A Thinking Nation

Dream & Aspiration Tweeking

2010-03-22T15:55:00.000-07:00

With every dying dream, space is left for a new dream to grow as far as you have aspirations. I have always wanted to impact the lives of people and I thought it reasonable to become a teacher but that isn't the case today. these past few months I have learned a lot and have gained so much wisdom and strength from God. so I thank Him. I still believe that there is much to learn and I look forward to learning them. Aspirations define my value and my value is what God has placed in me.

Aspirations according to the dictionary is a strong desire,aim,or ambition. everyone has one of those and they kind of help shape us as individuals. it all depends on what kind of aspirations you have. selfless or selfish. evaluate yourself. But it's funny how we feel more fulfilled after helping others. it is difficult to live life without aspirations. As I try to think back as to when this longing began I realized that it had always been in me. so innate that manifestation peered through my adolescent years only to disappear completely during the dark ages of teenage rebellion, but we rekindled my aspirations and I during my three years of college enlightenment.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts
Psalms 139:23

I surrender all these are the word i would: be strong in the Lord never give up Hope

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11

I became so consumed with my aspirations and forgot God's position on the matter. I wanted God to fit into my agenda and not go along with his plan. so I hit a dead end with my wanting to become a teacher. I was confused and angry. I didn't understand why God wouldn't let it happen especially since I wanted and desired to do it in his name. only to be reminded through the radio on a Sunday morning that God doesn't Choose us because of what we are or who we are, or what we can do or accomplish. He [God] chooses man based on his Heart. He Looks at the heart and knows the heart. he created that heart. We may think we know ourselves but lets not fool ourselves God knows us better than we can ever know ourselves. He knows how much hair is on your head. How many of us can say we know the exact number of hair on our head. that's how intimate God gets. so why not trust God completely and follow his lead? He knows what you are made of.

I decide to let God lead and trust me i am enjoying and becoming more excited about the Plans that he has for me as He slowly reveals it day by day, week by week. my aspirations are still the same just letting God determine which way to go!

In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. Proverbs 16:9

Treasure Hunting

2010-01-01T10:17:00.000-08:00

My theme for 2010 is “Treasure Hunting”. I have been struggling for a while now trying to define me in regards to my relationship with God, people, purpose and weight and to my dismay I haven’t really found me in relation to these things and God (feel weird putting God in the category of things). When I thought about writing this blog I was reminded about the song “I’ve been to paradise but I’ve never been to me” I feel that I share the same reality with the song. I have sought for things, places, and people to define me and ended up more confused about who I am. Like the character in the song I have discarded opportunities that could have become gems by now. However I thank God for his grace and mercy and for the ever present GPS (Holy Spirit) that recalculates other alternatives for me when I slip up. So I am going Treasure Hunting this year to find out and piece together the puzzle of my Portrait in God’s Eyes. How does God see me? What is my role in his purpose? How do I draw close to him? How do I live a life of love? How do I gain back my Joy? I am so thankful that I do not have to start from scratch. I know more than ever what my calling is so I will begin my treasure hunting from that perspective. Like every treasure hunt most people know what they are looking for and it takes years to find it because it involves a journey of becoming. Most people are mistaken about the treasure; the treasure isn’t what you find in the end that’s just the cherry of top of the icing on the cake. The treasure is what you become on the journey to finding it. It is the refining of your character and the strengthening of your faith and hope. With out any further a due, I look forward to what God has in store for me and I pray that I stick to the path of find the treasure God has instilled in me to become a teacher and a good one at it.

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.

Proverbs 25: 2

DILEMMA!

2009-12-27T16:35:00.000-08:00

No.1
I am tired of trying to please everyone. i find that i am always in a conflict with myself when someone doesn't appreciate my presence, my perspective or my standpoint. i can be African and love Asian culture and/or everything Asian,but does that make me less of a Nigerian? i see myself as a lover of all cultures on one culture takes precedence, I appreciate all that is beautiful and meaning about culture. tolerance is the name of the game that I play and i look forward to placing imprinting my mark on the world.

No.2
to Leave or not to Leave? that is the question. People aren't helping much especially my parent. they both torn between the two decision and God's pretty silent so i don't know what to do. i am not scared of what Nigeria holds for me. in fact i welcome it but i am not sure if it is what God desires of me. it s a dilemma that i battle with everyday. what does God desire from me? what is my purpose. i feel strongly about being teacher and look forward to becoming one but is it what God wants? the pastor at my church spoke about God unwrapping his gift for us and until he does and when he does, one will not know! So Lord i will continue to look to you for solace and hope that the decision that i have made is in accordance to your will.

Called to be a Teacher?

2009-10-15T14:29:00.000-07:00

i am currently apply for masters in education- i am in the process of achieving a career shift from media to education in other words i want to become a teacher. I have been praying about it for a while now and there were times when I lost track of the vision in search of worldly cares like money, prestige and success just to name a few, but I couldnt see myself as an accountant or a counselor as much as i could see myself as a teacher. I went for a seminar in august and one of the guest speaker said something that stuck with me. He said leaders are those who dream, see themselves in the position and make that dream a reality. Not thatI want to become a leader of any sort but I feel compelled to be a teacher to pass on the knowledge that i have aquired and I hope to see this dream become a reality. I even dream up programs I hope to implement when I become a teacher. I even have the names of the programs. the first program i hope to implement in my class is "Reality Check" this would be a time of sharing between students and teacher. I hope that it would be an outlet for student to address their fears and worries, their joys and pain with their classmate. the purpose of this activity is to encourage empathy, to help them understand where everyone is coming from. The meaning of community, neighbor and brother's keeper has been lost to envy, individualism, hatred and so on hence the murder epidemic occuring amongst school children today. I want to restore love into the community. I pray God helps me realize such a dream even in times such as these. the other program I hope to introduce into my class is called "I am not a Status Quo" this relates more to education. I hope to help students with their work, help find their interest and help them realize their dreams of becoming what ever it is that they want to be. i want them off the streets and investing their time in positive things and become a better person character and knowledge wise. the third program i hope to implement is "no one is left behind". this a program where by students tutor their classmates that arent doing so well. these are a few ideas that i have and when i become a teacher i hope to implement it in my classes.

Servant hood

2009-04-25T01:03:00.001-07:00

A
waiter came to work one day wearing a hood. An order was made and he took it out still wearing his hood. flabbergasted the restaurant manager escorted the waiter back to the kitchen and demanded an explanation or an excuse for being so tardy, in response the waiter stated that he had
just learnt about servant hood hence the hood. He needed to serve with a hood to attain servant hood (Drum roll).

Recently went for a talk on servant hood and was encouraged by it. The speaker talked about how she separated sacred activities from secular activities and how God changed her view point on that because everything we do should be sacred because we are doing it unto God. I completely agree. In everything that we do, we must do it unto the Lord because the moment we deviate from that view point, this is what happens; people get angry easily, exhaustion (burn out), selfishness, greed, pride and problems with our peripheral visions (short-sightedness long-sightedness) just to name a few. But if we keep our eyes on Jesus I believe we gain a whole lot more than what we ever can give while serving.

Servant hood can be achieve if we understand why, when, who and for whom, where, what and how to serve.

Why do we serve?
We serve because Jesus Christ served. In his time of ministry he was always serving and never receiving. They only time he receives was when people who had been touched by his kindness invited him home or washed his feet with their tears or perfumed his hair and feet with scented oil. 90 % of the time Jesus was serving, he had no time for himself and when he did, he spent it with God. The bible tells us that he woke up in the early hours of the morning to pray in seclusion. His mission and vision for service should be our mission and vision for services.

Love the Lord your God with your heart, mind and strength and love your neighbors the way you would yourself……. by this they shall know that you are my disciples (paraphrased two bible verses together).

Our mission therefore is "to love God with all of our heart, mind and Strength and love our neighbors" and our vision should be "so that the world will know that we are his disciples. Only then are we able to achieve the great Commission. Secondly, our service is a way of loving God with our heart, mind and strength. Service is a translation of our love for both God and man. Friends, let us love one another for love is of God and anyone who loves knows God and is of God. Love is God nature and because we are his children it should be our nature to serve with love.

When and where do we serve? There should be no particular time or place to serve. At all times we must be prepared to serve. If you are a teacher God has called you to be a teacher for him. There is an added title that goes with you secular job title. For instance, john doe engineer for Christ or Jane doe Dr. PhD for Christ. This means you belong to a bigger company and organization. This is your identity therefore you should and must represent Christ anytime and anywhere.

Who and for whom? When thinking about this aspect we must first address the "whom are we serving for?" we are serving God by serving People need I say more? Who do we serve? We serve others as a way of expressing our love for God and man. The bible refers to "them" (those that we serve) as either neighbors or brothers and for a very good reason; neighbor permit me to say this harbors within the notion of community outside the church hence "evangelical service"
while brothers harbors the notion of a community within the church hence "ministerial service".
Wherever God has called you to serve, do it out of love and with the great Commission in mind

What and how to serve? God has only one special on tonight's Chalk board Menu and that "salvation" and we his waiters or butlers need to share the gospel and make for Him disciples so what are we waiting for? We must be equipped with the word and be ready to share with anyone at anytime whatever the circumstance. Paul encouraged timothy and his fellow men to be equipped with the word and be ready to defend it at all time. Another important side dish is our past way of life and continuous present way of life testimony we must show that we walk the talk and not just talk the talk. Let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven. Paul encourages the timothy and his church in Ephesus to be clothed with Good deeds so that they will find no fault in our lives. Service should be done out of love and joy and focus and dependence on God. We Can do all things through Christ who strengths us. Another important side dish is prayer. You must ask and Commit your ways to God because through him and with him everything in heaven and on earth was made need I say more?

Come with a teachable heart and serve with an open heart!

In Christ we love and Care

“Eternity”

2009-04-22T02:56:00.001-07:00

Have you ever thought about life and questioned "what's the point"? Have you ever thought about what you believe in and why you believe in it so much? What if you and I are wrong?

You look for solace and all that's around you is filled with despair. nothing gives you meaning, reason or strength to go on because what we are in control of is actually spiraling out of control and all we can do is nonchalantly sit and watch it happen right before our eyes. That's what most people's response is to a world in calamity. Only a few dare to stand up and challenge the norm. Would you?

0.0! How about going with the flow? After all live for today because there might not be a tomorrow? But then again what if there is a tomorrow or next week… month? Year? Decade? How about century? Millennium? How about eternity? Nah, there probably isn't such a thing as eternity. But I know there's here and now. Hmmm, but there's always a tomorrow for somebody?

Feeling uneasy because there might be an eternity? Does that explain our search for immortality- the desire to live forever? There must be some code for eternity that was woven into our being but why so? Why desire immortality when this world has nothing to offer but despair. Wealth is always squandered away, beauty always fades away, love fails at all levels, suffering is inevitable, and war is eminent, global warming need I say more?

Eternity is upon us but it depends on the path that you have chosen; LIFE or DEATH. The thing is that "Eternity" was written into our hearts because we are made for it. We were created for a purpose- eternal fellowship between God and man. Then you might ask why don't we have it? Why does God seem so far? Here are two verses for you

"The wages of sin is death"& "For all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God".

Make sense? Here is an illustration for you, when the sun shines brightly on the earth; it illuminates the beauty of the earth with its light rays but what happens when the rain clouds block the sun's rays? It becomes gloomy and it seems like the earth lost a little bit of it color. So it is with sin. Sin acts like the rain clouds, it blocks the glory of God that shines and illuminates the beauty in the standard that he has given to us, hence our clouded views about God and the standards he has set on our behalf. Deep down we long for the sun but with the rain clouds up above we are unable to attain it. But the beauty of God is in his nature. The bible tells us that God is "love"
hence:

"For God so love the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall have eternal life"

I know that this verse has become a platitude but take note of three key points "God's love"
His restorations plan "His son"
and the end result "Eternal life". There it is again the word "eternity", dear friends there is an eternity that we all seek but our clouded peripherals have led us down different parts that lead nowhere or we have simply blocked out or shut down any thoughts on eternity and it consequences because we live for "here and now" moments. Let me stress the importance of this prose "there is an eternity" and "there is only way"

Jesus said "I am the way the truth and the life no one can come to the father except through me"

All you have to do is believe and live with the hope of eternity in mind

Modern Day Timothy

2009-04-21T11:44:00.001-07:00

Called to be different?

It funny how people (including me sometimes) seek to be different by being just like everyone else, ironic isn't it? Lately I have fallen in love with the word oxymoron because we live in a world that is full of oxymoron. An oxymoron occurs when conjoining contradictory terms together, for instance "deafening silence". It doesn't seem to make sense right? How can silence be deafening? (English majors you might want to expound on that school of thought). Think of the world and the oxymoron it represents "novel homogeneity" need I say more? If you are on the same page with me you should question the novelty in being homogeneous?

Called to be different?

Modern Day Timothy is a blog that I pray and hope will challenge both mine and your view on Christian principle as we expound our knowledge and understanding on what we deem these days as "legalistic Christian doctrines". Inspired by Paul's letters to young Timothy I hope that Modern Day Timothy will ring true in your ears and heart as it does mine. We are in a world that desperately needs novelty in homogeneity. And just like Paul charges timothy to be different we have been called to be different by being like Christ for the furtherance of the gospel and the glory of God.

…But set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity…
Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers

1 Timothy 4: 12, 15-16

Called to be different?

...do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.... Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good." Romans 12:2, 9