How Good Is The Love Feeling?

She can't concentrate at work. She has exams, but she can't read. She's always checking her phone for missed calls even though it's been close to her and on 'Loud' profile. She behaves crazy and they say she's crazy in love. She's actually mad, and it's that she's madly in love. She dreams every night now. And it's of her in her wedding dress or honey moon or carrying her baby. 

Wait! He hasn't even declared any interest yet. But she has solved all the puzzles in her mind by substituting him for x. She picks up her phone to call, but that's not right. She doesn't want to seem desperate, so she drops it and sits tight. She waits so long she feels sick. Alright, maybe a chat will do. She sends a hi on Whatsapp and it's taking some time to deliver. She switches off her phone and puts it back on and it's saying the same thing. She removes her battery, waits a little while and fixes it back and then this time she's lucky. She waits like a hungry dog panting with salivary tongue dropping, hoping to get a hello soon enough. Two minutes is gone, and five. She hisses at every passing minute. She nearly flips her wig. She's done this for two weeks and all because he'd said he liked her company. And she likes his too. But then, she's been with him only twice since and he said nothing more than she's fun to be with.

She gets back to her senses. She hits her head. She saves the money she was planning to spend on a new hair. After all, she just made this one thirteen days ago and it still looks good. She goes to the movies with her girlfriends. She notices other guys' passes at her. She grouches, 'What the hell? Is he the only man in the world?' 

And then he calls, but she doesn't  pick. She is not madly in love, she is mad at him. How could he have let her go through that emotional trauma. And that's what they call 'Love'? No wonder Brick & Lace said Love Is Wicked. And Leona calls it Bleeding Love. But she knows it's supposed to be a beautiful thing. Beyoncé was Drunk In Love. 'But if it's such a beautiful thing, why do we fall into it, like a trap', she questions, 'Is love all about the mawkish, mushy, lovey-dovey feeling? What some call butterflies in the tummy? How good is the love feeling?'

Well, I don't know about feelings. All I know is what love is:

©Radiant~January 2015

The Roving Mind And Powerful Words

I'm supposed to be reading. But I've gone through this particular paragraph for the umpteenth time; I wonder what I'm thinking about. I try again. This time taking every line ultra slowly like the Holiness preachers of those days. But then I'm preaching to myself.

Serological... studies... can... also... be... performed... on... serum... samples... collected... from... patients...10... days... apart. 

I don't get it, so I read the line again, trying my best to focus and visualize every word.  

Se.. ro.. lo.. gi.. cal.

'What are serological studies?', I ask myself, 'What are serum samples?' Collected from patients. Ten days apart. Oh! It's simple now. So why didn't I understand it before?  I continue reading and soon I'm at the end of the paragraph not knowing how I got there 'cause I can't tell what sentences I just read. I jolt back to reality on spotting a particular word; one that induces terror. The word—DEAD! I read that line again. This time with my eyes peeled. 

Finally, microscopic examination of liver biopsy of DEAD patients can show some specific changes in the liver.

I heave a sigh of relief or maybe frustration. What else did I expect to hear from a medical textbook? 

I marvel at how some words are strong enough to call a wandering mind back to a book. Words as the above and the popular three-letter word. Has it ever happened to you? You are reading, or better put, skimming a page. Your eyes are roving but your mind has lammed to London. And just then, your eyes light on that three letter word. You suddenly come to and want to know what it refers to, only to find out, very often, that it talks about genders. I wonder why the mind is like that. And flipping the script, that word is also strong enough to take a concentrating mind off the book. Well, depending on the condition of the heart.

©Radiant~ January 2015

Today's Message

Title: God's Eco system

Preacher: Pastor Poju Oyemade

Church: Covenant Christian Centre

Service: 8:00am

Scripture Texts: Deut: 11:8-11, Deut 8:7-9, Acts 7:17-35

Body of message

Pastor started his message with the parable of the sower, explaining that 'in God's kingdom, equal opportunities don't give birth to equal results', just as the different situations received the same seed and yielded different results. Even the good land yielded in different measures. He emphasized that the seed is the Word of God. And therefore, in God's kingdom, whatever success will be birthed will be by sowing the Word of God. And like the Bible explained, the seeds that fell by the wayside and were eaten by the birds of the field represent those that heard the word but didn't understand it. He cited an example saying that he was talking to someone about the schedule for the upcoming WAFBEC and he said that after some sermons, then there'll be prayer sessions and the person was like, the prayer session is the most important part. He then said that for people like that, while the message is going on, they will be less interested because they are waiting for time for prayers and so the seed will be stolen from their hearts immediately. 

The second situation was about the land that sprouted quickly but could not survive the scotching heat of the sun because it had no depth. He explained that the sun was very important for the growth of any plant due to the principle of photosynthesis. Without the sun, the seed won't germinate. But in the Kingdom, the sun represents trials and temptations. That is why James said we should rejoice and be glad when we face various trials and tribulations. He said, quoting Jesus words, 'tribulation or persecution arises because of the word'. Meaning that they come to help the word that has been sown grow. 

The third situation, which he called the worst situation was that of the seed that was cast among thorns. When it grew, it was choked to death. And the Bible says the thorns were the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches. He discussed further that this is far worse because, the seed germinated i.e the man because of the word became successful, but became deceived by the riches he had and got choked. He explained that when people become successful and then start giving excuses of being so busy that they cannot come to listen to the word or pray, they are beginning to get choked by their wealth. 

The fourth seed was sown in fertile ground and bore fruit in different measures. Bible says that the ground is the heart. Pastor explained further that when a seed is sown into the ground, it demands nutrients from the ground. Likening it to when we plant our vision in our hearts, we call forth the earth to supply the help needed to bring it to pass. Those helps may be in the form of the relationships we have. He admonished us not to ever break good relationships for money because 'the wealthiest man is the man with the most powerful relationships'. We are to live in peace with all men, even if you don't agree with them.

He pointed out that the saying that the tree is in the seed and the forest in the tree is wrong. Because if you break the seed, you won't find any tree in it. More so, if you leave a seed on the table, you will never get a tree out of it. It is until you plant it in a fertile ground and rain falls, that you get the tree from it. So he said, part of the tree is in the rain, part is in the ground. And so that's where prayer comes in. He said, in the scriptures, the rain is connected to prayer. For example Bible says, 'ask The Lord for rain in it's season'. Also, Elijah prayed for rain. So, when we have sown our seeds into our hearts by proclaiming the word of God, we call forth the rains of heaven through prayer. We are not allowed to water our seed by our own foot. He said that that is what the people of the world do. They understand that they need to sow seeds, so they plant their vision in their heart by the power of the human spirit, but then they water it by using their own hands to bring it to pass. They seek connections, and do everything they can. He said that that was what Moses tried to do initially, when he went out by his own hand to deliver the people of Israel. By doing that he elongated their stay by 30yrs, when God had promised they will leave after 400 yrs. (it was on the 390th yr that he felt the calling in his heart to deliver the people of Israel. Had it been he prayed about it, God would have shown him how He was going to do it. But since he thought it was by his own hand that God will deliver and he went out watering the seed by his foot, God had to send him to the wilderness for 40yrs to undo the influence of the past 40yrs of staying in Egypt). 

In summary, the message of today is basic. Sow the vision(birthed by the Word of God) in your heart through confession, pray for God's rain and continue what you are doing. The earth by itself will yield the increase.

Hallelujah!

Visit www.insightsforliving.org to download the audio message.

WAFBEC 2015 (Jan 23rd to 30th)

©Radiant~ January 2015

Girls Only: 15 Things your mother didn't tell you

In the transition from girlhood to womanhood, a lot of things are left unsaid. The girl has to figure out herself how to fit into a world with so many devourers and looters, many who love her body and not her virtue; those who want her company but only as a concubine. She learns them by her own mistakes, sometimes it's too late to correct consequences. Sometimes, she never learns them. In my little sojourn and from interactions with other men and women, I have garnered some nuggets that will guide the lady if known and understood. 

Your mom probably told you some of what I'm about to tell you, but here is why:

1. Don't go to his house. You will most likely go back. And one day, you'll sleep over.

2. Sometimes in life, you need not be afraid of making enemies. Sometimes, you need to let them say you are snobby to save your soul.

3. Don't hesitate to say NO. If you are on the hot seat and can't think of an appropriate answer, it's always safer to say NO. After all, Jesus commended the son that said no to his father, but later came back and did the work.

4. Don't be naive. The world is not as peaceful as your heart is. Be aware of what's going on in your environment.

5. Treat all male friends as brothers. Never look at them as potential boyfriends.

6. Make godly people as friends. Iron sharpens iron. 

7. Enjoy being alone. Love your own company.

8. Never let down your guard in anyone's company, even in church or among church people. The heart of man is DESPERATELY wicked.

9. Don't energize your flesh by feeding on things that will cause you to fantasize. You'll never know what you're capable of until opportunity comes for it to manifest. Guard your heart jealously.

10. Love everyone with the love of The Lord and don't be paranoid, but when they start crossing their boundaries even with silly jokes, make it clear your stand. Never give them the benefit of doubt.

11. NEVER agree to sleep over! Many men hold the wrong notion that once a lady agrees to spend the night, she has also given permission for inappropriate touch and sex.

12. Don't let him spend on you when you know you're going to say no when he asks you out. 

13. Don't get a boyfriend because it's in vogue and all your friends have one. Trust me, they all envy you.

14. Par adventure, by mistake, you find yourself alone with an XY, never say that you don't trust yourself (but please don't trust yourself). That statement sends a wrong signal to the corrupt mind.

15. Finally and ultimately, trust God to keep you away from evil people. Really, even if you planted a radar to detect them, some people are just skillful at deceit.

Of course, the above applies to girls that want to live a chaste life as commanded by their Lord. However, There are many more you and I need to know that we don't. But cheer up young girl. The Holy Spirit will teach you all things. Only turn aside and look. Give yourself to the study of the Word of God.

David asked, 'how can a young man keep his way pure?', and he answered, 'by keeping it according to Thy law'.

©Radiant~January 2015

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Bangladeshi kwa!

Bangladeshi kwa!

That was my exclamatory reaction, as a typical Igbo girl, alone in my room where I had no chance to 'form', on seeing the statistics on the traffic to my blog. Last time I checked, it was majorly from Nigeria and if there were other countries, they were too little to be noticed. This time it read, over the past one week, Nigeria: 195, Bangladesh: 88, Indonesia: 58, United States: 55, Canada: 11, India: 11, United Kingdom: 9, United Arab Emirates: 5, Netherlands: 5 , Austria: 2. You can imagine my shock on seeing such a statistic. I wouldn't have been so shocked if U.S came after Nigeria, 'cause I'll just assume that it was still from Nigerians since there are many of us in the U.S. But Bangladesh? It's definitely not just from a Nigerian audience.

All I can say is Thank you Lord. Your Word is coming to pass.

Isaiah 60:3 'Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising'.

©Radiant ~January 2015

Chidiogo, The Writer

I'm smiling

A little while and I smile again

I even laugh at times

As I scroll down the comments page on my blog

I feel like Jesus now

When he said I have food that you know not of

Seeing the testimonies of people, some that I don't even know

Of my being a blessing to them

Of me making their day

Them appreciating the gift of God in me

The feeling is priceless

I smile again

It says 'I've bookmarked this blog'

Thank you Lord for your gift

I'm humbled

I went to visit my friend the other day, and she was introducing me to her brother. Immediately she mentioned my name, he said, 'Chidiogo, the writer?' We were taken aback for a moment. I was amazed but excited. My friend said that I had become popular and really one day I'd be known worldwide as Chidiogo, the writer. I kept on smiling. He said he read my posts. I wasn't used to that description of me. Maybe if he said 'Radiant, the writer' it would have rung a bell.

I smile again

This one says, 'nice piece Radiant. Looking forward to your next piece as always'

As always? 

I remember moments when I'd have no inspiration for a write-up and my blog would be crying for posts and then I get a call or a BB message asking when next I'd be putting something down. And I'd reply, 'I don't know'. Sometimes I'd feel like there's nothing else to write about. But minutes, hours or days pass and I'd be up with my tab typing something.

A lot of times, I write some stuff. Cool stuff. But it never gets to be published 'cause of fears of being misunderstood or somehow time passes and the post is no longer relevant or I'm not just comfortable posting it and I don't know why. Many times I send my posts to one or two friends to read and reassure me that it's good before I post. There's a tendency to enjoy one's work so much and yet others don't get it. But the joy of a writer is in having readers. So I've decided to be less selfish. 

This time I frown

And what is it?

Someone wrote, 'needs a little editing... Otherwise pas mal, lol... and please do and get to stage Car!'

Not bad? Editing? And then you comment as anonymous. How then will I get to learn from you the things I need to improve on? Not that I'm perfect, but I know how much work I do to get the grammar and structure of the posts as perfect as possible. Sometimes, while doing that, days pass and the post is no longer relevant. To be unbiased, I give others my posts to proofread before they are published and I keep editing even till months after they are published.

I ignore that

And go on to more encouraging comments

Thankfully, I get very little nasty comments

Nice piece!

Awesome!

Great!

Fresh!

Beautiful!

Lovely!

Classic!

On point!

Funny!

Good!

Clean!

Inspiring!

Words used to describe my posts. Words that strengthen my courage. Words I cherish to the moon and back. Words that always make me smile. Words that make me happy.

I've reached the end of the page

I scroll up to take them in again

©Radiant ~January 2015

Yesterday Was Last Year

                       

This morning, as I scrolled down a few BCs I had received on BBM, I stumbled on one that piqued my interest. It read, 'do you know that it is possible to get into the toilet and not come out till the following year?' I was curious to know how interesting this story was that the chap just had to send it to me on a new year day, instead of wishing me a splendid year like others were doing. So I read along. 'Just try and enter the toilet by 11:59pm and come out after a minute'. Oh! A minute to new year, that was the catch. Smart! Really smart joke. But who would like to spend the last minute of his life in 2014 in the loo? Just thinking.

I spent my last hours in church as most Christians do yearly on New Year's Eve at what we call Cross Over Night or Sevice. That was my first cross over service ever because, up until last year which was last night, I spent my New Year's Eve at home with family. Mom would wake us up by 11pm to pray and prophesy into the new year. By five minutes to 12am, we were done with the prayers and we'd make a beeline for our bangers (knock-outs as we called them) and position ourselves in different areas of the compound. But over the past few years, we've only observed others throw their knock-outs and shoot their fireworks because somehow we believe that we have outgrown throwing knock-outs. Now the best we can do is stand on the balcony and watch in amazement, the various forms of fireworks in the air.

So service started at 9am. We had prayers, dancing sessions of praise and worship, special song ministrations and when it was three minutes to 12, a countdown clock was projected on the screens and then we chanted the countdown from 5 secs. 

 5! 

 4! 

 3! 

Voices grew more intense with each number

 2!

 1!

                        

and the altar was set ablaze with fireworks. Well, the kinds that litter the air with ribbons and colored papers like the ones bridesmaids use to usher in their wedding couple, plus the type you see on cakes that start to burn as soon as the celebrant cuts the cake and stops when they stop smiling. But these were bigger ones that were planted round about the altar and were remote controlled I guess. It was too beautiful. I'm so sorry I couldn't take a picture. I was too busy reveling in the moment and my phone was acting up at that time too.

Then the almighty fireworks. Ah! But they were outside the church building. I could only watch from the screens. For a moment, I envied those that couldn't make it early enough to sit inside the church building. They devoured the whole thing. Some people rushed out to observe the fireworks. Were I sitting close to the door, I might have done the same. Others prayed, worshipped, hugged each other, sang unto God for bringing them into a new year. I was torn between rushing out to observe the fireworks and joining the people in the church to give thanks to God. Finally, after much struggle within me, I chose to stay back and give thanks. There was shouting everywhere. Welcome to 2015! From today, yesterday and the days before will be referred to as last year.

I pray for more insight and inspiration to continue to be a blessing to you guys through my writings. Thank you for your support last year. It means a lot to me. Let's do this again this year and even better.

Yours passionately,

©Radiant~January 2015