Loving Jesus Everyday

(FLASH FICTION) My hero is nothing like those you see in the movies or comic books. She has no cape or fancy outfit. No quick and witty sidekick. Her superpowers are not what you would expect or even respect. Selfless, humble, and persevering she stands perfectly wrapped in bold dark skin. Skin baked and cracked by the relentless African sun. Skin that would glow if only she gave it a chance. If only she treated it the way she did me and my siblings. The way she did Father. Father who comes home every night to a beautiful smile and a warm meal, even though his response is almost always a tired grunt. Sitting on a stool in the backyard washing the vegetables, I discreetly watch Mother pounding away in the late morning sun. With the back of her hand, she pauses to wipe the sweat off her brow before continuing to plunge the pestle powerfully onto the content of the mortar. Again and again, she pounds away. Singing joyfully into the clear skies, you will never guess Father almost sh...

My Current Top Five Preachers

A great sermon is not only intellectual but also emotional. Most importantly, it is spiritual. A sermon ought to be much more than a history lesson or motivational speech. The best sermons are those that cause positive change in the hearts and lives of those who hear them, and this only happens through the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, a preacher who is not Holy Spirit filled (and led) can hardly preach convicting, life-changing sermons. Unfortunately, powerless sermons are more popular today because the role of teacher/preacher has largely been reduced to a job instead of a calling. There is a reason why "Teaching" is one of the spiritual gifts...it is beyond intellectual...it is divine. It requires revelation from above and supernatural delivery of that revelation. Without that gift of the Holy Spirit, a preacher simply cannot reach the hearts of his audience the way he should. A truly anointed preacher does not blindly follow a sermon plan but is always list...

Entrepreneur or "Buyam-Sellam"

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines an entrepreneur simply as “one who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise.” Several articles on online business platforms like Forbes and Business News Daily however find this definition lacking in many ways. For a true entrepreneur must not only be willing to take risks, but also be in possession of certain indispensable qualities; he or she must be innovative, be a visionary, and be tenacious. In Cameroon, the business environment is fairly active. The opportunities abound, and many are obviously exploiting these opportunities. However, there is still tremendous room for growth. There are still very few entrepreneurs and a whole lot of “buyam-sellams”. When I use the term “buyam-sellam”, I am referring to the business owner whose sole business goal is to purchase goods/services and sell them at maximum profit at any specific point in time. Profit projections, demand forecasts and market analysis are all fore...

Please do not STARVE yourself and call it a FAST

I am speaking from experience. There are a lot of biblical principles that we attempt, fail at and eventually give up on because they do not produce the promised results. Fasting is one of those principles. When it does not work as expected, we doubt the validity and potency of God's word instead of critically evaluating ourselves to see how we might have failed to correctly and completely implement these principles. This Lenten season, I thought I should write about fasting since most people engage in some kind of fast during Lent. It is important to know that just because we have abstained from something does not mean we have fasted. What are we doing during that time of fasting? Are we seeking God in meditation/worship/prayer, or are we distracting ourselves with other pleasures (TV, social media etc)... eagerly counting down to the time the fast is supposed to break. Fasting should be a deeply spiritual exercise, otherwise it is just starving. There are three important t...

3 Popular Well-intentioned LIES Africans Tell

Growing up in Cameroon, I was quite familiar with many popular sayings usually shared by well-intentioned individuals in an effort to give good advice. Most of these sayings have a lot of truth in them, but honestly some of them can end up being quite misleading. I would like to explore three of such. Lie #1: The success of a marriage primarily depends on the wife. "Na woman di make marret" is how it is typically said in Cameroon. Last time I heard that statement, I had an epiphany. I finally understood why most marriages in Cameroon seemed so empty and lacking in intimacy. Growing up, I was never positively struck by any married couple. So as a young adult marriage was not something I specifically looked forward to, I just knew it was something you did at some point in life in order not to sin, or in order to meet the expectations of society. It was not until I moved to the US, got born-again and joined Christian community that I became exposed to marriages that made one...