer and against all odds found a way to let me know it, is glorious and amazing to me and I'm ever so gratetful. 

The young men both died, within 5-6 months of each other. Both have left widows and young children to support, but in all this God hears, cares and answers us, especially when our hearts are right with His. So regardless of what obstacles we will have to face, regardless of whatever dreadful situation we might be in, we must continue to pray. God is looking for steadfastness, He's looking for complete faith and trust in Him along with right-heartedness, then will He hasten to answer us when we call upon Him in our time of need. Now more than ever will I continue to pray, and I hope so will you too............

Three years on, December 2012

The sun always rises in the morning, so too the dark can't
extinguish the light of God and prayer reminds us of this.