My Feelingz Pt1

Been holding on, how long will i continue to? Even the most faithful of wives stay patient but under the dangerous tense guise of temptations, they lose that grip on faithfullness. I'm human, obviously i've been in relationships and cheated in some, judge me not, i'm human but when one decides to go straight and isn't encouraged in that good way, the thoughts of negativity begin to flow in.. I tried, God knows i did try but i guess my best wasn't good enough to hold on longer.
There's rily no point holding on to something or someone who really wants to be free. There's no point tryna be cool when it ain't all working out.
In as much as i feel empty most times, live goes on... Welcoming myself fully to this new phase of life. God be with me.. Amen

Control

In just a lil while of ma existence on earth, I think I've learnt some major things about control especially in the department of Attitude and Temper.
Me being who I am really don't find so many things funny and can be quick to erupt and pour that larva on someone nearby but I've come to find out that those who end up suffering the hurt of what someone else did to me are the ones that totally don't deserve it. Transferred agression is something that gets the better part of me so I've learnt to stay quiet and say nothing or almost nothing when I'm in that crazy state of anger. Cos in as much as the real & hard truth is spoken when one is angry, harsh and irrational decisions are made too and its better not to judge one or make conclusions when angry cos the effect may never wear off in a life time.
I've had a couple of friends I've lost and in as much as I still think of them once in a while, sometimes I just say "let sleeping dogs lie" but its a thing of the heart and if I've ever hurt you as a result of my temper, I'm sorry.
We all strive to be better people on a daily basis, I am too. I'm human and I have flaws, we all do. Let's learn from people's stories and let it affect us positively. Remember, Experience can only be the best teacher if only you learn from it. God bless us all. Amen

Lies

In every facet of life, liars are bound to come forth.. You'd be suprised at the kinda lies people can tell. I mean, you meet a girl and she tells you she lives in one of the main high brow areas of the state whereas, she lives in a shanty barchar somewhere tryna survive each day with family and a few cousins living with. I mean, why lie? As humans, we can always do better and in every situation, wh always have options. God himself establishes lies as a sin so why partake in the certified known wrath of God by trying to decieve people in the name of getting better recognition? We ain't perfect for sure but we can strive to be like God. Afterall, we are made in His image so we have every opportunity to be the best which He has destined us to be. Trivial things as little as lies take us farther from actualizing that desired prosperity god has for us. A word is enough for the wise. Most of us have this problem, let us take a minute to talk to God to grant us the grace to live aright. God help us all. Amen

R&B diva: Mz Saeon

Born Saeon Oni, popularly called MzSaeon just as the twitter handle states is a fast rising R and B diva springing up from Nigeria. Yes, our very own Naija. This Sexy, Tough, Sassy, Burlesque, Beautiful; to mention but a few qualities has carved a niche for herself in the Nigerian entertainment scene with a couple of hit tracks to her name. Its one thing to hear a song and another to hear and ponder on a good song. Saeon's voice is one that would keep you going on repeat without even knowing it. Appreciate this young sister and management headed by JRS by downloading her tracks
Fever: http://t.co/WWxfROt
I'll be gone: http://t.co/zTWX9Nx
Recover from you ft. Falz: http://t.co/JcudWB2
Foreigner by Blackmagic ft. Saeon: http://t.co/1IuklDr
For other tracks and links, follow @MzSaeon & @Jay_aR_eS on Twitter. Support good music and appreciate hardwork. I love good music #TeamSaeon

Cynthia Morgan gets us ROCKING with a new Track "Right Move"

Pop and dancehall diva, Cynthia Morgan aka
Marshall Morgan's passion and love
for music started since childhood. She started
recording professionally at the
age of sixteen and grew up singing in the
church choir.
Cynthia Morgan is a song writer, composer and
also plays the talking drum. She started
composing at
age seven. She recorded her debut singles at
age sixteen, started getting airplay and
interviews on local radio stations in Benin
before moving to Lagos.
She has performed alongside Sound Sultan,
General Pype, Ajuju, R2bees, Nyore, Mo’
Cheddah, Nikky Laoye, BB, Ahionye, Goldie,
Lami and other top Nigerian artistes.
Right Move is her new song, an appetizer from
her debut album dropping soon and she gets it
right on this one. Download track (Right Move) here 4shared.com/get/QQipFATC/Cynthia_Morgan-Right_Move.html?tsid=20110903-101815-3f9008b2

Over for now

finally, i've come to the end of this road and part of ma life for this year, waking up from ma bed this morning at 5:47am, i just had to say a quick word to the Man above and think back on all the times and events that made this period worth the while. Definitely, i'd say it wouldn't have been complete without some key people in the picture, these people made me realize that struggle never kills, it would just weigh you down. I appreciate all the help from y'all, God bless you.
It was indeed a very trying period for me, the bad news, the foul talk, quarrels, the trips to solve issues, the times i got impatient, i just thank God its all over for now.
This is a new phase of life for me now and i ask the Man above to continually guide me through as i make decisions. Amen

Done

I'm not superman, I'm human. I have more sources to a kryptonite effect on me than one. I bleed when I'm hit and bleed even more when ma emotion is stabbed. Yes I can be irrational, over bearing & jealous. Incase you don't know, that's why I'm human. I trust no one but maself, yes I'm stubborn, helps me bring out the worst in people by pushing them to the edge. I'm not too good at asking questions cos I'd rather not be lied to; especially when emotions are involved.
Yes I may judge you differently.... Fuck being friends, I'd judge you if I have to bring out the truth and rub it in your face so you be conscious and not wanna do it again. You may hate me for it but that's me, my method and ma life.
I may be overly expressive and rub certain things in people's face but as of now, I give up. Yes, ma insides that used to feel quite colourful now seems to have one colour lasting several hours then switching as ma mood switches. Ma life is far from solitude, I still have a couple cheerleaders on the sideline bringing forth the ginger but to what purpose? Ma girl Ginger said "dude, you are young. Its cool to be you but don't take too much of the wrong things to heart". That's all I've been doing.
I'm done feeling like superman, no more knight in shiny armour effizzy, as superman, I played ma part but even superman didn't know everything + he couldn't save everyone at once. Once in a while, somethings still happened unnoticed. This aint about throwing in the white flag, this aint about phone calls, this aint about touchy words. I'm done being a super hero, whatever becomes of the city, I really don't wanna care cos ma city never really felt ma importance when I was just simply doing ma job.
No white flag but I throw in the towel, Mel signing out

Sunday the 18th

Cold morning it sure has been and with the only option to having a bath is cold water, I had no choice but to get in that shower... With little or almost nothing in mind for lunch, I gotta say this is so like one of ma trying days but God dey.
Actually, I was gonna have lunch but maybe it'd be safe to say ma deliverer got caught up in unwanted and more important things of self other than my interest being carried first class.
In as much as I feel disappointed, I'd rather just let it go. So I'm sitting here listening to some funky naija remix song with ma belly biting.. If only I was at home right now, it'd be a different case cos I'd have whatever I want at ma disposal.. She said she wishes she aint so far, I wish too. *sad face*
I'd sign off this believing if find something to eat before I pass out soon. Cheers hommies.

God guide US

Things have been happening for over a month... Good, bad, ugly and depressing stuffs. I feel like I've been more like mr hyde and jackle, whatever the spelling is, I hope u get it tho. Alternating stuffs going down everyday. In the last one month. I've switched from happy to sad in the space of just minutes.
I've also made some pretty cool friends, people who made me realize there's more to life than just looking down on situations and getting sad. People who have rubbed ma back in times of crazy ill feelings and told me all will be well and I believed them.
In the past 1 month, I've had a peaceful rapour with ma family and even tho I decided I'd get closer to ma father and I found out some very shocking secrets, I still look up to God cos its from him we get our source of life. Afterall, to err is human and to forgive is divine. I forgive you...
And to the one that has been responsible for ma travels and been keeping me company exceptionally, even though I can't exactly mention your name openly which I believe is for a good cause, I gotta say thank you so much. I appreciate every second spent with you and you all... I love you all, God continually be with us and help us all.
Amen....

Letter to ma Big Brother

Wow... Its almost been 23 years since ma mum (Patricia) bore me in pains but great joy in her heart.. Unlike normal kids, i was born a little after 8 months, too eager to come to the world i gotta say.. After all my rush rush, well, body don calm down. Well, i wasn't the first tho, R.I.P supposed big bro.. I wonder what it would have been like if you were here today.. U for don beat me tire cos i for no dey gree for u.. I just wonder if you'd have been big bodied like i am or tall or a fine boy like me *wink* I never saw you, all i ever see is the faint smile with a 'Thank God you are alive' from my Mum whenever she talks about you.
I really wish i met you, i really wish i had someone to take away dad's (Chukwuemeka) harshness a bit in anticipation for ma arrival, maybe he would have been more lenient on me. You may have been married by now, how cool it would have been to say to ma buddies, 'i'm chillin at ma big bro's place'.. I wonder what ur name would have been, maybe Charles or Chinonso or Fred. You never even lived to get a name to your credit. How cool it'd have been to have worn your clothes and you'd vex so bad cos i wore your favourite shirt. Lol! How cool it'd have been to hustle with you and have a genuine blood watch my back as i watch yours. All i have are mere wishes cos i never even saw you, you never even stayed long enough to have a picture of you taken. Well, if it were like days of now, at least a camera phone picture would be available.. Maybe as your tiny head popped out to earth first. Lol... Mumsy go slap d person wey go take dat pisshure.. Lol:: but here i am 24 years later, writing these words about you. Well, i don't feel hurt, all i've got are mere wishes but that woman who carried you sure feels the pain like every single time she thinks of you cos you were supposed to be her first. Well, here i am taking up that position for you and almost 23 years now, big bro, i know you are up there seeing me right now, have i done good? Or you feel like scolding me? Tell me now o.... Lol!
In as much as i didn't meet you, i just miss the fun we woulda had together as brothers.. Well, i have a lil sister, her name is Vikky, she just turned 15 in febuary, stubborn and very fragile too.. I dunno how she combines the two.. We are repping you, flying the family name just like you'd have done if you were here.. Keep watching over us, we will always miss you. Safe Bro.. From your lil' bro; Mel

My Boxed Up Self

damn it....... Feels like its all for no reason but it sure has a root, a cause and a particular goal... Dear reader, been a while i poured out ma heart to someone who even cared to read.. Its been about 15 days of hard thoughts, crazy conversations and mind revealing occurences in my life.. So much hurt has been going on, just seems nothing is going good at the moment for me. Tried distractions, the longest sure didnt stay up to a week. Now, all these made me wonder; should i just retire and be a nun or confess my sins to God and go register in a covent or something? Do we even have covents in Nigeria? This life is nothing but a road filled with pieces of shattered glass and thorns for me. I wanna retire.. This week was worse, this weekend has surely been the worst. Making plans and everything failing at the very last minute has definitely not added to the list of fun things i've been in. Its even worse when one's account is way on the opposite side of flourishing. Too many thoughts and assumptions flying aroung in this head of mine, its not about making it up, can never be like the first time one thinks about it all. Signing out now but i gotta say, it sucks being where i am, living where i do, having the things i have and being in d box that i have been placed. Only time will tell for sure

My past 15 Hours

The past 15 hours have definitely been something of a memory for me to keep for a while. Didn't take me till now to understand that i can really be overbearing but i just never knew i could be quite annoying for tryna stand by my convictions and do what i feel is right.. In the past 15 hours, i actually came to find out who my real friends were to an extent, those who pretend to have my back and those who would flee at the slightest provocation.
I guess it really takes heated situations to really bring out the real side of people cos what you think definitely would reflect in your speech and actions.
Somehow, i feel a lil bit of everything.... Hate, disgust, remorse, funk, sadness, revenge, fulfilment, happiness even stupidity and betrayal. All these, all in one super body and brain.. MINE!!
In the past 15 hours, i have concluded unjustly, made irrational decisions, offended man and God, caused some people pain and hurt, made some extremely happy and achieved one or two things but that still doesnt change the fact that i'm not totally happy.. Everyone wants to be happy always but in life, sadness is very inevitable unless you operate on a very high level of christian spirituality cos according to the bible in Joel 1 vs 12, it says ''the vine is dried up and the fig tree wasteth, the pomegrante tree and the palm tree also. The apple tree and also all the trees of the field are withered because joy is withered from the heart of the sons of man''. So, once things go wrong, we humans are bound to get dampened in spirit, soul and body but if we can brace up and take steps to making the day better, we may just save all the other areas that seem weak and save us from total depression. Though my past 15 hours have been somewhat bad, i won't sit and let fate play its role, i refuse to be sad. Writing this is enough joy to me cos i know i'm speaking out to someone's situation. God help us all. Amen

ADEBAYO LAWSON (B-LAWZ)

I wanna celebrate a brother who not only has a passion for what he is doing but also has the heart of beauty for everything concerning images. Yes, he is a short black boy but you can sure tell that his works stand tall and speak for him.
Born October 26th, sometime in the late 80's, in his words to me and i quote, he says....
I am Bayo Lawson, you can call me 'B-Lawz'. I'm a Photographer and a Radio Personality. Through the lens, I've learned how to capture special moments and appreciate the beauty in all things. My Photography has allowed me to show what i love and how i view the world. My images have been described as energetic, fun, hauntingly beautiful,thought provoking, truly original, attractive and other adjectives i have not mentioned. What makes my style so special is the way i mix elements of passion for fashion, love for kids and personal insight. Every occassion is a new chance for me to share with people my passion for modern photojournalistic style Photography. I am passionate about creating photographs to be treasured and shared for years to come. Treat yourself to my wonderful Photography experience and you wonder why you waited too long to have a piece!
Yes, i have has a piece and all i can say is wow!!!! Here are a couple of his works from his just launched website www.iamblawz.com. ENJOY..........
a



No doubt, you can feel the touch of nature in these pictures





Basically, it's not about the money but whatever that is of good value like this has to come with a price.. Check out www.iamblawz.com for more info or you can always holla at me if you need to get through to him.. Bayo, i can like to be your manager o.... lolz!!

Guard Your Heart

The human heart is very delicate, in it
is where you find the best feelings.
Your heart whether you like it or not is
always intune with your mind. Your
mind is the head factor of your heart.
When your heart is in accordance with
what you wanna do, your mind thinks
it and sets your personality to achieve
it. The Heart is the power house of the
body, without your heart, you can't be
a living beign.. And I know the bible
says guard your tongue cos in there
lies the power of life and death, true.
I'd say, guard heart, it leads to a
healthier mind and life. God bless you

Basic Thoughts on Old & New Music

Well, you may say since i was born in the late 80's, i'm a member of the 'New School'.. Well, thats kinda true. You really don't expect me on a normal day to be driving out and vibing to some musical piece from James Brown (R.I.P) or even watching an 007 movie that had Sean Connery or Roger Moore as its main acts.
Times change so does things that follow a trend like music, fashion, technology and even humans. Lol!! Its seriously stale gist if you are just knowing that men of the old days lived longer than men of today. How many people really live over 100 these days? I'm sure you can do the math easy if given the stats.
Back to the main idea, people like My father say there's nothing to be learnt in today's kinda music (well, i believe he's talking about rap music) and then he goes; can you even hear what they say? I was listening to a song off Chris Brown's album Fame; Look at me now featuring Busta Rhymes and Lil Wayne and he bumped into the room at Busta's verse. He simply just shook his head and walked away. Since that day, he has been looking at me funny like i'm crazy or something. But really, what was for their time was for their time and even the bible says, ''Give unto ceaser what belongs to ceaser''. Its our generation so let them seriously allow us be, rather, let me be and quit with the Old School music rocks tag because all that certainly doesn't suit me, i'm sure it doesn't suit you either.
But in the real sense, the main idea is to follow your heart. That your next buddie or co-worker likes jazz isn't a criteria for you to love it too, What suits me may certainly not suit you so if your heart belongs to the Old school, then rock with that and if you belong to the New school, kill it like i do everyday, move with the trend but overall, the trend exists in your heart

Choose Wisely

‎​People are either for you or against you in the race of life. They are either your friends or your enemies. The quality of friends you have will to a long way determine the quality of your destiny. When you surround yourself with mediocres, you will eventually become one. Proverbs 13 vs 20
“Choose your friends wisely. Your enemies will be the ones to choose you.” Yasser Arafat.
You don't have a choice over who becomes your enemy but you do have a choice over who becomes your friend.
In choosing your friends, always look out for these three qualities, the fear of the Almighty, similarity of purpose and responsibilty.
It is the presence or absence of these qualities that will determine if the friendship is a weight that will keep you down or a spring board that will lift you up.
Choose your friends wisely, God guide you

Friendships

Jesus Christ. . . It's been a long, hot, tiresome and boring day. Had a couple of things i had to stay home and supervise so no going out today and that makes it day 2 on that path. It's been boring staying around artisans, tryna make sure they get it all done right so on the other end, i bore myself because whatever they do is none in my interest. Worsening it all, the last time i saw the lights come on in this house was 5am yesterday so that leaves me with just this tiny 6300 and i was so suprised when blogspot.com opened on it. So i'm writing you from my humble tiny mobile phone. . Isn't that awesome. . By the way, what do we think of friendships? Can one really survive without friends? Or can one strictly stick to having only same sex friends or the other way round? Which do you think is more appropriate? Personally, either sex is ok to me cos i sure don't buy the idea that one can survive without friends. Everyone needs a friend once in a while and thats what gradually results to relationships and marriages in most cases. I prefer friend of the opposite sex basically because there is more understanding and jealousy is very minimal. It's normal that your best friends probably have best friends so whatever you tell them, they tell others but we still have to understand that it's not everything that happens to us that we tell others. We have to be very calculated in our actions and the way we handle friendships even as simple as it seems, if not guided and watched closely, could bring a lot of harm and sadness. Recently, a good friend of mine told me she is laid back cos of how i spoke to her sometime ago when we had some issues pending. Well, i thought she'd have known my kinda person and understood me regardless of whatever mood i'm in but guess i was wrong. And efforts to make things right just seemed silly of me cos she had moved on to other things. You know, that point in time when a dear friend tells you ''it's d part of me that heals slow, you put me off and now we are cool, i can't seem to leave things that kept me solace while you were gone''. . Now, thats heart breaking but like i always say, life goes on, it's all good. So my dear reader, keep your friends closer. To hell with that saying of keeping enemies closer. In the real sense of life, it's those that know you that can bring you down. Be yourself and never be quick to jump into conclusions, i try not to. God bless you

Learn the Hard Way

I am a living witness of God's faithfulness in the land of the living, many things which another random person could have gone through and not survived, I went through and I'm still standing today. Not just standing, alive and healthy. Reading through today's page in the Open Heavens daily devotional, the topic says "Simply Believe". "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all things we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us" Ephesians 3 vs 20.
The heart of God is open to us all if only we would just believe.. I saw someone's update somewhere yesterday and it read; Don't tell God how big your problems are, tell your problems how big your God is. This is exactly what we should be doing.
The devil is on the prowl, looking for who to devour, it is even worse for christians who aren't so strong in faith because we are the same people who sing "satan don fall for gutter, match am match am".. When you are done matching him and you backslide from the kingdom of God and His ways, the devil resumes full time torment on your life with his agents and in most known cases, it starts with anger and frustration then to sickness then finally the loss of ones life. Christ keeps knocking, when we don't open up to Him, he sits at the door to our heart, waiting with His legs crossed like a man locked out his home all through the night by his kids who had gone partying. But the difference is, even when we finally open up, He doesn't yell at us or ground us or subject us to punishment for leaving Him in the cold, He embraces us.
Dear reader, we don't have to learn the hard way, lose something dear to us before we decide to go the right way. I'm sure no pastor but I realized it'd do no harm to pass on a few thoughts to someone who might need it out there. Hasten your steps, He is sitting, waiting for you.

By the way, I'm sure y'all heard about the postponement of the Senatorial elections slated for today.. All we can hope for is that it is free and fair cos with all this pushing, what are the masses really gonna think? That their votes are still gonna be relevant in securing a good leader to the seat? I really don't know but I urge you all to play your part. Clear your conscience. God loves you!!

Menthor: John D. Rockefella

John Davison Rockefeller I
John D. Rockefeller in 1885
Born
July 8, 1839
Richford, New York, USA
Died
May 23, 1937 (aged 97)
The Casements, Ormond Beach, Florida,
USA
Resting place
Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, Ohio
41.511°N 81.591°W
Nationality
American
Occupation
oil tycoon; Chairman of Standard Oil
Company; investor; philanthropist
Net worth
$663.4 billion in 2007 dollars,
according to List of wealthiest
historical figures, based on information
from Forbes – February 2008.
Religion
Baptist
John Davison Rockefeller I (July 8,
1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American
oil magnate. Rockefeller
revolutionized the petroleum industry
and defined the structure of modern
philanthropy. In 1870, he founded the
Standard Oil Company and aggressively
ran it until he officially retired in 1897.
[1] Standard Oil began as an Ohio
partnership formed by John D.
Rockefeller, his brother William
Rockefeller, Henry Flagler, Jabez
Bostwick, chemist Samuel Andrews,
and a silent partner, Stephen V.
Harkness. As kerosene and gasoline
grew in importance, Rockefeller's
wealth soared, and he became the
world's richest man and first American
worth more than a billion dollars.[2]
Adjusting for inflation, he is often
regarded as the richest person in
history.[3][4][5][6]
Rockefeller spent the last 40 years of
his life in retirement. His fortune was
mainly used to create the modern
systematic approach of targeted
philanthropy with foundations that
had a major effect on medicine,
education, and scientific research.[7]
His foundations pioneered the
development of medical research, and
were instrumental in the eradication
of hookworm and yellow fever. He is
also the founder of both the University
of Chicago and Rockefeller University.
He was a devoted Northern Baptist and
supported many church-based
institutions throughout his life.
Rockefeller adhered to total
abstinence from alcohol and tobacco
throughout his life.[8]
He had four daughters and one son;
John D. Rockefeller, Jr. "Junior" was
largely entrusted with the supervision
of the foundations.
Early life and business career
Rockefeller was the second of six
children born in Richford, New York, to
William Avery Rockefeller (November
13, 1810 – May 11, 1906) and Eliza
Davison (September 12, 1813 – March
28, 1889). Genealogists trace some of
his ancestors to French Huguenots who
fled to Germany in the 17th century.[9]
[10] His father, first a lumberman, then
a traveling salesman, billed himself as
a “botanic physician” and sold elixirs.
The locals referred to the mysterious
but fun-loving man as "Big Bill," and
"Devil Bill".[11] He was a sworn foe of
conventional morality, who had opted
for a vagabond existence and who
returned to his family infrequently.
Throughout his life, William Avery
Rockefeller expended considerable
energy on tricks and schemes and
avoided plain hard work.[12] Eliza, a
homemaker and devout Baptist,
struggled to maintain a semblance of
stability at home, as William was
frequently gone for extended periods.
She also put up with his philandering
and his double life, which included
bigamy.[13] Thrifty by nature and
necessity, she taught her son that
"willful waste makes woeful
want."[14] Young Rockefeller did his
share of the regular household chores,
and earned extra money raising
turkeys, selling potatoes and candy,
and eventually loaning small sums of
money to neighbors. He followed his
father ’s advice to "trade dishes for
platters", and always get the better
part of any deal. Big Bill once bragged,
"I cheat my boys every chance I get. I
want to make ‘em sharp."[15]
In spite of his father’s absences and
frequent family moves, young
Rockefeller was a well-behaved,
serious and studious boy. His
contemporaries described him as
reserved, earnest, religious,
methodical, and discreet. He was an
excellent debater, and expressed
himself precisely. He also had a deep
love of music, and dreamed of it as a
possible career.[16] Early on, he
displayed an excellent mind for
numbers and detailed accounting.
Rockefeller age 18, circa 1857
When he was a boy, his family moved
to Moravia, New York and, in 1851, to
Owego, where he attended Owego
Academy. In 1853, his family moved to
Strongsville, a suburb of Cleveland.
Rockefeller attended Cleveland's
Central High School and then took a ten
week business course at Folsom's
Commercial College where he studied
bookkeeping.[17] In September 1855,
when Rockefeller was sixteen, he got
his first job as an assistant bookkeeper,
working for a small produce
commission firm called Hewitt &
Tuttle. He worked long hours and
delighted, as he later recalled, in“all
the methods and systems of the
office”.[18] He was particularly adept
at calculating transportation costs,
which served him well later in his
career. The full salary for his first three
months' work was $50 (50 cents a day).
[19] From the beginning, he donated
about 6% of his earnings to charity,
which increased to 10% by the age of
twenty, when he tithed to his Baptist
church.[20]
In 1859, Rockefeller went into the
produce commission business with a
partner, Maurice B. Clark, and they
raised $4,000 in capital. Rockefeller
went steadily ahead in business from
there, making money each year of his
career.[21] After wholesale foodstuffs,
the partners built an oil refinery in
1863 in "The Flats", then Cleveland's
burgeoning industrial area. The
refinery was directly owned by
Andrews, Clark & Company, which was
composed of Clark & Rockefeller,
chemist Samuel Andrews, and M. B.
Clark's two brothers. The commercial
oil business was in its infancy. Whale
oil had become too expensive for the
masses, and a cheaper, general-
purpose lighting fuel was needed.[22]
While his brother Frank fought in the
Civil War, Rockefeller tended his
business and hired substitute soldiers.
He gave money to the Union cause, as
did many rich Northerners who
avoided combat.[23] In February 1865,
in what was later described by oil
industry historian Daniel Yergin as a
"critical" action, Rockefeller bought
out the Clark brothers for $72,500 at
auction, and established the firm of
Rockefeller & Andrews. Rockefeller
said, "It was the day that determined
my career."[24] He was well-
positioned to take advantage of post-
war prosperity and the great
expansion westward, fostered by the
growth of railroads and an oil-fueled
economy. He borrowed heavily,
reinvested profits, adapted rapidly to
changing markets, and fielded
observers to track the quickly
expanding industry.[25]
Marriage and family
In 1864, Rockefeller married Laura
Celestia "Cettie" Spelman. They had
four daughters and one son together.
He said later, "Her judgment was
always better than mine. Without her
keen advice, I would be a poor
man."[21]
Beliefs
Rockefeller became a lifelong member
of the then-new Republican Party, and
a strong supporter of Abraham Lincoln
and the party’s abolitionist wing. He
was a faithful congregant of the Erie
Street Baptist Mission Church, where he
taught Sunday school, and served as a
trustee, clerk, and occasional janitor.
[26] Religion was a guiding force
throughout his life, and Rockefeller
believed it to be the source of his
success. As he said, "God gave me
money", and he did not apologize for
it. He felt at ease and righteous
following John Wesley’s dictum, "gain
all you can, save all you can, and give
all you can."[27]
Oil
In 1866, his brother William
Rockefeller built another refinery in
Cleveland and brought John into the
partnership. In 1867, Henry M. Flagler
became a partner, and the firm of
Rockefeller, Andrews & Flagler was
established. By 1868, with Rockefeller
continuing practices of borrowing and
reinvesting profits, controlling cost and
using refineries' waste, the company
owned two Cleveland refineries and a
marketing subsidiary in New York; it
was the largest oil refinery in the
world.[28][29] Rockefeller, Andrews &
Flagler was the predecessor of the
Standard Oil Company.
Standard Oil
Main article: Standard Oil
John D. Rockefeller ca. 1875
By the end of the American Civil War,
Cleveland was one of the five main
refining centers in the U.S. (besides
Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York,
and the region in northwestern
Pennsylvania where most of the oil
originated). In June 1870, Rockefeller
formed Standard Oil of Ohio, which
rapidly became the most profitable
refiner in Ohio. Standard Oil grew to
become one of the largest shippers of
oil and kerosene in the country. The
railroads were fighting fiercely for
traffic and, in an attempt to create a
cartel to control freight rates, formed
the South Improvement Company, in
collusion with Standard and other oil
men outside the main oil centers.[30]
The cartel received preferential
treatment as a high-volume shipper,
which included not just steep rebates
of up to 50% for their product, but also
rebates for the shipment of competing
products.[30] Part of this scheme was
the announcement of sharply
increased freight charges. This touched
off a firestorm of protest from
independent oil well owners,
including boycotts and vandalism,
which eventually led to the discovery
of Standard Oil's part in the deal. A
major New York refiner, Charles Pratt
and Company, headed by Charles Pratt
and Henry H. Rogers, led the
opposition to this plan, and railroads
soon backed off. Pennsylvania revoked
the cartel ’s charter and equal rates
were restored for the time being.[31]
Undeterred, though vilified for the first
time by the press, Rockefeller
continued with his self-reinforcing
cycle of buying competing refiners,
improving the efficiency of his
operations, pressing for discounts on
oil shipments, undercutting his
competition, making secret deals,
raising investment pools, and buying
rivals out. In less than four months in
1872, in what was later known as the
"Cleveland Conquest" or "Cleveland
Massacre", Standard Oil had absorbed
22 of its 26 Cleveland competitors.[32]
Eventually, even his former
antagonists, Pratt and Rogers, saw the
futility of continuing to compete
against Standard Oil: in 1874, they
made a secret agreement with their
old nemesis to be acquired. Pratt and
Rogers became Rockefeller's partners.
Rogers, in particular, became one of
Rockefeller's key men in the formation
of the Standard Oil Trust. Pratt's son,
Charles Millard Pratt became Secretary
of Standard Oil. For many of his
competitors, Rockefeller had merely to
show them his books so they could see
what they were up against, then make
them a decent offer. If they refused his
offer, he told them he would run them
into bankruptcy, then cheaply buy up
their assets at auction. He saw himself
as the industry ’s savior, "an angel of
mercy", absorbing the weak and
making the industry as a whole
stronger, more efficient, and more
competitive.[33] Standard was
growing horizontally and vertically. It
added its own pipelines, tank cars, and
home delivery network. It kept oil
prices low to stave off competitors,
made its products affordable to the
average household, and to increase
market penetration, sometimes sold
below cost if necessary. It developed
over 300 oil-based products from tar to
paint to Vaseline to chewing gum. By
the end of the 1870s, Standard was
refining over 90% of the oil in the U.S.
[34] Rockefeller had already become a
millionaire.[35]
Standard Oil Trust Certificate 1896
In 1877, Standard clashed with the
Pennsylvania Railroad, its chief hauler.
Rockefeller had envisioned the use of
pipelines as an alternative transport
system for oil and began a campaign to
build and acquire them.[36] The
railroad, seeing Standard’s incursion
into the transportation and pipeline
fields, struck back and formed a
subsidiary to buy and build oil
refineries and pipelines.[37] Standard
countered and held back its shipments,
and with the help of other railroads,
started a price war that dramatically
reduced freight payments and caused
labor unrest as well. Rockefeller
eventually prevailed and the railroad
sold all its oil interests to Standard. But
in the aftermath of that battle, in 1879
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
indicted Rockefeller on charges of
monopolizing the oil trade, starting an
avalanche of similar court proceedings
in other states and making a national
issue of Standard Oil ’s business
practices.[38]
Monopoly
Standard Oil gradually gained almost
complete control of oil refining and
marketing in the United States through
horizontal integration. In the kerosene
industry, Standard Oil replaced the old
distribution system with its own
vertical system. It supplied kerosene
by tank cars that brought the fuel to
local markets and tank wagons then
delivered to retail customers, thus
bypassing the existing network of
wholesale jobbers.[39] Despite
improving the quality and availability
of kerosene products while greatly
reducing their cost to the public (the
price of kerosene dropped by nearly
80% over the life of the company),
Standard Oil's business practices
created intense controversy. Standard’s
most potent weapons against
competitors were underselling,
differential pricing, and secret
transportation rebates.[40] The firm
was attacked by journalists and
politicians throughout its existence, in
part for these monopolistic methods,
giving momentum to the anti-trust
movement. By 1880, according to the
New York World, Standard Oil was "the
most cruel, impudent, pitiless, and
grasping monopoly that ever fastened
upon a country."[41] To the critics
Rockefeller replied, "In a business so
large as ours...some things are likely to
be done which we cannot approve.
We correct them as soon as they come
to our knowledge.”[41]
At that time, many legislatures had
made it difficult to incorporate in one
state and operate in another. As a
result, Rockefeller and his associates
owned separate corporations across
dozens of states, making their
management of the whole enterprise
rather unwieldy. In 1882, Rockefeller's
lawyers created an innovative form of
corporation to centralize their
holdings, giving birth to the Standard
Oil Trust.[42] The "trust" was a
corporation of corporations, and the
entity's size and wealth drew much
attention. Nine trustees, including
Rockefeller, ran the 41 companies in
the trust.[42] The public and the press
were immediately suspicious of this
new legal entity, but other businesses
seized upon the idea and emulated it,
further inflaming public sentiment.
Standard Oil had gained an aura of
invincibility, always prevailing against
competitors, critics, and political
enemies. It had become the richest,
biggest, most feared business in the
world, seemingly immune to the boom
and bust of the business cycle,
consistently racking up profits year
after year.[43]
Its vast American empire included
20,000 domestic wells, 4,000 miles of
pipeline, 5,000 tank cars, and over
100,000 employees.[43] Its share of
world oil refining topped out above
90% but slowly dropped to about 80%
for the rest of the century.[44] In spite
of the formation of the trust and its
perceived immunity from all
competition, by the 1880s Standard Oil
had passed its peak of power over the
world oil market. Rockefeller finally
gave up his dream of controlling all the
world’s oil refining, he admitted later,
“We realized that public sentiment
would be against us if we actually
refined all the oil.”[44] Over time
foreign competition and new finds
abroad eroded his dominance. In the
early 1880s, Rockefeller created one of
his most important innovations. Rather
than try to influence the price of crude
oil directly, Standard Oil had been
exercising indirect control by altering
oil storage charges to suit market
conditions. Rockefeller then decided
to order the issuance of certificates
against oil stored in its pipelines. These
certificates became traded by
speculators, thus creating the first oil-
futures market which effectively set
spot market prices from then on. The
National Petroleum Exchange opened
in Manhattan in late 1882 to facilitate
the oil futures trading.[45]
Even though 85% of world crude
production was still coming from
Pennsylvania wells in the 1880s,
overseas drilling in Russia and Asia
began to reach the world market.[46]
Robert Nobel had established his own
refining enterprise in the abundant
and cheaper Russian oil fields,
including the region ’s first pipeline
and the world’s first oil tanker. The
Paris Rothschilds jumped into the fray
providing financing.[47] Additional
fields were discovered in Burma and
Java. Even more critical, the invention
of the light bulb gradually began to
erode the dominance of kerosene for
illumination. But Standard Oil adapted,
developing its own European
presence, expanding into natural gas
production in the U.S. then into
gasoline for automobiles, which until
then had been considered a waste
product.[48]
Standard Oil moved its headquarters to
New York City at 26 Broadway and
Rockefeller became a central figure in
the city ’s business community. He
bought a personal residence in 1884
on 54th street near the mansions of
other magnates such as William
Vanderbilt. Despite personal threats
and constant pleas for charity,
Rockefeller took the new elevated
train to his downtown office daily.[49]
In 1887, Congress created the
Interstate Commerce Commission
which was tasked with enforcing
equal rates for all railroad freight, but
by then Standard was depending more
on pipeline transport.[citation needed]
More threatening to Standard’s power
was the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890,
originally used to control unions, but
later central to the breakup of the
Standard Oil trust.[50] Ohio was
especially vigorous in applying its state
anti-trust laws, and finally forced a
separation of Standard Oil of Ohio from
the rest of the company in 1892, the
first step in the dissolution of the trust.
[50]
In the 1890s, Rockefeller expanded
into iron ore and ore transportation,
forcing a collision with steel magnate
Andrew Carnegie, and their
competition became a major subject of
the newspapers and the cartoonists.
[51] Rockefeller also went on a
massive buying spree acquiring land
for crude oil production in Ohio,
Indiana, and West Virginia, as the
original Pennsylvania oil fields began
to play out.[52] Amidst the frenetic
expansion, Rockefeller began to think
of retirement. The daily management
of the trust was turned over to John
Dustin Archbold and Rockefeller
bought a new estate, Pocantico Hills,
north of New York City, turning more
time to leisure activities including the
new sports of bicycling and golf.[53]
Upon his ascent to the presidency,
Theodore Roosevelt initiated dozens
of suits under the Sherman Antitrust
Act and coaxed reforms out of
Congress. In 1901, U.S. Steel, now
controlled by J. Pierpont Morgan,
having bought Andrew Carnegie’s steel
assets, offered to buy Standard’s iron
interests as well. A deal brokered by
Henry Clay Frick exchanged Standard’s
iron interests for U.S. Steel stock and
gave Rockefeller and his son
membership on the company ’s board
of directors. In full retirement at age
63, Rockefeller earned over $58
million in investments in 1902.[54]
One of the most effective attacks on
Rockefeller and his firm was the 1904
publication of The History of the
Standard Oil Company, by Ida Tarbell, a
leading muckraker. She documented
the company’s espionage, price wars,
heavy-handed marketing tactics, and
courtroom evasions.[55] Although her
work prompted a huge backlash
against the company, Tarbell claims to
have been surprised at its magnitude.
“ I never had an animus against their
size and wealth, never objected to
their corporate form. I was willing that
they should combine and grow as big
and wealthy as they could, but only by
legitimate means. But they had never
played fair, and that ruined their
greatness for me.” (Tarbell's father had
been driven out of the oil business
during the South Improvement
Company affair.)
Rockefeller responded by calling her
“ Miss Tarbarrel” in private but held
back in public saying only, “not a word
about that misguided woman.”[55]
Instead Rockefeller began a publicity
campaign to put his company and
himself in a better light. Though he
had long maintained a policy of active
silence with the press, he decided to
make himself more accessible and
responded with conciliatory comments
such as, “capital and labor are both
wild forces which require intelligent
legislation to hold them in
restriction.”[56] He wrote and
published his memoirs beginning in
1908.
Rockefeller as an industrial emperor,
1901 cartoon from Puck magazine
Critics found his writing to be sanitized
and disingenuous and thought that
statements such as “the underlying,
essential element of success in
business is to follow the established
laws of high-class dealing ” seemed to
be at odds with his true business
methods.[56]
Rockefeller and his son continued to
consolidate their oil interests as best as
they could until New Jersey, in 1909,
changed its incorporation laws to
effectively allow a re-creation of the
trust in the form of a single holding
company. Rockefeller retained his
nominal title as president until 1911
and he kept his stock. At last in 1911,
the Supreme Court of the United States
found Standard Oil Company of New
Jersey in violation of the Sherman
Antitrust Act. By then the trust still had
a 70% market share of the refined oil
market but only 14% of the U.S. crude
oil supply.[57] The court ruled that the
trust originated in illegal monopoly
practices and ordered it to be broken
up into 34 new companies. These
included, among many others,
Continental Oil, which became Conoco,
now part of ConocoPhillips; Standard of
Indiana, which became Amoco, now
part of BP; Standard of California,
which became Chevron; Standard of
New Jersey, which became Esso (and
later, Exxon), now part of ExxonMobil;
Standard of New York, which became
Mobil, now part of ExxonMobil; and
Standard of Ohio, which became Sohio,
now part of BP. Pennzoil and Chevron
have remained independent.[58]
Rockefeller, who had rarely sold
shares, held over 25% of Standard’s
stock at the time of the breakup.[59]
He, as well as all stockholders,
received proportionate shares in each
of the 34 companies. In the aftermath,
Rockefeller ’s control over the oil
industry was somewhat reduced but
over the next ten years, the breakup
also proved immensely profitable for
him. The companies ’ combined net
worth rose fivefold and Rockefeller’s
personal wealth jumped to $
900,000,000.[57]
Philanthropy
From his very first paycheck,
Rockefeller tithed ten percent of his
earnings to his church. His church was
later affiliated with the Northern
Baptist Convention, which formed from
American Baptists in the North with
ties to their historic missions to
establish schools and colleges for
freedmen in the South after the
American Civil War. As Rockefeller's
wealth grew, so did his giving,
primarily to educational and public
health causes, but also for basic
science and the arts. He was advised
primarily by Frederick Taylor Gates
after 1891, and, after 1897, also by his
son.
Rockefeller believed in the Efficiency
Movement, arguing that: "To help an
inefficient, ill-located, unnecessary
school is a waste...it is highly probable
that enough money has been
squandered on unwise educational
projects to have built up a national
system of higher education adequate
to our needs, if the money had been
properly directed to that end."
He and his advisers invented the
conditional grant, which required the
recipient to "root the institution in the
affections of as many people as
possible who, as contributors, become
personally concerned, and thereafter
may be counted on to give to the
institution their watchful interest and
cooperation."[60]
In 1884, Rockefeller provided major
funding for a college in Atlanta for
African-American women, which
became Spelman College (named for
Rockefeller's in-laws who were ardent
abolitionists before the Civil War). The
oldest existing building on Spelman's
campus, Rockefeller Hall, is named
after him. Rockefeller also gave
considerable donations to Denison
University and other Baptist colleges.
Rockefeller gave $80 million to the
University of Chicago under William
Rainey Harper, turning a small Baptist
college into a world-class institution
by 1900.
His General Education Board, founded
in 1902, was established to promote
education at all levels everywhere in
the country. In keeping with the
historic missions of the Baptists, it was
especially active in supporting black
schools in the South.
His General Education Board made a
dramatic impact by funding the
recommendations of the Flexner
Report of 1910. The study had been
undertaken by the Carnegie
Foundation for the Advancement of
Teaching
; it revolutionized the study of
medicine in the United States.
Rockefeller also provided financial
support to such " Ivy League"
institutions as Yale, Harvard, Columbia,
Brown, Bryn Mawr, Wellesley and
Vassar.
Rockefeller and his son John D.
Rockefeller, Jr. in 1915
Despite his personal preference for
homeopathy, Rockefeller, on Gates's
advice, became one of the first great
benefactors of medical science. In
1901, he founded the Rockefeller
Institute for Medical Research in New
York City. It changed its name to
Rockefeller University in 1965, after
expanding its mission to include
graduate education. It claims a
connection to 23 Nobel laureates. He
founded the Rockefeller Sanitary
Commission in 1909, an organization
that eventually eradicated the
hookworm disease, which had long
plagued rural areas of the American
South.
He created the Rockefeller Foundation
in 1913 to continue and expand the
scope of the work of the Sanitary
Commission, which was closed in 1915.
He gave nearly $250 million to the
foundation, which focused on public
health, medical training, and the arts. It
endowed Johns Hopkins School of
Hygiene and Public Health
, the first of its kind. It also built the
Peking Union Medical College in China
into a great institution. The foundation
helped in World War I war relief, and it
employed William Lyon Mackenzie
King of Canada to study industrial
relations.
Rockefeller's fourth main philanthropy,
the Laura Spelman Rockefeller
Memorial Foundation, was created in
1918. Through this, he supported work
in the social studies; this was later
absorbed into the Rockefeller
Foundation. In total Rockefeller
donated about $550 million.
Rockefeller became well known in his
later life for the practice of giving
dimes to adults and nickels to children
wherever he went. He even gave
dimes as a playful gesture to wealthy
men, such as tire mogul Harvey
Firestone.[61]
John D. Rockefeller's painting by John
Singer Sargent in 1917
As a youth, Rockefeller reportedly said
that his two great ambitions were to
make $100,000 and to live 100 years.
Death
Rockefeller died of arteriosclerosis on
May 23, 1937, two months shy of his
98th birthday,[62][63] at the
Casements, his home in Ormond Beach,
Florida. He was buried in Lake View
Cemetery in Cleveland.
Legacy
Rockefeller had a long and
controversial career in the industry
followed by a long career in
philanthropy. His image is an amalgam
of all of these experiences and the
many ways he was viewed by his
contemporaries. These contemporaries
include his former competitors, many
of whom were driven to ruin, but
many others of whom sold out at a
profit (or a profitable stake in Standard
Oil, as Rockefeller often offered his
shares as payment for a business), and
quite a few of whom became very
wealthy as managers as well as
owners in Standard Oil. They also
include politicians and writers, some of
whom served Rockefeller's interests,
and some of whom built their careers
by fighting Rockefeller and the " robber
barons".
Biographer Allan Nevins, answering
Rockefeller's enemies, concluded:
“
The rise of the Standard Oil men to
great wealth was not from poverty. It
was not meteor-like, but accomplished
over a quarter of a century by
courageous venturing in a field so risky
that most large capitalists avoided it,
by arduous labors, and by more
sagacious and farsighted planning than
had been applied to any other
American industry. The oil fortunes of
1894 were not larger than steel
fortunes, banking fortunes, and
railroad fortunes made in similar
periods. But it is the assertion that the
Standard magnates gained their
wealth by appropriating "the property
of others" that most challenges our
attention. We have abundant evidence
that Rockefeller's consistent policy was
to offer fair terms to competitors and
to buy them out, for cash, stock, or
both, at fair appraisals; we have the
statement of one impartial historian
that Rockefeller was decidedly "more
humane toward competitors" than
Carnegie; we have the conclusion of
another that his wealth was "the least
tainted of all the great fortunes of his
day."[64]
”
Biographer Ron Chernow wrote of
Rockefeller:
“
What makes him problematic—and
why he continues to inspire
ambivalent reactions —is that his good
side was every bit as good as his bad
side was bad. Seldom has history
produced such a contradictory figure.
[65]
”
Notwithstanding these varied aspects
of his public life, Rockefeller may
ultimately be remembered simply for
the raw size of his wealth. In 1902, an
audit showed Rockefeller was worth
about $200 million —compared to the
total national GDP of $24 billion then.
[66] His wealth continued to grow
significantly (in line with U.S.
economic growth) after as the demand
for gasoline soared, eventually
reaching about $900 million on the
eve of the First World War, including
significant interests in banking,
shipping, mining, railroads, and other
industries. According to the New York
Times obituary, “it was estimated after
Mr. Rockefeller retired from business
that he had accumulated close to $
1,500,000,000 out of the earnings of
the Standard Oil trust and out of his
other investments. This was probably
the greatest amount of wealth that any
private citizen had ever been able to
accumulate by his own efforts.”[67] By
the time of his death in 1937,
Rockefeller's remaining fortune,
largely tied up in permanent family
trusts, was estimated at $1.4 billion,
while the total national GDP was $92
billion.[68] According to some
methods of wealth calculation,
Rockefeller's net worth over the last
decades of his life would easily place
him as the wealthiest known person in
recent history. As a percentage of the
United States' GDP, no other American
fortune — including those of Bill Gates
or Sam Walton — would even come
close

Guide to Victory

‎​A certain wise man once said "Don’t let your victories go to your head, or your failures go to your heart." For every victory you get in life, there are still more battles to fight and win. Likewise for every failure you get in life, there are also still more battles to fight and more opportunities for you win.
Whatever your experience is right now, victory or defeat, winning or losing, don't quit.
For the Winner, you can still improve on your winning formula and for the loser, you can still learn how not to lose. Proverbs 4:18
In every situation, just make sure that you are making progress because that's the only true way to make an impact in the already crowded world of today.. God bless you and remember, say a quick prayer for Nigeria, she needs it.

Understanding

One of your greatest possessions in life is Understanding. At the root of Greatness in life is Understanding. No matter how wealthy a man is, if he lacks understanding, he sure is finished. The Almighty is the sole Custodian of Understanding. Job 32:8. Somewhere else in His book, He says, "my people perish for lack of Understanding" He also said "Above everything, get Wisdom".
Nebuchadnezzer was the greatest King of all time. He was what you would call the World President until he became proud and God had to humble him.
God simply took away his understanding and he became a beast and lived like one. Daniel 4:34
Man that is in honour and does not understand it is like the beasts that perish. Psalms 49:20. So when you see a man behaving contrary to nature or accepted norms, he simply lacks understanding. Look in our world of today, I'm sure you'd find many examples. Desire more understanding today and you will become outstanding. By the way, Voters don't decide issues, we decide who will decide the issues. Wisely vote your National Assembly representative today and remain blessed.. God loves you

New Month, New Quater

‎​Life is full of questions and answers. The more questions you get answers to, the more questions that remain unanswered.
Every genuine turn around in life starts with a question. What was I born to do? Why are things not working? When will my change come?
Therefore the most important words in your quest for a change are where, when, who, how, what, why, which.
If you can ask questions, then you will get answers. And when you get answers, your change will come.
Until the prodigal son started asking questions, he lived like a pauper. Luke15:17. When he asked questions, he saw the true picture of what ought to be and what ought not to be and returned home.
You are due for a change, start asking the questions about your biz, career etc, that will bring the answers for your next level.
Welcome to the month that God will provide answers to all ur questions.

Good Seeds

‎​Every farmer plants his best seeds during the planting season in order to guarantee a good harvest.
It would be sheer insanity for a farmer to plant the wooden furniture in his house and expect a harvest considering that bad seeds won't even guarantee a harvest.

But with God, nothing shall be impossible. Luke1:45

When it comes to God, U can plant wooden furniture that has been sprayed with varnish and still get a harvest.

In order for God to prove that he called Aaron, he made sure that Aaron's dead Rod, which was totally useless agriculturally sprouted, blossomed and produced almonds. Num17:1-12

Is there any area of your life where people are doubting you? Does your vision no longer seem possible? Have you lost the touch that made you a household name in the past in your career?

I have good news for you. If you believe, the same God who showed up for Aaron and turned him from a proverb into a wonder will show up for you too.

Every doubt about you will be turn by God into a testimony for you. You will indeed have something to show.

As we all see the end of this month March 2011 and the end of the first quater of the year also, may we continually reap good and awesome harvests.. God bless you

30th March 2011

***Yawn*** ***YAWN*** gosh, i feel so sleepy... It's been a somewhat long day with nothing exactly to do except that i spent the better part of the day with my second family (The Opayele's) and i was at an internet cafe to make some adjustments to some things online. Now i'm in church and the devil is giving me slaps but i refuse to fall victim, can't wait for the communion praise and worship time to come so i can at least dance away the little sleep thats tryna take over me.
But apart from that, something has been on my mind for the better part of today.... Are social sites more of a gift to us or a curse??
I have thought about it in all realmifications i can and somehow, i feel it to be more of a blessing to me but i can't help but feel its negativity in major parts of life especially in the area of relationships. I bet i'm not the only one that feels this way.
Definitely, before social sites like Facebook, Twitter and social networks like the almight ''Blackberry'' and it's BBM feature became a major part of our lives, relationships lasted a little longer than they do now. Now, serious people watch who their partners follow, add, accept requests from and even turn to potential wall and timeline stalkers. Unnecessary dust is raized on comments posted and the relationship doesn't exactly become just your business because when there's a quarrel in motion, the comments, status updates and tweets change so it's quite easy to know when something's wrong between two people you know are in a relationship.
Flirting has now gone to the next level as people hookup now mainly through social networks. Maturity now has a major part to play as to keeping whats your business your business cos thats the only way to keep sanity in check cos if you don't, you'd just end up hurting yourself by yourself and for no reasonable reason..
Now back to the service, actually, the title is 'Engaging the force of Faith to guarantee prophecies and the anchor texts are taken from 1st Timothy 1 vs 18 & 19, 1st Timothy 6 vs 12. Have a good evening y'all......

Information!!!!

‎​Every piece of information that comes your way daily will either add to or subtract from you. Apart from informing you, information also has the ability to transform or deform your destiny.

What you listen to matters a lot. In most cases, the information that comes our way goes beyond our outer ears. It goes deeper than that.

Tradition is the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc. from generation to generation, esp. by word of mouth or by practice.

Tradition has held many captive. Many prefer to keep themselves informed via tradition and this ultimately affects their belief system.

The Word of God is the most powerful catalyst of change but even the Word of God could be rendered impotent when tradition is at work. Mt15:6

To be really free, let go of tradition. Be very careful about what you listen too. Believe in only what the Word of God tells you and you shall be transformed indeed.

Bb extract cc @favor

I HOPE IT GETS YOU HAPPY NOW

For every action, there's a reaction and for every reaction there's a counter action. I really don't know what follows after a counter action but i sure do know that right now, i just wish i could talk to some people. Here right now is slowly becoming my only outlet to a world i didn't even know existed in my realm of life; maybe only in my imaginations. First of all, i'm angry because i don't know what to do; wow, ok i just dropped a tear!! Not tears of joy like many would have it but of discontent and pain and ill-treatment mixed with unfair judgement and conclusions regarding my personality and the effect i have on others around me.
I'm not a saint, i'm not even close but i wanna believe only God can judge me. Everyone has been through things in life, me inclusive. My personal experiences aren't things i should recount here but for me, it has gone as far as me being on the recieving side of harsh treatment from people that are supposed to love me. I've made dumb mistakes, some of whic i am still paying for today. But that doesn't stop me from being who i am destined to be, it doesn't make me less the person i am today. In as much as i may wanna curse out and say some things, i think i'm tired of making those dumb mistakes. I'm not even gonna let fate play out now or take things into my arms, i'm gonna be the one who thinks before taking a step so i'm gonna ask that you reading this be slow to making conclusions on people especially ones you haven't met because you never can tell who's happiness you are crushing. I believe in my self and believe my future is bright so instead of your talk and get me all lost in my world, you only make me better so i hope this makes you happy!!

Hard Place

Now listening to a song off ma favourite playlist '4 my town: Birdman 'baby' Williams ft. Drake & Lil' Wayne, i cant help but feel blessed to be alive till this day to even write this or even listen to this song which has barely no meaning to ma current state of mind but the heavy base line of the song from ma woofers keep ma mind at alert. Family, future and everything around me at the moment has been a major concern to me for about 2 weeks now. Not like it hasn't been but this time, it comes with a very bad pressure that leaves me in silly moods and brings migrane and sleepless nights. I searched for answers, i spoke to reachable mentors, i seeked advice from a few trusted people but none of the procedures were applicable to my situation. Maybe its because i'm so used to bottling up emotions and hurt so seeking advice isn't ma thing but i knew i had to change, wish i had a pro shrink close by. Thats how bad i felt about ma condition.
In the midst of the whole confussion in ma head, i totally forgot that there's someone up there that even if not seen, can handle all situations. Spoke to Him but i got no reply. Maybe like Her, i ain't strong enough or i just wasnt paying attention when the answers came and it passed me by but i came across something.. Somewhere in His book, He said 'come unto me all you who are heavy laden and i shall give you rest'. That was when it really dawned on me i had been going in circles. I took out 5 minutes to talk to Him with her on the other end of the phone call at 5:17am this morning and trust me, i feel so much peace and i want you to feel that peace too so please, take a minute or two and just say something to Him now and see how you'd feel now. Its just a magic stress and brain relaxer. Signing off listening to the song - Epic by MI, i cant help but feel epic because its all clear to me now. Troubles are just stepping stones, bear that in mind. Much Love