A Faith Transformed

After the post A Belief and a Spoken Word was published on the blog, I received a very heart-warming email from a lady who blogs at www.withtomi.com sharing her own experience too. To be honest, I am always interested in, and excited to read or listen to people's experience of how they started a relationship with God and I hope to feature as many as possible here.

One of the things I love about reading individual experiences is that it goes to show that this walk with God is a relationship.. It's not an enigma or a mystery, it's very real and anyone at all can access it through Jesus.

I hope that you are blessed as you read. Also, please visit Tomi's blog, it's really fantastic!

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Tomi

Here's my personal experience of my relationship with God when I received the Holyspirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues in February 2010, right there in my living room. I was reading a blog in which young people shared their testimonies of how they met Christ and I started crying as I read testimony after testimony and I was praying for that exactly. Right there and then, I started speaking in tongues, but because it wasn't flowing as much as I thought it should, I had doubts. Anyway, here's my testimony below :)

"OMG, its 13:00pm, need to get some breakfast/lunch, wait a minute I haven’t read my open heavens and Bible today. I better get that out of the way before going downstairs….ok, done!

Two hours later…

So what did I learn from the Bible today? Wow, I can’t even remember. Anyway Lord, you know I’m trying, it’s just that I don’t seem to understand what I read. That’s not my fault, is it?

Sunday morning…

Oh my, I’m really enjoying this sleep, wish I could continue. Oh no, I can’t, I need to go to church. That’s what Christians do on Sunday morning, right? Hang on, I should read my Bible and pray before going, no, it doesn’t really matter, that’s what I’ll be doing in church anyway.

During the sermon…

‘You can’t say you are in love with God and go clubbing/raving’- good for me, I don’t club. ‘You can’t say you’re a Christian and you are an adulterer or fornicator’ - cool, cool, I don’t do that either. ‘You can’t say you are a Christian and you don’t have a personal relationship with God’- well, *clears throat*, Lord, you know I’m really trying here. I’m not saying You don’t want me or You don’t love me, after all, my pastor says you love me, but things are just not the way they ought to be between us. Ok, this time around, something has got to change. I’ve got to make a move, have got to do something. Yes, a change is coming. This time, I’m for real!

Monday ‘morning devotion’…

I still don’t understand these things. I’m really trying to be good now, but some things are just not clicking. I need help!

On the internet…

Oh look, Claire has added new pictures; it’s probably the ones from her birthday. Hey, I’ve got a Facebook message, hope it’s a good one…*hiss* I think I’m going to leave this group, they keep sending me messages about reading new posts on their blog. I’m not interested!

On Facebook again…

It’s already 1.30am and I’m still not sleeping. Facebook is so addictive. Whooo, new message…Again, I better leave this group right now. Erm, on second thoughts, let me have a look at the blog… reading, reading, reading, *slowly, I’m breaking down into tears*, wow, God you actually speak, you speak to all of these people, they have a personal relationship with you. *weeping more profusely* God I want this, I want this so badly, fill me with your Holyspirit. Lord please, slowly but surely I begin to say some things. I have no understanding of what they are, and it’s not fluent like I thought it would be. Maybe, I was just saying things on my own. Anyway, I’m sending a message to the blogger, I’m telling her about my experience.

In the evening…

I’m reading her response now “I jumped in thanksgiving to God when I read the few lines”. How can she be so excited when I’m not even sure about what I’m saying. I read on, “don’t let doubts get in your way, just keep speaking. There’s nothing wrong. The thing is your mind doesn’t understand it, so it tells you that you are saying rubbish”. Ok, this is getting clearer.

And from then on…

I just love reading the bible; I understand everything so much better now. Holyspirit, you make everything so easy. I feel like a veil has been taken off my face. I can see everything more clearly now. I hear You through Your word more clearly now. Though, that bit was hard for me to understand. I found it difficult to personalize the Bible; after all, everyone was reading the same thing too. That reminds me, I remember reading Matthew chapter 7 to Matthew chapter 11 one night and there was this verse that caught my attention. By the time I finished reading, I had absolutely no idea where it was. I mean, I was looking for one verse out of the 173 verses I had just read. I asked the Holyspirit, and He told me the EXACT verse. Need I say I was gobsmacked! Unknown to me at that time, that particular verse was the answer to a question I had been asking God for a while. So, He actually does speak through His word, because He is the Word (John 1:1)

God is so awesome in every way, and there is no limit to what can be known about Him. I leave you with this verse Jeremiah 9:23-24

"Thus says the LORD:

“ Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,

Let not the mighty man glory in his might,

Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;

24 But let him who glories glory in this,

That he understands and knows Me,

That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.

For in these I delight,” says the LORD."

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Would you like to experience this wonderful encounter and relationship too? Just say this simple prayer with me - 'Jesus, thank You for dying for my sins on the cross. I appreciate and acknowledge your sacrifice. I want to invite you into my life today Lord. I believe in my heart that You are Lord and I want You to be my Lord. Please forgive me for my sins and make me brand new today in Jesus name. Thank You for a new start, I give You praise. Amen'

Wow! Congratulations, your life just became amazing! Welcome to a new life, a new relationship :-) xxxx

Ps If you prayed that prayer or want to know a bit more about all that has been said above, please send me an email at oneplustheone@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you!

Also, if you would like to share your own experience too, please send me an email.

Have a wonderful weekend people! Lots of loveeee xxxxx

Dear Daddy

My dearest Daddy,

King of kings and Lord of lords, Lover of my soul, Jehovah! Today Oh, I want to lift up my voice in praise, because when I remember your promises I just want to shout Halleluyah, when I think about your goodness oh Jesus, my very soul screams HALLELUYAH!

Daddy, here's my worship, take joy in it, make it your dwelling place, your little girl just wants to put a smile on your face..

I stand amazed in your presence, there is nothing You cannot do! Your presence amazes me, your glory surrounds me, who is there like You Oh Lord?! You who created us in Your Likeness.
You are the air I breathe, Your very presence living in me. You are beautiful beyond description, too marvellous for words. You are the Love of my life, the Hope that I cling to.
Among all the gods, who is like You? Glorious in holiness, Fearful in Praises, always doing wonders - Water You turned into wine, opened the eyes of the blind, there's no one like You. I could search through all eternity Lord and still find that there is none like You - nobody greater than You!

My Covenant Keeping God, there is no one like You, You alone are worthy to be praised and adored. Alpha, Omega, you are worthy of my praise today and forever. With You, I know I'm covered and for Your glory I would do anything... Just to see you, to behold You as my King.

Oh Lord you reign! Forever you're the same... Ancient of Days, as old as you are, You never change! God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Jehovah the Man of War. You are the Everlasting God, you do not change, You do not grow weary. Jehovah is Your name, mighty Warrior, great in battle! You are the most High God, Glory, glory Lord!

Father today, I declare my everlasting love for you, I lift up my hands standing unashamed because to worship You I live.

Arise oh God! Be enthroned in my praise, it's yours alone.

Always and forever Your little girl,
One
For whom mercy said no xx

When the spirit of the Lord is upon my heart.... :-D

Chronicles of Sebastian - Knowledge, Love and its Connection *Curtain Falls*

I know this blog covers a lot of 'heart things' - emotions, relationships, friendships etc.. Today, we’ll move a bit up the body towards the head, to talk about knowledge, the mind and wisdom. When it comes to knowing stuff, I observed that we tend to go into extremes - if someone knows too little, he is labeled as being an “imbecile” without having “number 6”, yet if someone knows a lot, they are sometimes accused of reading “too much book” or maybe even of being arrogant. In universities and churches people complain that there’s a wide gap between theory and practice. We know that knowledge is somehow good, but people in history and present times are often ultimately assigning more value to feelings and practical things. However, I firmly believe that it’s not “either heart or head”, but both “head and heart”. We were created to love God and people with everything in us - our heart, mind and soul (Mt 22:37). Knowledge, if dealt with properly, can actually lead to more love and affection. So let’s have a look at how this can be possible:

1. Be Curious. Some people wondered whether I really just stayed for one semester in Nigeria. Now, I no be lying, I really just spent a few months in Nigeria, although these months were really intense. I think one thing that helped me in learning much in a short time was my natural curiosity. As a small child, to the dismay of my parents, I often broke their technological things by experimenting with them. Even when we grow older, I believe we should still be curious about the world around us. Back in Naija, I asked myself questions such as: "Why are things done this way?" "What is on the mind of this gateman?" "Why do birthday guests “clean the chair” with money?" "Why do most people vote by tribe and not by party?" "How do people perceive politics?" "What is this 'NYSC' that everyone is talking about and what are they doing there?" "Why do so many sellers never have "balance" (lol)?" "What is the difference between garri, eba and fufu?".

Be inquisitive, be interested and explore the world around you with a sense of wonder - there is so much to learn if we’re willing to take the eyes off ourselves. The funny thing is that you will actually learn more about yourself by interacting with others, since contrasts help us to be aware of who we are.
Even in a relationship, curiosity is a great tool to know your partner in a better way. What does he or she like? What makes her tick? How does her family differ from mine? If you stop being curious about your spouse, you’re essentially saying “I got you, there is nothing I need to know anymore”. I always feel honored when friends ask me questions about myself, it signifies interest and care. At the same time, I don’t like people who are so sure about who I am that they put me into a box and leave me there suffocating … lol.
Education and knowledge might frighten some people in Nigeria (e.g. Boko Haram), since educated people can question the status quo and think for themselves; but as much as possible, never let anyone drown out your curiosity abeg.

2. Read non-fiction and fiction books: See these books? 

Chai! Diarris...

In order to write a term paper on my experiences in Nigeria, I went through some of them. Reading them was such an interesting and eye-opening experience! You see, if you just read news about a country on the internet, you only get a superficial view - Boko Haram, kidnapping and other catastrophes. But digging history and “yesterday talk” really helped me to see how past events impact nowadays life in Nigeria; how artificial colonial borders put together many different tribes into one country, how the discovery of oil boosted both economy and corruption and how many other things are related to history.
While non-fictional books help us to see the “big picture”, reading fiction (such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novels) enabled me to enter “someone else’s mind” and see their world through their eyes. I was often so immersed in African novels that I felt I connected and sympathized with them and their way of thinking. Once you read novels, you’ll learn a lot of “emotional truths” which can shape the way you interact with real and actual human beings. I often find myself being a little less judgmental and more understanding of others when I just finish a good book.
PS: I know books can be expensive, but I borrow most of my books from the library or buy them electronically (Kindle books are far cheaper than real ones). In Nigeria I also found a lot of pirated copies to be fairly cheap, but it’s up to your conscience to decide whether you like to get them. :-)

3. Process your thoughts by presenting them to others. “Thoughts disentangle themselves passing over the lips and through pencil tips." Once you try to explain someone else what you think or feel, you are forced to make your foggy thoughts somehow understandable by breaking them down for others. That process is immensely helpful and reason enough for talking (and writing) openly with others and not just keeping everything for yourself. Writing these “Chronicles of Sebastian“ has helped me personally to be aware of what I’ve experienced and learnt. I had to force myself to think: “Yeah, what did I actually learn about Naija worship / love / time etc.?” The same goes for spiritual truths: I remember my own spiritual lessons best by sharing them in sermons, conversations, writings etc. If I just keep everything to myself, I’ll suffer “spiritual obesity” :-)
So I would like to encourage you to write down your experiences and thoughts (e.g. in a diary), to jot down your “spiritual takeaways” in sermons or your “quiet times” and to, if appropriate, share some of your thoughts with good friends or even publicly (e.g. on a blog). It really sharpens your thinking.

My oldest sister gave me a map before my trip to Naija :-)

4. Be an expert in one or two areas. We all know how to say a little on politics, relationships or money. In order to go beyond the superficial and the general, you might need to specialize in a few areas you care about.
You really love the dynamics of relationships? Go ahead, become an “expert” - ask people, go on conferences, read books, structure your thoughts, help others. Personally, I love everything African and I aspire to know a little more about the continent and its people than most Germans do. For example, yesterday I went to a reading of the Kenyan author Meja Mwangi, who came to my city to read from his book “Rafiki”. It was interesting to notice differences between Kenya and Nigeria. Other people might be passionate not so much about cultures, but about businesses, family, natural hair or education and that’s totally fine. Do your thing, become better in it and help people to be successful in this area. 

Be an expert in your field

5. Acknowledge your limitations. Paul warns us that “knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Cor 8:2) The more we know, the more we are prone to put our trust and our pride into our knowledge. Before going to Nigeria, I went to Senegal. Now I intentionally had to force myself to not just trust my prior experiences. I could have just said “I know now, how things work”, but it was good to admit that I needed to start afresh, to “re-depend” on God again, to come to Nigeria with a teachable attitude.
The same principle applies to the opposite sex: My lovely sisters revealed many mysteries of how women think and act. Yet, once I left my home and started talking with other girls, I noticed how different each woman still is and how I cannot really apply my general knowledge to every girl in the world. I had to learn to see each girl and each person as an individual instead of pretending to be the “know-it-all”. In Nigeria as well as in Germany I have met some people who are so sure of what they believe (about denominations, other tribes, other people) that they never even consider other voices. That’s dangerous, since the moment we stop listening to and learning from others, conflict and pride are just around the corner.
Considering all the things we don’t know yet, I believe we just have to confess that we “no sabi nothing”. This will keep us humble and teachable. Don’t trust your past, your experience, your money, your self-help books or your wisdom - be “soft clay” and trust God instead. 

My lovely sisters and I

6. Use all your knowledge and experiences to the glory of God and the good of others. You can only love someone you know. Humans naturally don’t care about strangers. Thus, the more you desire to know God, His attributes, His works, His ways, His creation and His people, the more you begin to wonder and appreciate Him for his great power, creativity and for the gifts He bestowed on us. So don’t just read the Bible, read it with a sense of expectation and amazement, just as you try to get to know a loved one :) 

With some great Nigerians I met in Germany

After coming back to Germany, my prayer was that I would be able to use my knowledge and my experience to the good of others. I am immensely grateful that He answered my prayer and opened up some doors in Germany (e.g. speaking at conferences) and led me to some really kind Nigerians in my environment. He also used Ayo to encourage me to write for this blog and I hope that my write-ups have blessed or encouraged you in one way or the other. Unfortunately, I’ve decided to “call it a day” and finish the series for now. I’ve tried to pass on some of the most important experiences, observations and lessons I’ve learnt. Recently I sensed that I’ve exhausted the little knowledge I got, so I thought it would be wise to end it here.

Once again I want to thank all of you for reading my stuff, for supporting me, for writing comments and for creating a lovely atmosphere here. Your contributions really helped me to keep up the work for three months!
I will keep on reading this blog and try to contribute to this awesome community to the best of my ability, so we won’t have to say good-bye for good :-)

                                     

So finally, let me share my last point:

7. Know what’s truly important. At the end of the day, there is a lot to know about and a lot of things we will never know. Our minds and our time are limited; so in order to live your life well, you need to know what you ought to know. So what really matters? What do we leave behind? Looking back at Nigeria, at my life; I think of the faces of people that I’ve met, the encounters we had and the memories we created. The moments of joy, the winks in class, the stories we shared, the hug in the end. Then, I think of someone less visible, of someone whose face I’ve never seen - Jesus. The man who made all this possible, who changed me into the man I am now, enabling me to meet and truly love all these people in the first place, by saving me, from my sin, my pride, my self-centeredness and my idols. Knowing Him, and knowing all those He created and loves is what really matters. To do that, we might need to read, to ask, to look and to learn – learn about all the ways in which we can know and love Him and others better. But ultimately, it’s just that: knowing Him, and knowing them. And since true, intimate and heartfelt knowledge leads to the love we were made for, the love we ought to appreciate and the love we ought to share (1 John 4:7); go for that knowledge, the knowledge that really matters.

Thank you very much and God bless you :-)

Sebastian

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Wow.. What an amazing way to end the series Sebastian *standing ovation*.. 

I have met many great people in life and I will definitely count Sebs as one of them. Even though I have actually never met him face-to-face, I have been truly blessed to know this wonderful and kind-hearted man who is consistent in his encouragement, humble, very reliable, open and has such a heart for God.

When he told me that the series was coming to an end as really there's only so much that one can write about a 6-month experience, I sent him a one-line response "Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo" lol. The answer hasn't changed but I understand the wisdom of his decision :-).. 

Thank you Sebs from the bottom of my heart for being a blessing and for yielding yourself to be used so greatly to be a blessing!

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For all previous Chronicles of Sebastian posts, please click HERE

Please visit Sebastian's blog http://seb2nigeria.wordpress.com/ It's in German, however you can use 'Google translate' if English translation is required - Lovely lovely blog!

Remember you can send an email: oneplustheone@gmail.com

Follow on Twitter: @1plustheone

Facebook: www.facebook.com/1plustheone

Waiting and Loving It!!! Feat Bukki and Sheun David-Onamusi

YayyY! It's another Waiting and Loving It feature today and I am excited about today's fabulous couple! (as always :-).. It's a real privilege to be allowed a glimpse into the world of the many wonderful couples who have been featured on here. I truly celebrate you all and thank you for using your experiences to bless the lives of others.

**Before I go on, I would like to crave your indulgence to please digress.. I have a wonderful blog-friend who is amazingly gifted and talented, some of you may know the lovely Atilola who blogs HERE and has built a great business called African Naturalistas - for all things natural hair! She's been nominated for an International Competition called The Youth Citizen Entrepreneurship Contest and I would really appreciate it if you could take 2mins (only) of your time to vote for her HERE.. Not to worry, once you are done, Waiting and Loving It would be right here :-) Thanks a lot beautiful people :-) xx

Ok, now that you've voted (thanks a lot!! :-)), I present to you a truly beautiful couple who have chosen to put God at the centre of their home and have so kindly agreed to be today's feature on the blog.. They waited and are loving it!! Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the very lovely (fashionista, hot-stepper) Bukki and her husband Sheun (Still and always dapper :-) David-Onamusi! Enjoy and be blessed...

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Mr and Mrs David-Onamusi

Hiya Bukki and Sheun, thanks a lot for being a part of the blog today, it's great to have you on the 'love' seat :-). Could you kindly introduce yourselves please?

Thank you! We are Sheun & Bukki David-Onamusi and we have been married for over 18months now :-)

We love life and we love people. We are passionate followers of Christ and are determined to make a tremendous impact on the face of the earth. We have a heart for young people, having said that we are young people ourselves lol. We enjoy playing Badminton, eating out, watching stage plays and meeting new people.

'WE'

That's lovely! I like the way you respond as a unit 'we' :-D. Could you tell us how you both met?

Bukki: We met at a friend’s birthday party where a mutual friend introduced me to Sheun for him to give me a ride home as I had no way of getting home.

Sheun: We met at a mutual friend’s get-together, I gave her a ride home.

Lol.. Ok, thank God for rides home. So after the ride, what next? What was the attraction that made you want to marry each other?

Bukki, please say you'll be my wife :-)

Sheun: We had great and meaningful conversations.

Bukki: He was funny and light-hearted and struck me as a focused young man.

We both got along very well and we had convictions from God that we were right for each other.

Beautiful. Now for the main question, what made you both make the decision to wait?

We did because we knew it was the right thing to do as Christians, as we had an understanding that sex is a gift from God. Sex is God’s idea not Hollywood’s idea. However, sex only glorifies God and was created by God SOLELY for the context of marriage between a man and a woman. Sex outside of marriage was not God’s intent and is a perversion of God’s original intent so we looked to God knowing this could only be achieved by His Grace and by His Spirit that lives in us. 

We knew that we could only achieve the decision to wait by God’s grace so we never looked to our self-will to make it happen from the get-go. There were times it got difficult because we were very attracted to each other and cared deeply for one another but we both had each other’s backs at the same time by being the stronger person when the other person was feeling vulnerable. 

                      We had each other's backs, we have each other's backs..                        

That's the thing, sometimes people know it's the right thing to do but doing it is what may be seen as challenging. How did you both make it work?

We had boundaries we put in place to further help protect our decision such as not indulging in French kissing during our courtship…. French kissing stimulates one's sexual desire and we did not think it would be wise to indulge in it if we wanted to maintain sexual purity and even though this decision proved very tough we were able to stick with it by God's grace.

We were tempted many times! Lol! These boundaries helped us a lot, however it was ultimately our reliance on God’s grace and our tenacity to stick to our decision to glorify God that saw us through. 

Thank God for His grace indeed! Thank you so much for being real. Do you have any last nuggets for us?

We would say, don’t indulge in stolen waters. It is worth the wait when you do it God’s way. Sex is God’s gift to us and in marriage you enjoy it so much and will get to do it as much as you want till you are tired even LOL! God rewards openly what we do and who we are in secret. The best part is this, God is not expecting you to do it on your own or in your strength, His strength is made perfect in our weakness and it is through Him alone that you can do it so rest in that. Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”

Word! That's fantastic. Thank you so much for sharing with us today... At this point, I think it would be great to give you some 'you' moments.. Any 'last' words to each other? 

Bukki: 

"Seanie Bunny, you are God’s gift to me and I could not have asked for a better partner to do life with. You inspire me every day and I love you to the moon and back!"

Sheun: 

"Bukki Pie, God flattered me when He sent you my way and I keep falling in love with you day by day as you show me different sides of the amazing woman you are and continue to become."

Marriage to us is: Growth, Companionship and Synergy!

Bukki and Sheun are committed to living for God, spreading His love and inspiring other young people to be the best and live a purposeful life. It's truly wonderful to see the passion with which they do it. 

You can engage with Sheun via his website: www.sheundavidonamusi.com and on Instagram & Twitter: @stilldapper

In addition, you can subscribe to Bukki's Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/oasiswithbdo as well as follow on Instagram too: @mrsbdo

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Aww, isn't it lovely to be in love? *cheesy smile*.. I think it's even more beautiful when God is the foundation of that love. It's priceless to honour God in everything, particularly in one of the most important areas of our lives which is our life-time relationship to one man or woman in marriage. God makes the difference always and like the David-Onamusis said, when you make a decision to obey God in your relatonship, it may be difficult sometimes, but God doesn't expect us to rely on our own strength. His grace is more than sufficient for you and I.

Please click HERE for other wonderful Waiting and Loving It Couples!

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Do you have any question, or would you or someone you know like to be featured here? Please do not hesitate to contact us!
Email - oneplustheone@gmail.com
Twitter - @1plustheone
Facebook - www.facebook.com/1plustheone

A Belief and a Spoken Word!

I remember that lovely day in May 2008. I was preparing for an event I was responsible for at Uni and I had been speaking to potential partners and sponsors.

I sat across the wonderful woman who remains my mentor today, and we talked. She was very well known for her achievements and numerous people admired and looked up to her.

As we rounded off the discussion, she began to talk about this great relationship she had. How it had totally transformed her life and how she couldn't have achieved any of the things she had without it. She spoke about the importance of having great dreams and goals, but how they eventually mean nothing the day we die - which is an inevitable end. 

I listened with interested attention but thought within me, a bit amused that oh she doesn't know I know about what she's talking about and I already had that relationship. But our discussion captivated me still as she spoke in such a way that I knew I hadn't experienced. 

I was a Christian, yes. I had committed my life to Jesus from a young age, yes. But what I got to know later on was that that day would become a defining moment for me. 

You see, I had indeed come to know Jesus as Lord and Saviour at a young age but as the years passed, I had 'allowed' a few compromises, mellowed here and there and I guess the reason why was probably because I didn't fully understand the full implication of the decision I made that beautifully wonderful night of the 31st of December, 1999.

But that afternoon in May changed that. I will never forget the scripture reference that she shared 'Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all other things will be added to you' (Matt 6:33) and 'For what profit is it to a man if He gains the whole world and loses his own soul?' (Matt 16:26)

Hmmm, indeed, what profit is it if I become the greatest on earth, marry the best, be the wealthiest, have the most amazing children, be at the peak of my career, yet when it all ends, spend eternity in hell? Heaven on earth, hell for eternity? That's too huge an error to make. 

Now, what makes the difference is a simple yet awesome relationship. All it takes is a belief and a spoken word. The bible says that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you'll be saved (Romans 10:9)

It's really that straightforward. 

I don't know if you've ever made that decision, or if like me, you did, but the real impact of it hasn't yet sunk in so it's been casual all along. Jesus is serious about you, very serious. 

I invite you to the best and most important relationship you could ever have. 

Like me, your life will never be the same. There's a big change, a good change. There's fulfilment and the beginning of living a purposeful life. With Jesus, you find purpose. 

There's breaking of bad habits that could destroy, there's love - so deep, so rich, so sure. There's healing - oh yes there's healing - emotional and physical. There's mercy. There are so many things, I cannot begin to count but I can tell you that Jesus makes the difference. 

If you would like to take that step right now, just say a simple prayer with me - 'Jesus, thank You for dying for my sins on the cross. I appreciate and acknowledge your sacrifice. I want to invite you into my life today Lord. I believe in my heart that You are Lord and I want You to be my Lord. Please forgive me for my sins and make me brand new today in Jesus name. Thank You for a new start, I give You praise. Amen'

Wow! Congratulations, your life just became amazing! Welcome to a new life, a new relationship :-) xxxx

Ps If you prayed that prayer or want to know a bit more about all I've said above, please send me an email at oneplustheone@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you!

Have a wonderful weekend people! Lots of loveeee xxxxx

No Words, Just love

My beautiful cousin has a very lovely dog called Skiddo.

Lady Skiddo :-)

As you can see Skiddo is a pretty litttle girl :-) And it's so interesting but I have learnt so much from how she dotes on her little Skiddo that it has almost inspired her very own series. To be honest I have learnt a lot from little Skiddo :-)

One thing I like about Skiddo is the way she welcomes people (particularly my cousin whom she loves dearly!!).. The more Skiddo likes you, the more elaborate your welcome is.. It's an absolute delight I tell you.. She wags her tail and depending on the level of her excitement, she raises her front paws and does a little dance of joy.. It's absolutely cuteee!

...Stay with me now, I'm going somewhere lol..

So, a few days ago, Skiddo welcomes my cousin very enthusiastically because she hadn't seen her in a while (probably the longest since they became acquainted :-) and you should have seen the show that Skiddo presented.. It was drawn out and she wagged, lifted the paws, twirled and threw in several joyful barks.. I remember laughing and commenting that "Oh, if only she could talk and tell you how much she missed you!".. My cousin's reply was that "Oh, she doesn't need to speak, I can definitely feel it".

Now that statement made me smile and I thought about it....

Bringing it back to our relationships with people, what if the only way you could express the way you felt about someone was through actions and not words? Would they still be able to match your actions to them to the words you profess?

There's a popular saying that 'Action speaks louder than words'... That means that no matter how frequently you say something or how much emotion you put into saying it, if you do not show it, it means nothing! Or if your actions 'say' the exact opposite of what your words say, it means nothing!

Sometimes, we say a lot of things to people that we really care about, yet our actions don't match the words at all. Usually, it's not because we don't mean them, it's because we don't make the effort to go the extra mile to exhibit how special they are to us or how highly we regard them, in addition to saying the words.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a 'no words' day or week in our relationships when we don't say the words but we choose to show it instead in different creative ways!?

I can just see it,*dream with me* You get back home after a long day at work and you are met with the sweet savour of your favourite meal and you are told to just set your things down, relax, and then be brought dinner in bed. With a foot massage thrown in while you eat.. Nice ey?

Now that's just one-off, how about the regular things you can do to show what you say.. Like being considerate, putting the other person's comfort above yours, giving a huge hug when you know that that personal touch matters a lot, springing pleasant surprises 'just because', giving that reassuring wink across a crowded room.. Little things that say it much louder than any words could...

Try it today, No words, just love xx

Chronicles of Sebastian: Story Story... Precious Guidance in Nigeria (Video post!)

Have you ever wondered how as Christians we are supposed to know where to go next? How does this "guidance" thing exactly work? Well, I don't have a clear-cut answer for that complex question. What I do have are some stories of how I was led into some interesting situations while I was in Nigeria. To tell these stories properly, I decided to move away from my usual lists and to shoot a short video instead:



Some might think it's all coincidental, but I leave the interpretation up to you! :-) Please leave a comment if you have your own stories to tell or if you want to debate some issues raised.

If you were unable to watch the video or in case you prefer the "written Sabba", don't worry: Next week's post will include some more text!

Until then - all the best :)
Sabba-Sabba

PS: Apart from Germany, I'll cross my fingers for Nigeria in the world cup :-)

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Oh this has got to be one of my favourite Sabba posts.. I loved being able to relate with him on a  more 'real' level lol.. Almost like being 'properly properly' introduced to the man called Sebastian.. He's even funnier in person than his writings (and that's a tough one to beat!).. And very clever too! (Now we have a video post Sebs, next up is meeting in person! I think it will be an absolute hit! I would probably laugh till I cry!)

Also, it got me thinking about the many 'coincidences' that are actually God orchestrating events in our favour. It's beautiful when you look back and think about how God brought it to pass..As in my God is just too 'on point'.. He brings people our way just when we need them, He answers our prayers in so many diverse ways that we can't put Him in 'a box', His ways are so different from ours yet the results so much better than what we imagined :-)

I remember how He introduced me to Sabba HERE and I can't but be amazed and be grateful for Him being ever so mindful of us all - Thank You Jesus!

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PS If you missed the very end of the video (like I almost did, Sebs gives a very important announcement :-( ... Let me know what you think) xx

For all previous Chronicles of Sebastian posts, please click HERE.. Join Sabba again next week Wednesday..I look forward to what he will be sharing with us!
Please visit Sebastian's blog http://seb2nigeria.wordpress.com/ It's in German, however you can use 'Google translate' if English translation is required - Lovely lovely blog!

Remember you can send an email: oneplustheone@gmail.com
Follow on Twitter: @1plustheone
Facebook: www.facebook.com/1plustheone

Dear Daddy

My dearest Daddy,

My Precious One.. The Ultimate King of my heart, Joy of my world, Owner of my head, Leader of my life, Lifter of my head, Praise on my lips, Dance on my feet, Reason why I live, Source of my strength, Strength of my life, Hope of my glory, Author of my salvation, Light of my world, Glory of my present and future.. Oh darling Jesus, I could go on and on!

Thank You for being my SOLID rock.. A very present Help in time of trouble. Thank you for being ever faithful to Your word - What would we ever do without the cast-iron guarantee of Your word.

When You speak, when You give a word, when You make a promise, You ensure that whatever it takes, whatever happens, however long it may seem, You make it happen!

I have heard, I have seen and I have experienced. Thank YOU!

Daddy, I am having a very interesting conversation with one of your own and I am challenged to reflect on the status of my relationship with You. Has it improved? Am I taking You for granted in any way or sometimes? Do I still feel that excitement at the thought of spending time with you or has it become a routine? Hmmm.. I think I need to do this more often so that I am consistently checking to ensure that what we got ain't compromised at all.

I know for a fact that I am nothing without You, I can't achieve or do much without You. You brighten up my life and You truly do make my life complete.. Please Daddy, may I never lose sight of that. May my story with You always be that of growth and increase in intimacy. Help me to know You more, to love You more and to delight myself absolutely in You.

Also, Daddy, please look after our nation, restore peace and stability and help us to come out of this dark period. Our hope and trust is in You.

I'm off now to the Redemption Camp where I know You will be keeping Your monthly appointment! :-) I look forward to a splendid time in Your presence... Thank You for always being 'on point' and showing off Your glory month after month :-)

I love You Papa,

Always Your little 'munchkin',
One xx

From way back :-)

Chronicles of Sebastian - Now You're Talking!!

A few weeks ago, Nigerian’s First Lady Patience Jonathan gave an emotional speech on the Chibok girls that sparked a great controversy. The issue was not necessarily what she said, but how she said it. She used Pidgin English, asked “only you waka come?” and ended her speech with her now famous exclamation “There is God-oh!!”. While some Nigerians thought that her choice of language was rather inappropriate for a First Lady, others felt this made her appear more genuine.

                                                  
                                                                   Source
Whatever your opinion may be, the discussion shows the significant role language plays, especially in a multilingual country such as Nigeria. Whether consciously or unconsciously, language shapes our way of thinking and perceiving the world and people around us. So let’s take a look at some “language lessons”:

1. Words can have different meanings in different contexts. In my first weeks in Nigeria, I got confused by a lot of words. Someone asked me “How far??” and I asked him “How far is what from what?”. Then he was like “Jeez man, how are you doing?”. Another friend told me “I am coming” and off he went… lol When a fellow-students asked me which courses I am 'offering', I told them that I’m just a student, I don’t offer any courses. Only later did I realize that they were probably talking about taking courses. I could go on and on: How I thought “taking a bath” means lying in a bathtub, how 'reading' is not just restricted to reading books, but studying in general; how NEPA and light are synonyms for electricity; how passport is not your ID, but a picture of yourself; how brother/daddy/aunty are often titles and not just family members; how “having tried” is a recognition of success (not of a failed attempt), yet how “Well done!” does not actually refer to accomplishments; how “flashing” people has nothing to do with torches, how “taking a drop” makes your taxi ride more expensive… You get the idea, as a foreigner you just have to get used to all these shades of meaning. I had a lot of fun making mistakes and learning these gradually. 

2. Nigerians love code-switching! As in, they switch between many languages effortlessly. A LOT. Whether in everyday conversations, songs or sermons: My German mind was bewildered by all these different languages in just one or two sentences. When I first heard the beginning of “Mma Mma” by Frank Edward, I thought “nice, an English song I can understand”, until the song went on: 

You lifted me
Then gave me a song
Agama turu gi mma mma
Knowing that 'mma' is a flexible word for basically anything good and praiseworthy, I somehow figured things out and continued singing…

Once, while I was taking notes in an English sermon, a priest suddenly struck up an Igbo song. When the congregation also joined in cheerfully, I was like “Wetin dey happen here?” lol… I think the frequent code-switching reflects a general attitude of not bothering too much about fixed rules, of living rather free and improvised than strictly in one certain way. It’s a token for the diverse colonial and pre-colonial factors and circumstances influencing Nigerians.

                            

4. Nigerian text messages require serious reading. Another challenge: texts and facebook messages. I’m telling you, after I received my first heavily abbreviated messages, I was like “Chai, this is not easy-o.” They went something like this: “Lngst tym. Hw r ur ppl? u thnk dis s a gud idea? dnt u av class nw? Im wf my gf now. xpktn u at church tmrrow. slp wel”.
It took me some time to decipher these messages, but wf tym I gt betta at d readng nd nd, bt I stl nid hlp 2 wrt lyk dat. :-)

5. Learning another language helps you to connect. Admittedly, I don’t know much Igbo and Pidgin. All I know are just a few chunks I’ve picked up along the way. Yet, even these small phrases always made (and still make) Nigerians so happy. When I use kachi fo instead of just “Good night!”, many of my Igbo friends burst into laughter. Just recently I met a Nigerian who didn’t know I went to his fatherland. So when I asked him abi? in the midst of our first conversation, he was puzzled and started to laugh with his new “broda”!
You don’t need to be perfect, but by using a few high frequency words of a foreign language, people will appreciate your efforts. It’s just a small token that you care about their culture, making it easier to connect with them. 

                           

6. Speaking Pidgin and slang can be great fun! Learning some Nigerian words and idioms did not just help me to connect with people, but also with the lifestyle and the culture at large. Many Nigerians have this rough way of speaking and writing, this no-nonsense approach without much “beating around the bush", a clarity and confrontational style that I had to get used to, but now I’m beginning to love and use myself. For instance, if you believe someone spends too much time on education, you can express that by saying, “In my opinion, her idolization of education seems unbalanced.” In Nigeria, you can just say “She reads too much book”. It may express the same idea, but the latter just sounds funnier and more straight to the point. The same goes for “The sun is too much!”, “She is looking for my trouble-o”, “Rain is beating me”, “doing anyhow”, “you’re shining!”, “be going” (or carry go), “Wetin concern government”, “419!”, “I will slap you!”, “Lai Lai”, “God forbid!”, “You don’t mean it!” etc. They signify a rather rough approach to life.

Back in Germany, some of these phrases are often on the tip of my tongue, yet I obviously cannot use them. If my friend tells me something bad, I wish I could say “Eh-ya”, but he wouldn’t get it. Sometimes I still say “Yes now!” emphatically or I add an “o” to the names of my friends (Steffi-oo), since this way of engaging people and using emphasis has become part of me.

                              

7. Language is a way of identifying yourself. If Nigerians want to appear before the Western world, they speak English. Among the family in the village, most people switch to their native tongue (Hausa, Efik etc.). In busy towns or among peers, “broken” is often used as a lingua franca. When some parents don’t allow Pidgin in their home or constantly speak English to their children, they thereby also make a political and personal statement, signifying where they (wish to) belong.
I believe that all languages have their own benefits: English opens up a wide door for education, for interacting with people from abroad, for consuming English books, movies, songs etc. The ethnic languages carry the cultural heritage each tribe has and help Nigerians to identify with their roots (that is why Chinua Achebe uses a lot of Igbo words in his novels). The advantages of Pidgin and slang are outlined above.

8. We need empathy to communicate well. I strongly believe that empathy, the ability to put yourself into someone else’s shoes, is a core virtue that really helps us to understand each other and to avoid a lot of conflicts. Being able to adapt to another person’s language and the way he or she uses it is a key component of good communication. Example: We once had a white lecturer coming to our university in Enugu and I remember how my friends did not really understand him. The way he presented his topic and interacted with the audience, his choice of words: all of that was not wrong, but just not appropriate to the context. 

Oftentimes I could tell from the (lack of) nodding and the facial expressions whether my Nigerian conversational partner really got me. The longer I stayed, the more God helped me to use my speech, intonation, words and trains of thoughts in such a way that I could get my points across. This required a lot of close listening (not close marking though lol ;) ) and a general commitment to good communication.
This applies to many situations: talking with someone of lower education (who might not understand fancy words), talking with an elderly person (who might not know technology well), talking with a non-Christian (who does not know why people cover things with the “blood of Jesus”), talking with a foreigner (who wants you to speak slowly so he or she can get you)… God tells us to love all these people and one way of doing so is by trying hard to understand and to adapt your speech and actions to their personal understanding and environment.
Jesus models that perfectly: He got along with the lowest of the lowest, but He could also talk theology with Nicodemus. He constantly used images and parables from the Jewish environment he lived in. His speeches were powerful (Matt 7:28) because they were clear and full of grace and truth (John 1:17). May He empower us to use the language(s) He gave us wisely and powerfully :-)

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Amen and Amen to that Sebs. Thanks for another wonderful and humorous post and for bringing home the importance of using communication as a powerful tool for showing love and being neighbourly - even in the simplest of ways. 

It was really funny reading all the phrases and words Sebs picked up from Nigeria, I had to ask him if he was really sure he spent only 6months in Enugu! :-D

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For all previous Chronicles of Sebastian posts, please click HERE.. Join Sabba again next week Wednesday..I look forward to what he will be sharing with us!
Please visit Sebastian's blog http://seb2nigeria.wordpress.com/ It's in German, however you can use 'Google translate' if English translation is required - Lovely lovely blog!

Remember you can send an email: oneplustheone@gmail.com
Follow on Twitter: @1plustheone
Facebook: www.facebook.com/1plustheone

What's up this month?! *Randomness Alert*

Hiya everyone!!! It's a brand new beautiful month!!

This is a quickie! Were you looking forward to Waiting and Loving It!!! Tuesday? Me too!.. I hate when that happens.. you know, when I don't put up a post on Tuesday! *Arghhh* :-D .. Ok that's my 'please forgive me' way of saying "Please forgive me for not featuring a couple today"..

Ok, so I have to admit it's been very busy on my end! No excuses but a girl's got a full time job (8am 7.15am - whenever the tasks say "alrighty, enough for today") + other activities!! Yes, so I said no excuses.. I'm not giving any excuses .. Right? Right!

As you can tell, this is as random a post as they get here...

But yes, it's a new month and yes I am excited about this month! June is going to be a special month for me and you.. I know it!! You just wait and see.. And you can start smiling and singing those songs of praise because you know that you WILL sing new and beautiful songs this month! (I went for Sunday service with Pastor E.A Adeboye preaching at the TBSquare in Lagos and he taught us that one of the signs of change is when someone breaks into a song from a state of JOY!!).. That's what I am praying for you this month.. Joy after Joy after Joy - That's the meaning of my name after-all.. AYO! :-)

Another thing I want to encourage you with is that there is a time for restoration and compensation... and I tell you, when God is in charge, He does it BIG.. It may seem like it's taking sooo long but I tell you, God knows how to do good at the right time and beyond your expectations.

Our duty is to never lose hope and never give up trusting in His ability to come through for us. Please don't compromise, please don't look for a 'quicker' way, please just hold on one more day, one more week, one more year.. The wait WILL be worth it.

Ok, I'm signing out now cause I'm running late for church!!

PS, I told Sebs that I would blog about God's Children's Got Talent (#GCGT) which took place on the 29th of May at the Eko Expo Hall and organised by RCCG, City of David.... Just in case I never do a full post, one word for it - FantaticallyAmazinglyGloriouslySuperlative!!!!!

Ok, this is me now running really late for church and running very far away from the keyboard...

Love you guys, thanks for reading and forgiving my tardiness.. You rock... As always! xxxx