What Way? (guest feature)

It was my birthday yesterday *drops laptop, throws hands in the air and runs around screaming "yaaaaaaay"*. I was gonna do a photo post and show you guys how it all went and tell u I had fun and bla bla bla but as an oversabi said 'a year older is a year wiser'. So in celebration of my birthday, I'm going to introduce to you a secret treasure, one of my favourite writters on blogger (note that I didn't call her just a blogger?). She is Fabulo-la and the babe writes, shet! Add her blog Me. And then some to your blog roll and i promise you won't regret it.
Anyhoo, i asked her if i could share this post with you and she agreed. I really hope it speaks to you cos I find myself living it everytime and I pray it reminds you to be cautious too. Enjoy...

 

What Way?

Walking down the path of the way that seems to be right, but the stick in my eye prevents a clear view. My lamp of Judgement aiding my way. My holier-than-thou cloak protecting me against the chill of the pleading stares of passers by, going in the opposite direction, warning me of the stick in my eye. But with the bright light of my 'Judgement lamp' in their faces, they cower away.
How can I with my badge of 'morally upright-ness' associate myself with them?
I pass by a mirror and notice a little stain in my cloak. Black tar-like stain that seems to be growing by the second. I try to wipe it off but it only spreads. Covering it in 'hypocrisy' I leave it. Afterall if no one can see it, it really isn't there.
But as I trudge on, the cloak seems to get heavier and the path dimmer. I refill my judgement lamp with some 'I-am-better-than-you' oil. Just then a passer-by warns me of the trail of tar I am leaving behind and offers to help me clean the cloak.
I yell, accusing her of trying to distract me from the way of the 'right'.
I spit at her, only for the spit to land on my face.
Just then I notice scores of other passers by rushing past me. Right infront of me is the woman who warned me of the stick in my eye. She is in a corner washing away the tar from her cloak.
"Aren't you going in the wrong direction?" she says to me.
'Hmm!' I say to her as I walk hurriedly past her. Careful not to let my cloak get anywhere near her in case she 'stains' it.
The irony.
I hurry along stumbling, as the cloak has gotten heavier and is soaking through my hypocrisy. The stick in my eye has grown and is protruding out my eyeball.
Suddenly I trip and I'm falling. Slowly into a hole. My life if flashed before my eyes and I realise...
I dug the hole with my bare hands. Covered it with hypocrisy and pretence, and now here I am.
Or am not.

Walking down the path of the way that seems to be right, but the stick in my eye prevents a clear view.
I lay my judgement lamp and walk to the 'mirror of truth' to remove the stick in my eye.

And it hurts....

***
God bless you as He delivers you from self-righteousness and leads you to the right path
P.s
My second fave post of her's is I want it all

Global Outreach

There is a lot wrong with the world!

That you can read this post means there are 5 things right with you. You can see, read, have a gadget, have access to the internet and have access to the Word. These are things to be grateful for. They also give you an opportunity to be a blessing and give someone else something to be grateful for - to the glory of God.

No matter where you are and in whatever situation you find yourself, there is always something to be grateful for and an opportunity to minister through your life (the best way to preach the gospel is by living the gospel). But there are times when you have to go out of your way and inconvinience yourself to reach out... missionary work. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. Matt28:19-20

If for some reason you can't do the work or make it to a trip please try to contribute either financially or just support them with prayers. Yes, the people in our immediate environment need the gospel and we preach and support them daily but sometimes the missionaries need to go to a different place to not just bless but also grow spiritually and recharge their batteries in order to come back and serve better. And i believe they put it in prayers before leaving and so it is in the will of God.

Anyway, if you're in the U.S and interested in going on a missions trip, my church (Grace Community Church) is organising 3 outreach trips this year and i'ld love for you to pray about it and see if this is for you
1. Romania/Moldova outreach: this will be May 8 to May 21, 2012 and the focus of the team will be women’s discipleship/leadership training. The estimated cost of the trip is $2,000

2. Guatemala outreach: this will be June 2 to June 9, 2012 and the focus will be to build a permanent shelter for a poor family and ministration to children. The estimated cost is $1,300

3. Italy outreach: this will be during the Summer in July, 2012 and the focus is EVERYONE! I don't have information on the details of this trip but i'll come back to share after the meeting on monday.
For more information please go here , click on Events then on Global Outreach and you'll get everything you need including contacts. May God bless and direct you. P.S don't make the mistake of frowning at the cost because you know that i know that if you save 100 bucks off every pay cheque starting from this week you'll have enough. But who am i with my big mouth to tell you what to do? Please pray about it and may God direct you.
**********
On to other issues, how una dey naw? I'm on a soloquising p mehn but i can't complain at all. Training for the new job is today and i'm super excited, i feel like this is The One because it's not just with kids but also in ministry so it's everything in one and i'm grateful to God for it.

I'll leave you guys with my favourite gospel song. This song has seen me through hell and back, it's the voice of God, the voice of reason whenever i find myself struggling with life and i pray it blesses you as it has me. Have a great weekend :*

By Your Side by Tenth Avenue North

Why are you striving these days?
Why are you trying to earn grace?
Why are you crying?
Let me lift up your face, just don't turn away

Why are you looking for love?
Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough?
To where will you go child?
Tell me where will you run, to where will you run?

Chorus:'Cos I'll be by your side wherever you fall
In the dead of night whenever you call
And please don't fight these hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

Look at these hands at my side
They swallowed the grave on that night
When I drank the world's sin
So I could carry you in and give you life
I wanna give you life(Chorus 2x)

'Cause I, I love you, I want you to know
That I, yeah I love you, I'll never let you go
No, no(Chorus 2x)

Here at my side
My hands are holding you

Wanting

I want to not have to air the house whenever i cook with dry fish!

I want to be able to determine the consistency of my cereal! I didn't realise powdered milk was something to be grateful for talk more of taking it for granted. I miss (Nigerian) powdered milk and right now even Cowbell is a treasure in my heart.

I want my mum to call me and go "When are you coming to Makurdi? So you just want to sit in Abuja and not even come to see mama (my grandmum)?" and i want to give her the same silly reply i used to "Mummy stop quarelling and just tell me you miss me"

I want to go to a salon, have someone wash my hair, soak it with watery setting lotion, roll it in pink, yellow and blue rollers, tie my ears with foam then put me under a drier to set my hair. I want so badly to go to a salon and have them weave my hair and sew in weaves for about N2,500

I want to eat fire-wood flavoured jollof rice with fried meat or chicken that has no yeye flour on it

I want to go to Fam's house on Sunday after church, have lunch (probably with ketchup cos she made it her life's ambition to torture me with pepper), watch movies, sleep, get woken up by her to park inside, do that, go back to bed then wake up at 5am and drive home like a mad woman

I want America to care about something other than America... to report international news and to teach international geography (you won't belive how many times i've explained the difference between Nigeria and Africa to educated adults)

I want to fill up my tank with a little over N3,000 and i want to be able to complain on twitter that the gas price here is twice what it is/used to be in naija... I want the fuel subsidy issue to be resolved!

I just want to drink garri and

I want YOU to know that no matter what and through whatever God loves you. He loves you when you sin and even more when you run to Him for help. He loves you when you don't trust Him to take care of you and understands when you feel like your sins are too many to be forgiven. He loves you always because He is God and there is no sin too horrible, no situation too difficult and no pain too deep for Him to heal. God is love and He loves YOU!