Chronicles of Truth

Filters can mean a lot of things to different people. A chef will consider it as an instrument to gather or needed material for cooking. A photographer will see it as a tool to enhance beauty and art. A communicator uses it to sieve and remove unnecessary words and actions, so that (s)he can pass across a particular message to a specific audience. Most of the time it is used to separate or take out unwanted details from a composition. My focus today is on the analogy of photographers. The reason being that, at the end of the day, filters are used to make things taste, feel or look good. And that is what we do mostly. I want to believe at some point recently, you have taken a photo with your phone, camera, or by a photographer. This also means there is the possibility that you have filtered or done some kind of editing on it before you uploaded it somewhere or kept it on your phone. Whatever you did with it, I'm sure you can relate when I say filters. Why is filter the f...

Have you ever thought that you could handle your life the way you want it and only you decide whether you are on the right or wrong track? I'm sure if you made some decision based on that you can confirm that it can be a very dangerous mindset to keep.  When a person has a certain access to freedom, without the right mindset, freedom or choice can soon become a prison. Think about it this way. A child is given a master password that can open up anything in an estate. So, he decided to check up on all the houses and rooms in the area. Every house have their function, but he doesn't know that because he believes everywhere is a playground. Sooner than expected will he discover that there are consequences to the places and things he exposes himself to. But at that point, it might too late to readjust. My point is that you can't expose yourself to an unexpected life and not take the consequences of that path or way of life. So before you explore your options, consid...

Silence is deafening, can you hear it?  That was my friend talking to me in the middle of a silent session - everyone deciding not to talk for a while, then he broke that silence with his question. At that moment, it feels tiring hearing the silence around me. It's stressful and disheartening. It's not just the physical absence of sound, it more like numbness in the soul - uncertain of almost everything other than being alive. It's inescapable, everyone experiences it in different ways at different phases. It's the valley episode that balances life. It helps us appreciate our peaks and heights. It's a break, reflection, and strategy time. It helps us grow.  Helps us to be thoughtful and appreciative. It's nothing to be ashamed of, rather a season of praise for the glory ahead. Doesn't stop the fact that it feels numb at the moment, but we have an assurance and hope. In times like this, we count our blessings, plan for the future, ...

My mum and I recently had a conversation about why people at the hem of affairs are not satisfied with a leadership position well done. Why do they have to run for more?  What is so important about the top seat that they can't let other people who have not had the chance to take it up and run? Why must it always be their faces we see and the voices we hear? It has become stale and irrelevant because we keep hearing the same thing without any touch of freshness or transformation. I agreed with her on a questioning and lots of other ideas, but she said something that I couldn't argue neither did I agree. She said, "they are all greedy, and people who have tasted power don't want to stay ashore while people cross Jordan to rule."  I struggled with her ideology. I couldn't say she was wrong because I have no proof yet. I can't agree with her because I know there are exceptional cases. So, I kept it somewhere that in the cause of time, I...

Who else feels the same? That moment in your journey that you think the whole world is against you? Or you have too much burden to carry? Or an inescapable path to follow or no luxury of multiple choice ? All those and more are examples of situations that make me feel like I don't have any other option. No room to express my choice at all - road blocked. I want to believe I'm not alone on this journey. So, what do you do when there is no other way out or around a situation at the moment? How do you feel? That might be a situation you are going through, went through, or will go through. How are you handling or how will you handle it? Every one of us will go through seasons like that because it's inescapable. So today, let's consider postures to maintain in times like this - out of options.  First of all, see with the eyes of faith. This is a posture that will shift your understanding and manner of approach to things, people, or situations. This wi...

The power of being human is not just in living life one day at a time, it's the power to choose what kind of life you want to live and what you would have attained at the end of a particular time. Choice. We've all been choosing for a long time in our lives - the food we prefer as a kid up to the name of our children or any other aspect of our lives, and the way our lives are right now are a result of the decisions we've made from the day we started using that power. It might not be like the powers of superheroes in Marvel movies, but it is the very essence of living as a person. The ability to say this is what I want and how I prefer it to be. Of course, a lot of factors are in places that can facilitate our decisions, but at the end of the day, we still choose if a path is where we want to follow or not. Even if a person is being deceived, they still have the potent power of choice to accept the deception or ignore it. You always have a choice. The choice to b...

Things are not always the way they look on the surface. In lame man terms, a hyperlink is a word or array of words that can be clicked on a web page that leads to another page of a document, webpage, or a part of the same document. Something you probably have seen happen on Facebook, reading an ebook, or through email content. It is quite interesting that this same process happens when studying the scriptures or listening to a sermon, have you noticed? The experience is more like reading something and you find yourself connecting the dots using other Scripture so that a particular thing makes sense. Or listening to a preacher and you are understanding a different thing and the preacher's word sounds like puns of words - meaning different things apart from what's being said. At this point, it is the Holy Spirit at work with a person's mind to conceive a thought, idea, or strategy - depending on the intent of the Spirit at that time. Remember that time you were se...

Cliches are good sayings that have become the norm. It has become a prerequisite, not an achievement anymore. But it used to be the other way round before. They used to be wise saying bad rare commodity if wisdom, but became commercialized. This however doesn't stop the efficiency of the work. It works just as it used to. It might not be potent to you because you are not close to its usefulness, but it has become a popular saying. When you get to where it's needed, you will find it handy and useful to you. Clichés work. Nothing is new under the sun. Concept, context, use, location, pattern, building, material and many other things that makeup discoveries or inventions are all old stuff rebranded when we look closely.  "There's noth­ing new on this earth. Year af­ter year it's the same old thing. Does some­one call out, "Hey, this is new"? Don't get excited—it's the same old story." (Ecclesiastes 1:9; MSG). Cliches is s...

This is the big word for being real and true to yourself in the midst of a lot of people. It's one of the main ingredients in the standing-out recipe. It's starts from accepting who you are at the moment, looking forward to who you can be, and following the pathway to get there with procedures that are meant for you and your DNA. Not copying and pasting another person's life. Imagine two people trying to get somewhere looking classy. But one is a plus-size, while the other is a size 6. Even if they have access to the same fabric and style, the uniqueness of the sewing is according to the structure of each person's body. The same thing happens when you face everyday life with an authentic mindset that says "I'll be true to my person today, irrespective of temptation to conform to the norm". This is not an advocacy for rudeness. It is the beauty of embracing personal identity and showcase it gracefully. This is how people stay fresh and relevant ...

Oh! Teach us to live well! Teach us to live wisely and well! (Psalms 90:12;MSG). So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (Psalms 90:12; KJV). Without an old, they can't be anything new. We celebrate a new year because there was an old one. We also went through thick and thin in our previous phase. But thank God we are here now. In this new season, I want to share what I consider needful for the journey ahead. First and foremost, thanksgiving. Be grateful to God for everything in your life and appreciate the people in your life that keep showing up. They don't have to, but they are there for you.  Be positive: One thing 2020 has taught and reiterated is that tough times don't last, tough people, do. How do you intend to survive if you are a pessimist? Try being an optimist person this year and your world will revolve in a new direction. It take a positive heart to be thankful. Have courage. A lot of people are like me - knowing wh...