On your Mom's Passing (Poem A friend wrote for moi)

When every memory of her is a shackle
and the bitter sweet of Love is strong
and your laughter becomes a noose,
from which your pain is hung,
when every new day you awaken,
only to welcome a deeper mourn,
condemning the hope
nuzzling the nerve endings 
to your broken heart
as wrong,
remember she danced the crook of your smile,
spoke you in dreams the day you were born,
remember her labor, how she taught you ways 
to create new joy from scorn.  

Remember her voice. 

Let it now urge you on more resolutely than before,
rouse you to the depths of Love's potential,
ever closer to your inner core.
For although it may be true 
that no sorrow exists quite like the passing of Love,
no goodbye quite so brief,
yet no occasion quite so extreme as death 
may hold the seed of your dreams.
And it is precisely when it seems impossible,
that you must embrace continued growth;
for it is in the darkest hour of our darkest nights
that our Lights must truly show;
even in grief, our grim universes reap
the seeds our spirits sow.
Your heart is a metronome,
so use your mother's Love as the beat that keeps it going.  

And even through the tears, you smile,
knowing her Love won't always roar,
and as the years fold atop one another 
she may not come each time you call,
but with every ephemeral flake of snow,
in every sharpened blade of grass,
through every autumn leaf that falls,
her Love will whisper you of the past.
In every word, you'll remember a smile,
every prayer'll harbor a vow,
and in a moment of disagreeable anger,
her kiss will smooth your brow.
For your mother awaits you in the beyond,
she went forth to pave your path,
so that when your responsibility to your Loved ones
had been seen through to its last
you would behold her gentleness once again
upon Heaven's hallowed ground.
She merely merged into a breath of God,
Who speaks her softly to the wind,
that she may lead your soul home once again
to His great Kingdom within.  

So when every memory of her is a shackle
and the bitter taste of Love is strong
and your laughter has become a noose,
a hook, from which your pain is hung,
remember that she expects from you 
a demonstration that she always taught you well.
Remember she Loved you, that you may Love yourself
and in your life excel.
When every new day you awaken,
only to welcome a deeper mourn,
prey on your every inhibition; 
she saw you as more than just a man.
Love has always rested on your temple, 
where God's been perfecting His plan.
And whether or not you believe in Him,
He will always believe in you,
so if you call on all your strength of Love... 
the Eyes of the Great Beholder...
will always see you through. 

 Amen.

The Archilles Heel of our Nation

For half a decade, terrorism has been the topic of the day in our dear country Nigeria. Once the Giants of Africa, Nigeria has a wide array of resources but the parsimony and mismanagement of the government has made it seem otherwise. 
Even with the administration in office making claims of curbing the noxious situation caused by the violence, Nigerians still live in fear with the doors of exploration shot closed. In an attempt to deal with the situation, many inhabitants have turned to faith believing that with God, all things are possible. YES! Indeed all things are possible with God but I must say that in other to see the impossible hit our nation, the church needs to reexamine its course.
Pastors with the support of many Nigerians, spend nights doing crusades where prayers, fire and brimstone are being called down from heaven to consume corrupt government officials or anyone that opposes their so called destinies or ministry.
Catchy quotes like “attack is the best form of defence are used to enforce the pre-cross way of resolving issues. People go as far as believing that killing or inflicting pain on their parents through "warfare" prayer is what they need to do in other for a breakthrough to happen. Suffer not a witch to live is what we hear when the Nigerian church is trying to protect each other by killing alleged witches. This is absolute bonkers! In a country where diabolism is prominent, it is very easy for the elite to be swayed into believing unbiblical doctrines.
A pastor shared a “testimony” once of how a boy who sold bole(fish and plantain) disrespected him and an indignation rose within him which led to the pastor cursing the boy. He retuned to the bole shop a year after and he was told that the boy developed a rare mental condition and is running naked on the streets. I was in total disbelief. My mind wandered around to uncover what the testimony in this story really was. 
In the bible, Elijah called down fire to destroy people and even his helper Elisha also called judgment which came in form of bears mauling boys that mocked him. In the same bible, Jesus was walking with his disciples heading for Jerusalem and was not welcomed by the people. His disciples(James and John) then asked Him, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them" but Jesus turned and rebuked them saying "Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them" (Luke 9:54-56). Reading the Old Testament without the eyeglasses of Jesus is futile. The entire bible needs to be seen from Jesus’s perspective.
Now note that the disciples asked Jesus what action he required of them to take and Jesus responded with Love. They had the authority to rain down fire from heaven but they did not understand what Jesus was all about. The disciples were familiar to the prophets and their practice of calling forth the judgment of God on people. 

Our generation today is crying out for judgment on people but Jesus is presenting Mercy on the table. What is Jesus saying in a situation where you find out that your Grand mother is responsible for your wife’s unfruitfulness? What is Jesus saying when you have been cheated by a close family member? Its simple, The Gospel is the remedy. Christ is not in us to destroy people but to save people despite their actions. When an individual is equipped with the right paradigm, you see every situation already solved. 
In conclusion, the church needs to stop killing people loved by God. Jesus doesn’t just love the church he loves the World. We need to intentionally choose to see the good in people. Nigeria is great-Nigeria is gigantic and there is room for the greatness of God to be showcased. I may grow old and not see what I envision but one thing I know is that God is a generational God and when he starts something, He finishes it perfectly. As the real Gospel is rising in Nigeria, let us rise and obey our calls because the best is yet to come. God bless our Land.