#2 The best gift of all

With every Christmas comes the opportunity to touch someone else’s life with a gift. If you are one who doesn’t really fancy the holiday spirit when it comes right down to shopping for gifts, chances are you will feel pressured to give someone something at least. But, if you want to enjoy this season, find a good reason to exclusively shop for a gift for someone else. There will always be a good reason to do that.

Beyond all that, Christmas draws its important from the fact that God gave the world his son, who came to save the it from the peril of sin and bring men into the glorious light of God’s own life which everyone can now live (John 3:16). If you are a Christian, you owe it to the world to tell them about the real thing that went down on Christmas morning. A king was born, on whose shoulder laid the fate of all men which He took to the cross, died and rose up with a new life for all men; well, for as many as shall believe.

With all the merriment going on, if the true essence of Christmas is not properly understood, it will just be another good holiday with lots of tradition. The best gift of all is the gift of life which comes to a person when he/she receives salvation; the gift Jesus came to give all men. Make up your mind to bless someone with the beautiful news of what God has done for him/her through Jesus, as you lead the person to Christ. Christmas gets better when you truly become aware that you are the reason for the season.

#3 Make up your own traditions!!

If you are like me who always wants something to look forward to, then Christmas is a perfect time to create good traditions that you will always look forward to each time the yuletide season starts to breeze in. Traditions create good and lasting memories and since everyone in the family can be part of it, it sure does help family bonds.

Use these season to create peculiar traditions that would mean something to you and loved ones. It could be anything from the menu of foods to the kind of music to the clothes y’all wear to unwrap your gives. The point is just to create memories with these traditions and warm expectations in the everyone’s heart next time Christmas is around the corner.

I know a family that on Christmas eve, the all sit all the dinner table for a dinner exclusively cooked by their mom and dad. That’s one of their tradition and always brings the family together all.

Don’t Let That Grinch Steal Your Christmas!!!

There are holidays and there is the Christmas holiday!! We all can quite agree to that. Christmas means a lot to many and we treat it with great reservations whenever it around. All over the world people hold dear to their Christmas traditions and the closeness it brings those they love to them. Christmas is that period of the year where no one wants to miss out on all the warm activities and traditions that comes with the season. Whether it is sending someone a heart felt gift or just making a conscious decision to be with your family for the celebration, we all want to make memories with each new Christmas season.

Well, why exactly is Christmas so important and so well received by many despite the spate of diversities in our world. Well, beyond the great ambience of excitement the yuletide season come with, one of the most profound reasons we all can’t help but fall in love with Christmas is because it always ushers in lots of love. And love, no man can refuse! For men were made with love by a God who is also love. And Christmas is always that great time to feel and show love and in the spirit of the season, we try to do it in a very pure and genuine manner.

Furthermore, living in a world where bad news never ceases, Christmas season ushers in a sense of safety and the general thought is usually that bad news even respects the seasons. For this reason, December is held sacred by most people.

Now, with all this widely received facts about Christmas, doesn’t it just get you a bit concerned when instead of getting into the mood of the yuletide season, we find out that some people just won’t buy into the whole celebratory idea because they have nothing to be celebrating. Funny enough, some times “these people” are us.

There are reasons that come to question why we should really celebrate this season; it could be that this will be your first Christmas since the death of a loved one and celebrating might just not be what you need. Or maybe you are not ready to handle the huge financial commitment that comes with this time of the year.

Well, whatever it is that is threatening to be a grinch and steal Christmas from you, I’m here with a few ideas that might put you on the right track for a great celebration and a good peace of mind afterwards.

Counting down, it’s a few more days to Christmas so that means you can still write your list and above all get in the mood. So for the seven days left to Christmas, I will be posting seven helpful tips to help you enjoy this season. Here’s #Tip 1


Love sparkles the season!

Make up your mind this season to, first and foremost, show yourself so good love; do one thing you love doing and enjoy it. If you are not used to showing yourself that kind of love, do it this season. It doesn’t have to cost you a lot even if it does…it’s your money after all! So why not enjoy it. Then, outside all the gifts you will be buying for your friends and family. Here’s what is most important: make sure you spend quality time with the people that matters to you the most. Reassure them of your love and spend time holding hands in prayer of thanksgiving to God for your relationships. That will surely keep your relationship fire burning even into the next year.

Check back for #2 tomorrow..thank you!

Click http://davidarchuleta.com/home/?p=2945 to download Dapo Torimiro with David Archuleta's new Christmas album release...you will love it!

Have yourself a merry little Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas to Everyone

Those Pretty Little Things

 

From time past, they have been preached to be bad for personal growth, family and business. But are distractions always those things we should avoid? Agreed, staying focused always is the way to make a head and for obvious reasons, distractions could really be that dreadful one-eyed green monster – but not always! Sometimes, they could just be what we need - to escape some of the everyday conundrum life always throws at us. It could also be that perfect getaway we call for but just never realized it.

A perfect example of this happens to us more often than not; at least I’m a testifier! Let’s see, you’re really having this pretty awful day where it seems like you are just up against everything (I’m not the only one who’s been in this situation, I know), and out of nowhere there’s a telephone call from a friend who decides to break some really great news to you and somewhat cracks you up while at it. At the end, you’re left feeling pretty much “pumped” back to life and thankful to that friend for throwing you a lifeline.

Now, that might just have been a telephone call which could have come up any other day but choose the very moment you were about to sink into despair and confusion. That is a not coincidence…it is called distraction; and pretty good one!

Life is filled with questions and we always try so much to wrap our heads around the answers. And alas! some of these answers do not come in the best agreeable form but we just have to accept it and find the best way to move on. I admit dealing with situations where the solution seemingly is not in your power can be very hard. But here is what I have also found from my own life experience and has been therapeutic in some way to me.

The whole idea of life is that it is a gift to be enjoyed and we are supposed relish every moment of it. Now, not all moments call for a glass of wine -I know- but when the going gets tough, God always has the perfect plan to get us through.

Most times this plans are strategically distraction plans he uses to send us out of the impending situation and get us calm enough to go back and take on the state of affairs.

Amazingly, he does this in the most witty but simplistic way ever. While we are busy getting distracted by whatever it is that catches our attention, he either deals with the seeming evil or presents us with ways on how to deal with it after we have been returned to a stable state. These casual interruptions can come in several ways but most times it comes in ways that appeal most to us according to our individualities. It could be a funny moment just abruptly showing up, or been caught in the stunning array of a beautiful sunny day or just looking into the eyes of your loved ones and seeing nothing but love, support and acceptance. They could also come in the likes of an uniformed thought of a weekend getaway, holiday, seeing an old bosom friend, the list goes on but according to our appeal. These things seem simple and a bit ordinary but they are “out of the blue” therapies and way-outs, God uses to help us out.

The bible says that God reigns in the affairs of men. He is the creator of all things and has the perfect knowledge on how to navigate through life successfully (truth is that we all can…but with His help). The bible, in an astonishing detailing, describes who God is and all He is to us. One of His qualities, amongst other great things, is our ever-present help in time of need. Equipped with this knowledge (got to read your bible), He expects us to take advantage of it, run to him if we need help and also enjoy life to the fullness. After all, that is why Jesus Christ came to die and resurrect with a life filled with all God’s glory and protection.

In her book, Look Great, Feel Great,  Joyce Meyer quoted that God has not created us to function well without Him. A lot of times, many people are faced with challenges that quickly drains the life out of them; if only they had the knowledge of what they had in God, no problem could beat them up.

God never wants us to see anything or anyone as an unbeatable threat to who we are. So when things like that show up, he pulls us back and reaffirms us with who he is to us and thus who we are. He assures us that he is that caring father who is not going anywhere or will ever leave us alone…He does this most times through interrupting our days.

There have also been examples in the days of old where God changed the way of things just to make his people know that He is Almighty and with that knowledge they could conquer anything.

2 Chronicles 20: 1-29 seems like a pretty long verse but reveals a great account of how God changes the order of things just to keep his people grounded with the thought of who He is. In the story, the distraction was praise; simple heartfelt praise!

The people of Judah were suddenly awakened by the fear of losing their nation to three other nations that just merged up to fight them off their land because of their enormous prosperity. Their king, Jehoshaphat called together everyone and they cried to God in prayer. And God’s answer! “Praise me while you match to meet your enemy for war”…. What! Praise! Are you joking?

Furthermore, as they matched towards their enemy’s camp, He further made them move their soldiers to the back of the troop and bring to the frontline war-singers who did nothing but sing…Alleluia! What a God we serve!

Now that was crazy, you may think but ‘crazy’ was not the prevailing word when the King and his troop got to the camp of their “all-fierce enemies” in an arena of what should have been a launch of a massive attack – ‘Astonishing’ was the word! These threatening warlords were covered in the pool of their own blood having turned their weapons on themselves…Chillingly astonishing, huh!

Here is what happened:

While the Judeans were busy following the distraction plan of God by praising Him while matching into the camp of their opponents. God caused their enemies to slain themselves while teaching his people that he always got them covered. That was a great victory story and great lesson for a generations to come.

In the bible, we are promised that whenever we pray about anything God’s first answer is peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4: 6-7) and that peace would guard our heart. A calculated distraction helps us find peace. And with peace of mind, we can deal with any life’s conundrum. Prayer is always a good diversion from whatever we are facing. It consciously get God involved…and He loves it.

Praise is another powerful tool in this area. One thing, I’ve discovered about it is that it opens up our mind to God and enhances our ability to hear from him. Off course this is effectively achieved if our praise is heartfelt and true; not just something we try to see if it works. Read about God in His Word at the start of everyday and you will be moved to give him a truly deserving praise or worship at every dangling chance you get…it will pour from inside out. You need not worry about faking it.

Finally, distractions are good…so we’ve found out but they don’t always stare glaring at our face. This what I do to help me see what God wants me to do in a seemingly threatening situation and it works always…I just bow my head and say a silent prayer to the God bigger than whatever the challenge might be. Or I put my earphones on and listen to any good song and reassures of who the God I serve is. Tunes from the band, Hillsongs always does it for me here.  Once the peace comes, I know I can deal with it.

These welcome life interruptions are my pretty little things!!!

P.S. Thanks for reading…I’d love you to tell me just one of your pretty little things.

How much is in your hand??

How many times have you seen a really great movie and the get caught with the deep sense of a message the movie is trying to send out. Once, I saw the amazing Sandra Bullock in her philanthropic role in the movie, The Blind Side and was immediately wrapped up with a strong need to do more for the society I belong to. But I'm only 23 and in the country I live in, Nigeria, that's means, most times, you are either a fresh college graduate trying to start off an independent life or still in college depending on your folks.

So with no substantial amount of money to even live on my own and a pressing need to help people some how, how do I start? Do I tell myself  "drop it, it is a bad timing!" or could they be a way I could be a help somehow?

There are a lot of people who have been dealt hard blows from life and getting back up has not really been easy. Some have settled lying down until they are laid to rest! Thus, a constant call to help out always! But then how many times do we answer these calls? Or we just hope someone out there would answer? Some times, our excuse for not helping goes because we think our own lives are so much big of a deal and we couldn't do much for another person.

After going back and forth about what I wanted to do in my life and second guessing it for about a hundred times. I found nothing felt good like just helping people; whether its just putting a smile back on a moody face or helping a charity organization achieve their noble goals...It is always fulfilling to see how much of good another person can receive from us. This is because there's just so much in human beings and it's beautiful when we all can see it and help them find it. Whether it is done through mere motivation or doing something that inspires others. And most times it doesn't cost a dime but comes back with a fulfillment that can not be bought with millions.

In the world we live in, there is a lot of misconception and lies that has held people in bondages for tens of decades. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that until you have a house up on the hill or have a personality that commands the media all over the world, you can't help a soul...that's lie!

Living your life in a very positive manner can be inspiring to people around you, making a conscious decision to stand up for what is right can be making a big of impact more than you know. You must not have a charity organization before you can help someone.

True success comes when you see a need in the world and reach out to solve it....Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, Phd.

Please in reply to this post let me know of anything you have done for other that you feel proud of...I'll be blessed to hear from you.

Something on Fashion

Looks and Streets

Human expressions, emotions and everything other thing in between, have this one common place where they all come so alive and also so detectable. Also taking the shape of these qualities, this one place is your street.

Streets have a classic way of robbing-off from who we are -which is very well expressed from our daily appearances. From the quiet ones we walk down every morning -to get to the office, get a quick fix, or just for a pleasure walk- to the busy counterparts filled with men and women “always-on-the-go”, the moods or expressions we wear out goes on to give our different streets distinctive looks.

 On a more glam note, the individual fashion and style of different people also has a huge take on the street, creating street fashion for different cities.  More than the runways, fashion comes more alive on the streets, as people have the extra chance at becoming more expressive with their style.

More fascinating is the evolution associated with this; thus changing the looks of our streets with every new trend.  Consequently, today we happen to have all sorts of eye-catching, (and in all innovation) stylistic approach to dressing up-which I must say have come a mighty long way. From well thought-out comebacks to edgy current styles, it seems that more folks are taking on fashion than any other course (well, that is on the side!)

Looking back, it is very observable that the ever-changing fashion and style of people has always contributed in sharpening out a look for the streets we walk on. For a fact, the street takes the shape of the people’s dress-sense and changes with new trends. 

For example, the 60’s in its appreciation of the colour wheel began a colourful trend in dressing and that period -way into the mid-80’s- saw a wide array of colours come alive on people’s outfit. This trend cut across the young and the old alike in that age and their street did follow suit… (Remember colourful track suits and so on).

As a result of come-back thoughts, that same colourful trend has made it back into today’s fashion but in a rather more brilliant way. Compared to what the past-times had, today’s colourful styles have better mixed colour palette toned down with proper complimentary colours. And this has left a fresher and colourful look on the streets of our time, though less colourful than the full “rainbow display” the ones of the 60’s and 80’s. But then, there’s a bible saying that goes, “the end of a matter is better than the beginning thereof”. Nonetheless, this pretty much thrills me the way it all plays out.

One other profound aspect of distinct street fashion is in its uniqueness with every different city. Personally, I have observed that the fashion and style of a particular people is the first and most vivid expression I get whenever I’m in a new city. This is very different for every new city and thus creates the aura and presence the streets give out. For example, you don’t feel as much as though you’re walking on Fifth Avenue, New York while strolling down one of London’s high streets. This is hugely because of the different fashion and style. This is also the same in Lagos, Paris, Milan or anywhere else in the world.

To end my observation, it will be a worthy cause to recognize the laudable efforts of some fashionistas who have left a timeless look on their streets through incorporating styles of different cities and different fashion ages.

Photo Credit: freshwallstreet.com