Why ask Saints for intercession?

If you are not a catholic don't bother read this article except you want to be one, if you are a catholic and you don't believe in Saints don't read except you want to be convinced. It is nice to hear some Christians say it is not biblical to ask for saints' intercession? Yet it is biblical to ask spiritual fathers and pastors to intercede for one? I mean pray for someone?

Who are saints? Saints are well described in the bible precisely book of Revelation, the bible described twenty four elders praising God on his throne 24/7. Another description of people 144,000 in number who have washed their cloth clean with palms in their hands and they are people from various races and nations. So, when the Catholic Church call some persons Saints and others Blessed you start looking for the biblical backing again?  Even if the bible do not refer them as Saints but the bible depicts their Holiness as persons so who say Sainthood is not biblical? Jesus told his own apostles that his right and left side his not for them but their names has been written some where special. Paul in his writings made a description of crown of glory as reward for a strive towards perfection. So, if you are a Christian and you don't believe in sainthood is as good as saying you don't believe you will be making heaven for heaven is a state meant for saints.

What do saints do? The bible described them as people before the throne of God praising him day and night. There is a clear distinction about the personality of saints and angels, angels are God's messengers with special duties. Saints are before God keep him company day and night.

Why ask Saints for intercession? It is normal to ask men of God to pray for us because we know that they communicate with God directly. They seem to have God's hotline but often time we forget they are humans and they have limitations too and not even better than we are. Mind you they aren't always in the presence of God like the saints and they can't claim holiness like the saints. Intercession is an action that depict God's love in us, all prophets and patriarchs in the Bible interceded base on their relationship with God. When men of God pray for us and with us they are equally interceding for us. Then if we see nothing wrong in them praying for us then there is nothing wrong in asking saints to pray for you, remember they are before God always keeping his company and they are equally holy; mind you the holiness of man is like a filthy rag before God.

Saints have gone through what we are going through in  life we might say time and circumstances differs. They were once sinners so they are indeed models. The fact that they have concluded their race with crown of glory as a reward mean they can as well be a guide to we the pilgrims that look forward to that exceptional reward. They are always in the company of God so a request for a saint to intercede for  you mean your request will always be before God day and night.

All ye Saints in Heaven......Pray for us...
.angel

Build Your Team Spirit

Christiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid FC the Portuguese is the world Best Player and indeed he is a world class player with high team Spirit. Even his current adjutant the Argentine player Lionel Messi of Barcelona FC is classic player with outstanding team spirit. Lionel Messi ‘s classic performance coupled with his outstanding team spirit gave his team victory over group stage counterparts Bosnia and Nigeria at the last world cup. Christiano Ronaldo was indeed instrumental to the Victory of Real Madrid FC in the Last season Champions’ league likewise he was instrumental to his country qualification to the last World Cup. These people are individuals with outstanding team spirit.

No man is an island you may be brilliant and intelligent that wouldn’t make you the next person to be celebrated in your field of endeavor if you fail to be a team player. Besides, your brilliancy and intelligent quotient can really be appraised by those whom you have worked with. In the game of football no matter how good you are with the round leather if you don’t fit into a team. No good and tactical coach will prefer to have you on the pitch for 90^th minutes displaying your individual brilliancy if it will not yield a goal, in fact such action will be tagged “selfishness or pride”. Even in academic world the fact that you are brilliant and intelligent can only be inferred base on your position in the overall performance of the class.

To be outstanding you have to stand tall within. Imagine in a class with two outstanding students, the one with good interpersonal relationship will represent the class more in intra/inter school academic competition than his counterpart who is always self-centered. As a player you just have build your team spirit in ant field of endeavor you find yourself.

.angel

Marriage: Never accept a visa without a work permit!

Marriage make an African woman a migrant; she gets to leave her father's house for another man's house. To really migrate following due process you need to be granted a visa and you need an international passport. It is typical of most European countries and first world countries to grant you a visa with some bit of restrictions. It is typical of an African man to marry a woman with some bit of restrictions too. Often time you see married women fighting these restrictions in their marriages when these restrictions were clearly spelt out before they sign off their maiden identity.

One of the headache of today's enlightened girls is the issue of the "headship" of a man in family. Today's family where economically it takes too to tango compare to the "oldschool" where the man is the automatic breadwinner. So, a today girl feels if she contributes to the resources to uphold the family then the style of leadership in homes must change from "I" to "We". Likewise, the level of Education and exposure with credence to gender equality question the age long African tradition of "Man is the head of the family."
The drama of "kitchen and other room" gives a picture of what modern marriages is going through in our society. Let us ignore the actor and actress and focus on the action. It is typical of African Man to come with a bit of restrictions in the marriage and this often start during courtship. Most females overlook this restrictions for whatever reasons known to them. The most common one is what I can tagged "work permit".

For those migrating abroad not to be given a work permit is as good as going there for an holiday or sightseeing it seems similar in marriage. The moment an African man come with a notion of restricting his wife from doing any thing to earn a living then there is need to be suspicious. Though, most African men come up with the notion out of love and because they have the financial muscle to shoulder their responsibility. Such men expected such wives to take Motherhood as a career but Motherhood is a vocation. Most women in this cadre end up channeling all their human resource to motherhood with little or no contribution to the other sphere of life.

Time has changed today's woman is in every sphere of life trying to make impact ;kitchen, home and family still remain a major priority of every serious minded married African woman. Her confinement to that jurisdiction now depend on what she sign up for during dating and early life in marriage. It is a known fact that Some African men choose to restrict their wives for their own ulterior motives while some are obliged by tradition and religion to do so. Some too come up with the restriction out of jealousy and over possessiveness while some don't just like competition with the opposite sex. Which ever reason a man has to restrict his woman, at a point she will always have the opportunity to stand for the restriction or stand against it most especially before marriage.

This is why courtship is crucial because it will be an avenue to know the restrictions on ground and then likely envisage the embargo you are like to face. Yes people change but you should be able to envisage the level of change expected. The simple truth is that in African home the Husband is the head of the house ;right from the scratch a woman must learn how to share in his authority most especially from the other room lol. If your opinion doesn't not count in the course of a "cushion talk" then forget the "pillow talk" it will not make a difference.

How dare You Dare God!

We are in the jet age where daring God can come as "Innovation and creativity". Out of curiosity and imagination people become creative and tend to make the impossible "a possibility". Hence, the world is definitely going to it own end out of curiosity that kills the cat. The new technology tends to equate man to God with an attempt to shut him out of his handiwork "earth" after all he has given us the earth to dwell and chose to reside in heaven. So, Man is out to dominate the earth and then later take over the space in which he perceived the state of heaven is.

The creation of man is a unique process which man has not really been able to understand till date. Man has been tactical enough to let go of what he did not understand and focus on what he did understand. Man forget his own origin and focus on it regeneration in term of (Pro-creation). Man has gone beyond using his knowledge to solve his problem rather use it base on it own imagination there by creating and causing disease it has little or no control over.

Man originally was empowered to govern nature; nature on it own is self-sustained the basic expectation of the creator of man is to make use of his reasoning to maintain nature. Man tends to exploit nature than explore it. In an attempt to make impossibility possible new phenomenon are created they become threat to Man's survival.

The selfishness of Man has led him to adopt the culture of death indirectly. Man does not want to be influenced by nature, he wants nature to be at his dictate there by moving a step a way from maintaining nature to altering nature. All actions of man today is gear towards changing what nature has to offer, you talk of Land filling, transgender, Artificial insemination, Organic Farming, Bio fuel etc. Despite that some of this actions come with adverse effect Man tends to look elsewhere because of what he stands to gain.

Just before you single out yourselves from the crimes mentioned above, you need to take a good look at your actions and inactions and see where you have always dare God.
.angel

Health is Wealth! Why overlook the factor when courting?

Check your social media the popular advice for those courting is to know their genotype, the social alarm is an attempt to kick out sickle cell anemia from our society. The issue is just that often time the carriers of the sickle cells do turn out to be made in heaven love birds. The society in an attempt to curtail Mother and Child mortality rate and the yearning for an healthy society take the "genotype" campaign seriously.Come to think of it why is that sickle cell anemia carriers AS, SS, AC e.t.c should not marry each other after all love they say conquered all things. I will leave you Edward Edena of edwardedena.blogspot.com to give you the medical implications while as usual let me look at the socio-economic implications.

According to the medical experts "When the Sickle cell anemia carriers get married they give birth to another carrier(s) who is likely to be a full blown patient of the disease". Marriage is a life whose outcome can not really be predicted. So, to give birth to a sick offspring in that situation can turn out to be emotionally disturbing for life. To ensure that such child stay healthy it requires a lot of finances and emotional stability which the union may not be able to offer. In case the union's bond is strong enough to care for such child, survive rate of such child is very slim, then of what purpose will it be if a child dies when it ought to be putting a smile on the parents' face?

Just before you accuse the dead of being an "Abiku" blame the Couples for their self-centeredness and indifference in the name of love. They would have innocent child passed through pain for the sake of stabilizing their own emotion, eventually they will loose the child leaving the society to mourn the innocent. The couples' indifference will question our medical system which is not yet there to combat such unfortunate development. In the end everyone looses, the society loose an innocent soul with our medical system been questioned the couples go home dry with their emotions torn.

Why should I know his/her blood group? Marriage is about compatibility in body and soul the information become crucial for you to answer, to be the safe haven of the other person. In fact it will be a medically fit union if there is a level of compatibility with your blood group.

There are so many health challenges out there and no one is absolutely free, it is not only about a Hiv/Aids it is about all health challenges such as Asthma, Appendix, Malaria, Fever, there are also cancers of various forms talk of breast cancer, prostate cancer, skin cancer, e.t.c.. You are wondering what to do during courtship?

You have to find out your boo or bae health status by all means with some level of concord though from a neutral medical point of view. This action will either guarantee your emotion of future  health stability or prepare your mind for the worst to come. Most of these health challenges are as a result of unhealthy life style and habits. During courtship you have the power to keep those things under check if not stop them.

If he/she drinks or smokes ,do not wait till he/she has a kidney problem or lung cancer before you nurse him. Start the nursing with gentleness of heart to regulate the drinking habits or move to stop it without fight. If she/he bleaches the skin or do other things that have health implications in the name of beauty and fine boy, stop killing the person with eulogy such as "You look sexy" rather admonish the person to stop because life has no duplicate. In case you are in a relationship with a "Voltron" who gives you the option of open transfer window or living with his/her unhealthy habits. Then you have a blank Cheque to write a healthy family in the future or an unhealthy family in future?

Marriage is expected to be life -long journey of two persons the journey will be much more easier if the partners involve are healthy. They are assured of a long life and prosperity together ceteris paribus. The chance to bring forth healthy offspring is also very high if the natural process has not been jeopardized. No family is as wealthy as an healthy family, there is emotional stability and there is a room for individual growth and development.
.angel

Spread the hope not the fear! Send it to seven people on your contact list

A lot is going on in the world to create fear, in the global village you hear one natural disaster or the other. The Syrian war and the predictions that come with it, the presence of ISIS in Europe is another reminder that the world may be going to an end soon. The economy hardship being witnessed by various countries of the world remind everyone that famine is eminent. These are the headline news that force you to switch of your Television and go to sleep at night.

You wake up the next day with fear of the eventualities of the news you heard yesternight. You avoid the screen and tend to take solace in the radio. Typical of the monologue machine it put a smile on your face to brightening your day, then the announcer tells you "it is news time!" You know it is going to be details of yesterday ugly events so you save your self from a sad day you switch off the world renowned communication medium.

It is time to take solace in social media with an attempt to reach out to people. While you reach out to them with smile they respond in fear. They respond with some scrupulous messages with a supernatural threat that you will be left with no option than to spread the fear ,after all you won't want evil to befall you just because you have a principle. So, send this to 7 people on your contact and you will be bless and if you ignore: God will ignore you for 7 years! I can imagine God saying no! that was not from me! I wonder why 7 and 12 are the recipient numbers? They aren't the only unique number  1,3 and 6 have there own uniqueness too.

While you are trying to discern the threat that came in, in the name of God, The health alarmist will come in with information which would have been very useful if well disseminated. The Information will end up increasing your Blood Pressure instead of putting you in the right frame of mind to learn how to prevent whatever health problem been communicated.

An attempt to look at that information objectively another message comes in, this is from the fundamentalist who knows who is planning to Islamize the nation or planning to force Jesus Christ on those who are not yet born again. This kind of message is no doubt an attempt to instigate us against each other in the name of religion and ethnic differences.

Sadly, most of these fearful messages often come from an unidentified source and it begins to trend base on copy and paste techniques then put you in a situation where you have no option than to be a good Samaritan with a plea " send it to your contact to save a life" Only God knows how many life you have saved.

The world is not at peace but we can create a peaceful atmosphere that will transcend into a peaceful world. One of the way that we can actually do that is by not creating fears in others by the kind of messages we send. In the face of fear we can as well preach hope as we urge people to be humane and practical with reality.

shalom.
.angel

YOU HAVE “TO ROLE A MODEL“ TO BE AN ICON!

Life is a big stage and you are expected to perform. The kinds of performance you decide to give depend on you and this can be determined by a lot of factors. As an actor in the Stage of life you are expected to give an amazing account of yourself without a script and before you there are scripts. You are not given a specific role and before you there are available roles begging to be played. Most people become more confuse with life, You want to study every scripts and play every role while some people don’t just bother about living out any scripts they keep on playing roles that come their ways only for them to realize it when the hair is grey that they have been helping others achieving their dreams while theirs was still in their subconscious mind. Some on the other hands play the role life bestowed on them to amuse themselves. This is why success varies anyway!

 

                As an actor that pick up scripts, choose a role and rehearse it well before going on stage you will definitely excel on stage. The scripts here are autobiography or biography of great men and women that have seen, fought and conquered. In as much that you are distinct and unique there is need to look at yourself and pick up a script to act a role in the movie of life. Here is not an advice for you to live a copied life “fake Life” it is just a suggestion to live a life as a Model of an Icon going or that might have gone into extinction. The fact that there is nothing new under the Sun is a threat to your ambition and your dream. There is nothing you want to achieve that is new; somebody somewhere would have done it, the only opportunity you have is that your achievement might beat the person’s record. So, if you want the sky to be your starting point then you need tales of lives and Times of people whose limit was sky.

                Life is never a bed of roses but patches of grasses embedded with thorns. Charles Darwin was of the opinion that Life is about survival of the fittest. The fact that you cannot always be the fittest at all time is a reality of the law of diminishing returns neither can you always be the smartest; even often times lion fall prey to tiger. To survive in life you just have learn from those who have survived and those who have not. A picture of an icon on your desk-top is a ray of hope and the tales of his/her life and time will tell you when there is hope there is Life.

                In Life it is either you live for something or you fall for everything. People have lived for things and their names have become Libraries, others names have become books, while some were chapters, some were paragraphs and many were words. Some people were not even remembered by the writers of history. Those whose name made the book of histories majority of then did not do something extra ordinary they only live for something their “Role Model” lived for. Jesus Christ lived for love of God and Love of Man, he has had millions of people looking up him as a Role Model. Some of those who chose to role in the model of this icon had become icon too. St. Valentine, St. John Paul II and St.Teresa of Calcutta are typical examples of  Icons the world at large accepted that they are models to emulate.

                Picking a “Role Model” may seem Childish but it is Childlike and essential for our personal development and Success in life. “To role in a model” of an icon will make you a prototype of who you want to be without losing out what you want to be. More so, it gives you the opportunity to draw hope from stories of your role models when you face the storm, you would have learnt how to move on during storms. Finally, role models beget role models, so you pick an Icon to live like then some will have to see you as an Icon to live like…. Let me live you with my Top ten Icons  10. Olu Jacobs &Joke Silve r 9. Bill & Hilary Clinton  8. Late Prof. Dora Akuyili  7. Late Chinua Achebe  6. Late Gbenga Adeboye  5. St.John Paul II  4. St. Maria Gorreti  3. St. Pio 2. St Joseph and Blessed Virgin Mary………….1. Jesus Christ of Nazarene…….

.angel