Seasons...

Do you ever feel that you are better off today than you were yesterday but yet you are not yet exactly where you want to be? Well, if you do, it is probable that you are going through what they call "the season in between". Its hardly a pleasant place to be; its a place where you're vulnerable to sin because it is normally a season punctuated by confusion and frustration. You are tired of being where you are and you want to move on but you can't, because its not yet time for you to do that, so what do you do in the meantime?

YOU WAIT!!!!

Now thats what makes it so difficult. I dont like waiting for anything but what do you do when you have to? I wish I knew...............loooooooool. Just kidding..

The Good Book in Isaiah 40:31 states, "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint".

This basically means that if you continue to look up to the Lord for strength, wisdom and guidance, He will give you the staying power that you need during this season. Im learning that day by day.

Don't despair where ever you are; it is normal to feel lost, it is normal to feel isloated, it is normal to get angry but dont stay that way. God never promised that it would never rain but He promised that He would provide shelter when it does, so take heart and hang in there!

Do you know what time it is.........

To every thing there is a season

and a time to every purpose under

the heaven:



A time to be born, and a time to die,

A time to plant, and a time to plunk

up that which is planted;



A time to kill, and a time to heal;

A time to break down; and a time

to build up;



A time to weep, and a time to laugh;

A time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones; and a time

to gather stones together;

A time to embrace and a time to refrain

from embracing;



A time to get, and a time to lose;

A time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew;

A time to keep silence and a time to speak

A time to love, and a time to hate;

A time of war, and a time of peace.



For everything there is a time under heaven.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-9

Wisdom

They used to say that the older you are, the wiser you become, but I dont think this statement holds true for everybody.

This week, I met Michael Holmes, a young man with lots of wisdom and insight. He actually helped me realize that there is a lot more you can get from the Bible than you actually think. Check out his blog on http://ishallraisetheeup.blogspot.com and you will get a lot more than you bargained for.

I realized that if you want a lot of things to change in your life, you have to start by looking on the inside. You have to realize that you ain't Superman or Superwoman but simply a human being who will wither away like the grass tomorrow. Im a very independent minded person and I love being self sufficient. I hate being dependent on others and the problem with that is that I end up being independent of God too and you know where you end up...............on the other side...looool....hardly a pleasant place to be.

So how do you grow on the inside? Its simple, all you have to do is develop a relationship with the one who created you. I'm not talking about going to church, I'm talking about spending quality time with Him. Talk to Him like the way you would talk to an old friend.

When I first came to Nigeria, life was so hard. I lived in Lagos for two years. I was so lonely that I thought I was going to lose it. I had very few friends; everybody else just seemed too busy to build a relationship. I ended up with a couple of people I shouldn't have even met in the first place and I know what that got me.....a broken and bitter heart.

I wanted to give up on Him and give up on my purpose for being in Nigeria; I remember telling God one day that I hated Him! After I said that, I cried and I repented and He forgave me. He comforted me during those nights....I felt His presence so strong. At times I would just tell Him that I needed somebody to hold me...lool...I wasnt short of offers but I knew it wouldnt be worth it so I had to look to Him even for that.

God does care about every aspect of our lives; He knows every detail but we need to allow Him to take charge. We need to trust Him enough to lead us the way we should go.

I am learning to do that and its a wonderful experience....it helps reduce a lot of stress when somebody else is lifting your burdens....loool. This post is already long...I could go on and on but its time for lunch!!!

Gotta go!!

Surprise.....surprise...

Wonders never cease and I'm beginning to understand when they say, "God has a good sense of humor". Living and working in Nigeria for the past three years has enabled me understand the value of relationships; that is why I'm pretty active on Facebook.
A few days ago, a lady called Lannie requested my friendship on this social networking site, I accepted but when I went through her profile I noticed that we didn't have any mutual friends and so I wondered why she actually requested my friendship in the first place.

Well at a closer look, I almost developed goose pimples; we were in the same class back in 1979/1980 in the Parents Cooperative School in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Now, I spent the first twelve years of my life in this country; I was born and bred there till I was 12. I went to three international schools which I must say have contributed immensely to who I am today. I studied with people from all over the world and so at an early age, I developed the ability to interact effectively in a multi-cultural environment which is a requirement for anybody wishing to work in international organizations.

When I returned to Uganda in 1986, I lost touch with most of my friends and so over the years I had basically made minimal effort in reconnecting. You know how it is, people keep hopping from one country to another and you must agree that we tend to forget each other as the years go by.

But Lannie has certainly helped walk down that lane and now, I'm going to renew my efforts in trying to reunite with some of them. I'm extremely grateful to her; she has also posted a page off the yearbook where I featured. Its hardly a pleasant picture.....looooooooool but I can't run away from who I was...lool.

Friendship!

Its been a rather interesting week; I have met some really nice people and I have been inspired greatly by them. Some of them, I have known for years, but only reconnected with them this week, while the others are people I just met randomly. I believe this wasn't by accident for the Good Book says "The steps of the righteous are ordered of the Lord".

One of those friends is a gentleman called Edmond Kizito. I worked with Edmond in Radio One in 1998; he often encouraged me and shared with me the Word of God. I found him extremely insightful but we lost contact when he left the station and since then, we never really communicated till he surfaced on Facebook, this week.

We had a really interesting discussion; it focused on my professional development. Im a very restless person who gets bored easily and I have been feeling a little tired of "talking for a living" but some of the people I shared this with, were surprised because they felt that being a "celebrity" is extremely fulfilling; well it isn't.

Im glad that when i sought counsel from Edmond, he gave me a totally different perspective. This is what he said,

"You have to be prepared. The first signs of unease are not the real thing. Eventually God speaks to you clearly and then you know you really are ready to go and when that happens, you will find that there are people waiting at the door to take you to your destiny. And it pays and it is really satisfying because it is your final calling".

Well, if you're going through what Im going through, you will find Edmond's counsel extremely useful.......thats why I started this blog....to help you and I along this rather never ending journey!!! Happy Sunday!

The art of saying "GOODBYE!'

When I read this piece below, I knew I had to start perfecting the art of saying goodbye.......and perhaps you need to as well.

Today it is exactly 98 days left to the end of the year and I can tell you I have already decreed that the year 2009 is my year of fulfillment and I know it shall come to pass ( an amen to that ) but first I need to.............

LET GO


There are people who can walk away from you.
And hear me when I tell you this! When people can walk away from you, let them walk.
I don't want you to try to talk another person into staying with you, loving you, calling you, caring about you, coming to see you, staying attached to you. I mean hang up the phone.

When people can walk away from you let them walk.
Your destiny is never tied to anybody that left.

The bible said that, they came out from us that it might be made manifest that they were not for us.
For had they been of us, no doubt they would have continued with us. [1John 2:19]

People leave you because they are not joined to you. And if they are not joined to you, you can't make them stay.

Let them go.

And it doesn't mean that they are a bad person it just means that their part in the story is over. And you've got to know when people's part in your story is over so that you don't keep trying to raise the dead.You've got to know when it's dead.

You've got to know when it's over. Let me tell you something. I've got the gift of good-bye. It's the tenth spiritual gift, I believe in good-bye. It's not that I'm hateful, it's that I'm faithful, and I know whatever God means for me to have He'll give it to me. And if it takes too much sweat I don't need it. So stop begging people to stay.

Let them go!!
If you are holding on to something that doesn't belong to you and was never intended for your life, then you need to......
LET IT GO!!!
If you are holding on to past hurts and pains ......
LET IT GO!!!
If someone can't treat you right, love you back, andsee your worth.....
LET IT GO!!!
If someone has angered you .
LET IT GO!!!
If you are holding on to some thoughts of evil and revenge......
LET IT GO!!!
If you are involved in a wrong relationship or addiction......
LET IT GO!!!
If you are holding on to a job that no longer meets your needs or talents
LET IT GO!!!
If you! u have a bad attitude.......
LET IT GO!!!
If you keep judging others to make yourself feel better......
LET IT GO!!!
If you're stuck in the past and God is trying to take you to a new level inHim........
LET IT GO!!!
If you are struggling with the healing of a broken relationship.......
LET IT GO!!!
If you keep trying to help someone who won't even try to help themselves......
LET IT GO!!!
If you're feeling depressed and stressed ..........
LET IT GO!!!
If there is a particular situation that you are so used to handling yourself and God is saying "take your hands off of it," then you need to......
LET IT GO!!!
Let the past be the past. Forget the former things. GOD is doing a new thing for you!
LET IT GO!!!
Get Right or Get Left .. think about it, and then .
LET IT GO!!!

Because "The Battle is the Lord's!"

Source: Bishop T.D Jakes

Lessons...............

Its the end of another day and I'm about to go to bed............yawwwwwwwwwwn! Been doing a lot of reflecting, this evening....been thinking about how this year has been and I came to one conclusion; its been extremely tough. I have experienced loss and I have experienced pain. I have had to deal with post traumatic stress; I had never grieved for my mother who passed on 4 years ago, I never quite dealt with it, but this year I had to. I had to deal with doing a job that I particularly had despised for a long time and I had to work with people whose ideals I never quite agreed with.

I have worked for 13 years plus and I had never quite experienced salary delays; I did for the first time this year and trust me, I felt like not only walking out of the job but walking out of the country too. I still experience those delays by the way and man has it become hard to plan my finances effectively.

I had always had it easy; my life always seemed predictable and I kind of enjoyed it that way but this year presented challenges that I wasn't prepared to face but thank God for His amazing grace.

Somebody once said, " how do you know if you're an overcomer if you don't go through battles? How do you learn to live by faith if you don't experience any difficulties?"

This year, I realized that God can never let you go through what He knows you can't handle. He will always give you the ability to deal with it, you may get wounded in the process, but you certainly will emerge victorious. There are times I cried my eyes out and wondered if I could even face the light of another day.

After some time, I knew that the only way I would be able to deal with the challenges, was through prayer and meditating on God's word. Thats the only way I would have peace. I knew there was no point in explaining myself to anybody; attempts to do that had proved to be counter productive so I chose to depend on God for strength.

No one understood what I was going through; I didn't either and thats when I knew that only He could deal with this so I handed it over to Him and since then, I have been a joyful and peaceful person. I have come out of my shell and extended help to others.

The challenges are still there but Im still here too!

Its been humbling and I know one day I will be grateful that this ever happened.

Have a good night

Virginity

I met somebody yesterday, now before you start jumping to conclusions, I would like to inform you that I'm a "counselor" so I meet people all the time and they always end up opening up to me, probably because they believe I can be trusted...wink, wink.

Well, this guy, who is in his early 30s, is dating a lady who is in her early 20's, and between the both of them, they have an age difference of 11 years. Well, he told me that the lady has a major problem; she is a virgin. I burst into laughter because I found it so funny. He told me that he is teaching her lots of things and is dreading the time when we he will have to teach her how to make love.

He told me that he couldn't believe that somebody as pretty as her would still be a virgin; he said it with such disgust that I wondered what crime the poor girl had committed.

Well to cut the long story short; I simply told him to be proud of her instead and encouraged him to wait until they get married before he starts having sex with her.

Well, I was pleased to hear that he hadn't touched her and wasn't planning to until marriage. I don't know if he will keep that promise but I was relieved to hear he was willing to do it.

My conversation with him got me thinking about our values. What do we stand for? Why is purity, honesty and integrity frowned upon while maliciousness, greed and corruption glamorized especially in Africa?

Look at the people we vote into power; half of us vote for thugs and when they start misbehaving we point our fingers at them when we were actually responsible for putting them in power instead. Its simply ridiculous1 No wonder they say the world is about to end? How else would you explain this?

Guilty as charged.................but I can explain

I know I'm guilty for being not only quiet but being inconsistent as well. August was a pretty tough month for me; I fell sick, then my internet connection went haywire and in the process I almost got depressed because lots of things just didn't seem to be working right so I decided to chill for a while.

Secondly I also had to take time to think about this blog and what I wanted to achieve with it. Im just not the kind of person who starts projects just for the heck of it; I'm a firm believer in purpose and perseverance too, so looks like I'm back and hopefully back for good!!!

So what have you been up to while I was away? Hope we can talk about it sometime, in the meantime, I guess you will just have to bear with my rantings and man do I have a lot to talk about? Its just after 5 here and its time for me to look through the news bulletin...so Im outta here!!