Everyone's got some quirks: 6 Unspectular ones!!!

I've been tagged by the beautiful dark skinned Darkelcee and the artsy Lighty. The Flesh Manuscripts will be back in transmission after these quirks...

And so I stumbled upon this notorious quote by Iris Chang, "Some quirks in human nature allow even the most unspeakable acts of evil to become banal within minutes, provided that they occur far enough away to pose no personal threat." Lol. To be banal is to become commonplace. Evil should never be commonplace. But then again, if any two finger-prints were created to be equal, the world would be a boring place, wouldn't it? It's the reason why I am resigned to the absolute fact that I too was born with certain quirks: twists and peculiarities.

I can be shy one minute and hyper the next. I remember that one time I had to do a personal reflection deep within to see if I had an alibi at those times I became hyper. Slowly I came to love "me." I came to delight in those times I stare right back at a stranger's eyes in total shock and disdain, and those times I jumped up and down the living room chasing after a friend to give them a tight squeeze of a hug. I relish and delight in the ways I can relate to the events of life. I can't be gloomy every second, and a smiley potato all the time. There is a time for everything under the sun...a time to laugh and a time to cry, a time to hurt and a time to heal, a time to mourn and a time to dance under the moon all night long, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time of war and yes I declare with all happiness, a time of peace.

I love to be close to windows or doors. Maybe there's something deeply sinister about that fact. It doesn't matter whether it's a closed door or an open window. Maybe I love to smell the fresh air, or maybe I love squares and rectangles more than circles and triangles. Maybe it's the freedom to know that I can open these boxes and run out and dance with the wind. Or maybe in another world before this one I was a carpenter. I really can't tell u...lol.

Me and the thing called "soul" are intertwined. Really there's no separation. The minute I came out of my mother's womb I identified with everything called "soul." Okay, that's stretching it a little bit...but yeah I love soul. The definition of soul has to do with anything emotional, with melodies decorated with improvisational additions, twirls, and auxiliary sounds. They said soul emanated out of the black experience in America. I wonder how I identify with them. Maybe it's because they tell a very strong emotional story by their songs. That's a quirk because some people think India Arie, Asa, Erykah Badu, and all those other soul-lish people are weird and cuckooooo!!!! Lol.

I make a movie out of mundane things. It could be that I stepped on some leaves on the way to the train station, and they made a ruffling sound under my shoes. But then in my head that becomes a dramatic event. The other day I saw birds in the sky, and they had a pack leader. They actually formed a V-shape and at the tail-end of the "V" was their pack leader showing them the way. I kept looking, and not once did any of the birds fall out of line. That day I think I wrote poetry. I was simply in awe of God. I heard mental conversations of the leader telling the rest of the birds to "focus." I believe that in the little mundane things we can learn some great lessons of life.

I hated eba and pounded yam when I was younger. Anything that was mounted as a circular heap and presented to me as a meal. I wouldn't even taste it. You would think any full-blooded naija child should adore those meals. And seeing as I'm the first-born, of course my siblings followed suit. To add insult to injury, eba is yellow and pounded yam white...adding those colors to the shape of the food was not the least bit attractive. It's amazing how pounded yam can qualify to be one of my best meals these days.

I have had some weird outbursts in this life. The one I remember so vividly was in JS3. See, my classmates thought I was this quiet, shy bird. They told me to write the names of noise-makers a whole lot back then. But there was this fateful evening...that I'll never forget. Our class supervisor (a prefect) made sure that the class was sooo quiet that the drop of a pin could be heard. Picking pin was the resulting punishment for a lack of obedience. All of a sudden this prefect's friends (see me see wahala) came to our class and started gisting and laughing. No one in the class said anything, we were supposed to be quiet, remember? All of a sudden Jaycee turned her head and said, "excuse me senior A, pls can you reduce your voice?" Lolll. My classmates were shocked. Not even the most notorious person had the audacity. Anyways, I was there serving punishments while the rest of my classmates were sleeping that night. Never again...if I could turn back the hands of time!

So it is with great joy that I tag: Kafo, Curvyice, Life of a stranger, Solomonsydelle, Simi Speaks, and UK Naija. Enjoy...

The rules were...
…1. …link the person who tagged you…
…2. …mention the rules in your blog…
…3. …tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours…
…4. …tag 6 following bloggers by linking them…
…5. …leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged…

The Flesh Manuscripts I: An Adulterous Generation

When I think of the flesh, I think of my body and the things that make me whole. But the flesh also represents carnality. To be carnal is to satisfy the appetites and passions of the body, forgetting about the spirit and the soul. As I was thinking about this, God refreshed an idea that I had a long time ago. He gave me a brand new way to reflect on my flesh: The Flesh Manuscripts.

The flesh manuscripts are born today. It will consist of descriptions of each of the works of the flesh, and will describe how to come out of them. I know who God is. A God that has no limitations and impossibilities. Why do you think you cannot COME OUT? Of course you can!!! Your chains were broken more than 2000 years ago. The curse was deleted, and your name was changed.

There is nothing that you cannot do. Don't let anyone lie to you. You will overcome those things that make us hunger for the things that are not of God. These series will analyze each fleshly desire listed as from the book of Galatians, chapter 5. I will devote myself to this until I analyze every single one of them. There are seventeen works of the flesh, so I will be writing 17 manuscripts. The list of fleshly desires are not in any way limited to these 17 manuscripts because verse 27 ends with "and things like these." I pray this will help me in my walk, and also for others out there who are struggling. Manuscript 1 begins with Adultery...

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They say it is unavoidable
One look at her body and you forget your wife
One look at his body and you forget your husband
An illicit relationship
A sexual advance one too many
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They say it is enjoyable
Having what they said you could not have
Being free to be wild and free
Flying to heights where men could not reach
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They say it is revenge
For the marriage bed became a curse
For beauty had turned into ugliness
And desire into anger...
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Adultery can be likened to a person who has God, but runs after other gods to worship them. The flesh. There's a constant battle between the flesh and the spirit. Everyone has the POWER to decide which one will win. If you choose the flesh, it can definitely rule over your spirit. But if you choose the spirit, your body will be moved by an invincible hand. The essence of marriage is that two become one flesh, with the signature of God. This was why Eve was designed specifically for Adam.
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I know we all knew that. So for those about to go down this path, how do you jump back on the bandwagon? What came to my mind right now was that you need to go down and your knees and seek God's face. It doesn't matter whether you think u've gone into it so deep that you cannot come out anymore. Coming out is the only way to life. Don't sign yourself on a contract with the devil. It only ends in death.
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Never underestimate what talking to God can do. From nowhere you will feel strength reviving your bones. God says that it is in your weakness that His strength is made perfect. After talking to God, His Spirit will begin speaking to you, and if you listen real hard, I can assure you that you will HEAR Him. He's the one that can tell you what to do. I cannot tell you what to do because I am not with you. I cannot tell you exactly what to do because every situation is UNIQUE. But God is with you, even till the very end. He never left you, not even once. And He will tell you what to do...
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Start by admitting it. You've either considered it or committed it. If you don't admit it, you'll never be free (*No, I don't mean admitting it on this blog, but to God*). Follow up by confessing it...whisper it to God. He listens to everything. He will forgive you and heal your marriage...if you're not married, you may be an adulterous generation lusting after other gods (or things), that's adultery too...but I know God has the power to heal you...and I strongly believe He will...the end of this manuscript is the beginning of your healing...

It must be CHEMISTRY!!!

Chemistry = instinctual attraction or infinity; the elements of a complex entity and their dynamic interrelation.

It must be chemistry when he looks you straight in the eyes and tells you he can never do without you. It must be chemistry when he toys with your hair, appreciating God's beauty and not being able to comprehend how you both met in the first place. It must be chemistry when you realize that acids and bases must have been mixed to provide the neutrality of the love you both have. It must be chemistry when it feels like earth, wind, water, and fire move in unison or perfect accord when you're both together. It must be chemistry when you flip your hair and tell him that you love him too...

God understands chemistry because He created chemistry. It must have been chemistry for the ultimate architect to design the ultimate lush and dynamic habitation. It must have been chemistry that caused a God to make a companion for the man. It must be chemistry that drives a God to say "I love you," when we say "I hate You." The instinctual attraction or infinity between the Creator and His creation is chemistry defined. It must have been chemistry when God looked at a world filled with wayward sons and daughters, yet He was moved with compassion and love. It must have been chemistry that drove Him to allow His Son to go through the biological torture, yes, for all of us.
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It must be chemistry that attracts a God to people who continuously lust after other gods. It must be chemistry when purity willingly merges with impurity. It must be chemistry when an unlimited force breaks all of our limitations. It must be chemistry when a Prodigy bigger than space holds the planets in His hands, and yet chooses to make one of them His footstool. It must be chemistry when a Lover makes promises and watches over every word to perform it. It must be chemistry for a Bridegroom to watch over a bride as she matures and develops in anticipation for the wedding day. It must be chemistry for the Bridegroom to fill her lamp with oil and whisper to her that her cup will never run out. It must be an instinctual attraction and infinity...
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God has a strong attraction to you just like a bridegroom does for his bride. When you concoct something out of nothing in a chemistry laboratory, you look at your work in pride and call it "good." There's not one of us that God has made that He regrets creating. Each one of us are unique and irreplaceable, and God's eyes are on us like a lover's eyes are on his spouse. You're alive, in a world that causes you to struggle sometimes, but yet you're still alive. You're being watched over like an eagle, He's making sure you're taking it one step at a time, patiently waiting for the right time. It must be an instinctual attraction and infinity that causes His eyes to watch over you...it must be chemistry.

The Individual Gift Wraps:

I was ordering a birthday gift for my sister last night, and when I got to the check-out zone, there was a box for me to check if I wanted the company to wrap the things I bought. And just below that box there was a little note that said, "no matter how many gifts you buy, we can wrap them all for you."

This morning I read Mark 2:13 that said, "Then [Jesus] went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them." And my mind went back to the gift wraps from last night.

No matter how many they were who came to Him, He took time to teach them. A multitude is not a small number. In fact, the dictionary defines it as a great number, a host, or a crowd. Today, you could be reading this from the North, South, East or West. You could be in Antarctica, Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, or South America. Pick your Continent! You are part of this great multitude, and God is willing to teach you. He is ready to pick you up, no matter how fragile or brittle you are, and wrap you into a brand new gift box. It doesn't matter how "many" we are. We are a multitude of people, yet we are His gifts to the world. You are His gift. Just like He had compassion on each person in the crowd that day, His thoughts towards you today aren't any different. The gift wrap invitation is up for grabs to anybody and everybody who wants to learn. Come let's stand on the mountain tops and learn about His secrets. I invite you to know this God who is still unknown in so many dimensions.

Read more below...

**To the Unknown God**

An unknown God is something you feel deep inside your bone marrow that exists, but yet whose determination and location cannot be fathomed sometimes by even the most intelligent of people. The most ancient of civilizations searched for this unknown God, but could not find Him. On Sunday, I was watching the ancient ruins of Egypt and the stories of all the Pharaohs and their queens, from Cleopatra, to Akhnaten, to King Tut, to Nefertiti...pharaohs and queens that have never really died. It was a culture where idols were carved and temples were built...a culture where Pharaohs themselves became gods in the after-life. The pharaohs built boats made of gold because they believed only golden boats could take them to the other side of the river where immortals lived. Bringing this closer to home, even our people have sought after the god of thunder, the god of lightning, the god of iron, amongst other gods. Slowly I came to the realization that generations will keep seeking His face.

Over time, we've tried to use the power of imagination. Like ancient Greeks have deciphered, if there is a god that we don't know about, then his skin must be golden and his reflection must be as bright as the sun, and his name must be Zeus. Also, he would be lonely if he was just by himself so he must have eleven supreme other deities (amongst others) living with him on Mount Olympus, where the immortal gods lived, and they must have different functions because it would be really exhausting for one god to do all the work: Ares (god of war), Aphrodite/Venus (goddess of love), Apollo (god of prophesy, music, and healing), Artemis (virgin goddess of the hunt), Athena (goddess of crafts and domestic arts), Demeter (goddess of agriculture), Dionysus (god of wine), Hephaestus (god of blacksmiths), Hera (goddess of marriage), Hermes (messenger of the gods), Poseidon (god of the sea, earthquakes, and horses), and of course Zeus (the most supreme god).

I've come to the realization that generations will keep seeking His face...

Modern age has emphasized the fact that with new technology and science, there must be a greater ability to know this unknown God. Scientists and philosophers alike have introduced a 'light' within ourselves, knowledge, wisdom, and self-realization as gods in their own right. You can find it within you! But the more people seek, the less satisfied they get. The more people seek a new technological and scientific god, the less they know.
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In Acts 17, Paul was walking through the various sheds in the market-place, and he found an inscription that said "To the Unknown God." Immediately, he seized that opportunity to introduce the God that met him on the way to Damascus. The God that sent His son to be crucified for the redemption of the entire world, on a cross that was originally meant for you and me. The God that has ALL power in His hands...non-divisible power (not distributed amongst other gods). The God that has no impossibilities in that when we call upon His Name, He is not too deaf to answer. The God that does not live in man-made temples...

We sometimes search for this God in mere men...in the perfection of a lover or in the trust of a friend. Sometimes we search for Him in the abundance of wealth or in the equivalence of euros, pounds, or dollars. Sometimes we search for Him by having dangerous rushes of adrenaline and getting high on drugs. Yet, all that is left is still a painful dissatisfaction. But just as Paul said in Acts 17:23, I too am saying today, "Therefore I introduce the One whom you worship without knowing." He is the God that you have been seeking and yet He has been there, but you have not understood Him. Today, if you can just look outside your window and see His creations, you will know that man did not mold Him from clay, but He molded the world into what it is today. If you have not done this before and you feel like that person who was worshiping an unknown god, all you need to do is acknowledge the fact that here, on this blog, in this second, you can feel His presence. Don't run away from what you're feeling because what you are feeling is true. There is a God, and He is the Lord Almighty, a Redeemer and Friend.

Today, I ask you to please take one breath from the oxygen He created, and say "Lord, I can feel your presence here, I accept You and want to know You more." And your life will never be the same again. I can stand by that because I've experienced Him.

American Idol Gives Back!!!!

Living in the United States or Canada? Please donate to HIV positive children, rheumatoid arthritis, sickle cell, malaria, and children with many other health issues that affect children worldwide. Idol Gives Back Foundation is a new not-for-profit organization established by the producers of American Idol and FOX to raise money and awareness for children and families living in poverty and at risk in the U.S. and abroad. For full details on how to DONATE, please watch the show TONIGHT (7.30/6.30 central on FOX channel, ends at 10.00/9.30 central). So call in RIGHT NOW. For me right now, it's on TV. This is my own way of giving back, so if you're reading this please tune in to FOX. You can also donate online HERE. Thank you and God bless you. Jaycee

*Blossoms of Spring*

I was walking back home along a familiar path this morning, and on getting to a particular place I noticed some spring flowers beaming right back at me. And so I reluctantly looked around me to ensure that no one was watching, then I quickly picked these flowers as my private evidence that Spring is really right around the corner. The white ones are from the walk, while the yellow ones were sitting pretty in front of the house. I can't wait for the fullness of Spring...ready to explore the colors and ready to debunk the old. Happy Spring everybody (lol).

Read the post "The World is Waiting" below to see just why the world has been waiting for you...:)

The world is waiting...

The world is waiting for you
You, with your nappy hair
You, with your brown eyes
You, with only some college coursework
You, with no work experience
You, a child of God.

The world is watching you
You, with your average sense of fashion
You, the poetry writer
You, with the one-bedroom apartment
You, living in the ghetto
You, a child of God

The world is side-lining you
You, a line-backer
You, a football player
You, a soccer addict
You, an internet nerd
You, a child of God

The world is waiting for you
You, with your lyrical words
You, with your whimsical twists
You, with your funny edge
You, a daddy's baby
You, a child of God

The world is looking at you
You, with your artsy self
You, with your creative jokes
You, with your imaginative eyes
You, with your fashionable make-up
You, a child of God

Today, I was just thinking that if all of us could realize that the world was watching us, then we will know who we were created to be. The world is not sleeping, the world is awake. The world is not bored of talents, infact the world is anxious for new talents. The world already understands the power of God, maybe it is just waiting for the sons of God to show it. The world already understands the intensity of the beauty of creation, maybe it's just waiting for the sons of God to rise up and speak about it. The world can already see what's inside you, but can you see it yourself? It really doesn't matter what classification you belong to: the tailor's son or the king's daughter. What matters is that there's something about you that's meant to SHINE. You, yes YOU, were NOT created to be ordinary. Whoever has been telling you that has been lying to you. You stare and day-dream all day in front of your television set, asking yourself if you can ever be like "them." You are much more than you think, and your Maker will agree with my words. There's a LIGHT inside you that cannot be hidden, but is only good to be placed on a mountain-top. The first step is of course to know your Creator...the One Who placed you in your mother's womb, and He'll teach you a few secrets about yourself which you never knew before...

You need to find that light...because it's in you...if indeed you're a child of God...you may be a star still lurking in the shadows. Reveal yourself in public...as a child of God.

"For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God...because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God." Romans 8:19 & 21

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For London Buki: If you ever read this, may your strength never cease to exist. I read a quote today that said "tough times don't last, but tough people do." The world is watching you for more manifestations of the strength God has given you. May you be hidden in a secret place by God. May your sweet mother rest in perfect peace.

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