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Shall We Pray: For Convictions Compromised For A Perceived Greater Good
Shall we pray? Lord, Many times we find our convictions clashing with intellectual smartness. What we call smartness often times is a call to compromise, a value shift for a perceived greater good. We lie. We lie about our plans to avoid nosey fangs of pretentious admirers. We lie through patched places, lonely spaces, for survival and we are often quick to point to Abraham and Sarah. We lie about our faith to avoid public lynching and find affirmations in Peter’s denial of Jesus. After all, he lived through it to become a leading apostle. The denial ultimately served a greater good. We lie, Lord. And many times, with…
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Naked and Ashamed: The Unsolved Half of Shared Problems
“A problem shared is half solved” –The intending counsellor’s starter pack I think so too. If I didn’t I wouldn’t have nudged Tumisi to write that letter to Nathan three weeks ago. I’m a mental health police, I’d like to believe. It’s in the ways I look out for the sanity of the people I care about. While this can be sometimes overbearing for them- my incessant “are you goods,” that is- I rarely budge. I find the bottling of emotions an unhealthy practice, a subconscious hatred for our wellbeing. And while I do not always have answers, I believe me and my folks take a chip off mountains each time…
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Dear Nathan
Dear Nathan, I saw your pix on Facebook, the one which attracted over 500 likes and 200 comments, about 50 percent increase in response over the one you uploaded three weeks earlier. You had the biggest smile on, the magic which pulled the response, I suppose. In spite of my beef for cute guys on Facebook, I just couldn’t be mean. I clicked the love icon. However, there was something about your eyes: they were dark. Not even your flickering smiles could hide the sadness in there. It’s been over three months we talked; three months our friendship thrived only on the comment boxes of our status updates. Our inbox…
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Of Ancient Fields And A Harvest Of Words
It’s thirteen days into the New Year and I can’t boast of the “ideal” New Year’s Resolution. This has nothing to do with me forming ‘woke’ like the folks who consider others immature for being resolute about something every year. I used to be like them, hating on New Year’s Resolutions and its strict adherents because every “intellectual” I knew did same. What I didn’t realize was I was shortchanging myself by living a life void of viable plans and actions. I was stuck in a maze, and the only movements I made were circumferential. Last year, I had a Resolution. It was a decision made after observing how messed…
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Someday, We Die…
When I was sixteen, I had a near-death experience. I had been battling chronic typhoid and Malaria for days but refused to tell mom and dad because I didn’t want to undergo the torture of drugs and injections. However, I told my elder sis, and pled she kept mum. She obliged. But the day she saw me bent over, unable to walk straight or eat any meal, she stopped being the ally. Sis ran to dad and told him about our little secret. I found myself in the “chemist” of a whack nurse, stabbed with an injection that left my ass black for months. That was a Saturday. Dad couldn’t…
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The Burden of Shame
The day I saw Dare’s tears, I was scared. In spite of my activism for the free expression of our human frailty, I was yet to accept that people like Dare cry. It was a rude awakening, seeing a beacon of smiles who lights up the cheer in every heart, unable to keep the sparks in his eyes. His heart-wrenching sobs were like swords poking through the gates of my compassion. As Pastor went on teaching God’s word in that Thursday’s Bible Study, I couldn’t help but fix my mind on the dude sitting behind me. When people cry during church service, it is assumed that God’s word is the…
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For Things I Don’t Deserve
This week, there’s been an overwhelming consciousness of peace, the abiding presence of Yahweh. I wake up each day with thanks on my lips. Nah, not the usual religious lingo used to spice up a boring devotion- the “thank you for making me to see another day…” line we dole out to the Lord in naps. This is mindful gratitude, that which sets one’s soul on a journey to uncovering God’s goodness. Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. (Psalm 103:1-2) I forget not his benefits. I remember the day…
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A Dance In The Deep
If storms were friendly, you could’ve been buddies. Each day some unfortunate event seems to strengthen your bond. The world thinks you both are an item, some inseparable pair cruising misery. Sometimes, you think so too; series of misadventures make you assume such. For this cause, you embrace the storms, its waves and all. If loving storms were enough to bring warmth, you would’ve been at ease. But you’re not. You’re a frigid being in need of peace. You thought an embrace was all the storms needed to be melodic with its roars. Perhaps, it waves would rock you to sleep. But three days ago when November said hi, you…
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Before You Sing That Song…
What is the most important part of a song? There, is one question that’ll see the last generation of music enthusiasts. There is an uneven divide between which amongst lyrics and melody, overrides other components in a song. Melody gets higher preference for its ability to stick to one’s subconscious even when lyrics are appalling. Lyrics is celebrated for its ability to put into words that which music it’s too shy to express. For most music professionals however, the debate is unnecessary; every component of music is important. When I hear a song for the first time, four things capture my interest: instrumentals, vocals, melody and production. The fifth is…
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Forgive Me Dear Blogging Counsellors, I Don’t Have a Niche
I once loved being called a blogger. Like “singer”, “songwriter”, and “poet”, “blogger” is a name I’d wanted etched on my personality. Blogging seemed like a forte, like some shield against the insults society hauls at unemployed graduates. The Facebook profiles of some friends are worth considering. Somehow, these job seekers get “gainfully” employed as CEOs of anything.com. While some people may consider this a sham, I do think otherwise. “Blogger” is hope- a new way of advancing an already stagnant life. The first set of blogs I read were online diaries. I stumbled into them during my penultimate year in the university. I was intrigued by how much people…
