Gone Till December!

I've run away to some distant island, drenched in all the soothing spices from the different parts of the world.

It's a lie o...but I'm really on a vacation (in Nigeria), till January. I'll miss you guys and my ever so faithful writings for God. God has been good to my family and friends, and I can't wait to give lots and lots of testimonies when I get back. He's always there for all of us, through the good times and even more so through the not-so-good times. Sometimes He carries us so we don't have to do the walking, but at other times He just lets us walk through the burning sands with our own two feet, so that we can emerge as powerful unconquerable warriors at the end of the day.

I promise to be back with more...
Stay tuned and read other posts on The Lamp even during this vacation...

Have a blessed christmas and an exciting new year...lol.

A "Weirdo" Called Me!!!!!!!!

"For You formed my inward parts, You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:13-14

Strangely, God has created certain "weird" things in each of us that we have to embrace. See, He is such a brilliant architect! If we were all the same, where would the fun be?

Seven weird things about me...

Was tagged by Sha and Tayo...

I like dancing in front of the mirror. It is soooo weird. After a shower or after brushing my teeth, coming in front of the mirror is simply sheer bliss. The mirror is one of my best friends. It is soooo much fun, and I usually don't think I'm crazy while I'm doing it. But some minutes after, I start asking myself what I just did. I don't just dance, I sing songs as well in front of the mirror. Lol. It makes me happy.

I like shopping alone. If I decide to go shopping with my girlfriends (which is usually fun as well), it still cannot surpass the absolute joy of shopping lavishly ALONE. You see, when I shop alone, it gives me all the time in the world to day-dream and fantasize! I can make sure I go into every single shop in the mall and not be too selective about the specific shop and specific shopping time frame. Shopping is one of my pastimes and I need to thoroughly enjoy the moment. I enjoy breezing into Abercrombie and Fitch and fantasizing I'm surfing on the beach, or going into Victoria Secret and feeling like a victoria secret model (while cat-walking down the perfume section). I don't like rushing when I'm shopping. And I don't think I need to buy stuff from every shop, but it would just be nice to enter the shop at least (why else would I be in the mall?) You see, you never know what treasure you will come across while on a treasure hunt, right? Lol.

I laugh a lot. Up to the extent that if I'm not laughing my friends will think there's something wrong with me. Although, there may be nothing wrong with me when I'm not laughing, its just that the environment may not be conducive for laughing! That's why I like people who can make me laugh. If you're a very good jokes star, you have a very strong probability of becoming a laughing pal.

Starbucks is my inspirational spot. Up to the extent that I have become a laughing stock by friends. What's their business now? Alright, whatever! I accept that I'm weird. Loll...the first day I stepped into starbucks was one of the best days of my life. I walked in, and as soon as I heard the soft romantic jazzy music in the background, I fell in love with the place (talk about falling in love with inanimate objects!). Anyways, tasting the sweet caramel frappucino and black bottom cupcakes obviously did not help either, as I saw myself slowly falling very deeply in love with mr. Starbucks. Day after day turned into month after month. The weirdest thing is that I actually started writing poetry and other things in starbucks. I would go there, listen to the music, then the writer in me would come out and I'll take out one of my secret journals, smile to myself and begin writing random stuff. I apologize to those who thought I was probably studying.

When I was 8 yrs old I had a book series called 'Amanda.' Talk abt being a weirdo. Ok, first Amanda was I and my sister's paper doll. We had real dolls, but it didn't matter...it was obviously more creative to make dolls out of paper. Oh, those were beautiful times. Plus we used to make fancy clothes for the paper doll as well. Then when my mum came home, we would hide the doll and all the paper houses and cars under the living room furniture, and my mum would find them and shout. Anyways, so I had big dreams for Amanda. I started writing about her and her family. I wrote about how her and her brothers solved a mystery once (think 'Famous Five' type story). So their father was a lawyer and someone was trying to blackmail him, so they rode on their bicycles at the middle of the night and decided to solve the mystery on their own, and they did. Smart kids, Amanda and her siblings! I still have some copies left.

I've always loved historical and epic stories. Anything heroic, majestic, or impressively great. Long stories of old, passed down from grandparents to their children. I loved and still love the old classic movie, "Till We meet again." I love the Lord of the Rings (Trilogy) type stuff. Oh, Lord of the rings was a classic. I love stories where the knight rescues the beautiful princess, which is why I fell in love with that movie line in Pretty woman where he says, "and what happens when the knight rescues the princess?" and she goes like, "she rescues him right back!" :)
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I save all my birthday cards, valentine day cards e.t.c. I mean, how can people throw them away? Those are great treasures! Especially if it is a blank card where the card-giver writes their own special sentiments. How precious! Oh, I loveeeee "funny" cards, usually from crazy people. And I give out a lot of funny cards to people as well. It's just fun! Lollll...

Thanks Sha and Tayo for tagging me. I enjoyed doing it. I hereby pass on the tag torch to the following people, and u must do it (because u guys are too serious, lol...what Tayo dissed me with): kafo, londonbuki, bella naija, disgodkidd, curvyice, mack, and neers. And you have to tag 7 people when you're done too.

"May your friday be blessed. Let ALL that is within you begin to burst out into praise, because in the presence of God, there is really a fullness of joy. Experience it."

**A Letter From Your Secret Admirer**

This letter was written to you (yes, you reading this letter right now)...

Psalm 84:5 "Blessed is the man whose strength is in You (God), whose heart is set on pilgrimage."

Oh, how I admire your strength! Look at how strong you are. Do you think everyone in the world is a survivor like you? Do you know that the average suicide rate in the world today is 100,000 people per year? You are stronger than you even think. You swam through the storms all through this year, 2007, until the very end. Those things that tried to barricade you did not expect that you will emerge stronger than you were before. But you held on, and God sustained you, and you're still alive today.

Oh, how I admire your thirst! You thirsted for God like a deer pants for water, which is why you maintained the zeal to delve into the word of God, and to even want more each day. Yes, you keep coming back for more. More of His presence. More of His love. More of His realness!

Oh, how I admire your beauty!. Beauty that radiates from the inside out. Yes, people tell you that you're beautiful on the outside, but you're working on the inside daily! Little do you know that this emerging beauty on the inside is what makes you even more beautiful as you wake up each morning.

Oh, how I admire your boldness! There were certain wrong decisions you may have made this year, but you didn't stay down, you pushed through and made some right decisions, which is why you are where you are today.

Lastly, I admire your confidence! You may still have some problems kicking your toes right now, but yet as you read my letter you still manage to smile. Keep on keeping on. Let God continue to strengthen you as you break forth into the year 2008. Your future will be better than your past.

"Selah"...

Jeremiah 10:12

"He has made the earth by His power,
He has established the world by His wisdom,
And has stretched out the heavens at His discretion..."



Please consider such Power, Wisdom, and Discretion...

Who else will do such a thing?

Selah...

Note: The Original Hebrew word, 'Celah,' means "to hang," and by implication to measure (weigh). Therefore, Selah means to stop, reflect, and measure.

I Raise My Voice!!!

Today, I cry out with them.

Echoes lost in the wind. Candles long stopped from burning. Volcanoes compressed from erupting. Voices lost in the woes of the media. Prisoners behind the bars of molestation. Long forgotten stories. Songs that have stopped singing. Children who have stopped crying. The women of tomorrow.

Today, I raise my voice with those of multi-nationalities, crying out for the elimination of the violence of women. Recognizing November 25th as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against women. Worldwide.

(PLEASE Click on the picture of those three girls above to resurrect a post called "Breaking the Silence Forever"). It is a very touching post, and etches well into the memories of the women who have encountered such violence). May God bless you, increase you, and heal your pain...from the inside out. Post your comments on that post instead.

The United Nations Support/Resources site: Here

The Last Sword Standing...

She was the Samurai's daughter. Her features were the divine features of a Samurai's daughter...the way she carried herself, the way she spoke, and the way she fought. She wasn't mediocre in her ways, she considered herself as "royalty." She was a team leader, a teacher, a trend-setter, and also a living book of wisdom, using the proverbs that had been passed down to her by her Father.

But tonight she felt extremely different. She found herself running in the thickness of the dark night, she ran through trails in the midst of thick dark forests, through long bushes as tall as trees. She kept on running, trying desperately to get away from the evil clutches of the intruder. She looked back for a split second and he was only 5 inches from her face, being a very fast runner too. She took out the yari (spear) and threw it at him. Only a part of his long kimono was cut off, his flesh wasn't touched so he kept chasing her.

She dived into the blue waters in front of her, for it was the only way she knew. She had learned to be a good swimmer as a young child, it was one of the things a Samurai's daughter had to learn. She turned back swiftly, but he was still there swimming like the swiftest shark...coming real close. So she took out her tanto (dagger) and flung it towards his direction. She smiled for a quick second, until she saw his head resurface. No, he wasn't dead yet. So she kept wading.

She came out, and a tall big mountain stood in front of her. So she started climbing. She was a mountain climber from her teenage years, infact she was familiar with this particular mountain, she knew all it's rough surfaces like the back of her experienced hands. She looked down, she was getting furious...he was still there. Climbing to get her. She stopped for a second and threw down her yumi, a composite bow made from bamboo, wood, rattan, and leather, used by all Samurai warriors. He dodged it and kept climbing. She started doing what she called "mountain gallops," a technique used to get to the top faster. Then suddenly, she reached the peak. She stood tall as she felt her Father's spirit fighting with her. She looked at the last sword standing. The strongest of all the Samurai's weapons, the 'double-katana,' the only sword that was double-edged. It had a deadly effectiveness, no one could stand before the sword. But if you didn't use it the right way, it could kill you too. She heard her Father's voice saying, "hold it strongly and lift your head up proudly!" As soon as he reached where she was, she pierced the sword into the most deadly area of his body, and as soon as she did so, the fight was over. She sank to the ground as she realized she needed to stop running now...

This story is only a story I construed of how a Samurai's daughter ended up using her most powerful weapon against her enemy (the weapons are the real names of weapons used by Samurai war lords). But stretch your imagination...you also have a Father who has given you your most powerful weapon. As you walk through the journey of life with each passing moment, He is constantly teaching you how to use this weapon. As you make hard choices in life, you are using this weapon. Your weapon has been, and still will be the most powerful response to an intruder. Your weapon is the WORD OF GOD!. You need to use it. You need to learn how to use the weapon. If you don't know how to use your Father's weapon, then you can't be recognized as your Father's daughter (or son). Pray that God teaches you how to use His weapon (His Word) as your most powerful weapon...more importantly (as the life of a stranger pointed out), we must not resort to using the word of God as our last weapon (last sword standing), instead we must use our most effective weapon FIRST!!!

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

Hebrews 4:12

The picture on the top right is courtsey of the cutting edge cutlery

Happy Thanksgiving...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE!!!!!!!!
Thank God for His LOVE! :)

To commemorate the thanksgiving holiday, I have added everyone's "thankfulness" post on my side-bar, reading and participating in writing one of those posts is a life-changing experience.
Every single thanks to God will not go unheard. His ears are not too short that He cannot hear us. If you did a post pls send Diamond, the author, a link for your day to add to the chain of thanks. You're invited to participate.
Love...

In the volumes of His books, it was written concerning me...

Did you know that God wrote something about you? That He wrote about your exploits, your triumphs, and your battles? That He already established your uniqueness as different from everyone else in the world? (Psalm 139:16, "Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed; and in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned before me, when as yet there were none of them."

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And so I was reflecting very hard today after church, that if certain people can go through certain bad situations and still come out on top, still firmly rooted and grounded in God, still standing strong....then who am I not to do the same? If there is truly something written about me, then I must ascend to the stage and grab my award. I must accomplish everything that was written ABOUT ME before time even began. I must not be less than what I am supposed to be...it is up to me to come out on top, from whatever trials or circumstances I find myself...it is not over until God says it is over...

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Wielded in very turbulent currents of waters

Wrapped around an array of thorns

Wrung as a rose strangled in the midst of thorns

Yet still, I am a character in the book of God.

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Understanding and prophesying only in part

Seeking knowledge like a deer pants for water

Asking for wisdom like a sick man asks for healing

Yet still, I am a character in the book of God.

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Finding myself seems to be an arduous task

When it seems as though everyone else has found what they were searching for

Pressing forward when I can't even see my way ahead

Yet still, He wrote about me and so I must keep on marching forward.

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I feel a strong burden on me that some of us don't know we are GREAT!

Even before TIME, God wrote about you,

and He didn't just write about your weaknesses,

but He also wrote about the way you overcame those weaknesses,

I feel a burden that someone is GIVING UP...

if you can't do anything else,

just trust that God knows what He is doing...

and He understands those secret things He wrote about you...

God is also a BLOGGER...

Have you read His blog about you?

He is a WRITER, a POET, and an ARCHITECT,

I'm so glad He has me in His works...

***For All Those Times***

For all those times You called my name

For all those times You whispered to me

For all those times I couldn't hear You

For all those times You still kept calling

Today, I give you PRAISE!

For all those times I thought I couldn't make it

For all those times I thought the end was nigh

For all those times I thought I would go hungry

For all those times I thought I'd be out in the rain forever

Today, I give you PRAISE!

For all those times I couldn't find You
For all those times I thought You weren't real
For all those times I prayed and You didn't answer

For all those times I asked and You said "No,"

Today, I give You PRAISE!

For all those times that I was afraid

For all those times I became as bold as a lion

For all those times I was humbled by You

For all those times You told me, 'Well done!"

Today, I give You PRAISE!

For all those times I searched for You

For all those times I found You

For all those times You let me walk

For all those times You carried me,

Today, I give You PRAISE!

For all those times I broke down crying

For all those times I laughed till I could laugh no more

For all those times I couldn't speak

For all those times I could finally verbalize my feelings,

Today, I give You PRAISE!

Friday Verse Series

© Jaycee

The Complex Electronic Message...

Who said God isn't current with electronic technological messaging?

Once upon a time, God gave Noah a very complex mathematical equation to solve. He sent him an electronic message to let Him know three important things: 1) That He was (and is) a great mathematician, 2) That He was (and is still) a great Architect (playing into His mathematical abilities), 3) And that a flood was coming that was going to wipe out the whole earth.

Check out the message (Gen 6:13-17): “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be 300 cubits, its width 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to 1 cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, 2nd, and 3rd decks. And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth..."

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Keep in mind that there were no electronic computers in Noah's time. Neither were there any electronic calculators. The only gadget he had to build this huge structure was his "brain." Then you can imagine the people of Noah's time. Their ears were so clogged up that they couldn't hear what he was saying. Their hearts were filled with so much filth that they couldn't abandon all their evil projects and repent with their faces turned up towards the heavens. They kept doing all they knew how to do...eat, drink, celebrate marriages...

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But Jesus came to simplify this electronic mathematical equation. In our time, the equation has really become simple, although the activities of today's society has become much more complex. Those evil projects which were in Noah's time have been amplified by today's technology. Now we do not need to gather in a bandwagon to perform evil activities, the internet is right there...you can have an orgy online, right? It's so funny how the equation God sent became simplified, but yet the evil activities became amplified.

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The equation became simplified when Jesus said these words "IT IS FINISHED!" He died on the cross to make the equation simple. Now we need no ark, neither do we need sacrifices...we just need to believe in His blood.

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In Matt 24:36-44 He also said, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."

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The major statement here is, "watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming..."

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While Dot.com industries are exploding,

and internet billionaires are unfolding,

While cell phones are expanding,

and palm pilots are booming,

we need to keep watch,

because we do not know what hour He's coming.

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While high school children are shooting,

and street gangs are enlarging their territories,

while drug use is becoming a pastime,

and bed time stories are fading,

we need to keep watch,

because we do not know what hour He's returning.

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While marriages are booming,

and yet divorce rates are increasing,

While some pastors are raping children,

and some are yet scamming their members,

yes, we need to keep watch,

because we know not when He's coming again...

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Make the complex electronic message simple,

and start your watch tonight...

30 Days of Thankfulness 2: Day 9

Oh Lord...there's so MUCH to be thankful for...
As I am typing right now my heart is beating loudly...
If I can count on the tips of my fingers how much He's done for me...
I'm remembering how God told Abraham to look at the stars of the sky
and the sand grains of the sea shore...
that was the number of his blessings,
but he couldn't even count them...

he couldn't even begin to comprehend them...

TODAY,
I am thankful for the VISION...
for the vision God has given me,
A vision that can never die,
I realize that if my eyes are filled with good things,
then my whole body will be filled with good things as well,
because I have a vision,
I know where I am going to,
and I know it will be different from where I am coming from,
my vision has calmed my storms,
even when my boat was shaking,
my vision said, "peace be still,"
my vision tells me time and time again,
that the enemy may come towards me like a flood,
but God will lift up a mighty standard against him;
my vision cheers me on and on, towards the prize...
forwards ever and backwards never,
this secret vision God has caused my eyes to see,
will never die
but will yet manifest,
at it's appointed time.

TODAY,
I am thankful for FAMILY,
a word that means so much more to me than blood,
yes, blood is thicker than water,
but love came and rescued me,
first God orchestrated my steps to be born into such a beautiful family,
then He also caused me to meet people who I have come to incorporate into my family,
He has caused me to know an unusual kind of love I never thought I'd ever find,
love that knows no boundaries,
I'm thankful for family,
a word that means much more to me than blood.

TODAY,
I am thankful for LIFE,
so many have come and gone this year,
but God has kept me,
none of us has done anything extraordinary to deserve this,
but God is saying to me, "you have to first accomplish what I placed you on earth to do,"
your time is not NOW,
so I am thankful for life,
I'm thankful for joy, laughter, sunshine, and worn-faded jeans...
and I am thankful for the lives of those who passed, who accomplished their purpose on earth,
time is really precious,
we must live each day for God alone,
there is no time for false living,
the time to choose Jesus is NOW,
you may not have tomorrow,
but your soul has the whole of eternity.

You have one life to live...and you have those who have gone on before you, the Hebrews 11 guys cheering you on. Don't stop living. Take a hold of the life God has given you. Dream BIG. Then achieve your dreams...you are called to be different. You are called to a higher place. Don't take your life. Don't stop living.

If I could count on my finger-tips how much He has done for me,

I would be like the man who counted the stars of the sky,

and the sand grains of the sea shore...

too inumerable to count...

Oh Lord, I thank You...for everything...

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Thanks Kafo, for tagging me...

For Day 10, I tag Ms. Opeke...

thanking God is a life-changing experience...

The Immortality of the KING!!!!!!!

As the good old wikipedia claims, "immortality" is the concept of living in the physical or spiritual form for an INFINITE length of time.

Wow, is that really possible? This is a question that many seem to toy with from time to time. Come on, I can see you...I know that when you say the word, "immortality," with your lips, there's a kind of sweetness that comes naturally with the mere pronunciation of the word. It exudes power and eternal reign. The historical Pharoahs of old have embodied this concept of "immortality" from generation to generation in the ancient kingdom of Egypt. Only a few days ago, the young pharoah, King Tut, became the subject of public speculation when his royal embalmed mask was taken off for all to see his real face, after having been "immortalized" for 3,000 years.

The kingdom of Egypt does not play when it comes to the burial of their Pharoahs; a Pharoah king is considered as such, even till eternity. So he is embalmed and kept in a royal tomb for Pharoahs. They got the concept of eternity, but the reality is this body or flesh of ours is not immortal, and one day will be no more.

That's why Jesus told us when He was very much around..."And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell," Matthew 10:28.

The only thing that is immortal is your soul. Your body may pass away, but your soul has a destination. I was reading Matthew 25 yesterday, and towards the end Jesus was talking about the seperation of two categories of people, those who will enter into the kingdom of heaven, and then those who will enter into a certain place that was originally prepared for the devil and his angels. At that particular point I shook, because hell was not intended for human beings. But because we all have our own "will" to either choose Jesus or reject Him, some will end up in the wrong kingdom.

I do not know where the souls of the ancient Pharoahs lie today, but as an NBC reporter said when the mask of King Tutankhamun was unveiled, it wasn't the pretty sight everyone was expecting. It makes me know that this body of ours is really not permanent. It also shows that we all should be very careful about how we live our lives.

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What are you living for? Do you have a defined view of who you really are? Do you define yourself the way God defines you, or are you merely defining yourself based on your emotions? I was walking back home from class last week and I was thinking about how I need to become this person in my wildest dreams, someone who does not have the flaws I have now. But God began to tell me, "You are already that person, define yourself the way I already defined you before time even began." I may have flaws now, but a righteous man will fall seven times and get back on his feet again. I will not wallow in the fact that sometimes I fall. Each second is precious, I can spend the time used to wallow in self-pity to do something for God. God has given you and I a calling for this period while we are still on earth, we need to find it and grasp it. But most importantly, live your life with deep concern for your soul. You need to know where your eternity lies...today...

I pray it's heaven,

because it DOES exists...

Will your SOUL say YES to God's call today?

All God wants is for you to say "YES"

The Biggest SHAREHOLDER?

My newest multi-billionaire friend, Warren Buffet, has really been teaching me a lot of things lately. Yesterday, we went to a popular golf spot in the area, a very touche place like this, and while I was learning how to fine-tune my so-called "putter" on the green grass that was still wet with dew, struggling to point it in the right direction so as to accumulate a higher number of accurate putts, his soft humble voice lingered in my ears as we talked about the world's greatest investments.

Yeah...in my wildest imaginations oooo...lollll...please, pardon me. It was only in the beautiful book I was reading tonight, "Warren Buffet Speaks," that I obviously had this mental conversation with one of the richest guys in the world. The capture on the front cover (investments) was what caught my eyes. For the longest time now I have been thinking about what investments are the greatest. I know I may not have that much right now to invest as much as I want to, but all these great people started from somewhere. They started just by having intellectual minds that could be expanded on a global level. Take Warren Buffet for instance, he's actually my new hero because it is recorded that he had no prior family inheritance, but rather he accumulated self-wealth by expanding his mind in investing in stocks in the Berkshire Hathaway company, which he now owns. But he started off in the 1960s by buying 200 stocks for $7.60 (or thereabout). Now, his company sells stocks for thousands of dollars.


Anyways, all these led me to obviously ask this one absolutely important question, "who is the BIGGEST shareholder?" It may sound ludicrous to your ears, but my answer is very simple: "God." He is the One who owns the biggest stocks in each of our lives.

See, first He invested all His time in the creation of the world. Then He thought about it, just like the extra-multibillionaire God that He is, and decided to invest even more time into creating every SINGLE person that exists today in a very different way. He probably was thinking that the highest probability to obtain profits would be in making no one to be the same as another person. Did you know that no two finger-prints are equal (not even the finger-prints of Siamese twins)? But God, the biggest Shareholder of our lives, took His time to make an imprint of each of us on the palms of His hands ("see, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are continually before Me." Isaiah 46:16).

One characteristic of a shareholder is that they own stocks in a particular company, and hence have an entitled ownership to that company. God has made more than significant investments in your company (your body), and hence He is automatically the owner of it. Another characteristic is that a shareholder has the right to terminate ownership at any time, so it is no wonder that God asked Job in chapter 36 these very crazy questions, "where you there when I laid the foundations of the earth?; who determined it's measurements?; or have the gates of death been revealed to you?" and in chapter 40, "who has preceded Me that I should pay him? Everything under the heaven is mine;"

See, God is your biggest shareholder because He alone has the power of life and death. No matter how many meditations you make with a fixated gaze to heaven, you do not have the power to elongate your breath, not even for one second. And who would say, "there is no God?" The rich man said in his heart, "I will say to my soul, "soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry." But the Almighty God, the major Shareholder in the life of this man, came into the picture and said, "fool! this night your soul will be required of you, then whose will those things be which you have provided?" So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God...(Luke 12: 16-21).

Therefore, it is of a very great necessity that we all come to the knowledge that God is the major Shareholder of our lives. He's my biggest Shareholder because He bled to death on a cross that wasn't His own, just to become bruised and battered for you and I. Your company must be THAT important to Him!!! Yes, we need to worship Him and give Him all the praise, just for the various beautiful investments He has made in our companies. He has made my company grow in strength and extreme vigor, with each passing moment. When the company seems like it's failing, God just gives it a little encouraging nudge and replenishment (more resources), and all of a sudden all the board of directors in my company become a vast resource of intellectual wealth. He is my biggest Shareholder because He watches every word that He has spoken over my company, and makes sure they are performed...none of His words can ever fall to the ground and return back to Him void. He's the best Stock Trader because He knows the EXACT TIME to come into the stock market, and geez does He make all things extremely beautiful in His own stock-market time or what???? He's a stock boomer...when He comes in, all stocks in my company begin to explode...

So who's your biggest shareholder?

Is it God, or is it someone else?

Ouch! Oh So Feisty!

Picture credit: Henderling Lisa



Welcome to the Friday Verse Series...yeahhh babyyyy!


Being oh-so-feisty can be very sexy when the definition refers to a spirited and energetic person (girl or guy), someone who is full of animation, energy, or courage. You know, the "energizer-bunny" type of person, whose battery never runs out of charge. Actually I know someone like that, "T" my A-level classmate! Geez, she was soooo lovable. Nothing could ever be boring around her, she would always find a way (in the middle of the desert) to make things more than a little bit spicy. Ohhhh dear "T," I really miss your FEISTI-ness! Ah, you are sooo feisty, as small as you are! You can run a million miles and not even get tired. Your energy is so amazing!
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BUT, my people...there is another definition of 'feisty' that is oh-so-NOT-sexy! Being feisty, according to the dictionary can also mean being "ill-tempered" and "pugnacious." The definition of pugnacious is "inclined to fight or quarrel very easily." Hmmm, this causes for some self-observation. Am I likely to quarrel or fight very easily??? Hmmm, many times I find myself in the midst of certain heated arguments, a.k.a, as a result of my sexy feistiness! So energetic that I become prone to quarrel! No, no, no...a child of God should not be this way. We are called to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth, hence we shd always scrutinize ourselves (not others) to see if we are really following these principles.
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It's no wonder the discussion on TERC today was very sweet. It was about the element of the body called the "tongue," a.k.a the "rudder of the ship." Many times as Christians, we feel we know it ALL...sorry to burst your bubble this morning, but NO you do NOT know it all. We need to become 'babes' in the hands of the Master Potter, allowing God to shape and mold us every single day. There is always something to learn, in fact it does not matter if you have read the scriptures like as many times as the sun has risen and set since it was created. It does not matter whether you are as old as history itself. There is always something to learn for a particular season; it's no wonder why sometimes when we read the same verse that we learnt one million times last year, it sheds some light on an entirely new revelation. It is because of the times and the seasons....a very old proverb says that 'the only thing constant is change,' things will change in your life from time to time, and you basically need to flow with the change. Just imagine showing dance skills of the early 1920s at a dance floor in the year 2008. It just won't flow...
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Why am I talking about Christians who think they know it all? Because that it is the root of many unnecessary arguments. When you realize you don't know it all then you more than likely will be able to tame your tongue. So this friday, in this moment of urging everyone to learn how to tame their tongues, I will end with one beautiful scripture:
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Proverbs 10:19-21 "In a multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise. The tongue of the righteous is CHOICE SILVER..." Today, I tear out the unnessary argumentative/quarrelsome parts of my tongue. Sometimes, arguments are good i.e when they are edifying to both parties. But not at all times! I want my words to be "choice silver," that when I speak people will not just think about a tap merely dripping with water. That when I speak, I will speak with authority and wisdom. That when I speak, those who hear the words of my mouth will not be disappointed. That my speech will be relevant to my generation, and that my words will be used as answers to someone's questions, merely because my tongue stands to be used as an instrument of God. I am God's representative, an ambassador for His beautiful eternal kingdom...

For your words to be choice silver in the life of someone else,

u've gotta learn how not to babble.

After all, the book of proverbs says in provs 17:28

"Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace;

When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive."

The Bible says that the words of your lips

must be edifying and attributing grace to others...

!!!...FrOzEN...!!!

Stone-cold frozen! What can make TIME come to a complete halt (theoretically)? What can make TIME freeze? What can make you stop everything you're doing, and stand completely still? What makes a man suddenly stop while he is running? What can make a woman suddenly stop walking on the street, turn her face towards the sun, and start smiling? The answer is a "sudden REVELATION!!!!!!!!"

When we catch a glimpse of the true revelation of Who God really is, we FREEZE for a moment, relishing and delighting in the sweet secret thing we've just discovered. Guess what? Even God Himself can suddenly stop, freeze in time, probably scrunch up His nose and raise His mighty finger towards His chin, and take one good long eternal look at us, when He has a revelation that we have just discovered a revelation (sounds like a tongue-twister). Frozen in time! The spectacular look of shock or fascination. What do I mean by that? Lollll...

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So the thing is that yesterday, I was reading about the two blind men who were sitting on the outskirts of Jericho, who had a revelation of Who Jesus really was (Matthew 20:29-33). See, they were blind, but they still had a vision. They were physically blind, but physical obstructions couldn't stop their revelation. They KNEW Who God was, and nothing (not even blindness) could stop them from feeling His presence as He walked through the street in which they sat that evening.

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And behold, two blind men sat sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!" Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!" So Jesus STOOD STILL and called them and said, "what do you want Me to do for you?" They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened." Matthew 20:29-33

They had a deep revelation of Jesus, right down to the bone marrow of His ancestral inheritance from his earthly fore-father, king David. Then they also had a deeper revelation of His healing power...from hearing the stories of how He cast out demons, healed the sick, calmed the storms, and fed 5,000 men, therefore they KNEW He could heal their blind eyes (revelation). Then in their conclusion, they called Him "Lord," recognizing the fact that He was God. Jesus had to freeze in time, in the moment that they called Him "Lord" and "Son of David." He must have smiled at such revelation from such physically blind men.

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So my question today is "do you have a revelation of Who God really is?"

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In my own revelation of God, I wrote this poem one day while on the train. I view God as a precious treasure, that once found I never want to let go again...too precious to think of losing. I pray this revelation causes God to freeze in time, and smile...

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I see myself

Running between forests of trees

Leaping over peaks of mountains

Swimming in the deepness of seas

Flying with the wings of the wind

Just trying to catch a glimpse of Your light

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And all of a sudden I catch it

I see myself holding on so tight

Not willing to ever let go again

I came miles and miles just to get here

So Lord do not let me go again.

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I crossed oceans

I climbed mountains

I flew a million miles

Just to catch a glimpse of Your sun

So Lord do not let me go again

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I close my eyes and feel the breeze

and with my eyes closed I see Your beauty

Never have I seen such a glow

Not even for miles and miles

Your smile has caused my heart to melt

Your smile has erased all the shadows within me

It has given me confidence, courage, and strength

So Lord, never EVER let me go again...

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Even the two blind men outside the city of Jericho had a revelation, and their revelation caused God to stop walking and ask them what they wanted. Do you have a revelation of God? Your revelation will cause God to freeze and look at you for a while...

***Drink to Your Satisfaction***

Some months back, I remember talking about the ingredients of "water" on a road trip back home. So many questions needed to be answered. It may seem like it has such a simple formula, H2O, but how come it has the absolute power to completely drown and quench a person's thirst? Why is it soooooo different from other drinks? See, water is the basic ingredient for the manufacture of any drink sold around the globe, but no other drink has the satisfying capacity of water. It doesn't even matter if it is natural juice extracted straight up from a fruit. We talked for the length of miles of the rest of the journey, but still could not derive a definite answer. "Only God knowest" should be the only feasible answer I guess.

Does food really satisfy? Or does drinking some water after eating food bring the final and absolute satisfaction? Food serves the purpose of filling up our stomachs, but without the digesting ingredient, water, we will never feel satisfied and we would feel like a dry hot desert in the mid-afternoon on the inside. For lack of a more imaginative description, think of a volcano at the center of your belly.

I suddenly feel like I am the woman at the well. The Samaritan woman who came to draw water at one of the most popular wells in the city, but instead met Jesus. She came to get physical water, but ended up receiving the water that will quench all her thirsts forever!!! She was trying to quench her physical thirst, but instead met someone who could quench her spiritual thirst for the rest of her life.

You can search from the east to the west...from the sunrise to sunset...from the garden of Eden to the city with golden gates...from Bethlehem to Iraq...from the Carribean to Honolulu...from the beaches of the world to the forests of Australia...from the dark trails in Africa to the bright eye-blinding pinching icelands of the North pole...but you will never solve the mystery of how to quench your spiritual thirst...not until you find Him...the One Who is called Jesus...

I was watching the History channel today, and was learning about how so many people, since the era of science, have gone out of their comfort zones to search and analyze the history of the bible, to see if the locations written about really existed. Christopher Columbus was one of such people. These people searched and they searched, using historical archaic maps, those who tried to find the garden of Eden actually figured out where the four rivers described in the bible met and concluded that the mapped out area must have contained the garden of Eden. But somehow, they always got close, but never really to the end. Some were able to detect where the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah must have been located, but somehow they just couldn't prove it. They were able to scientifically prove that the grounds had indications of two twin cities being burnt, but could not prove it was Sodom and Gomorrah...after all it could be any other two cities in history's palms.

There is a sudden THIRST for MORE in the mouths of so many, whose heads I am not willing to count. It's no wonder people look for God in every place and every where. Some find a sort of god but cannot still quench their thirsts, so they worship multiple gods--one god dedicated to the area of "fertility", another "feminism", and yet another "strength". So many diverse gods. But I know of a God, and the God I know is the One Who was able to quench my spiritual thirst, once and for all! The God that can answer all of my questions if I can only dare to ask Him to reveal them to me, one by one, with each passing moment. The God whose hands are not too short that they cannot reach me, Whose ears are not deaf so that they cannot hear me. The God who still speaks to us...with each passing moment.

He's the One giving an invitation right now

to come and "drink to your satisfaction"

Drink His water and never thirst again...

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BTW, today is Niyi's birthday. So TERC folk, show him some love on the FB. Happy birthday Niyi, you're a very special person...very very special in God's eyes. Just because of your faith and your focus on God, great things that you can't even comprehend are just waiting for you to arrive at the end of the tunnel...

The Escape from your Stagnant Wheel...don't be lost in translation...

Imagine those cyclic rides in amusement parks...they are shaped like wheels and keep going round and round until the individuals become very light-headed and some come out having head-aches. I think life can feel like a wheel sometimes, going round and round in the same old circles and you feel like nothing new has emerged or will emerge for a very long time to come. Some people get physically tired and some others get spiritually tired. They may have been waiting on God for something and it just doesn't feel like God is going to do anything about their situations. "Oh ye of little faith!" If God has said it, then He will do it ("God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should repent, has He said and will He not do?" Numbers 23:19)

It doesn't have to feel that way. The bible says that the "expectations of the righteous shall not be dashed." Who does this apply to? Certainly not every Tom, Dick, and Harry, but to the children of God...to those who truly believe! If you believe that God is everything that He says He is, then you would wake up each morning with great gigantic expectations the size of mount Everest, and if you have such great expectations, and because God watches over every word He speaks and makes sure it comes to pass, then your expectations will not be dashed. If you are expecting your tomorrow to be greater than yesterday, then it will be. You just have to wait for the right time. Do you know the right time? The answer is "No, you don't know right now but when it is the right time God will reveal it to you." Don't get tired of waiting because God is not tired of waiting. If you have already bought a gift for your other half two weeks before his birthday, I bet you will be itching to show it to Him already. Oh, if only God can reveal what He has in store for you just to bring a smile to your dainty face...but see, the impact and the meaning of the gift will be destroyed if it is given at the wrong time.

We need to get to that level where we stop living our lives in repetitive cycles of stagnancy. Because you've asked God for one thing and He has not yet given it to you, because the timing is wrong or because you really don't need it at all, does not mean that the rest of your life should come to a stand-still!!! You can do a ZILLION things in your life. Each day the ideas I come up with sometimes are so MANY that I have to start canceling stuff out of my brain and relegate them as "insignificant."

There needs to be something BIGGER that we are aspiring towards, with each passing day. Your tomorrow MUST be better than your yesterday. You cannot remain stagnant! Your life should not just be 'same ol, same ol.' Before you lived one day God had written about all of your days. He wrote about everything that you were created to accomplish. He basically "engineered" you to succeed. Yes, it's true...no matter how foolish anyone may seem, they were created to succeed. So if you ended up not accomplishing anything in life but instead become a failure, it won't be anyone's fault but yours...because God Himself said, "My people perish for lack of knowledge." You have the intelligence to think about so many ideas, but you get stuck on one basic idea and it becomes the norm in your life, and you just never even bother to move a notch higher.

Talk about lack of knowledge...

Most people die because they don't know that they have the power to become survivors.
Most people who commit suicide don't know that there is another way out.
Those who get high on drugs don't know they can get even a higher level of "highness" just by worshiping God.
They just don't know another way out, but the universe is vast and the whole earth is waiting for the sons of God to manifest with ideas that have never been seen before. "For there is a God in heaven Who reveals secrets..." (Daniel 2:28)

Just imagine being in one of those cyclic rides for the rest of your life. When we go to amusement parks, we have the conscious knowledge that at the end of the day we are bound to get off the roller coaster and head on home. But some unconsciously live in spiritual and physical roller coasters or wheel rides. They keep doing the same things over and over again, and their lives do not show any improvements or accomplishments.

I'm not sure who exactly I'm talking to, but if its you then you've got to make a conscious effort to say, "today I am expecting You (God) to take me higher with You." Never forget that He can do the impossible...after all He has raised the dead before, commanded the sea storms to stop raging, and split both the Red sea and river Jordan into two...is there anything too hard for Him???

I pray that if you're reading this and you feel your life is stagnant, that God will resurrect any dry bones in your body and you will be raised to expect God to do the impossible when you wake up tomorrow morning. Every billionaire started somewhere...they started from dreaming BIG...it can be YOU one day....

You Cried ur last tears yesterday

Song by Mary Mary.

Read the message below...cheers! Mocha Chocolate love!

Bread Crumbs Don't lie...

A whole is made up of several parts, and several parts make up a whole. Loaves of bread can be sold and bought in a variety of ways. Some bakery suppliers sell their bread freshly baked from the oven, wrapped in the exact way the bread came out...full, whole, never-been-sliced bread, fresh...Agege style! Some other bakeries may slice their bread to cause customer attraction to the softness of the bread within. If you're a customer and you look carefully in between the neatly sliced bread, you may observe the whiteness of the wheat and just your imagination of the softness can lure you into the mouse-trap of buying the bread.

A whole loaf of bread, when broken down to pieces, literally consists of crumbs of bread, and those crumbs of bread make up the whole loaf. I read Matthew 15 this morning where a woman from Canaan ran to Jesus, begging Him to heal her daughter who was demon-possessed. Jesus replied that He was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and it is only right for the children's bread not to be tossed to dogs. She didn't quit there though, but she thought about it and realized that even when dogs sit at their master's table, they get filled by the crumbs that fall off their master's plate and she spoke that out loudly so Jesus could hear. He looked back and said, "what GREAT faith, let it be to you as you desire." And it was recorded that her daughter was made whole at that very moment.

Jesus allowed that particular scene to happen just to show that crumbs of bread from God amount to something great in God's book. Combining a lot of the crumbs can bring forth many miracles in your life. After Jesus performed the miracle of feeding 5000 people with only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, the disciples later were recorded to have gathered 12 baskets of the crumbs of bread that were left over. 12 FULL BASKETS OF CRUMBS? How many loaves of bread did that come off? Definitely more than 5...

Bread crumbs don't lie! You can look at one loaf of bread as small, but when it is broken down into tiny slices, it can be passed around your dinner table. Most especially, bread crumbs from God don't lie. You may be blessed with only a little bit right now, but a multiplication is going on in the background that you cannot see. You may have just a little bit, but God is in the process of multiplying it into many baskets that can feed millions of people. You can pray that God should give you full loaves of bread, but during your period of preparation, you may given just a few crumbs instead to do business with, all you have to do is gather your crumbs together and make it a full loaf. Do not despise the 'little' that you have right now. In luke 19, a story was told of a master who gave ten servants one mina each (the currency at that time) to do business. The first servant to report back to his master did business with that one mina and ended up with ten minas as profit, and his master said to him, "well done good servant, because you were faithful in very little, have authority over ten cities."

All we have to do is just be faithful in the little we have, even if it is just one mina we have right now. Be faithful with one loaf of bread, and it will multiply. Be faithful with one dollar, and your profit will be much. Be faithful with the words you've heard from God...receive them and use them as precious seeds to sow into the lives of others, and your gain will be much...it doesn't matter how much you know now. If you're faithful with the little you have, God will bless you with more. If you're faithful with the little responsibilities you have at your job right now, you will be blessed with heading several companies in the nearest future...

Bread crumbs don't lie...they amount to a whole loaf...

Enjoying INTIMACY with Him...

The word "intimacy" sounds like chocolate on the lips of a chocolate-lover, and it feels like a glass of milk shake or frapuccino on a very hot summer afternoon. In life we always want to get to that level of intimacy with our significant others, a place where there are no restrictions or no limitations, and where 'freedom' is the word of the day. When you share an intimate moment with someone, time seems to become minuscule and every single second becomes like a day...time becomes eternity. The words shared between two people in that moment of pleasure are like secret treasures found on a distant gold mine, which no one else can ever find. It is indeed in intimate moments that the most important discussions are held and the most important feelings are revealed and unfolded...as far as it is with the right person, at the right time, and at the right place...
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Some days ago, I woke up early in the morning and there was a smile on my lips. It wasn't as if everything in my life was exactly in the order I wanted it to be at that particular point, but I woke up knowing that He was right there beside me. And then I began to sing aloud, because I knew it was God who was causing me to smile...and I began to sing songs to worship God. I felt like He was lurking within the shadows of my bedroom playing hide and seek with me. Haven't you ever felt an external presence that you can't see when you're worshipping or praying alone in your bedroom? Wow, I know I have! Sharing such intimate moments with God never fails. The bible says that He is our "First LOVE," (Rev 2:4 "nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first Love.") When God is your first love, then all other things fall into place with you. You feel saturated with His love all around you...


Intimate moments with God are times when you worship God and praise His Name. You call upon His Name and He answers you...you tell Him you remember all the things He's ever done on earth, from His creation to when He carried the cross for you. You tell Him that you remember every thing He's done for you and your family...from protection to food and shelter. You tell Him every morning you wake up that His creations cause you to burst into praise...everything outside your window glorifies God, from the birds chirping on the fence, to the grass wet with the morning's dew...then in that very moment you pause for a second and then you ask Him how He divided the red sea into two, and then you chuckle gently to youself and tell Him He's the only one that can do something like that. In intimate moments you tell your lover He's the greatest...so you tell God that He's the King of all kings, and the Lord of all Lords...El Eyon the Most High God. There is no other God that can EVER compare with Him. You laugh out loud as you remember how the gods of Dagon fell when they were placed beside the Lover of your soul. You then repeat after the psalmist that, "once has God spoken, and twice have you heard, that POWER belongs to God,"(psalm 62:11).


In intimate moments, your lover also tells you secret things, for the discussion is not just a one-sided thing. It is in this moment where God reminds you, just in case you had forgotten, that He formed you in a secret place (psalm 139) and that no one else was looking when you were formed. He tells you that He placed several gifts inside of you that He wants you to use to bring glory to the kingdom. He tells you He loves you with the whole of His heart and nothing the enemy can do will ever change that fact. He tells you He knows everything about you, He even knows the errors you've made, and He knows your delibrate acts of sin. He tells you to come clean and not to dwell in sorrow and pity, because He alone has the power to forgive. He tells you that all the plans He has towards you are good plans, but you have to be patient to wait for His "perfect timing" for He knows the exact accurate time for the plan to be executed...He tells you all these things and even more in times of intimacy...

I read this on wikipedia, "The meaning of intimacy varies from relationship to relationship, and within a given relationship. Intimacy has more to do with shared moments than sexual interactions. Intimacy is linked with feelings of closeness, safety, trust and transparency among partners in a collaborative relationship. For intimacy to be sustainable and nourishing it also requires trust, transparency and rituals of connection. Intimacy is both the ability and the choice to be close, loving and vulnerable. Intimacy requires identity development. You have to know yourself and your innards in order to share your self with another. Knowing yourself makes it possible to stand for yourself in an intimate relationship without taking over the other or losing yourself to the other."

Just imagine the beauty of sharing an intimate moment with your significant other, and then imagine sharing this moment with God...an intimate moment with God is on a higher level and transcends the feelings that can ever be felt with another human being...it is a moment to look forward to with every passing second. You can never leave an intimate moment with God the SAME way that you came, you will always leave saturated and satisfied...

Here's to enjoying your intimacy with Him everyday...

here's to loosing yourself completely

and coming to Him just as you are...