MyMUSINGS DAY 11

Just another regular  day. The countdown to the weekend has already begun. Well, considering I have only Sunday to myself this weekend then I rephrase, "Countdown to Sunday has already begun".

On the bus ride back home, I'm seated behind this really cute couple. I didn’t need to see their wedding bands to come to the conclusion that they are newly weds. I have been around a few friends turned newly weds this year so I know the sign from a mile off. You see, newly weds are not even tired of their bodies being in close contact. It's either the wife's head is on the husbands shoulder with her hands wrapped around his arm or the husbands arm is outstretched over the shoulders of his wife with his head bent low towards hers. Then there's that look they share that speaks volumes. That kind of gooey eyed look they give each other that says "I know your secret" especially when they think no one's looking.

Of course there's the constant flash of the wedding ring which the wife does. All of a sudden, there's always something to take off from the side to the back of her neck that needs her to extend her fingers. This process enables any and everyone see perfectly her wedding rings.
These are some of the signs I know anyway.

So this couple have their hands wrapped around each other and the wife has her head on her husband's shoulder while they are watching something, a movie probably on an iPad with the earpiece shared between them. They are also laughing softly and sometimes the wife looks up to her husband with a smile on her face.

One time, she dusts his cheek removing to me what is an imaginary object, but yet another avenue to touch him. Just then, the husband calls out to one of the hawkers and buys 2 packets of gala. I expected that he would just give her one and keep the other for himself. Instead, he opens only one, cuts a small part and offers to his wife. After sometime he cuts another part and offers to her. He does this continuously until the first gala is finished and does the same to the other one. Sadly I must have missed the class the day "romantic cells" were being distributed because for me, bros biko, you'll give me my gala and you can eat your own. It doesn't mean I don’t connect with you o but come on it's just a gala! Nevertheless, I really do like what I see…I mean who wouldn't?

Love is a wonderful feeling! It is indeed one of the most powerful emotions ever known to man. To me, there's just something about it that is divine. The fact that you get this person who fills your thoughts and mind. The fact that your heart does a flip when this person comes close to you or the truth that you never want conversations with this person to end. In short, you get this person you call "your own". I feel this is how much God loves us. 

He wants us to always be conscious of His presence, to never stop talking to Him or about Him, He wants us to always be thinking about Him. God desires that we always be connected to Him almost like we can feel Him and touch Him. God's love for us surely beats any kind hands down. It sets a standard, one that has to do with the life of His beloved Son for our own salvation which makes us branded as "God's own".

I sometimes wonder that if we who are full of sin can love and be loved, imagine how immense the love of the one who is without sin!

1 Corinthians 2:9- No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.

Nkem

MyMUSINGS  DAY 10

Ah!!! Today was a good day!

After so many weeks of trying to hitch a sponsor for our staff retreat this Saturday, we finally get a "YES". Got a call from my contact in the sponsor company yesterday saying their Regional Manager was in town and would love to meet with my MD today. Dashed to her office to break the news to her and she immediately lit up!

This was what we had all been expecting for a long time. We both checked our budget and any other thing that we would need to present, crossed our T's, dotted our I's, we were ready.

The sponsor company team came in today, all looking like fresh mint one thousand naira notes. The thee of them (Regional Manager inclusive) with just my MD and I. After the formal introductions were made and few jokes cracked, we all sat down for the main "gbedu". My MD talked a bit about our program, the prospects of being a partner and basically what they stand to gain both in the short and long run. Then she hands over the baton to me saying, " Nkem will tell you more about our project and how you can key into this".

Sometimes situations will arise when you feel like you don’t fit into what you do, times will come when the monotony of the job you do makes you wish for something different. While that may be time to re-evaluate and probably re-invent yourself, it's no time for you to devalue what you have at that point in time.

God sure knows what He's doing! Where you are today is an avenue to where He's taking you to. You might look around you and wonder what good can come out of your current position but that’s not your concern. It's God's job to turn your stones to studs, so let Him! All you have to do is take pride in doing the little things because they turn out to be what matter,  make use of every opportunity that comes your way, do the best you can while trusting God to do the rest.

Two months preparation for this presentation was summarized in ten minutes. The late nights spent compiling reports, scolding's from my MD, my social time cut short with friends and movie nights with the family. All this I poured into this today and during those minutes, the "tigress" showed her claws. Throughout the presentation, the Regional Manager kept nodding and the other team members were scribbling away. As for my MD, she had this proud look that said "I trained her".

I see them out to the reception after the meeting and the Regional Manager says to me, " Great presentation Nkem and your passion for your company is remarkable. We'll definitely be talking to you soon because our company needs your kind of expertise"

I was being poached!

About two hours later, the call from my contact comes in. Our proposal has been approved.

Proverbs 22:29 - Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before Kings; he will not serve before obscure men.

Nkem

My MUSINGS DAY 9.

I have been asked by over 15 people why I do not have a blog. "I do o, just too lazy to put posts up," I reply. Started my blog in 2013 after being inspired by a charity trip I went for with Rotaract Club. The words in my head were just too much seeking for an outlet of release.

Hence, www.nkemsays.wordpress.com came into existence. I am not so serious with this blog as there's always an excuse for not writing when I plan to. In a year, I can just publish on the blog a maximum of 5 posts, most times 3, sometimes none. As at today, I have written for 7 days consecutively as opposed to 5 times in a year. Not bad. Not bad at all.

I asked for a raise today. Well, not for me, for our office assistant. I have noticed his attitude towards work and how he tries to take care of everyone. Virtually the whole office loves to send him to do stuff for them, either for work or personal related. He never complains...

This guy doesn’t mind to walk to Seme border, take okada and go to Ogun State via Ikorodu (my new found land). The odd thing is, he comes back sweaty and sun burnt, but he's grinning as he gives you feedback! The Managers love to tease him especially with his "calabar English" accent  he's been blessed with.

The trainees relate well with him though it's pretty obvious that he's a good number of years older than them! I was ready to defend my actions- why I felt he deserved a raise especially to the Managing Director but there were no questions asked about this.

This is will be short; do the ordinary things extraordinarily well. No one is irreplaceable but always let your trademark be seen. Everyone is passing through one struggle or the other. Be nice.

Ecclesiaistes 9: 10- Whatever your hand finds to do, do with all your might.

Nkem

MyMUSINGS DAY 8

I have been in a mood funk all day. For some reason I had this heaviness in my heart. Prayed about it of course and then talked to two friends about it. Whilst one sings for me and encourages me with God's words, the other sends a delivery of cupcakes and ice cream with a note which reads "For your low sugar level". I know I am blessed. One doesn’t get so lucky with friends like these. I'm feeling much better minutes later but still that heaviness continues.

I decide to leave the office early. Maybe sleep would do me much good. I honestly have nothing to share or inspiration to dish out and I tell God to just have His way. I want to keep my promise to Him this May but this is the quintessential of the spirit being willing and the body weak.

I'm tucked in for bed at 9pm, gradually dozing off when my phone rings. I answer the call without waiting for Truecaller to identify the caller, all I know is it’s a foreign number, probably American.
"Hey Bubba, I'm in" the caller says. I recognize the voice immediately. This is my childhood friend who has refused to drop the name I was called growing up, one that was given to me because of my incessant love for bubbles, one of the many nick names that has refused to go away. "Yup, in where?" I look at the phone again and confirm that it's a foreign number. She obviously can't be in Nigeria now so I ask her how come she's in here and calling me with a foreign number. "Abeg abeg wake up, I'm innn Nkem, NASA called today", she says. It takes me a while to digest this and then I'm screaming everywhere round the house. My friend is laughing, crying on the phone. After my theatrics, I'm seated on the floor by my bed while she relieves the story.

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I'm often reminded that whatever you think about can be achieved. I am fortunate to have been gifted with a good number of prodigy's as friends. Young people who do stuff at ages way above expectations. The word impossible doesn’t just exist to them! Their faith is so on high and their belief that absolutely everything can be done just amazes me all the time.

I learnt from them that whatever you have conceived in your mind, you can do with your hands. I learnt from them that God was clearly serious about nothing being impossible with Him. Like one would tell me "Do you know what it is for God to breathe life into you? The life we live is God's breath in us, don’t waste it". The lyrics to a song I love says that it's the same power that raised Jesus from the dead that is in you. I wonder how that kind of power can be resident in you and then lay fallow doing absolutely nothing?

For my friend her dream came true today. A dream she had over 20 years ago to be a space scientist. After all the challenges she had been through, especially as a 'young african female' in a white dominated field, it happened today! I always wondered if she was dropped on her head as a child because no one ever thought she'd keep true to her dreams. What is your business to go to Mars or Pluto, we would ask her?

She sends her contract to me and I'm in shock. Her remuneration is called stipend and I laugh "You know the tithe of your stipend is four times my take home salary right? We both laugh, pray and just gist generally before we decide to call it a night. Now I know why my heart was heavy. It was preparing me for this.

Don’t give up on your dreams, they are yours for a reason!

Phil 4:13- I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me.

Psa 82:6 - I said, "You are gods, you are all sons of the Most High"

Nkem

MyMUSINGS  DAY 7

I am still "bus-lagged" from my missionary journey to Ikorodu yesterday. My knees feel wobbly and knuckles won't stop cracking. I sleep all morning with the intention of attending the evening mass and tell my mother so, that I would be going for the evening mass when she asks me about church today. She rolls her eyes at me and I am reminded why I love to roll my own eyes. To her, evening mass is "old people's mass" and I agree with her. I am mentally old.  Besides the evening mass in my parish has more young folk in attendance. It might as well be the remodeled youth mass.

This song is one of my favorite Igbo songs and when it is sung by the officiating priest during consecration at mass, I am in seventh heaven.

Aka Aka ya, Aka Jesus na'eme mma
Olu ebube ya, nke Na eruari na'ebem no
Isi iyi nke ndu, nke na dighi ata'ta
Aka Aka ya, Aka Jesus na'eme mma.

For my non-Igbo people, don’t worry I will explain. This song simply talks about the arm of the Lord doing great things. That the display of God's splendor can be seen all around me. It praises God as the stream of life that never runs dry and concludes by talking about the arm of the Lord that does great things.

I really don’t know how to explain the greatness of God, infact my whole lifetime won't be enough to even "get it". All I know how to do now is just rest in the knowledge that my "Abba" is in charge of the heavens, the earth and all who live in it.

I imagine a Father who doesn't sleep nor slumber, He's always waiting up for me. I imagine a Father who walks with me hand in hand with his rod and staff that bring me comfort, who dem be to come waylay me, where dem even dey sef, abi dem no dey look face?

I envision a Father who throws a serious turn-up party for me with my haters all in attendance but I'm dancing like no one's watching. I think about a Father who just loves to bless me every second of every minute in all hours of the day that turn to weeks, months and form the years of my life.

There's really no need for me to envision this, I have Him for real and so do you!

Let us hold on to God's word so His promises can come true. In this lifetime, this is the only way to really experience (to an extent) the greatness of the arm of the Almighty.

Job 26:14 - And these are but the outer fringe of His works; how faint the whisper we hear of Him! Who then can understand the thunder of His power?

Nkem

MyMUSINGS DAY 6

My eyes saw "weeeen" today. Some very special people to me are expecting that I write about a particular journey we embarked on some hours ago. I will not disappoint them.

Egbin….!

Egbin is a hidden part of Ikorodu. To think that so far, I have spent a greater part of my life in Lagos but today marks my first time ever in Ikorodu might not be so surprising. I just don’t know how to waka waka and if I must, it must be in great company and the person I'm journeying for or event I'm going to has to be totally worth it. All this criteria was met today as I left in the company of my Deanery (a group of parishes in a locality) members to the CYON ADC  meeting. Besides my paddy was the host. I had to be there.

I don’t know why I always thought that Ikorodu was the next bus stop after Ketu. After about 65 minutes (with some traffic in place) well past Ketu bus stop today, the reality is crystal clear; Ikorodu is a neighboring town on the outskirts of Lagos State.

The road is a pretty straight forward one but our destination today was embedded in a jigsaw puzzle. Our host knew this and so sent out his members to navigate guests to the venue. It was- turn left, go straight, keep going straight, turn right, follow the bend, turn right again, pause in traffic, to the left now, straight again, keep going straaiiighht…ah-ah, the journey just refused to finish!

I couldn’t help but notice the names of bus stops which sounded very dramatic- Owode, Majidun, Ijede, Itamaga, Poroboan estate, Igbogbo-Dayeku, Oke cele, Ewu Elepe, Iroko, Omitoro. Then the names of businesses just cracked me up- Kaash-Meen, Anidemidi-Ibon, Vomof International school, ChongFi petroleum, Mumzy Ismail boutique. These people didn't come to joke at all.

Life is a journey. Life is a passing phase. You will meet the different people, see different things. Some will excite you, some would discourage you. Sometimes you will laugh, cry, be inspired, get frustrated. What makes it worthwhile are those who accompany you on this journey and your persistence, perseverance and determination to reach your destination and finish strong. God could have made each man an island, He is God, He can do anything! Instead, He created Adam and Eve, said be fruitful and multiply-fill the earth. Indeed God put people in our lives for a reason. Appreciate them!

We finally get to the venue through the help of our Deanery google map in the person of our Welfare officer who surprised me with her navigation prowess and courage amidst the joy and laughter of members who made the trip wonderfully interesting. I am welcomed with a huge grin on the face of my friend the host, hugged and greeted by some members, once total strangers who have now become family. I am home.

Romans 12:10- Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Nkem

MyMUSINGS DAY 5

Ah, I am taayaaad! Work today had no chill. I'm tempted to spread out on my bed like a virus and shut down for the day.  I have to do this. I have promised God and my vows to the Lord I will fulfill before all His people.

The past three months in the office have been hectic. To top it all, I noticed that the attitude of my very jovial, dry joke cracker boss just changed. His replies were curt in the morning when I greet him. His jokes were not forthcoming, he just became stoic. Most times he kept assigning more work load my way especially stuff that I felt was a total waste of my time. At some point, I became confused about my job description.

It was almost like everything I did annoyed him and then he was bent on punishing me for something I knew for sure that I didn’t do. Maybe he was probably experiencing some marital problems, I mused. I would have asked him what went wrong or better still what I did wrong but for some reason I didn’t. The work environment that period was awful and it took it's toll on me.

It didn't help matters at all that my closest work buddies were resigning to move on to greater prospects. I confided in some of my friends about this on how I wanted to just resign as well. "Okay, you resign now and go to where?" I was asked. "See you, it's like you don’t even know what you have, people would tear cloth to be in your shoes" others said. "Hay, God, are you even listening to yourself?" Then a long hiss would follow.

After all these reactions, I couldn’t even bring myself to actually explain that the environment just wasn’t favorable anymore. That my really nice boss was gradually becoming an ogre and going to work was a struggle!

Today, he sends a message to me coping the MD that he wouldn't be coming to work and for the very first time, I stepped into the shoes of my boss. For about 8 hours, I was the CFO of the company.

As I dashed up and down round the office, creating reports, checking performance parameters this week, calling branch managers, responding to the numerous calls of my MD, detailing some colleagues to do stuff, meeting clients and affiliates, I'm humbled. I realize that my boss was actually preparing me for this! He knew very well that I would NEVER learn hard and fast with him being lenient with me and cracking jokes I rolled my eyes at. I had to learn the tough way as the task ahead was tougher, hence his withdrawal.

Sometimes this is how it is with God. When we face challenges that almost knock us out of the game, we are quick to write off the lessons He wants to teach. We feel that He has abandoned  us and we start recalling sins past that He doesn’t hold against us.

We start comparing our lives with others and wonder why ours is always different. Why we have to go through so much pain and struggle when it seems like everyone else has it easy. Why it doesn’t seem like anything is working out especially when we put in our very best. It may not look like it now, but trust me on this, God is preparing you for something wonderful! He hasn’t left you, just watching you more closely.

Hang in there! As is said, the teacher is always quiet during the test.

1 Peter 5:10 - And the God of all grace who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

 Nkem 

Photo Credit: Titus Ogunniyi 

MyMUSINGS DAY 4

My ride back home today was rather uneventful. I think I might have napped a bit sef. Earlier today, a close friend asked me why things can't just be simple with me. "Common to go back home "jejely" with BRT bus, nooo! You have to turn it into Festac BRT Bus Revelation Ministries". She says it with a poker face but still we both laugh hard. Well, nothing was revealed in the bus today. The small witch must have jinxed it.

Nevertheless…

Tuesdays and Thursdays mornings before 8am at work are prayer times. For a well recognized financial institution, this is pretty remarkable. Everyone take turns to lead in the prayer sessions and even the Muslims join us to pray!

Today I request that the Recovery Manager lead us and he makes a face. "Bros, abeg are you quarreling with Jesus?" I ask him. He starts to make a string of excuses why he can't lead that morning. I'm nodding trying to follow each reason but the truth is I still don’t get it. I try to encourage him that the fact he's in the mood funk he's in is the main reason why he should give thanks. We are still talking but I move towards the reception to beckon on the others signing in.

Our office assistant hears me and immediately exclaims " Miss Nkem, I will pray today o, I'm in the spirit" Ha! This young man is known for his marathon prayers and we need to keep it pretty short today because we were starting a bit late. I nod towards him while pointing to my wrist watch. He gets my message and smiles with his head to the ground.

Then the prayer starts.

15 minutes later, we are still praying.

For some reason, I look up and find one of my colleagues laughing with her eyes closed. I make a mental note to ask her about her "karashika" attitude later. This young man prayed o. 30 minutes later and our office assistant finally releases us with the grace.

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Back on my seat, I'm thinking. I know God wants to ask, seek and knock. He wants us to come to Him with different prayers and requests and supplication with thanksgiving. Still, I think the most important factor is praying according to His will. I strongly feel that if something was not meant to be, if something isn't according to God's will for you, it might not just come to pass. It doesn’t matter how long you pray or how loud you scream or how many "Amens" you shout out per minute. It just won't come to pass. Even the greatest prayer of all time, the Lords prayer recognizes this. "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven"

Our guy probably knows this well and so he concludes with asking that God let us live out what He has planned.

For me, this is indeed the prayer above all prayers.

1 John 5:14-15 - This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

Nkem

On this night of record breaking by Real Madrid here is Nkem again.

MyMUSINGS DAY 3

I'm encouraged. Really.

The feedback to the MMM Day 2 message was inspiring, thank you all! I promised God that I'd do this to honor our Mother in this month of May. Each day, I would share my experience or those of friends and reach out to inspire someone, even if its just one person! Three days down, twenty eight to go…

I've known Lekan (name changed) for about two months now. We met on the queue at our usual Festac BRT bus stop. He sure fits the tall, dark and handsome description and what some call the 'yoruba demons' (meaning those unnecessarily fine looking Yoruba brothers) but I deviate here.

We talk casually once in a while when our paths cross or we get to seat together in the bus. Today he tells me his birthday was two days back and I genuinely wish him well. For some reason, I start to talk about him being grateful to God for his life, good health and other stuff. I'm stopped midway when he smiles and says, "Nkem, I'm a living testimony of what God can do". Of course the "amebo mama" in me springs to action and I subtly encourage him to tell me more.

Summary, Lekan used to be (in his own words) " a nonentity". A good for nothing, written off by family, friends, he had even written himself off. His life in the university was a mixture of hard drugs, booze, bad company. He said to me, "Think of anything evil and wrong and totally disgusting, I've done it". Of course his 8 carry-overs and CGPA of 1.1 was not a bother to him.

For an electrical engineering course of 5 years, he spent 9 years in the university. At some point he contemplated suicide as the solution to end the misery he called his life.

Today, Lekan is working in one of the topmost oil companies in Nigeria in charge of oil field inspection. The days he's not boarding the bus, he's probably in some helicopter hovering over oil fields in Akwa Ibom, Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers State when he's onshore. He's seems happy and it shows.

You see, God can use the most mundane to do the most incredible! This brings me to realizing more that it doesn’t matter at all where you’ve been or where you're at, if you HONESTLY reach out to Him for help, He'll lift you up. He'll not only send His angels to take charge concerning you but they will lift you up lest you strike your feet against a stone. This He has promised. He CANNOT fail.

For Lekan, he knew he wasn’t living, merely existing, so he cried out. With all his heart he reached out to God. Of course God heard Him, from His heavenly throne he heard him, picked him up and then dusted him.

The rest today is history…

2 Cor 5:17- Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old is gone, the new has come!

Nkem

Bio: Jesus-Lover. Nature-buff. Social Entrepreneur. Business Doctor. Blogger. Youth Leader. I keep changing. For now, this is ME.

Today was a good day, tiring but good. On the bus home, we heard some gunshots and even those who had dozed off, woke up with such agility as if they had just passed 100V of electric current through their bodies! The guy seated next to me says loudly, ‘Nna ehn biko, let them tell me if I should lie down flat now, because I no fit to argue at all, na dem get power’.

Even though this brings about some laughter in the bus, this sums up one word- FEAR. This guy and most (probably all) of us in the bus were crippled with the fear of these robbers who perhaps where at a further distance from where we actually were. This brought me to a stark revelation that “Fear has no boundary, fear knows no limit”. Once you allow the emotion in, it completely takes over. When fear grips you, for those few seconds, you're motionless, your heart almost in your mouth, not even able to think but just focus on that which makes you afraid.

Fear Not!

This is easy to say, hard to follow I know especially in a country like ours. Nevertheless, it is said that this phrase appears about more than 365 times in the Bible. Probably God’s daily capsule for us to remember that He’s got this. Whatever it is that gives us the chills, God is saying, “Fear Not”. That’s enough assurance to hold on to as you can surely take God’s word to the Bank. Let your practice of His words be your everyday deposit and your faith be your currency.

It surely pays!

Psalm 118:6- The Lord is with me, I will not be afraid, what can mere mortals do to me?

Nkem

Bio: Jesus-Lover. Nature-buff. Social Entrepreneur. Business Doctor. Blogger. Youth Leader. I keep changing. For now, this is ME.

Hi there!

So for the next 30 days, I will be sharing with you an amazing journey into the life of my very dear friend, sister, leader, accounting professional and soon to be chorister, Nkembuch Melaugha

I hope you find each day interesting and challenging.

This would only be shared in the evenings

So welcome to Nkem's Musings

OjisiEmezie

DAY 1…The beginning

I looked through my list yesterday and the plan to "Reach out to at least 500 people for God" which is one of the goals to be achieved before my next birthday is quite daunting. Decided yesterday to simplify it so it can be more achievable. I've thought of several titles and came up with "Inspire 30 people in 30 days". This means I have to write something everyday for the 30 days?! Ha!

I'm not sure about the outcome of this considering I have not written in a while, February to be precise. Where do I even start from? How exactly do I inspire people sef? What will I write about? If I'm going to do this, today might as well  be my practice day.

Something tells me to just live and write. Make the little things count. Talk to some friends if they would like to share experiences, be extremely vigilant all through the day.

This will be tough o! What time would I set aside for this? Am I sure this is possible? God, abeg guide me. I really want to do this but I'm so chicken right now. The timing especially will nearly kill me!! Plus I have to drop something for each day?!!!

Won't overthink this. Anything that I can do, I'll do. Anywhere I stop, I stop. At least I would say that I tried.

Meanwhile, dropping a Bible verse at the end of each post, would just be fine.

Nkem

Jesus-Lover. Nature-buff. Social Entrepreneur. Business Doctor. Blogger. Youth Leader. I keep changing. For now, this is ME.