My Life in Red and White

Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you." Isaiah 12:6 Its December again!!! The year is coming to an end and I'm meant to write about stock taking, counting my blessings for all the things that have happened this year. I started that post somewhere in my mind, but as I sit here, I can help but think about what I've lost this year. I'm grateful for all the good things that have come my way, but 2012 is a year i'm glad will soon end. I'm not despairing, I'll just heave a huge sigh of relief when this year is over. It doesn't mean that troubles won't come again, or that there won't be losses; it just means that 2012 is over and I survived it! This morning, I am reminded of a name I loved so much as a little girl 'Jehovah Shammah' - [The Lord is with us]. Found in Ezekiel 35:10, it means 'The Lord was there'. I think this is my testimony of 2012. I've come through some...

Then I'll say to myself, "You've stored up a lot of good things for years to come. Take life easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself." "But God said to him, 'You fool! I will demand your life from you tonight! Now who will get what you've accumulated?' Luke 12: 19-20 I've been thinking about the new ideology sweeping through the media subtly. Its been creeping in through songs, videos, movies, books, talk shows ... name it. When I hear them sound the different words, this is what registers in my brain 'lets live for today, for tomorrow we die'!  This is the new slogan, the new watchword of the 21st century. The pass code that enables you to free yourself of all responsibility for your actions. If tomorrow we die, then there's no need to be responsible for today, or the future, because when tomorrow comes, 'if' tomorrow comes, you won't be around to face the consequences. And since there's no one else to  consider but...

Morning does come ... always. As sure as we are of the sun setting, so we are also sure of the sun rising again. Its the natural order of things, a divine order ordained by God. Sometimes when the sun sets and darkness approaches, we feel like its the end. The end of life as we know it, the end of light, the end of beauty, the end of lovely sun rays and sunshine ... the END! But the night has its own beauty, in the stillness and quietness there is rest from toiling in the sun, there's a certain calmness and coolness that helps you renew your strength as you brace yourself and plan for the next day. The night has its unique features, the chirping of the crickets, the buzzing of mosquitoes and the Owl hooting from a distance; the symphony that comes alive, when all is calm and quiet. Sometimes, not always, just sometimes, we fail to appreciate the beauty of the night. We long so much for morning, that we miss the coolness and quiet calm the night offers. We long to return to...

This was part of my devotional this morning and I thought to share it with you. No matter what you are going through, God knows, hears and sees, so take comfort in this. All things will work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose, and if you are part of this group? Then rejoice! Delayed (from Streams in the Desert) "Know of a surety that thy seed shall be sojourners in a land that is not theirs; . . . they shall afflict them four hundred years; . . . and afterward they shall come out with great substance" (Gen. 15:12-14 ). An assured part of God's pledged blessing to us is delay and suffering. A delay in Abram's own lifetime that seemed to put God's pledge beyond fulfillment was followed by seemingly unendurable delay of Abram's descendants. But it was only a delay: they "came out with great substance." The pledge was redeemed. God is going to test me with delays; and with the delays will ...

I'm taking down my pictures and posts on the wall because it's time to move on again. My mother's question chases me: 'when will i settle down?' But I'm digressing... At some point in my 9 month experiment, I found that the only place I could really draw strength and encouragement from was the Bible. Of course I had great friends in Geneva who played a special role in shaping God's work in my life, but there were sometimes when I  was so lost or confused and my only anchor was in the word. These passages I share with you today were my companion and guide, they mapped out the course of my life and God used them to build character and strength in me. I hope you benefit from them as much as I did. God bless you. Companion #1 You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Isaiah 26: 3 Companion #2 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a fu...

Jeremiah 37:3 , 6 – 10 ; 38: 20 – 26 Why are we so concerned with people’s opinion of us? Why do we tend to value God’s word less and people’s opinion more? In the reference text, God’s word through Jeremiah to the Israelites was clear. "Surrender to Babylon and you will be saved." Babylon was on a mission to destroy the city; a mission allowed by God as repercussion for how far his people had drifted away from him. The people had heard to Jeremiah prophesy; they had seen his prophecies fulfilled, yet they refused to listen to him. Instead, they threatened to kill him. The most interesting character is the King. He refused to listen to the words of Jeremiah; but asked for prayers from him! Sound familiar? We get so caught up in our plans and projects that even when we hear the Lord say “not so child”, “let go”’, we still hold on, and ask Him to bless it! In an interesting conversation with the king, Jeremiah tells him for the last time “Surrender to Babylon and be ...

There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish ... (Philippians 1: 6 MSG) Reminiscing, I wonder what happened to my dreams. The good old days when I thought anything and everything was possible? Once I wanted to do the impossible, be the best, stand out from the rest. Then life happened.... then I got so caught up in the day to day of life, I forgot about my dreams of grandeur. What happened? Why did I forget? I watched a movie a while ago and a child was saying "... children can see because they believe easier than adults." That point stuck in my mind. I remember when the Law was my dream, practice was what I lived for... it happened, and then I wanted more ... Last week I had a rude awakening. Two episodes reminded me of the possibilities I had dreamed up.  I sat in a flight next to a freshman and she was so full of excitement about the ...

I think about the life of my friend and it gives me joy to know that she lived a full life for God. I remember when she preached to a Fulani Muslim in law school and invited him to church severally, giving him a bible and all! I remember on one of our int'l flights when she sat beside a Jew and she preached to him for over 2 hours! She never missed out on an opportunity to tell everyone around her about Jesus. I think about the life Nwa lived and she was never afraid of death. We grieve because we miss her, but she's alive in the Father's arms. I think about what it took to construct her last text message and I know that Nwa was always brave and always thought of others ahead of herself. she knew what grief her death would cause, but she trusted in the Wisdom of God; Knowing that He would comfort and give strength to those who will be shaken by her death. Nwa, I'm still stunned, but i believe that the Father knows best and that you are safely home.  I'll mi...

I'm learning to live one day at a time. I once read a book that talked about living in 'day tight compartments'. Somehow, that phrase has been stuck in my mind. And for a good reason too. When I tend to worry and fret about the future, I remember, 'Sufficient unto the day... Matthew 6:34 '.  Several things have motivated this conscious decision, the first reason was the need to end all the craziness of worrying about the future and learning to trust God for every little victory. I needed to understand that I have to live every moment and truly enjoy it. Notice I said 'live', better still LIVE! Not live in the future, when life is what I think it should be, but LIVE NOW! in the present, enjoy the journey, and even if I don't get to my Utopia, the most important thing is that I enjoyed the journey. And in the journey, I lived! (that doesn't sound like it makes much sense, but I think it does ... somehow :D). Second wake up call was a message by J...

I've was thinking of the first post of the new year and somehow I couldn't quite capture what I wanted to blog about. First, I thought of family and friends and how they make every moment in our lives special. Then, I thought about making resolutions and how they always seem to end in the first week of January. Later, I decided that staying focused in the new year was going to be the theme of my next post. But all those proposals never saw the light of day ... when I heard this hymn, I knew that this was it. This was what I wanted to begin the new year with. I want to be reminded of the 'Father's love' for me. I want to know that no matter what, He'll still love me. I want to know that He saved my soul over two thousand years ago by dying on a cross for me. I want to know that that love will never leave me. I want to be reassured that as I step into the new year, unsure of what it holds, the Father's love is always with me. I t doesn't matter what I...