Barack Is Back!!!!

Hey Adetayo,

Yes, Barack is back!!!

Like you I can't wait for this thing to be over, and President Obama is elected back in office for 4 more years, to finish the good work he has started. My nerves are on tethers edge right now, and I've had to tune off all things politics for the past 2 weeks. The whole thing was starting to affect my health, so I stopped listening to political news from all sources: TV, Internet or Newspapers. I didn't watch the VP debate or even the one of last night. You can imagine the surprise of people here at home when I told them I wasn't going to watch the debates. I was however relieved this morning to read the news- the 1st time in 2 weeks - about the President's performance in the debate. It is a step in the right direction toward wrapping this thing up once and for all.

A lot is at stake in this election. Any objective observer of the events of the last 4 years would know that no President in America history has faced such a level of hatred and opposition than President Obama since he took office in January 2009, 

especially at a time when the nation is facing such a dire economic upheaval. the hatred for this President started long he was elected, even before he enacted any policy. A lot of this hatred was championed by the so-called Christian Conservatives using their media outlet, the Fox News.

Despite the fierce opposition by the Republicans and their minions in Congress, and their deliberate attempt to sabotage his Presidency, the economic policies of the President Obama are beginning to pay dividen. JOBS are being created...43 months of continuous job growth and 5 million new jobs compared to 800000 job loss when he took office. The unemployment rate has fallen to 7.8%. Manufacturing is at a height never seen before.

If the Republicans are allowed back into office, they'll simply take credit for the economic growth that is the product of President Obama's policies. What concerns me most, however, is that by the time they leave office, their failed policies would have wiped off all the gains, and we'll back in economic doldrums again. That should not be allowed that to happen. 

Moreover their standard bearer, Mr Romney, is VERY BAD for the country. He has nothing new to offer the nation other than the same old same old ideas of the Bush Presidency, that resulted in the worst economic disaster this country has  experienced since the Great Depression. And besides his lack of idea, Mr Romney is a man without any core beliefs. He is a liar, a cheat, and a vulture capitalist, who is looking out for himself and his rich friends alone. There is no policy or political position that Mr Romney for which he hasn't taken both sides. A serial flip-flopper who will say and do anything to advance his own selfish agenda. As a candiate for Senate and Governor in Massachusetts, he was for abortion and gay marriage. At that time he described himself as more liberal than Ted Kennedy. Fast forward to the current election season, he now says, and I quote, "I am severely conservative". He is now anti-abortion and anti gay marriage. Here is a man who was the father of the healthcare law in Massachusetts (Romneycare) that was used to craft the Obamacare. He has now disowned his signature achievement as Governor, because of political expediency. According to him he will repeal Obamacare if he is elected as President. No wonder Ted Kennedy nicknamed him "Multiple Choice Romney".

Romney is nothing more than an empty suit, driven by blind ambition. His sole purpose for the past 20 years has been to become President. If he gets elected, the poor, the middle class should know they are on their own, because his economic policies will completely decimate the foundation that Barack Obama has laid for a thriving middle class. Mr Romney will destroy all the social safety nets that the President has put in place. 

We should therefore do all we can to make sure President Obama is reelected for 4 more years. Donate (www.barackobama.com), canvass, knock on doors, call your friends and families, register to vote, and make sure you vote on November 6, 2012.

On Oct 17, 2012, at 8:39 AM, Axxxx Oxxxx <aoxxxxxx@yahoo.com> wrote:

Broda Akin,

I did not watch the debate last night (I'm in Zambia at the moment and was sleeping at the time), but I read all the news and reviews online this morning, and e be like say our guy is back o!!. I said to myself Broda Akin must be happy about this o. This race is quite nerve-racking! I hope Obama keeps this momentum and wins this thing. I don't like that Romney guy AT ALL!

Trust all is well!

Enjoy:)

Adetayo

God makes all things beautiful in His time

We Are Our Brother's Keepers

Paul Ryan's Budget: What Would Jesus Say?

Erika Christakis

August 14, 2012

www.time.com

Americans often tell pollsters they yearn for a return to the Christian principles on which the U.S. was founded. If so, they should take a closer look at the Mitt Romney–Paul Ryan ticket. Jesus’ teachings regarding wealth are nowhere to be found in Ryan’s budget proposal.

Ryan’s proposed tax cuts for the rich would be shouldered by the working and middle classes. According to Forbes magazine, the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center calculated that those earning more than $1 million would get an average tax reduction of more than $250,000, while 50% of people earning $20,000-$30,000 per year would get nothing. Put another way, under Ryan’s proposed tax plan, the after-tax incomes of the rich would grow by 12%; those of the poor would increase by less than 1%.

But it gets worse. The estimated $4.6 trillion increase in the national deficit over the next 10 years as a result of these tax cuts will be absorbed by cuts to programs that provide economic opportunity to working poor and middle class, such as Medicare and Food Stamps. Some might argue that freeing our wealthiest taxpayers to keep more of their own money will allow them to care for the poor privately and in their own way. Indeed, we have a long tradition of private philanthropy in the U.S., and religiously affiliated people are known to be generous — albeit mainly to their own churches. But no amount of private giving can compensate for such a massive breakdown in the government infrastructure that gives needy people a helping hand. As Campbell has noted, the many people receiving food stamps are not lazy ingrates but full-time employees struggling to make a livable wage and nearly half of all recipients are children.

Read more: http://ideas.time.com/2012/08/14/why-paul-ryans-budget-unchristian/#ixzz23bShSdO6

The Heart of Starbucks Is Siren a Twin-Tailed Mermaid

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Posted by Steve M., senior writer

Great question. It’s one we kept asking ourselves during the evolution of our logo (and yes, that’s right, a writer was involved in a logo project). We all needed to really, deeply understand for ourselves who she is.

So, a little history.

Let’s go all the way back to 1971, to when Starbucks was first coming to be. In a search for a way to capture the seafaring history of coffee and Seattle’s strong seaport roots, there was a lot of poring over old marine books going on. Suddenly, there she was: a 16th century Norse woodcut of a twin-tailed mermaid, or Siren. There was something about her – a seductive mystery mixed with a nautical theme that was exactly what the founders were looking for. A logo was designed around her, and our long relationship with the Siren began.

Over the last 40 years we’ve made some changes to that identity. Now we’re doing that again, to keep ourselves relevant as we evolve without ever losing sight of our heritage. But the Siren has always been there. She is at the heart of Starbucks.

As a writer, though, I can tell you that there is a lot more to her than just the design and how she looks. This is what she means to me, and to us.

She is a storyteller, carrying the lore of Starbucks ahead, and remembering our past. In a lot of ways, she’s a muse –always there, inspiring us and pushing us ahead.

And she’s a promise too, inviting all of us to find what we’re looking for, even if it’s something we haven’t even imagined yet.

She means something different to every one who sees her, who knows her. For me she’s kind of the final say on the spirit of everything I write and everything we do. Even as I’m writing this, I wonder what she thinks. (She likes it, by the way.)

Here we are today. Our new evolution liberates the Siren from the outer ring, making her the true, welcoming face of Starbucks. For people all over the globe, she is a signal of the world’s finest coffee – and much more. She stands unbound, sharing our stories, inviting all of us in to explore, to find something new and to connect with each other. And as always, she is urging all of us forward to the next thing. After all, who can resist her?

Not me.

Find Article at the following link: http://www.starbucks.com/blog/so-who-is-the-siren

A Letter to the Church on Gay Marriage

Otis Moss III

Senior Pastor

Trinity UCC, Chicago

My Brother,

Tell your brethren who are part of your ministerial coalition to “live their faith and not legislate their faith” for the Constitution is designed to protect the rights of all. We must learn to be more than a one-issue community and seek the beloved community where we may not all agree, but we all recognize the fingerprint of the Divine upon all of humanity.

There is no doubt people there are people who are same-gender-loving who occupy prominent places in the body of Christ. For the clergy to hide from true dialogue with quick dismissive claims devised from poor biblical scholarship is as sinful as unthoughtful acceptance of a theological position. When we make biblical claims without sound interpretation we run the risk of adopting a doctrinal position of deep conviction but devoid of love ethic. Deep faith may resonate in our position, but it is the ethic of love that forces us to prayerfully reexamine our position.

The question I believe we should pose to our congregations is, “Should all Americans have the same civil rights?” This is a radically different question than the one you raised with the ministers, “Does the church have the right to perform or not perform certain religious rites. R.I.T.E.S” There is difference between rights and rites. We should never misconstrue rights designed to protect diverse individuals in a pluralistic society versus religious rites designed by faith communities to communicate a theological or doctrinal perspective. These two questions are answered in two fundamentally different arenas. One is answered in the arena of civic debate where the Constitution is the document of authority. The other is answered in the realm of ecclesiastical councils where theology, conscience and biblical mandates are the guiding ethos. I do not believe ecclesiastical councils are equipped to shape civic legislation nor are civic representatives equipped to shape religious rituals and doctrine.

The institution of marriage is not under attack as a result of the President’s words. Marriage was under attack years ago by men who viewed women as property and children as trophies of sexual prowess. Marriage is under attack by low wages, high incarceration, unfair tax policy, unemployment, and lack of education. Marriage is under attack by clergy who proclaim monogamy yet think nothing of stepping outside the bonds of marriage to have multiple affairs with “preaching groupies.” Same-gender couples did not cause the high divorce rate, but our adolescent views of relationships and our inability as a community to come to grips with the ethic of love and commitment did. We still confuse sex with love and romance with commitment.

My father, who is a veteran of the civil rights movement and retired pastor, eloquently stated the critical nature of this election when speaking to ministers this past week who claim they will pull support from the President as a result of his position. He stated, “Our Ancestors prayed for 389 years to place a person of color in the White House. They led over 200 slave revolts, fought in 11 wars, one being a civil war where over 600,000 people died. Our mothers fought and were killed for women’s suffrage, our grandparents were lynched for the civil rights bill of 1964 and the voting rights act of 1965…my father never had the opportunity to vote and I believe it is my sacred duty to pull the lever for every member of my family who was denied the right to vote. I will not allow narrow-minded ministers or regressive politicians the satisfaction of keeping me from my sacred right to vote to shape the future for my grandchildren.”

Gay and lesbian citizens did not cause the economic crash, foreclosures, and attack upon health care. Poor underfunded schools were not created because people desire equal protection under the law. We have much work to do as a community.

To claim the President of the United States must hold your theological position is absurd. He is President of the United States of America not the President of the Baptist convention or Bishop of the Sanctified or Holiness Church. He is called to protect the rights of Jew and Gentile, male and female, young and old, Gay and straight, black and white, Atheist and Agnostic. It should be noted the President offered no legislation, or executive order, or present an argument before the Supreme Court. He simply stated his personal conviction.

If we dare steal away from the noise of this debate, we will realize as a church we are called to “Do justice, live mercy and walk humbly with God.” Gay people have never been the enemy; and when we use rhetoric to suggest they are the source of our problems we lie on God and cause tears to flow from the eyes of Christ.

I am not asking you to change your position, but I am stating we must stay in dialogue and not allow our own personal emotional prejudices or doctrines to prevent us from seeing the possibilities of a beloved community.

November is fast approaching, and the spirits of Ella Baker, Septima Clarke, Fannie Lou Hammer, Rosa Parks, A. Phillip Randolph, James Orange, Medgar Evers and Martin Luther, King Jr. stand in the balcony of heaven raising the question, “Will you do justice, live mercy and walk humbly with our God?” Emmitt Till and the four little girls who were assassinated in Alabama during worship did not die for a Sunday sermonic sound bite to show disdain for one group of God’s people. They were killed by an evil act enacted by men who believed in doctrine over love. We serve in ministry this day because of a man who believed in love over doctrine and died on a hill called Calvary in a dusty Palestinian community 2,000 years ago. 

Do not let the rhetoric of this debate keep you from the polls, my friend. Let us stay in dialogue my brother.

Sincerely,

Your Brother

Otis Moss, III
Senior Pastor
Trinity United Church of Christ

The Preservation of Self

Akin Ojumu

Owings Mills, MD

Choices! Choices!! Life is full of choices.

Duh! That’s an oxymoron….a no brainer. Everyone probably makes a thousand of them every single hour. What’s not so always obvious though is the motive behind those pesky little decisions people make on a daily basis. The motive usually hides behind the shuttered windows of the recesses of the soul.

What informs our choices? Why do we do what we do? What powers the engine of our choices? What drives the decisions we make?

The subject is one that I’ve brooded over, on and off, over the years. Yet it remains a difficult one for me to write about. Even now I struggle to find the right choice of word to express my flailing thoughts. It is like being asked to give a vivid description of the physical appearance of nothingness. Oh yeah! You go ahead and give that your best shot.

What is life without a choice? We live and breathe this stuff. There is no hiding place from choice; it follows us everywhere we go. We cannot avoid it, there is no refusing it, to not make a choice, is a choice in and of itself. Just as our body is made up of clusters of over a hundred trillion cells, our present state in life is an embodiment of the collective choices we’ve made up to that point in our lives. We are, in essence, a consequence of our choices.

From the very beginning we have been condemned to a life devoted to making choices. Since the day we bawled our way into this world, we became the CEO of a Fortune 500 Company called, Choice PLC; the maker of choice. Even the course of our present existence was set in motion by a single choice. The one made on our behalf by Mrs. Eve Adam, the day she took and ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. It was a turning point in humanity. From that day on, mankind and choice became locked in an eternal embrace of life and death. In order to unlock the mystery behind what gives voice to our choice, the Garden of Eden will be the logical place to start. So off to Eden we go.

It was a typical day in Eden’s Garden. The sprawling estate was in a pristine state. A perfectly gorgeous summer morning; the clear blue sky showered sparkles of light on the luscious green trees, that swayed gently to the rhythm of the slow moving wind, traveling from the west. The air was filled with pure joy and music, all creation singing praises to their LORD and Maker. The sweet smelling savor of their praises suffused the atmosphere, ascending up to the throne of Glory. Oh what a joy! What exhilaration!!!

Such was the day before evil took center stage. Who could have imagined that a great evil was about to befall the earth on this fateful day?

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, ‘Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?’ And the woman said unto the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the trees which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.’ And the serpent said unto the woman, ‘Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.’ And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.” Genesis 3: 1-5.

Evil descended upon the world from that moment, an eerie silhouette against the radiance of that beautiful morning. As it slithered its way into the scene, the creeping thing released a mushroom cloud of toxic vapor into the atmosphere, corrupting the lives all around. In the twinkling of an eye, the singing, the dancing, and the rejoicing all came to an abrupt end. The peace of that day was shattered with a terrifying shriek; a wail of agony that continues to reverberate from generation to generation. The glorious beauty was replaced by a hideous ugliness, and the pure joy that flows from innocent hearts, devoid of doubt, supplanted by the sure pain that grows in empty souls corrupted with forbidden knowledge. The curtain of evil fell on a life of perpetual fellowship with God. Hitherto man, a native born citizen of the Shekinah, was clothed with God’s glory. Now fallen from grace, and hidden from His Holy presence, he was nothing more than a naked fugitive alien, adorned in fig leaves, cowering at the sound of God’s voice.

How could this have ever happened? They had it going pretty good; a daily schmoozing with the Almighty, ownership of a lush estate with lots and lots of exotic beings and things, and dominion over all of God’s creation. They were crowned with prosperity in its purest form yet; in spirit, soul and body. Their life was lived in fullness; in complete contentment and without a care in the world. What more could a man ask for?

Yet in one single instance they lost it all.

Why? Why? Why? Why did they do it? The reason they did it is the same that informs our choices. It is to preserve self.

“Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.” Luke 17:33 (cf: Matthew 16:25, Mark 8:35, Luke 9:24).

They wanted to be like God. In their minds they imagined what it’ll be like being equal with God. The mouthwatering taste of the power, authority, and majesty of being god was too tempting a bait to not swallow. The intoxicating and corrosive fumes of knowledge, which is not of or from God, clouded their judgment. They were consumed by the leering and seducing flare-up of lust. Driven by the inordinate desire to preserve it all, on their own without God, they lost it all. In one fell swoop they became captives of Lucifer’s bait-and switch.

The consuming passion to preserve self is encoded our DNA. It is evident in mankind’s entire life endeavor. You find it even in the functioning of the human anatomy and physiology. The body mounts a defense against all foreign invaders, by deploying an army of cells equipped with weapons of mass destruction, to crush the perceived enemy, all in an attempt to maintain the body’s state of equilibrium…its homeostasis…itself. This is a normal physiologic response. Occasionally, however, this self-preserving function becomes deleterious. The body’s army often rebel, turning on the body itself, leading to devastating consequences…the autoimmune diseases. You also find that some of the invaders aim directly for the body’s army. This particular invader, the human immunodeficiency virus, achieves a complete takeover of the defense cells, perpetuating itself, and effectively evading detection, capture, and destruction, ultimately leading to the death of the cells and the whole body. Such is the human life.

We take extra-ordinary steps to try and save our lives. Some of these things, and in some people, are quite obvious, being done in plain sight. Others are quite subtle, with the appearance of nobility and heroism. Yet, when you pull back the curtain, you’d find that within the choices we make, is the cockatrice of self-service. This beast spits venom upon everything we touch. It poisons relationships, ruins careers, wrecks havocs in churches, brings down nations, and destroys lives.

“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1: 12-17.

The sooner we accept the fact that our life is not our own…that it does not belong to us…the sooner we’ll stop “kicking against the pricks”. Fussing before the mirror will not add one inch to our height; quit trying to add cubit to your stature. Instead, we need to lose ourselves in the reality, initiative, and provisions of the Almighty God. For then, and alone then, is our life preserved.

Eddie Long Crowned King

Where You Go I Go -Kim Walker / Jesus Culture

Overcoming Failure

Kyle Zimmer
President & CEO, First Book

Failure is one of my favorite topics. Because you can fail without ever succeeding, but you can never succeed without failing.

Now I think what helps everybody overcomes failure, which maybe more important in my own failures, is been brave enough to continue to question. To test it, to test it. Test ideas, test new ideas. And then when they don’t work out, pull back and go a different direction.

Don’t be afraid that everything you try is not a home run, because it is never going to be.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish

Steve Jobs

Commencement Address, Stanford University

June 12, 2005

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it's likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.
My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.

This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope it's the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much.

Sins of the Fathers

Ayamma Edeani

Port Harcourt, Nigeria

The issue seems like the proverbial bad coin that keeps turning up at odd moments. Yesterday was such a moment in my life again and I feel I should throw it open to all of us in this forum where I have often been enlightened and blessed. Every time I take a stand based on what I understand from the Word, another argument that also comes from the Word that makes me review my earlier stand. I guess maybe I get shaken based on happenings in my life but I would like answers again based on the Word that may help me take a final decision on this issue once and for all.

So what is the issue? Inheritance of curses based on acts done by our forefathers. Wait! Before you jump up arms in the air, quoting scriptures or wondering what kind of baby believer question this is. Let me present the different sides as I have heard it and the most recent being from a Caucasian Christian (I was of the opinion that only African ministers believed the issue and hence the proliferation of deliverance ministers).

The book I read that made me reexamine the issue is written by an author Cindy Jacobs (The Voice of GOD. Ventura, Calif. Regal Books, 1995). In the book, she talked of generational sins and bondages using Deut 5: 9, 10 as her background scripture. She pointed out that this was equally applicable to Christians of the church age. She tried to explain that these sins and weaknesses tended to manifest even in believers lives who had such background as strongholds that tended to pull at them even when they had no desires of such. Although she mostly used old testament characters such as David, Solomon, Rahab to illustrate, she clarifies her point by saying that generational iniquity is the effect seen down the generations when sin was by a forebear.

Christ has carried our iniquities but she postulates that we as Christians have to appropriate the power of the cross at times in very specific ways to receive freedom, Acts 19:18. She listed the following areas as areas to check for generational iniquities and bondages that may manifest in different ways in a believers life, some seemed rather farfetched to me but here it is:

1. FAMILY INVOLVEMENT IN OCCULT, SECRET SOCIETIES( e.g. FREEMASON )
2. NON TITHING ANCESTORS
3. HISTORY OF SEXUAL SIN AND ADDICTIONS IN FAMILY

These she says may be the source of hardship and problems in a believer’s life that will demand a conscious identification with these sins and breaking their effect in one’s life. She equally advised that one may need to meet someone to help with breaking this bondage.

I have attended several bible studies during which the issue of sins of the fathers affecting the children and I can assure you it was never a dull one. Opinions varied depending on which school the speaker was from. Some claimed since the Deuteronomy verse was in the Old Testament before Christ, it cant be applied to born again, Holy Spirit filled Christians. Still others quoted the scripture wherein God said no longer will the iniquities of the fathers be accrued to the children that do righteously (Ezekiel 18). Quoting from the New testament, in 2 Corinthians 5:17, they argued that in Christ, we are new beings and so should not have to bear any of the sins of our parents seeing we have now been born into a new family.

Others talk of the sins of the parents giving satan a legal entry into the children’s life because God respect covenants and so will not intervene when rights were given to satan by the parents until the children consciously reject and renounce such covenants.

I hold unto the premise that Christ finished His work on Calvary as such we have no business with the sins of our fathers. However I also know that many people are plagued by issues and problems they cant seem to fathom the origin. A more thorough look at their lineage reveals engagement by forefathers in all sorts that are usually reprehensible. Some pastors have claimed that it is the ignorance of these christians in their authority as believers that has made them easy prey for the devil. I also know some of these ones who are firebrand Christians, yet life has not been easy for them. For some, the earth is like brass and the heavens closed in terms of prosperity despite every effort and hardwork.

The court is open, for genuine word based arguments. No sentiments please because the future of certain people will be determined by the advice given here on how to address the issue. Can the sins of the father or forefathers plague the future of a child of God?

Nigeria: One Nation Indivisible

Ayamma Edeani

Port Harcourt, Nigeria

It is another October 1st, a time when the drums are rolled out to commemorate the independence of our great nation, Nigeria. It has been 51 years of excitement, if one may say so. Different persons have differing views of how we have fared as a nation of many nations under one banner. Recent events have brought to fore again, the call by many that the time has come for all the individual nations in this entity called Nigeria to sit and discuss the terms under which we want to coexist together or peacefully disunite.

A largely heterogeneous mix that was “ceremoniously” united by the colonial masters without recourse to the desires of the component groups was bond to fray over time at the edges. A stitch in time saves nine is an apt idiom of what should have been done to enable the fabric of this nation hold. However the leaders, inherited, forced on or voted into power have not helped the issue. Selfishness, ethnocentric inclinations, religious intolerance, gross corruption amongst other things has served to fan the embers under the cauldron of seething sedition.

Many are they which are calling for a round table conference (whether in sincerity or out of a bid to be known, is irrelevant) to discuss the terms on which we can continue as a nation. Others are of the opinion that there is nothing to hold us together, so we are better off going our separate ways. On the surface, the latter opinion seems simple and less complicated but I also know if we are to split, a round table and a referendum are unavoidable.

The burning question is “along which lines will we split that will engender widespread acceptance and guarantee harmony”? Suppose we say the North from the South, we do see that the different nations under the 2 divisions are unlikely to comfortable in that lumping together. As can be seen in the perennial Jos crisis, the indigenous people are having a running battle with Fulani. To the uninformed, all persons from the Northern states are Hausas or Fulani, but to indigenes, there is no compromise to their identity and right to exist without being submerged under a “dominant” tribe. Should we talk of the Niger Delta with their numerous tribal entities that already feel marginalized within their states and are agitating for sovereignty?

Suppose the lines are to be drawn according to religious beliefs such as created the country Pakistan from India? In Nigeria, although the North is termed predominantly Islamic, there are states in which Christians hold their own in terms of population, what will happen then? Nigeria in theory is termed a secular state, yet religious crisis between adherents of Islam and Christianity in the Northern parts are rife. What can we expect if we split along religious lines? In the West, the populace consists of a good mix of Muslims, Christians, adherents to the religions of their forebears and those mixing two of the religions. Under which religious grouping will we consign the west then?

Irrespective of the differing good arguments for how we can divide amicably, I cannot truly see a light at the end of that tunnel. The problems we are facing will probably still remain and maybe grow worse. I stand to be educated and corrected, but I am yet to see countries that have divided due to their problems become havens of peaceful coexistence amongst its new stakeholders. Therefore I would buy into the reasoning of the first group, that as unwarranted the amalgamation of this country was, we are in it for good and we can make the best of our heterogeneity.

As a minority and a Christian, when I read or hear news of certain happenings in the country, everything within me cries for a split, but then I remember that I am not here by mistake. I could have been born a Ghanaian or Palestinian, but I am proudly Nigerian though sometimes one has to search hard to see what to be proud of. I believe as a Christian I have a major role to play in how this country moves towards achieving all it has potential to be. I also believe that our spiritual instructors have a strong voice that can echo loudly enough to change the course of this nation. It is unfortunate that when we need to hear those voices, they are silent and allow false prophets and pastors to speak. I thank GOD for the current leadership of CAN (CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA) for being vocal on national issues as well as proactively sending aid to crisis ridden areas.

The bible in 1 Tim 2v1-3 gives us a recipe for dwelling in peace in our land; it enjoins that prayers be made for all men and especially rulers. How often do we pray for our secular leaders rather than criticize? How often are heartfelt, heaven moving prayers made for the nation, not during crisis periods only? Life and death is in the power of the tongue, yet daily we only speak death about the nation and yet expect prosperity and peace! Jeremiah was told he had been placed as the power behind any king. He could place or remove any king or nation he decided about. We have been placed in the same position, but I guess the truth is that we either don’t care if the nation goes up in blazes as long as our little comfort zone is safe or we don’t believe we have the power. But the problem is that after John the Baptist and James; Herod will come for Peter unless we pray.

It is not by mistake that this country has Muslims and Christians massed together in the nation. If we were a predominantly Christian nation, how easy would it be to evangelize the North? As it is, we can settle almost anywhere in the commonwealth of Nigeria because we are Nigerians and this creates an avenue for the propagation of the gospel. Even when outright evangelism may be limited in certain areas, our lifestyle will evoke curiosity that will lead to witnessing for Christ. I am one person that is persuaded beyond all doubts that our continued existence as one nation Nigeria in all its diversity is for good and it will serve to accomplish the SOVEREIGN GOD’S plan for this great nation , for we are ONE NATION UNDER GOD!

Happy Independence Day!

Being Black in America

Re: Are Black People Staying Back When the Cloud Already Moved? – A Feature Article by Femi Awodele on Nigeriaworld.Com

Dear Femi,

I read your article, on the above subject, posted on the Nigeriaworld website on September 2, 2011 with interest. It is a very sensitive issue you try to address in your write-up. As you have rightly noted you are going to get loads feedback – “unpleasant e-mails” as described by you. Sure some of the comments will be an attack on you as an individual, and there are also those whose comments will try to address some of the issues you raised they either agree or disagree with. I'd say I fit into the latter category.

The argument you make in the article seems to have different thrusts. At one breath it appears to promote conservative political ideology among black people. It also sounds like a clarion call to black folks, “enough of the victim’s mentality already”. At other times it’s as though you are asking black people to return to Christ. And again it calls out the black leaders for failure of leadership.

You correctly describe the moral decadence in the black community; violence, extramarital sex, single parenting, STDs, etc. You mention the blight of poverty that plagues black people. The breakdown of the family is fingered as the root cause of high poverty level in the black community. You fault some of the government programs aimed at tackling these issues. You describe partnership with "Anti-God Organizations" who give sex education. You have issues with initiatives that address gang violence and promote the responsible fatherhood. You see social welfare programs that combat poverty as ineffective. You describe how the issue of homosexuality has now become a civil rights issue. According to you the real issue, which is the spiritual condition of the heart, has not been dealt with, and this is why these programs don't work. You call for a change in black leadership. According to you, it will take a “heart totally sold out to Christ” and one who is bold enough to challenge the status quo.

While agreeing with a lot of the points you make, your article appears to omit, or rather de-emphasis, a critical factor contributing to the plight of the black community in America, racism and bigotry. You and I are Africans – 1st generation Americans perhaps – and have only been here in this country barely 20 years. I do not say that to disparage you in any way but to point out that we really do not fully understand what it means to be a descendant of slaves and to be treated as one. If we didn’t live in Jim Crow America, how are we ever going to appreciate what it means to sit at the back of the bus?

The root cause of the plight of the black people is racism and hate. The dysfunctional family structure, the poverty, the violence, the issue of absentee fathers and single parenting can all be traced back to the damaging effect of slavery. They are all linked to the systemic economical, educational, and social disadvantages that confront the black folks everywhere and every day in this country.

While it is true that the current law, on paper, is no longer on the side of bigots, however bigotry of the heart, which is the most dangerous, cannot be cured by mere legislations. There is entrenched racism in every sphere of the society, and we cannot deny that. You would think with a black man in the White House things are different. But you know, if you have objectively followed the events of the past 3 years, that the election of a black president appears to have unmasked the racism that remains entrenched in heart of many in this country; things have gotten worse.

I agree with you that black people need to take responsibility for their actions and lives. I do not make excuses for the pervading laziness and absence of purpose in the black community. It is true that some black leaders have used the excuse of racism to organize and enrich themselves. However if we look around us we’ll find the banner of injustice flying high in the sky for all to see. It is there in the rate of incarceration of blacks compared to that of whites who commit similar offences – and with a prison record you are doomed for life? You are confronted with racism when you rent an apartment or apply for mortgage financing. It sticks out like a sore thumb in the churches every Sunday morning – more black people attend churches pastored by whites than whites who attend churches with black pastors. You find it when you show up for job interviews and they see your black face – how many black people are in management position at your job.

The political leaning of the black people is not too difficult to understand; it is a very natural phenomenon. People tend to gravitate towards the direction of acceptability. We all feel more comfortable in an atmosphere where we are welcomed: where we are celebrated and not merely tolerated. That is the reason black people tend to support the Democratic Party. I say “Democratic Party” and not necessarily liberalism. Black people at heart are socially and morally conservatives. There are fewer blacks who support cultural liberalisms, like homosexuality etc, compared to the number of white people who do. In fact in the black community homosexuals hide their sexual orientation, unlike in the white community where they flaunt it. There are more black people who are Christians than are whites. Yet black people vote en masse for Liberal/Democratic candidates than they do for Conservatives/Republican candidates. The reason is simple; the Democratic Party and Liberals over the years have been more attuned to the sufferings and needs of black folks – as well as that of the poor, the orphan, the homeless, and the immigrant. On the other hand the policies promoted by Conservatives and the Republican Party have not, in most parts, been favorable to black people.

It is easy to infer from your article that the Conservatives love God more than the Liberals. That is what they want to make us believe. Yet their actions – their fruits – have proven otherwise. It was the conservative southern part of America – where you have the most religious people – that went to war against the rest of the country because they want to keep their slaves. It is in the conservative south – the so called Bible belt – that is the hotbed of racism and bigotry in this country today. No one party or ideology can claim to be more Godly than the other. Righteousness doesn’t have a party affiliation.

According to you “our immediate problem is the “gang and sexual activities among our young ones across America”. I happen to disagree. The main problem we have is the problem that all mankind has; a heart that is not in submission to the Almighty God. That cuts across all races and political ideology. However the next big problem we have is inequality in the society – which by the way is the result of our darkened and wicked soul. We live in a society where greed in the name of capitalism is glorified. The issue we need to confront is the huge gap that exists between the poor and the rich – a gap that keeps getting wider and wider each and every day. The rich keeps amassing wealth and poor keep wallowing in poverty. The social safety nets that have been put in place – which you have condemned – are now been taken away by the policies of the so called “moral” conservatives. The people, who have and live in excessive wealth, fight with all their might against every effort by the government to help those who are less fortunate than themselves.

You consider the welfare law as a failure. That characterization of the welfare law is not accurate. It is true that the welfare law hasn’t completely accomplished the purpose for which it was enacted. However without the welfare law, many more people would have been living on the streets. A lot more children and elderly would have gone without health care. Millions of kids would have gone without food. A whole lot more children would have been born to single mothers? Many more would have gone without an education? Countless more would have gone without a job.

The family institution in the black community didn’t breakdown simply because black people have suddenly turned against God or gone into ungodly alliances. The families broke under the weight of societal ills. While I agree that the black family needs to do more to heal itself, it is wrong to ignore the odds that are stacked against the black people living in America. It is important that we, black immigrants from Africa who are new in the system, fully understand and appreciate the length and breadth of the issues before we cast the first stone.

Regards,

Akin

Find original article here: http://nigeriaworld.com/feature/publication/awodele/090211.html

His Image, His Likeness

Akin Ojumu

August 16, 2011

Force Majeure…is a French word. It is quite mouthful…like all French words. The English translation is “Superior or Irresistible Force”.

It is a common clause in contracts that essentially relieves all parties from liability or obligation in the event of an occurrence of extraordinary circumstance…an “Act of God” as they say…that cannot be anticipated or is beyond the control of the parties, which prevents one or all parties from fulfilling their obligation under the contract.

On my own, I’ve entered into gazillion of contractual agreements in my lifetime. I can’t even begin to count. And then there are those contracts entered into on my behalf, many of which I’m not even aware. There are mortgages, auto loan, credit cards, employments, insurance (auto, health, and life), even medical procedures, just to name a few. In many of these contracts, you are made to sign heaps of paper filled with legalistic mumbo jumbo, written mostly in fine prints, which make no sense to anyone at all.

Here is an example of the term in a mortgage agreement…

“…Subject to all valid easements, rights of way, covenants, conditions, reservations and restrictions of record, if any. To have and to hold the same, together with all the buildings, improvements and appurtenances belonging thereto, if any, to the Mortgagee and Mortgagee's heirs, successors and assigns forever. Mortgagor covenants with Mortgagee that….”

Blah, blah, blah. On and on it goes. What in the world does that mean? Little wonder people sign this stuff without even reading it. If not for an ulterior motive, why would anyone use so many words to tell you, “Pay up or get your clothes taken off your back.”

“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” Jeremiah 17:9

Our humanness, like dark clouds, shrouds everything we do. Inherent in every contractual agreement we enter into is the lurking intent to renege and defraud. It is as though we have to fight, with every fiber of our being, against our inner urgings not to stay true to our words. We embrace any and every excuse that enables us to break promises without any repercussions. We build caveats, and bury clauses into agreements to cover up our innate tendency for perfidy.

It is the human nature…an inborn error to mess up. It is the flesh at work.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

The natural tendencies of man to fail are in stark contrast to the faithfulness of the Almighty God. God’s mindset is so different than ours. Whereas human beings actively device new ways to break promises, God is firmly committed to stand by His words and promise no matter what.

From generation to generation, God continues to enter into contractual agreements with the sons of men. He gives His word, He swears to it by His Name, and it is done. No caveats, no force majeure, no ifs or buts.

Take for instance the contract with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the very first recorded in the annals of man. I can imagine the conversation going like the following:

“Hey guys, welcome to earth…your new home. It is custom built for you…by the Words of my mouth. As you will see, it is quite a massive real estate, more than 500 million kilometer square territory…lush and rich. The land is brimming with all kinds of animals. The rivers are crystal blue and packed with an assortment of fishes. All of these creatures now belong to you. You are to name, and own, them. I give you dominion over them all. Do with them as you see fit.”

Then God takes them on a tour of Eden.

“I’ve carved out the best part of the earth for you to build your home. This is Eden. It is such a beautiful land…a Garden of Pleasure. A river flows right through it…and then divides into four tributaries all packed with abundant resources. The gold here is exceptionally pure. There are also exotic metals, so precious, they make the eyes pop. And not only that, you will find all sorts of trees growing up from the ground—trees that are beautiful and that produce delicious fruits.”

He continues,

“You mean the world to me. There’s nothing I can’t and won’t do for you. When I look at you, I see myself because I made you to look like Me. You are the adumbration of who I AM. You have my Life’s breath in you. That’s why I’m putting you in charge of this Garden. Keep it. Nurture it. It’s all yours…everything in it…Don’t you worry about a thing; I’ll come visit each and every single day. Should you have any question feel free to ask me.”

The tour takes them to the furthermost part of the garden, far removed from everything else, here God tells them,

“We are now standing in the remotest part of your new home. It is critical that you pay attention now. Right in front of you, to your right, is the tree of life, and next to it, to your left, is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They are deliberately located at the outer fringes of your property.”

Then God says,

“…You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” Genesis 2: 16-17

“Do you have any question?” God asks.

It is a very simple and straight forward offer of Life from the Elohim. There are no gimmicks, no tricks, no flimflams, no shenanigans, and the best part is…not a single paperwork. How cool is that? It is the deal of a lifetime…our lifetime. Who could say, ‘No’, to that...you would think.

Well, we all know how it turns out. The aftershock of the fall continues to reverberate through generations of human race.

“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Romans 5:8

The God of mercy and grace does not forever turn His back on us. He does not renege on His promises. In our fallen state, He reaches down to pull us up. He tempers His righteous judgment with His great mercy. His love covers our multitudes of iniquities. His Word is the oxygen that keeps the flame of His love forever burning. He sits at the edge of His throne expectantly waiting for us to return to who we are made to be,

His image, His likeness.

Time to Build an Ark

Akin Ojumu
August 12, 2011

Subtly – but surely – time takes its toll on all of us and we all age before our eyes. Like the small hand of the clock, we discern it is happening, but cannot see it happening.

With age comes change. As one day morphs into the next day, and the baton of life is passed from year to year, it is amazing how much change each transition brings. The hairlines recede, the waistlines bulge spilling over the waistband, and the eyes squint real hard to see.

As we change so does the world around us. Languages metamorphose, knowledge increases, and technology advances. The world we live in increasingly gets more complex – I guess every generation of mankind has that to say about their own world.

The world, through science, seeks solutions to nature’s challenges, and science in return provides the tools with which nature is subdued, transforming the landscape of human existence. More than ever before, our society relies on science to provide the evidence that explains the phenomenon of being. We turn to science to explain supernatural events. With philosophy we create rules for civil engagements.

The human mind – that mystery beyond comprehension, the puzzle that is impossible to solve – is not at all immune to change. On the contrary the mind is the foundation of all the changes that we see; it is from the inward part that all changes begin.

“The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out…” Jeremiah 17:9 (The Message)

Our thoughts and thought processes have become more sophisticated and refined. In a post-modern world, the goal post of what is considered “normal” shifts each and every day. The ancient boundary of acceptable norm, set by generations before us, is displaced. The days of absolutes are long gone; replaced by a dispensation of relativism. Once accepted truths are jettisoned, instead the world embraces facts based on scientific evidence. An altar is raised for sacrifices to be bought before the gods of science and philosophy.

To be fair science has done a lot of good for the world. We are all witnesses to the impact of scientific advancement on our society. The world is a better place today than it was a few years ago. Life expectancy has more than doubled for most people, as a result of better health and healthier lifestyle. Science has found answers for many diseases. To a large extent the natural elements have been tamed. Science helps introduce efficient and effective processes and procedures to our daily endeavors, which enable us all to live more productive lives. Better means of communication have been developed…although it appears we communicate even less...with everyone living in his own cyber cocoon.

Scientific discoveries, in and of themselves, are a proof of the wonderful work of God in creation. Who but a super intelligent mind could have engineered the complex structure and functions of the human body? Only the Almighty God could have laid out the universe in its entire splendor with everything in its place in an orderly array.

“For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” Romans 1:20

Yet, rather than glorifying God with each scientific breakthrough, the heart of man is lifted up in pride and arrogance. Puffed up in his wisdom, he thumbs his nose at the One who stretched forth the heavens and set the earth on a firm foundation, and breathed his own life into men and women.

The sepulcher of the human soul is littered with vain things. The mooring on the mind has been loosed; man’s mind is adrift in the sea of immorality. He is trapped in the cesspool of wantonness. Right and wrong now has new meaning. The innate difference that exists between a man and a woman, which for generations is accepted as the way we are meant to be, is rejected. A man can now be a woman, and a woman, man. A crisis of identity ensues as light dims on the honorable institution of marriage.

The pace of change is proceeding at a lightning speed. Like a freight train that has lost control the world barrels downhill toward its destiny, the day of Divine retribution; when we stand before an angry God.

From where I stand, that day is not too far out of sight. It’s high time I built an ark.

The Amazing Grace

Akin Ojumu

August 3, 2011

“It is by the Grace of God…….”

You hear that all the time. Don’t fall for it. It is nothing but a cliché……it is talking Christian....Christianese. What’s so amazing about Grace? I submit to you there is quite a lot you can do without the Almighty God.

You do not need God to live in unforgiveness and hate? On the contrary, the farther away your heart is from God, the more profound is the taste of hate in your mouth…..that lingering taste of anger and wrath against the unfortunate bloke who steps on your precious little toe.

“Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath.” Ephesians 4:26

Who dares touch your cheek and their teeth don’t get knocked out? You do not need grace to beat the living daylight out of the man who sticks in your craw. It is with the fist that respect is earned. There is no place for the weak in the world we live in. Utopia is the habitation of the meek. Retaliation requires no grace.

When God is out of the way, you’ll hate till you are blue in the face.

“If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also.” Luke 6:29

God wants you to take your hard earned cash and give to those who, for whatever reason, don’t have at all. He wants you to hand it over to these leeches looking for handouts. I know this for a fact. That’s who He is. It is His nature; embedded in His Divine DNA.

How in the world can you become wealthy anyway if you throw your wealth away? To build wealth you acquire more and more, and store them up more and more. That’s Economics 101……it’s not rocket science. If these sluggards ask you for money, run their credit history and make sure they pay back with high interests. If they miss any payment send the collection agency to harass them. You don’t want to throw money down the drain by giving it to charity do you? There’s no free lunch.

If you want to keep all of your dough you have got to build an impenetrable wall of lead around your soul, that way you keep the conscience pricking Word of God off limit.

“Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything.” Proverbs 11:24

Who needs God’s grace to start a church or build a congregation? All you need is a well thought out strategic plan.

Rollout a good advertisement campaign. Blanket the airwaves and billboards with your Ads. Deliver heavy doses of positive mental attitude messages that massage the soul. Spice it up with a few deep revs and prophetic insights. Voila! You’ve got yourself a following. And by continually stroking their pleasure centers you get to pack the house, and the offering bowls will keep running over with tithes and offerings.

You certainly don’t need God’s grace to achieve that feat….great man of God that you are.

“And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” Act 2:47

Why should you allow God to continually look over your shoulder and breath down your neck? You don’t need your life and actions put under the intense scrutiny of His Word. You are the man, you’ve got what it takes to run your life however you want. You are in the driver’s seat of your life, what do say we take it for a spin and burn some rubber?

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

At the end of the day though, how would you plea when His Amazing Grace gives way to His Righteous Judgment?

“We all shall close our eyes and stand before the bema seat.” Romans 14:10