Too Fantastic – the story I mean

So when I was in my undergraduate years living in good old south London, I was working for this glazing company as a claims assessor. I loved the job, but hated getting up too early in the morning to get there. I had been working there for some of my university years, so when I decided to take a year out, out of education I continued working for them.

So most morning it was the habitual struggle of getting up and trying to get to work for 8am. Everyday I would be tempted to phone in sick, always thinking of what stories to tell, but alas no joy there.

And yet there was another like me. Every week something always seemed to happen to her that would cause her to take the day off. I was so sure she was making it up, but then again... One day she said she had woken up to a cordoned off road, cause a young boy had been stabbed right in front of her house and the police weren’t letting anyone out. She had to be questioned cause her room was directly opposite where the incident took place and she had to have seen it (yeah I don’t remember seing that on the news). Another day she said she had walked all the way to the local bus stop, and whilst she was standing in front of a huge puddle, the bus driver had driven his huge bus over the water puddle and had soaked her entire clothes in dirty water. So she had to walk all the way back home to change – [house was 20mins from bus stop]. Which she said was the reason why she came to work at 11.00am (yeah but she wasn’t a pedestrian – she had a nice car – hmm maybe car trouble??- I’ll let it go). Another day, she had gone to her car and found it missing. After a couple of hrs, had found it on a different street – (right!!! cause someone had stolen it). Another day she had dressed so stylishly to get to work, on her way there one heel had snapped off, and she had to go back all the way home to change her shoes (right – cause the shoe shop next to our office didn’t sell shoes in her size - right). Another day someone had tried to mug her, and she had fought them off, so she had to spend the morning at the police station. But she didn’t come back with a police report number. Just thinking of her stories made me cringe with envy, always thinking “how does she do it, how does she get away with it – people like me also found it hard to get to work – but I’m here.

Imagine the extent many would go just to get away from work. I even heard that there were some silly people over here that would phone in sick at work and go on television shows, come on, that’s just jokes.

Has anyone ever encountered one of them??!!!!!!!..

Oh by the way - I was sent this video, thought it was interesting - Who said white men can't dance? - They can!!!!



Thanks Diamond for all the help.

From Osi with Love - MINE

I have recently acquired a new friend. I’m truly excited. Except that he lives in England (that’s not so bad) and his phone bill is sky rocketing (this is bad). He truly is a magnificent and wonderful fellow and I’m glad that the Lord sent him my way. He really is quite refreshing, funny, witty and without a doubt sweet. Our outlook on life and the daily struggles of trying to find our purpose was something we scarily had in common. And we’ve decided to encourage each other along. He is very much single, so at least we can be single together (at least for the next 6months – but nothing is guaranteed – right!! He sent me one of the many articles he’s written (oh did I forget to mention that he is also a poet). After reading many of his fine work, I pleaded with him to let me post this one. He has. From Osi with Love - Mine

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Every once in a while my heart wanders to times long gone. Memories sweet and bitter, dreams long abandoned and forgotten back to hunt me. There is a conflict between faded fantasies and new aspirations. The feeling is hard to explain, impossible to place as good or bad. I feel trapped yet free, my heart feels heavy but light. I feel wrapped in a seamless cloud of joy and sadness.

My heart wanders. The one thing on my mind is the beauty and innocence of childhood, the perfect and pure smile of a toddler, his wrinkle free face that neither feels nor understands the pain of this world. Without fear of the days to come, with complete trust he staggers as he explores the world. His world is pure and without selfish motives. No Matter how many times he stumbles he is up again. Failure never holds him back; he knows nothing about selfish motives. Without pride or shame he cries with all his heart. With the same energy he laughs as he rolls in the dust.

How I miss those days. Times when my youthful mind was pure. Back then I was in a hurry to get out of bed because there was work to be done. There was a world to touch. The 14 year old boy could give his whole heart to a course he believed in. Now my mind is dragged away by so many things. The alarm clocks don’t get me out of bed any more. It only tells me how many more hours I can give to sleep. I look in the mirror and I am shocked at the man I have become. The receding hair line and the extra wrinkles I can stand, but the drifted heart tears me apart. How did it come to this? Where did I fail? How have I failed?

Once again I find it hard to get on my feet, so I remain on my knees and ask for help. I know He has not given up on me. He never gives up on us. Time slips but I must hold on. I must fight to keep the dreams of my youth alive. To live life to the full, to experience the reason I am and return to my essence.

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My Brother the Protection Commotion master!!

Good morning Blogpals. My people Ndewo nu.

It feels like I’ve been away for ever but that’s not true. It’s the beginning of the year, and one needs to write their vision statement down and make it known for what it is they are expecting from God this 2007.

As many of you know I went home for the Christmas and New Year break. I was sort of tired of my cooking, and I wanted to go and really be pampered and feast on my mum’s food. She’s one of those that will keep you awake all night chatting and eating at the same time. You end up having 4 meals a day, plus plenty of snacks in between. And later on she will be the first to tell you, “your fine figure has stared to take a turn for the worse. You know you are a beautiful girl and you need to loose some weight – only a little will do”. So to say when I was growing up in my parent’s home, my weight always fluctuated, and would loose weight when I was away from home. Her food was too good not to eat. It was simply belisimo!!!

It was fun catching up with all my sisters and brothers and to hear that my baby brother – let’s call him ebere – was running a protection commotion at school. Yep you heard it correctly.

Let us start from the beginning. Our neighbourhood is an all white neighbourhood and ebere has always been very tall for his age. Year 7 boys in my high school (which is first year of secondary school) always had their own lavatory room, so that they don’t get bullied by older boys, and they would always have teachers and 6^th form prefects monitoring their toilets. When ebere was in year 7, he was never allowed in these toilets unless he had his school book showing his name his year and his form teacher, a form of Id for him, and sometimes he would cry (bless him). All his class mates were significantly shorter than him and the prefects and teachers would never believe ebere was a year 7 student. This carried on throughout year 7.

When they moved to year 8, they were now prime targets to be bullied by older boys, so his friends had a meeting with other boys from the same year and they agreed to ask ebere not only to be their friend but to also protect them. They told him that they would each pay him £2 each day for the honour of standing next to him. Imagine!!! Ebere agreed, he didn’t really care. Every day boys from all over the year would come and pay him money just so that they would hang out with him. The other older boys never came round them whenever they were with ebere, cause not only did he sound like a man, he was built like one too.

My sweet brother would run home every day and give my mum his change to hold for him. Ebere has always had money. I sometimes send him money weekly to charge his cell phone and he has 3 other older sister to give him money apart from me, so my mum never really thought anything of it, because she was ebere savings manager, and at the end of the month, they would go to the bank together and deposit it. So on the second day, my mum felt that the money he was exchanging with her was a little more than normal and felt to ask ebere where the sudden increase in funds was coming from. He subsequently relayed the whole story about how all the boys in his year came to him for protection. After the third day, the sweet boy he was, told them not to pay him anymore for protection and that he would protect them for free. He felt sorry for them and allowed them to hang out with him if they wanted (Imagine – If that was me, I would have made some serious money out of this venture – but that wasn’t his style).

I also think there’s more to the story. Ebere is the only student in his school to have scored top marks consecutively in the years he has been in that school. The school sends out postcards at the end of each semester informing us that he is the top scorer in all of his subjects and that they would like to congratulate him yet again. So I feel that they probably hang out with him to see if there was something they could learn from him (maybe not all of them, but at least some). We as a family have been blessed by him. Not only is he a blessing to his friends and all that know him he is also a delightful and generous Youngman. I think He also gave them back their money (Silly boy!!). He is still growing and acquiring more friends by the day. He is well respected – Imagine that from a young boy.

Your Words for 2007

Greetings all, I would like to apologies to all for my inability to update my blog and do my blog rounds. To say I have been under house arrest in the comforts of my parent’s home is definitely an understatement. I loved every moment of it. And God was right in saying it is not good for life of a stranger to be alone – LOL. This break was much needed and both spiritually and physically refreshing. There is no place like home. I am now back in Virginia (arrived very late last night – and was eager to get back to my experiments – so to say I am now at work).

Before I continue, I felt that seeing as this is my very first post this 2007, it makes sense to start of with words to encourage you this new year. So that at the end of the new year, when you take a stock list - you will know that the Lord Had been good to you this 2007, and that His sweet words did not return to Him empty, and that He is faithful.

You are Destined to Triumph because there shall be a fulfillment of God’s words to you.
In 2007, you are destined to triumph. You are not heading toward defeat, you do not have an appointment with failure and you are not being set up for a disappointment. It does not matter what the natural projections or extrapolations or statistics say about your circumstances. You are heading towards victory. Its waiting for you, it’s been prophesied, foretold and prearranged. In this new year listen to what God is saying to you: Isa 54.4 "Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.

Yes I know you have prayed and waited and desired for, and held on to the prophetic words that have been spoken over your life and it looks like your hands are growing weary of holding, whilst the enemy is also busy, tirelessly painting the picture of hopelessness, and you have been reminding God of how old you are and how the time is passing. Nevertheless, take courage. I declare to you that Seven is a number of divine perfection, and God shall perfect that which concerneth you. This year more than ever before, there shall be a performance of that which He spoke into your life. Listen:"Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: None of my words will be delayed any longer; whatever I say will be fulfilled, declares the Sovereign LORD.’" Eze 12:28.

For whereas you have said "The LORD has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me." Isa 49.14 - This is The Lord’s response to you as you move on into 2007: "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. Isa 49.15,16 Hence with confidence proceed into 2007 with the faith of Abraham who -
Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. Rom. 4.18-21.

Do not consider the limitations of your human capabilities neither the enormity of the task ahead of you. Do not let the height of the mountain you have to climb daunt you. God is not asking you to do it in YOUR own strength. He asks you to be strong IN THE LORD!

Your need (what you need) to accomplish what you see in front of you this year will not be dependent on, or supplied by the strength of your bank account or your own riches. They can only be and will be supplied according to HIS RICHES IN GLORY, IN CHRIST JESUS! (Phil 4.13) Now, that is exciting. And if you feel overwhelmed by what is ahead, with the enemy parading your goliath before you perpetually to intimidate you, (For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand. 1Sam 17.16) Remember that:“the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill … Ec 9:11.

No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. Ps 33.16-19

At other times you may look at those who have “made it” both in and out of The Kingdom and you feel inferior because you do not have their administrative skills, neither their business acumen nor their leadership strategies etc. Let me assure you. I agree with God that “It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was God’s right hand, God’s arm, and the light of God’s face, for God loved them. Ps 44.3 - What God has done for them He wants to do for you! He is no respecter of persons.

In closing what I believe God is saying to you to carry you through this glorious New Year, is to listen to these sweet words from The Lord: Behold, … saith the LORD, … I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. Jer 33:14.

Personalise it; memorise it, and say it constantly, declaring it to your spirit “Behold in this year 2007, … The LORD will perform that good thing which He has promised unto me” Hence I can say with confidence to you: “Blessed (are YOU) that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told (YOU) from the Lord. (Lu 1:45).

So what Have I been up to – Will update on a later date. Stay blessed all. And a Blessed new year to you all. I am well.