KINGDOMPerspective

JONA’S METAMORPHOSIS (2)

noreply@blogger.com (KP) — Sun, 14 Dec 2014 09:54:00 +0000

"'... and I say Nigeria is being piloted by God himself. It is not going to be easy, but with God using you and us, we will get to where we want to go…' Now, as a Christian and a minister to men, who has been taught and teaches that it is God, who wills and works in us to do of His good pleasure; a statement like that gladdened my heart when it came from my president. It did then because I thought it meant that this president was going to trust and depend on God, who brought him into office, to keep him in office only for as long as He will. I thought that it would mean avoiding desperation to remain in office. I thought it would mean neither participating in nor allowing abuse of power under his watch."

In likening President Goodluck Jonathan’s current mutation to King Nebuchadnezzar in the Bible, Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka said he was predicating his choice, not on its aptness, but more on the president’s earlier attempt to repudiate any similarities.

That earlier attempt, we noted here last week, was at a church service in September 2011, where he said, among other things, that he didn't need to be a Nebuchadnezzar to govern Nigeria.

For ease of reference, here again is the relevant part of that statement: “Some others will want the President to operate like an army general, like my Chief of Army Staff commanding his troops. Incidentally, I am not a lion; I am not also a general. Somebody will want the President to operate like the kings of Syria, Babylon, Egypt, the Pharaoh, all - powerful people that you read about in the Bible. They want the president to operate that way, the characters of the Goliath. Unfortunately, I am not one of those. But God knows why I am here, even though I don’t have any of those attributes, or these kinds of characters I have used as an example. But through your prayers, God placed me here. The only thing I ask you to do for me, and that is the prayer I pray every time, is for God to use me to change this country. I don’t need to be a lion. I don’t need to be Nebuchadnezzar. I don’t need to operate like the Pharaoh of Egypt. I don’t need to be an army general but I can change this country without those traits.”

'Kongi' went on to imply that those words have not been matched by the president’s actions when he told Nigerians through the media: “Perhaps he meant it at the time when he claimed: ‘I am no Nebuchadnezzar’. Perhaps not. One judges leaders on acts however, not pronouncements, which are often as reliable as electoral promises.”

As proof of that, he pointed to various acts of impunity by the government led by Dr Goodluck Jonathan including what he described as “this latest outrage” - the November 20 attempted lock-out of national legislators from the premises of the Parliament. Describing it as “one in an escalating series of impunity”, he argued that “the buck stops yet again at the presidency and that incumbent, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan” whom he said “continues to surprise us in ways that very few could have conjectured.”

Readers may recall that I expressed my own surprise that the professor or anybody else could have been surprised by Dr Jonathan’s resort to impunity; my reason being that his very ascendancy to the president was the product of impunity. I had written in part: “… I agree absolutely that his support for the minority in the matter of the NGF election was indeed the clearest indication that the age of innocence was gone for good. Truth is the age of impunity, which, in my dictionary, is the good old habit of doing things, anything at all, just because you can, dawned on us the day Jonathan decided to and ran for office the very first time. In my book, if any man would violate the rules in his age-grade group or boys and girls club because he has the power to, he’ll do it anywhere else - including the presidency.”

So, perhaps Goodluck Jonathan has really not metamorphosed at all, then. Perhaps we had simply known him “in part” and we are simply just nearing fullness of knowledge?

As I said last time, one other thing that he said at that September 2011 church gathering caught my attention then and now. The president, in continuation of his defence of his governance style, said:

“You know these days for you to be an intellectual and for people to listen to you, you have to abuse government. Somebody was asking, is Nigeria on an auto pilot? Meaning a plane without a pilot and I say Nigeria is being piloted by God himself. It is not going to be easy, but with God using you and us, we will get to where we want to go…”

Now, as a Christian and a minister to men, who has been taught and teaches that it is God, who wills and works in us to do of His good pleasure; a statement like that gladdened my heart when it came from my president. It did then because I thought it meant that this president was going to trust and depend on God, who brought him into office, to keep him in office only for as long as He will. I thought that it would mean avoiding desperation to remain in office. I thought it would mean neither participating in nor allowing abuse of power under his watch.

Three years down the road, it is clear that I thought wrong!

JONA’S METAMORPHOSIS (1)

noreply@blogger.com (KP) — Sun, 07 Dec 2014 09:26:00 +0000

"Truth is the age of impunity, which in my dictionary is the good old habit of doing things, anything at all, just because you can, dawned on us the day Jonathan decided to and ran for office the very first time. In my books, if any man would violate the rules in his age-grade group or boys and girls club because he has the power to, he’ll do it anywhere else including the presidency."

I am sure most of my readers know that the headline of this piece is not original. It is simply an adaptation of the title of one of Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka’s two plays on a certain beach preacher, Jeroboam.

Jona, of course, refers to our dear president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, whose metamorphosis has surprised many including the deeply insightful globally celebrated Soyinka, who spoke about it, in a statement titled, “King Nebuchadnezzar – The Reign of Impunity”, which he read at a media meet last week.

Likening the president to Nebuchadnezzar here and his successor, Balthazar there, the Nobel laureate pretty much lent his weighty voice to the rising tide of in your face impunity in the way Nigeria is run. The trigger was a subject treated in this space last week, the November 20 invasion of the National Assembly by the Nigeria Police under the title, Hon “Justice” Suleiman Umar (which should have been HON “JUSTICE” SULEIMAN ABBA – error deeply regretted).

Signposting, in my thinking, the point when the larva became an adult and began to suck blood, Kongi told the media, “…this latest outrage, one in an escalating series of impunity, the buck stops yet again at the presidency, and that incumbent, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, continues to surprise us in ways that very few could have conjectured. Peaking at his own personalized example where he set the law of simple arithmetic on its head – I refer to the split in the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), and his ‘formal’ recognition of the minority will in a straightforward, peer election – democracy has been rendered meaningless where it should be most fervently exemplified.”

Although I am surprised that the professor, or anybody else, is surprised by Jonathan, I agree absolutely that his support for the minority in the matter of the NGF election was indeed the clearest indication that the age of innocence was gone for good. Truth is the age of impunity, which in my dictionary is the good old habit of doing things, anything at all, just because you can, dawned on us the day Jonathan decided to and ran for office the very first time. In my books, if any man would violate the rules in his age-grade group or boys and girls club because he has the power to, he’ll do it anywhere else including the presidency.

But, please, let’s go back to Soyinka’s powerful intervention in the matter.

In likening President Jonathan to “King Nebu”, he had filed the caveat that it was simply referring to the president’s earlier effort at characterizing himself and his presidency a couple of years back. His words: “I shall not insist that the historic/biblical figure of Nebuchadnezzar is uniquely apt for the pivotal figure of the ‘democratic’ history in the making at this moment – for one thing, Nebu was a nation builder and a warrior… However you should easily recall why I opted for King Nebu –the figure that currently sits on the top of our political pile himself evoked it, albeit in a context that virtuously disclaimed any similarities, even tendencies. Perhaps he meant it at the time when he claimed: ‘I am no Nebuchadnezzar’. Perhaps not. One judges leaders on acts however, not pronouncements, which are often as reliable as electoral promises.”

The playwright was of course referring to the president’s statement at a church service in September 2011 where he said in part:

“Some others will want the President to operate like an army general, like my Chief of Army Staff commanding his troops. Incidentally, I am not a lion; I am not also a general. Somebody will want the President to operate like the kings of Syria, Babylon, Egypt, the Pharaoh, all - powerful people that you read about in the Bible. They want the president to operate that way, the characters of the Goliath. Unfortunately, I am not one of those. But God knows why I am here, even though I don’t have any of those attributes, or these kinds of characters I have used as an example. But through your prayers, God placed me here. The only thing I ask you to do for me, and that is the prayer I pray every time, is for God to use me to change this country. I don’t need to be a lion. I don’t need to be Nebuchadnezzar. I don’t need to operate like the Pharaoh of Egypt. I don’t need to be an army general but I can change this country without those traits.”

Once again, I agree with the learned professor that the president, by that statement and subsequent actions, invited the comparison. But for me, it was what else the president said in that statement and his actions and omissions since then that demonstrated his metamorphosis and I shall address that next time. Stay tuned, please.

IT’S THE MEN, STUPID

noreply@blogger.com (KP) — Sun, 23 Nov 2014 20:26:00 +0000

KMEN'S Great Company members (from left):
Odinaka Uruakpa, Stella Sawyerr, Gbenga Osinaike,
Lekan Otufodunrin and Segun Otokiti.

Wednesday, November 19 was International Men’s Day 2014. It providentially coincided with a major activity of the Lagos, Nigeria-based ministry to men that I have the priviledge of leading, KINGDOM MEN.

KMEN, as the ministry is called for short, had a two-in-one media event. The KMEN Great Company, the ministry’s media support group was launched. Coordinated by Dennis Onwuegbu, a journalist and member of the leadership team of KMEN, the team, comprised of Christian journalists with track records of “using their calling to serve their faith… placing their time, talent and influence to propagate the gospel.

The inaugural team consists of Lekan Otufodunrin, Online Editor of The Nation newspaper, who founded and coordinates Journalists for Christ; Segun Otokiti, a veteran Faith writer currently of National Daily and Gbenga Osinaike, founder and editor of Nigeria’s most consistent Christian publication, Church Times. Two women who kindly consented to serve on the team are Stella Sawyerr, Associate Editor with TELL Communications, publishers of TELL magazine and Broad Street Journal and; Odinaka Uruakpa who heads the National Mirror newspaper’s Faith Desk.

The second part of the day’s event was the launch of what the ministry styles as the fix the Men, fix Nigeria Initiative. With the hash tags #fixthemenfixNigeria and #fixthemenfixthe nations, the initiative is designed to draw attention to the hardly recognised but unassailable truth that MEN ARE THE PROBLEM AND MEN ARE THE ANSWER.

Through the initiative, the ministry plans to start public campaigns to draw attention to the need for the nations to begin to pay attention to the spiritual health of our men, if we are to reduce the social, political and economic challenges we face, because most of the challenges emanate from the actions or omissions of men as husbands, brothers, fathers and leaders. That explains the headline of this piece, which as you may know was adapted from Bill Clinton campaign slogan when he was seeking office in 1993.

The ministry plans to do much more: take the campaign to churches in particular to encourage pastors to take ministry to men more seriously; place more emphasis on discipleship and mentoring. The first phase will climax with the ministry’s second MEGA-SUMMIT on the theme, Fix the men, Fix the Nations, holding in Lagos, Nigeria, April 30-May 3, 2015.

A cross section of attendees: 3rd left is Madam Elizabeth Alabi, who
unveiled the #FixthemenfixNigeria Initiative.

Let’s go back to the International Men's Day. Founded in 199, it was inaugurated in Trinidad and Tobago by Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh in 1999. A piece on IMD.org, official website for the event stated: “The new event received overwhelming support in the Caribbean and due to the persistent networking and invitations sent to individuals in other nations International Men's Day has taken root on the international scene. The Caribbean initiative is now independently celebrated in countries as diverse as Singapore, Australia, India, United Kingdom, United States, South Africa, Haiti, Jamaica, Hungary, Malta, Ghana, Moldova, and Canada and interest in the event is increasing rapidly.”

Incidentally, prior to this, the website noted, that since at least the 1960's it was reported that many men had “been agitating privately to make February 23 International Men's Day, the equivalent of March 8, which is International Women's day" (New York Times, Feb 24 1969). Since this time there have been persistent international calls for the creation of an IMD, calls in the form of rhetorical questions about gender equality, eg. "Why do women have an international celebration and not men?" and more commonly in the form of statements like "Men's contributions and concerns deserve a day of recognition in their own right" i.e. not merely by analogy with International Women's Day. Proposed objectives of an International Men's Day include a focus on men's and boy's health, improving gender relations, promoting gender equality, and highlighting positive male role models. It is also suggested as an occasion whereby men may highlight discrimination against them and celebrate their positive achievements and contributions to communities, places of work, friendships, families, marriages, and child care.”

During last year’s event, Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh, the founder said: “the annual observance of International Men’s Day on November 19th indicates a deep concern for the numerous problems plaguing our world. It is annually observed by both men and women who are eager to assist the troubled, help the dysfunctional and promote positive role models in our society. It is hoped that celebrating International Men’s Day will ultimately produce a more peaceful world with responsible and caring fathers, brothers, nephews, grandfathers, husbands and sons.”

The “deep concern for the numerous problems plaguing our world” the Caribbean scholar spoke about simply confirms what we at KINGDOM MEN have been saying to date - that the nations are the way they are because of the quality of men they have. Or in Clinton-speak, it’s the men, stupid.

FIX THE MEN, FIX THE NATIONS

noreply@blogger.com (KP) — Sun, 26 Oct 2014 00:50:00 +0000

I was at a conference in Newport Beach, California recently. Organised by Kingdom Global Ministries, KGM, the ministry founded by veteran global mentor of men, Rev Dr Larry Titus and run alongside his wife, Devi, it is a two-yearly event that draws ministry leaders from all parts of the globe. As the name suggests, among the major objectives of the conference is to afford men and women laboring in love in diverse departments of God’s vineyard the opportunity to connect with one another and leave God to do whatever he wills in the process.

This is however not my World Connect 2014 report. That will come someday, perhaps, if the Lord leads. What reminded me of the conference is a piece I read during the week just gone by. Written by Bro Dayo Adeyemi of Catalyst Christian Men Network, it was titled Men are the Issues or Bringbackourmen NOT Bringbackourgirls.

Reading him reminded me of the enthusiastic endorsement of that truth by visitors to the Kingdom Men table at World Connect. As each person told us about their assignments, their vision and the successes they had achieved, we would nod in approval, congratulate them and then ask if the problems they are working hard to solve would exist or be of the magnitude it is, if men were really men as God called them to be. Usually, there was a pause and then,come, “no, of course not”.

That was Kingdom Men’s message at our Mega Summit 2014 earlier in the year here in Lagos; it was our message at World Connect; it is the quintessence of our ministry

Here, very slightly edited for space, is what Bro Dayo wrote:

“Girls were kidnapped. Women were hysterical. Mothers were crying. First Lady was acting. The world was watching. Six months later, tears are still rolling. God has not changed. He possibly has nearly 2 billion people to deal with than a mere 250 something girls from one hell of a religious nation tucked away in a forgotten corner of the map.

“It’s not about the girls. It’s beyond the first lady. No woman can bring back our girls. They can do all the cries and the dramas and the magic. It’s about the men. Where men are men, girls don’t get missing. They prime their wives and protect their daughters. There is no difference between the men who kidnapped the girls and the men who politicise the kidnapping of the girls. They both have one agenda! What is in it for me? Both want power. The girls are just the commodity by which both sides trade off their ego. Men are the issues.

“Men have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; …. they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. - Romans 1:28-32

“You may not be an insurgent but you are a ‘boko haram’ or ‘ISIL’ in your home, work and in the church. You inflict violence, murder and certain death by lack of compassion. You pay for the next abortion, lure the next girl, steal the next money or carry out evil acts. How do we know a ‘boko haram’? What he wants is what he wants! The feelings of the next person do not matter. He is utterly or subtly wicked and he knows it.

“How do we bring the men back? Men must return to the altar, the place of repentance, not eldership in the church, not politics with God. Men must ‘cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause’.

“Men have only one place to turn to. You can be in Eden and yet be out of touch with God. You can be in power and be as hardened as Pharaoh! You can be wealthy and be as proud as the rich fool. Men all over the ages have egos, huge egos that blinded their rationalities and rationalises their criminalities. Whether in church or in power, men compete, men kill, men make compassion second option, men’s heart are desperately wicked. It’s all about me, money and more me.

‘The love of Christ wipes wickedness from the heart of men. When men come to the knowledge of Christ, then righteousness, justice and compassion flow. Yield your heart to Christ today and become the Catalyst that will not only bring back our girls but will restore sanity to our nation…”

Thanks Bro Dayo. And thank God for voices like yours. Incidentally, KMEN, the ministry I have the privilege of chief stewarding is launching a major new initiative reflected in the headline to this piece.

WHERE TO MEET LARA GEORGE ON SATURDAY (TOMORROW)

noreply@blogger.com (KP) — Fri, 17 Oct 2014 08:55:00 +0000

" 'Your songs blessed me and helped me through my trying time. That was the last time I had to go into emergency till we had our baby boy on the 16th of June...'YOU TOO CAN HAVE A TESTIMONY."

There are two super Saturdays in October – at least for Chapelites, as members of one of Nigeria’s earliest word of faith churches are known, and other interested believers.

October 11, 2014 was the first of the two this year. It heralded CCIC Campmeeting, perhaps Nigeria’s most consistent annual gathering of believers out to camp around the word of God in order to retool, refuel and re-fire for another year of godly abundant living. As is usual, Chapelites walked for Christ in one accord to create awareness for the campmeeting, proceeded to compete with one another at sports and games and then broke bread in an atmosphere of agape, the God-kind of love.

I’ll save you all the details of what you missed. I’ll tell you instead about that which you can still be a part of - Super Saturday Two. In fact, please take this as my invitation to attend. It is our annual Campmeeting Gospel Music Jamz and it holds on Saturday, October 18, 2014 at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Surulere. (CONTINUES BELOW)

Poised to take their turns to minister life to the people through gospel music and humour at their most inspirational and entertaining are CCIC Levites, Tim Godfrey of Agidigba fame comedian Koffi and Lara George. Space does not permit me to tell you about Tim Godfrey; Koffie and anointed star-studded CCIC Levites.

Permit me to focus on special guest, Lara George, undoubtedly one of Nigeria’s leading female artistes. Classy, immensely talented and with a spellbinding voice, she was formerly a member of the popular gospel group KUSH. She released her debut solo album in 2007 with the hit single 'Ijoba Orun.' This was followed by the self-titled 'Lara George,' with such massive tracks Halleluyah, Kolebaje and Komasi (Nobody Like You) two years later, which she released with videos for these three top songs.

In 2012, while pregnant with her second child, Lara George went on to release her 3rd solo album titled 'Higher - The Dansaki Album.' Although this album was released without any fanfare, the song 'Dansaki' became an instant hit, closely followed by other tracks like 'Higher' , 'A Yin O', 'A New Day' and 'We Praise You.' The entire album is a testament to God's ability to make better all things of which He is a part.

Her recent work, Love Wantintin is commemorating the tenth anniversary of her marriage last month. This is a prelude to a planned double album release in 2014, as she prepares to commemorate her 10th year wedding anniversary , as well as continuing with the pleasure of singing the most heartfelt and sincere inspirational songs ever heard.

Lara is an often decorated gospel music megastar, whose many awards include Trailbazer of the Year 2013 and many more.

Her songs have touched so many live in so many diverse ways to the glory of God such that testimonies abound. One such testimony reads:

“Your songs blessed me and helped me through my trying time. That was the last time I had to go into emergency till we had our baby boy on the 16th of June. I looked forward to sing "Dansaki" to the most high when this child was born and the day I brought my baby home it was the first song I heard. It brought tears to my eyes...I acknowledge His faithfulness in my life.

Thank you for those great songs. I am sure they have inspired many people across the globe but I just had to share my testimony…” You too can have a testimony; come expectant on Saturday (tomorrow). Time is 3pm.

TOWARDS A NIGERIAN CHRISTIAN CHARTER

noreply@blogger.com (KP) — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 20:04:00 +0000

"It is for this reason that somebody or group has to rise up to the challenge in some other ways. One such ways is to go the way of Christian leaders in the United States (through the Manhattan Declaration) and those of Britain (though the Westminster Declaration) and codify a set of principles by which those who fly the Christian flag should be encouraged to comport themselves or forfeit the right to expect our support and those of like minds."

I do not remember who said it, but, it’s been ringing in my head lately that “if you want anything done badly enough, you do it yourself.” Perhaps you’ve heard it said before too. However, I am fully persuaded that in the matter of the urgent need for a Nigerian Christian Charter of Conscience (see last week’s column), it is incumbent upon those who are concerned about the direction of public conduct of those in leadership positions in our land, to rise up and let’s ‘just do it’.

When in 2010, I did an open letter serial to the President of Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor and mentioned the subject in the fifth part; I had hoped that something would get done about it. My hope then was not baseless. As President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, he had much earlier convened a meeting of Christian Consultative Forum of Nigeria. As we reported in another serial in February 7 & 14, 2010, the forum was said “to have been borne out of ‘an apostolic summit held by some of Nigeria's front running Christian leaders on November 2, 2009’. Pastor Ayo stated the objective then as to enable ‘the body of Christ to transform the nation into a progressive, equitable and developed nation….’

That forum was attended by such eminent Nigerian followers of Christ, with years of incontrovertible Christian witness, ‘as former Nigeria High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr. Christopher Kolade; board room icon and one-time presidential aspirant, Deacon Gamaliel Onosode; a former Chairman of Nigeria Breweries Plc, Elder Felix Ohiwerei and university don, Professor Adamu Baikie, (who) addressed the long neglected issue of the role of the Church in nation building…’

That forum issued a communiqué, which, at the time excited this writer so much because it was answer to prayer and public advocacy through a serial titled “Wake-Up Call to Church Leaders.” That all-important document posited in part:

“The Forum noted that for the church to lead in the turn around, it must get itself to a level of building a new Nigeria on integrity, which involves attributes like competence, faithfulness, probity, transparency, commitment, courage, ethical values and behaviour and accountability.

“…Therefore, reiterate that the church is neither a social institution nor a political party, but a spiritual fellowship for Christians and its only agenda is that of God. And that is, through this agenda, that our Christian leaders must be consistently courageous to teach all men (both leaders and followers) to observe all things that Christ has commanded;

“…Concluded that the church must lead in the transformation of our nation, its leaders must lead with integrity, honesty of purpose, and speak out forcefully against the ills of country’s leaders. The church must also teach and develop its members into leaders and must promote integrity and discipline, encourage austere living, and generosity and discourage prosperity and materialism.”

“…Recognised that the church cannot be transformed if it has not been working to develop its own leaders, and (raise) champions amongst its members. The church must therefore instil discipline amongst its members, sanction erring members and develop new leaders in the way of the Lord. We therefore, need to restore the right values, re-establish high standards in corporate and public governance and social behaviour, and to adopt good discipline, and establish a reliable system for ensuring consistently good performance. In addition, the church should not promote materialism and prosperity gospel, but encourage austere living and generosity.”

We stated then that the communiqué was “pointing in the way that the Church must go if it will take its place in providing the leadership in every sector of our national life as indeed it should.”

Pastor Oritsejafor went on to contest a very bruising election for the presidency of CAN, won the first and subsequently the second term and the forum and all that it stood for simply went to deep sleep. You would have thought that his new position offers a stronger platform from which to push the forum and its ideals, but it hasn’t been like that. I do not judge him, particularly, against the background of the upsurge in terror in our land, which, unacknowledged by many, is first and foremost formed and fashioned against Christians and Christianity, seen as coterminous with western values.

It is for this reason that somebody or group has to rise up to the challenge in some other ways. One such ways is to go the way of Christian leaders in the United States (through the Manhattan Declaration) and those of Britain (though the Westminster Declaration) and codify a set of principles by which those who fly the Christian flag should be encouraged to comport themselves or forfeit the right to expect our support and those of like minds.

Kingdom Men has accepted that challenge and we will pursuit it with all that we have in Christ. We will knock every door, including those of Oritsejafor and the eminent leaders in the Christian Leaders Consultative Forum (CLCF) and corporate bodies owned or led by Christians who are not shy to be associated with the name of Christ – and that may include you and yours – as the Holy Spirit shall direct. So, help us God.

WANTED URGENTLY: A NIGERIAN CHRISTIAN CHARTER

noreply@blogger.com (KP) — Sun, 27 Jul 2014 19:53:00 +0000

"As a step in that direction, it was decided that Kingdom Men should, with the support of and in collaboration with sponsors hold this special roundtable three months before the elections on the theme, TOWARDS A NIGERIAN CHRISTIAN CHARTER. The content of the charter, which will derive from the event, will set out minimum moral standard expected of those seeking their votes; commitment to carefully thought-out policy positions on politics, economy and social issues. Religious freedom, corruption, rule of law, marriage, children and women rights are among issues expected to feature at the roundtable and ultimately on the charter."

Seventeen men, collectively known as the King’s Men, came together for about 20 hours from Friday evening to Saturday morning penultimate week for a retreat to discuss the next phase of the activities of Kingdom Men, the ministry they steward. As always when these men meet, the role of the nation of Nigeria and the place of Christian men in its growth and development was a major consideration in charting the path forward.

One of the highlights of the decisions taken at that meeting was to hold a special edition of one of the programmes that featured at the last Mega-Summit – Politics and Governance Roundtable. The special edition has become necessary, the men concluded, because the spiritual and moral content of activities leading to the fast approaching 2015 General Elections is, thus far, virtually ZERO. A deliberate redirection and infusion of these critical elements is therefore urgent.

As a step in that direction, it was decided that Kingdom Men should, with the support of and in collaboration with sponsors hold this special roundtable three months before the elections on the theme, TOWARDS A NIGERIAN CHRISTIAN CHARTER. The content of the charter, which will derive from the event, will set out minimum moral standard expected of those seeking their votes; commitment to carefully thought-out policy positions on politics, economy and social issues. Religious freedom, corruption, rule of law, marriage, children and women rights are among issues expected to feature at the roundtable and ultimately on the charter.

Incidentally, this issue featured prominently in the fifth part of an open letter to Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, in August 2010. I am quoting extensively from that letter below, because it offers the reader insight into the origins of the charter idea. Here goes:

“As you most probably might have read, a number of Christian leaders in the United States widely recognised for their ‘public witness on behalf of justice, human rights, and the common good’ came together in 2009 and subsequently came up with what has now become known as the Manhattan Declaration. Described as a ‘Call to Christian Conscience’, the declaration, in the words of one of its proponents, ‘speaks to the church just as much as it speaks to the larger culture’. Originally signed by about 150 prominent Christian clergy, ministry leaders and scholars including Nigeria’s Most Rev Peter Akinola and released on November 20, 2009 at a press conference in Washington , DC , its focus was on three issues that the enemy is using powerfully to destroy the Christian heritage of that country.

“In the main, the signatories affirm in the 4700-word declaration: ‘The profound, inherent, and equal dignity of every human being as a creature fashioned in the very image of God, possessing inherent rights of equal dignity and life; Marriage as a conjugal union of man and woman, ordained by God from the creation, and historically understood by believers and non-believers alike, to be the most basic institution in society and; Religious liberty, which is grounded in the character of God, the example of Christ, and the inherent freedom and dignity of human beings created in the divine image.’

“As we write this, well over 460,000 persons have signed on to the declaration. But that is not the story. The big deal is that it caught the eyes of Christians in the United Kingdom, made so great an impression on them, that on the eve of the last General Elections, they launched the Westminster Declaration of Christian Conscience 2010. A former Archbishop Canterbury, Lord Carey, was among 30 senior Christian Leaders, who signed and launched the declaration last Easter Sunday (April 4, 2010).

“Both in timing and content, it was widely seen as the Christian Manifesto for the election; deftly designed to send a clear message to all parliamentary candidates that Christians will be supporting only those whose politics do not conflict with Christian beliefs and interfere with their right to live according to those beliefs. Towards this end, the declaration articulated those range of policies around which churches in the UK are united, including support for marriage, opposition to assisted suicide and euthanasia, support for the rights of children born and unborn, and support for all those who are sick, disabled, addicted, elderly, poor, exploited, trafficked or exploited by unjust trade, aid or debt. In other words Christians were being galvanised not to vote for candidates whose previous records or current platforms conflict with these minimum.

“Mr President, it is my view that CAN, under your leadership, ought to spearhead a Nigerian Christian Charter along these lines, articulating the Christian standpoint on issues such as corruption, violation of voters’ rights through election rigging, freedom of worship and etc with a view to guiding our brethren in the choice of political party to join and candidates to vote for. Thanks for your time, sir.”

It’s been four years since I made that case, in vain, it seems. You can therefore understand my excitement that Kingdom Men has accepted the challenge. Won’t you please join us? For inquiries please send email to info@kingdom-men.org or phone 08034502888.

AN ELIJAH RISES IN AMERICA

noreply@blogger.com (KP) — Sun, 20 Jul 2014 20:21:00 +0000

‘If Mr. al-Baghdadi won't convert to faith in Christ, then he should have no problem calling on his god "allah" to answer by fire. It will be a great stage for the world to finally see whose God is the one true God…"Allah" worshipped by the world's 1.6 billion Muslims, or the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of the Bible!’

Yes, you read that right; an Elijah has arisen in the United States and he is ready for a Mount Carmel-type showdown! His name is William Keller and he runs liveprayer.com, an internet-only church. In other words, what PUNCH’s Jide Ojo was asking of Nigeria’s prophets; what I had myself always wondered about, is set to take place if the other party thinks it fit to accept the challenge.

In concluding a two-part serial, Descent Into Darkness (June 29 & July 6, 2014), I alluded to the silence of Nigeria’s many Christian leaders in the face of increasing tyranny in the land. I wrote as follows:

“Please note the emphasis above on the prophets’ silence. It reminds me of a brilliant piece titled, “Where are the Nigerian prophets?” by PUNCH’s Jide Ojo. He wrote in part: ‘Just imagine (Christian) clerics…jointly or individually challenging Abubakar Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram, to a spiritual duel like Elijah of old did. Just imagine what the defeat of Boko Haram and other terrorist groups by Christian leaders will do to the growth of Christianity and restoration of peace in Nigeria…Will our Christian leaders seize the moment to demonstrate their much talked about God-given spiritual prowess?’ I sometimes wonder too, but how can God use people who keep quiet in the face of evil be used by God? How can servants of God who are obeying the orders of the powers that be to “…See not… prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits” (Isaiah 30:10), operate as God’s agents?”

You can therefore imagine how excited I was at receiving a bulletin in my inbox recently. Here’s the news slightly edited by me to remove any potentially offensive word:

“Liveprayer's Rev. Bill Keller has sent a personal video message to the head of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, encouraging him to renounce Islam and inviting him to convert to Christianity. In his video message, Keller goes on to tell al-Baghdadi that if he refuses to renounce Islam, he is challenging him to a modern day "whose God will answer by fire" showdown like the prophet Elijah challenged the prophets of baal to on Mt. Carmel in the book of 1 Kings, Chapter 18.

“Keller stated, ‘As an evangelist, my life's work and desire is to lead lost souls to faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible says it is God's desire ALL come to repentance, that none be lost. The fact is Jesus died for the sins of ALL men, even Mr. al-Baghdadi’.

“When asked about his challenge to a modern day Mt. Carmel showdown, Keller smiled, ‘What Elijah did on Mt. Carmel was to expose the prophets of baal and their "god" as false prophets who believed in a false god…

“Keller went on, ‘If Mr. al-Baghdadi won't convert to faith in Christ, then he should have no problem calling on his god "allah" to answer by fire. It will be a great stage for the world to finally see whose God is the one true God…"Allah" worshipped by the world's 1.6 billion Muslims, or the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of the Bible!’

“When asked about fears for his personal safety Keller said, ‘Jesus said don't worry about the man who can kill your body, worry about the man who can kill your soul. You can only be killed once, and I have no fear of dying since only God will say when my work is finished. When He does, I will be ready to spend eternity in Heaven with Jesus. I trust God to protect me and when He answers by fire, the world will see Him in all of his glory and Islam will be exposed for the lie it is. This could start a true worldwide revival.’

“Rev. Keller has given al-Baghdadi until the end of July to either convert to Christianity or work out the details for the showdown to see whose God will answer by fire.”

Concerned that it might be a hoax, I, in line with journalism’s best practices, scoured the net for the video and for a while couldn’t find it, so I sent Bill Keller an email asking him to confirm the existence of the video and its supposed content. His reply was: ”I am..I did..and it is still there..here is the link..if I can help you answer any questions..be happy to..just email me..blessings” I checked the link he provided and yes the video was live on youtube. I wrote to acknowledge the link and he followed up with this: “Blessings my friend..please help get this to various media sources in your country...it is time people stood up to a bully like this..like Elijah stood up to the false prophets of baal on Mt. Carmel..of course..you never know..al-Baghdadi might get saved..:)..

Is the stage set for a Mount Carmel type showdown somewhere soon, then?

WORLD CUP 2014: DID GOD FAIL BRAZIL?

noreply@blogger.com (KP) — Sun, 13 Jul 2014 20:59:00 +0000

“Faith, in this week of all weeks (the week leading to semi-final match), has come to the fore once again for Brazil and its beloved Selecao. In the hours before the semi-final against Germany, Scolari will find a chapel in Belo Horizonte and pray. Before emerging into the cacophony of noise at Estadio Minerao, the players will stand together and recite the Lord's Prayer as one. In churches and homes across Brazil, pictures of the players hang next to crosses and other religious symbols. These two pillars are inescapably intertwined here. Brazil's footballers - and the wider population - believe it is their destiny to win the World Cup in the City of God on 13 July.”

FIFA World Cup 2014 climaxes today with what promises to be an explosive intercontinental clash between Germany and Argentina. Did you read that? It’s Germany versus Argentina. Host, Brazil and almost everybody’s pre-tournament favourite for the trophy are not in the final. By the time you read this, they would have fought for top place against Holland and may won. But not even that is sure, as I write this.

Now, as you already know, unless you live on the moon, it is not just the failure of the team to qualify for the final, tragic as that is to Brazilians, it is the manner of their ouster; a whopping seven goals to one from the hands, or more appropriately, the legs of the German machine team. Humiliation, demolition, massacre, disgrace are some of the words that have been used to describe this new World Cup record – the most humiliating defeat at a World Cup semi-final. Incidentally it’s the only other record Brazil now holds, besides having won the cup more times than any other country.

How did the world’s best footballing nation come to suffer such devastating defeat? How did a country that did not anchor its expected victory only on skill, but also on the God factor fail so woefully?

Yes, the God factor was always a major part of Brazil’s strategic thinking for this and all previous championships. Let’s substantiate that.

In a BBC Sport article, “World Cup 2014: Faith and Football as Brazil Unites to Pray for Glory,” Ben Smith, writing from Rio De Janeiro reported incontrovertible evidence of the place of faith in this all-important national enterprise.

“It is hard to think of a country that combines sport and spirituality quite like Brazil”, he wrote. Beginning from the general, Smith noticed that “religious imagery is everywhere you look…. Close to where Brazil have trained in Teresopolis, there is a mountain range called God's fingers. Sao Paulo is named after Saint Paul, Salvador is named after Jesus, while Copacabana got its name from the Patron Saint of Bolivia, Virgin of the Candelaria.”

He proceeded to the particular: “Faith, in this week of all weeks (the week leading to semi-final match), has come to the fore once again for Brazil and its beloved Selecao. In the hours before the semi-final against Germany, Scolari will find a chapel in Belo Horizonte and pray. Before emerging into the cacophony of noise at Estadio Minerao, the players will stand together and recite the Lord's Prayer as one. “In churches and homes across Brazil, pictures of the players hang next to crosses and other religious symbols. These two pillars are inescapably intertwined here. Brazil's footballers - and the wider population - believe it is their destiny to win the World Cup in the City of God on 13 July.”

Prior to that stage of the tournament, the players had pressed faith into action to successfully. Ben reported that “before the penalty shootout in their last-16 game against Chile, Brazil captain Thiago Silva prayed alone on the sidelines. ‘I asked God to bless our players, especially [goalkeeper] Julio Cesar. He deserved that,’ he said.”

Continuing, Ben wrote: “What no-one knew was Cesar had placed a religious charm in his goal before the penalties began. It had been handed to him at the end of extra time by reserve goalkeeper Victor. ‘There is faith and there is superstition,’ Victor said. ‘In my case, it's faith. I am religious and I try to reinforce my spiritual side before every game. It is a way to strengthen myself and support my friends with my prayers. I had not planned to give it to Julio, but it happened on the spur of the moment. He welcomed it. It was a kind of reinforcement. I want to stress the importance of Julio as a goalkeeper. Faith is important, but we can't depend on faith alone. God does his part and we have to do our job on the field. Julio was well prepared.’”

Ben finds that Coach Scolari is also in the “victory by faith” business. Scolari, he wrote “has used it to bond and motivate the players. Before the victory over Colombia, he visited a chapel in the grounds of the team hotel in Fortaleza. In the dressing room before the match, the squad repeated the Lord's Prayer. And at the final whistle, defender David Luiz sank to his knees and prayed again.”

That brings us to the faith of the players. David Luiz typifies that. He told Ben: "My faith in Jesus gives me strength to keep on going out onto the field and to do my best…But I also want to inspire others - that is what God inspires me to do. For me, true life is found in the relationship with Jesus Christ. I believe that everything in life belongs to God and he has a clear plan for us if we follow him."

With all of these, why did Brazil fail to win the World Cup? Why did they fall so badly to Germany? Did God fail brazil? WHAT DO YOU THINK?

DESCENT INTO DARKNESS (2)

noreply@blogger.com (KP) — Sun, 06 Jul 2014 21:26:00 +0000

"My conclusion, then as now is: “when the media is being intimidated; when governors’ right to free movement and association is circumscribed; when military operatives treat elected officials with disdain; when impunity becomes the order of the day; when in the face of all that the prophets are silent, that is darkness visible. Please note the emphasis above on the prophets’ silence. It reminds me of a brilliant piece titled, “Where are the Nigerian prophets?” by PUNCH’s Jide Ojo..."

June 2014, I wrote last week, will be remembered for a number of actions taken by agents of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration “portend danger to our democracy and the corporate existence of our nation, Nigeria.”

Those actions, mainly infractions on civil and fundamental rights, not just of ordinary citizens, but also, of political leaders who belong to the opposition camp.

There was what I characterised as “an ill-explained clampdown on newspapers by the military authorities, which began on June 6 in Abuja and continued for almost two weeks spreading to some other parts of the country.” I pointed out that there had been no “report of the presidency distancing itself from this unconstitutional attempt to intimidate the media” and described as “portent number one”.

Portent number two was the Thursday June 19, well-coordinated exclusion of at least two governors from of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) from the final campaign rally of the incumbent governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi at Ado-Ekiti, the state capital. While Edo’s Adams Oshiomhole was not even allowed the privilege of living his Benin City base by helicopter that he had legitimated hired, River’s Chibuike Amaechi was “luckier”, he was allowed to land in Akure, Ondo State. But what happened thereafter was simply unthinkable in a democracy. He was hounded out of the area by military operatives.

The Presidency’s reaction through spokesman Reuben Abati, as I noted, evasive, at best: “…security agencies had a duty to stop those who might be able to compromise the process from achieving their aim…”

Another party chieftain, ex-Governor Ogbonnaya Onu related his experience to an interviwer this way: “I also had a personal experience. I travelled in an aircraft which does not have facilities for night landing to Akure. We had to travel on road to Ado Ekiti and as soon as we concluded what we were doing in Ado Ekiti we rushed back to Akure Airport only to find out that our plane was not allowed to take off. It happened to me and some others who travelled with me. Chief Audu Ogbeh was one of those affected.

Also affected at that time was the governor of Imo State. When we saw the military and the three aircraft at the tarmac and were prevented from taking off we had to drive back, which was another one and a half hour. By then, it was already late so we decided that we must come back to Abuja because some of us travelled with just the dress on our bodies and there was no way we could pass the night in Ado Ekiti. So we had to leave Ado Ekiti around 7:30pm to arrive Abuja by 2am. So you could imagine the risk we took, although we thank God that the journey was safe. Those who went to Owerri got there around 11pm. It is really sad that the Federal Government can use the military to prevent Nigerian citizens from using the airports when they are in good condition from exercising their fundamental human rights. “

There was also the experience of House of Representatives Speaker, Tambuwal in which in brazen violation of protocol, a military operative insisted on searching his official vehicle before he could be allowed to enter the venue of a conference in Kaduna.

In concluding that piece, I raised the following posers: “…who gave the orders? If it was done unilaterally by the military high command, they acted outside of their constitutional authority in a democracy and it may be a sign of restiveness in the military. If they did and it has no repercussions, it may as well be running a diarchy. If the president approved those actions, it would be a clear sign of desperation as we approach the 2015 elections. And using the military to achieve political ends is akin to riding the tiger!”

My conclusion, then as now is: “when the media is being intimidated; when governors’ right to free movement and association is circumscribed; when military operatives treat elected officials with disdain; when impunity becomes the order of the day; when in the face of all that the prophets are silent, that is darkness visible.

Please note the emphasis above on the prophets’ silence. It reminds me of a brilliant piece titled, “Where are the Nigerian prophets?” by PUNCH’s Jide Ojo. He wrote in part: “Just imagine (Christian) clerics…jointly or individually challenging Abubakar Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram, to a spiritual duel like Elijah of old did. Just imagine what the defeat of Boko Haram and other terrorist groups by Christian leaders will do to the growth of Christianity and restoration of peace in Nigeria…Will our Christian leaders seize the moment to demonstrate their much talked about God-given spiritual prowess?

I sometimes wonder too, but how can God use people who keep quiet in the face of evil be used by God? How can servants of God who have are obeying the orders of the powers that be to “…See not… prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits” (Isaiah 30:10), operate as God’s agents? Let him that has ears hear.” CONCLUDED

DESCENT INTO DARKNESS (1)

noreply@blogger.com (KP) — Sun, 29 Jun 2014 21:36:00 +0000

"Now who gave the orders? If it was done unilaterally by the military high command, they acted outside of their constitutional authority in a democracy and it may be a sign of restiveness in the military. If they did and it has no repercussions, it may as well be running a diarchy. If the president approved those actions, it would be a clear sign of desperation as we approach the 2015 elections. And using the military to achieve political ends is akin to riding the tiger!"

Governor Rotimi Amaechi at the Ondo-Ekiti border

At the risk of being branded a prophet of doom, I wish to warn President Goodluck Jonathan and those around him, including Christian leaders who have access to him that events in the month that’s about to end portend danger to our democracy and the corporate existence of our nation, Nigeria.

It began with an ill-explained clampdown on newspapers by the military authorities which began on June 6 in Abuja and continued for almost two weeks spreading to some other parts of the country.

The Guardian newspaper’s Editorial of June 20 captured the incidence in these words:

“…As early as 4.00 a.m. on Friday, June 6, 2014, heavily armed soldiers reportedly descended on newspapers operating from Abuja. They took position at strategic points where distributors, vendors and representatives gather to offload, load and coordinate the day’s sales and distribution. They clamped down on all newspaper distribution vans moving out of the city and detained drivers. The assault was so fierce that by the following day, all newspapers leaving Abuja were barred from circulation and confined to the vendor’s village in Area 1 of the Federal Capital Territory. A military official later said the action would continue until the Defence Headquarters was satisfied without stating what he meant or the reason behind the crackdown. Major General Chris Olukolade, the army spokesman, who confirmed the crackdown, said that soldiers were indeed given orders to ransack newspaper distribution vans for what he called ‘materials with grave security implications….’”

If there has been any report of the presidency distancing itself from this unconstitutional attempt to intimidate the media, I am yet to hear about it. Take that as portent number one.

On Thursday, June 19, 48 hours to the governorship election in Ekiti state, at least two governors who wanted to attend the final campaign rally of the incumbent governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi were denied access into Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

ThisDay newspaper reports it this way: “The federal government displayed its fangs Thursday when in a commando-style operation, soldiers and other security agencies of the federal government prevented Governors Adams Oshiomhole (Edo) and Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers) from travelling to Ekiti State. Amaechi, who had landed in Akure, the Ondo State capital, in a private airplane, had proceeded by road to Ado-Akiti, the capital of Ekiti State, but was stopped and prevented from entering the state at Iju, a border town in Ondo. After waiting at the border town without being granted permission to enter Ekiti, Amaechi’s motorcade was compelled to depart Ondo State for Lagos yesterday by road, as his aircraft was prevented from flying out of Akure. In the case of Oshiomhole, his chartered helicopter was grounded at Benin Airport…”

The Presidency’s take on this through spokesman Reuben Abati was evasive, at best: “…security agencies had a duty to stop those who might be able to compromise the process from achieving their aim…”

Then there was this widely reported incident involving Nigeria’s Number 4 citizen and military operatives. The National Mirror version of the report reads:

“The Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, was yesterday held hostage by soldiers said to be acting on orders from above to search his official car at the entrance to Hotel Seventeen, along Lafia Road, Kaduna…The speaker arrived at the venue at 9.16 am, ahead of other VIPs, and was stopped from gaining immediate access to the hotel premises by the soldiers, even when the seal of his office flag was on his car. The speaker’s security aides protested, but the soldiers rebuffed the move, insisting that they must search the car before being allowed into the premises. It was gathered that to avoid a bloody clash, Tambuwal angrily forced himself out of his car and walked into the hotel premises and into the conference hall, leaving behind his official car…”

In this case, the Presidency, through the National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd), is reported to have instituted an investigation into the incident and written a letter of apology to the Speaker.

The points to note in all three incidents are: all the actions violated constitutional rights of those involved; the military was involved; the military operatives who carried out the actions got their orders from somebody somewhere.

Now who gave the orders? If it was done unilaterally by the military high command, they acted outside of their constitutional authority in a democracy and it may be a sign of restiveness in the military. If they did and it has no repercussions, it may as well be running a diarchy. If the president approved those actions, it would be a clear sign of desperation as we approach the 2015 elections. And using the military to achieve political ends is akin to riding the tiger!

My conclusion: when the media is being intimidated; when governors’ right to free movement and association is circumscribed; when military operatives treat elected official with disdain; when impunity becomes the order of the day; when in the face of all that the prophets are silent; THAT IS DARKNESS VISIBLE. Let him that has ears hear.

HOW TO RAISE WINNING CHILDREN (2)

noreply@blogger.com (KP) — Sat, 22 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

First of all, we model a love for God by making him the first priority in our lives. Be the same person in the home as you are at church. Be consistent. Again, be the first to do whatever you expect from your child. Pray and read your Bible openly before your children, so they can pattern their lives after you. Love their mother lavishly, particularly in their presence. Demonstrate a life of gratefulness so your children won’t grow up with demanding or presumptuous attitudes. Be quick to apologize when you are wrong so they can witness your humility before God and the family. Finally, model a servant’s heart, demonstrating to your family the values of serving and sharing.”

As our Father’s Day Special, we carried an excerpt from the book, The Teleios Man last time on this page. In it, author Larry Titus identified four principles for raising godly children from the very famous Psalm 23.

The relevant verses as quoted from the NASB version of the Bible reads: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake” (NASB, emphasis added). He then proceeded to analyse the four emphasized above. Space, however did not allow us go beyond the first “make” process.

I had wanted to stop there but, one reader accused me of “leaving us hanging, just to sell your book.” Unkind, though it is, I thought to give readers a bit more this week and hopefully conclude next week.

Larry Titus, a great grandfather, describes the “lead” principle as The Modeling Process and he wrote as follows:

“Fathers, this is so important! We must demonstrate any behavior that we demand. Hypocrisy confuses a child. Our words will carry little lasting weight with our kids if we don’t practice what we preach. And we know for sure that they’re watching. As in every other area of life, our actions speak louder than words to our children.

“The following suggestions should go without saying, but I’m going to say them anyway. First of all, we model a love for God by making him the first priority in our lives. Be the same person in the home as you are at church. Be consistent. Again, be the first to do whatever you expect from your child. Pray and read your Bible openly before your children, so they can pattern their lives after you. Love their mother lavishly, particularly in their presence. Demonstrate a life of gratefulness so your children won’t grow up with demanding or presumptuous attitudes. Be quick to apologize when you are wrong so they can witness your humility before God and the family. Finally, model a servant’s heart, demonstrating to your family the values of serving and sharing.”

To “restore” our children, the author wrote about what he called The Affirmation Process:

“We might say that establishing discipline in the life of your children is only one side of the parenting equation. Another term in this side of the equation is the affirmation of your child. The math is simple: Discipline + Affirmation = Confidence.

“My heart breaks as I think of this. Nothing is more important in the lives of our kids than receiving constant affirmation from their fathers. This is a powerful weapon in our fight against generational dysfunction. This “building up” process assures our children have confidence as they face life’s pressures and challenges. Yet, many fathers don’t affirm their kids. Later in their lives, these children look everywhere for affirmation. Men, affirm your kids now, and keep them off wrong paths in their futures!

“Edify and compliment your children in front of others and correct them privately. Don’t threaten them or use fear tactics as a method of training. Take them with you and keep them near you as much as possible. Say, “I love you” and touch them often—hugs, kisses, and love pats are essential to emotional stability. Don’t call them negative names, i.e., “stupid,” “dumb,” “clumsy,” or “fat.” Don’t compare them with other children. Always respect them and honor their individuality. After they complete a project, don’t tell them how you would have done it differently or better.

“Don’t allow yourself to be threatened if they take differing viewpoints as they grow older. Let them express different opinions without characterizing them as rebellious. As they mature enough to understand, explain the “whys” of your decisions. Jonas Salk said, “Good parents give their children roots and wings. Roots to know where home is, wings to fly away and exercise what’s been taught them.” Always keep in mind that affirmation is a building and strengthening process. By establishing confidence in them through your constant positive input in their lives, you create in them the ability to empathize and speak positively into the lives of their hurting peers.”

The “guide” step, wrote the 70-year-old man of God whom hundreds of men across the globe see as and lovingly called “Dad Larry” is The Instructional Process. He began this way: “It is imperative we develop in our children crystal clear priorities in life. These priorities include a strong work ethic, fulfilling their obligations and commitments, as well as learning how to behave around and interact with other people.”

He went on to expatiate, and that is where we will conclude – next week, by God’s grace. TO BE CONCLUDED.

HOW TO RAISE WINNING CHILDREN

noreply@blogger.com (KP) — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

"'As a child grows in understanding and reasoning, we must establish discipline in the child’s life, teaching them the absolutes in life. These are found in the Word of God, embodied in the Ten Commandments as detailed in Exodus 20. Some of God’s absolutes include honesty at all times and regardless of circumstance, the worship of God alone, and the truth that stealing is always wrong and must be repented of with restitution. We teach the truth that all forms of sexual activity outside of heterosexual marriage are wrong. Another primary truth is that authority must be respected.'"

This is a memo to all fathers and aspiring fathers on this all-important day, Father’s Day 2013. It is excerpted from chapter 7 of the book, The Teleios Man, written by veteran minister and mentor to men, Dr Larry Titus and published in Nigeria for West Africa, by KP Books. Read it, digest it and let it help you in your journey to becoming the Teleios (Complete) father.

“I know of no better guide for a parent to use in training children than Psalm 23. It provides the perfect outline for raising winning, godly children. In the same way the Lord was the Good Shepherd shaping David’s life, so should parents be deeply involved in shaping the lives of their children. There are several major objectives we should be seeking in raising our children.

“First and most importantly, we want our children to experience a personal relationship with God. This is not something you can accomplish for them, but you can certainly share with them the message of God’s love and pray for the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

“In addition, our children must develop godly character and live by biblical principles. In so doing, they will become all God intended them to be, living responsible lives—people who are generous, compassionate, and sensitive to others.

“Throughout the training process of raising winning children, see yourself as the steward, not the owner, of their lives. Biblically, God possesses everything. We are only the stewards of his possessions, working on his behalf.

Good Parenting According to Psalm 23

“In Psalm 23, the Shepherd demonstrates four major tasks necessary to positively mold a child’s character: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake” (NASB, emphasis added). Let’s analyze this process by process:

The Discipline Process: The good parent “makes” the child.
“As a child grows in understanding and reasoning, we must establish discipline in the child’s life, teaching them the absolutes in life. These are found in the Word of God, embodied in the Ten Commandments as detailed in Exodus 20. Some of God’s absolutes include honesty at all times and regardless of circumstance, the worship of God alone, and the truth that stealing is always wrong and must be repented of with restitution. We teach the truth that all forms of sexual activity outside of heterosexual marriage are wrong. Another primary truth is that authority must be respected.

“It is imperative as a parent that you establish clear guidelines and expectations. For example, you might disallow any form of disrespect or “talking-back” or “sassing.” A defiant “no” should never be tolerated. This teaches them to respect parental authority. They must also learn to respect all other forms of authority. In so doing, they will learn the principles of submission. “Instruct them about what they can and cannot do and let them know the consequences of breaking the rules. Be sure to follow through on the consequences. This will teach them the necessity and benefit of setting boundaries in their lives.

“Let your children know that temper tantrums in all forms will not be tolerated. This will teach them self-control. Never allow them to raise their voice to you. Any questions or comments should be spoken at a normal voice level. This will teach them control of attitudes.

“Convey to them your expectation of the same behavior when they are away from you as when they are with you. This teaches them self-discipline. Finally, teach them to keep their word. This will teach them the foundation of all character. I recognize our current culture frowns upon corporal punishment. Yet, the Bible could not be clearer. God instructs parents to spank children in such passages as Proverbs 13:24, 22:15, 23:13-14, and 29:15. Because he does, it’s important to establish guidelines consistent with the Word of God.

“First, only use spanking as a form of punishment when the misbehavior is a direct act of rebellion. Spanking should never be a reactionary hit or a “slap on the wrist” but a deliberate and thorough action strong enough to be remembered as a firm consequence for disobedience. Spanking should be applied to the part of the anatomy that has the natural padding—the bottom-side.

“Secondly, physical discipline should always be controlled and never administered in anger. Spanking is an act of love and love cannot be administered in a fit of rage...

Finally, after the punishment, the child should be hugged, affirmed, and told they are loved. Do not tell the child what they did wrong, but have them tell you what they did wrong. This way they will learn to admit failures…”

Happy Father’s Day, everyone. (CONTINUES)

AMERICAN CHURCH BUILDS FOR NIGERIAN PASTOR

noreply@blogger.com (KP) — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Rev Samuel Olanrewaju
...Beneficiary of Riverside Church's
Levites Project

“…The Olanrewaju family was evicted from their home when their Muslim landlord discovered they were praying in the name of Jesus. Within three months, God made provision available and a temporary house was hurriedly built for the displaced family, with the intention of constructing a more permanent structure in the near future. Ten years later, construction began on a permanent home. The Olanrewaju family spent $40,000 to lay the foundation and raise the first floor of the new structure. However, in response to the great need of missionaries in the field, all the family had was redirected to the work of the ministry. Faced with these needs, the Olanrewaju family sacrificially laid down their plans, and construction on their home was abandoned indefinitely in 2005…”

The Riverside Church, pastored by Preston Humphries, who you met on this page last week, is located in Norman, Oklahoma, about 10, 500 kilometers from Lagos, Nigeria. But that church has been in the vanguard of building a home for a Nigerian pastor, here in Nigeria. And the church sees the project, NOT as charity, but a duty!

Taking their bearing from the Bible book of Numbers, they style their effort The Levite Project. The relevant verse reads: “And the cities which ye shall give shall be of the possession of the children of Israel: from them that have many ye shall give many; but from them that have few ye shall give few: every one shall give of his cities unto the Levites according to his inheritance which he inheriteth” (35:8).

Explaining this on their website which has been live since 2011, Riverside Church says: “The Levite Project honors the faithfulness of a priest who has served sacrificially without seeking anything for himself. The Levites - as the priestly tribe - counted God as their portion in the inheritance of Israel. Their homes were given to them by the other tribes in obedience to the Lord”

In a piece titled ‘A Matter That Grieves My Heart’, Pastor Preston rationalised his taking on the burden of providing a home for this Nigerian pastor and his family in these words:

“In recent months, I have come into the understanding that Reverend Samuel is virtually homeless. In all of his Kingdom advancements, our friend has literally emptied himself to fund the work of the ministry. His obedient generosity is responsible for the establishment of hundreds of churches and pastors throughout western Africa, and the salvation and deliverance of countless men, women, and children. Personally, Reverend Samuel has been a powerful and invaluable prophetic voice in my life and ministry. I am sure this is a testimony we share. Truly, Reverend Samuel has blessed us all.

“In response to his faithful service, I have a deep conviction to see Reverend Samuel and his family established in their home. I believe it is only righteous that we come together and build a home for the man who serves to bring security and prosperity to the homes of so many…”

But, who, you may wonder, is Rev Samuel?

Information posted on the Riverside Church site had this on him: “Reverend Samuel (Olanrewaju) was called by God to be a witness for Christ among the unreached, hard to reach, and neglected people groups across Africa and around the world.

“He is married to a passionate prayer warrior, Florence Temilade, and they are blessed with six godly children, three boys and three girls…In addition to his natural family, Reverend Samuel has close relatives and adopted children living with him. His home - as an extension of his ministry - serves to house a divinely extended family of 12 people…

“As the President and General Overseer of Christ for Rural Areas Ministries (CRAM), Reverend Samuel oversees over 100 churches and hundreds of pastors and missionaries, reaching at least 13 unreached people groups in Nigeria and Benin Republic. Through the CRAM Community Life Center, he operates CRAM Bible Institute, which has produced over 200 graduates in the last 15 years, and has founded the CRAM Elementary School and Bassa Elementary School, each of which enrolls over 300 students annually... He serves as the appointed apostle in Nigeria and Benin Republic for the Heart land Apostolic Prayer Network - a network of over 6,000 churches.”

With such credentials, how did he come to be almost homeless?

In 1994, continues the write-up on Riverside’s website, “the Olanrewaju family was evicted from their home when their Muslim landlord discovered they were praying in the name of Jesus. Within three months, God made provision available and a temporary house was hurriedly built for the displaced family, with the intention of constructing a more permanent structure in the near future.

“Ten years later, construction began on a permanent home. The Olanrewaju family spent $40,000 to lay the foundation and raise the first floor of the new structure.

“However, in response to the great need of missionaries in the field, all the family had was redirected to the work of the ministry. Faced with these needs, the Olanrewaju family sacrificially laid down their plans, and construction on their home was abandoned indefinitely in 2005.

“Now, the temporary home that was hastily erected in 1994 deteriorates around them. Termites have eaten most of the roof, and what is left of the old roofing sheets is leaking. The walls are peeling off, the ceiling is falling down, and even the floors are breaking apart…”

Won’t you like to join Pastor Preston and his church “in responding as the church and establishing the home of a Levite among us?”

STOP COMPLAINING, BRETHREN! (2)

noreply@blogger.com (KP) — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

"Dr Larry reminded his audience that whereas the current ministry of the Lord Jesus is intercession; that of satan is accusation, complaint. As followers of the Lord Jesus, our ministry is to intercede and not just in prayer, but also by exercising the authority that is ours in Christ. So, whenever a believer resorts to complaining, murmuring and accusations, be it against, he/she is fulfilling the ministry of satan."

Preston Humphries, Senior Pastor of Riverside Church, in Norman, Oklahoma, I told you the last time took the can of Coke that had been lying on the pulpit as he ministered from ministered from verses 68-75 of Luke chapter one. He held it up and asked what it was. Of course everybody recognised the ubiquitous American brand and shouted it. He then proceeded to ask the billion-dollar can question: how can you rid the world of it? His answer: produce a better brand.

But this was not a lecture on product development. It was a ministration at the just concluded African Leadership Summit of Kingdom Global Ministries led by Rev Dr Larry Titus, author of The Teleios Man. This was a teaching on the very essence of salvation and deliverance from sin. We had been delivered so that we can help deliver others. If we are to be fruitful and fulfilled, salvation was not an end in itself; it is a means to an end. We were saved so that we can serve the savior without fear and in holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives.

The world has a sin problem. Sin is as ubiquitous as the Coca-Cola brand. So, if it will take a better brand to get rid of the soda king of the world, it will take a better way of life to get rid of sin – the holy and righteous life into which we were saved. You are that better brand that the world needs to get rid of sin. The world needs a better you!

Powerful insight, no doubt, but, as I told you last time, it didn’t end there. He went on to show that in delivering us from “our enemy and those who hate us”, as Zechariah put it in Luke 1:71, God didn’t stop there, He subsequently went on to equip us with all that we need to live the new life; He equipped us to be that better brand capable of doing the sin brand under.

The man from Riverside ministering at the capital city of Nigeria’s Rivers state took his audience to St Paul’s first epistle to the church in Corinth, chapter 12, which reads:

“Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will” (1Corinthians 12: 4-11).

He went on to explain the essence and application of the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit declaring that those gifts confer authority on the believer to deal with situations and circumstances, personal or communal. All you have to do is pair the problem, whatever it may be with God’s solution and victory is assured.

Allotted speaking time over, Pastor Humphries whose parents were also on the contingent from the United States, handed the microphone over to Dr Titus, who seized the opportunity of introducing the next speaker to issue the warning that’s the title of this serial.

Continuing on the theme of Pastor Preston’s message, he pointed out that the authority of the believer, through the Holy Spirit and the nine gifts confers responsibilities on us. Now, if someone who has authority to deal with situations resort to complaining, wouldn’t that amount to shirking of responsibility? If that were all, it probably would be tolerable. But it’s far worse; its playing the devil’s game.

Dr Larry reminded his audience that whereas the current ministry of the Lord Jesus is intercession; that of satan is accusation, complaint. As followers of the Lord Jesus, our ministry is to intercede and not just in prayer, but also by exercising the authority that is ours in Christ. So, whenever a believer resorts to complaining, murmuring and accusations, be it against, he/she is fulfilling the ministry of satan.

Given the way things are in our land; with terrorism, kidnapping, corruption and ineptitude in governance at various levels as the order of the day, complaints and accusations seem inevitable. But here you have it, brethren; we need a change of approach. It’s time to stop complaining and take charge. That begins with me – and you. CONCLUDED

STOP COMPLAINING, BRETHREN!

noreply@blogger.com (KP) — Sat, 25 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Preston Humphries,
Pastor, Riverside Church, Oklahoma

"Larry Titus personified all that and much more. And the Holy Spirit seems to have had him replicated in his ministry staffers and leaders of churches and ministries he is discipling. You see it in Felipe Hasegawa, with whom I had corresponded for about a year, but whom I met for the first time last week. His warmth made you feel like he had known you all of his life, as he bounced from one assignment to the other. There was Paul Zinn! Consummate media person that he is, he was bedecked in cameras, he was all humour as he darted around the hall and everywhere else for that vantage position to get the very best of shots..."

I was at the Kingdom Global Ministries’ African Leadership Summit in Port Harcourt as I had prayed and planned to be. And it lived up to its billing in every respect. Leaders came from such African countries as Ghana, Mali, Togo, Sierra Leone, Angola and Uganda, apart from host country, Nigeria.

The West African edition of the book, The Teleios Man by Dr Larry Titus, International President of the ministry was laid on the altar; prayer was said for it to get into the hands and the hearts of millions of men in this region of the world, towards raising an army of perfect, Christlike men. It was then formally presented to the gathering by Rev Mrs Devi Titus, the author’s wife and ministry partner.

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Jesus joy” before when a minister of ceremony says, “with Jesus joy, let’s welcome to the pulpit...” Like me, you might have wondered what that might feel like. I now know what true ‘Jesus joy” feels like! It saw it, first hand in the midst of this KGM people. It is a permanent smile on the face; a glint in the eye, unfeigned love and deep interest in other people, a kind word for each person, an endless flow of humour – all at the same time!

Larry Titus personified all that and much more. And the Holy Spirit seems to have had him replicated in his ministry staffers and leaders of churches and ministries he is discipling. You see it in Felipe Hasegawa, with whom I had corresponded for about a year, but whom I met for the first time last week. His warmth made you feel like he had known you all of his life, as he bounced from one assignment to the other. There was Paul Zinn! Consummate media person that he is, he was bedecked in cameras, he was all humour as he darted around the hall and everywhere else for that vantage position to get the very best of shots. That guy was something else.

Host pastor, Frank Aikins, manifested the same “Jesus joy” all through, whether wielding the microphone or interacting with the children as I saw him do shortly after I arrived on Thursday evening. He seemed to know by name and had a personal connection with each child - and there were many of them. He also had a way of making light of every situation, no matter how seemingly serious you might think it was.

One of the highlights of the five-day conference was the ordination and release into the apostolic ministry of Pastor Frank, who pastors Rehoboth Church in Port Harcourt after 13 years of discipleship under Larry Titus. Twelve other leaders were also ordained as KGM pastors at a Saturday morning service, which can safely be said, was presided over by the Holy Ghost, as His tangible presence showed.

Of course, there was the word! I attend a church widely recognised for the depth of teaching and the pervasiveness of the word of faith. So, with all humility I should recognise deep teaching, when I come across it. I did in Port Harcourt. Space and the nature of this column will not allow me go too deep into this aspect of the conference here. Yet a few nuggets from some of the ministrations must find place here and now.

Preston Humphries, Senior Pastor at Riverside Church, Oklahoma city, was one of the eleven members of the Titus’ team. On Friday morning, he ministered from chapter one of the book of Luke; verses 68-75.

Majoring on verse 75, he pointed out that our deliverance from the hand of the enemy was intended to free us to serve God without fear and in holiness and purity. He explained that deliverance from fear was very important because fear it is that leads to compromise and the jettisoning of faith. Embracing the truth that we have already been delivered from fear is therefore crucial to a successful fulfillment of our assignment which is to bring the lost to God through the Lord Jesus.

To fulfill our responsibility, we need to model, like Jesus did during his earthly ministry, a life of faith, not fear, of righteousness, not compromise; of victory, not defeat. If we do, it will be easier to bring more people to the saving grace of Jesus.

Holding aloft a can of Coke, he asked, how do you the world of this ubiquitous product from the market? With no correct answer coming from the congregation, he answered it himself: “produce a better product.” Continuing, he said, if you want to rid the world of sin, create a better you; live differently.

How to live differently? Pastor Preston went on to chapter 12 of the first book of Corinthians, which is where the meat of the message, for this forum is. (TO BE CONTINUED)

LARRY TITUS TO "IMPART AND RELEASE"

noreply@blogger.com (KP) — Sun, 12 May 2013 01:08:00 +0000

"...Yes, I owe my initial involvement in this ministry to my then pastor at CCIC Ikeja Centre, Rev Ajibola Oluyede who identified a potential and then to my senior pastor and coach without whom the potential may never have had a platform to grow. Of course, there was the ubiquitous Ed Cole late founder of Christian Men’s Network, whose teachings and books laid the foundation for me. Pastor Larry, however, unknown to him, helped to deepen that interest and shape it."

Kingdom Covenant Ministries’ Rehoboth Christian Centre in Port Harcourt is the venue of this year’s Kingdom Global Ministries’ second Africa Conference opening on Wednesday. Also styled as Leadership Summit 2013 with Larry Titus, the five-day gathering of ministers from various churches and ministries affiliated with KGM all over the continent and leaders otherwise interested, has the theme, Impart and Release.

Yours sincerely plans to be there, by the grace of God, for two reasons. First, the conference has been offered to us as a platform to formally present the book, The Teleios Man, written by the International President of KGM and lead speaker at the conference and published for West Africa by KP Books, which I have the privilege of serving.

Second, it will be an opportunity for me to hear one of the most respected pastors in the United States and several parts of the world, talk about and demonstrate a topic that many a leader in Christendom has found difficult to deal with. I’ll come back to it presently.

Let me tell you a bit about Larry Titus, the one many in many people, particularly men in several countries including Nigeria like to call “Dad Larry.” I became acquainted with him in 2001, when on the invitation of my senior pastor, Rev Dr Tunde Joda, he was one of the lead speakers at the Christ Chapel International Churches’ (CCIC) International Men’s Conference. The conference, which held in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, was the very first, to my knowledge, of its kind in the country. The theme was Mighty Man of Valour. It held under the auspices of CCIC’s men’s fellowship then known as Champions For Christ (CFC) and I had the honour of chairing the organising team.

The simplicity of the man, his lack of theatrics, the profundity of his message all helped to deepen my interest in men’s ministry. Yes, I owe my initial involvement in this ministry to my then pastor at CCIC Ikeja Centre, Rev Ajibola Oluyede who identified a potential and then to my senior pastor and coach without whom the potential may never have had a platform to grow. Of course, there was the ubiquitous Ed Cole late founder of Christian Men’s Network, whose teachings and books laid the foundation for me. Pastor Larry, however, unknown to him, helped to deepen that interest and shape it.

It took the whole of ten years before I ever got to meet him again, thanks to a post on the Facebook wall of Rev Rotimi Osoba, an erstwhile CCIC pastor who went on to found and runs Heaven on Earth Ministries. One thing led to the other and I came face-to-face again with this wonderful man of God, two years ago.

But all of that is my story, not his! Now his:

Last year Larry Titus celebrated his 50^th year in full time ministry. He spent the first 34 of those years in what has been widely accepted as effective and innovative pastoral ministry in the US states of Washington, Texas, Pennsylvania and Ohio, some of those through Foursquare Gospel Mission International. He left in 2001 to devote himself to the mission of Kingdom Global Ministries, an organization he had founded nine years earlier.

KGM, as I have since found out is a unique ministry targeted at leaders, globally. It seeks to “relationally recognize, resource, and release the vision of global leaders”; combining “discipleship principles with kingdom priorities so the Gospel can be proclaimed with power and effectiveness throughout the world”.

Through the ministry and even prior to it, Larry Titus has trained thousands of men and women to become godly leaders in every aspects of life and living including marriages, and ministries. He uses what he calls the “Teleios” principle, making Jesus the pattern for all leadership training, to produce in men the qualities that ensure fruitfulness in their families and effectiveness in their lives.

Larry has influenced and equipped leaders in dozens of nations. His commitment to global missions has also resulted in thousands of churches, schools, orphanages, and Bible schools being established and sustained on every continent.

KGM and Larry sponsor two events: Teleios Men’s Summit, a relational gathering of men to edify them with teachings and testimonies in an atmosphere of worship, which holds annually and; KGM World Connect, which brings global leaders and business people together every two years for the purpose of networking and resourcing their visions.

Larry Titus’ imprint wherever he goes is Love. Within a short time of meeting him, you feel loved by him - somehow, he makes that evident. And once you know him, you get to love him. It’s uncanny.

Now that is the man, who, with support from Pastor Frank Aikins, KGM’s Africa President and his wife, Dr Elfleda Aikins, is gathering leaders from across the continent with a view to imparting and releasing them into their destiny. You can be sure the conference cannot but have a salutary impact on the Kingdom of God on earth. Add to that the official launch of the Teleios Man, the most comprehensive single volume book for men ever and the very first to be published in Nigeria for the West African market. Men’s ministry will never be the same again.

MESSAGE FROM BEYOND…CHOOSE LOVE

noreply@blogger.com (KP) — Sat, 04 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

"Now stop imagining! That was the setting at Anchor Events Place, on Lateef Jakande Way, Agidingbi, Ikeja on Thursday May 2, 2013 when “Me Football and More”, a selection of the media writings of ex-football international, Segun Odegbami was launched. The audio book I have been talking about is in fact a version of an A4-sized, 368-page, matt-laminated hard-cover book published by KP Books."

“My angels (for that's what you all are), this is another of my messages to you. Many of you have been wondering where I have been or why l allowed all the 'terrible' events going on around you take place, particularly, the recent events in America and Nigeria. It may shock you to know that I have been with you all the time. I have always been with you; it is you who never remembers. Most of you profess to know me, yet you do allow the worries and concerns of life, distractions all, to take you from me. You have also failed to recognize and receive several messages I have been sending you through Messengers who are amongst you. So, here I am sending you another one…” (Message From Beyond, MFM Page 340).

Jimi Solanke, in case there are babies reading this page today, is the ageless actor, singer, keyboardist and storyteller, who might be credited for bringing the one-man band phenomenon to these parts. Dejumo Lewis was Kabiyesi, Oloja of Oja in the famous sit-com Village Headmaster. Joke Silva Jacob has been on stage and on screen for several decades and is not about to give up. Ronke Ayuba was one of the most glamorous newsreaders on Nigerian Television. She wasn’t just excellent in her presentation, the media loved to call her Ronke ‘Darling”, not just as a play on her maiden name, but also to reflect how the TV viewing world liked to see her.

Bimbo (Roberts) Oloyede was also a superlative newsreader; she still is! Throw into that her incursion into acting and you’ll get the picture – she’s versatile! Patrick Oke? Wow, newsreader per excellence too then and still very active in the production of documentaries, his unmistakable voice featuring in narrations of perhaps hundreds of them. Soni Irabor is another of the veterans who just won’t go away. From his days on radio at Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria through to his Soni Irabor Live television show on African Independent Television, AIT and his current assignment as CEO at Inspiration FM the only thing that competes with his excellence is his zeal.

Femi Sowoolu may not have gone as way back as all of the others on this list, but he is no less a respected on-air personality. Then there is Taiwo Solanke, whose place on this least has nothing to do with the fact that he is Jimi’s son. He’s earned a place in this roll of honour by dint of hardwork and creativity. Yinka Davies, always in your face, reminding you of that dynamite comes in small packages whether singing or dancing (remember her in that celebrity dance competition) or serving as a judge in singing competitions.

Imagine an event where all of these accomplished ladies and gentlemen are seated on the same table! Imagine the camaraderie. Imagine what glitter their presence would add to such an event.

Let’s take it a bit further. Imagine an audio book in which all of these “voices” are readers. Imagine that as they read the book, sound effects come in to transport you to the scenes they are reading about, ranging from the magic of old Oshodi to the Eden of our Time, Lagos, to a letter from God, manifesting as Love.

Now imagine that the event at which this unique audio book is presented had corporate icon and one-time presidential aspirant, the impeccable (in integrity, language and appearance) Mr Gamaliel Onosode as chairman. And then to cap it all, imagine that Babatunde Raji Fashola, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria who runs, possibly, the most accountable, most efficient and very successful state government in Nigeria is also the Special Guest of Honour at that event.

Now stop imagining! That was the setting at Anchor Events Place, on Lateef Jakande Way, Agidingbi, Ikeja on Thursday May 2, 2013 when “Me Football and More”, a selection of the media writings of ex-football international, Segun Odegbami was launched. The audio book I have been talking about is in fact a version of an A4-sized, 368-page, matt-laminated hard-cover book published by KP Books.

The opening quote of this piece is extracted from “Message from Beyond”, the epilogue to the book and it testifies to the large swathe of areas covered in the book. That piece climaxes this way:

“My name is Love. So, my only instructions to you were to love me and to love one another (that is to only do to another what you want for yourself). Period!

“My love is free, limitless and unconditional. Were it not so, who amongst you would survive? My standards are not your standards so you ignorantly underestimate the capacity of my love.

“You have to understand that I am always with you and in you, that's why your holy books describe your body as my temple. You are all special and unique, yet you are all the same. That is a divine mystery that you can understand if you examine it closely.”

AS “BAD MEAT” GOES HOME…

noreply@blogger.com (KP) — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 08:55:00 +0000

"About an hour later, he and Segun were seeing me off, when he told me he had a testimony. He then told me how as he was seeking the Holy Spirit’s leading concerning his driver’s licence, he felt led to go to a pile of books right inside his office. He obeyed, took the one right under the pile, opened it and lo and behold, his licence stared back at him! His boyish face lighting up in a smile, he said: “I wish I could live my life this way.'”

I was still home on the morning of March 5, when I got a call from my friend, Tunde Fagbenle, the political activist, now of the Kick Out Siddon Look campaign, columnist and entrepreneur. Have you heard, he asked and before I could respond, he told me how that “Bad Meat” was dead; that he died in a flood that resulted from the heavy downpour of the night before; and how it happened virtually in his own car on his way home, right there on Agege Motor Road, a mere ten minutes’ drive to the warmth of home and the embrace of his waiting wife.

My heart almost stopped. “Bad Meat”, as Dele Odegbami, elder brother of Segun, had been known since his days as a no-nonsense, hard-tackling defender on the football pitch, was not just my friend’s brother, he was my friend.

Yes, I know there are a thousand and one others across the length and breadth of Nigeria who have better claim to that title, but that is the nature of the man. Whenever you were with him, he made you feel special. That explains why those who’ll miss him are legion.

Let me tell you just one of the many things that I would never forget about this man, who died prematurely that Monday night in Lagos. When I was ordained a pastor many years ago, Dele was the ONLY one of my friends who did not ostracise me! Although, I have since been restored, virtually all else simply stopped calling me; stopped inviting me to even family events. It was as if I had contacted leprosy! Although, I now understand the spiritual import of the development, I didn’t then and it hurt!

Dele didn’t just kept in touch, he responded to my invitation to the many Christian Men’s Network Nigeria events, which had become my passion, he would send me the Thursday Showers newsletter of his church, Fountain of Life Church and materials from Radio Bible Class. He was an encourager then and he remained one till the very end.

Our last two one-on-one interactions would remain evergreen in my memory. The very last one was about two weeks before his sudden departure. We sat in his office as he told me about his experience at the Pastors and Leaders retreat of Fountain of Life Church, where he had become a strong member of the Abraham and Sarah fellowship and a respected leader. He was humbled, he said, by what he learnt. He spoke about being better able to understand what it meant to be a pastor and how much better he now appreciated pastors.

A month or so earlier, on one of my visits to the Oweh Street office of Worldwide Sports, where he operated from, he, as he wont to do, told me how he had been stopped by a traffic officer the day before and asked for his driver’s licence. He looked everywhere in his car and couldn’t find it. It took the officer’s grace at recognising the Odegbami name to let him off.

As a result of that he had spent several hours since then looking for the license. As we spoke, he said he had sent his car to the car wash with instructions to turn it inside out and, if necessary upside down, all in search of the licence. Innocently, I asked: “have you asked the Holy Spirit?” No, he replied and proceeded to do so, immediately. I left him to meet with Segun.

About an hour later, he and Segun were seeing me off, when he told me he had a testimony. He then told me how as he was seeking the Holy Spirit’s leading concerning his driver’s licence, he felt led to go to a pile of books right inside his office. He obeyed, took the one right under the pile, opened it and lo and behold, his licence stared back at him!

His boyish face lighting up in a smile, he said: “I wish I could live my life this way.”

This brings me to my puzzle about the manner of his death. As Segun put it in his beautiful tribute to him, “Only God, his creator, actually knows what happened” when he found himself in that flood-induced traffic jam. “Through the ordeal of that night he was first on the phone with Otunba, his friend. After that, several times, he ran the ‘commentary’ of what was happening to him inside the car particularly how the water level was rising and the flooded environment. At one point during their conversation she screamed at him to abandon the car and get out to save himself. For some reason he assured her to stop worrying, that he would be fine, and remained in the car.”

Then he gave this poser: “Why did he not get out of his car and wade through the floods to safety? Why did he not break the windshield of the car if he was trapped and could not open the door of the car due to the pressure of rushing water outside? Why did he not do any one of several possible things that everyone that hears the story thinks he should have done?”

And I am wondering, did he ask the Holy Spirit? I know there’s nothing he would have wanted at that moment better than to hear God’s voice at that critical moment. Did he? My guess is he did and he must have heard Him say “come home, son.” He obeyed and some of us are the lonelier for it. As his body is laid to rest this Friday at Wasimi, all I can say is thanks, “Bad Meat”, for being an exemplar in more ways than one.

PRESENTING…THE TELEIOS MAN

noreply@blogger.com (KP) — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

"The book published in the United States is set for release across the West coast of Africa in May. It will, in fact, be formally presented during the Kingdom Global Ministries African convention slated for Port Harcourt."

You are forgiven if your reaction to the headline is: “The Teleios Man; what’s that?” So, let’s start this way. Teleios is a Greek word and it means “finished”. No, not finished as in ended etc. It is finished as in “finishing” school. You know, as in perfect, complete, the ultimate. It’s the same word that the Lord Jesus used on the cross when he proclaimed, “it is finished!”

The Teleios Man is therefore, the perfect man, the man of excellence and it is the title of a book for men who cherish Christlikeness. It is the title of a book by Larry Titus, pastor of Kingdom Global Ministries and quintessential minister to men and mentor directly to hundreds of men across the globe and thousands of others indirectly.

The book published in the United States is set for release across the West coast of Africa in May. It will, in fact, be formally presented during the Kingdom Global Ministries African convention slated for Port Harcourt.

The West African edition is being published by KP Books (www.kpbooksnigeria.com), an outfit of KINGDOMPeople where yours sincerely is a steward. I have read many books written to men and many of them are so good you’ll wonder what anyone else can add; until you read this!

Put simply, The Teleios Man is the most comprehensive single-volume to men available.

With foreword by no less a veteran as Pastor Jack Hayford, former International President of Foursquare Church Worldwide, Chancellor of The King’s University and Seminary and Founding Pastor, The Church On the Way, the book has received ringing endorsement across all denominational boundaries in the Church.

Dr Hayford’s had this to say about Teleios Man:

“It’s been twenty years since I heard one of my favorite quotes. Its appeal to me is the way it cuts to the core—being more than just clever, it’s Christ-like: “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing!”

“I hope it doesn’t offend anyone that it isn’t a quote from the Bible, especially since I said I see it as very much “like” Jesus. But I’ll stand by it, because what Jesus modeled in the way he spent his time indicates “the main thing” as he saw it. Jesus’s ministry spent more time on “discipling men” than anything else.

“That’s what this book is about—discipleship. It’s about shaping, growing, mentoring, teaching, nurturing guys in ways that they become very real though not “very religious.” It’s about precisely the same thing Jesus did in laying the groundwork for establishing his church.

· Yes, he died to provide salvation for humankind and birthed the possibility for his church.

· Yes, he rose from the dead, and in verifying his cross did achieve #1; he gave the church a life-giving message.

· Yes, he sent his Spirit, pouring out “power from on high” to enable the church—his people—to effectively “go into all the world” with his works as well as his Word (Luke 24:49, Mark 16:15).

“But Jesus focused on discipling men. There’s no reason to apologize for that as though he was or is indifferent to women. His ministry not only elevated the place of women in his day, but also timelessly opened doors of purpose and ministry for women, overthrowing ancient traditions of male chauvinism. But nonetheless, his first priority was discipling men. He invested an incredible amount of time enabling a group of men to find their way past the habits, syndromes, preoccupations, and patterns that tend to trap guys.

“This is the pattern the living church has employed from that day to this, and where leaders “get” this, they always welcome resources that help cultivate effective ministry to men. That’s why I’m so happy to introduce this book by Larry Titus.

“Larry has a plan for “springing the traps,” and I’ve seen the evidence of what happens when men open to the kind of “male liberation” his resources provide. Whether as a writer, as a pastor, as a teacher, as a one-to-one mentor, as a small-group or large-crowd speaker, as a counselor, or as an apostolic missionary to nations, Larry effectively communicates with and helps men become what real discipleship in Christ can make them.

This handbook may be his best condensation of those principles—a dynamic handbook you can use, sir—as a leader with others, as a buddy teaming with another to move forward in Christ together, or simply as a discipling plan to get started on your own.

“So make “the main thing the main thing.” Get into discipling men — beginning with the man God can bring you to be yourself. This book will help you use The Book to get there: It’s ‘the right stuff.’”

I particularly like Dr Hayford’s concluding declaration in the Foreword: “The Teleios Man is for God and for guys, because when husbands grow, wives win; and as men grow, women are freed.”

May I add: our nation needs men, men, like Joseph, prime minister of ancient Egypt; this book will be of immense help in raising real men. I consider it a privilege to be used of God to bring it to our shores. Get ready.

AFROGUARD...OF WHOM THE WORLD WAS NOT WORTHY...

noreply@blogger.com (KP) — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Tunde Agbabiaka...a day
before he slipped into a coma.

"In later life, he embraced Christianity and was a kind of associate member of Christian Men’s Network Nigeria, which I coordinate. In our various informal Bible studies, Tunde would return again and again to the theme of Christ’s meekness and humility. He would wonder how many of our leaders, church leaders not exempted, would tolerate their followers talk to them the way Jesus’ disciples did on at least two recorded occasions..."

I have been doing my very best to celebrate rather than mourn the sudden departure of one of the best friends any one can have, Tunde Agbabiaka, who passed on in the early hours of Monday December 17 last year. Yet, the plain truth is that I sorely miss him. He was one of my closest collaborators in the current phase of life.

...HIS Remains...going...

His voice still rings in my ears as he spoke down the scratchy line of the Airtel network on Wednesday, December 12. To my “hello Tunde”, I still can hear him say: “Remington! Are you out of the woods yet?” And when I answered, “not quite” and told him what part of an on-going KINGDOMPeople project was still being expected from him , he was quick to reply, ‘I’ll see you on Friday.”

He never did, and never will! Instead, I got a “call to prayer” from a mutual friend in the UK. Tunde, he was told, had slipped into a coma and even as efforts were afoot to get him to the hospital, I was requested to join in praying for his recovery.

Now, it is when it happens close to home, as in this case, that the state of affairs in our nation hits you beyond the momentary shock you get from reading newspaper reports. Arrangements were made to transport Tunde to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital at Idi-Araba not too far from his Falolu Road, Surulere residence. But, lo and behold, LUTH doctors were “on strike!” His minders were advised to head for the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital LASUTH in Ikeja. For those who know anything about the gridlock of December traffic in Lagos, that was like a death sentence!

...Going...

Head for Ikeja the party did. The siren of an ambulance notwithstanding the journey to Ikeja took quite a while. As they were making their way towards the hospital some family members and friends were not just praying, they were working the phones to see who knows who that can facilitate speedy attention to him, at what was now anticipated to be an overstretched facility. No dice! The one name that came up belonged to a soft-spoken doctor who was on vacation far away from base!

As was expected LASUTH was already a bedlam of sorts and patients were being directed to the Federal Medical Centre at Apapa Road, Ebute Metta. It took another hour or so to get Tunde to what was to be his last place abode on terra firma. Some 60 hours later, he passed on. He was buried two days ago.

I met Tunde in 1973 at the Times Journalism Institute (then Times Newspaper Training Centre). Although he was born into Islam, he was then an adherent of the Baha’i faith. He was always in search of man’s deeper essence and spirituality, a subject about which most of us, his colleagues were at best lukewarm. At our very best, most of us were humanists and anchored our journalism on its shifting ethics. Tunde operated at a different, deeper level. So while most of us were as concerned about the essence of governance vis-à-vis the human condition and the ends of justice and equity, as Tunde was, he seemed propelled by a higher force.

gone...going night, Afroguard

In later life, he embraced Christianity and was a kind of associate member of Christian Men’s Network Nigeria, which I coordinate. In our various informal Bible studies, Tunde would return again and again to the theme of Christ’s meekness and humility. He would wonder how many of our leaders, church leaders not exempted, would tolerate their followers talk to them the way Jesus’ disciples did on at least two recorded occasions. One was at the scene of the healing of the woman with the issue of blood, where Jesus asked the question, “who touched me?” The disciples’ retort was akin to: Haba, master, in this crowd? (see Luke 8:45). The other was at the calming of the storm.

The other was at the calming of the storm in Mark 4. The sharp rebuke by his disciples: “Master, carest thou not that we perish? (verse 38) Tunde would contend would have earned the speaker a suspension or sack from work from many of today’s leaders.

It is a tribute to the “nothing by half” lifestyle of the man that he was at a deliverance service at the Cornelius House Christian Centre the day before he went into a coma. He was also deeply committed to the vision of publishing for the Kingdom of God, which found outlet in KINGDOMPeople magazine of which he was not just a Contributing Editor but a great source of encouragement.

All of that is in the past now. I must accept your departure as a reality! I must accept that this is not a nightmare from which I would wake up. I must live with the fact that you have translated to the other side of the divide, with all those lofty visions and missions interred with your bones.

That someone with your pedigree; someone with your nobility of heart, and acuity of mind; one irreversibly committed to not join the multitude to do evil and who did not let pass any opportunity to fight against it as often as was possible…that you could slip into anonymity and simply fizzle out, like the coma from which you never recovered, speak volumes about the depth of our socio-economic and moral abyss.

As I reflect upon your activities, especially in the last five years, a Biblical passage in the book of Hebrews kept coming strongly to my mind. It’s from the chapter widely accepted as the Faith Hall of Fame or, if you like, the Gallery of Faith Heroes. It reads thus:

“And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth” (Hebrews 11:36-38; emphasise added).

Nigeria is not worthy of you, Tunde. Rest now, Afroguard. Rest, my friend, my brother, my collaborator, my associate, my chief cheer-leader; till we meet again.

CELEBRATING KOLADE @ EIGHTY

noreply@blogger.com (KP) — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

"I am personally grateful to God for granting me the privilege of interacting relatively closely with Dr Kolade in the recent past. My prayer and I know it’s that of so many others, is that his godly deposits in me, such as they are, through his words and actions will continue to bear fruits in my life; the selfsame fruits that have stood him out as an exemplary leader"

Yesterday, Dr Christopher Agbolade Kolade, a Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) turned eighty. Appropriately, a birthday seminar held in honour of the cerebral, technocrat, boardroom icon, man of integrity and an exemplary witness of Christ. Professor (Pastor) Yemi Osinbajo, a former Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice spoke on the topic, “Teach Us To Number Our Days – A Legacy of Accountability” at the strictly by invitation event. Venue was Freedom Park on Lagos Island.

Yes indeed, his is a legacy of accountability. His character, his integrity, as I have had occasion to say before, is one of the very few consensuses among us Nigerians. That is a feat, given the paucity of trust in our land caused by the almost hourly incidences of betrayal of trust by leaders who turned out to be clay-footed giants.

I join members of his nuclear family, the Managing Business For Christ (MBFC) and his many other families to wish this man of God all the joy that his heart can carry, continued peace and rest in God and continued excellent health, physical and spiritual as he begins the last third of the Biblically promised minimum of 120 years on this side – if the Lord tarries.

I am personally grateful to God for granting me the privilege of interacting relatively closely with Dr Kolade in the recent past. My prayer and I know it’s that of so many others, is that his godly deposits in me, such as they are, through his words and actions will continue to bear fruits in my life; the selfsame fruits that have stood him out as an exemplary leader.

Incidentally, one of the things I have learnt from this great man of God is his total and complete dependence on the Holy Spirit. That is what all Christians ought to do, but because we’ve had year and years of self-dependence through secular education, we not only fail to do it; we virtually deny that it is possible. To those of that school of thought, here are a few examples from the book, “He Made The Difference, The Dynamic Story of Ambassador Christopher Kolade in Britain” written by Pamela Chinekwe and published in Nigeria by KP Books.

Why he allowed the book to be written

“I walked into the large office and the first thing that struck me was how a room can tell so much about the person who inhabits it. The simple, neat and elegant furnishing carefully devoid of any frills, stated a lot about my host.

“‘Welcome Pamela, what do you have to show me?’…I dug into my folder and came up with it. Taking a deep breath, I placed it in his hands, and then waited in anticipation. He looked at the contents of the folder I had given him. As he glanced up at me, my heart lurched wickedly in my chest. What is he going to say? His face had this look of total disbelief. He said nothing for a moment. The quiet humming of the computer on his desk sounded louder than my grandma’s old clock in my tense mind. I wanted this so much... He finally spoke, ‘I do not think I should be allowing this. Everything I have done here has been my job, nothing out of the ordinary. ‘

“‘No, it is not.’ I looked around for where that had come from and saw no one. Somehow, I had opened my mouth to speak my thought out loud!

“‘I beg your pardon?’ he asked. I am sure he could not imagine he had heard right as well.

“I cleared my throat, took a gasp of air and blurted with all the passion I could muster, ‘Sir, if I may say so, you did your job. But your job is a job no one was ready to do. You did something no one had dared to, until now. This is not something we should just brush under the carpet, but something that must be documented so that others can learn from your experiences and techniques. I have carried out my research, all I need is your approval to publish the truth, and I hope you will let me…’ I waited for him to say something and finally after two minutes he looked at me again and said, ‘Go ahead and do it, let me know if you need anything from me.’ My jaw actually dropped wide open. No words could come out of my mouth.

“He continued by way of explaining his change of mind, saying, ‘I asked the Holy Spirit what to tell you and He said to me, if she says she wants to do this, let her. Although I would never have approved this ordinarily, you can go ahead. Only stick to the facts.’”

Why he accepted the job as High Commissioner to Britain

“When I asked him what had been running through his mind during this period (when he was appointed), the High Commissioner answered, ‘Well, I told myself that if there are truly problems of this magnitude happening in our High Commission, someone had to try to solve it. If the Lord has called us to go there, we might as well obey.’”

Dichotomy between his work and his faith?

“…I asked him how he managed to balance his faith and life as a man of God with his secular job as a High Commissioner. He gave me that smile that I had now gotten quite accustomed to and he replied and said, ‘My starting position is that there is nothing that I am involved in that God didn’t lead me into. I took up this role as High Commissioner because God indicated to me that he wanted me to take it… He would give me an assignment or permit me to take it because He knows that I will do my best to be faithful to him. In my day to day decision making, my day opens with the conviction that whatever opportunities come to me that day must be used to serve God. I must not assume that there are certain times of the day that I work for myself or I am working for someone else because God is interested in everything I do; He can give me an opportunity to serve Him through anything.’”

Happy Birthday sir.

PS: I seize this opportunity to say Happy Birthday tom y wife, my Treasure, whose day it is today. LOVE YOU LOADS.

THIS PHILIPPINES-BASED NIGERIAN MISSIONARY NEEDS HELP

noreply@blogger.com (KP) — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Kanayo Uchime on the mission field
in the Philippines

Kanayo Success Uchime is a Philippines-based Nigerian missionary. He keeps in constant touch with his Nigerian ministry friends associates and partners on a regular bases through on-line despatches giving updates on his (and his team’s) kingdom activities. His last mission report came in on December 1. I confess that I was yet to read when I received an email from him on Monday. It was a distress call and I am publishing it virtually in full, in the hope that somebody out there may be led to join us to lend a helping hand. Here goes:

“I just felt I’ll let you know this, although I never intended to go so personal but am compelled due to circumstances. Am sure you must have heard about the last typhoon Pablo that devastated parts of the Philippines on Tuesday?

“I and my family are seriously affected by it. Our home was shattered as the roof went off with branches of mango tree in our compound falling on our apartment and the heavy rain that followed helped in destroying all our items. In fact as am writing now we’re all in a make-shift house in a church compound without any hope of where to go next. All our household items were destroyed, in fact we could recover only but a few items from our house, even all our clothing were destroyed by the rain/flood.

“That’s why am sending this distress message to all our friends, in case anyone can offer any level of help to us in order to get rehabilitated. Since last Tuesday, no light, water and communication as everything is grounded in the whole city and environ as a result of the devastating effect of the typhoon. It’s really too bad and critical to say the least. But the good thing is that God enabled us to escape before the havoc started all is testimony today!

“Actually I’ve to travel over 250 kilos away from our home today Saturday to be able to send out this message to a few friends and relations. So please at whatever level you can help us or get other people to assist us, we’ll appreciate it. Our kids are not finding it easy at all as they may not be resuming school by Monday as we don’t have any house yet to stay.

“In case you or anyone wants to support, our Nigeria Naira account is available...

“Thanks so much and please and please remember us also in your prayer and encourage others around you to pray for us, as that’s the only solution now to all our predicaments”.

For the avoidance of any doubts, this is not an on-line scam as a few people, as a few people I forwarded the mail to earlier thought. The Uchimes are real. KINGDOMPeople, the magazine I have the privilege of stewarding, featured the mission he runs with his wife Ngozi in our “Fertile Soil” column last year. And we were at the thanksgiving service held earlier this year when he came home briefly. That service held at the House of Prayer in Ogba, Lagos and had in attendance, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, Chairman, Pfizer Plc, Pastor Wole Oladiyun of Christ Livingspring Apostolic Ministry (CLAM) and Lekan Otufodunrin, Coordinator, Journalists For Christ, among many other people of character.

Here’s a brief excerpt from the KINGDOMPeople piece on him, headlined, “Come Over to the Philippines and Help Us”:

The Ministry
God’s Presence Fellowship, as it’s named, is a ministry under their registered mission agency, Kingdom Missions Outreach International Inc, which is registered with the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) of the Philippines.

Why the Philippines?
According to Uchime, they decided to be involved in this pioneering work in the Philippines because they believe that the nation has not got enough churches to match the growing population rate. He is therefore grateful to God for the opportunity to contribute to the work being done by a handful of indigenous and foreign outfits to complement what is already on ground.

Explaining his choice of the Philippines for his mission field, Uchime, who has spent most of his ministerial life as a missionary, stressed: “Philippines, a country located in the Southeast Asia, like most other nations in Asia is still a harvest field. Mind you the country is located among the 10/40 Window nations, identified by missionaries as the needy countries in the world”.These, he said, are the parts of the world truly in need of missions and missionaries…

Church Planting
With God’s Presence Fellowship, which started off as a Sunday evening affair, and under the unction of the Holy Spirit, commenced morning services by first week of January this year, Uchime has added church planting to his portfolio of kingdom activities. This, he said, is challenging…” The challenges notwithstanding, Uchime remains optimistic, stating that it takes a lot of patience and courage to plant and grow a church there, “but as for taking root, the church is doing that already and it is budding and one day it must grow. We must be able to surmount that challenge by God’s special grace”.

Funding Required
It takes a lot of patience. We’ve started teaching the people the principles of seed sowing and it’s making a whole lot of sense to them. But that does not mean we still do not need money for the pioneer work, more so when you’re ministering to a peculiar people like ours – the Badjao tribal people, noted as the poorest of the poor in the Philippines”.

He admitted that in spite of all they have done to increase the support level for the church, it has remained very low. But he is hopeful that one day the Lord will answer their prayers. “This is the reason why we’re making this clarion call to all well-meaning Christian donors to come to our rescue. Our major predicament here is that the nationals are always looking up to us for money. Being foreigners, they believe that every foreigner has money, irrespective of where he/she comes from. They always assume we’re black Americans and as such came with thousands of dollars...” Back then, the plea was strictly for mission’s aid; now family survival is added! Won’t you please help? Check them online at www.kmointer.webs.com or for more information, please call me on 0805 252 0369. Thank you.

SEE WHO’S COMING TO CAMPMEETING 2012! (2)

noreply@blogger.com (KP) — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 23:00:00 +0000

Campmeeting 2012, this year’s edition of the convention of Christ Chapel International Churches takes off in Lagos, Abuja, Calabar, Ibadan and Port Harcourt on Wednesday. It will end next Sunday. With the theme ‘Fulfilling Destiny’, it promises to be life-changing as the Word of Faith takes centre stage for five days, with signs, wonders and miracles following in an unprecedented manner throughout.

To make this happen, God has drawn to the meeting a company of pulpit princes drawn from the host nation, Nigeria, the United States of America and South Africa, to join chief hosts, Rev Dr Tunde & Rev Mrs Victoria Joda to speak the heart of God into the lives of the people.

Among the new ones as we saw last week were Rev Dr Ronald Merthie and his wife Patricia and Rev Mrs Germaine Wright. Here are a few more – to whet your appetite the sumptuous meal the Lord has prepared for us all.

Bishop John Adebayo Alagbala Osa-Oni is the Presiding minister of Vineyard Church International Incorporated. He is well respected for his commitment at preaching the gospel of our Lord Jesus, which he had preached at every part of the country.

Bishop Osa-Oni is one of the spiritual sons of the late father of Pentecostal churches in Nigeria, Archbishop Benson Idahosa, founder of Church of God Mission. He is also an alumnus of Christ Chapel International Churches (CCIC) and a teacher of the word whose teaching ministry has brought hope to the hopeless, salvation to the lost and healing to the sick.

Bishop Osa-Oni, a trained accountant was a part-time minister of God until 1986, when he surrendered all to become a full-time pastor in CCIC under Rev. Dr. Tunde Joda. He preaches the good news of hope and faith in Jesus Christ with signs and wonder following.

Osa-Oni shepherds a Bible believing church with headquarters at Osolo Way in Lagos. The ministry has branches in different parts of the country with God-fearing members who rely on God’s Word. He is married to Enitan, a former Chief Accountant with John Holt Plc.

Another great Nigerian minister, one of our nation’s gifts to the world in general is Apostle Sunny Aiyemo, a man of God whose apostolic calling has touched many lives. He operates in the office of an apostle. Apostle Aiyemo started working for God quiet early in life, serving in different departments of the church he attended with his parents as a child.

The church later ordained him as an evangelist. And after his education, he proceeded to the church’s Bible School in Lagos under the leadership of his mentor and senior pastor of the church.

In 1997, he alongside his wife Bukky obeyed God’s calling to begin Jubilee For All Nation Ministries and later founded Jubilee Life Christian Church in Lagos. The ministry is a non-denominational ministry that carter for the spiritual needs of the people while the church is not interested in church planting but building unity across religious and denominational divides as well as proclaiming JUBILEE to both believers and unsaved.

Apostle Aiyemo was ordained Prophet by an international ministry in Ghana, Word Miracle Church International. He is passionate about preaching the saving grace and tender loving of Jesus Christ to both believers and those without. He is anointed to proclaim liberty in the name of Jesus in all nations of the earth and his ministry has recorded lots of mind-blowing testimonies of signs and wonders following. His ministry has brought salvation to hundreds of lost souls. He is well respected and sought after speaker in many crusades and conferences within and outside the shores of Nigeria.

He runs a television programme “All Things Are Possible” which is beamed to millions of homes. He is a prolific writer and has published many books on different topics.

Apostle Aiyemo is leading a Spirit-filled church where Jesus is the centre, discipling of people to preach the gospel to believers and non-believers, alike is the focus and building unity across religious and denomination divides is a major pursuit. He and his wife Pastor Bukky have five beautiful children.

Also billed to arrive in Nigeria for Campmeeting 2012 in a matter of hours is Eddie Tucker, a Psalmist with an impressive resume. At 19, he left his hometown in Petersburg, Virginia, US to serve as a Minister of Music at Bethel Apostolic Church during which he wrote his song “Worthy of All the Praise”. The song endeared and paved way for him to work with the likes of Keith Staten of Commission, Cedric Ford, Michael Speaks, MC Hammer and Common Unity, Douglas Miller, R. Kelly among other notable artists.

Since then, his fame has continued to rise, as he was to later become the Musical Director for the hit stage production “Rise”, written by Christopher Play Martin and Cheryl Salt Wray of Salt and Pepa fame.

In 2004, Eddie also surprised many when he showed his passion also for Television Outreach. That year, he became the pioneer Musical Director for Emmy Award winning Christian Reality TV Show “Inspiration Sensation, where he tirelessly led aspiring artists and musicians through over 100 songs in the course of the 10-week live TV show. He returned for the next two seasons as both an audition judge and Musical Director.

As a philanthropist, this 2006 nominee of Emmy Award for Best Composer and Musical Director has through his non-profit organization, Joshua Project, trained and still training underprivileged children all they need to know to succeed in music industry. He partnered Dan Willis, the creator of “Inspiration Sensation” to start an independent record label, Asone Sound Music Group.

In 2005, Eddie released his R & B debut eight-tracker album titled Day and Night, a masterpiece that rock airwaves all over the world. The album speaks from Christian perspective (Day) and night perspective – people that are yet to come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Space does not permit me to tell you about some others who are going to be the Lord’s tool to bless the people in all six centres of the convention. But I assure you that none of them come behind any others in the giftings of God in which they are sure to move. See you there.

SEE WHO’S COMING TO CAMPMEETING 2012!

noreply@blogger.com (KP) — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 16:02:00 +0000

October heralds two major anniversaries in my world – the national independence anniversary, and the annual convention of the church where I get my spiritual nurture, Christ Chapel International Churches.

With so much already said and written about Nigeria at 52, all I can add is a little prayer: may the tiny population of the righteous among us increase in unprecedented quantum so that righteousness may exalt Nigeria, in the mighty name of Jesus.

On our annual convention, the 25^th this year, I have a lot more to tell you. I have tons and tons of information to download, but of course, there is always the tyranny of space. So, I have chosen to simply focus on what you a kind of who’s who at Campmeeting 2012, which opens Wednesday October 17 at the Gymnasium Hall, National Stadium Complex in the Surulere area of Lagos mainland and in Abuja, Calabar, Ibadan and Port Harcourt. It ends on Sunday October 22.

Among the guest ministers drawn from home and three other nations of the world are Rev Dr Ronald & Rev Mrs Patricia Merthie. Campmeeting debutants, though they are, Pastor Ronald was guest of Christian Men’s Network Nigeria three years ago, when at the invitation of network president Rev Dr Tunde Joda, he ministered at Men’s Summit 2009.

He is the founder and Senior Pastor of New Life Word Centre, Texas. He was a teacher and basketball coach when he got born again on February 14, 1975 in Houston, Texas. He made Jesus Christ his and master after years of involvement with drugs and wayward living. He had begun his professional teaching career two year earlier, right after receiving a Bachelor’ degree from Southern University in the same city.

The same year, he received the Call to the Ministry, but did not begin until he received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit under the tutelage of Kenneth E. Hagin, Sr. in 1978. Under the influence of Dr. Hagin, he was introduced to Kenneth Copeland, John Osteen and Dr. Frederick K.C. Price who had a great impact on his spiritual and ministerial growth. Under the mentorship of Apostle Frederick K.C. Price, Dr Merthie was ordained and became a member of the Fellowship of International Word of Faith Ministries (FICWFM). He has been a member since 1991 and presently serves as an FICWFM Area Director.

In 1976, Dr. Merthie married his childhood sweetheart Ruth Lawson and two years later began a Home Bible Study that was to become New Life Word Center Church in 1983. The two of them traveled extensively throughout the U.S. and internationally, establishing churches and conducting crusades and seminars with the power of the Word of God.

Dr. Merthie ministers the Word of God throughout Central Florida on The Lifestyle of Faith program, which is broadcast weekly on WACX. In 1995, Pastor Merthie founded New Life Christian Academy, which serves students from K-12. He supports local Pastors, serves on many community boards and is very active in City and County government. In 2008, Pastor and Mrs Merthie received their doctorate degrees from Friends International in Merced, California.

But in 2009, Dr. Ruth Merthie unexpectedly went to be with the Lord after a very happy marriage for 33 years. This left a huge void in the Merthie family and the New Life Word Center's Church family. They were blessed to have four wonderful children and four grandchildren.

In 2011, the Lord prepared an awesome woman of God who was more than competent to bring healing to Dr. Merthie, his family and the New Life Word Center's Church family. He met and married Mrs. Patricia Mozee of Kansas City, Missouri, on September 3, 2011, who also experienced the death of her husband after being married for 33 years. Mrs. Mozee was a long-time member and leader at Harvest Church of Kansas City under the leadership of Dr. Merthie's close friends Drs. Steve and Donna Houpe.

Together, Dr. and Lady Merthie are continuing the work God has called him to ... "Building Families One Man at a Time." A strong anointing rests upon Lady Merthie to minister to women and build strong team support in the Helps Ministry. Lady Merthie also brings an uplifting, fresh and innovative presence to the New Life family. Together, the Merthies remain committed to their assignment to take the Gospel world-wide and to empower men and women to Love God and Bless Their Children.

Another first-timer at Campmeeting is Pastor Mrs Germaine Wright. She is a co-founder and Pastor of Covenant Love Christian Centre in North Richland Hills, Texas which she began with her husband Nicholas. She is an experienced youth minister, teacher, conference speaker and intercessor.

Germaine began her service in the Lord’s vineyard as early as 1977, working with a number of youth ministries in the News York/New Jersey area of United States of America (USA). Apart from ministering to the youth, she had also served in various ministries as an intercessor, speaker and teacher.

In 1981, she alongside her husband moved from New York to Fort Worth, Texas and served as Secretary and intercessor in the Prayer Department of Kenneth Copeland Ministries. She also assisted the ministry of her husband’s associate pastor, Pastor Douglas Dye in Mansfield, Texas.

Six years after, Pastor Germaine and her husband Nicholas left for Nanuet, New York and served as Youth/Intercessory Prayer Directors in Pastors Clinton and Sarah Utterbach’s Redeeming Love Christian Centre. In June 1988, the Wrights returned to Texas to continue their service in Kenneth Copeland Ministries.

The following month, the couple obeyed the voice of God and began Covenant Love Christian Centre began in their sitting room in Fort Worth, Texas. The couple did not begin full-time pastorate immediately until January 1995.

Pastor Germaine’s teachings inspire, empower, minister deliverance and healing. She teaches believers to recognize the authority they have in Jesus and how to apply it to live victorious in their daily lives. She and husband Pastor Nicholas have been married since 1978 and have three wonderful children. (CONTINUED NEXT WEEK)