MY EXPERIENCE AT FOOD CO YESTERDAY

 Yesterday, I decided to go to Foodco (This is not a paid advert, oh!). It was the nearest grocery store to where I stay.

As soon as I got in, I saw a man I knew. The man knew me too, but the only challenge was that neither of us knew exactly where from.

So, we began to mention names of likely places we might have known each other.

I asked if he was affiliated with drama ministry. Then, he said something that has had me wondering since yesterday. He mentioned that he breezed in and breezed out of drama ministry many years ago, so he's not sure that's where we met.

Oh, that made me wonder, and I said to myself, When you don't have an understanding of why you do what you do, what you eventually do may not last. From the tone of his voice, it sounded as if offense had pushed him out. It sounded as if he only wanted the fame, and when he saw what it was all about, he left. He sounded as though the drama ministry thing wasn't his thing from the beginning.

Of course, as our conversation progressed, I could sense a high level of complacency in his tone. His girlfriend, who he brought to Foodco, at one point asked me, "Why is it that all the places you're mentioning have to do with church, ministry, etc.? Do you socialize?"

Then he added, "Even Jesus socialized."

I told them that I usually socialize, but over the years, I have realized that it's only around God and His people that I can be fulfilled. From the way the conversation continued, I knew something was off.

But here's the lesson:

Why do you do what you do? This question should be your guiding principle in any organization you find yourself.

This is because oppositions are everywhere. It will interest you to know that the very people who are hurting you deep down are the ones who are well celebrated. You begin to see them on screen, with people saying nice things about them. But you can't open your mouth to say what you know because you believe that you were called into the assignment. I'm saying this because words spread fast, and if you have a flaw and exhibit it somewhere, don't be surprised if the very people who should help you or walk you through it begin to spread it, discouraging others from associating with you, which could be frustrating. But the question still remains: Why are you there? When the purpose of your being there is not known, you will also breeze in and breeze out like my brother that I met yesterday at Foodco.

Before embarking on any project, it’s also important to pray and seek the face of God because if you refuse to do that, oh, discouragement will definitely happen. The enemy is lurking around to see how to distract you from the gospel of truth. In our world and time, our only saving grace is the voice of the Lord. However it comes, when He says "Go," you go, and when He says "Don't go," my dear, na to stay back, oh! If not, that disobedience will be what the devil will capitalize on as a means of discouragement.

To avoid breezing in and breezing out, my dear people, hear God first before embarking on any journey.

To round up my story, when the man and his girlfriend asked why I only have a Christian circle and academic friends, I just smiled. In my heart, I felt excited. I don't know what would have become of me if I were in the wrong association. What keeps you going in life, and destiny, is the kind of people you surround yourself with. You can work in a secular place but refuse to be secular at heart. Associate with Godly minds—people who are determined to push you to destiny. Hang around God, and then what people are dying to get will hang around you. Matt 6:33. Selah.

In wrapping up, that encounter at Foodco left me with more than just a familiar face—it gave me a lot to think about. It’s easy to start something with enthusiasm, but without a clear purpose, it’s just as easy to fall off the path. My acquaintance who breezed in and out of the drama ministry is a reminder of this. If we don’t know why we’re doing something, we risk losing our way when things get tough. But when we anchor our actions in a purpose that’s rooted in God, we find the strength to keep going, no matter what comes our way. It’s also a reminder to choose our circle wisely and to seek God’s guidance in everything. After all, understanding our calling is what keeps us moving forward, even when the journey isn’t easy.

#funmiJesus

#Godtalkwrites.

#purposefulliving

#Dramaministry.

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I THOUGHT HE WAS DONE WITH ME.

 EPISODE 1

At 38 years old, I woke up one day and thought to myself, "It’s time to start taking my life seriously. I would be 40 in two years, and I don’t want to be a fool at 40." I used to be a Christian like 10 years ago, so I guess I could try the church thing just to find a good man at least. 

When I was 28 years old, something tragic happened to my family. My dad and my three brothers died on Christmas Eve. Two weeks earlier, my mum and I left Lagos for Ikole Ekiti as usual to clean our village house ahead, plus my dad needed to tidy up some things at the office. The boys didn’t really like the village, so they would usually come with daddy on Christmas Eve. My mum and I were expecting them that faithful day. We had earlier spoken with them, and they had already gotten to Ekiti. On their way to Ikole, their car hit a truck, and they all died on the spot. The news broke me and my mum, and it was the most tragic moment of my life. Since then, Christmas became a season of sorrow.

I hated God, church, anything that had to do with Christianity. I knew He was Omnipotent, I knew He was amazing, He could do anything, He is Almighty, but allowing 4 members of my family to die in one day? No, that was unfair. For 10 years, I have not stepped my foot in church. But I have risen in my career. I was doing well for myself. I thought to myself, "I don’t need God anyway, I can be anything I want without God." But for some weird reasons, I wanted a Church guy. I was tired of all the men in the media industry where I work as a TV host on Marble TV, where I host a show called "Bolanle and Friends Reality TV Show." That place is too corrupt, mehn. 

Hmm, I have had my fair share of life these 10 years, releasing and receiving breakfast. I wanted someone stable, with a clean slate. God can at least do that for me as compensation for all He allowed to happen to my family. So I soon found a nice, beautiful, intelligent church around me and started attending on a daily basis. The pastor would usually come and preach about the faithfulness of God, and in my heart, I would always say "yen yen yen, if He was faithful, why would He allow what happened to my family happen to them?" My mum has been half alive, half dead for about 10 years now. Sometimes, I wish she was dead; she can’t recognize me. She cannot recognize anyone. Everyone she met was Segun (her husband), Tope, Layinka, and Junior (her sons). Her words have never been coordinated for 10 years. She had not stepped into her office for 10 years. I was able to heal 2 years later, at 30. I picked myself up and decided to make something out of my life to make my brothers and dad proud. When testimonies are being shared, honestly, I don’t believe it. Especially those testimonies of "I had an accident, everyone died except myself." I would always say, "Woo, all these ones no concern me, my husband should just come." 😊

One day, on a faithful Sunday morning, a young man climbed the altar to take the offering. His eloquence was top-notch. I loved the way he spoke; he was amazingly articulate. In my heart, I thought, "Is this one married like this? He looked older than I am."

A little backstory: These past 10 years, I have been with all kinds of men - young, within the same age range, and very old men. This one looked like he was around 40 or 41ish. Sometimes when I go to church, I used to wish no one would recognize me. I would usually arrive quite late and leave early. I kept wondering how I would find my man with this kind of behavior.

Immediately I saw this young man, I decided I would stay a little while after the service, perhaps to say hi to him. Unfortunately, he was so busy greeting people that I gave up and went to the car park. As I was about to leave, I heard a voice from behind, "Wait, are you…?" Immediately I saw his expression, I knew he recognized me.

STAY UPDATED FOR THE NEXT EPISODE NEXT WEEK Tuesday… THIS STORY IS GOING TO BLOW YOUR MIND.

 Written by Oke Funmilayo 

This work is purely inspired by the Holy Spirit.

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Catching feelings for single pastors ; Not your fault

 So, because I'm churchy and I love God, people like to assume I'll be a pastor's wife. Plus, my name has 'Jesus' in it too (Funmi Jesus)😁. To many, he definitely has to be a G.O.. So, they call me Mummy G.O. I now smile when they say that. Before, I would usually say, "God forbid." But now that I'm more mature, I just smile in my heart, saying eventually, "Na God go shock una, no be me."

Pushing people into that means that you are building a subconscious theme in their mind to be expectant. When people like that see a normal Christian who is working and bouncing for the Lord, they just ignore and say, "My pastor is coming." Do you know that sometimes my daddy would even call me and say, "Funmi, when will the pastor come and see us?" That's because they have just believed that it has to be a pastor that their daughter will marry. I just smile 😁😁.

Unfortunately, there are many persons in ministry that don't necessarily have to be a pastor. 

Don't get me wrong, I love pastors so much, but a lot of the time, I'm usually scared of the responsibility that comes with being a pastor's wife. For some persons like me, God will take His time to cook us until we have the capacity to be one, if that's really His Will.

To be a pastor's wife, my dear, you need capacity. It's not just about Mummy G.O., Mummy G.O. The fame, of course, will be there, but what happens when the pressure sets in? If God didn't place you there or give you the capacity, you will be overwhelmed and maybe ruin your husband's ministry.

There was a time I was genuinely worried for pastor's wives. I mean, because everyone thinks I'll be a preacher's wife, so I usually put myself in their shoes. I began to imagine a scenario where my husband was probably on the altar preaching, and then suddenly, he forgot a story and tried to exaggerate to get the audience excited. What will my reaction be?

- Will I keep smiling?

- If I'm able to, do I correct him immediately?

- Do I nod my head in the negative?

- Do I stand up and clap?

You know how you have to support your husband and all, and maybe cover up for him and correct him inside. What if he doesn't make it inside? What if, yes, I correct him inside, but the error was already in the minds of people and there's a first-timer who would not come the following Sunday to hear the real truth?

I'm a very deep thinker; for many years, this thought has lingered in my heart. Because, of course, people forget things, and if it gets to that point, you sometimes want to tell the audience what they want to hear. Sometimes my jokes are like that, even as a drama minister.

Well, there are some other things I think about as well. Because if God leads you, and it's not people leading you, He will give you the capacity to deal with issues. You will learn and unlearn, people will correct you, and step on you as a pastor's wife. It's going to be tough.

There are some things you have to look away from. Some must be addressed immediately. Some persons are agents that want to take your seat... Those ones can be sorted by wisdom, prayer, and discernment.

But your husband going into error? You need a higher level of wisdom to deal with that so that eventually, you don't leave him alone in his error just because he refuses to listen.

Well, this is for those catching unnecessary feelings for their single pastor. My dear, I feel you, I understand you. If you check it very well, it's not really what you want; it's what they have built in you and framed in your mind because you love God and sometimes you dress like Mummy G.O.

Please, open your heart to God. What He has for you may not even be a pastor. Maybe a businessman who genuinely loves God, or not your regular kind of pastor.

Just be open to God, my dear God lover. Eventually, it will be well.

And if you are a pastor's wife in this category, like whenever your husband is preaching, he says some things that are not correct and you don't know how to correct him, keep praying for him. Subject his mind to the Will of God and ensure that the Lord Himself speaks to him. When that happens, correcting him will be so easy.

Now that I have shared my story, let's hear your comments below 👇.

#FunmiJesus

#Oke Funmilayo 

Photo credit: Idim Esther 

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