Monday, May 5, 2014
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Lewis’s long journey away from, and back to, faith began with his mother’s death from cancer when he was a boy. Disillusioned that God had not healed his mother, Lewis set out on a path toward full-bodied rationalism and atheism.
The road back to faith was cluttered with obstacles Lewis once thought impossible to overcome. His conversion to a robust Christianity required years of intellectual struggle and came only after being convinced that faith was reasonable.
The journey of C. S. Lewis, perhaps the greatest defender of the faith of the twentieth century, provides valuable lessons for Christians today in sharing the Gospel with an unbelieving generation.
Lesson One: The Importance of Reason and Good Theology
Lewis was deeply bothered by evil and suffering in the world that didn’t fit with whom he imagined God to be.
In time, Lewis came to see evil and suffering as both an argument against atheism and an argument for God and Christianity. Suffering was a dilemma for atheism; only within Christianity did Lewis find a satisfactory explanation.
My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. Just how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust? … Thus in the very act of trying to prove that God did not exist—in other words, that the whole of reality was senseless—I found I was forced to assume that one part of reality—namely my idea of justice—was full of sense. Consequently atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning. (Mere Christianity, 45-46)
Lewis came to recognize that suffering and pain are not without purpose. Like Joseph, who told his brothers in Genesis 50:20 that God had used their harmful actions for good, Lewis wrote:
God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a dead world. (The Problem of Pain, 93).
Sorrow entered Lewis’s life again when Joy Davidman, his wife of only three years, died from cancer. Lewis was left to face the problem of grief and unanswered prayer.
Through the ordeal, Lewis learned that prayer is not about calling down miracles on demand. He also realized God had answered his prayers by giving him and his wife more time together with the cancer’s brief remission.
A second intellectual stumbling block for Lewis was the parallel mythologies found in other religions, such as the pagan stories of a “dying god.” As a young atheist, Lewis believed only the unsophisticated could mistake the Christian myth for history.
Lewis was shocked to hear the strong atheist T. D. Weldon concede that the evidence for the Gospels was really quite good.
After his conversion, Lewis insisted that myths in other religions shadowing the Christian story are not surprising since God is a revealing God.
We should therefore, expect to find in the imagination of great Pagan teachers and myth makers some glimpse of that theme which we believe to be the very plot of the whole cosmic story—the theme of incarnation, death, and rebirth… It is not the difference between falsehood and truth. It is the difference between a real event on the one hand and dim dreams or premonitions on the other. (The Weight of Glory, 128-30).
Lewis’s struggles show that misunderstanding Christianity can keep a person from Christ. Much of Lewis’s apologetic and evangelistic work, such as Mere Christianity, simply “unpacked” for the masses a clearer picture of classical Christianity.
To be effective evangelists and apologists we must be good theologians.
Lesson Two: The Importance of Longing and Imagination
Lewis spoke and wrote often of “joy,” a deep longing of the human heart this world cannot satisfy, and presented it as evidence for God.
“Joy” was a recurring experience for Lewis as a child and adolescent and came to him through nature, literature or music. Lewis argued this longing is common to all mankind.
The atheist Bertrand Russell wrote of the same yearning.
The center of me is always and eternally a terrible pain—a curious wild pain—a searching for something beyond what the world contains—something transfigured and infinite . . . I do not find it, I do not think it is to be found—but the love of it is my life. (Bertrand Russell, 1916, Letter to Constance Malleson, The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell).
Lewis made a case for God by arguing that every natural, innate desire corresponds to some real object that can fulfill that desire. Since humans desire something this world cannot satisfy, something exists outside this earthly world that can satisfy—God.
If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. (Mere Christianity, 120).
Christians must present the faith as fulfilling our deepest desires. We too often present Christianity as merely a philosophical system, or the conclusion to a string of inferences made based upon Scripture, but the salvation promised us in Scripture applies to the whole person.
Lesson Three: The Personal Nature of Evangelism
Lewis was not won to Christianity overnight. Christian friends such as J. R. R. Tolkien, Hugo Dyson, Owen Barfield, and others, faithfully and patiently walked beside Lewis as they helped him resolve his many misgivings about Christianity.
Lewis recognized that God seeks us out personally and makes demands upon us. We have a personal God who calls us individually to make a personal response to the Gospel.
Friendship is invaluable in communicating the Gospel. Lewis found his friendships with Christians before coming to Christ deeply satisfying as they shared interests on many levels.
Source: CBN
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A few days ago, Nigerian artist and Punch columnist, Etcetera wrote an article about female celebrities who are marrying 2nd hand husbands.
Although he did not directly make reference to Tiwa Savage and her husband Tunji Balogun, the couple got hold of the article and were not at all impressed! They both took to Instagram to share a piece of their mind. Read the offending article when you continue.
Etcetera
At first I was angry. How could they have said such. But as crazy and odd as it may have sounded, they drew my attention to their observations that it is a trend currently popular amongst female celebrities in nigeria. The guys in the house even tweaked it into a joke. Adding that it is a normal thing in nigeria that when you can't afford a brand new car you go for a 2nd hand one. I couldn't help but laugh at that one. But on my way home, I thought about it for a minute and asked myself if truly a 2nd hand or brand new theory can be a determinant in finding a husband? It got me staring at every car passing by, trying to understand the rational behind the argument of a 2nd hand husband and a brand new one. How do you determine if a husband is a 2nd hand? I asked myself.
I was later told that a man becomes a 2nd hand if he was previously married or is still married to another woman before taking a new wife. And that a 2nd hand husband just like a 2nd hand car comes in two types. Nigerian used and Tokunbo. Meaning the husband who was previously married and living here in nigeria is the "nigerian used", while the one shipped in from abroad is the Tokunbo version. Shocking isn't it? Ok, let us analyse this for a minute. It is a known fact that in nigeria, when you want to buy a 2nd hand car you are strongly advised to take a mechanic with you. So can you also do the same with a 2nd hand husband? Should it also be recommended that when going for a 2nd hand husband you should make sure to take a medical doctor to administer all the necessary check ups to be sure you are not getting damaged goods?
Because in the true sense of it, a 2nd hand is a 2nd hand whether car or husband.
And If the carburetor of a 2nd hand car can easily pack up on 3rd mainland bridge, it means a 2nd hand husband can also pack up on the way to the alter. As these thoughts were spinning in my head, I began asking myself the same questions they asked me. Why do nigerian female celebrities prefer 2nd hand husbands. Or Why would anyone prefer a 2nd hand husband? But come to think of it, Is it that our female celebrities can no longer afford the luxury of waiting for the brand new ones to come along? Or have the brand new ones refused to be fooled by the razzmatazz or flashy make ups, thick foundations, artificial nails, Brazilian hair and Peruvian eye lashes? Can it be attributed to a thing of choice? They said a 2nd hand husband is often an Alhaji or an Otunba with pot belle and deep pocket. Is it because of the money or societal status of the men?
As long as he is fully loaded she really does not care. Some went further to say that a 2nd hand husband is already tested and trusted with a confirmed rate of performance and durability? So figure a female celebrity asking her colleague, "What is the mileage of your 2nd hand husband? And she replies "Ahhh I nor know say hin former wives don finish am oo.. Na shaft I marry ooo, My sista nor be small thing ooo, even my doctor sef say him liver go soon park up. And na for hospital I dey sleep for the past 3 weeks. Just like 2nd hand car owner dey sleep for mechanic workshop everyday.
As my Curiosity got the better of me, I asked them for names of female celebrities with 2nd hand husbands. I was shocked beyond recognition that the list they gave me was as long as the distance from mile 2 to Badagry. According to the list, almost all married female celebrity in nigeria has a 2nd hand husband and even some of the female celebrities themselves are 2nd hand. And some of the male celebrities also have 2nd hand wives or they themselves are 2nd hand. Well, if you don't believe me, make a list of your own and be amazed as I am right now.
My conclusion is that the issue of 2nd hand husband is not peculiar to entertainers. It is a general societal disease and it is as a result of too many failed marriages we have in the society at large. While nobody should be blamed for falling in love or getting married to whoever he or she chooses, it is also important that we position our lives to inspire the children and future entertainers who see us as role models in the society. You may argue that it is not the society's business what you do with your affairs. Which is very true but also remember that being a celebrity makes your life a public affair.
So go ahead girls, take home the 2nd hand husbands, it is your choice and it does not matter even if he looks like an "accidented" car with scary mileage. If you love him that much and he has some money to spend, you can take him to the highly skilled american body mechanic called Dr. 90210 to panel-beat and mask all his dents. And if you are fortunate to find one whose mileage is manageable, you can take him to Ladipo market, buy the missing body parts and get a local panel-beater to fix him. And if you are a handy-woman, You can even do the servicing yourself by getting a complete first aid kit with bandages, Ampiclox and mentholatum and massage his joints every night before sleeping.
Tiwa and Tunji also futher replied to their critics using social media.
Friday, May 2, 2014
Kandi was given away by her Mama Joyce who walked her down the aisle.
The couple had a ring ceremony for their daughters also.
Kandi also welcomed Todd's daughter into the family during the service.
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