HARD TRUTH FROM FOUNTAIN OF WISDOM : ENOCH ADEBOYE PERSPECTIVE

Angry Letter To The Nigerian Youth (4): Please Marry A Lazy Woman By Bayo Adeyinka

Dear Nigerian Youth,

Twice this week, God spoke to you but you were deaf. You missed the message totally. Not only did you miss the message, you put up the twin messengers on the cross and you are dealing them with the worst kind of blows. In your follow-the-herd mentality that has afflicted your generation, you have only succeeded in demonstrating your crass ignorance and the reason why you may never be taken seriously. Coincidentally, both messengers are old men but you mock them. You may have new clothes even more than the aged but you can never have rags like them. Their ragged experience is by far better than your new age wisdom.

The first messenger brought a series of messages. He gave some pieces of advice to a generation that is wise in its own sight. A harmless advice has now been turned over its head. How come this generation always end up making simple things complex? How come this generation always major on minors and minor on majors? Don't marry a lazy woman, he said. Don't marry a woman who cannot pray for one hour. Most of you are products of prayer but you come online to mock because it feels right to do so. Instead of lending your ears, you say the mouth of an elder is smelling. Just how did you think the elderly got their sunken eyes? It's because of what they have seen and experienced. As for you, you're like a dog destined to be lost and you're deaf to the whistle of the hunter.

You know what? Go ahead with your schemes. Marry a lazy woman. It is within your rights. Go for a couch potato. We are in the modern world. As long as she can apply good make-up, wear designer shoes and sun-glasses and update her status on Facebook while twerking regularly, that's all the qualifications she needs to get Mr Right. Who cares if she can do the dishes when there's a dish-washer? Who cares if she can make her own bed when she can hire a domestic help? Who cares if she can cook when Domino Pizza is still selling their franchise all over the nation? As for you modern lady, young men care more about how good you look than how well you cook! They will rather discuss your Peruvian and Malaysian weave-on than Italian cuisine. If they are hungry, they can go to their mothers- or help themselves. Whoever said the way to a man's heart is through his stomach has never met the 21st Century man.

And as for prayers, marry a lady that will take your problems to Agony Aunt. Taking them to the Lord in prayers is so old-school we don't even sing the song in church again. Your knees are so delicate you shouldn't even kneel down before God. Marry a woman who will rush to update your situation on Instagram instead of updating God instantly. Don't be bothered that she can't pray for one hour- as long as she can watch the whole series of Lekki Wives in one fell swoop, you're good to go. Prayer is so outdated. Making long prayers is so so outdated. What will she do when challenges of life come? So easy- she will twerk at them. The devil hates twerking and can't stand it. A family that twerks together stays together. Marry a woman who has tweeter handles but handles nothing else. We are trying to save your chicken from impending death but it's still hell bent on going to the refuse dump for its meal. What an elder sees while sitting, a young man can never see even if he stands. Bae, you can spend one hour applying concealer, mascara and lipstick on your face that you can't carry for twenty four hours but you can't spend one hour praying for a home that you hope to sustain as long as you live. In the voice of Lagbaja, "mo sorry fun gbogbo yin o, mo sorry fun gbogbo yin lo kokan".

Hey girl, marry a man that is jobless. Marry a man who can take off his shirt but can't take out the thrash. A perfectly toned man is better than a perfectly toned wallet. A man with six packs is better than a man with six figures. Romance is better than finance. Marry a man who has no ambition and has no clue about where he is going in life. Marry a man who lives on you and feeds off you. Marry a man whose only property is what is within his trousers. As you lay your bed, so you will lie on it. Silly working girl, hear me: love is blind but marriage is an eye-opener. Your eyes 'will soon clear'. No one tells a blind man that the market is over. If he cannot see, at least he is not deaf. Marriage is hard work, if you don't know. Too much of Kim Kardashian has robbed you of reality. Marriage is not Indian film.

You think the guy loves you when all he loves is your wallet. In the words of the elder who should know, "Even if he says he's a contractor, ask him to show you evidence of the contracts he has done because you may just be the contract". When you cry eventually, no one will be there to comfort you. I trust your fellow ladies: they will even laugh at your misfortune. You know women are the enemies of women. You will think you are trending but all they do is to help you trend your misfortune on social media. Is it any wonder your parents could hold a marriage together for 50 years but you can't even hold yourself together? The values they hold so dear have been devalued by you. Now, you're of no value.

By the way, what's your own issue with the dressing instruction a man gives to his employees? If I tell my staff I don't want tattoos, how come that is now your headache? He said his employees should not wear beards- how has that become your concern? Your joblessness is a major cause of worry.

And then there's the second 83-year old elder who was sent as a message of sorts to you. In my side of the country there is something called 'aroko'. Aroko is a form of communication which is usually non-verbal. The 83-year old man that you derided so much for being made the Chairman of a parastatal was a message sent to you. Instead of burying your heads in shame and covering yourselves in sack clothes and ashes, you are demonstrating the only thing you excel at doing- internet hooliganism. You should be worried that very few people in your generation have been found worthy of holding such a position on trust. The few times you have been given this kind of opportunity, you have proven to be worse than the geriatrics you complained about. Your generation inspires no confidence and engenders no trust. The stealing appetite of a man supposedly at the departure lounge is restrained while your own is uncontrolled. Generations before you stole in millions but you steal in billions. Generations before you kept stolen money in Swiss accounts but you keep yours in Panama. Your generation only knows how to wear t-shirts and carry placards. Your generation only knows how to hurl insults on Facebook. Your generation has no fresh ideas. The best of your generation is one Dino who may soon become your President. You laugh? While you're wasting your time using your scarce resources to buy internet data to fight over him, he's making himself relevant. Hardly does a day go by without a discussion about him. While you remain anonymous, he is always in the limelight.

Sit down and think. Stop in your tracks for a while and have a time of deep reflection. Consider these two messengers and their messages. Life does not discriminate. You need to face it fair and square. You have a lot of growing up to do. You are way behind in the scheme of things. Life has left you behind. There is a lot of catching up to do.

I'm afraid for you.

BEHOLD THE NEW C.A.N PRESIDENT

REV. DR. AYOKUNLE
PROFILE OF Samson Olasupo Ayokunle, new President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN

Samson Olasupo Ayokunle, a pastor, teacher and sociologist, was born in Oyo town in Oyo State Nigeria on January 25, 1957.
Mr. Ayokunle attended the Oniyanrin Baptist Central Day School, Iware Road, Oyo State, graduating in 1971. Six years later, he completed secondary education, earning a West African School Leaving Certificate, Ordinary Level.
Thirsty for more education,  the young Mr. Ayokunle studied further and obtained a  Higher School Certificate in1979/80.
He then proceeded to the University of Ibadan in 1980 where he enrolled for undergraduate studies in sociology. He graduated in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science degree.
Three years later, in 1986, he enrolled for a post graduate diploma in Education. He then went on to study for a Masters of divinity degree in Theology in 1992 at the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomosho.
He got married on September 5, 1987 at Aatan Baptist Church, Oyo to his heartthrob, Deborah Olutoyin Abosede Ayokunle (Nee Adesipo) and the marriage is bless with wonderful children and a grand child.
Not done with acquiring degrees, Mr. Ayokunle went back to the University of Ibadan for another Masters degree, this time in Guidance and Counselling.
On graduation in 2000, he headed to Liverpool Hope University,  Liverpool,  England for a third Masters degree in Theology and Religious Studies in 2003.
On completion of that programme, he immediately commenced his PhD at the University of Liverpool in 2004,  earning a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) degree in Theology in 2008.
Work Experience
During his National Youth Service between 1983 and 1984, Mr. Ayokunle worked as a teacher at Ekan Community Secondary School, Kwala, Plateau State.
After youth service, he continued work as a teacher at Baptist Secondary Grammar School, Ago Are, Oyo State, between 1985 and 1987. He then left for Fasola Grammar School, near Oyo, in 1987 where he served for two years.
Mr. Ayokunle later spent three years (1989-1992) as a public administrator at the Federal Civil Service Commission.
In 1992, he followed his life calling: to work in God's vineyard. He was Pastor, Estate Baptist Church, Oyo State, between 1992 and 1995.
He was moderator, Ibadan East Baptist Association, from 2000 to 2003. He was equally the Treasurer  of Ibadan and Environs Ministers' Fellowship during the same period.
While studying in the United Kingdom, he was health care assistant and  support worker at various health institutions between 2003 and 2007. He was also co-pastor, Pentecost Baptist Church, Kensington, Liverpool, England within the same period.
While he was Pastor, Jubilee Life Baptist Church, Ibadan, he became President of the Nigerian Baptist Convention in 2011, a position he still holds.
He is also visitor to Bowen University, Iwo, Nigeria. The University is owned by the Nigerian Baptist Convention.
He was elected President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), on Tuesday, June 14, 2016.

FRANKLIN GRAHAM : BIBLICAL TRUTHS

Prayer is at the heart of Franklin Graham's Decision America Tour, and he continually reminds the 150,000-plus who have turned out during his first 32 prayer rallies that it is "the most important thing we can do."

It's not optional, particularly when it comes to praying for America's political leaders who shape the country with policies and reforms. And even if the political landscape appears grim, that doesn't diminish the power of Almighty God.

Consider the following four biblical truths Franklin Graham has shared:

God can turn the hearts of kings (Proverbs 21:1)
Our Sovereign Lord can redirect the heart of a king, or in America's case, a political leader, thanks to the intercession of praying Christians. "We should be praying for God's will to be done and for our leaders to seek God and listen to Him," Franklin Graham wrote. "We should pray that they would be surrounded by godly counsel and, most important, that our leadership would personally know God and the salvation found through faith in Jesus Christ alone."

Interceding for those in authority is a biblical command (1 Timothy 2:1-2)
You might not have voted for a particular president, senator, governor, council member, mayor, school board member or fill-in-the-blank leader, but they need your prayers. Faithfully obey God by asking Him to give these elected officials wisdom as they craft policies that shape part or all of the United States.

Pray urgently for all elected leaders (Ephesians 6:12)
This is not something to do later. During his Decision America Tour prayer rallies, Franklin Graham has said, "We're on the verge of Christians losing this nation." Christians have to get passionate and pray now about their desire to see America turn back to God. "The prince of darkness is grimly and powerfully at work in world affairs, and prayer is a great battlefield especially as we pray for those in leadership," Franklin said.

Pray for leaders who don't know Christ to be born again (1 Timothy 2:3-4)
The Lord can open hearts to the truth of the Gospel, and imagine the difference that could make. Franklin Graham has posed this question to the Decision America Tour crowd: "What if the majority of the mayors of the United States were God-fearing men and women? Would that change this country?" Just think of recent legislation that has made headlines and how different it could be. James 5:16b states, "The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."

Take a stand for God and country.

STAY INSIDE MORAL FENCE. ......by IREMIDE AKINSOLA

I grew up in an environment where I had everything decided for me. I was told what to wear and how to wear it. I was told when to go out and when to stay in. Just so you know, I was kept indoors
most of the time. When my friends were free, I was restrained and restricted. I would watch them from my window as they moved out of the estate. Sincerely, I was tired of the good child image. I wanted freedom. I wanted to discover life beyond my father's fence.
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Just so you know, my Father was a highly respected man. He was a man of strong faith, but to me, he was a stumbling block. I hated being mocked by my peers. I hated the fact that I was kept indoors like a pet in a cage. So, one day, I decided to take a stand. I decided I was done with the acting and pretense. I was sick and tired of being the good girl. I was sick and tired of being called "SU". I would show them that I know my way around. The end had come to my "church girl" image; the chains that held me down for so long were gone.
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On my first night out, I met a guy who swept me off my feet. He was a Prince. He was so adorable and the best part was that he loved me too. After a couple of drinks, he took me to his place just to show me around and drop some things before he dropped me at home. I was waiting in the living room for him to drop his things when I suddenly felt a strong hand holding me roughly. I turned and saw my worst nightmare. It was Prince. He begged me to sleep
with him, but I begged him to leave me. I begged him to have mercy on me. However, it seemed that my pleas only served to kill the man in him, because only a beast could do what he did next.
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I was in tears as I held on to my torn garment. I had been raped. My pride was taken from me forcefully by a beast. As I wiped my tears, I saw a sight that confused me. I saw Prince on his knees. He was in tears. He said he loved me and that he never wanted to hurt me. He said he wanted to marry me. He said he wanted to have me all to himself. I looked at him with disgust and shook my head in regret. If only I had known, I would have lived within my Father's fence...but I didn't and now, I would have to carry the scar all my life.
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PS. This story is fictional. It is adapted from the story of Dinah in Genesis 34. It teaches us that "...sometimes one shot is enough for the devil to nail you". Please don't hesitate to share your observations. Thank you! :)

CREATIVITY IS THE FOUNDATION OF PRODUCTIVITY

10 Ways to Become a More Productive Pastor - Thom S. Rainer

The work of pastoral ministry is a joy, but it's also demanding. Every pastor is on call 24/7. Expectations of members are high and sometimes unreasonable.

Pastors are thus expected to "run the race" constantly. But how can a pastor keep the pace in this marathon of ministry without burning out? How can a pastor remain productive with such demands? Allow me to offer 10 tips to becoming a more productive pastor.

1. Be spiritually disciplined. Pastor, you cannot lead God's people spiritually if you are spiritually depleted. Find a time to pray and to read God's Word every day. Don't let it become an afterthought. Pick a time of day and stick with it. For some of you, it's first thing in the morning. For me, it's the quiet of late evening.

2. Pray for the day ahead. There is obvious overlap between the first two, but I want to remind pastors to pray about three specific things before you begin the day. First, pray for God's wisdom for all the conversations and situations you will be facing. Second, pray for His grace. You will hear from critics and high maintenance people. It's not always easy to be gracious to some. Third, pray for opportunities to show and share the love of Christ during the day. I am always amazed how He answers that prayer in my life.

3. Be physically disciplined. As you set aside a time of the day for spiritual discipline, also set aside a time of day for physical discipline. You may think you don't have time to do both. You can't afford to neglect either. I love the advantages of technology. My iPad, headphones, and treadmill are daily companions.

4. Make appointments for sermon preparation. How long does it take you to prepare a sermon? Take that time plus one hour and put it on your calendar each week. Don't try to do sermon preparation in the margins of your life; it's too important to minimize. You may not always get to keep those appointments, but you have a better chance if they are on your calendar.

5. Determine one to three priorities you will accomplish for the day. If possible, don't take on any other tasks until those items are completed.

6. Get sufficient sleep. Hard workers often like to brag about how much they work and how little sleep they get. If their lack of sleep is a reality, they are becoming less productive and more unhealthy. Sleep is not a luxury; it is a gift of rest and recovery given directly from God.

7. Make appointments on your calendar for strategic vision.Perhaps once a month, set aside a day to get away by yourself, pray, seek God's face and dream about the future of the church. Take notes that day, either electronically or on paper.

8. Laugh and have fun. Sometimes I have a bad attitude about my work and ministry and say I have to do something. My attitude should be that, by the grace of God, I get to do His work. We who are in vocational ministry often need to lighten up and laugh more. Not all ministry could be described as "fun," but much of it is if we have the right attitude.

9. Have a right attitude. Speaking of attitudes, productive pastors rejoice more. They learn greater gratitude. They see setbacks as temporary and opportunities as never ending. They see themselves as co-laborers with God Himself.

10. Work hard; rest intentionally.There are a few pastors who need to improve their work ethics. Are you truly laboring for God? But there are more pastors who need to rest and relax more. You are not omnipresent, omniscient or omnipotent.

Thanks for letting me share these 10 tips with you. What would you add to my list?

Thom S. Rainer is the president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources. Previously, he served the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary for 12 years, where he was a founding dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions and Evangelism.

For the original article, visitthomrainer.com.

A PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (CAN), ONDO STATE CHAPTER BY THE CHAIRMAN, REVD JOHN AYO OLADAPO ON THURSDAY, 2ND JUNE 2016.

INTRODUCTION
The CAN Executive members here present, All Heads of Blocs in CAN, My beloved Bishops, Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Gentlemen of the press, ladies and gentlemen.
We are here today to address some salient issues as they affect our Nation.
THE STATE OF THE NIGERIA NATION
In the build up to the 2015 elections, majority of Nigerians expressed great hope that there would be POSITIVE CHANGE in the nation. However, one year down the way, after the new government was sworn into office, credible apprehension is now being experienced given the policy direction of the new administration. We hope that the build-up to these policies do not result in full blown Sharia which President Muhammadu Buhari is alleged to have promised Muslims in Nigeria.

A number of worrisome issues readily come to mind:
Inclusion of Nigeria in the Saudi Arabia Military Coalition of "Muslim/Arab" nations would appear that the Foreign Policy thrust of the present administration is to make Nigeria a satellite state of Saudi Arabia. The strengthening of the nation's democracy and security for all should remain the greatest priority of Government. This we see to have been negated by the President's fiat/unilateral decision to enlist Nigeria in the 34 nations Muslim/Arab coalition. Given the emotive and sensitive nature of this unilateral Executive decision, it should have been handled by Mr. President in line with our democratic culture through popular discussion and participation by the citizenry, or at the very least, through the National Assembly.

The root of the problem of insecurity, distrust and mutual suspicion in Nigeria is the conflict between Liberal Democracy and Sharia ideology. Nigeria was established as a nation upon the principles and practice of Liberal Democracy. Indeed under the laws of Nigeria, every citizen has the right to practice and profess the religion of his/her choice without any hindrance.

Bearing in mind the huge ethnic, cultural, religious, and racial diversities in Nigeria, it was deemed necessary that an all accommodating ideology would be required to ensure justice, equality, and fairness for all the divergent groups in the nation. Unfortunately this appears not to be the case, as it appears that some forces have been working surreptitiously over the years to supplant Liberal Democracy with Sharia as the "source of legislation" in Nigeria, over and above the Constitution.
The consideration of establishing "free visa" arrangement with Islamic D8 nations. These countries are: Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, Turkey, and   of course, Nigeria.
The apparent Islamization of key security positions in the country.
The apparent disdain and contempt with which Mr. President holds Christians in Nigeria as demonstrated by his interview on Al–Jazeera on the objection of Christians to Nigeria's involvement in the Saudi led Military Coalition to fight ISIS is to say the least undemocratic and certainly insensitive.

The issuance of national license to Jaiz Bank to operate Islamic Interest-free banking in all the 36 states of the federation. The sultan of Sokoto who is the head of all Muslims in Nigeria has warned that whatever Jaiz does must conform to the rules and regulations of Islam. Jaiz has also set up Takaful Islamic Insurance.
Mr. President needs to be reminded that he was brought to power through the votes of Nigerians, Christians inclusive. The over 50% non-Muslims in Nigeria did not vote for the nation to transmute into a Sharia compliant nation. Fortunately, Mr. President was confronted with these concerns and he assured Nigerians that he was now "a converted democrat" but we are disturbed by the direction of his administration.
KADUNA STATE RELIGIOUS BILL
We wish to join our voices to express our disdain at the proposed Kaduna State Religious Bill. The proposed Bill contravenes Section 38 (1) of the 1999 Constitution and the secularity principle of Nigeria. The Governor of Kaduna State must be reminded that religion is personal and no one has the right to legislate on how individuals worship. We call on the Kaduna State Governor to retrace his steps from this ill-advised venture. The proposed legislation in Kaduna is anti-Christian, it is only Christians who give out tracts and evangelise through cassettes and any attempt to stop this is virtually telling Christians to stop evangelising. Evangelism is the primary assignment given by Jesus to the Christians when He instructed the disciples to go and make disciples of all nations. The current Kaduna ill-advised State Religious Law is an affront on democracy and must be reversed.
In the past there have been Maitatsine riots, Taliban riots, terrorist activities of Boko Haram in the north east, activities of the Shiite sect in Kaduna State and more recently the now dreaded 'Fulani Herdsmen'. These are all Muslim groups. It will be most unfair to make laws that will curtail the spread of Christianity because of violent Muslim sects. The Christians have maintained the peace all these years in the face of unwarranted provocations, especially in the northern states.
We therefore consider this an affront and deliberate provocation which must be stopped forthwith. The Sharia Commissions in the northern states should be called to order. They must respect the constitution of the country which clearly states that Nigeria is a secular state.

ABDUCTION AND FORCEFUL MARRIAGE OF UNDERAGED CHRISTIAN GIRLS
We call on the law enforcement agents to see to the immediate release of other girls held without the consent of their parents. Enough of this child labour, paedophilic desires of some men who hide under religion to commit hideous crimes. The Police should wake up to their duties and perform without fear or favour. A situation where the Police behave as if certain people are above the law is unacceptable.
We are saddened by these serial cases of forceful abduction of underaged, forceful marriage, marriage without parental consent of the Christian girls and their forceful conversion to Islam. We condemn in totality this act of violation of the Human Rights of these girls and it is a degradation of our national values.
RAMPAGE OF FULANI HERDSMEN
We are dismayed by the inaction of the Federal Government to the carnage and destruction caused by the Fulani herdsmen against legitimate native land owners and farmers, across the country. It is most shocking that till today, there has been no prosecution of any of these marauders. For years, the Fulani herdsmen have been murdering innocent Nigerians with impunity. The murderous escapades of the Fulani herdsmen has gained international notoriety to the extent that the group is now considered, internationally, as the fourth most dangerous terror organization in the world. It is sad to note that Boko Haram, which is presently regarded as the world number one most dangerous terror organization and the Fulani herdsmen, considered the fourth are both operating in Nigeria. Meanwhile, the response of Government to the menace of the Fulani herdsmen has to date, been tepid and indifferent.
The activities of Fulani herdsmen who spread destruction and mayhem from north to east and north to west should be checked forthwith, so that farmers are protected. We are yet to hear of any Fulani herdsman who has been arraigned for murder, arson and destruction of property. We've only heard of peace talks. We challenge the federal government to stand tall on this.

Are the police supposed to call murderers and arsonists to peace talks or to arraign them for crimes committed? This double standard in the maintenance of law and order has emboldened the herdsmen that if destructive activities are not curtailed, we may be sitting on a keg of gun powder which could explode anytime in the near future.

GRAZING RESERVE
One reason adduced to justify the perennial attacks of the Fulani herdsmen is the argument that they seek grazing fields for their cattle and as a result engage in conflicts with farmers. It was therefore proposed that ancestral lands of other ethnic groups should be allocated to them as grazing fields.

However, the most sensible and economically wise approach would be to build ranches for the herdsmen in their states of origin. This makes more sense and it is the internationally approved best practice under the circumstances. Other nations of the world consume beef yet, nomads do not drive herds of cattle all over the nation in the 21st century.

The Grazing Reserve proposal is seen as a deceptive manner of appropriating the lands of indigenous ethnic groups for the Fulani herdsmen to spread their tentacles of terror all over the nation. The proposal should be dropped and the state governments of the herdsmen should build ranches for them in their states of origin.

NO TO THE NEW 9-YEAR BASIC EDUCATION CURRICULUM ON RELIGIOUS STUDIES.

Following the decision of the Federal government to introduce the Universal 9-year Basic Education Programme, the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council(NERDC) restructured and realigned all extant Primary and Junior Secondary Schools(JSS) Curricula into a 9 year Basic education curriculum which commenced in 2008. This curriculum was recently revised by the Federal Ministry of Education through the NERDC. Part of the revised curriculum is the omnibus subject called Religion and National values.
Religion and National Values are said to be the merging of formally independent subjects such as Christian Religious Studies, Islamic Studies, Civic Education, Social studies and Security Education into one compulsory subject.
Given the fact that it is the duty of Government to provide functional education to her citizenry which is in line with the United Nations Declaration on human and people's rights, the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and even the Child Right Act of 2003; curriculum review is a welcome development. A review should eliminate subject matter overlaps, redundancies and enrich curriculum quality through the infusion of emerging issues. However, this duty, as exercised in this respect is faulty. A holistic view of the rights – both as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Child Rights Act point to the fact that the parents or legal guardian should be taken into consideration in any matter that affects the interest of the child.

Unfortunately, the current educational curriculum did not take all these into consideration. In fact, parents as stakeholders were not consulted before the formulation and implementation. For instance, the Right of the child not to be exposed to a contrary religion outside those of his parents / Guardian is not taken into consideration by this curriculum. This has been made possible because the NERDC-approved textbooks for this subject contain materials on both Christian religious studies and Islamic studies. This is of immense importance as the majority of children that attend the basic schools are minors(less than 18 years of age).

According to section 38(2) of the 1999 constitution as amended, no person attending any place of education shall be required to receive religious instruction or take part in any religious observance that is contrary to his religion or religion of his / her parents or guardian. Also, subsection (1) of the same section 38 makes it explicit that freedom of worship is sacrosanct. Some of the alleged offensive/controversial parts of the curriculum include;

1. The supremacy of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) over all other prophets or religious icons

2. That the glorious Quran is the final authority of Allah

3. Children could disobey their parents if they refuse them to follow Allah (can you imagine that this curriculum was written for minors (primary one pupil to JSS 3)

4. Prophet Isa (pbuh) that Christians know as Jesus Christ did not die nor was crucified

5. All the children including those of other faith apart from Islam are to learn, memorize and recite the Quran/Arabic language.
Should the above be true, it is our position that;

1.Christian Religious Studies and Islamic Religious Studies should be allowed to stand separately and be studied as independent subjects with separate textbooks just like the Nigerian languages (Hausa, Ibo and Yoruba} in line with the previous curriculum.

2. Relevant authorities responsible for mid-wifying this new curriculum should as a matter of urgency reverse the curriculum and revert to status quo ante.

3. Attempts to make this omnibus subject compulsory, for the Basic Education Certificate Examinations should be discontinued.

4. There should be a public hearing on this to galvanize the opinion of parents on a matter as sensitive as this.

5. Federal Government should device means of confronting directly those who propagate violence and religious intolerance rather than combining two different religious subjects

6. Furthermore, the disadvantage of this omnibus integration outweighs whatever could be the advantage. When five subjects are merged into one, it is obvious that detailed work cannot be achieved both in writing of the textbook and the teaching. The child would be made to struggle to learn and comprehend five-in-one subject, which is not going to be easy. The result would be penny wise, pound foolish as excellence would be sacrificed at the altar of social integration.

7. Arabic language that has been introduced is not relevant to the general public, it should only be in Arabic schools

8. Morning devotion / Assembly should not be stopped in our schools. In this state and others where devotions have been stopped, it should as a matter of urgency be restored without delay.

CONCLUSION
Nigeria belongs to all of us. We all have equal stakes as bona fide citizens of Nigeria. This is part of our own contribution to the Nation, we shall continue to tread the path of peace and be open for dialogue because dialogue is a pathway to truth and progress.
God bless Nigeria, God bless you all

FOUR DEADLY LIES PASTORS TELL

4 Deadly LIES Pastors Tell

By Joe McKeever
Falsehood belongs to the attackers of the faith, not its citizens nor its defenders.

"Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices" (Colossians 3:9).

"Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord" (Proverbs 12:22).

Lying is almost unforgivable in a pastor.

1. Do not lie to us about your resume.
If you say you went to school there or pastored that church, we want to believe you. If you earned a degree, say what it was. If the degree was honorary, but not earned, say that also.

What you must not do is give the impression you attended a school which you did not or served a church which you did not serve or possess a degree you don't.

Why would anyone lie about their resume? Obviously, to enhance their prospects for a job.

But any position acquired as a result of a falsehood is worthless in the long run.

Regularly, we hear of high-profile executives, educators and coaches being caught for padding their resumes, for claiming degrees they did not have, for professing honors they did not earn. Perhaps the most shameful is the man who claims to have been a war hero, who wears the uniform and sports the medals, but who, it turns out, is a consummate liar.

Tell us the truth, pastor.

2. Do not lie to us about your testimony.
I heard a certain pastor's testimony on more than one occasion. It was so moving that when he went to Heaven, I paid tribute to him on these pages by telling his story.

Sometime later, his brother found the eulogy by googling his name, and called me. "You know there's not a word of truth to it, don't you?"

He said, "Oh, I know you wrote what he told you. But it's all made up. None of that stuff happened."

He went on to tell me the "true facts," if you will, of his brother's testimony.

There are no words to describe my disappointment.

Why would a person lie about his testimony? That question has nagged at me ever since.

The only answer that makes sense is to enhance his impact in the congregation, to make himself seem to be more than he is. And how sad is that.

3. Do not lie to us about your ministry.
To our everlasting shame, the term "ministerial exaggeration" has entered the language. If anyone should tell the unvarnished truth, it should be those disciples of Jesus Christ entrusted with the truth of God in the gospel of salvation.

A half-century ago, a well-known preacher began assembling a list of the largest churches in America. Each year, those churches and others which "might" be in the running received a phone call asking for their latest numbers. I actually took that call a couple of times myself.

The compilers of those statistics learned all too quickly that preachers can be adept at creative counting.

On Easter Sunday, perhaps they brought in a Hollywood celebrity and had 2,000 in attendance, in contrast to their usual 300. But, check the preacher's resume and all too often it will say, "When Reverend Hotshot came to Hillshot Church, they were running 250 in attendance and are now running 2,000."

Some pastors have been known to fudge on numbers when nothing is at stake, when telling the simple truth would have done just as well.

I once organized a conference and invited in a professional to speak. We charged admission, so the actual number attending was not in doubt, something like 250 or so. But the guest speaker promptly put in his newsletter that we had packed in a thousand people for his seminar.

I wondered if he did not know that some of us read his newsletter and would catch that. The only conclusion that made sense is he did not care.

Do not lie to the church about where you went, how you spent your time, whom you saw, what was said and the plans that were made.

All you have is your integrity, pastor. Lose that and you're gone.

4. Don't lie to us about finances.
If you turn in your mileage for reimbursement, make it accurate. When turning in expense receipts, make sure they are what they claim to be. And if some of the items are questionable, err on the side of conservatism.

Ten years from now, you will have none of the money the church paid you for expenses. But if you can look back with a clear conscience and know you did right, that confidence is worth more than gold.

I once knew a pastor who served on a denominational board which required him to fly to a distant city several times a year, with the board covering all his expenses. When the church leadership discovered that he had also been turning in those same expenses for the church to reimburse him, they quietly sent him on his way.

They could abide the occasional boring sermon or uninspired leadership, but dishonesty in finances crossed the line.

He who is unfaithful about money can be counted on to transgress in other, bigger ways also (see Luke 16:10-12).

Give us pastors whose integrity is blameless.

Let us take seriously Christ's honor, the people's respect and our personal integrity to the point that we always do the honorable thing.

May we who are called to shepherd the Lord's people so live that if someone is looking for dirt to use against us, they will have to hire people to lie about us.

"Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. But some men … rose up and argued with Stephen. And yet, they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. Then they secretly induced men to say, 'We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.' And they stirred up the people. …  And they put forward false witnesses" (Acts 6:8-15).

Falsehood belongs to the attackers of the faith, not its citizens nor its defenders.
Let's get this right, preachers. Everything depends on it. Everything!