by Mark Ibigbami GreatMark | Sep 6, 2017 | Uncategorized |
“I woke up this morning with these words: divinely conceptualized, designed, developed and destined (4-D). It’s exactly a year that God’s delight, Oluwademilade Tiwalade was born. And the joy of his arrival gives me great ecstasy always.
I knew he was to arrive on Tuesday 6th September but I wasn’t quite sure how it would play out. By 7 a.m of this beautiful day, I was already being prep for the theater, both emotionally and with series of injections and medications. With a mixed feelings of anxiety and hope, but with much faith in the magnanimity of God, I was certain that all would be well!
Surrounded by specialists and well-
experienced Doctors who were also godly and full of faith, I was laid on the bed for what was going to be a unique experience for me. I recalled smiling at the jokes being made by one of the doctors, and enjoying the sweet music being played while I was being cut.
At about 10 a.m on this bright day, God’s design and heritage -Oluwademilade cried out on arrival to this world. It was obvious by his cries that he was glad to be born. And my response was in tears of joy for the miracle of a king, God’s delight. Thus, we welcome our crown, Tiwalade triumphantly and we rejoiced in the special gift of a prodigy, after nine years of waiting on God.
Now I understand that Delightsome is a divine concept of God, created and designed for His pleasure, and destined for greatness. He is God’s own project, and his portion is secured in God. This understanding is captured by King David when he said, “For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.…” (Psalm 139:13-14).
For you who is waiting on God for a fulfillment of His promises, don’t beat yourself up; God remembers! God knows and He will save you!
Rejoice with us as we celebrate this great treasure as he turns ONE year old today. “Blessed be the Lord -day after day he carries us along. He’s our saviour, our God, oh yes! He’s -for-us, He’s God-who-saves-us. (Psalm 18:19). This is our song, this is our testimony! Yes, we are winning!”
#4D
Damilola Ibigbami
by Mark Ibigbami GreatMark | Sep 1, 2017 | Articles, Lifestyles |
Out of curiosity, I decided to do a little research about the significance of the “Ileya” festival, which literally means, “Let’s go home…for Eid Al-Adha”, in the dialect of the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria. I grew up to know that this Islamic event, also known as Eid Al-Adha or Eid ul Kabir is usually celebrated few weeks after the end of the Muslim fast.
It is normally associated with the sacrificial slaughtering of rams and considered as the holier of the second of two Muslim holidays celebrated worldwide each year.
I recall the usual fun-fair that precedes the Eid-el-Kabir: when as kids we would delight ourselves in being spectators of the contests of rams in our neighbourhood. Owners of rams proud themselves in the strength of those rams who emerge winners after a tightly contested fight.
Even though ram fight has become unpopular (and forbidden in some quarters), but then it used to be very interesting for me to see the excitement in my Muslim friends and neighbors. I do hope many of them truly understands the significance of this celebrations.
From the accounts I read on the Encyclopedia, The Eid al-Adha (Arabic: عيد الأضحى, translit. ʿīd al-aḍḥā, lit. ‘Feast of the Sacrifice’ is to honor the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son Ismael, as an act of obedience to God’s command. Before he sacrificed his son. God intervened by sending his angel Jibra’il (Gabriel), who then put a ram in his son’s place.
This is of course the account of the holy Quran. However, the son is not named in the Quran, but Muslims believe it to be Ishmael, though it is mentioned as Isaac in the Bible. What however, is striking and worthy of note here is the issue of obedience to God as demonstrated by Ibraham (or Abraham in Hebrew).
The sacrifice of his priced possession was one of the main trials of Abraham’s life. God was out to test his faith and prove his love, and the extent of his obedience to Him. In this instance, “Abraham had shown that his love for God superseded all others: that he would lay down his own life or the lives of those dearest to him in submission to God’s command.”1
Muslims commemorate this ultimate act of sacrifice every year with the believe that God ultimately prevents the sacrifice, additionally signifying that one should never sacrifice a human life, especially not in the name of God. (Quran, sura 37 (As-Saaffat), ayat 100–112[18]) (more…)
by Mark Ibigbami GreatMark | Aug 31, 2017 | Uncategorized |
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by Mark Ibigbami GreatMark | Aug 30, 2017 | Uncategorized |
Whenever I see curves, beauty, brain and brawn, and elegance of a person, I am spurred by an adrenaline rush that brings to remembrance my vivacious youthful exploits, and of course my mistakes. Hey, don’t imagine things for me; I’ll tell you. I’ll share with you what I mean by the beauty of undoing your mistakes.
I always tell myself that I am still a youth, and even in my forties, I am still as strong as I was twenty years ago. In my journey so far, my experiences has shown that we face peculiar challenges as youths, and that only a few of us survives and are bold to raise our shoulders high. The various challenges we face as we journey through life has a way of affecting our efficiency especially when they are not properly handled.
So, this was where mine started from; yes, from teenage. Growing up, I suffered from peer pressures (I know many of you can relate with this). How we did those nasty things because we had friends that did it, and who convinced us it wasn’t a bad try. How we lied so we could fit in and be accepted into the group of the famous and notorious gangs. Oh! the thought of what we do for acceptance startles me!
I allowed myself to be pressured by my mates because they all had girlfriends and were doing stuff with them. It was said to be fun, and because I wanted to experience the ecstasies that the “big boys” enjoyed too, I got involved and entangled. I never thought there could be anything as enjoyable as satisfying my sexual passion, neither did it occurred to me that there could be a regrettable outcome until I got a girl in the family way.
I became a father at age 17 shortly after my SSCE. Like my mates, I was then awaiting the result of the high school exams, and was also preparing to write the Jamb exams for the university admission when this news broke out. I did not only killed my ambition but also shattered the dreams of an innocent girl, all in a bid to become a “big boy”.
Did I mention that I wasn’t from a well-to-do family? I was only fortunate to attend a top rated school because of the scholarship I got in my elementary school. Of course, all the ‘big boys’ that I wanted to be like had fathers that were either Managing Directors and CEOs of multi-national companies, politicians or astute businessmen.
After this first stage you think I would have learnt my lessons, right? But the opposite was the case; in my frustrations, I did drugs, womanized, and was part of a robbery gang. I was only lucky to have escaped the prison, an event I considered a divine intervention. After I had it very rough, I decided to make sense of my life, but it was difficult. Initially I thought It was too late to make any sense of my life because of my many hurtful mistakes until I experienced a divine transformation.
I was assured that if I could undue my mistakes, my life will be beautiful again, and I would be able to recover the lost opportunities. It was difficult because I tried hard on my own to put things right, however, the turning point was when I surrendered to the life-changer, Jesus Christ. My life was beautified and restored by the blood He shed on the cross. Trust me, I have no regrets anymore because I let him give me the courage to undo my past mistakes.
At this time, I was already disowned by my father, who could no longer put up with my disgraceful life. I took up the courage to pursue my career and to fulfill my dreams of becoming a Chattered Accountant. Even though, I struggled through school, but I was determined to stand out and make my family proud again.
God was faithful and His loving kindness kept me. Finally I graduated from the university at the age of 29. And I completed my National Youth service (NYSC) before I clocked the age of 30. Then, I became a Chattered Accountant at the age of 33, and by the age of 37 I was the Group Managing Director of a private indigenous Oil and Gas firm.
I have reunited with my family, and my lovely son. And of course I married my girl friend, who has also become the CEO of a top fashion firm. Dear friend, my life is beautiful and I am proud I learnt how to undo my mistakes. I have learnt that there is beauty in every age, and that mistakes aren’t fun, but they are powerful teachers. If we could keep all of the lessons that we have gained from our mistakes, while also freeing ourselves from the guilt or regrets of our painful pasts, we would become a masterpiece in God’s hand and become a beauty for the world to behold.
Many youths today have faced different challenges at one point or the other from victimization to abuse, peer pressure, single parenting, pre-marital sex, substance abuse and addiction, early maturity, violence, obesity, education disparity, poverty, unemployment, juvenile delinquency, racial discrimination, sexual pervasion, pregnancy, materialism and so on. Many may have come out shinning like me, while many others may have been consumed in their mistakes.
You may have experienced any of these issues in your journey through life, but that doesn’t give you a reason to be lackadaisical. or give in to a frustrated and regretful life. Sit up and shake off the snake into the fire! Even though life is full of troubles and everyone bears the pains of mistakes or victimization, yet if you, like Paul, put your faith in the promises of the Lord and believe Him for the help you need, He will come to your rescue and neutralize the poisons! Acts 28:5.
In our times of trouble, we have some very precious promises. (His presence, Heb. 13:5; His victory, 1 Cor. 15:57; His purposes and plans, Rom. 8:28; 2 Cor. 4:17; His power, Eph. 3:20, Matt. 28:18. He will move Heaven and earth to meet your need if only you can trust Him.
Never be comfortable with mediocrity. Create, Maintain and Improve on your life. Never forget you can always re-write your story with God. No matter what the mistakes were, your life can be beautiful again. Control-Z (CNTRL-Z) it! You’re winning! Yes, we are winning!
#cntrl-zit
Story by Afolayemisi Ogunwale
