Dr Myles Munroe Changed my Life

12 years ago one Sunday morning, I chose to stay home from church for some reason and it changed my life forever. After my parents left for church, I remembered I had a video cassette my Uncle Yakubu from Tom club (Teenagers' Outreach Ministries) had given me. I pulled it out and slotted it in thinking it would be a boring message but I could hopefully feel less guilty by watching it.

I saw Pastor Myles Munroe that day for the first time and when he began to speak, one of the first things he said was, 'The greatest tragedy in life is not death...but life...without a Purpose.'

That day, this God's General changed my life! I watched that message over and over till my parents got home some 4hours later! I even sat my dad down and made the Prof watch the message too. And my dad said at the end of the message late that afternoon, 'I wish I had heard this forty years ago.' Guess what, my dad was exactly 40 years older than me! So I understood that I had a rare opportunity he had been denied. Here I was 40 years earlier learning that I had to above all else 1; Discover and fulfill my God-given purpose in life and that 2; To understand the purpose of a thing (or person) you had to go to the manufacturer (God), and 3; that 'Where purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable.'

And so I began to write again, poetry and prose and music. I completed my degree and sought every opportunity to polish my gifts and today I still write because of what I heard that fateful day. It marked a turning point for me, basically shifted all my paradigms. And I remain eternally grateful for it.

Rest in peace Pastor Myles, my dad talked about you till he went on to glory 6 years ago and I am sure you guys will exchange a hi-five over there when you cross paths on the streets of gold. My comfort are from your very words, 'The greatest tragedy in life is not death, but life...without a Purpose.' And boy! Did you fulfill your Purpose! I hope I do too. I will certainly spend every waking moment working at it. May you and your dear wife Rest in Peace, till we meet to part no more. Adieu.

Life of a Proud Naija Graduate; Road One

The different roads in my great University were popularly called by numbers. And the most famous of these roads was Adesoji Aderemi Road a.k.a. Road One. This is because, this basically was the road that led you into school. Road One spans all the way from the majestic school gate into the body of the campus. Now, I had many things I loved about my school but I must say, Road One was my earliest love on campus. 

First, Road One was full of the promise of majesty and awe. It was very wide, smooth and bordered by well-groomed, lush and verdant green lawns on both sides. The in-bound and out-bound lanes were separated by this same nicely clipped lawns and you had tall street lights all the way down. And the streetlights worked! Not very common back home.

One of my first impressions of this long road was of smooth and wide-sweeping twists and curves that hid what lay ahead from you. Yes, you knew great Ife lay ahead but it was just out of sight, hidden maybe around that next corner? You caught a glimpse of a hill here, a tower there, but you just couldn't see the school straight ahead, like a shy but mischievous bride flashing a promising shoulder here, a timid knee there. And finally, as you approach the end of the road, like the conclusion of a giant game of hide and seek, first comes a glimpse of the sports complex on your left and before you can take in the wide lush fields, students playing games, gisting or holding meetings in the field, you sweep around the last bend in the road and it's like the very breath is sucked out of your lungs!

Suddenly, three of the greatest structures on campus dramatically lunge out at you; the sprawling Amphi theater to your left, the School library to the back in the middle and the tall stately Senate building to your right. The first time I caught sight of this view fourteen years ago, I remember I gasped with wide-eyed wonder in the car. You just never get over it. In the middle, right before the library lies the green lawns of the beautiful park used for photography called Motion ground. Road One brings to mind words associated with my Great School like Learning and Culture. It was just the perfect way to get your mind set to partake in the intense academia represented by the Library, the cultural and social heritage represented by the Amphi theater and Motion ground and of course never forgetting the eventual goal of leaving with a good degree in hand represented by the Senate building.

You know while writing this piece, I found myself remembering something else about Road One that it would be easier to forget. You see, just as there is the in-bound lane, you also have the out-bound lane which is of course exactly the same except that it faces the opposite direction, leading out of school. When a student for some reason or the other got expelled from school, maybe for academic or disciplinary reasons, the popular slang in school was, he or she had been placed on Road One. It was one of the most painful experiences a student could have. To have to leave before acquiring the degree you came to get. Worst of all were those students who after a few years on the campus had to be carried out on the same Road One, dead. I once had a Room mate who died so I remember this so clearly. I remember the tearful candle light processions held by students for their departed colleagues.

Indeed, Road One is like many of life's experiences. The exact same situation that leads some people to greatness and fulfillment carries some others into chaos. Some get married and are blissfully happy, others end up in a mess of abuse and crushed dreams. Some migrate to another country and flourish greatly while others end up homeless and penniless in a strange land. Interestingly enough, while many students who experienced the dreaded Road One expulsion situation found it hard to pull things back together in their lives, I still know many who got it together and refused to be held down by it. They fought back at life until they snatched back the greatness it seemed would never be theirs again. Sort of like a seed of greatness had been planted within them and though they had been kicked in the gut, they just would not give up until they flourished. Many students who were placed on the dreaded out-bound lane of Road One went on to attend other schools and still acquired their degrees, others became wealthy and successful entrepreneurs but that is a story for another day.

Today, I simply remember Road One as a well-planned masterpiece full of promise, majesty and the hopeful dreams of young hearts.

It's Reinvention Time; What is Your Real Name?

The other day, I met somebody new and as I introduced myself, 'Hi, I'm Nike,' I found myself considering, what really is a person's name? 

Jane or Jumi, Tony or Tope, your designation goes well beyond the word on the surface. In fact, long before you open your mouth to speak a word, you are already communicating, already 'naming' yourself. And that is why a person can tell you, I saw this lady, I did not get to speak to her, but I believe she is Smart or Intelligent or Interesting. This may be influenced by but honestly goes way beyond beauty or the clothes you wear. 

Thing is, with every time you meet somebody, just as you are saying I am Titi or Deedee, you are also saying without words, I am Confident, I am Organized, I Got this.

This subtle communication is all too real. Think of this, a person will hardly tell everyone at a new job, my name is Tim and then have all of them call him Jim. So also, it is what you tell us to call you that we will call you. If the communication coming out of you is, My name is Decent or Successful or Exciting or Humble or Smart, it will hardly matter to the people you interact with now who you were yesterday. You can rename and reinvent yourself and the people around you Will follow your lead eventually.

First, acknowledge who you Were. But if you are moving on from there, don't Stay there. So you have become Single Parent or Jobless or Abused. Know where you are coming from so you can confidently say to the person trying to keep you in yesterday, 'Hey, that WAS me then, but Now... I am Fixed, I am Whole, I am Awesome!'

At the end of the day, people will call you what your Person demands to be called when you own it and consistently act as such. No matter what others say about you. No matter what your past is. And that is why it is simply pathetic to see some people communicate with every interaction, Hi, I am Depressed, I am Loser, I am Pathetic, I am Angry, I am Weakling or worst of all, I am Still-Ashamed-of-my-Yesterday-Today.

So, tell us today; What truly is your Name? Or is it Reinvention time...?