RAISE THE CHILDREN RIGHT

Raise the children right, in Christ,

Then everything will be all right.

Raise the children right,
With love, kindness and care,

Then they will flourish and bloom,

Like lovely flowers God created so fair.

If you teach your children kindness, consideration and honesty,

Then they'll become kind-hearted, generous adults with integrity.

Teach your children right, teach them the laws of God and humanity

Then a better world you'll help create with equinamity.

Treat the children right,
All the children everywhere,

Especially those not of your blood,
 But that are in your care!!!

Treat them as you would like your children,
Treated by the strangers they'll meet.

Else your children learn wrong from you,
 And become a danger in the street.

Treat all children right,
 With love, care and kindness I say.

And teach all children to treat ALL others the same way.
Teach them to treat each other kindly,

Regardless of age, race, colour, tribe, status, religion or gender.

Then we'll raise adults who judge others only,
Based on the content of their character.

Then they'll grow up without prejudice and treat all others fairly.

Then we'll truly re-create the world as it was meant to be so clearly.

"It takes a village to raise a child"
Is what we say back home.
So we must then all get involved I add
Mums, Aunts, Uncles and also Dad.
Grandparents, Family friends, Teachers and Mentors too.
Godparents and neighbours also have a role to play that's true.

If we raise the children right,
They'll turn out so very bright.
It is a solemn and sacred duty,
Which we should carry out with care.
And if we perform our duties well,
The rewards will be beyond compare.

Towards a great and brighter future,

And towards a better world we'll dare.

By Christie Nonye Akumabor© 28/06/13

My niece Wendu's 2nd birthday August 1991

A mother reading to her son.

With my beautiful neice Nicole

MY PURSUIT OF GOD; 1ST-21ST OF JUNE 2013




Yours truly feeling snazzy
on day 1 of the fast

Day 8 My Pursuit of God; This is just mine and the members of Jesus House, London's latest effort at digging deeper to seek a better relationship, understanding and revelation of our God, whom I call Yahweh amongst other names. Actually I usually call him "Father Lord" during my constant chat sessions with him. At other times I call him Baba God more recently UltimateOga@TheTop, a name I've coined from a term used by a hapless top government official during a live interview on Nigerian national television, but that's entirely another story,((*_*)).

Ran into a pal from Uniben
on day 8, after over 20years

The pastors and leaders within Jesus House felt led to declare a 21 day fast during the month of June, when we are encouraged to commit more of our time and resources to increased praying, meditation, reading of the word, fellowshipping with others and communing with our God in order to gain a deeper and closer relationship with him. We also desire and hope to hear from him more clearly and thus become better able to submit to and do his will whilst we are still here on earth...

So along with giving a summarised version of what's happened in my life and the life of the church for the past week, I'll be posting daily updates over the next 14 days as well as pictures, songs or videos as I deem fit to share my experience with you. So welcome my dear friends and family to my Pursuit of God experience and do have a lovely weekend.
Meanwhile enjoy this lovely song I just found during my search for a particular song titled;
Yahweh. http://youtu.be/uhFauQ-9nhY



With my sister, a pal and my brother
who was visiting from Naija on day 7













Day 12
Hiya folks, I'm just checking in again after my last post. I know I'd promised daily updates, but life got in the way so I haven't managed daily updates yet, but I promise to share more frequently from now on.

Well I can truly say I am more closely connected to my God right now, I listen out for and do hear his voice, his quiet promptings too. And this hasn't only happened by my regular attendance at the daily evening church services or through strict observance of the fast, which for various health reasons I could not fully participate in, but I hope to join in the fast for the last few days as the fast progresses, though I am abstaining from some food groups as well as giving up Facebook for the entire period...

Anyway back to my pursuit of God [as if he went anywhere in the 1st place, lol], I certainly seem to keep experiencing new expressions of his love, grace and provision, especially his GRACE... I see manifestations of his awesome power and presence all around me, like when I rose early to feed the birds in the park close to my home one morning. I had been planning to go and feed the birds and listen to their dawn chorus for a little while, and I finally managed to do this during the early days of the fast. I then sat beneath the branches of a rather large tree in the middle of the park, watching the birds feed, people walking their dogs or sometimes just themselves and meditated on the word of God and what I'd read in 'The Word For Today', that morning.

It was truly amazing to see the birds swoop down, feed and then fly off again as "happy as Larry". I also managed to take a few pictures on my phone which serves as my mobile bible and sip the hot coffee I'd brought along in a thermos cup, what bliss... It truly brings alive for me the bible verse that says "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than they?" Matt 7:26


I managed to capture some of the birds
on my phone camera

Day9 With my sister and her kids who
 had their 1st Holy Communion on Sunday

Dancing and Jubilation in Jesus House
 on Day 12 of the fast

Day 14
Hmmmmm, decisions, decisions, decisions!!! I woke up quite early today, at 4:12am precisely. It was too early to actually rise so I spent the next 90 minutes or so reading the Bible, the book of Isaiah, then meditating and praying. I later showered, dressed and was preparing to go out and feed the birds again when I was overcome with lassitude, probably due to lack my of sleep and the lingering effects of a bad viral infection I was still recovering from.

Anyway I decided to lay down to get some much needed rest and managed to get about two hours of sleep before my phone rang at just after 9:00 am, it was a friend. After rising for the second time today, I decided to take it easy and let God help me plan the rest of my day. So here I am at 3:30pm, writing in my journal, I've just finished speaking to another friend and am feeling empowered to finally get up and go!!!

The "devil is a liar" as we say in "Christianese", so I'm off out to feed the birds in the park. I've decided it doesn't matter if the sun is now high in the sky or that there are likely to be fewer birds in the park at this time. I've decided to feed them so fed they will be, ha ha ha. After that it's either the Antiques Arts Fair in Kensington for which I have free tickets to, or the V&A Museum to see what's on offer for their Friday late night closing. Then perhaps I'll pop into Harrods on my way back as I also have an invite to their Sales Preview as these places are all in close proximity in South Kensington. Perhaps I'll make it back to North West London for tonight's evening service, but I somehow doubt it...

Oh well, my father in heaven will surely understand I know. It's a Friday after all and He alone knows how many of those I've spent in not so happy circumstances in times gone by... So onwards and upwards I go. Catch up with you all later and do have a fun-filled and blessed weekend too y'all, ciao. Now I hope you enjoy one of my all time favourite songs by Diana Ross; Reach Out And Touch Somebody's Hand - http://youtu.be/629_vLbgv7g

Day 14+
Ahem, guess what??? I didn't get anywhere near South Kensington today! I got as far as Brent Cross Shopping Complex and then God simply ordered my steps across the road to Jesus House for the 7pm evening service and I am soooooooooo glad He did, Hallelujah!!!

Tonight, we had a totally awesome service led by Pastor David Stroud from Christ Chapel, Convent Garden. He preached such a powerful message about total trust and dependency on God, and that when we believe, with God ALL things become possible!!! I feel truly blessed to have been in the awesome presence of God this evening, who spoke words of encouragement and exhortation to us through His blessed prophet; Pastor David Stroud...

I'll leave you with this song while I go get some shut eye, How Great Is Our God- http://youtu.be/0ZFN8TBfgNU

Day 15
I attended an early morning prayer meeting that Pastor Agu was led to call for the singles in the congregation who desire to be married, according to God's holy plan. I actually managed to get there before the 6:30am start; anyone who knows me well will know that was actually a minor miracle, lol. I am soooooo NOT a morning person at all... The meeting was awesome, with deep and salient truths revealed, as well knowledge shared about why God desires and intends us to have blessed, happy and godly marriages. It is all part of His awesome plan for us and for His entire creation.


After the meeting which ended just after 9:00a, I made my way to Barnet Hospital with a chocolate cake I'd baked and iced for the staff who had looked after me so well when I had major surgery there 7 weeks ago. The location and name of the ward had changed as part of the building work and expansion going on in the hospital, but I managed to find the renamed and relocated ward, and handed over my little token of gratitude and appreciation to the staff. I then headed off to see a friend who lives nearby, getting caught up in some heavy showers along the way [they predicted sunshine and warmth, hmmmmmmm!]. To be contd.
.

a

My homemade chocolate cake

THERE IS A KING IN YOU BY DONALD LAWRENCE:- http://youtu.be/oxZBXdLplag

Day 17
Listening to some wonderful Gospel music whilst I write my updates. and I just wanna share some of my much loved tracks with you, so here goes;

MY NAME IS VICTORY BY DONALD LAWENCE:- http://youtu.be/9WoGBvtN--8
HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD [WORLD EDITION- LIVE]:- http://youtu.be/Q-ZtKzw-ipo

Day 18
Hmmmmmmmmmm, where do I start my dear friends??? Words fail me to describe my increasing astonishment at what God is doing in my life and the life of the others around me. I'll simply say the Lord is BLESSING ME BOKU BOKU!!!

I know I don't deserve any of this, this is simply unmerited favour -grace... All I can say is THANK YOU LORD, THAMK YOU LORD... Perhaps in a day or two I'll be better able to elucidate a little of what I have and am experiencing, but for now I leave you with a lovely worship song which was rendered at the end of this evening's awesome service, with a wonderful sermon delivered by Dr Okey Onuzo who is one of our regular guest speakers at Jesus House, because it kind of epitomises exactly how I feel at the moment, enjoy...

I'LL STAND WITH ARMS HIGH:- http://youtu.be/kV5iZBTNYrk

The Tribe of Judah choir leading us in amazing worship
 hours after the service had officially ended

A cross-section of pastors and congegation who simply REFUSED
 to go home and remained to dance and sing to the Lord 

Day 20
My day started fantastically when I woke at 5.30 am, read the days reading in The Word For Today along with some bible passages and feeling energised put on my trainers [the first time in years] and sports gear and spent the  the went for an early morning work, ostensibly to feed the birds too. I decided to forgo my usual walking route and go another direction and I'm so glad I did, whoopee...

Because I discovered a fantastic walking route, uphill [great for the thighs and heart] with wonderful scenery, a quiet secluded public park too, with local garden allotments just off the main route with plenty of wild flowers available for picking and a short cut to a friends house which I never knew about, WOW!!! Now I've lived here for 3 months short of 7 years and have never walked that route before, hmmmmmmm... Well I can only thank God for opening my ryes and mind to the beauty that's around me once again. In fact my constant refrain whilst I was walking was "Lord you have blessed me boku, boku!!!" It may seem like so little to some of you, but as an increasing nature lover and a long time lover of natural scenery, architecture and solitude, this was just my cuppa tea found in my backyard, awesome.


The day just got better from there on. I ended my walk on my local Broadway, going for a hot Mocha in my local deli, posting a birthday package to a friend, picking up some ingredients to bake yet another chocolate cake and browsing through some of the Charity shops on the way, coming out with yet another cookery book -one about West Indian Cookery as well as some carved wooden figurines which I love so much. I continued the day by observing the fast, breaking after 6pm and then went on to a wonderful evening service at Jesus House at 7 pm till late. All in all I had a really awesome day and feel truly blessed and spoiled by our good Lord, Hallelujah.

Meanwhile enjoy this song I found by Bebe and Cece Winans featuring Mary Mary, called [World Peace] Let It Be http://youtu.be/1NV7rZ3cuD0

The secluded park, lovely scenery and uphill walk I just
discovered in my backyard on Day 20 of the Pursuit, WOW.

The lovely flowers I picked on my walks,
apart from the red rose which I bought.