Darien starts with a rather funny beginning, I call it funny because who starts a novel with a disclaimer about not being able to write well if not a good writer? The novel tells the story of an ambitious young man, Darien, who is ready to do whatever it takes to get what he wants irrespective of who/what gets affected by this. In the twelve chapters of this book, the author takes us through a smooth tango, painting vivid pictures of what makes Darien, Darien. It is commonly said that knowing a person best is by seeing the person through the lens of the person’s eyes and this book delivered so well by giving us glimpses into the minds of the characters. It tells a tale of office politics, love, betrayal, dedication and a whole lot of other things in between that exists in human relationships. What makes the story a must read is that it does not give us the fairy tale we are mostly accustomed to in works of fiction as it ends in a not so happily-ever-after way. It is loaded with a lot of lessons which were presented in a pragmatic way. Although I hated how it ended and the emotional turmoil it put me through, I’ll say you read it yourself and let me know if we agree that we hate how it ended. ✌🏽
In this book, Kenneth E. Hagin brought to bare a lot of issues concerning one’s life as it aligns with God’s plans and purposes as well as the current church structure in comparison to how it’s supposed to be. He talks about how that when we make God’s plans and purposes our own, then we can fully and clearly pursue them and achieve them because then, we are not just working based on our personal wants and biases but fully following and doing what is in the mind of God for us. He gave some examples of how being out of alignment with God’s plans and purposes can leave us in a rut whereas aligning makes our lives more fulfilling.
This line from the book stood out for me “for You don’t do something because someone else is doing it. Find out what God wants you to do.”
I recommend this book to anyone trying to grasp the concept God’s plans and purposes not only on an individual level but also as a church.
Tossed by life’s wind Battered by betrayal blows Trampled upon like trash ‘Shatterd beyond repair,’ was the verdict But it didn’t deter you You picked me up Binding up broken bones and heart Infusing faith, love and hope I’m born again! Restored.
I pray this new year be a year of restoration for all of us.
Happy new year and welcome to 2022.
For this month of January, I’ll be sharing reviews of some books I read last year. Watch out!
In Blink, Malcolm Gladwell take us on a journey to our unconsciousness, he breaks down how our ‘gut’ works in a manner that is a little beyond logical explanation due largely to how our brains work and goes further to show us through thorough research, from the experience of people in diverse fields, how our first instinct–thin slicing–can be mostly right but sometimes wrong depending on how well we have developed our ‘unconsciousness mind.’ Through the diverse experiences and sometimes researches of these individuals, we see how this works in various facets of life—car sales, determining how a couples marriage is, correctly predicting the outcome of a race, a double fault and much more.
In the authors words, “the first task of Blink is to convince you of a simple fact: decisions made very quickly can be every bit as good as decisions made cautiously and deliberately. So, when should we trust our instincts, and when should we be wary of them? Answering that question is the second task of Blink. When our powers of rapid cognition go awry, they go awry for a very specific and consistent set of reasons, and those reasons can be identified and understood. It is possible to learn when to listen to that powerful onboard computer and when to be wary of it. The third and most important task of this book is to convince you that our snap judgments and first impressions can be educated and controlled. I know that’s hard to believe. Harrison and Hoving and the other art experts who looked at the Getty kouros had powerful and sophisticated reactions to the statue, but didn’t they bubble up unbidden from their unconscious? Can that kind of mysterious reaction be controlled? The truth is that it can. Just as we can teach ourselves to think logically and deliberately, we can also teach ourselves to make better snap judgments. In Blink you’ll meet doctors and generals and coaches and furniture designers and musicians and actors and car salesmen and countless others, all of whom are very good at what they do and all of whom owe their success, at least in part, to the steps they have taken to shape, manage and educate their unconscious reactions. The power of knowing, in that first two seconds, is not a gift given magically to a fortunate few. It is an ability that we can all cultivate for ourselves.”
I can’t capture the essence of this book better than the author ahs already done above, therefore, I encourage you to read this book and teach your unconsciousness mind to thin slice in a blink.
Congratulations on seeing the last day of 2021, may God let us see the next year in good health and peace.
Hide not thy light You’re meant to shine Those who cannot stand your brightness Should wear shades or stay in the shade Dim not thy light for them Bury it not You’re light Shining is what you do.
She was the cover image on all magazines Beautiful face, curvaceous body Everyone wanted to be around her She was the life of the party Humour and wittiness, she dished out abundantly Then, an acid bath she got Disfigured, everyone scrambled away Like rats running to hide Depressed, broken and broke, depressed, she became Until Philippians 4:13 awakened her
“You’re at it again right?” He furrowed his brows as he always does when he’s deep in thought, “I don’t understand, at what?” he asked. “You’ve been staring at that lady all night.” “No, I haven’t. You know I only have eyes for you mon cherie,” he said with a wink. “You like her?” “No!” he replied, looking at her like she’d just said something abominable. “Okay, excuse me. I want to use the loo.”
As soon as she left, he dashed over to the lady in red and collected her phone number.
Thirty minutes passed and she still hadn’t returned, when he tried calling her phone, she didn’t pick up. She sent him a text instead, ‘Have a headache, I’m at my apartment.’
When he got to her apartment, the door was open so he let himself in only to see his father on top of her.
Watching the movie, Just mercy, brought to bare the stark realities blacks were faced with in the 1980’s. I initially thought it was just a fictional story until the movie ended and the major characters were shown 😲.
Knowing the Herbert Richardson actually did get killed by electrocution even though he was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of serving in the Army which led to his committing the crime for which he was killed for was disheartening.
I pondered on the level of injustice and pain these people passed through just because of the colour of their skin. I admired the courage of Bryan Stevenson, the persecutor and his manager of operations, Eva Ansley who started the Equal Justice Initiative so as to take up the cases of these unfairly convicted people, seek fair hearing and get justice for them.
The most touching for me was the case of Ray Hinton who was found innocent after spending nearly 30 years on death row 🤯 like how does a man like that live after being released from prison? How does he view the world and his life? Where does he start from after losing such a long time? I don’t even want to begin to imagine the level of trauma he’s in and only God knows how long it will take for him to be whole again.
To think that all these happened long after the slave trade was abolished is really heartbreaking. This racism thing is one hell of a problem!
What’s your thoughts on racism? Have you ever experienced it?
Life’s unfair, so he learned And unfair he became, Pouring blood libations Amassing wealth and influence, To get his signature Large brown envelopes must be offered, Sipping billions, riding in rovers Until his cup overflowed Sentenced! Life behind bars.
