Sunset behind the Cross

Aaaaaaaaahhh.... !

That's what I said to myself while we were waiting for the well known apologetic expert, Josh McDowell to begin his presentation when he came to speak in my church last Wednesday. Yeah, Josh McDowell was in Ghana last week!

Aaaaaaaaaaah!

Unfortunately, I couldn't get a good shot of Josh McDowell and I'm too embarrassed to share :).

Aaaaaaaaaaah!

My exclamation is really not about Josh McDowell, it's really about the......

Sunset Behind the Cross!

Monday Laughs-Preparing to step on foriegn soil

It’s that time of the week again. You’re thinking about that inevitable meeting with your supervisor or boss today or pretty much sometime during the week. You must give account and prove that you’re worth your pay, not so?

Now this post has a two-fold purpose. One, to remind you that life is like that! And two, to brighten your day and week with what I’ll call, “Monday laughs- it’s sure good to be Monday!” We always, “Thank God it’s Friday (TGIF),” but we never seem to thank God it’s Monday. A change in perspective needed?

By virtue of having been brought up by parents in academia, I get to rub shoulders with professors from time to time, but only as a listener. What do I know that I should speak?

On one such occasion, a professor of African-American/English literature told this joke.... read on if only you need a good laugh!

According to a professor, a requirement for studying English literature was to learn a foreign language and she chose French. She and a few of her classmates decided to take a vacation to Senegal, to boost their language competency skills.

On one of their tours, they got lost and couldn’t find their way back to their hotel. And you know the irony of it all? They didn’t know how to tell the local people that they were lost in French! They had such a hard time expressing a simple thing as, “We are lost, could you help us find directions to our hotel?”

Moral? If you’re learning a foreign language and are visiting a country that speaks that language, learn to say, “I am lost!” Don’t always restrict yourself to the books! :)

Have a lovely Monday!

In a Nutshell: Flower-tography

My latest hobby is photography, specifically taking pictures of flowers.
I get to breathe in the beauty of God's handiwork.
It's even more beautiful in the rainy season.
How Great is the Lord.

Life gets Busy

Life gets busy sometimes… or rather I get my life busy. :) Admittedly, not all busy-ness is good or productive. Through it all, God remains faithful and good.

Last month, my less-than-2-month old digital camera got stolen while I was in a taxi and that is a looooooooong story. This month through my job, although I don’t own it, I get to use a digital camera-camcorder worth more than the one I lost. God has a way of restoring things to his people in tremendous ways. To add to it, I got the privilege and honour to organise, facilitate and participate in a weekend photography training workshop.

Now that seems swell, right! Yeah! But the more I’ve been gifted, the more I realize that more is expected from me. And that is a challenge.

You can see above photos taken from the workshop. These are not the edited or the best pictures, rather a peep into what I’ve been doing in the last 2 weeks and my latest interest.

A link will be created to the location of the best pictures in due time. For now, enjoy these.

Blessings,

Lady Akofa.

It's Raining all around me

I love rain. Yes, I do. At the moment, I’m sitting in my “small cute office” as in the words of one of my junior colleagues, listening to rhythmic sounds of raindrops as they stream down the roof. It doesn’t matter that some raindrops will splatter into the room, but the windows are purposely opened so that I can hear and smell this loving-kindness of God in this season.

I love the distinctive earthly aroma, the earth emits when rain nourishes the ground, making it swell with goodness. I do identify with the earth, because my body is of it and will return to it when my soul departs to be with my Father someday.

I also love to see plants, green and fresh as water linger on their leaves after the showers. I believe strongly that if they had lips, I would hear plants, trees, etc. sing for joy as they bathe in heaven sent rain.

So I look out my window this afternoon, watching God shower the earth with rain, marvelling at His Wisdom, Power and Love.

Lady Akofa

10-April-08

15:30

A New Look!

Well, my blog has also gone through an image change, just as I have… age wise. :) So I decided to commemorate the day after the event, by changing the look on this blog and with meaning.

I say I’m a princess, which I am, my Father being the KING of all Kings. Thus I have changed the blog title from Lady Akofa to Oheneba Akofa. Oheneba, in my mother tongue means, “King’s child,” but I’ll still sign my posts with Lady Akofa.

Purple is a colour for royalty in most cultures. Purple is also associated with nobility, purpose and spirituality. So being an Oheneba on the journey of life, the colour befits my blog.

You are welcome to join me on this awesome journey.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter Everyone!

I had a mostly restful Easter, some interrupted by work tasks. Nonetheless, it was an extremely BLESS-FULL weekend.

I'm not sure I have an Easter message though :). But this morning, I recall the chorus of a famous worship song, "Above all," variously sang by Women of Faith, Don Moen and others. I'm not sure who the original composer/singer is- God bless him/her!

Crucified, laid behind a stone
You lived to die, rejected and alone
Like a rose, trampled on the ground
You took the fall and thought of me
Above all.

May we appreciate the beauty of Christ's work for us:-The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the whole world, through His death and resurrection.

Note: Yes, I know the picture is not of a rose, but it's a beautiful flower all the same! :)

Keep Praying

Keep Praying

Luke 11:5-13

We prayed. Quietly sometimes. Aloud other times. For more than 17 years we prayed. We prayed for our daughter Melissa’s health and direction, for her salvation, and often for her protection. Just as we prayed for our other children, we asked God to have His hand of care on her.

As Melissa rolled into her teenage years, we prayed even more that He would keep her from harm-that He would keep His eyes on her as she and her friends began to drive. We prayed, “God, please protect Melissa.”

So what happened? Didn’t God understand how much it would hurt so many people to loose such a beautiful woman with so much potential for service to Him and others. Didn’t God see the other car coming on that warm spring night?

We prayed. But Melissa was killed.

Now what? Do we stop praying? Do we give up on God? Do we try to make it alone?

Absolutely not! Prayer is even more vital to us now. God-our inexplicable sovereign Lord is still in control. His commands to pray still stand. His desire to hear from us is still alive. Faith is not demanding what we want; it is trusting God’s goodness in spite of life tragedies.

We grieve. We pray. We keep on praying.

Dave Branon.

February 27^th, 2008

Our Daily Bread, 2008-Annual Gift Edition

A Mystery as deep as the Sea

Eternal God, Eternal Trinity,

You are a mystery as deep as the sea;

The more I search, the more I find,

And the more I find, the more I search for you.

Catherine of Sienna, 1347-1380

Mango Season

The joy of seeing mango trees blossom has turned me into a photojournalist. In the past, I always took pictures of people, hardly of abstract or immovable things. But now, I take scenery and nature pictures as well. I think blogging has contibuted to the picture taking thing too. Feedback from loved ones indicate that they would love to see more pictures on this blog. Ok, I hear you! :) But, know that I'm a writer first, not a photographer neither a photojournalist!

Since we are in the initial stages of the harvest season I don't have a picture of a basket full of ripe, yellow mangoes yet, partly because I and other mango lovers in my house eat them straightaway!:) I been craving mangoes for several months now, need I wait anymore? So all pictures are of green mangoes for now.