ACE GOSPEL SINGER, DON MOEN WELCOMES FIRST GRANDCHILD

Award-winning ace gospel singer, Don Moen is so elated at the moment. The music-evangelist announced on his facebook page that he is now a grand-father. "It's official! Our first grandchild!! Sweet Stella!"

Be Careful How You Think

"Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts" (Pro_4:23 GNB)

Solomon's proverbial insight are as relevant today as ever before. "Be careful how you think," he tells us, "your life is shaped by your thoughts." In the New Testament we are told by the apostle Paul that our lives are transformed by the "renewing of our
minds" (Rom_12:2). In other words, beliefs determine behaviour.

If you believe the right thing — you will do the right thing. And the exact opposite is also true. If we believe a lie, we will live the lie — and our lives will fall short of the glory of God. So, be careful how you think. And, to this end, be even more careful who you choose to
befriend; for we ultimately become like those with whom we most closely associate.

If you spend your time in the companyy of complainers and murmurers, critics and fault-finders, nay-sayers and dream-killers — then your life will diminish, your
light grow dim, and your presence become dull around others. Spend your time in the company of faithful men and women, who walk in the Spirit and know the Word of God; who understand the Times, and who spend their lives to help others succeed — and your path will grow brighter and brighter.

We are living in historic times – times that require deep conviction and decisive courage. We must not be so absorbed with self interest that we become easily offended with what we don't understand and, thus, make rash and stupid choices. Our thoughts must
become formed by truth; our opinions must become enlarged by intelligence; our words strengthened by wisdom and grace; our behaviour monitored by self-
restraint; and our interaction with others marked by respect and civility.

What hangs in the balance in these days of global turmoil and uncertainty could be the very welfare of our world. "Be careful how you think; your life is
shaped by your thoughts." Think truly. Decide courageously. Act nobly. Stand
firmly. Live generously. And die honorably.

Your life matters now more than ever, and how you think shapes your very life. And what you choose to do with your life has lasting consequences. "Once to every man and nation, comes the moment to decide,the strife of truth with falsehood, for the good or evil side; great cause, some great decision, offering each the bloom or blight,the choice goes by forever, 'twixt that darkness and that light.

Then to side with truth is noble, when we share her wretched crust,her cause bring fame and fortune, and 'tis prosperous to be just;it is the brave man chooses
while the coward stands aside,the multitude make virtue of the faith they had denied. Though the cause of evil prosper, yet the truth alone is strong;her portion be the scaffold, and upon the throne be wrong; that scaffold sways the future, and behind the dim unknown,God within the shadow, keeping watch above His own."

By James R. Lowell, 1845

'THE JOURNEY BEGINS' FOR TIM GODFREY, BANKY W, JULIUS AGWU, JOSEPH BENJAMIN & OTHERS

The Journey Begins; a dance, drama and high energy music event put together by fast-rising Gospel singer and Agidigba crooner, Tim Godfrey will take place at
the Shell Hall, Muson Centre on the 28th September, 2013.

Directed by Joseph Ofili, roll-call of notable Nigerian celebrities involved in the project include EME boss, Banky W, Julius D'Genius Agwu, Joseph Benjamin, Yaw, Akpororo, Lepacious Bose, O.C Ukeje, Femi Jacobs to mention a few.

Speaking further on the event, Tim Godfrey, the President of RoX stated. "In a time like this, we need to create an atmosphere where we can reach out to our youths with a message even in the midst of the mess, that they can turn a new leaf today and let "The Journey Begin(s) again for them towards a better
life."

And they follow me

"And they follow me." - Joh_10:27

We should follow our Lord as unhesitatingly as sheep follow their shepherd, for he has a right to lead us
wherever he pleases. We are not our own, we are bought with a price-let us recognize the rights of the redeeming blood. The soldier follows his captain, the
servant obeys his master, much more must we follow our Redeemer, to whom we are a purchased possession.

We are not true to our profession of being Christians, if we question the bidding of our Leader and Commander. Submission is our duty, cavilling is our folly. Often might our Lord say to us as to Peter, "What is that to thee? Follow thou me."

Wherever Jesus may lead us, he goes before us. If we know not where we go, we know with whom we go. With such a
companion, who will dread the perils of the road? The journey may be long, but his everlasting arms will carry us to the end. The presence of Jesus is the
assurance of eternal salvation, because he lives, we shall live also.

We should follow Christ in simplicity and faith, because the paths in which he leads us all end in glory and immortality. It is true they may not be smooth paths-they may be covered with sharp flinty trials, but they lead to the "city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." "All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant."

Let us put full trust in our Leader, since we know that, come prosperity or adversity, sickness or health, popularity or contempt, his purpose shall be worked out, and that purpose shall be pure, unmingled good to every heir of mercy.
We shall find it sweet to go up the bleak side of the hill with Christ; and when rain and snow blow into our faces, his dear love will make us far more blest than
those who sit at home and warm their hands at the world's fire.

To the top of Amana, to the dens of lions,
or to the hills of leopards, we will follow our Beloved. Precious Jesus, draw us, and we will run after thee.


By: Richard Onanuga
Follow @richdollarman @Christ_envoy

Standing Firm in a Topsy Turvy World

"Without warning your life can turn upside-down, and who knows how or when it might happen?" (Pro_24:22, The Living Bible)

What can you do in a topsy-turvy world? Where can you turn when everything is turned upside down? When the lid blows off, and the bottom drops out, and the walls come crashing in -– all at the same time… how will you fare? Will you be able to find heaven when all hell breaks
loose?

There is an accepted standard of civil behaviour in our society; we all basically know how we are supposed to behave around one another. There are definite "dos and don'ts" – even though they are not written down anywhere. We just know them. And for the most part, we abide by them – and behave ourselves.

But sometimes there comes such a shock to the social system that all bets are off; it would seem that anything goes when everything is shaken. It's like what happens when you kick an anthill; the
normal activity suddenly shifts, and the ground swarms with more ants than you can imagine; spilling out of the disrupted dirt pile like lava out of a volcano.

What if our anthill gets kicked? What if some colossal event rocks our world to the core, and an otherwise well ordered society goes abuzz with rash activity?
What will you do? Where will you turn?
Or, take it to the personal level. Maybe the world goes on just fine, as it has now for indefinite days.

But your world is crumbling around you. A great loss has ripped your soul apart, a dark loneliness has swept over your heart, a catastrophic fear has seized your thoughts, or an eroding doubts is stealing away your dreams. What are you to do now? Well, it might be helpful for you to know that others have gone before you and left a trail that leads safely through these dark woods. Here is but one one example:

"I called on the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and He saved me from my enemies. The ropes of death entangled me; floods of destruction swept over me.
The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my path. But in my distress I cried out to he LORD; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from His sanctuary; my cry to Him reached His ears." (Psa_18:3-6, New Living Translation).

Writer concludes by saying, "He stood me up on a wide-open field; I stood there saved — surprised to be loved! GOD made my life complete when I placed all
the pieces before Him. When I got my act together, He gave me a fresh start." (Psa_18:19-20, The Message).
Call out to God, and He will answer you. Trust Him and do what He tells you – for a wide-open field is yet in your future!

By Richard Onanuga
Follow @richdollarman @Christ_envoy

God is Jealous

"God is jealous."- Nah_1:2

Your Lord is very jealous of your love, O believer. Did he choose you? He cannot bear that you should choose another. Did he buy you with his own blood? He cannot endure that you should think that you are your own, or that you belong to this world.

He loved you with such a love that he would not stop in heaven without you; he
would sooner die than you should perish, and he cannot endure that anything should stand between your heart's love and himself. He is very jealous of your trust. He will not permit you to trust in an arm of flesh.

He cannot bear that you should hew out broken cisterns, when the overflowing fountain is always free to you. When we lean upon him, he is glad, but when we transfer our dependence to another, when we rely upon our own wisdom, or the wisdom of a friend-worst of all, when we trust in any works of our own, he is
displeased, and will chasten us that he may bring us to himself.

He is also very jealous of our company. There should be no one with whom we converse so much as with Jesus. To abide in him only, this is true love; but to commune with the world, to find sufficient solace in our carnal comforts, to prefer even the society of our fellow Christians to secret intercourse with him, this is grievous to our jealous Lord.

He would have us abide in him, and enjoy constant fellowship with himself; and many of the trials which he sends us are for the purpose of weaning our hearts from the creature, and fixing them more closely upon himself.

Let this jealousy which would keep us near to Christ be also a comfort to us, for if he loves us so much as to care thus about our love we may be sure that he will suffer nothing to harm us, and will protect us from all our enemies. Oh that we may have grace this day to keep our hearts in sacred chastity for our Beloved
alone, with sacred jealousy shutting our eyes to all the fascinations of the world!

Ever Wanted to Bite Somebody?

"My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the
righteous life that God desires (Jas_1:19-20, NIV)

There was this guy who had been bitten by a rabid dog and was advised by his physician that his prospects for recovery would be long and painful. The man grabbed a pen and began frantically writing on a piece of paper. The doctor responded by saying, "You're not going to die, so there's no need to write out your will in such a hurry." Will?" the guy replied, "I'm not writing my will; I making a list of all the people I'm going to bite!"

Have you ever wanted to bite somebody? Even been so angry you could take a chunk out of 'em? Maybe;
maybe not. There are many around you who are feeling the squeeze; more than a few grinding their teeth. For there is a growing anger in our world today, fueled by any number of things, and headed for an unmistakable eruption.

We are fast approaching the tipping point. But how about you? How are you doing? Are you finding a way to handle our topsy-turvy world without blowing a gasket? I think James gives us a good place to start when he advises – "everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry."

An old proverb says that God gave man two ears and one mouth, so that we would listen twice as much as we speak.
Why not cultivate this as a personal habit? Throughout today stop and deliberately listen – listen to those who
want to talk to you.

Listen to the music that you have playing in your car as you drive to work. Listen to the sounds of life happening around you. Listen to your thoughts. And, above all – listen to the Lord. He will take the bite out of everything!


By Richard Onanuga
Follow @richdollarman @Christ_envoy

Poem: Save Me Lord

I am scared Lord…
Life… this life is odd
I am scared Lord
There's trouble at every turn



Hold me Lord
Don't let me burn
Raise me above and through this time
know you can take me through.



I look around and things just don't go my way.
I have lost my say.
I have lost my way.
Now, therefore, I am here, on my knees to pray



Asking that your grace
Leads me from this place
To wherever you want me to follow
Your path where I would be free from every sorrow…

(AMEN)

By: Su'eddie Vershima Agema
Follow @sueddieagema @Christ_envoy

Video: Psalm Ebube- Ebube

The wait is finally over. The much-anticipated video of Kabiosi crooner, Psalm Ebube is finally out. Titled EBUBE, the video features Kenny K’ore,  comic act, Saka, Lolo, Oshadipe Twins,  Lolo1 of wazobia and others.

The gospel video which is from the stables of One Africa Music and Oconceptmedia was shot by Akin Alabi in three different locations. Saka plays the role of Psalm Ebube’s father, Lolo his mother while the Oshadipe twins are
his siblings. Psalm arrives from the US, according to the video plot and is picked up by the Infinity Stretch Limo.

The loyalty of a friend

Had Jonathan wanted to, he could have easily betrayed David. Instead, he helped David escape from Saul. Jonathan loved God and David even more than he was concerned for his own welfare.

Jonathan had reached a point in his faith in God where he was willing to let go of what he wanted so he might do what God wanted. In contrast, Saul was still hoping to keep the throne in his family, even though Samuel had told him specifically that this plan was not to be so.

Saul was more concerned with doing what he wanted. Jonathan, however is a wonderful example to us for standing strong in our trust in God. We should not push for the things we want when we know God wants something different for us.

Culled from The Bible
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I am HEPHZIBAH

Jer 32:41: I will enjoy blessing them. With all my heart and soul I will faithfully plant them in this land.

How heart-cheering to the believer is the delight which God has in his saints! We cannot see any reason in ourselves why the Lord should take pleasure in us; we
cannot take delight in ourselves, for we often have to groan, being burdened; conscious of our sinfulness, and deploring our unfaithfulness.

And we fear that God's people cannot take much delight in us, for they must perceive so much of our imperfections and our follies, that they may rather lament our infirmities than admire our graces.

But we love to dwell upon this transcendent truth, this glorious mystery: that as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so does the Lord rejoice over us.

We do not read anywhere that God delights in the cloud-capped mountains, or the sparkling stars, but we do read that he delights in the habitable parts of the earth, and that his delights are with the sons of men.

We do not find it written that even angels give his soul delight; nor does he say, concerning Cherubim and Seraphim, "Thou shalt be called Hephzibah, for the
Lord delighteth in thee"; but he does say all that to poor fallen creatures like myself and you, debased and depraved by sin, but saved, exalted, and glorified by his grace.

In what strong language he expresses his delight in his people! Who could have conceived of the eternal One as bursting forth into a song? Yet it is written, "He will rejoice over me with joy, I will rest in
his love, he will joy over me with singing."

As he looked upon the world he had made, he said, "It is very good"; but when he beheld those who are the purchase of Jesus' blood, his own chosen ones, it seemed as if the great heart of the Infinite could restrain itself no longer, but overflowed in divine
exclamations of joy.

Should not we utter our grateful response to such a marvellous declaration of his love, and sing, "I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God
of my salvation?"

....I AM HEPHZIBAH...!

By : Richard Onanuga
Follow @richdollarman @Christ_envoy

He Knows what He is doing

"Who could ever have told GOD what to do or taught him his business?" (Isa_40:13, The Message)

On the first day, God created the dog and said: "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years." The dog said: "That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?" So God agreed..

On the second day, God created the monkey and said: "Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For
this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span." The monkey said: "Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty
long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the Dog did?" And God agreed.

On the third day, God created the cow and said: "You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and labor under the sun, have calves and give milk to
support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years." The cow said: "That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. How
about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?" And God agreed again.

On the fourth day, God created man and said: "Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years." But man said: "Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?" "Okay," said God, "You asked for it; you got it."

So that is why for our first twenty years we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years we labor in the sun to support our family. For the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And for the last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.

The moral of the story is: It's best to let God do His own work in His own way. He knows what He is doing. When we interject our own ideas into the process, we only mess things up royally!

By: Richard Olayinka
Follow @richdollarman Follow Christ_envoy

What Do You See?

Many of us at some point walk around with tunnel vision, seeing only those things we wish to see. Though we may think we have sight, God calls it blindness.

To correct this, we should begin by looking back and remembering the goodness of God and the desperation of our sins. We should look up in praise to the Father who has granted us mercy.

We should look down in humility because pride can cause our downfall. We should look forward in confidence because God
is forging a trail through the wilderness of this lost generation. We should look within on a daily basis and thoroughly examine the motivation of our souls.

We should look around with vigilance for opportunities to serve others. Finally, we should look to Jesus as our example and our hope.


Culled from The Bible
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Behind-the-scene photos of Gospel artiste, Psalm Ebube's new video

These are some of the behind-the-scene pictures of Gospel artiste; Psalm Ebube's new video.

Directed by Akin Alabi, the video which was shot few days back also features gospel singer, Kenny Kore, comic act, Saka, Wazobia FM's lolo, Oshadipe Twins to mention a few.

Use What You Have

We have battled the grocery store lines, unpacked the sacks of food and now all the elements of a great meal sit in the kitchen- unless we are too lazy to make dinner.

And this has probably happened to all of us at least once. Unfortunately, this image is a picture of many areas of our lives.

Consider how difficult it can be to court a future spouse. Once the relationship proceeds to marriage, do we let it waste away from neglect?

Our Country was founded on the principle of freedom of worship. Do we take this for granted and skip church because of the weather?

Our lives are often full of wasted opportunities. If we neglect what God has given us- talents, opportunities, resources- then these gifts will disappear.

BOUQUI FEATURES REV SAM ADEYEMI IN NEW DOUBLE ALBUM

Award-winning Gospel sensation and President, Xist Music Africa B.O.U.Q.U.I will be releasing her much anticipated double album, Marks Of A General and Eve Of Independence this month.

The 28-track albums boast of productions from top beat makers; Samklef, Gospel, Jmetz, Kollo, Mix, Master J, VC Perez amongst others. Featured in the albums are Gospel stars from across the world
including American Superstar DA T.R.U.T.H, Midnite Crew, Obiwon, Abel Musuka from Zambia, FaithChild from UK, the Mobo award winning UK star "Jahaziel", Panam Passy Paul, Segun Obey, Henry Soul, CBlaise to mention a few.

There's also a surprise appearance from the General Overseer of Daystar Christian Centre, "Rev Sam Adeyemi".
The album would be released on September 3rd on popular online platform (iTunes) and then would hit the streets by third week in September.


See the full tracklist below

MARKS OF A GENERAL TRACKS

1. Marks Of a General Ft Cute Sage
2. Sittin On Top ft LilY Perez
3. Celebrate Ft DA Truth
4. Emi Lelei Ft MidNite Crew
5. Good & Bad Ft Obiwon
6. Skit By Sam Adeyemi
7. Imagination Ft Sam Adeyemi
8. One King Ft Abel Musuka (Zambia)
9. Ebujo Ft CBlaise & Faith Child (UK)
10. JehovaH Ft MMJ
11. Salama Ft Solomon Lange
12. Church Girl Swag
13. On My Grind Ft Word
14. No One Like You Ft Gboof
 
EVE OF INDEPENDENCE TRACKS

1. Shori Bayi Ft MMJ
2. Miracle Song Ft CBlaise
3. Igbeyinloju
4. Ijo Ti Mojo Ft Henry Soul
5. Sokutuyoyo Ft Henry Soul
6. Jehovah Remix Ft Threadstone & Jahziel (UK)
7. Jin Skit
8. Revival Ft Cjay
9. Heart Beat Ft Panam Percy Paul
10. So Thankful Ft Kome
11. Loke Loke Ft MMJ
12. Love Like This Ft D Flow
13. Are You The One Ft Segun Obe
14.Church Boi Swag

Which Way Is Best?

The shortest path from Egypt to Canaan was a sandy desert route. The Isrealites could have made the trip in two or three weeks by taking this path but God didn't lead them on the easiest, most convenient route.

Instead, he took them on a longer trip to protect his people. No doubt, the Isrealites who knew geography wondered about the wisdom of God's leadership. By human standards, this route made no sense.

God was laying an inescapable trap for the Egyptians. He was also preparing another exciting display of his power to rescue his people. God does not always work in the way that seems easiest to us.

Many times, the road he leads us on is not the shortest or the most comfortable or the most convenient. God looks at the trip from an eternal viewpoint. He sees where we were yesterday, where we are today and where we will be tomorrow. God is our only true guide.

Culled from The Bible
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