WHAT IS YOUR NEW YEAR RESOLUTION?

WHAT’S YOUR NEW YEAR RESOLUTION for this new year? After dilly-dallying on what it is exactly God is saying concerning [my life, marriage, business & ministry], I woke up one morning with the resolve to trudge ahead trusting that God who sends will undertake.




This was my resolve, in black and white:
’I don’t know what He’d said, or exactly what He’s saying; apart from the burnings in my heart not to give men ‘death’ but LIFE. I may not be sure what I’m born for, neither what exactly it is I must do. Circumstances have defined my work over the years; tears have re-directed my fears; pains have altered my focus; frustrations have made me question earlier given instructions I’m convinced over. Discouragement and distractions have watered down my perseverance and discipline. But that should be in the past. The instructions, the command He gave should never have been faltered at. He is not influenced by circumstances. If He allowed them, they are for His purpose. My instructions have not been changed. Circumstances have driven me to ask again, and again and again… “What was it You’d asked me to do?” Would life continue like this and I’ll find out suddenly the end has come, leaving me an unfaithful, wavering, unprofitable servant?




Like Carman, I say, too: “I have made my decision/I have staked my claim/I have drawn the line in the sand/And I won’t be ashamed/With the world behind me/And the cross before/By the grace of God/I will serve the Lord.” So, what about you?’



I look forward to hearing from you. In the meantime, grow deep, grow well, grow strong, keep breathing in His grace and remain irrevocable and irremovable in Christ.
Ciao, Emmanuel Ajanah.

SIX THINGS

The six mistakes of man: (1) The delusion that personal gain is made by crushing others. (2) The tendency to worry about things that cannot be changed or corrected. (3) Insisting that a thing is impossible because we cannot accomplish it. (4) Refusing to set aside trivial preferences. (5) Neglecting development and refinement of the mind, and not acquiring the habit of reading and study. (6) Attempting to compel others to believe and live as we do.

THREE THINGS

Do not be hasty in these three: Marriage, Business and Travel · Do not waste these three: Time, Money, Energy · Like these three: Kindness, Sympathy and Cordiality · Hate these three: Injustice, Pride and Unfaithfulness · Love these three: Bravery, Gentility and Affection · Leave these three: Laziness, Too much talk, Hurried Judgment · Value these three: Intelligence, Ability and Happiness · Control these three: Temper, Desire and Tongue · Preserve these three: Good books, Good deeds and Friends.

THE RAPE

We wore the dishevelled attire
Thereby not their fault
We invited the alloyed acts
Thereby not their fault



Sanity is better defined
By madness incorporated
In a system disorganised
Seeking integrity already depleted



Our voice is not one
We are many captains here
Our voice is not one
Bereft, we ply as unseasoned seers



We would hide our shame
But its existence is ethereal
Pending when this act of rape
Dawn to our notice our losses.
©Emmanuel ‘Crooningpoet’ Ajanah

FOOD FOR THOUGHT (A Message by George Carlin)

Hi Friends, it's been a while. Thanks for visiting. I hope I read your commentaries a lot, tho.

This is a master piece! If you have not read it, take the time to read it now. If you have read it, take time to read it again! Isn't it amazing that George Carlin - comedian of the 70's and 80's - could write something so very eloquent...and so very appropriate?

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbour. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill.

It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit DELETE...

Remember, spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.
Remember , say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment, for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
If you don't share this with as many people as possible, who cares?
George Carlin

CADAVER

The long decay now prevalent
In a system void of resuscitation
Of evil wrought ever evince
The sickness of hearts
5. Devoid of hope longed for
A holocaust of a stable bed for growth
And now….
Neglected societal scums
Now avaricious in sudden wealth
10 the aftermath of unasked for opportunities
the uncomfortable haves
clothed with supposed integrity;
a mask for the gentle pen swindlers
smiling promises and plundering spoils.
15. The irony of deep-seated ravens
Who to care is to create care-needs,
Seemingly holy in circle of concerns
An acceptable norm now adulterated;
A deception to the lower leveled yokel
20. still crispy to the undeciphering loyalists
till deprived of burial rites
reality becomes too late because dead;
a closure of history for goodly lucidity
an evidence for evil continuum
25. What hope lies in man, O heaven?
…. The study of the dead for living rectifications
Is preemption unto deathly witchcraft
Say, these gloomy drooling eyes
Littered clinical pictures of illusive hope ever
30. Yet, the cozy desentivity of heads
Disconnected from necks and bodies
For the due cocoon, unopen'd, festers smells…..
Or so, the disenchanted body
Seeking hope in unpromised promises
35. Of a tomorrow never conceived
To a today, shockingly attired
Reeding round our gods in intertwining semblances
Of ourselves in few instances
Of accusations to thieves but one
40. Four fingering back our hearts
But we must cry; we are not them
We are receivers, not leaders
We are responsibly frustrated
Uneducated to responsible frustrations
45. So we must cry
On the slab flat
At the mercy of the surgeon's
But the saviour of a people
Born in a palace or a ghetto
50. Is, thru' the repulsive processes,
Only hardened and beautifully segregated
Savingly active-
At last, then, hope;
A living hope would emerge.
-12.4.2000.

WHERE LOVE SINGS

Hi friends, one of my few pieces for your reclined pleasures... Ciao.





Where love sings
The angels dance
Hovering over to brace
The significant triumph



Where love sings
Lovers chime face-to-face
One mocking, the other shy
Teasing themselves to sleep




Where love sings
The streams flow in unison
Sprite and clean to spring
Cleansing the sinner’s sin



Where love sings
Lullaby is rehearsed
This time with deeper perfection
For love doth make things perfect



Where love sings
Tonight your love and mine
Will meet in fathom grace
To make us one flesh



Ah... ow sweet love is...indeeeed!!!
-Emmanuel Enesi Ajanah

Putting a Bow on 2010: A Proper Perspective

Hi Friends,
It’s been a worthwhile 2010, so much so that I must regret to announce, with apologies to y’all that I couldn’t visit the site with promised articles and write-ups. But that’s in the past. Yours sincerely is back and greatly ready to juice things up for your reading pleasure. And I believe it will proper to start with what to do with the year gone past. The amazing attitude is: IT IS PAST! Ha ha ha! You can only look forward, dear. Everyday, you’ll have new challenges, blessings, favours, His mercies (which are new every morning), His grace, etc. Make the best of your life. It’s your choice; but remember, help is available…and yours for the asking. Enjoy this piece by John C. Maxwell.




At this stage, the punctuation you put on 2010 will not depend as much on what you do but on your point of view. As you look back on the past year, you likely experienced highs and lows, encountered blessings and victories alongside hardship and heartache. As you wrap up 2010, be sure your attitude toward the last twelve months is providing you with the healthy perspective needed to finish strong.
Here are three suggestions to help you adopt a mindset that makes the most of 2010.
1) See the lessons in every setback.
Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.
~ John Wooden
As you think back on the past year, don't be ashamed by the mistakes you made. Failures are stepping-stones to success, not proof of inadequacy. If you're not stumbling from time to time, then chances are you're not going anywhere worthwhile.
Failures are not fun, but neither are they fruitless. Opportunities to learn and grow are embedded in every setback we undergo. Instead of dwelling on the disappointment of things going wrong, seize the insights of the experience. By doing so, you'll emerge as a stronger person.
2) Show gratitude for the blessings you've received.
Gratitude is not only the greatest of all virtues but the mother of all the rest.
~ Cicero
To cultivate gratitude, Oprah recommends keeping a gratitude journal:
"Every night, list five things that happened this day that you are grateful for. What it will begin to do is change your perspective of your day and your life. If you can learn to focus on what you have, you will always see that the universe is abundant; you will have more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never have enough."
In addition to writing down what you're thankful for, take action to show gratitude to the people who have helped you over the course of the past year. Expressing thankfulness to others encourages them, strengthens your relationship with them, and positions you to receive their goodwill again in the future.
3) Turn the page on the past and take joy in today.
Hoping to get a glimpse into history, an interviewer asked an 87-year old woman, "What was the world like back in your days?" "Hmph!" she responded, "This is my day!" I love her attitude. Instead of being wistful about the years behind her, the elderly lady's mindset was on making the most of the day in front of her.
The close of the calendar year can be a time of reflection. We think back to the happenings of 2010 and assess where we are in life. Although life can only be understood looking backwards, it can only be lived moving forward. No matter what has transpired this past year, today is a blank slate. So set aside any regrets you may have about 2010, enjoy the holiday season, and look forward to a fresh new year.
Have a remarkable day.

Ajanah.