Glowreeyah Braimah's Expression!

It feels sooo good to be blogging again!!

I know, I know, it's been a while.. I 'disappeared' again just like that.. Thanks for the love guys! Thanks to all those who checked up on 1 + The One while we were away.. Special shout-out to those who sent emails and interacted on social media, you rock and you are huge sources of encouragement! May God bless you real good!!

So, I went for this absolutely amazing concert yesterday!! Some of you might know my love for attending gospel concerts as I have talked about it on here a number of times.

The Expression!

I was eagerly looking forward to this one because it was the album launch of one artist that is fast becoming one of my favourites, not to mention the fact that she wrote and sang one of the most powerful songs I have heard - Miracle Worker, I wrote about the song HERE, you can also watch an interview she did with the Good Morning Nigeria Show posted below..

Gloria Braimah aka Glowreeyah's album launch was tagged 'The Expression' and oh what an expression of praise and worship it was!!

It was held at The Rock Cathedral in Lekki and what a beautiful beautiful sanctuary it is!! The ambience was set and it was time to let go of all inhibitions as I looked forward to worshipping along with some of my favourite gospel ministers.

I couldn't wait to listen to 'Miracle Worker' live - I don't think I could ever get tired of listening to that song. Something happens every time I hear it. It's my go-to song when I cannot pray. I have hardly heard it in worship without tears streaming down my face as at that point I feel absolutely vulnerable before my Miracle Worker for whom NOTHING is impossible, my Destiny Changer who writes and sets the destiny of a man and no man can argue and who can turn one's life around no matter how far we've strayed!


Glowreeyah and Nathaniel Bassey singing Miracle Worker LIVE at The Expression!

I was expectant but I can tell you that my expectations were greatly surpassed! It was nothing short of amazing! Some things I observed was that the gospel industry came out in great support of one of their own - borrowing Pastor Paul Adefarasin's word - a plethora of Ministers came out to support Glowreeyah. It was a beautiful sight indeed - love in action.

... And you know where love is, God exists, because indeed, God is love! Well, each of them came on stage and tore the roof! From Sammie Okposo and his oboto dance lol (As you see me so, I no get wahala, as you see me so, na only Halleluyah!), to Onos' Alagbara. We had Pita lift his voice in beautiful worship, Nikki Laoye as great as always, Nathaniel Bassey, Nosa,Tuke Morgan, Frank Edwards and Cobhams!! Haaa, I can write a whole post on this one.. I just kept looking at him in awesome wonder and total adoration of our Great God! Only a great God can give great talent!!

His duet with Glowreeyah was breath-taking, his rendition of the hymn Rock of Ages and then his beautiful song 'Ordinary People' left people speechless in profound admiration for this extraordinary man!


Glowreeyah and Cobhams Asuquo during their amazing duet!!

Now, Glowreeyah herself was SUPERRR! She glowed.. There's something about this woman that is incredibly special. There's this grace around her and I believe that's why you can hardly catch her without a smile on her face. You know those kind of people that you like being around? Yes, that's Glowreeyah! I loved how she told us the stories behind each song and the creativity that was definitely obvious in the variety of styles in her music.. And her voiceeee!! Honestly, God has richly blessed Nigeria and His church!

Glowreeyah - Glows so gloriously!

I don't know which of her songs I would say was my favourite (of course, you already know I am partial to Miracle Worker lol), I predict that Covenant Keeper would be another great anthem, as well as the Exclamation song (don't worry, you will soon find out when you hear "I Exclamation YOU!" :-D Another one I loved was the song that was like a prayer for Nigeria produced by Mosa.. My goodness! That was a song and a half!!

Covenant Keeper

   

Her new album is a treasure indeed and I don't think anyone has to be cajoled or excessively persuaded to get a copy.. Trust me, you don't want to be on a dulling P, you would be grateful for it!



The Expression.. Get your copies NOW!!!

Something else I would like to point out is something a dear friend whom I attended with said - Gospel concerts in Nigeria are better organised and of a better quality than most secular events. I didn't say it, she did! lol (But I whole-heartedly concur :-D).. They sing LIVE, their hosts are usually excellent (well done Chigurl and Freke Umoh!), the organisation and stage management is usually very professional, they often start on time(!), and of course, the icing on the cake - the anointing makes the difference!

 

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Link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0in6iwx7s3U

You can follow Glowreeyah on her social media pages -
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/GlowreeyahBraimah?fref=ts
Twitter - @glowreeyah
Instagram - @glowreeyah
Website - www.glowreeyah.com

 

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Praise Him in different languages!

I watched this amazing praise chant by a woman called Funke Akinokun and I just had to stand in awe of this majestic God!

What an awesome wonder He is..

See if your language is represented :-) .. And most importantly, join in the praise.. God deserves it and MORE! xx

Let's lift Him up in Igbo! What do You call Him?

... So we started off with His praise chant in English HERE and then moved on to Yoruba HERE.. It's time to do it the Eastern Nigerian way! Igbo kwenu!

Isn't God just amazing?? The way He's created so many languages, yet still understands every single one of them.. And you know what? He understands even the unspoken words - The language of the heart, the language of the sigh, the language of the tears and the language of the smile.. PRAISE HIS AWESOMENESS!

Here goes.. Please delight in the praise of our Father in Heaven.. (with translations)

Onye di kagi? (Who is like unto You?)

Echetaobisiki - (When I think of You, my heart is strengthened)

Agunechemba (The Lion that guards the universe)

Omemgbeosirike (The One who shows up when it becomes impossible)

Amamamasiamasi (The All-Knowledgeable One)

Chijoke'm (God who holds my portion/inheritance)

Eze'm (My King)

Igwe! (Your Majesty)

Eze-ndi-Eze (King of all Kings)

Onye na gworia (The One who heals sickness)

Ogbajiri igwe kpo ya nku (He breaks the gates of iron in pieces like wood)

Eze Ebubu (King of glory)

Eze Udo (King of peace)

Omalicha Chukwu (Beautiful God)

Ogwo ngbe oyiri dibia (The God that performs when magicians fail)

Chi nji eme onu (The God in whom I boast)

Odimegwu Judah (The Lion of the tribe of Judah)

Otiri Pharaoh mmanwu (The God that shocked Pharaoh)

Okaa Omee (The God that does as He says)

Chi mere nwanyi aga oturu ime (He makes the barren to have children)

Chi mere nwa boi oburu ogaranya (The God who turns slaves into kings)

Onye di nso (The Holy One)

Aren't you just proud to have such a GREAT GOD as GOD? Truly, there is none like Him! He is the One that has a name that is above every other name!

Thanks to my wonderful friends who helped with the names and the translations.

What names do you call God in your local dialect?

This JESUS - No law could hold Him down

I wish I wrote the following 'poem of praise'! I remember when I first heard it being recited, I was like WOW!!! In my native Yoruba language, we have what we call 'oriki'.. A chant of high praise to God.. Now I call this an English 'oriki'.. If you like, you can read it out loud in a personal 'show' for the King of Kings..

Join me as we lift this King who defies laws and orders.. Nothing can restrain or contain the MOST HIGH!

Please enjoy this excerpt from a MEGA talented creation of the Amazing God.. This man's talent is one more proof that God is real.. You can read the full version HERE or go to www.ucheiloka.org for his full works.

No Law Could hold Him Down - Uche Iloka

And we have found laws, both natural and man-made
Trapped in ink...black and white and all of man inadvertently, subject to these laws
But on the streets of this one book, I met a certain man
And none of these laws could Him down

I read about the law of conception which requires the seed of a man in the womb of a woman before any given woman can conceive and bring forth a child.
But what manner of man is this?
For He required not the agency of a man,
But by the seed of a pure Ghost,
He was conceived in the womb of His virgin mother
And was born to this world in human flesh
Alive and well
For no law could hold Him down

What about the law of rigor mortis
It states that barely a few moments after the occurence of death, the deceased body shall become stiff and inflexible
But what manner of man is this?
For it weren't a few moments, but four days after the death of His friend
He went to the entrance of the tomb and called out to he that were dead as though he were alive
LAZARUS!!!!! Come forth He said
And he that was dead came hopping out flexing both joint and muscles, for rigor mortis could not hold him down
For no law could hold Him down.

What about the indisputable law of death
The law states that it is appointed unto all men once to die
And that my friend, they say, is a point of no return
But what manner of man is this?
But before the eyes of many witnesses he was laid in the tomb
His hair matted with blood
His eyes shut, his hands folded on his breast
His lips, seeming forever silent
And a heavy stone was even rolled against the entrance of the grave
Permit me to err in English, He was very dead!
But that's not how the story ends
For on the third day, early Sunday morning
Behold there was a mighty earthquake
For the angel of the Lord had descended for the heavens
And they watched as he rolled away the heavy stone as one would kick a tiny little pebble
And out of the grave, this man called JESUS came out!
Proclaiming over the sepulchre
Oh death where is thy sting, and oh grave where is thy victory
For not even death can hold Him captive, even in the grave He is Lord
And no law can hold Him down!

Glory, Glory Halleluyah!! Aren't you just excited that nothing can hold your King down????!! If nothing can hold Him down, be rest assured that nothing can hold YOU down!! xxxx

I went for THIS event in 2012..

Like I said earlier, at the end of 2012, the 28th of December to be precise, I went for this A-MAZING concert in Manchester!

It was the second of its kind, the first being in 2011.. Basically it's like the popular event in Lagos, Nigeria called The Experience.

Festival of Praise in Manchester has now become an annual event and arguably one of the most sought after gospel concerts in the North of England!

It's free of charge (you have to pre-book tickets though) and takes place at the popular O2 Apollo in Manchester (I think it seats about 2500 people!).. Now of course, the fact that it is free of charge means that tickets go FAST! About 3 weeks to the event, I was told that the event tickets were totally gone - and I didn't have a ticket #Gbese.. Thank God by a miracle, I was able to get one of the PRECIOUS tickets (Honestly, someone was saying that some people may even be selling on ebay to the highest bidder - thank God that didn't happen! lol)

Anyways, as the day approached I was mega excited! You see, I love worship, I love dancing, I love concerts! So I was like wow, I can't wait to get my praise on and I was eagerly expectant of the move of God through worship...

... Boy was my expectation exceeded!

The first time I went for FOP in 2011, there were some areas I felt could have been improved on.. I thought there were too many guests for the time available so just as you were getting into the praise, they had to leave.. #megafrustrating..

This time around, I was totally impressed and excited to note that the organisers took this into consideration and improved drastically from the previous inaugural concert and made this an unforgettable experience..

The event started with a wonderful time of worship with the host church's mass choir - just wonderful! As you walked into the venue, you could feel the presence in the air.. The atmosphere was beyond what you could sufficiently put into words.. Also, the stewards were just lovely! So friendly and welcoming.. They seemed like they thoroughly enjoyed serving and were proud to be part of the team.. I believe that gave an excellent reception to guests...

The first guest of the night was the very talented saxophonist Mike Aremu who raised the roof and led us in awesome praise and worship..

We had leaders of various churches lead in prayers for the city - It was all so uplifting..

We then had several great Worship leaders of our time take to the stage to lead us in worship of the King..

We danced, we lifted holy hands, we jumped, we clapped, we smiled, we laughed, we went on our knees, we cried, we shed tears in awe of our Great King.. It was all so simply AWESOME!

Lara Martin (a vibant worshipper!), Ron Kenoly (who shared an inspiring testimony of God's healng power, faithfulness and greatness), Muyiwa & Riversongz (who co-hosted with Madeline Kerzner - fabulous!), Chevelle Franklyn (Oh my, oh my.. THIS woman is amazing!), Cece Winans (Beautiful inside and outside, such a fantastic woman of God), Mark Beswick (wonderful), Mark Stevens (with a wonderful testimony of God's grace)..

It was all so..... WONDER-ful!

The presence of God was mighty and just to say a BIG BIG well done to the host church RCCG Jubilee Church in Manchester, members and their great Pastors Bimbo and Folu Komolafe as well as their Spirit and Life Choir.. I pray for more grace for even greater works as you have begun history in the country of Great Britain..

Thank you for giving people like me the opportunity to pray for the city, worship God in such a special way, with great men and women of God, under one roof, at no cost!

.....And if you didn't attend, make it a date this year.. Trust me, totally unmissable! :-)

Today Oh! (No matter what I face...)

Today Oh!
I will lift up my voice in praise
Today Oh!
I will lift up my voice in praise
For I know, you are always there for me
Almighty God
You're my All in All
No Matter what I face
When trouble comes my way
I will praise you Lord

That's another praise song that I love and that ministers to me so much.

I have been singing the above song for over 10 years now, and it never gets old! (over 10 years? gosh I'm getting old!) :-)

I was privileged to have been at a spectacular praise evening where the songwriter himself Mr (Pastor)Wale Adenuga gave a poignant introduction to the song. He spoke about how he and his family members faced difficulties at that period he penned the song which is a conviction in itself that no matter the circumstance, he will choose to praise the Lord.

You know, it is so easy to praise God when all is going well. I know this sounds so cliche but recently I have come to kinda understand what the 'sacrifice' of praise means. Praise in dark and very low times, praise when you feel genuinely that God is being 'unfair' to you, praise when you don't have anything at all, praise when you have literally lost everything, praise when others are being hugely successful and moving forward in life and you seem to be stagnant and lagging behind, praise when everything around you seems to be un-praiseful (yup, I sorta coined that word).

If we are being honest, it is easier to praise, sing, dance and rejoice when things are wonderful, when things are at least alright and manageable. When God has just blessed you / you have just passed an exam / been given a promotion and a raise / met a wonderful man or woman / had a beautiful baby / received an answer to your prayers and so on.

But, honestly? It's tough to praise God when "trouble comes our way". In fact people don't like when trouble comes their way hence why many people have re-phrased the last part of that song to say "Whatever comes my way" or "When success comes my way"... There's nothing wrong with praying for good things and success etc but the reality of life is that there will be times when trouble will come. Now, that is when the test of the 'sacrifice' of praise comes in.

Just like love in marriage, praise is a conscious decision you make, to do at all times, both the good and the bad. Not just when things are rosy but even when your mouth would rather keep quiet than sing a tune, when you'd rather just sit down than 'jump for joy' (at that point you're thinking "why?!").

It is difficult to praise God when you've just lost a loved one, it is difficult when you are faced with a completely hopeless situation, it is difficult to praise when you are on the death bed. But Praise we must choose to do, for in that we show our unstinting love to the One who deserves it. For then, we put into action what we pledged to do in the good days, for then we prove to HIM that 'I love you, I sincerely do'.

AND through Praise you can surely overcome.

I have been in that place whereby people around me were rejoicing and dancing (serious dance oh!lol), praising God, and you could just see the visible joy of the Lord on people's faces but I just had tears in my eyes because at that time, I felt God had deserted me and let me down on many fronts. And sometimes, you may feel like that (we are human after-all, Lord have mercy!). But I urge you, just like I did then to ask God for grace and find the strength to praise Him right now (or right then) through the tears, and honestly, His presence through praise makes a mighty huge difference! + You are offering and sowing a deep sacrifice that will ultimately yield a bountiful reward.

I love that song (and sing it in its original form) because I know that unpleasant things will come, but 'no matter what I face, even when trouble comes my way, I will (still choose) to praise God (My awesome and loving God, The Ultimate ONE)



xxxx

PS
God is good, even when the situation says otherwise, even when we do not understand 'why'? I have a firm belief that for the things we go through now that look like there are no answers to, when we come face-to-face with Him on the last day, there will be a complete answer to it all. I know it sounds far-fetched but we need to understand that God is good and everything about Him is LOVE. He is NOT a wicked God. He is a just God, He is fair, He is kind and He loves us.

(May God's comfort and peace guard the hearts of those who are hurting right now due to one loss or the other, especially as a result of the recent Dana air crash. God almighty wrap you in His love and make you feel Him close to you)
Why some things happen? I don't know but one thing I

Songs that make me go hmmm...

Darling Jesus, darling Jesus.
Oh my darling Jesus
You're a wonderful Lord
I love You so much
Darling Jesus
Oh my darling Jesus
You're a wonderful Lord

There's a particular scenario that usually comes to my mind whenever I sing that song. It was many years ago, I can't really remember how young I was, but I know I couldn't have been more than 8 years old.
Interestingly, at that time I was Muslim and had hardly gone to church but we had been taught that song in school and I just liked it without really understanding the meaning of the words I sang.

On that fateful day, we were at a kiddies party and the compère had asked for any child who wanted to sing/dance or do anything to come forward and then prizes would be given to whomever was voted as the winner in the mini 'talent-show'. He kept calling and calling for contestants and people weren't responding. Eventually, I summoned courage and walked up to him saying that I would sing a song and so I picked one of the few songs that was my favourite....

It was only years later that the meaning and the sentiments of the song became real for me. Whenever I sing that simple song now, it makes my heart soar with love for my 'darling Jesus'.. Just simply expressing the state of my heart when I relate to my no 1 Lover of my soul..

What's you story? Do you know and understand the love of this darling Jesus? Have you given yourself the opportunity to get lost in loving and having a deep and meaningful relationship with this wonderful Lord? Trust me, it's the most beautiful thing ever :-)

.. Oh and by the way, I won a prize for my song :-)

Lots of love xxxx