Help Save Mercy Kanu Pls!!!

This story is heart-breaking! Mercy Kanu, a 32 year-old teacher, diagnosed with Advanced Metastatic breast cancer, would die due to lack of funds for her treatment! After reading her story on 247 Nigeria News Update, I chose to share it with the world in order to get help for her. Mercy, an indigene of Obiene-Ututu, in Arochukwu Local Government of Abia State, Nigeria, is in dire need of financial or any type of assistance in her battle with breast cancer!

Help! Help!! Please Help Save Mercy!!! She is in so much pain! No amount is too small! Show some love pls! Be blessed as U donate to this young cancer patient...

•Mercy can be reached through her brother: Daniel Kanu: phone:08023035107 or [United Bank for Africa] UBA Acct #: Kanu Daniel – 1005975546.

" No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."---Aesop (620BC-560BC).

What Do You Have?

Nkiru Oh

This write-up came about from the sermon I heard during service yesterday. The pastor ministered with 2 Kings 4:1-7. I was so touched and blessed that I want to share what I learned with you. The summary of the passage goes like this: creditors were haunting a widow to pay up her late husband's debt or they would take her two sons as collateral to work for them until the debt was paid off. Mmmm...the word creditors, and their incessant, annoying phone calls sound familiar? Of course, you said! So the widow ran to prophet Elisha for help. When Elisha asked her what she had at home, she answered nothing ONLY a jar of oil! The prophet then instructed her to go and borrow as many empty pots as she could, pour the oil in those pots, sell the oil, pay off her creditors and then live on the rest with her kids! Wow! What touched me so deeply apart from the woman's faith, which will constitute another write-up, is the issue of using what one has, insignificant as it may seem, to achieve what one needs!

Often, human beings neglect what they have in their pursuit of the unattainable. Note how the widow disregarded her pot of oil! She had nothing, she said. Then probably as an after thought she added, ONLY a pot of oil! We have different skills, talents, gifts, endowments, call it whatever you like. Many neglect the substance and keep chasing after the shadow! Sometimes, what we call NOTHING or THRASH may be a hidden FORTUNE! What do you have that you can use to get out of debt, or to live better? It may be small initially, like the widow's pot of oil, but if you persevere, it will be something great. Think about it. Meditate on it!

Again, children of God often ask God for financial breakthroughs. What do you have in your house that God can use to bless you? What skill do you have? What talent do you have? Can you sing, dance, knit, cook, or bake? May be you have something unique to teach people! Any special recipe handed down from grandma, mom, auntie Liz, or a neighbor that you can modify and use? Can you write? May be those stories you tucked away in your closet will turn into a bestseller! What special skill do you have that you can utilize especially at this time of  global economic crisis? What differentiates you from others? What is your niche? Have you ever sat down to identify a need and analyze how you can be a solution to it? Have you ever thought of what you can do to excel apart from, or in addition to, what the government hands down. Are you out of work or in need? Is it very difficult to make ends meet? Have you ever explored you? Do you know you've been equipped for success? Ask God to show you what you have that he will use to bless you!

Do you observe that Elisha asked the widow to shut the door behind her while she poured the oil? Yes, you need to shut the door behind you too! Go on your knees and ask for direction. Shut the door against fear and doubt. These two will defeat you even before you start! How will you know if you will succeed if you did not try? Shut the door behind the pessimists, and all naysayers! Yes, they will try to discourage you and give you a million reasons why you will fail! Ignore the laggards too! Shut the door behind them all. They will come around after you have succeeded! 

"How Am I Driving?"

By Nkiru Oh

On several occasions, I have seen many commercial vehicles and school buses with this inscription at the back: "how am I driving?" Initially, I did not think about those words beyond their literal meaning: call the number at the back if the driver messes up on the road. I wonder whether anyone has the courtesy to call to commend a driver any way! Just musing though.

As time went on, I started thinking about those words beyond the surface meaning. I began to ask myself a lot of questions. How am I driving? Do I consider other road users or am I simply a selfish driver? Do I drive responsibly or recklessly like a maniac? Do I give myself time to get to my destination or do I wait until the last minute before I zoom off and want to fly and run all the red lights? Am I cognizant of the fact that my irresponsible driving can ruin me or other road users? Do I think of the consequences of any reckless behavior?

How am I driving? Do I pick up my cell phone as soon as I start my car? Do I drive and text at the same time? Yes, am I a 'car-talker' or 'car-texter' or both? Do I think about the thousands of lives that have been wasted due to addiction to 'car-talkng' and 'car-texting'?

At this stage of my life, that simple question, "how am I driving?" is not simple any more! The meaning now goes beyond operating a vehicle. It has become my daily assessment tool, a kind of mantra. How am I behaving in relation to my family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, strangers, in fact, other humans? Do not get me wrong please, I do not let people walk atop me. And I know about the creeps out there. But reminiscing on these words can broaden one's horizon for the better. Or don't you think so?

See, I have likened this tool to the golden rule, "do unto others as you would want them do unto you!" Yes, because, if I honestly and objectively analyze how I am driving, and the next person does the same, life will be better for all of us. There will be less road accidents, less careless deaths, less avoidable deaths, less wickedness, less violence in our society. How do I mean, you ask? By each of us being considerate, applying our freedom within control. It may not matter what others think of us. But we know when we deviate from the universal good.

So how well am I driving on this road of life? Do I know my purpose in life or am I clueless? If I know my purpose, am I fulfilling it or am I wasting time, wandering in darkness? Does my life have meaning? Is my life a blessing? Am I impacting positively or negatively? How well am I driving on this road of life?  It's impossible to satisfy everybody. But it's possible to aim for the highest good!  How am I driving? And how are you driving?