Playing at war!

PLAYING AT WAR!

like a malicious creature, you scratch at my soul
stripping it off, swallowing it up
You poison my mind
unwinding my cocoon of reason with steady hands
hoping to find me vulnerable
fearing that the transformation may already
be complete and that your
spiteful plans be laid to waste

You try to imprison me with bars of guilt
poking through armour with slivers of doubt
jarred by my tenacity, spurred by my vulnerability
you push, kick, scratch and claw
you fight me day and night
hoping to be the author of my destruction

We play these winding games
You strike, I parry and return
You evade and attempt to strike again
We fight for prize
You, for your father's will
I, for my promised crown
You are his vassal, It is my future
I will be your undoing

I will hold on, remain strong
Till the end of it all
and victory will be mine for
I fight not alone but
with the hosts of the sons of God
and the strength of the arm of heaven

Oh Self, manifestation of flesh
I must fight you because
you are tainted by sin
mortal and flawed and doomed for
destruction with your father Beelzebub

When the battle is won
my soul will take flight
and rise to meet my master
the risen christ!

Wedding update.

It's about two weeks to Dipo's wedding to Uncle Obed and we are all beginning to feel the pressure of the impending event. When you add the fact that Dipo is studying for her chartered accountancy licence and house-hunting for the perfect nest to begin her married life as well as planning her own wedding, you can only imagine the amount of pressure she's under. Derin, Uloko and I are currently in school so we aren't much help.

Thankfully, all the major headaches have already been handled. The venue has been chosen and paid for, the marriage certificate has already been collected, a caterer and a decorator have been contracted to handle food and decor and the officiating ministers have been notified and consented to attend. Invitations have been sent out and the wedding programme has been drafted and sent to the printer so all that is really left to decide is what to sing and what to wear.


Derin isn't the chief bridesmaid this time so she have more time to strut her stuff and show her mettle with the choir. She'll most probably lead the first praise worship and I'll lead the second. David will play bass and Uloko or James will handle piano, we'll probably have to graft a drummer unless bro. Dami saves the day. But overall I'm positive that everything will turn out fantastic!!!


Keep u posted. Ed!

Pics of our 2008 Outings

Though it may not seem like it, the treasured vessels is not all about bible studies and prayer meetings. We do go out and have fun like everyone else. Some of my friends were disputing that claim so I've decided to post some pictures and possibly a video to prove it. enjoy!

These are pics of the burnt house, I'll try to update the blog with pictures of the renovated house.

Blessings in Disguise

Something sinister had been happening at my best friend Derin's house (actually I have two best friends, Derin the girl and Uloko the boy). First of all there was this great big in house scandal that tainted the reputation of nearly all the youths in my church. We were all like appalled at the level which the bad business had eaten into our youth. We had barely overcome the drama of the first scandal when Derin's house got burnt, (though set on fire would be a better word!). I was very worried that all the pervasive drama would negatively affect my pastor's widow. Thankfully she was able to pull through relatively unscathed.

At first, I couldn't understand why God would let all this happen, after all he is a God of good things so why should he let this bad thing happen in such a good home. Then I had an epiphany and I have come to realise that a scandal and a tragedy may be what God needs to use to get our attention. In my opinion, God had used these incidents to firstly and most importantly, let Mrs. Adelana let go of some people who instead of adding to her life were steadily killing it. When you have lived with a person for an extended period of time, it is very easy for one to overlook some fundamental flaws. When one refuses to let others steer him away from the wrong path, life's experiences may be the only thing to whip some people into shape.

Secondly, I think that this second fire will finally afford Mrs. Adelana the chance to redo her home. A major change in one's routine is always a good way to get out of the depression and monotony that losing a loved one may bring on as it breathes a sort of new beginning to the life of the intendee.

Blessings are always in disguise!

Romans 8:28

Hey Y'all,

This is Edwin. We Nigerians just celebrated our 48th Independence anniversary on the First of October and funny enough our Independence day kind of coincides with David's birthday, meaning that nobody can have a real excuse for not attending his birthday with the National holiday and all that. So yesterday, he celebrated his 18th birthday with pomp and pagentry and all the other stuff that comes with a birthday good for him. He wanted a relatively big deal so we hooked up the amplifiers to a laptop, created a playlist and we proceeded to P.A.R.T.Y!

Happy Birthday David!

Foyin and Ifeanyi's wedding.

Foyin's wedding started with the traditional ceremony where the bride and groom tie the knot according to the traditional procedures of the bride's tribe. Foyin is an Owo princess by birth so she was entitled to a very grandiose ceremony with praise singers and all the trappings expected of a typical Yoruba wedding..








Looking resplendent in a light green Iro and Buba with signature Gele, The bride swirled a Yoruba cap to 'differentiate' her husband to be from the other eligible bachelors at the wedding. After her suitor had been identified, he had to show himself truly grateful for the opportunity he had been given by prostrating flat on the ground in obeisance to the bride's parents. Then the bride and the groom danced for the pleasure of the audience, gyrating and swinging to the tradition songs dosed out by the band (us.) As is tradition, the groom brought gifts such as sugar, an umbrella, rice and a bible which carried symbolic connotations to the couple's marriage. After the traditional ceremony, dancing continued late into the night.




















The next day was the proper Christian wedding. Ifeanyi arrived about an hour early to arrange the proceedings for the bride. The joining began with the bridal procession starting with the family of the bride, the train, Foyin's baby sister Derinsola as the chief bridesmaid and the bride herself. Mr. Ayo Odewumi was the chief officiating minister and he oversaw the joining and most of the ministerial duties. The couple then signed the marriage register and the joining was official. Afterwards a small reception was held to celebrate the joining. Food, drink and dancing on the menu and we all had a great time.

Happy married life, Foyin and Ifeanyi!!!

Foyin's getting married!

After what's seemed like forever to my party loving mind, Our oldest member in the Treasured vessels is finally getting married. She and her long time beau (with whom I've had quite a few brushes, because of my big mouth!) Ifeanyi Azubike have finally decided to tie the knot on the 20th of September at The Officers mess, Kanta Road, Kaduna. I think the service starts at 9am and should end in about an hour and a half. Then the dancing and drinking should begin in until the wee hours of the evening. The Traditional engagement (Mandatory in Nigeria,) will hold the day before at their family residence.

Sis, Foyin, we all love you like a sister and wish you the best in your marraige. May Ifeanyi make you happy! Amen!!!


P.S
Sis Deepo Don't keep us waiting for your turn, We know you have found him so please marry him!

PALS FOR 2008!!!: autumn and the samurai, analogies of death

PALS FOR 2008!!!: autumn and the samurai, analogies of death

THE CARRIER.

Mesmerised by the view I sat,
legs folded to my chest, arms wrapped around my legs
I sat and I stared for minutes
hours even, enthralled at the cyans and the magnetas
the sunset yellows and royal purples
Every tribe was there itseemed to me
the brooding indian girls,
constantly rewrapping their saris around their frail torsos
The flashing redheaded vikings,
Their swords usedas a wedge for their flapping kilts
The apprehensive mandarins in kimonos, Their slitted eyes
furrowed in contemplation
Peals of laughter from the the Yoruba women, who
gossiped as they shared steaming bowls of fufu
The eclectic masai tribesmen almost
naked with spears, eyes alert ready to strike
The aborigines covered in layers of dust from their trek

At first, when the spectacle began,
We had only seen jews, in tassels and beards,
looking condescendingly at everyone else
But then when we really looked we saw everyone else
And we were amazed at how quickly word spread of the carrier
even we too had heard and come to see
Quickly too we noticed bags at the feet of the multitude
Some gilded and sequinned, others mere bundled up rags
though different in appearance, all the bags carried the same burdens
Everyone had brought their bags,for the carrier


When the time finally came, and the carrier passed
Unimaginable the load he carried behind him
He had a cross on his back and attached to it
a net,as far and long as the width of the earth
as he passed the people threw their bags at him
some fell on to his cross and stuck
others to the net below, some were simply relieved
to be rid of their gilded burdens, Others silently shed tears
thankful to their silent saviour.
The carrier trudged on, his smile almost rueful
and as he passed, I looked down and saw
My own little bag of burdens, small and unseemingly
I stood up, picked my bag and tried to throw it on to the heap
But, my fingers failed me, Shame overwhelmed me
and I thought to myself 'I will not be like all the others,
I will carry my burdens
and endure what was my due'

The carrier stopped , and he turned sensing my dilemma
He smiled patiently waiting for me to see
And in his smile I realized that the burden was
not mine to carry It had become his burdens,
one he would gladly bear
I gave up my burden, not to the carrier
But to my friend who had come
just for me!


The Jews looked away in disgust
They would never be as cowardly as the world was
They would carry their burdens hanging from their tassels
Their burdens the heaviest of all

sorry but this year we were Unable to go to the national convention. things sorta went out of control and added to our financial disagreements, things just didnt go well. we'll try to come next year

photos of the gang hanging out!

Hi there!


It's been ages since I last posted anything on our youth blog so you'll just have to forgive me, I've just been busy with school work and stuff! [ I got admitted into a polytechnic recently so I'm euphoric!].









Uloko and derin are moving away from our home church to their respective universities so maybe the hopes and fantasies I had for them to become a couple and do the highschool sweetheart thing may finally be done and dusted and they may just remain friends. Not that that's bad in any way, {who am I to judge anyone's romantic decisions when I've had so few of my own!}
I've decided to show some pictures we took fooling around after church. Uloko derin and a really graphic pic of mine,They're cool{except for mine, I look hideous!}

XOXO! EDWIN.

WHERE IS THE NIGERIAN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM HEADED TO!

In the Nigerian educational system today, it is a sad but true fact that there are double standards. This problem of double standards is like a hydra, humbly beginning in our innocent kindergarten classes and slowly but surely spreading its arms all the way up to the prestigious offices of our tertiary institutions. This double standard is not just academic but also moral and disciplinary.

To understand this seemingly unimportant problem, take a scrutinized look at our secondary schools. In recent years, most of the schools with the highest numbers of students who graduate with distinctions are mushroom private schools. This is hard to explain as these schools have no previous pedigree for outstanding performance among students. These schools born out of a need to make profit live solely for profit. They usually start small, until the pressure of the competition from cheaper pre-established public schools and the indifference of our ministry of education push them to go the extra mile and cross the line into illegitimacy to get the best results. They streamline their curriculum to include only core subjects and the easiest electives, dropping vocational subjects such as Public health education, home economics, metal work, French, computer studies. Some schools have even gone to the extent of limiting the choice in Nigerian languages to the most relevant, in the North, Hausa. After all, in Nigeria; all that really matters is the quality of your results not the quality of your education. Nigeria’s students no longer have the ‘luxury’ of choosing the subjects they’re interested in.

Public schools have become places where drudgery and slothfulness abide. The teachers are underpaid and sometimes overworked so there is only so much you can give. Apart from a few devoted and dedicated government employed teachers, most have turned their cars into makeshift offices where they transact business and entertain clients. They see no need to give their students their all. A product of the public system myself, I saw teachers who preferred to chat up female teachers on the corridors rather than educate their classes; I even experienced a teacher who saw us her students as a vent for her problems. When ever she had an argument with her husband the night before, our lesson with her would be full of misplaced frustration. The slightest mistake would result in a hiding. What ever happened to the days when teachers gave students their full and undivided attention, cared about their student’s extra curricular lives and bothered to commend students for good behaviour? What happened to dedication to service and trustworthiness?

Then there is the issue of discipline and morality. The new unspoken taboo in our secondary school system today is for a teacher to dare try to discipline a student without the parents consent. Parents have gone as far as getting police officers to arrest a teacher for punishing a student’s misdemeanor. The teacher seems to have lost all rights to correct and discipline a child put under his/her care. It is ironic that parents are willing to commit their child’s academic future into a teacher’s hand but they aren’t willing to let the teacher become a part of that student’s life. Parents become so self conscious and self righteous that they believe that only they can and should handle their children yet when a child goes bad they are so quick to blame the teacher. This is sad because eight of the sixteen hours of a child’s weekday is spent with the teacher. Parents who work may eventually spend only four hours a day with their wards and at the end of the six years at secondary school; a teacher will spend a minimum of 9360 hours with the child while the parent would have a minimum of only 4680 hours. Thus with the attitude of the parents, the teacher is made out to be the enemy and rendered powerless to effect any real change to the student’s life. The battle for the student’s heart is already lost even before it is begun.

Morally bankrupt and corrupt, our tertiary institutions have been transformed into multi-million naira businesses and every lecture hall is some lecturer’s empire. Every average student has to transverse the landmine that our universities have become. Our hallways have become corridors of power. Waves and waves of badly written books full of typographical errors and misused words are published everyday by lecturers who then coerce their students into buying them for the sole purpose of making profits. Those who don’t have the patience to write whole books just fabricate ‘Handouts’ for their courses which are sold to the students. Students ‘block’ tests they have flunked and pay for re-sits they needn’t. There is absolutely no freedom of speech and expression in our public universities and polytechnics by our so called guardians of tradition. It is a common saying in universities that anyone who gets into a lecturer’s bad books can be assured of failing his course. There are students who change courses just to escape a tyrannical lecturer’s grip and we haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of the politics that define tertiary education. We have cultism which the ministry of education says has made an ‘encore’. Little do they know that cultism never left our schools, it just laid low until the strobe lights shifted to some other cause and the pattern resumed. Then there are the incessant public strikes which transform a four year course into a six year course which is why everyone with a little money is sending their children to the posh private schools.

With everything that is going wrong, it would be so easy to spend so much time pointing fingers that we forget to provide solutions. This article is not a finger pointing article; it is a solution providing one. We need to return to the negotiation table, use our P.T.A meetings for more than just public shows of which parent is more articulate than the other. We need to get both parents and teachers to define what the punishment for misdemeanours will be and implement these disciplinary measures together. We parents need to take a step back from our busy careers and actually get involved in our children’s lives instead of the distant one we have developed. Interactive opportunities such as open days and student/teacher workshops need to be encouraged. Our teachers need to undergo re-orientation as to the main purpose of education and they need salary increases as well as a robust and functional retirement package so they can focus on the children who need their attention so badly. Our university system needs to be restructured and the curriculum and syllabi clearly defined so students know exactly what to expect. A standard for literature and paraphernalia should be introduced to the tertiary system and all literature that doesn’t meet up should be discarded with immediacy. With a level of structure and discipline and integrity, our quickly decaying education system may still attain salvation.




The Nigerian tattler.
June 2008

A fire at the farm house!

Today, I woke up early preparing to go do my chores when a friend came by my house with some disturbing news. My friend derin's house, was on fire. He said he didn't know to what extent but what he heard wasn't at all good. So I rushed there to see and help put out the fire. The fire had been put out but the damage was extensive. Most of the manor had gone down in flames. Will keep you posted.

A picture of one of our friends!

Here's a picture of one of our friends from Ghana.His name is Theophilus Ni Okai and He's been one of our few friends over there that have really kept in touch. He doesn't frequent the blog much though!

The Information you needed.

No. of bible study and cell group meetings active since 2007 to date:
1) Tuesday bible study and prayer meet, using a 45 minutes bible study and 30 minute prayer format. Studied Selwyn Hughes Every day with Jesus (The character of God and Tough sayings from a tender heart.
2) Cell meeting using a 1 hour bible study format studying Selwyn Hughes "A fresh look at the Church."

No of Baptisms.
Nil

New Ordinations
Mr. Kingsley Ojianelo was ordained a deacon on the 20th of August 2007 at the National convention in Ilorin.

Active Ministries.
1) Youth ministry. Better known as THE TREASURED VESSELS. The Kaduna congregation is majorly youth oriented so the treasured vessels play an active part in church ministry. the sub-ministries under the treasured vessels are:
a) The Choir. also called the the fountain of love choir. They are in charge of music in the church, ranging from praise/worship to special concerts.
b) The Basketball Team. They use their love for basketball as a Tool of Evangelism organising Basketball outreaches. Where they share the word of God with friends.
c) Dance and Drama Ministry: Uses dance and drama to spread the goodnews.
d) The Web ministry: Operates a Youth Blog where young people can read entertaining articles, get advice about life and get to meet with others. The blogsite address is : www.datreasuredvesssels.blogspot.com

2)Women's ministry: A prayer ministry where the women of the church come together for intercessory prayers as well as active discussions on Church management. The women also oversee welfare of visitors during feasts.

Children's Ministry.: Basically an interactive sunday school programme where the spiritual and academic progress of the children is encouraged. The children also liase with the youths and usually pariticipate in their music and drama ministrations.

No of children
Averaging 18 to 22 on normal services. the highest number of children recorded in a sunday service during the 2007/2008 year is 40.

No. of Youths
averaging 15 to 18 on normal services. The highest number of youths recorded in sunday service during 2007/2008 is 35

Baptised Members
12, 5 adults, 7 youths.

Total attendance
Averages 40 to 45 on normal services. The highest number recorded in a sunday service for 2007/2008 is 109.

Mr. Kingsley Ojianelo.

N.B the pictures added are of the youths at a get together on New year's day and the second is of the Chirstmas Basketball allstars Match where the youths invited a rival team to play them on the 24th of december.

What do we do when a loved one dies.

When a loved one dies, it signals the end of a life you once loved and cherished. A part of you dies too, the part of your life that you shared with that person ends abruptly and it is almost too devastating to bear especially if that person was a parent or a sibling. That is because with friends you can always meet and make more but with a family member----. I chose to speak on this because in the last six months I have had a more than healthty dose of deaths. First, I was involved in a near fatal accident where my mentor, the man I loved and respected the most Mr. Olufemi Adelana died in my arms, Literally. To this day I still haven't cried for him. Then a month later, my grandmother whom I hadn't spoken too in the last twelve to thirteen years died. I was kind of relieved that she would finally be at peace with herself but I was kind of sad that we didn't get a chance to sort out our differences. then a week ago, my friend at our church branch in Lagos met with tragedy. His Dad, Mr. Emele Kalu had been recovering from a stroke and all of a sudden his condition deteriorated and he died suddenly.
So, I've come to realise that many young people are unprepared for the possibility of their parents and loved ones dying so I've decided to give three small suggestions to help if one's loved ones kick the bucket.

1) Get a good gaggle of trustworthy and loyal friends. True friends will stick with you through anything and you won't have problems judging their trustworthiness.

2) Get reading. Reading wide and extensively on a whole lot of subjects most especially the bible will prepare you mentally for a whole lot of situations who knows what will pop up in your head, I remember when I had my accident, all I could think about was John 16:33.

3) Get a hobby. When tragedy strikes, Having something that will keep you from thinking too much won't be a bad thing. It could save you from some stupid decisions later on.

Life is short, Use it wisely!

A wedding was held!

Derin in her bride's maid gown, aint she lovely?

Groom's man Uloko showing a well tailored cut!

Me lookin all serious and proper.

Derin Just wasn't into taking this picture, the heat was finally getting to her.

Last month,on the 26th to be exact, The elder sister of our Youth leader Uloko got married to a pastor, Pastor Kola of the Dominion christian Ministry. It was a well organised event with good music and a solemn ceremony. It even gave our present resident pastor,Mr. Kingsley Ojianelo the chance to try his skills as a officiating minister at a wedding. I suspect that it was his first time, {He did well anyway..}
I know funny things happen at weddings but I was kind of amazed when the presiding minister "failed" to tell the bride and groom to kiss officially under the eyes of God and man. The bride was already beginning to heave a sigh of relief when the M.C commanded that they Kiss. The bride and groom began to drag their feet as if they had never kissed before and it was only after the whole congregation began to hoot and boo did they give a wishy-washy, watery kiss. Very,Very disappointing.
What took the cake for me though was when Uloko and his brothers decided to sing a rock song for their sister during the reception. They'd written the song themselves and a friend played the guitar. It was all about them wanting her to stay longer but it not beBefore long the whole audience was crying as if the song was meant for them. Women and men watered the hall with their tears which I assume is a good thing because, Love was in the air.
Can't wait for another Wedding.

The new year resolution?@!

The beginning of a new year easily equals to new resolutions. I won't drink this anymore, I won't wear that anymore, I won't go shopping, ger a new credit card, and the list goes on and on. The thing that gets neglected every year is the things that we have done right in the past year and should continue. No one ever says, I have been a fabulous dancer maybe I should continue that or, I read fifteen books last year maybe I should increase my quota to twenty. Most of the time we are all too concerned with the things we didn't do that we fail to appreciate the things we did do.
If we want our years to be fulfilling and profitable, we need to have a balanced blend of the things we have been able to successfully achieve and the things we hope to inculcate into our lifestyles. That way, our new year will be a really fulfilling one.

dancing the waltz

Lesson1: The Basic Pattern
Let's Dance
To begin, it is important to be able to distinguish the unique 3/4 rhythm of the Waltz. If you happen to own the Do It At Home Ballroom for Beginners CD or cassette, turn it to track # 1, 2 or 3 to become familiar with this rhythm. Let’s look at some basic styling techniques. To create the graceful gliding appearance that distinguishes the Waltz from other dances, it is essential to stand upright with your weight directly centered over your feet. [See Waltz Lesson 2: Positioning, on the Ballroom for Beginners Video].
(Click here to look up a word in our glossary.)
Closed Position
The Waltz is danced in Closed Position. The man should place his right hand slightly beneath the woman’s left shoulder blade with his right arm held at a 90 degree angle to his body. His left arm should be raised so that the woman’s hand can rest lightly in it, and should be held at her eye level. The woman, in turn, should rest her left hand comfortably near the man’s right shoulder, providing pressure with her fingers and thumb to better “follow” her partner’s lead. For better balance, the woman should look over the man’s right shoulder. This also creates an elegant and poised dance position.

The Waltz Box Step
As you practice the following variation, begin practicing individually, and when you feel comfortable on your own, move into Closed Position and practice with your partner. Isolate the beat by counting the music off as “boom-tick-tick...boom-tick-tick-and lean,” beginning into the actual dance pattern. By preceding your forward motion with a lean, you will not “pop the clutch” on your dancing. In doing this, you will progress more quickly and be able to dance gracefully with your partner.
Count
Man's Part
Lead
Woman's Part
1
Left foot forward
Closed Position
Right foot back
2
Right foot side
Closed Position
Left foot side
3
Left foot close
Closed Position
Right foot close
4
Right foot back
Closed Position
Left foot forward
5
Left foot side
Closed Position
Right foot side
6
Right foot close
Closed Position
Left foot close


The Basic pattern resembles a box, and can be broken down into two half boxes - a forward half box and a backward half box. Each half box occupies three steps. Partners perform natural opposites. That is, when the man does the backward half box, the woman does the forward half box, and vice versa.Click here to proceed to the next Waltz lesson.
[ Learn Ballroom Steps Online Learn About Our Video and CD ] [ Ballroom Dance Tips Who Is The Ballroom Dance Group?][ Order the Video or CD ][ Home ]

A terrible accident!

On the 21st of August 2007, The youth and pastors of the chapel of redemption were returning from a national convention in the city of Ilorin in Kwara State, Nigeria when their automobile suffered a terrible accident. They fell headlong into the bushes by the roadside and all sustained different levels of injuries from basic scratches to broken bones. Only one person was spared any injuries- Their pastor, Mr. Adelana who sustained a heart attack and died on the spot. The collective faith of the church he pastored for over ten years was greatly shaken but by and by they, with the help of the Holy Spirit have managed to move on and carry the flame.

We love and miss Mr. Adelana but God loves him best! We will keep the flame burning and the vision alive.ADIEU! Till we meet again.

A terrible accident!

WHAT'S IN A NAME?
In one beautiful country not very far from here, there existed a corporate body charged with the task of providing electric power for the nation. It's name used to be NATIONAL ELECTRIC POWER AUTHORITY or N.E.P.A for short. An appropriate and wonderful name you would think. However, due to the dismal performance of it's duty and it's failure to provide adequate electricity for the nation, some people transmuted the acronym N.E.P.A to mean:
1) Never Expect Power Always (N.E.P.A)
2) National Eccentric Punishment Authority (N.E.P.A)
Recently, the government owned corporate bodywas privatised, ostensibly to promote efficency andinject some sanity into it's operation. It was given anew name to reflect it's new status. There was greatexpectation that this giant the people love to hatewould be radically reformed. Pungent optimism filledthe air as people waited with bated breath for aglorious new dawn of electric utopia.
No sooner had N.E.P.A been given the newglorious name of POWER HOLDING COMPANY OF THE NATION than performance deterioriated sharply! Black-outs for days on end, low voltage and ultra-low stabiliser-resistant current became the norm. The consequence?The nation experienced tremendous business losses, untimely deaths in hosptials, unbearable hardships in the home, at school, in hotel facilities, on the farms, in offices, in factories and in many recreational centres.
Inevitably, some people in the nation felt bitter. In the bid to express their frustration and disappointment, they waxed eloquent. They turned onthe new, more glorious name and mutilated it. They needed to vent their spleen on something. There was nothing else they could turn on but the name. Nothing, just the name. Below is a short list ofthe mutilations that are making the rounds.
1) Power Has Collapsed Nationwide (P.H.C.N)
2) Privatise, Horrify, Crucify and Neutralise(P.H.C.N)
3) Proclaim it, Here Comes Nonsense!! (P.H.C.N)
4) Pray Hard for Commonsense Now (P.H.C.N)
5) Prepare to Harvest Calamity Next (P.H.C.N)
6) Please Hold the Candle Nearer (P.H.C.N)
7) Power Hoodwinks and Corrupts Naturally (P.H.C.N)
8) Pandemonium,Hooliganism & Catalysm Network(P.H.C.N)
9) Power that Hurts and Cripples the Nation (P.H.C.N)
10) Pure Hatred Cloaked as Noblilty (P.H.C.N)
11) Perpertual Half Current is Nice! (P.H.C.N)
12) Powerless, Heartless and Careless Nitwits(P.H.C.N)
13) Photo-trick has Confused the Nation (P.H.C.N)
14) Power Hoarding Company of the Nation (P.H.C.N)
There is no end to the permutation,combination and mutation of the elements that make up"P.H.C.N"; attesting to the fact that great wrath breeds caustic poetry. Come to think of it, what's really in a name?
If say you are unfortunate to have a beautiful name or worse still a really glorious name,could it ever be a burden too heavy to bear? Look at your name for a minute, Think about it for two minutes! Amazing isn't it! If friends, foes, neighbours, classmates, associates or some busybodies were to attempt to twist your name because they somewhat perceive a mismatch between your name and your character, could you live to make it impossible for them to do so?What would it take to make your name match your character? Check the following passages for the answer.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
Phillipians 4:12-13
Colossians 1:9-112
Thesselonians 3:3
Isaiah 40:29-31
Revelations 3:12.

A Little post from a friend!

'I Hope You Dance...
This was written by an 83-year-old woman to her friend.
*The last line says it all. *Dear Bertha,I'm reading more and dusting less. I'm sitting in the yard and admiring the view without fussing about the weeds in the garden. I'm spending more time with my family and friends and less time working.Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experiences to savor, not to endure. I'm trying to recognize these moments now and cherish them.I'm not "saving" anything; we use our good china and crystal for every special event such as losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, or the first Amaryllis blossom.I wear my good blazer to the market. My theory is if I look prosperous, I can shell out $28.49 for one small bag of groceries. I'm not saving my good perfume for special parties, but wearing it for clerks in the hardware store and tellers at the bank."Someday" and "one of these days" are losing their grip on my vocabulary. If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it nowI'm not sure what others would've done had they known they wouldn't be here for the tomorrow that we all take for granted. I think they would have called family members and a few close friends. They might have called a few former friends to apologize and mend fences for past squabbles. I like to think they would have gone out for a Chinese dinner or for whatever their favorite food was.I'm guessing; I'll never know.It's those little things left undone that would make me angry if I knew my hours were limited. Angry because I hadn't written certain letters that I intended to write one of these days. Angry and sorry that I didn't tell my husband and parents often enough how much I truly love them. I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter and luster to our lives. And every morning when I open my eyes, tell myself that it is special.Every day, every minute, every breath truly is a gift from God. If you received this, it is because someone cares for you. If you're too busy to take the few minutes that it takes right now to forward this, would it be the first time you didn't do the little thing that would make a difference in your relationships? I can tell you it certainly won't be the last.Take a few minutes to send this to a few people you care about, just to let them know that you're thinking of them."People say true friends must always hold hands, but true friends don't need to hold hands because they know the other hand will always be there."
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance

The truth behind boy/girl relationships

THE TRUTH ABOUT TEENAGE RELATIONSHIPS!
When we hear about the drama that parents put up when they discover that their child has a girlfriend/boyfriend, we begin to get the impression that there is something evil about being interested in the opposite sex. That in turn, pushes young people to go under the radar and still engage in such relationships. The problems begin when as a result of the lack of guidance and surveillance by parents, these young people end up indulging in the less prettier areas of relationship (premarital sex and the like.
So what is really so bad about teenagers engaging in opposite sex relationships? Nothing! Actually, the odd thing would be if the teenager doesn't see anyone who catches his fancy. The way our bodies are designed actually trigger these sudden 'crushes'. Once a teenager approaches puberty, his body produces certain hormones that develop his physical extremities and mental orientation for procreation. Just imagine if no one felt the urge to procreate, or everyone developed the urge but didn't have the tools to go about it. In a century the whole of mankind would die out. s
God has given us this great priviledge, BUT he also expects one thing from us- RESPONSIBILITY! What we do with God's gifts is our choice but it is also our responsibility to accept the consequences of doing things wrongly. It's our choice.