My Scriptures for 2013

So these are my Scriptures for 2013, as given by the Holy Spirit in December (mostly paraphrased). As I meditate on them and read the Bible, I’m seeing more verses that relate to my current circumstances. I’ve been digging my nose or should I say my eyes (?) in the Bible these days. It’s like eating the Word in its raw state like one would eat raw, organic veggies. Salad, anyone? :-)

This was certainly, adulterated salad, lol! I was trying out a new salad cream and just had to splurge.

2 Peter 1:3-4 – God has given me everything I need that pertains to life and godliness through his very great and precious promises…

Ephesians 1:8 – God has already blessed me with wisdom and understanding in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19 – God will provide ALL my needs according to His riches in GLORY in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:13 – I can do ALL THINGS through Christ Jesus, who strengthens (who gives me strength).

Philippians 4:6-7 – Do not be anxious about anything, but in EVERYTHING, by prayer, petition, with thanksgiving… peace of God will GUARD your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.  

Philippians 4:8 – Whatever is pure, lovely, admirable, true, noble, right, excellent or praiseworthy … think on those things.

Isaiah 54:17 – No weapon … shall prevail/prosper. 

Direction/Guidance – Psalm 32:8-9, Isaiah 48:17, Proverbs 3:5-6, Isaiah 30:15, Isaiah 26:3

Psalm 23- the LORD is my SHEPHERD, I need no thing or I lack nothing. Goodness and mercy shall follow me – ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE.

Romans 8: 28-32 – All things work together for my good… to the glory of God.

Psalm 34: 17-19 – Promise of protection and deliverance

Psalm 91 

They may or may not make sense to you, my dear reader. Or some  or all may speak to you. But that’s okay because they are meant for me in the season of life that I’m in now. Some speak of protection (physical, mental and emotional), deliverance, direction/guidance, the certainty of my future, (which is good), empowerment to do what I’ve been called to do, provision (past, present and future), etc. In essence, my security and my future are good and assuredly granted in God through Christ Jesus. I need not fear or be concerned about the uncertainties of tomorrow. 

What I really want to encourage is the habit of asking God to speak to you about whatever is on your mind or whatever concerns you through His word and by His Spirit. The Holy Scriptures are solid and firm. You can, like a lawyer, always refer to the constitution (the Bible) to justify your petitions, requests or claims. Again, like a lawyer, you must have studied or prepared in the specific area before you stand before the Judge. But even if you are unable to, you can always start as a baby would in simple, imperfect language and the Holy Spirit will teach you to stand on God’s word. Step by step. It’s a process. Nobody grows to be an adult in a day.

Little by little, eat the Word,

Lady Akofa.

Please click here to read part 1 of this post.

How times have changed!

Before the internet days, I mostly read books, cover to cover and thick books like Condensed Readers’ Digest Collections, often one at a time. But now, a considerable amount of reading is done online, and they tend to be short articles.

My reading habits are not structural. I fail at my goals to complete one book per month or whatever. Instead, I read several books in a month but do not finish them. So what does it mean? Perhaps, two half-read books make one? Haha! I tend to reread old articles that I’ve printed from the internet as inspiration for personal growth. I often take notes, when I get an insight every now and then. I also save articles in PDF or download free e-books and read them straight from my laptop. So if, I regularly read 1,500-2,000 word articles… how many would I have to read to be considered as a full book? Haha!

Anyway, what I find myself doing often when I’m online, is noting recommendations or reviews of newly released books and noting those that I would like to buy someday. That way, I can ask a family member to purchase them during his or her travels for me.

There is also a booming market for both motivational and Christian literature in Ghana, so I often go the noted Christian bookstores in Accra to check out what is in stock. To be in the midst of books, either at a library or in a bookstore, gives me pleasure.

Now the challenge is to be an author too, haha!

“Of making many books there is no end,…”
Ecclesiastes 12: 12b; NIV

Books, books, books!
Lady Akofa.

Confession: I’ve not always loved reading.

My sister was the one who loved reading. Growing up, she almost always had a book in her hand; in the kitchen, in the car, while eating, walking from the dining room to our bedroom, etc. Our shelf was full of books. I probably owned 0.05(!) of them. What a pity.

My mother noticed my apathy to reading and sought to do something about it. I was about 8 or 9 years old then, I think. She encouraged me to read and decided to reward me with money for every book I read and gave a verbal review of. Sounded good to me; I wanted the money. So I’d read one of my sister’s books and would tell her what I read. I would ‘earn’ money, come back with more reviews and then ‘earn’ more money. But the interesting thing was since I was young and didn’t have many financial aspirations at that time (I already had lots of toys and a bicycle), I would always give the money back to my mother for safekeeping, which I never claimed. At some point, I stopped reading for money because I was reading several books per week! Another reader in the family had been born.

But then, in my early teens, my father felt I was not reading enough African literature (remember: Sweet Valley High, Baby Sitters Club, etc.), so he gave me couple of African books that, I think were difficult for my age at that time… or maybe not, only he knew what his intentions were. But his approach demanded more: unlike the tales I would narrate to my mother of which book I had read, I was to write my review of each book, write all the unfamiliar words I came across in my reading and learn these new words by finding out what they meant from the dictionary. And he did make sure to mark my homework (or do we call it, daddy-work?), of course, he is a professor of Ghanaian and African literature!

So in my living abroad experiences, I’ve always been a card holder of public libraries. It’s fun to walk into a library and surprise the old lady volunteer (they have mostly been old ladies!), when I ask for the bestseller section and she provides me with her take on a few of them. I would check out a variety of books each week and return them often before the due date. I intend to keep this habit, should I have the opportunity to live abroad again in the near future. Perhaps, I will return to Ghana with a ship full of purchased books for consumption and to be given as gifts, lol! I also have an ambition of owning a bookstore. My wish might just come true. But first, I need to add to the collection of books of this world. So help me God.  

I would want my children to develop a love for reading much earlier than I did. I know an older woman in my church who taught her grandchildren to read by the age of three years. When she told me this, I exclaimed, “Wow, three years!” Then I understood why her grandchildren were proficient readers among their peers in my Sunday School class and why her own children, who are my peers, had been avid readers when we were growing up. I’ll need to go back to learn some skills from this woman on how she accomplished this in her family. In recent years, I’ve started building a collection of children books. I try to select them with care, so that I can answer questions when they come up, but you never know, kids always ask the most unsuspecting questions, don’t they?

I’m grateful to my mom, who sparked the fire for my reading craze. Yaaay, it’s my hobby now! Although I did not catch it earlier, I’m beginning to see why it is not healthy to have an appreciable understanding of one’s own local literature and I believe that is one on the things my dad had been trying to teach me in my teen years. I’m always amazed at how much my dad reads despite his impossibly busy schedule. I’m also grateful for my sister, her personal library became mine in those early years and I was never for want of books or have never been because I still get to borrow her books.

Now, I love reading!
Lady Akofa.

Why I love reading

I’ve been reading a lot lately. And that’s because I’ve a lot of time on my hands to do so without much distraction. I’ve several unfinished books, including a John Grisham book from 2009 or 2010 (I think?), which I started reading on a flight on one of my work trips. The next time I picked up the book, I couldn’t remember who the main character was and what the plot was about. I put the book down, because it would mean starting all over again and I wasn’t ready for a fresh start yet.  I’ve found that while I’m hoping to finish reading those half-read books, I’ve been adding new stacks of books to my ‘to-read list’ by moving unread books to from my shelf or my sister’s shelf to my bedside table or just about anywhere in my room where I can have easy access to them. 

I’ve just finished reading an insightful blog post targeted at Christian men on how they can grow in their faith. At the end of my reading, I felt my heart soar and I thought, “Wow, this is really uplifting! Even though men are the target audience of the article, look at how blessed I am too! I love reading and wish everybody loved to read just as I do!” And that has got me thinking, “Why do I love reading? What do I get from it?”

I love to read books or articles that stimulate me to think critically about life, God, my beliefs, my values, health and nutrition, the world, social change and justice, hot bottom issues - some of which are not ‘issues’ in my country, Ghana (at least, not yet), etc. 

Through my love for reading, my worldview has been shaped largely by Christian literature, well… that is mostly what I read these days, lol! When I was younger, I would read all kinds of stuff: Baby Sitters Club (anyone?), The Pacesetters, Sweet Valley View, Sweet Valley High, Enid Blyton books, etc., and some romantic books, that I was warned not to read. I found a love in Mary Higgins Clark, John Grisham’s works, Condensed Readers’ Digest Collections, among others and I had friends with whom we would exchange our latest findings or purchase. As I grew older and especially when I got born again, I lost interest in such books. Apart from my Bible, I was hungry for Christian books for the most part. However, I do light reading (newspapers, magazines, blogs, comic stuff) as well but I’m selective about what I read now.  My worldview about relationships, marriage and family, work, my faith, politics, health, etc. have been shaped by a combination of both what I’ve learned from the my walk with God, at home, at school and through what I’ve read. Oftentimes, the literature gives explanations or scientific evidences for why, for example, my mother would let not me run off to play immediately after eating lunch or supper as a child or why, it is good to drink water first thing in the morning. 

There are a lot of things that I know about this beautiful world and life not as a result of classroom/lecture sessions or because my parents or a mentor taught me but because “I read it somewhere.” Oftentimes, in a conversation a friend would ask how I know what I’m saying and if I couldn’t remember the exact book or article, my response would be, “I read it somewhere!” Despite the best efforts of the government, the regulatory agencies and teachers, I think the educational system in Ghana is unsatisfactory and one needs to back up school lessons with self-motivated, individual lifelong learning. Reading is just one of those avenues for learning.

Reading gives me fodder for writing. When I read, I often get ideas for how to write; “Oh, I like the way she skillfully constructed that sentence,” or “Wow! See how the author brilliantly uses the two adjectives to describe the dog!” I also do get ideas for what to write, “This aspect would make a good insert in a short story,” or “The issues raised in this article about child-labour will make a good story. It’s amazing how children are lured away from their homes and schools into force labour!”

I’m sure there are more reasons why I love reading, but the above are what immediately come to mind.

Read! Read! Read!

Lady Akofa.

I’m the ONE you’ve been waiting for!

I’m concluding my thoughts on my reading of the book of John. At my church, we have been studying the complex, ‘terrifying’ yet comforting book of Revelation. This coupled with my reading of John and the celebration of Palm Sunday and Easter has got me excited about many things: Jesus Christ Himself, the much anticipated full restoration of His Kingdom, the eternal joys and blessings of heaven which will forever cease the pains, tears and sufferings of the earth… I choose heaven! I’m an excited bride waiting for my Prince Charming, who is the triumphant and awesome King!

Imagine your father promises a gift but doesn’t tell you when he will give it you. So you’ve been waiting for the promised gift for a long time, watching out for the signs of when Daddy will unwrap this present. At the appointed time, Daddy he holds out his hands to give you the gift. Unfortunately, for some reason, you missed his open arms and questioned his Gift. How do you suppose he’ll feel?

I’m sure Jesus Christ must have been disappointed when the Pharisees and the Jews didn’t believe Him or His message. It must have been frustrating for Him to repeatedly try to convince them by His miracles and words that He was the Messiah, the ONE whom they had been waiting for all along (Chapters 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10). It’s like arguing with someone about your own identity. “I’m the One, don’t you get it?!” You say you are “Barbara” yet the person calls you, “Betty.” You would correct somebody who mispronounces your name, wouldn’t you? How much more fight to establish your identity!

I was amused to read the response the temple guards got when they returned to the chief priests and Pharisees having failed to arrest Jesus Christ (John 7:45-52) and were accused of being deceived. “You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted. “Has any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? No! …” John 7:47; NIV. I loved reading that part aloud, haha!

It is amazing that in John 12:12-16, a great crowd waved palm branches and sung, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!” Although they didn’t know they were fulfilling Scripture, a few days later, they shouted and condemned Jesus, “Crucify him!” Yes, he is Appointed One who was and is the Sacrificial Lamb, for the salvation of the whole world.

For me, I think the seminal Bible verses in John are John 17:2-3.

“For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent,” NIV.

1. Jesus Christ establishes His mission on earth: that God had (has) given him authority over all people and is the key to eternal life.
2. The definition of eternal life: knowing God and Jesus Christ. It’s a relationship not a set of rituals or of dos or don’ts.
3. Now, how do you know get to know somebody you’ve never met? It is by faith (Hebrews 11:6).

Choosing to believe,
How about you?
Lady Akofa.

Perspectives: New Eyes

I was driving down through a street that I normally use, but for some reason I looked at the street with different eyes. The lineup of mahogany trees on both sides of the road suddenly appeared beautiful to me and I thought, “This would make a beautiful landscape photo like the ones I see in calendars and on desktop screens.” The only thing that prevented me from attempting to capture what I saw was that I didn’t have my camera with me at that time. That’s what I call the “photographer’s eyes.”

I know an architect who says he watches movies with an eye to check out building designs that he can use in his work. And I’m sure an interior decorator will have a different perspective when watching the same movies as the architect.

I also remember seeing a rainbow a few years ago. Between my sister and I, we briefly took turns taking photos of the rainbow. While I focused on the rainbow itself (hey, you don’t get to see rainbows often, right?), my sister focused on the rainbow and the surroundings. Professional photographers call this “composition.” In the end, her pictures came out better than mine.

While perspectives are good, they can be limiting in the big scheme of things. We all have view points based on our backgrounds, experiences, professions, etc but that’s not all there is to life. There is the Big Picture that includes all generations and all people. Even historians sometimes get it wrong, either because of misinformation or because their experiences skew their perspectives. Only God, the Beginning and the End, the Eternal God, who is also the Creator and Designer, has the Big Picture.

My encouragement for you today is to ask God to gives you “new eyes” to see beauty in the mundane. Live with the expectation that God will show you new things, and He will.

With new eyes,
Lady Akofa.

I AM HE!

I’ve been chronologically reading the book of John of the Bible since 7th March and so far I’ve enjoyed the reading. My initial purpose was to take note of as many names or titles of Jesus Christ as I could get from my reading. This is a Bible study project I intended doing a few years ago but never really did.

Although I started reading with this intention, I didn’t take out a notebook to jot down the names of Jesus Christ because I wanted to enjoy the reading in itself without the interruption of jotting down the names. It’s not a competition, I thought.

Along the way, I completely forgot about my goal and got so intrigued by the dialogue between Jesus Christ and the Pharisees and the other Jews who didn’t believe that He was (is) the MESSIAH. At some point, I’d read aloud to myself the conversation as if I were an actor preparing for a stage production.

It’s amazing. I wonder… if I had been a Jewish in Jesus’ day, what would I have thought of the man who performed lots of miracles and claimed to be the Messiah that everyone was patiently waiting for? Would I have been like the Pharisees or would have believed Jesus’ message? I’m sure I’d have argued with Jesus too, if women were allowed in those days to speak in public and have Him establish why He was THE ONE.

I’m also sure I’d have been frustrated to hear Jesus talk about eating His flesh, being able to build the temple within 3 days, the Father being in Him, and He being much older than Abraham. Whaaat?! No wonder the Jews accused Him of being demon possessed.

The disciples and those who believed must have been so blessed to have the ability to believe Jesus Christ’s words. Perhaps it’s a good thing that I wasn’t born in those days that I’m a Ghanaian and not a Jew. Even if I were a modern day Jew, I’m sure I’d have been an orthodox Jew, who currently don’t believe in the Jesus Christ who came over 2000 years ago and are still waiting for His birth.

I’m in the final 5 to 6 chapters and hope to finish in a week. I’m so glad for the WORD and for the insights I’m getting.

Thank you Father, Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit. Amen...

...and Amen!
Lady Akofa.

Lady Akofa’s 3 Creative ways to read the Bible

1. Act it out, with all the theatrical antics.

2. Sing it like a musician.

3. Read it aloud, making use of tonal variations.


The Word, food for the soul,
Lady Akofa.

Selfishness is weakness

“Selfishness is weakness.
But loving and caring for others is a position of power beyond anything that we can possibly imagine.”

~~~Joyce Meyer

“I can’t go on like this anymore!"

Promises to live by: “I can’t go on like this anymore! I’ve no strength left!”

Are there days in your life when it seems as if you have no strength to go on? Responsibilities overwhelms us, the state of important relationships are not as desired and we are unable to accomplish significant goals. These seasons come and go, but while we are in it, we wonder when it will be over.

I was fervently praying through some overwhelming responsibilities and expressed similar words, a few days ago. The Holy Spirit dropped 3 bible verses into my heart. These are verses I’ve memorized in the past. The Spirit inspired remembrance was like the resurrection of the verses… seemingly dead words coming back to life to me.

So I write these mostly for as reminder and in part, share with you. If you find yourself in a similar state now or sometime in the future, this could be starting point for prayer and assurance. God promises to give you strength and it shall be said of the situation, “… and it came to pass.”

“Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you;
He will never let the righteous fall.”
Psalm 55:22; NIV

“The Son the is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things (including me!) by His powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”
Hebrew 1:3; NIV

“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

Philippians 4:13; NIV

*All emphasis are definitely mine.

Without a doubt, there are more Bible verses that apply to overwhelming situations, but these are what God reminded me of at that time.

God’s sure word is this: He will sustaaaiiin you!
Lady Akofa.

Who? Me? Yes, you!

Hi, Hi, Hi! I’m taking part in a BIG BLOG BASH... lol! And just as people introduce themselves to one another at parties, I’m introducing myself to party goers who hop over to say, “Hello!”

Helloooooo! It's great to meet you! : -)


You asked: Who are you?
I’m Lady Akofa from and living in Ghana but haven’t necessarily exclusively lived all my life in Ghana. I’m a royal princess because I’m a daughter of my Papa God, the King of all Kings, in Christ Jesus. I’m one of 2 daughters and have worked in the communications industry for the last 5-6 years.

I’m so, soo crazy about mangoes and wish I could have them all year round. And I love almost anything with rich chocolate in it... ice cream, cake, muffins, all that stuff and... oreos. It doesn’t matter whether it’s dark, brown or white chocolate, I take delight in all of them! Besides food, I experiment with perfumes, so if you’re allergic to such fragrances be advised! You can read more about me here.

You asked: Why do you blog?
I write because love to write. I often share what God is teaching me in seasons of my life to encourage and inspire others, people just like me. Other times, you’ll find posts about random things and life in Ghana. While I’m camera shy, photography is a new hobby, so blogging it is.

Attempting the photo art and failing horribly... lol!

You might ask: By the way, where in the world is Ghana?
Check Google Maps and you’ll find it. And while you’re there, please note that Ghana and Guyana are miles apart. : -)

This was definitely a success and a hit!

You can join the blog bash by clicking the link below and it's free!

God bless ya,
Lady Akofa.

Lady Akofa’s WHAT EVERY WOMAN NEEDS IN HER WARDROBE

Obviously, this is a vain list… for people like moi who have such time to think up such a list… Of course, not all women can afford this, I know. And most women have lived without these items. But what does it matter?  Do I have all these items? Nope!

This may well be my 1st submission for “Vanity Fair” magazine, wink, wink. For the sake of silliness, humor, vanity, self-indulgence, I also seek your indulgence! :-) Pun definitely intended! :-)

1.    A simple black dress, that can be worn with coloured accessories over and over again.
2.    A pair of coloured shoes, bag, scarf or shawl, earrings; all to match.
3.    A simple stud pearl earrings and a matching necklace.
4.    A long black skirt/ knee-length black skirt/ a pair of black trousers that can be worn with any coloured or any multi-coloured blouse.

5.    If married, a lingerie is a must. I’m sure Dear Husband will appreciate more than one though.

That’s it! Vanity Shop is CLOSED. Thanks for stopping by. :-)
 

God bless ya,
Lady Akofa.

I write

I write to capture flying birds
To neatly arrange them in nests
And feed them
All on a baobab tree
Before they fly away
To be a blessing
To my eager and curious readers

By Lady Akofa©

God bless ya,

Lady Akofa.

I will get there

I know I will get there,
But I don’t know how to get there.

So LORD, I need you to lead me
To guide me through this winding road
To the place called home.
For You are The Sure Way.

In this world theories abound
Lies and deception lead astray
But You are the Unshakable Truth
My Rock who keeps me sane.



I don’t know all the answers
But I know that You are the Answer
The only Answer I need for this life
What You say is final and good
I hold on to You.

I know I will get there.
Home is the place to be.

(No, SHE is not me but a kind student posing as a model. :-))

I will get there,
Lady Akofa.
© January, 2011.

A time to make New Year Resolutions 3

Goals can be set or resolutions can be made in different areas of one’s life. Here are 6 start-up categories but certainly not exhaustive.

Spiritual: Evangelism and Discipleship, Bible study (Personal, Corporate), Prayer (Personal, Corporate), etc.

Financial/Economic: Budgeting, Giving, Tithing, Saving, Investing, Acquiring a property, Repaying Debts, Building/Creating a business, etc.

Educational/Work-related or both: Study times, managing work/school relationships, being a faithful steward in school assignments and in handling tasks at work, etc.

Relationships: Marriage, Parenting, Family, Friends, Society-mission, mentoring. Relationships you’d like to start and relationships that need to be restored.

Health: Eating Healthy, Exercise, Medical Checkups, etc.

Passion, Hobby & Entertainment: to start new hobby a to sharpen skills, to turn a hobby into an income generating venture, etc.

A few questions to get you along in goal setting

1. What are 3 key things you’d like to achieve this year or that you’d like God to do this year? You can select from the suggested list above.

2. For each of 3 listed goals, what is the first necessary step you need to take to start the process? Here you’ll find out that you’ll need to break that lofty goal into smaller steps or redefined your goal to include timelines, measures for monitoring and evaluation, etc. Joan Esherick gives insights here.

3. Of the 3 goals that you’ve set, which one of them is most challenging to you?
b. Who would you like to consider as your accountability partner in this area. Anybody of your choice... but preferably someone who won’t sugar-coat the truth, who you can trust to poke their nose in your personal business from time to time and will support you in prayer. Let God lead you in this area too!

I do know one thing from past experience: the times that I’ve spent significant time and energy on pursuing spiritual things/goals or in making radically spiritual changes have often spilled over into other areas of my life. That, I can tell you and it's most profitable, (Matthew 6: 33-34). Don Whitney has a set of questions that you can sample from. Check them out here.

If you’re convinced that this New Year resolution business is still not for you, I sympathize. I’ve been there and done that.

May God lead you and may 2011 be a fulfilling year for all my readers!

God bless ya,
Lady Akofa.

A time to make New Year Resolutions 2

I’m sharing some articles this area. I’m not necessarily using all these ideas but depending on where you are in your walk with God or what you want God to do in your life... it may trigger something, bring clarity to your situation or lead you to consider new things. I really hope that this post blesses you in some way, even if it’s teeny-tiny, lol!

1. Annual resolutions and our daily habits seem not be aligned, no wonder we struggle with carrying them out! Check the Boundless article here.

2. Another article on Boundless on Goal Setting.

3. Here is a third article from Boundless. Can’t you see that I ♥ Boundless? Mwaah!

4. So you are busy. I understand. So what are you busy about anyway? Are they of value? No, I’m not talking to you, I’m talking to myself.

I’ve had this PDF file since last year... I downloaded it because I knew I needed to read it. I never got round to applying the recommend principles because I never finished reading it... because... you know... because... : - ) Sheepish smile. The title tells you why: Personal Productivity. I so, so, so need to finish reading it. From what I did read, I highly recommend it.

5. Five-a-month plan.... If you think the whole yearly thing is too long thus prefer monthly goals, maybe this will work. Plan to accomplish 5 major things (it could be more) per a month and report back to yourself or your accountability partner(s).

6. In her article, “Resolution Solution,” Joan Esherick gives pointers as to how to work through and streamline the goals you set. It’s not as simple as, “I want to be more patient in 2011.” That’s a lofty dream that is bound to fail.

7. You might want to try the challenge of reading the Bible in 90 days (3 months) if the short term thrill fascinates you. I did the 90 day challenge twice (in a little more than 90 days) & each experience was thrilling. Of course, the reading the bible in the year or in 6 months can be considered. But you definitely need make time for your readings each day. See the first article.

8. Or perhaps quantity is not your focus this year but quality in your bible reading. A motivation to chew the cud, meditate more can be found here. Get the plan in PDF here.

9. Carolyn McCulley has an interesting perspective on New Year Resolutions... our plans and well meaning efforts at self-control will not work unless we consider that Holiness of God and His Spirit’s enablement. I agree.

10. Your To-Do-List will never get done, CJ Mahaney asserts. Just so you don’t get smug about achieving all your daily goals if you manage to do so... hey, there will be more things to accomplish tomorrow. Or if you do get discouraged because you didn’t accomplish one of your daily goals, please know that we only live by the grace of God, step by step and day by day - only God does EVERYTHING He plans to do... that’s why He IS God.

11. Ralph Wilson buttresses the point about relying on the grace of God.

12. Crown Financial Ministries is a great resource for ideas on financial goals... Budgeting, Saving, Investing, Tithing (yes!), Giving (that too!), etc. You really have to check out their website to see.

13. While we set goals, we need to be mindful of the different life seasons we are in and special situations that God has allowed in our lives. Some goals may just not be useful or profitable for a mom with toddlers or for an empty nester. However, there are some goals that would be timely for younger people, for example saving towards a property purchase or acquiring a new skill. Even then, who says senior citizens are exempted from learning new things?! This blog article is specifically addressed to women but, men... you’ll get the point, when you read it.

14. Humour! This clock is heaven bent on waking you up! If you have goals that include waking up early in the morning or if ’re addicted to hitting your snooze button several times every morning, like I do, you need a wake up call, lol! Yes, it’s expensive. So either you wake up quickly at the first alarm, which is free BTW or you consider this pricey alternative, lol!

15. If all this stuff about goals and planning seem to be mumbo-jumbo to you, then try the “One Word” approach by Grit and Glory blogger. Just focus and meditate on the one word God gives you throughout the year. Let it permeate all your thoughts and activities.

Okey dokey, that’s a lot for now. More soon.

God bless ya!
Lady Akofa.

A time to make New Year Resolutions 1

“Tis the season to be jolly” is over for most of us around the world who celebrate Christmas and go by the Georgian calendar. Now is the season to be sober, to reflect and make resolutions, lol! For those still in the “New Year resolution mood,” this post is for you.

So last year, I said I wouldn’t make any resolutions. I didn’t and kept on with this life of mine. And then, mid-year 2010, I received an e-newsletter from a life-coach that I subscribe to asking how far I was getting along in my plans and resolutions for the year. I looked back over the previous 6-7 months and I saw that I wasn’t consciously pursuing any personal goals or spiritual goals thus I had nothing to show for it. It seemed that I was only helping to pursue other people’s goals, mostly work related and church related. I hit a state of panic... What about my personal growth? There seems to be neither significant change nor any indication of gradual progress in any specific area of my life! I’ve not really been working at anything! What a Bummer!

Lessons learnt:

1. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Duh!

2. You reap what you sow. The sober warning is that I cannot escape this truth, otherwise I will only be living in deception if I think so. Galatians 5: 7-9

3. If you don’t plant anything, what do you expect to harvest? Nada! At best, wind! Selah.

And since I hadn’t planned to sow much, there was little harvest in my life. To everyone else, it appeared life was going on smoothly but I knew that inner growth was lacking.

So since the end of 2010 and beginning of 2011, I have really been thinking about resolutions, goals and planning for the year. Not just these but actually acting on what I plan to do. There is a difference between planning and carrying out plans, you know. I’m recruiting an accountability partner to keep me in check in this area. I’ve been prayerfully skimming the Bible, e-articles and the like for ideas and motivation, for me.

It’s not so much the concept of ‘setting goals’ and ‘achieving goals’ so that I’ll have something to show for at the end of 2011. The point is to:

1. Lay these plans before God so that He directs my path. There have been times in the past that God has had to re-direct me to do something else or to simply wait, (Proverbs 3: 5-6 and Psalm 37: 5-7) This should be both a seasonal and daily activity of laying my plans before Him, who knows all things and controls everything.

2. So that I live a productive and fruitful life for Him.

You might want to consider these questions, “Why are you setting goals for the year, that is, if you are? Are you setting goals because ‘everybody is doing it’ or there is a stronger motivation for it? Who are you living for as you plan and make schedules? Or are you making goals to impress people?”

Selah.

Wrestling with these questions too,
Lady Akofa.

To be continued....

Not Enough Containers 2

It was windy.

There was thunder.

There was lightening.

It was pouring.

And the containers were still not enough to contain the blessings that gives us food to eat and water to drink, wash, etc... When you brush your teeth every morning with water, my sister, my brother... thank the Giver of Life.

Yes, that was the 'best picture' I could get.

God bless ya,
Akofa.

Not Enough Containers

Ever since our gardener got laid off early this year, I’ve taken a special interest in watching out for the plants in the flower pots. It gives me great pleasure to uproot weeds, prune the plants, dig up fallow soil and to water the plants. I’m even more excited to see tender shoots, leafs fresh and tender and flowers blossom.

When plants start to droop and wither, I know that their nourishment has been long overdue and I must quickly nurse them back to life; yet one day at a time. I think I’m now familiar with each one and with their patterns.

I’ve also taken special interest in rain. It’s not that I don’t like rain. I’ve always loved rain, except for my childhood days when I sang with my playmates,

“Rain, rain go away!
Go and come another day.
Little children want to play.
Rain, rain go away!”

Rain has been sporadic this year as compared to last year. And since we have water shortage from time to time, I’ve taken delight in making sure barrels and buckets are put outside to collect water from the roof when it rains. Because… it seems when it rains, it rains heavily.

One day, as I was excitedly replacing full buckets with empty buckets and getting wet, a thought came to mind,

“God sends abundant rain and you don’t have enough buckets/vessels to contain it all.”

And today it rained cats and dogs.

How gracious God is with His showers of blessings. Free. Abundant. My God of UnLimited blessings. And we just can’t contain it because it’s meant to overflow!

I thank God for the lesson- He is BIG!

Revelling in My UnLimted God,
Lady Akofa.

May 17, 2010.

God Dey!

My personal translation of Psalm 139:7-12 is this:

Heeey... where you gonna go that God no dey, that God no see, that God no know?

Don't you think my next publishing project should be a new bible called, "God dey Bible" or something like that?

God bless ya,
Lady Akofa.

*** "God dey" means God is there or God exists.