What I am in God

From my friend's note: Current offering reading at Bethel kids church...love it! "I am powerful, and what I believe changes the world! So today I declare: God is in a good mood. He loves me all the time. Nothing can separate me from His love. Jesus' blood paid for everything I will tell nations of what He has done. I am important. How He made me is amazing. I was designed for worship. My mouth establishes praise to silence the enemy. Everywhere I go becomes a perfect health zone. And...with God Nothing is impossible!"

No time for emotions, guapa...

I heard someone call my name, it was my guapa (beautiful Spanish sweetheart). We chatted at the interchange for the central and northern lines at Bank station, oblivious of people around us.She was giving me a pep talk, "this is not the time for emotions, no no no, you have to just do it", as she flicked her hair, hands to her hips and waved her fingers at me, Spanish style. :) I said " si, si guapa" as we hugged each other goodbye. I have to "just do it". What a great pep talk to start my day. Muchas gracias mi amiga linda.

Everywhere I go

I was rushing out to get a coffee and walked past two happy people who were bursting out laughing together, enjoying each other's company, and each sipping a cuppa. Such a joy seeing happy, joyful people. I looked again at them. I knew them. I looked at them and asked them what they were doing in my hood, I was actually a little abrupt while questioning them. I was just surprised and took a long look at each of them. It turned out the gal worked in my area. The guy was just visiting. He looked at me with an amused look on his face. The guy had dropped me home the night before with a group of friends. I managed to get the last space in his car, rather cheekily. We all go to the same church. I love how connected we are, every where I turn there is someone I know, someone who looks at me lovingly, showing me God's beautiful face and love for mankind. What a blessing, what a privilege, what abundant grace our Father has for us.

sweet little moments in life...

the sweet little moments in life are the best I think...

my morning catch up with my cute cuddly neighbour as we walk together for a bit on the way to work..he lets me do all the talking and I do it at full speed as we don't walk together for long before we go in different directions..

my beautiful workmate who brings in taro boiled by her mother the night before for the both of us...

a stranger named Gerry who shows me the way to the cupcake shop where I have an evening date with a girlfriend who also recommends another cupcake shop called Lola's in Selfridges...she is so smiley, warm and down-to-earth.

friends Alice and Marie who tell me in glee about really small cosy cinemas Aubin in Bethnal Green and Every Man in Baker Street where you get large comfy seats, your table and a bar in the cinema...:) sounds awesome.

praying on the sofa in my flat with two beautiful girlfriends at the start of the year, thanking God for an amazing year and that we bring change to the world we live in, meet the needs of deprived areas in our community.

my old boss who says he was thinking of me last week and was wondering how I was doing and suggests catching up over a glass of wine - it is nice to be thought of.

my current director who tells me to chill out and just have fun, as I tell him I want to learn some finance...one on one from him. :)

praying with a girlfriend in a cupcake shop for her to pursue her dream of joining the UN.

sleeping in my beautiful warm silk nightdress lovingly brought back by my girlfriend from Shanghai while she was there over Christmas.

enjoying local Malay food with a beautiful friend while she tells me about the amazing "mission" trip to Thailand she has just been on, saying grace with her before eating.

dancing to the song Tightrope in a hip hop class with a cool teacher, Bradley, who goes into the moves so patiently and with such precision like no other teacher I have had before. and we all learn to bounce and shake our shoulders. so liberating and fun.

a text from friends saying I am their champions despite me failing to obtain the desired outcome.

being called cheeky by my beautiful Spanish girlfriend. I love her. I love being loved by her.

God showing me He has great plans for me and he will reward my faith in Him - that he will help my conquer the giants in my life, as he helped Caleb.

my Mama telling me to start up a burger stall (I think it is because I love to cook) when I tell law can be tough. I love her.

my close friend's mum who prays for me before I make any major decisions/take an exam/go on holiday - her words always ring true. God is always with me no matter where I go, whichever part of the world I am in. He never leaves me. It is beautiful.

a friend calling me to share her pain as her mother is critically ill - that is somewhat a bit of a bitter sweet moment. but I know God is her with her and her mother and His plans rule above everything else.

staying up late chatting to my younger cousin about "boy issues". boys puzzle girls of all ages. :)

friends gently and holding my hands and praying for me at the dinner table as I returned from the slopes with a cut lip that had to be sewn back (and has since completely healed).

sweet moments. life is good. God is great. I love him. Medasi Nyame.

Cute kiddos in a Malaysian airport..

I was waiting in Coffee Bean at LCCT (airport for low-cost airlines in KL) for my uncle. A little boy (around age 6) tries to enter the cafe but finds the door I am sitting opposite stiff. One of the airport staff helps him open the door. He lingers by a table opposite me and then draws a chair and sits on it. The cafe was playing a few catchy tunes. The kid then starts grooving to a Beyonce song - moving his shoulders and neck - pretty slick moves for a six-year-old while looking at me. I get a little paranoid trying to see if he is accompanied by parents or is up to some mischief.

A pretty little girl then comes through the door. She looks at him, then at me. She comes to my table and stands by my bags,looks at them and turns her big eyes towards me. I am trying to figure all this out (maybe they thought I was running away from home and thought I was lonely?) - or were the kids genuinely drawn to me (you know like kids being drawn to Jesus :)) or were they up to something? They then got a bit bored with me as I sat with a puzzled look but did not say anything. The boy then leaves, soon followed by the girl whom I think was his sister. They go to a family sitting nearby on the chairs outside. A man whom I would guess is the dad looks towards me in a bemused manner. The whole family then walks off.

I found the whole episode quite funny and a little unusual. Malaysian kids aren't usually that friendly towards strangers nor are parents that willing to let their children wander off that far unaccompanied. Maybe they were from a neighbouring country. The boy's dance moves still make me laugh when I think about him. But maybe the moves only come second to a boy who is around six years old and in the habit of somersaulting in our church foyer towards a friend of mine and ends the somersault by telling her his five-year old best friend fancies her and would like to marry her. She is in her twenties. Kids are cute and intriguing....and fun!

I dey good

It has been wet, wet, wet in Londres. I was in such a good mood after work this evening though, humming the song "Majesty" by Delirious as I was leaving the office and after having chatted with Miriam, who has promised to teach me some French and possibly Malinke, the language she speaks in Ivory Coast. The words, "forever I am changed by your love, in the presence of your majesty, your grace has found me just as I am, empty handed but alive in your hands, the greatest love of all is mine" resonated within me. I felt light, at peace. A bus sped by and in the process sprayed water on my trousers - I was wet from the knees down on my right side. But it was all cool. I got splashed again by a car when I was near my home. My shoes were wet too. But it was good. I had been not as at peace in the morning thinking about how London can sometimes get just a little too busy. And did I mention the group of guys who came up to me on the underground on my way home, one guy with a hip hop swagger and the other who stood in front of me, did a body roll (like what you'd do when you are "street-locking") and then walked off. Funny. Oh and they were South Asians - isn't hip hop so international? *Wink.

Woodstock and a guy called Timo

I thought most lawyers in the city were super-focused on their careers. I then met Timo - a really intelligent lawyer who was fun and who listened to his music in his firm while doing his work, causing partners to tell him that he was not at Woodstock. He had lovely curls, he just did not look like your typical corporate/finance lawyer. He looked like a trendy arty type who as really at home liming in a bar in Shoreditch. I thought he was a musician. He was at a top international law firm, still quite young, with a very fresh outlook on life. And he was just going for it in life, being himself, giving everything his best, with a great sense of humour - he was real, down-to-earth and knew what he was about. He made me sit up and re-align my sometime inaccurate generalisations of lawyers in the city. I am glad I met him - just proves time and time again how sometimes we can get it wrong with easy-to-make (and easy-to-hold on-to)generalisations.

ah to be loved, it is so sweet..:)

My chale ms candy once told me God loves us through people as well....my french meal a few days ago cooked by my beautiful french friend was evidence of it...
the menu:
Oeufs mimosas
poulet sauce moutarde avec son riz
banane et fruits rouge sur son chocolat fondut

I love God, I love her, I love life.

Merci merci merci.

My Soul Magnifies The Lord

Words from a couple of Chris Tomlin's songs :)

Come and worship
Do not be afraid

My soul magnifies the Lord
He has done great things for (in) me

His goodness knows no ends
He establishes with his righteousness
His name shall be
Wonderful Counsellor
Everlasting Father

Love so amazing
Jesus Messiah
Name above all names
Blessed redeemer
Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners
The ransom from heaven
Jesus Messiah
Lord of all

All our hope is in you
All glory to you
The light of the world

On a separate note, a new single titled "Nothing On You" by Bob (featuring Bruno Mars) is a pretty cool song, reminds me of good party times/days in Accra at The Rhap, Champs, Tantra - what a chilled out season in my life. I loved it- taught me so much. And such lovely weather, food and lifestyle. Beautiful people too. Medasi Nyame.

My hood....:)

I love living in this area.
I love the fact I have friends who wake me up on a beautiful morning to borrow a tennis racket, who keep me enthralled by the conversations on God and life we have until the early hours of the morning, who swing by after a party to show me what they wore and tell me all about it, who come and pray for me at a moment's notice often without me asking/telling them what is on my mind and who keep me street by calling me K-dog. :)
I just love doing life with all this amazing and fun people. I love seeing God in all these people, I love seeing God in this area. I love feeling my Father's presence in my hood. And I believe it's going to get even more supernatural. :) And I believe God has placed me and all the others in the neighbourhood for a reason, for such a time as this. :)I know it sounds cliche, but I totally believe this. We are/are so going to be the new flavour of the neighbourhood - salty and all.
Have a great weekend.

The Way I Was Made

Words from the song "The Way I Was Made" by Chris Tomlin:

"I want to live like there's no tomorrow
I want to dance like no one's around
I want to sing like nobody's listening
Before I lay my body down
I want to give like I have many
I want to love like I am not afraid
I want to be the man I was meant to be
I want to be the way I was made"

"Made with your hands
Made to discover who you are
And who I am"

"All who are forgotten
Help me find
All of your promise
Let it be in my life"

Sweeping light versus flashlight

From a write-up on Spotify about Chris Tomlin, Christian songwriter/singer:

"When I write songs, I try to write in a way to reach as many people as I can, to be a lighthouse versus a flashlight. A sweeping light that sweeps over a lot of people, versus a flashlight that's very focused. I pray that. Only God can do that."

Quite profound. Chris has great vision and dreams big.Inspiring.

Thank you Father for accompanying me to work today...

I was sitting down in the train and got out my Bible to read. I noticed the guy sitting opposite me was also reading the Bible. It was funny - we were sitting in the same position, reading the same thing, directly opposite each other. I looked closely at him- I knew him. He was from my church and lived in the same area. It felt like such a blessing travelling into work feeling wrapped in God's presence and love. It just filled my heart with a wonderful feeling and there was a great feeling of peace, security and joy. The whole carriage we were sitting in just felt different as it normally does on other days. We chatted as we embarked, enquired after common friends and wished each other good weeks as we went our separate ways. It put a smile on my face. It was nice seeing God being so real in the lives around me (and in my own life) and being reminded of His love for all of us and how He is with us in everything we do. God can be in everything I do (from work to play to simply chilling out) if I let HIm...so really, I should do everything onto him, with a heart of gladness...:) I can worship Him through anything and everything I do. Something for me maybe to think about and act on on a constant basis.

Medasi Nyame...

She felt so grateful to God. It was so beautiful to be able to pray with and for family, it was such a blessing and privilege to be used by God to bless her family.

Cultural diversity

I got prayed for in Korean, Cantonese, Portuguese and Thai as I visited my church "small groups" in my area and hung out with church friends in the last couple of weeks...how amazing is that?! Different cultures (but all connected through and in God :))brought to my doorstep without me having to hop on a plane...thank you Father. God transcends languages and cultures - with him anything and everything is possible. And the cultural diversity in our world is His creation, to be enjoyed by us all.

Happy heart

Found on the box of the Clinique Happy Heart perfume:

a wealth of flowers
a hint of warmth
a deepening of emotions
wear it and have
a happy heart

Nice. :)

Weddings in the Far East

It was the second wedding she had attended in the space of a month, different countries but in same part of the world...both weddings were very comparable, same "montage" presentation of photos of the groom and bride from when they were babies, showing how they had blossomed into the beautiful newly married couple; same song playing in the background, "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz; and the same Coach keyrings placed on the dinner tables by gorgeous girls in slinky dresses showing off beautiful, slim bodies - typical Far Eastern beauties.And similar speeches by the proud, beaming parents....Sweet.And the same toast to the couple, followed by a loud "yam seng" ("cheers" in Chinese), although actually she then realised the "yam seng" was only incorporated in the Malaysian wedding and not the one in Hong Kong. Perhaps the people in HK were just more well behaved! She loved weddings in the Far East...and of course, the yummy food that was served on the day (with the added bonus that it was "normal" in the Far East to over-indulge in the food at such times of festivity so one could never appear greedy when enjoying the food!).

There's so much money can get you..

She was back in the society in which the five Cs ruled - credit card, condominium, cash, country club and career. Money was being thrown at her, she was being taken out for numerous meals. But she was tired. She wanted to return to basics, to what was important to her, the simple joys of life. No more chasing consumer greed/wealth - where needs will never ever be fully satisfied. She just wanted good conversation and a good laugh with good friends, to enjoy the beautiful sunsets/sunrises and have a good dance on the beach....and to enjoy God in everything.

Knowing Him

I heard a message in church a couple of Sundays ago and it has since revolutionised my way of thinking. I had not realised I was not really focusing on God all this while, I was not focusing on getting to know him as a person or getting to know his characteristics. I am now on a conscious journey of getting to know God as a person, it is I think akin to the process of getting to know a best friend or life partner. And he amazes me more and more the more I get to know him.

He is good, always does what is right, he leads with unfailing love and faithfulness, he is a friend to those who fear him and he shows us the path, he leads the humble in doing right, teaching them his way. He is our glorious eternal King.

With such a father and best friend and king, what is there to fear in life? Our lives are provided for, our needs are met beyond our wildest dreams, he only gives us the best. Everything is in his hands, we have worry free lives. All we have to do is trust in him, and knowing what he is about/his characteristics, there is no reason not to. Thank you Abba.

"I Gotta Feeling"

I have the song "I Gotta Feeling" by Black Eyed Peas playing in my head. I feel upbeat. I am fighting a cold - I think it is due to the change in weather. It is getting colder. But I feel upbeat nonetheless. This year as been amazing to date. And it will end on an even better note. I have added another aspect to my life - a Ghanaian dimension. There's no turning back. Part of me will always be proud to be an Accra girl (I have visions of taking wedding photos in a trotro after seeing some really cool photos :)). And it has been good being back in London and serving in church and being surrounded by so many beautiful people. God has been amazing. He is good and I am believing in Him for even greater things in His name. It has been so good chilling out and enjoying all the friendships in my life - while sipping wine from the Stellenbosch region, and dreaming about visiting Cape Town soon....There's just so much out there to experience, maybe I should do things small-small. Maadwo.