WTF Jesus!

Frank talk with God never hurt anybody, and frankly speaking, He is down with it and always ready to listen. I got bummed recently while reading my bible. I just went like, WTF; sure, the religious people went like, “Oh hell no! He did not just swear” please, what I meant was What The Fudge. So as I said earlier, I was reading my bible, and there it was, staring right back at me. The shortest Bible verse, John 11:35, and reads “JESUS WEPT,” so I asked, “Jesus who”? But how? How can the son of God cry? Jesus Christ! The son of the living God crying? I needed answers only He could give me. 

“Jesus, should I trust you? Are you that weak? What business do you have with tears? Are you not the one to wipe tears away?” Then He said to me, “Yes, Yes, Yes I cried! Dre you and your questions. I cried because the burden was too much, I had lost my friend, because of compassion, because of the price I was about to pay for you, I cried because I had to serve my purpose I cried because I love you, and most importantly I cried so the glory of the Lord would be revealed. I was excited as I continued to read further in John 11:40-44

 I noticed that Jesus did not weep forever, that He knew that in a few short minutes, all this weeping would turn to immense joy, happy tears, and worship.

 This made me realize that whatever storm you are in, hold on to God and continue to trust in Him. His glory will be manifested so all the naysayers, the haters, people that rejected you, those that looked down on you, and your critics will be the ones sharing your testimonies. I know sometimes it’s difficult; I know sometimes it gets hard. The emotions, rejection, and pain are unbearable. I want you to know that even the son of God felt it, but He knew that “weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). Sometimes God makes you cry in front of men so that when you smile, they know that God took you through this so His name will be worshiped. 

In the same way, He exposes your weakness; He will expose your glory. Just hold on a bit. It’s alright to cry, but now I want you to start laughing for Christ in you, the Hope of Glory. It’s alright.

RelationSHIP Goals

One day in class, our teacher Mr. Festus asked a question; has any of you entered a ship before? The whole class became mute then we heard a voice from the back Sir me! Sir me! It was Hulla; uh huh which ship? Mr. Festus asked? Sir relationship, Hulla responded. Get out of my class Mr. Festus angrily walked him out. The class was in a frenzy we couldn't hold it back I personally laughed so hard tears rolled down my cheeks. 

After many years, although that answer was humorous it gave me an idea. So am going to ask you the same question, have any of you entered a ship before? I am sure most people if not all responded in the negative. We establish relationships with many different types of people. Our family members, neighbors, co-workers, friends, spouses, significant others, etc. So one way or the other we have all entered into SHIPS, be it friendSHIP, courtSHIP, partnerSHIP, romantic or intimate relationSHIP, professional relationSHIP and even citizenSHIP. 

Ships just like relationships set out on a course or route to get to their destination. Other ships make it to their destinations others don't. The term “set and drift" is used to describe external forces that affect a boat or ship from following an intended course or getting to its destination. Relationships also have its "set and drift" and it's termed as problems. People encounter problems in their relationships that change the course that the ship is sailing on. Sometimes the relationship sinks, capsizes or just goes round and round and never make to dock. 

There are four basic types of relationships that I want us to look at; friendships, family relationships, romantic relationships and lastly professional relationships. A lot of times we invest so much time, money, effort and prayers into these types of relationships and it still hits a dead end or capsizes at sea. Have you ever wondered why your boyfriend still hurts you though you are loving or why your boss and colleagues at work always shun you or why that aunt or cousin despises you though you try so hard to make that relationship work or why your friends are hateful?  

I grew up on cartoons and comic books, my favorite was Superman and Captain Planet. These were my superheroes and I mimicked them, anytime Captain Planet saved earth or Superman saved someone the world will celebrate them with cheers. I love that idea. I wish the world worked that way outside the little box in our hall. I wish Superman and Lex Luthor would grab a bucket of KFC wings and let things go, I wish Messi would just admit that Cristiano Ronaldo is a better player than he is or Satan will just write a formal apology letter to Jesus to forgive him. And I have wished, prayed, worked, sweated, cried and tried relationships in my life to work that way too.  I wanted every issue in my life to be talk-out-able. I'm a "let's talk it out and fix it" try type of person so why?

Totally worn out, I asked God why He kept allowing family, loved ones and friends hurt me so much. I felt the Holy Spirit press the same question on my heart, why are you allowing this relationship hurt you so much? Then I got the answer " Here are six things which the Lord hates, and one more he despises with a passion: eyes that are arrogant, a tongue that lies, hands that murder the innocent, a heart that hatches evil plots, feet that race down a wicked track, a mouth that lies under oath, a trouble maker in the family (MSG) Proverbs 6:16-19 this passage wasn't "a stay away from verse" but we are wise to avoid close relationship with people who practice things that the Lord hates. So that relationships or ship that you are sailing or fighting for it to not sink please double check it maybe it's God saving you or keeping you away from them. These are the necessary red flags to protect you from unnecessary pains and hurts in your relationships. Pray to God to show you what needs to be held on to and what needs to go. You will have an incredible life if you are willing to let go and let God! 

Opinions and ideas are welcomed. Thanks for reading. 

MY CHURCH GIRL

Can I let you in on a secret?

I think I’m in love.

Yes, I think I’m in love with a CHURCH GIRL.

Some say love only finds those who position themselves to be found. Some say love only finds those who aren’t looking for it. Some say love is spontaneous. Some say love is a choice. I’m not sure what category I fall in but love knocked me down. 

I remember her so well, as she hurriedly walked to her seat because she was late for Sunday service. She wore an African printed Ankara with matching heels, her earrings and chain made of beads hanging from her earlobes and around her thin long neck respectively, her cute glossed lips hugging each other, her well-kept Afro that compliments her beautiful dark skin; she looked like an answered prayer. That was the first time my small naive Chinese looking eyes caught a glimpse of her.

I remember when we were both in foundation school and a question was asked about love. She answered the question with so much excitement I had to turn around to see who that was only to find out it was her. That was the first time I heard her speak and the first time she smiled at me. Her answer still lingers in my mind.

I remember when she couldn’t find her phone in a car we were both in, I asked for her number so I could call to know where the phone is. I saved her number and always checked her WhatsApp display image. I saved two or three of her pictures.

Oh yeah I remember when I deliberately sat close to her on a float.

I still remember when I called her to help me with our foundation school exams just to talk to her.

It was quite weird how we kept running into each other but it had to stop. I kept telling myself am not right for her. I was trouble and everything I get close to is either taken away from me or I mess it up. I didn’t want her to be taken away from me neither did I want to mess her up so I kept my distance as far as I could.

It was time for us to get baptized.  She called me up at dawn to know if we could together. I couldn’t say no so we met up. As I was immersed in the water and brought forth our eyes met she stood there with an angelic smile and the heavens opened and a bright light was upon her, then I heard a voice from heavens saying “This is my daughter whom I love and I am well pleased I give her to you” I couldn’t believe my eyes or ears. When I was about coming out of the water I felt a hand tapping me only to wake up and find out it was just a dream or it could be a vision I said to myself because it was actually the day for us to be baptized.

On our way home I suggested we get a drink to celebrate our ordination which she gave a nod to. We went to the restaurant got some drinks but honestly we were both not drinking. We were so involved in our conversation. We talked, talked and kept talking. I made her laugh so much she cried happy tears. Seconds turned into minutes then hours before we knew we had spent close to five hours together. It was getting late on our way she did the most crazy but beautiful thing ever she stopped by a building which had a lawn grass in front, lay on the grass and asked me to join her. I was shy at first but I joined her we lay there in the grass taking selfies. Am sure we made the moon and stars jealous that day. I will never forget that day and it was MY CHURCH GIRL that made it possible. I took her home, we hugged like it was the last time we were going to see each other.

We did not end our conversation there when we got to our homes the conversations continued. We spoke all through the night, at a point I was out of credit.  At 1 am I went out of the house to get airtime from our neighbors’ house who looked surprised to see me there at that time.

Love found me when I was tending to life’s responsibilities with no one else in mind. Now I am in love with her but she only sees me as a friend. I had never asked a girl to be my beloved. It was my first time. Should I write a letter?  Should I send her a love song probably she would understand, right?! I didn’t know what to do, then her friend called me asking me when I was going to make it official because My Church Girl was always talking about me.

Guess what! its official now. I’m in love with MY CHURCH GIRL and she loves me back.

In a few years to come we will walk down the aisle, we will take vows in the presence of our family and friends and we will raise our kids and present them to the Lord who made all things possible.

I love you.

MY CHURCH GIRL

Slay Queen?!

Chantelle and Nicole are two lovely girls whose curiosity and passion for knowledge is quite intriguing, and I say intriguing because Chantelle is only 7 years old and Nicole is also 5 years but their thirst to know and understand things is worth emulating. After watching Rapunzel a fairy tale story the girls got into an argument about who is Princess Rapunzel. Nicole persisted and screamed loudly ''I am Princess Rapunzel!" I must say I was awed by the response from the seven year old, she said and I quote “ you want to be a princess go ahead, you need a boy to come and save you from the castle I am a queen I don’t need anyone” I was really wowed by this statement. Then I heard the word ‘SLAY QUEEN’. When it comes to the word ‘slay queen’, one would think that it also has a very positive connotation so I thought but I was wrong.  

The urban dictionary defines ‘slay queen’ as a beautiful but dumb young woman who chases after wealthy men. They spend hours on snapchat and Instagram showing off things that they don’t even own. This term slay queen has taken social media by storm and gradually becoming socially accepted. The term slay queen has become pretty dominant in Ghana. Now how to identify a slay queen.

1.       Slay queens cannot go a day without make up. Some go to bed with their make up on as if they will meet Billionaire Dangote in their dreams.

2.       They show off fancy and luxurious things they can’t even afford. They will go out of their way to snap a picture in or around a lavish car.  

3.       Slay queens love to party. You will see them at every party, club and gathering that there is music. Even at funerals you will see them with their lips pouted and hands outstretched in search of the best selfie angle with the dead body.

4.        A slay queen cannot live without social media. Almost 95% of their social media page is made up of her pictures. Mirror selfies, beach selfies, club selfies, you name it. Every minute of her life needs to be documented.

5.       They have a weird way of talking like instead of hello they go like halooo.

6.       Now when it comes to intellect they have nothing to offer.

7.       Their taste in men is quite obvious. They don’t date broke men or men their age.  When a slay queen finally grabs someone with her long manicured fingers, you can be sure she will post about it a million times a day.

So these are a few points to know identify a slay queen.  Can we redefine this social cancer eating away the very existence of our females? Can our ladies become independent queens as Chantelle wants to be? These are questions I need you all to help me answer. I encountered a slay queen once and in our conversation I asked her what she thinks of global warming, and with a straight face, she told me she purchased her global warming at Accra Mall for 1500 cedi’s. Can you imagine that?

Let’s show our ladies the beauty of their brains and not their butts. The future of our girls is upon us. Yaa Asantewaa defied odds, Nana Konadu Agyemang had a vision, Michelle Obama made history. These are the real slay queens I think that term needs to be redefined. There is still hope in Africa for African women.

Angel Daniel Obinim Needs to be Congratulated

If you are on any social media platform be it Facebook, twitter, YouTube, Instagram and my personal favorite snapchat then am sure you have witnessed some Challenges trending . In recent times there have been a lot of challenges which have become socially accepted on the internet around the world.  When it comes to these Challenges, it doesn’t matter what position you hold, your age, sex or how much you have in the bank you can take part. Challenges like the mannequin challenge, the ice bucket challenge which big names such as Bill gates, Cristiano Ronaldo took part in other to create awareness of the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The most recent challenge is the Obinim sticker challenge which is making waves on the internet. Bishop Daniel Obinim popularly known as Angel Obinim is the founder and leader of God’s way international church; he is married to Ghanaian gospel icon Florence Obinim and the whole hullabaloo about the Obinim sticker challenge is centered on him.

I must say I am amused by the testimonies people are sharing. Hundreds of people have taken to the internet to share their testimonies including celebrities such as Afia schwarzneggar, D.K.B and the likes. My personal favorite is by the former President of Ghana John Mahama at a press conference, suggested to the ruling President his Excellency Nana Addo to get an Obinim sticker to help his government because they are super incompetent.

This issue of the Obinim sticker has generated a lot of controversies as to whether the sticker indeed works or it doesn’t. In my candid opinion the world is full of good and bad, real and fake so is pertinent, therefore, to ask are all men of God true or false men? I believe there are true men of God just like I also believe there are fake men of God. We should not be surprised to find false teachings in the church today. Jesus and his apostles were very clear that false teachers will arise. Jesus said “for false Christ and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. So be on guard; I have told you everything ahead of time” (Mark 13:22-23). Likewise, in Luke 6:43-44 Jesus says it twice so that we won’t miss it; you will recognize them by their fruits so all these warnings are clear.  It is very difficult to recognize in the moment because we do not have access to their personal live. But irrespective of that you cannot make it generic that all men of God are fake.

Also I will like to bring to your notice a clear warning. The Bible clearly states in 1 Chronicles 16:22 do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm. So though there may be false prophets, teachers, apostles and the likes you need to be careful who you cause harm or who you touch. In addition to that, Jesus said “very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these because I am going to the father”. So am not surprised about the testimonies people are giving about the Obinim sticker be it true or not.

As much as we joke with the dubious nature of these farfetched testimonies, I think we should sometimes have a moment of silence for the gullible victims of such deceptive tactics of these unscrupulous pastors cum confidence tricksters and reflect on how vulnerable our society has become due to poverty, lack of education and misapplication of religion.

This is what I deduced during my moment of silence. It's like this: some people are laughing on one hand. Other people are seriously adamant on the other hand. And you can't blame them. It's their faith which I have to respect as long as it's their right. We shouldn't only laugh though. We should open our eyes to the fake signs and wonders going on and the fake prophets they are worshiping nowadays as foretold in the Bible. We perceive God's blessings to be overnight riches and success and sometimes ‘unmerited favor'.  Can't Christians just trust their God and accept their destiny in good faith instead of chasing miracles or breakthroughs.  We pray as if we want our will to be done, not Thy will be done.

And you will think that exposing these disturbing deeds of these pastors will expose them in the negative light, but sadly in Africa, it's the opposite. The more his congregation will even grow with this negative publicity. A lot of religious people have become hell-fearing people instead of God-fearing people and the heaven-visa- granting pastors are cashing out.

All this being said I personally think Bishop Daniel Obinim needs to be congratulated for how viral his Obinim sticker challenge have gone. I have learned a lot and with all the testimonies coming in, this shows that with God all things are possible.

I assure you also that no matter how twisted the teaching may be or how deceiving some false prophets may be as God preserved Noah and rescued Lot; so the Lord Jesus will rescue his true people from false teaching and false living of false prophets.

Man's So Hot!

I want to die, I want to end it all, I want this pain to stop. I just can’t live this life anymore. I believe the world is better off without me. Don't you think I have enough valid reasons to end it all? Huh? You will soon find out. Growing up with three brothers Curtis, Leroy and Sean was no easy task though it was great to have three good-looking, intelligent and cool brothers. The competition to outdo each other just to get our fathers acceptance became a norm. Major Chris Worla; a decorated soldier, very principled, strict and a no nonsense man, very authoritative and anytime I saw him I always remembered Adolf Hitler, unfortunately he is my father. Sometimes I wonder how my mother ended up with him and I refuse to believe this is a classic tale of beauty and the beast. 

Due to my fathers principled lifestyle and strict ways there were no room for mistakes, which made life unbearable for everyone in the family especially me. My father would physically abuse me whenever my results came in though I had some A's a couple of B's and lots of C's to him it was never enough because my brothers were A+ students and I needed to meet that standard. On a good day he will verbally abuse me and call me derogatory names. He once questioned my mother if I was indeed his son. I felt pathetic when I heard him utter those words. I lost confidence in myself, I became hopeless. I knew I could never be good enough for my father because I could never match up to my brothers who were super intelligent. I found refuge in isolation to avoid being judged by grades, style and status. I knew I was at peace or so I thought.

My life became meaningful the day I bumped into Vicki, a transfer student from the University of Ghana (Legon) to AUCC. She had Cute eyes, flawless skin, long braided hair, petite physique, she looked like those models in Tyra Banks American Next Top Model TV show she looked stunning. I started to stutter in my attempt to say hi as she sat next to me. When she smiled at me I knew she was the one. Vicki and I became very close. Just like the sun rises gradually to brighten up the day the love I had for Vicki escalated. In our final year of our second semester Vicki's attitude towards me changed, I noticed her being distant and making excuses whenever I wanted to see her

It was Saturday; unannounced I decided to surprise Vicki. I went over to her house because her parents were out of town. Unfortunately for me I was actually the one who met the surprise that changed my life. Vicki lying in bed butt naked with another man. I panicked and felt a lot of heart lashes seemingly exploding and breaking the details of my internal body, my brains couldn’t process the images my eyes were sending to it, choked on words and tears running down my cheeks. That is my girl; those where the only words that could escape from my mouth. She made me feel like man's so hot, but I guess man’s not so hot.

So you see why I want to end it all. I will never be good enough for my father and no one actually loves me. Thoughts of suicide took resident in my mind. I was rarely without temptation to end it all. Like the old devil and angel on your shoulders. One screams that there’s no point, that forty more years will not change anything and it’s not worth it and I should throw in the towel. The other pleads with me to try just one more day that this isn’t that bad and that I can survive it all. I listened to the devil and I drunk poison but thank God I survived. My father apologized for being hard on me and that he loves me so much. I could have been dead right now. I wouldn’t be finishing my second year of college. I wouldn’t be able to go to release my EP, I wouldn’t have seen karma catch up with Vicki, I wouldn’t be around to see my niece grow up. And most importantly, I wouldn’t be able to share this. 

This is my story, I understand that sometimes the depression and pressure is unbearable, the question is why kill yourself? Why give up because someone didn’t see your worth? A wise man said to me “where there is life there is hope, you get to live as many times as you want don’t give up in life". If you are reading this and thinking of suicide please reconsider. I don’t know you. I've never met you and I probably never will. But let me say this to you, I love you. I accept you as you are. I understand what you are going through because I have been there. Our stories might be different but remember you are loved. You are created in Gods image, you are immeasurably valuable. You are worthy of life. People love you let them love you, because you deserve it and just so you know MAN'S SO HOT AND SO ARE YOU. I LOVE YOU

Walking On Broken Glass

Has the doctor ever told you that you have HIV? Surprised? That same silence suffocated me like a ton of broken bricks as I held on to my phone and excused myself from my friends. I said to myself if I've got what the doctor says I've got, then I am going to jump off a building to end it all. These words from the doctor hit me like a sledgehammer hitting a nail.  What is going to be of me? What do I tell my church I am the youth pastor, how am I going to break the news to my parents, my girl would think I cheated on her and almighty society will ridicule me till the virus kills me.

All kinds of thoughts and questions were racing through my mind, all the how’s, whys, when’s, the Ifs and buts, what did I ever do to deserve this was running through my mind. In my defense to convince myself that the doctors report could be wrong, I said to myself I have been faithful to my girlfriend for almost a year now, she’s the only person I have been having unprotected sex with though as a Christian it is wrong to have sex before marriage; Is this Gods way of teaching me a lesson because I desecrated His perfection and ignored His goals, I don’t do drugs to be affected by any unsterilised needle nor do I cut my hair with the barbers clipper so how did I get infected with this incurable disease.

Feeling guilty I called my Kristine to come over so I break this heartbreaking unfortunate news to her. Didn’t quite know how I was going to go about it or how she going to take the news but she needed to know. I opened my mouth to speak and every word I uttered was accompanied by a tear; I mustered courage and told Kristine all that the doctor had said to me but she didn’t look surprised as she just sat there staring into my hopeless wet eyes. Finally she spoke and what she could say is she cheated on me a couple of times, oh my God! I exclaimed, how could you do this to me? I asked. This is not true, it cannot be.

My questions on how I contracted this deadly disease have been answered. I know I was infected by my long-term regular partner. When we first met, we always used condoms. However, as the relationship grew, we stopped using them she said she trusted me and I need to trust her but believe me, Trust is no protection!

 At the age of 22, the last thing one would expect to take home from a casual sexual relationship is a chronic and incurable disease and that is what I got. Just a second after closing the door behind me after walking Kristine out, I collapsed in tears, sobs choked me, filled with the urge to vomit. It lasted a few long minutes. I had never experienced that. How could she do that she was a good girl, she was my girl.

I came to accept that am now living with HIV aids, I told My Mom, Dad, Pastor and close friends though it wasn’t easy. I called Rose to let her know I have forgiven her; hard call to make. 

Today I am still Andre. I’m still living. I get questions like is my infection a punishment from God? No get real God and I are tight. Can I still have sex? Duh the disease didn’t castrate me. However, I have to inform any potential sex partner before engaging in sex. Honestly to date, I haven’t really wanted to go down the sex-road. However, not having sex is not a punishment I’m giving myself. It’s a choice I’m making about my needs right now.

Do I have any regrets? Yes I wish I didn’t think I was invincible to the disease, I wish I had used protection all the time. I want to let everyone reading this; whether gay, lesbian, straight, white, black, Hispanic, Asian, Middle-Eastern, purple, pink or blue, because everyone may be, and can be  affected by this epidemic. So be careful and be on the lookout, don’t take chances like I did.