Anniversary Speech (Part 1)

The Big Day! October the 19th!

Shall we rise for prayers? Who will lead us in prayer? Okay, I’ll go! Eyes closed everyone… Men hold your hats for a second. Let’s reverence God here.

“Our Father, who art in Heaven. Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come. They will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Our Father, we want to say ‘Thank You for TRC.’ Getting here could have only been by your grace. If it were to be the lady behind this keyboard, we wouldn’t have had any reason to celebrate on this day. Thank You Lord for Your overflowing river of inspiration. Thank You Lord for Your spirit that never leaves us blank. Thank You Father for always providing the data for the blog. Thank You for the light you gave to be able to charge our phones and laptops. Thank You for we are always blessed with every article. Thank You for always expounding things to us in the simplest of ways. Thank You Lord because the goal is to end up as Real Christians and not as counterfeit! Thank You Lord for Your presence that never leaves neither forsakes us. Thank You Lord for helping us take over the media. For more and more that You have done that we couldn’t mention, and things You’ll still do, thank You Jesus. Lord, we ask and we pray that as we go into another article, regardless of the fact that it’s a birthday speech, we know that we’re going to be tremendously blessed, in Jesus name, Amen!”

Thank you everyone. Let’s all have our seats comfortably in God’s presence. Also, let’s make sure to tone down the noise. Refreshments will get to everybody at the end of the speech please so let’s do well to pay rapt attention. On that note, let’s fire on!

This article will be incomplete without first thanking God for the privilege He gave me to share His Word with men. It was difficult to receive the calling at first. I wasn’t a fan of teaching the Scripture. I mean, I hadn’t gained so much knowledge then. I was scared. I felt I wasn’t capable. I felt I was little. I felt all negative emotions as touching the calling. Why did I feel this way? Let me give you the backstory. It’s our birthday so please, we’ll be telling lots of stories and we will take our time. In five minutes time, something little that we can snack on will be shared round. Please let’s pay attention and not get too busy with our mouths. Let our minds also be here.

Precisely November 2020, while I was in the living room with my parents seeing a Mount Zion movie (strangely, I cannot recollect the movie), I felt the presence of the Lord around me, literally. I seldom feel like that. I knew the Lord wanted to communicate something to me. I went to get my pen and my note, and returned to the living room (in my house, I’m the weird one. I don’t relate much. I’d rather be alone in my room. On this day however, I think I was forced out of the room. Also, I wasn’t a fan of the TV. I’d rather watch a movie on my laptop when I can forward it if I think a scene is taking too much time; but as for the TV, I’d have to sit and wait as long as whatever I’m watching lasts. Anyways, staying back in my room wasn’t an option, that was why I had to go back to the living room). While in the living room, I zoned out and listened to the voice of the Holy Spirit (it was easy for me to do because I do it a lot). In cases where I feel the Spirit of the Lord strongly, I needn’t pray much before the Lord reveals His intents to me. All I needed to do was pay attention, align my spirit man to listen and trap God’s voice when it comes to me.

The Lord basically communicated to me that I needed to go back to writing. This time around, it has to be strictly “Godly and Christian contents.” Why only “Godly contents?” This will lead me to a sub back-story under this large umbrella of back-story. Please don’t lose me. Follow me closely. You won’t be confused, don’t worry. You ready?

I’ve loved writing since I can distinguish my left from my right. I can’t say exactly when I started writing, but I know it’s dated way back. I didn’t know I had the writing in me until my teachers opened my understanding to it. You know those ‘lies’ they told us to tell in form of “How did I spend my last holiday, my first time on an airplane” and the likes… I did cook up stories for them and my teachers then would often ask me if what I wrote really happened or it was just my imagination. With humble pride (you know that kind that you’re actually humble, but proud of yourself), I’d say I wrote the stories from my head. My teachers then did tell me I was going to make a good writer later on. So, I started! I started first with reading. I loved reading a lot (much later, I’ll explain why the word “loved” is in the past tense form). My parents were the kind that would always get us textbooks before school resumes, and I’d have exhausted all the comprehension passages in the book, and I’d answer the questions that follow all on my own. When we treat them in class, it always seems to me like revision.

I would borrow literary books (what we call storybooks back then) from my friends and read. I read anything “story” related I could lay hands on. My head was always buried in a novel whenever I had the slightest opportunity. Over food, in the restroom, while in class, in the bus, anywhere, you’d always catch me buried in a book. If you can’t find me, look for a literary piece- you’d find me there. Oh, I mustn’t forget to add that I was a bright student in school. I was never in a position less than third (frankly, I’m just trying to be civil. I was either the first or second. It was mostly first though). Till I finished my primary and secondary education, I was always among the top three. One guy came in Junior Secondary School 3 sha and I was the fourth then. The guy was pretty intelligent and I myself slacked then. I was pained though. That was the only time I know I didn’t make top three.

I’m saying all these because I believe God helped me through my love for literary materials to also be able to read my school books and understand. I was also very attentive I class, and I do have a wonderful retentive memory, to the glory of God. While in Senior Secondary School, I was the best at letter writing in my class, my teacher sometimes used my note to correct others. Mind you, I was good in Mathematics as well, just saying… (Smiles).

When I was still very young and I discovered myself that I had the writing gift inside of me, I started writing short stories in those 2d kinda notes. Funnily enough, out of approximately 20 stories I ever wrote, I only ever finished one (writers can relate to this). The thing was that I do not always finish up one before I get inspiration for another one, and at that instant, I pick up another book and start to write. Getting books to write in weren’t a problem. Those unfinished notes of my previous classes served me well. As I was reading, I was writing by the side. There came a time I had exhausted all the literary materials at home and I picked them up and started reading them all over again. There are two favorites of mine. Up until now, I still love them. I can’t recollect the title of the first one but I know it was centered around a twin and horses, and the second was the book I read for Jamb, “Last days at Forcados High” by A. H. Mohammed, a then student of the University of Lagos (UNILAG). Those two books, I read, and reread them if not a dozen times, I’m not even capping. I mean, I had to read something. I longed to read the way a deer pants for water.

The kinds of stories I wrote in my early days were on magic, birthdays, twins, etc. I was always drawing inspiration from the books I read. I vividly remember a particular book then, “Barrister Tope.” It’s funny as these memories are rushing down to me. That particular book, I had about 3 sets of twins in it (I loved twins. I love twins. I will continue to love twins and I pray to God to bless me with twins as my first fruits when I get married- whether or not they birth twins in mine or my husband’s family doesn’t move me, but I shall birth twins in Jesus name. Can I get an Amen? Yeah, Amen! Thank you!)

(If you think I’m boring you with these stories, then I don’t think you get the point. This story leads to the testimony of this blog. I believe the story of this blog wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t have these experiences. So please, come with me. Also, I saw that the snacks were been passed on quietly. So I believe your stomach shouldn’t distract you. Later on, we’ll share the main course meal. The goal is to make you feel comfortable as you journey with me. Don’t be distracted please).

Then, God was working full time in my life, but when I go into Senior Secondary School, I must have left God (because God doesn’t leave His own), the devil took over my writing (I’ve shared this part of my story a couple of times and I’m going to share it again. The story will be incomplete without it. This part is the climax of the story).

I moved from writing on birthdays, magic, and fun to writing erotic stuff. I mean, I had grown up and the literary piece I was reading had changed. I was now reading big novels then, and if you passed through the senior class, you know it’s two kinds of novels that circulated then- first and more popular were erotic novels. Second was something on witchcraft, not deep witchcraft per se, but something that’s dark. I remember reading one then. The title was “something Chronicles.” I know something about Chronicles was in the title. As I read the book then (jeez, I can almost fell what I felt then), I felt a strange presence around me. I think it was about some children that wandered into a strange plac e and they met some strange beings. In short, now that I think about it, it sounds more like witchcraft. I wasn’t myself for days after I finished with the book.

Those were the kinds of books I read then, and since I couldn’t do without reading a story in a week, I’d sit with those books and read it up within days, and source for another one. My addiction was to books. Provided it’s a story, I wasn’t selective as to what kind of book. Is it a book? Give it to me. Please let me read.

I guess the devil came in through that door because I drew inspirations mostly from what I read. I also wanted to be a known author and I started writing a story in line with what I read. This time, I didn’t leave one book and start another one. I was developing the one and only one I had with me. I wrote and was writing! Erotic stuff! Till today, how God kept me and I didn’t trade my virtue for pleasure still baffles me. God, really is good! When I say erotic, I mean E-R-O-T-I-C! I don’t remember making my characters have sex but that doesn’t change the fact that what I wrote was as a result of an inspiration from the devil. My parents are believers. They’d often preach and teach about how bad these things are, but they couldn’t be monitoring me to know if I was really following what they taught me.

I wouldn’t be this hurt if I wrote that particular story and kept it to myself. No, the devil made sure other eyes saw and read it. I’d often take it to school for my peers to read for a token. And no, it wasn’t just my classmates. The book got to other classes as well. They always motivated me and praised me for my style of writing. Me too, Mumu me then was feeling fly that I was a wonderful writer. I didn’t end up completing the writing the book though (if this makes it any better, I don’t know). You know something about that stupid guy, I’m referring to the devil now; is that when you’re doing something wrong, and you feel it’s wrong, there’s a way the guy can nudge people to motivate you and applaud you on your way to hell, and you too will be thinking you’re doing something big. (May the Lord send men your way who will open your eyes to the wrong in your life that will lead you to destruction to a new path that leads to eternal life and Godliness. Amen? That brother on blue at the back, I can’t hear your Amen. Don’t stuff your mouth with snacks. Say Amen first. You too, that sister on peach, say amen now. Do not think you have all your life figured out and that you don’t need people to push you to do greater things. Even if you’re not on the path to destruction, you still need people to push you forward to fulfilling destiny and purpose. Someday soon, we’ll treat the importance of relationships, Therefore, I pray again, May the Lord bring people and relationships to you who will push you in the right path and make sure you fulfill destiny, in Jesus name… Amen! Thank you)!

To be continued...