Chocolate City Artist Brymo, Turn Around. A popular myth has it that
the destiny of a child is determined at birth and will one day come to
pass, no matter how long it takes. If this is a truism, then Chocolate
City artiste, Brymo, was destined for limelight.
Out of the blue, his break-out single, Ara,
tore the charts within a week of its release, earning the 26-year-old
singer some 10 nominations and awards. These include Headies’ Recording
of the Year Award and 2012 Channel O’s Most Gifted Afro Pop Video of the
Year.
According to the singer whose real name is Ashimi Olawale, his album titled TheSonofaKapenta,released
this week, chronicles the journey of his life. As the only son of a
carpenter father and petty trader mother, the artiste had a humble
upbringing.
‘’I was born and raised in Okokomaiko and have been
there since the late 80s. I grew up in a mixture of backgrounds. I
cannot tell you that I came from the ghetto. I had friends who lived
opposite my house who I did not see more than thrice a year because they
were in boarding schools and friends who I always saw brandishing the
latest phones. I was living opposite them in a face-me-I-face-you.
House,’’ he says.
Notwithstanding his upbringing and exposure
while growing up, Brymo is considerably at home with the English
Language. The boyish-looking singer says although his parents were not
learned, they placed a premium on his education.
Friday, 23 November 2012
Thursday, 9 August 2012
Nollywood actor, Zack Orji
Nollywood actor, Zack Orji, reveals what he has been doing off the stage, in this interview with GBENGA ADENIJI
Consistency is one of the features of the acting industry. In fact, the majority of its players know that being regular faces, coupled with a good talent, can considerably earn them roles while also winning them a fair share of movie lovers.
But for Zack Orji, who has been in the trade for some time, the fact is that he has not been regular on the screen because he is currently concentrating on a much practical aspect of movie-making.
Orji says, “I am not retiring from acting. It is true that I have not been active on screen because I have been involved in a project which involves teaching people different aspects of acting; costuming, lightning designing, cinematography and so on.’’
He explains that he has been doing a kind of itinerant training in the areas in collaboration with another production outfit for various zones in the Niger-Delta.
Orji, who states that they act as consultants to the Niger Delta Ministry, adds that the training will also take place soon in South Africa and Canada.
The actor further says he has just starred in three films that have yet to be released. But when prodded into giving the titles of the films, Orji says, ‘‘ I cannot mention them all now but I can tell you that Half of A Yellow Sun is one of them.’’
Consistency is one of the features of the acting industry. In fact, the majority of its players know that being regular faces, coupled with a good talent, can considerably earn them roles while also winning them a fair share of movie lovers.
But for Zack Orji, who has been in the trade for some time, the fact is that he has not been regular on the screen because he is currently concentrating on a much practical aspect of movie-making.
Orji says, “I am not retiring from acting. It is true that I have not been active on screen because I have been involved in a project which involves teaching people different aspects of acting; costuming, lightning designing, cinematography and so on.’’
He explains that he has been doing a kind of itinerant training in the areas in collaboration with another production outfit for various zones in the Niger-Delta.
Orji, who states that they act as consultants to the Niger Delta Ministry, adds that the training will also take place soon in South Africa and Canada.
The actor further says he has just starred in three films that have yet to be released. But when prodded into giving the titles of the films, Orji says, ‘‘ I cannot mention them all now but I can tell you that Half of A Yellow Sun is one of them.’’
Friday, 13 July 2012
NIGERIA RECRUITMENT @ WHAT TO DO NEXT LIMITED
A leading industrial cleaning/janitorial service companies in Nigeria seeks:
ASSISTANT OPERATIONS MANAGER
REQUIREMENTS FOR THIS NIGERIA RECRUITMENT:
-BSC/HND with at least 5 years experience
-Experience in a related environment is a plus
-Must be self starter and should be above 40 years
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OFFICERS
REQUIREMENTS FOR THIS NIGERIA RECRUITMENT:
-BSC/HND with at least 2 years experience
-Experience in a related environment is a plus
-Must be self starter and should be above 30 years
METHOD OF APPLICATION FOR THIS NIGERIA RECRUITMENT:
Send application with detailed CV and copies of credentials within 1 week to: whattodonextlimited@yahoo.com
Or
The Consultant
P O Box 53975, Falomo, Ikoyi, Lagos
DEADLINE: 16th July 2012.
NIGERIA RECRUITMENT @ WHAT TO DO NEXT LIMITED
Psquare Lost Their mom Mrs Josephine Okoye
DEVELOPING STORY: The Okoyes, one of Africa’s most prominent pop music families, have lost their mainframe with the passing yesterday, of their mother Mrs Josephine Okoye.Mrs Okoye
No word yet from Peter, Paul, Tony, Jude and the rest of the Okoye siblings. But those close to them have confirmed to NET, that the deceased passed after being ill for sometime.
Fond of attending her son’s events as often as she can, her last public appearance was at the Psquare Invasion concert in August 2011.
An unrepentant supporter of her kids, the late Mrs Okoye, although a Christian minister, encouraged pop duo Peter and Paul with their music careers, giving her full backing long before it became profitable; even at the risk of upsetting her husband who would have none of it.
We could not immediately confirm the cause of death, and we’re working to get details from the family.
Monday, 2 July 2012
SPEECH ACTS
SPEECH ACTS
...speaking a language is performing speech acts, acts such as making statements, giving commands, asking questions, making promises, and so on. - John Searle Suppose that during dinner one evening you get up, walk across the room, turn on the spigot, and pour yourself a glass of water - clearly, you performed an action. Now, suppose that you are having dinner and you ask a dinner partner to get you a glass of water. This also is an action ... the act of asking. Speech, then, is not something that just happens by coincidence. Rather, to speak is to act.This way of thinking about speech is important because it provides insight into the utility of human communication - namely, that humans use communication as a tool to further their own ends.
One of the original scholars in this area, Searle, identifies four basic categories of speech acts as: utterances, propositional utterances, illocutionary utterances and perlocutionary utterances. These are not separate and independent of one another. Rather, they are similar to building blocks -- humans make utterances, some of which are propositional, some of which are illocutionary, and some of which are perlocutionary. The following sections present each type of speech act in turn.
Utterance
An utterance is a spoken word or string of spoken words. At the simplest level, to utter is simply to say a word with no particular forethought or intention to communicate a meaning.For example, if you put your hand on the hood of a car that has been sitting out in the hot sun, you might quickly pull it back while uttering the word, "Oh!"
In this case, you don't intend to communicate meaning by this - it is simply a reflex action brought on by surprise. (Someone who hears you might take it mean something, but you did not plan on it.)
Examples of "pure" utterances include such as sing-song rhymes while jumping rope or making choices (as, for example, "one potato, two potato, three potato, four..."), singing "scales" for practice, and other similar meaningless expressions.
Propositional Utterance
A more meaningful type of utterance makes reference to or describes a real or imaginary object. In the act of making a propositional utterance the speaker gains the opportunity to interact. If speaker and listener are using the same code (that is, if they speak the same language), and if both recognize the object to which the speaker is referring, then it becomes possible for them to share meanings. Propositional utterances need not be sentences, and they do not have to intend anything. Any phrase that identifies or specifies something is a propositional utterance. It is important to see that utterances and propositions are not separate categories -- a propositional utterance is a particular kind of utterance.Illocutionary Utterances
An illocutionary utterance is spoken with the intention of making contact with a listener. Illocutionary utterances are usually sentences that contain propositional utterances, that is, they refer to things in the world -- but it is their intentional nature that is of the most importance. Once it becomes clear that the speaker's intention is important to the meaning of an utterance, it can be seen that the same set of words might have different meanings depending on the speaker's intention. This leads scholars to further categorize illocutionary utterances in terms of how they communicate such intent.For example, consider the sentence: "I'm tired." Depending on the intention of the speaker, this utterance could mean any of the following:
I'm tired.
CONTEXT | INTENTION | MEANING | TYPE OF ACT |
A friend has just asked how I feel | To answer the question | I feel fatigued | Statement |
Someone I'm trying to avoid has asked me if I'd like to go dancing tonight | To politely avoid her | I'd rather not | Statement |
My husband and I are watching a football game on television | That we do something else | Could we turn this off? | Question or Request |
It's late and my small children are asking if we can go to the movies | To put them to bed | No, go to bed | Command |
Perlocutionary Utterances
Illocutionary speech acts may be intended to provide information, solicit answers to questions, give praise, and so on, but they don't necessarily require that the listener change his or her behavior. Perlocutionary utterances, on the other hand, do attempt to effect a change. As with the others, perlocutionary speech acts are utterances; they include propositions, and they intend interaction with the receiver. Thus, Searle's model consists of a series of levels, each of which forms as the foundation for the levels that rest upon it. 4031The Speech Act Model
Quiz on Speech Act Types
- INTRODUCTION
Face-to-face communication happens on many channels and uses many different codes and languages. This "interpersonal" kind of communication can lead to the formation, maintenance and dissolution of a multitude of human relationships. - SPEECH ACTS
Speech was once thought of as "just talk." However, once scholars recognized that talking is a form of doing, they begin to see the important role that interpersonal communication plays in everyone's everyday lives. - RELATIONSHIPS
A relationship between two people is based not only on their exchange of information but also their expectations as to how the communication process will proceed. - SELF-DISCLOSURE
If a relationship is to form and persist, then the participants must provide one another with information about themselves. - COORDINATED MANAGEMENT OF MEANING The most recent theories of relationships assert that relationships form as a result of the interaction among the individual communicators within the cultural context of the societies in which they live.
The Profile Of Pastor Chris Oyakhilome
Pastor Chris Oyakhilome (known popularly as "Pastor Chris") is a televangelist and founding president of Believers' LoveWorld Incorporated aka "Christ Embassy", a Christian organisation headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria.
History Pastor Chris was born in 1961 in to the family of T.E. Oyakhilome and was brought up in a strict Christian home, he got born again at the age of 9 and started his ministry fully as a young undergraduate at the then Bendel State University (now "Ambrose Alli University")[citation needed] where he studied Architecture.
He is married to Pastor Anita Oyakhilome, the Director of the Christ Embassy International Office who also pastors Christ Embassy Churches in the United Kingdom, including her own chapter, Christ Embassy Docklands, in North Woolwich, London. She is the Co- Director of Loveworld Christian Network.
Ministry and healing
Pastor Chris Oyakhilome is the author of several bestselling books including "Rhapsody of Realities" which he co-authors with his wife, Pastor Anita. His book "How to receive your miracle and retain it?" promotes Word of Faith theology.
Presiding over an ever-widening network of Christ Embassy Churches and campus fellowships on six continents, Pastor Chris also pastors one of the largest congregations in Africa. He holds teaching and healing crusades with crowds of over 3.5 million in a single night's event. Christ Embassy has an elite group of international professionals responsible for translating monthly English versions of the ministry's "Rhapsody of Realities" into over 80 languages.
In 2003, he pioneered the first 24-hour Christian Network from Africa to the rest of the world known as LoveWorld Christian Network. He is also the host of the television program "Atmosphere for Miracles", which is oriented towards healing of physical and spiritual ailments and is broadcast on major television networks around the world.
The wider ministry includes the Healing School, Inner City Mission, and an expanding on-line ministry.
Thursday, 10 May 2012
Thursday, 3 May 2012
SPIRITUAL GIFTS
SPIRITUAL GIFTS
The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do
not want you to be uninformed" (1 Corinthians 12:1). I assume that applies to us also: we
ought not to be uninformed about the nature and purpose of spiritual gifts. So this final
message in our series on the Holy Spirit will deal with this subject. Instead of spreading
myself too thin across 1 Corinthians 12,13 and 14 (the major section on spiritual gifts) I have
chosen to focus on several smaller texts so that we can examine their teaching more
closely.
If you were reading through the New Testament, the first place you would run into the term
"spiritual gift" is Romans 1:11,12. Let's look at this text together. Writing to the church at
Rome, Paul says, "I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to
strengthen you, that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both
yours and mine." The translation "impart to you some spiritual gift" is misleading because it
sounds like Paul wants to help them have a gift, but the text actually means that he wants to
give them the benefit of his gifts. "I long to see you that I may use my gifts to strengthen
you."
The first and most obvious thing we learn from this text is that spiritual gifts are for
strengthening others. This, of course, does not mean that the person who has a spiritual gift
gets no joy or benefit from it. (We will see differently in a moment.) But it does suggest that
gifts are given to be given. They are not given to be hoarded. "I desire to share with you some
spiritual gift to strengthen you." What does strengthen mean? He's not referring to bodily
strength but strength of faith. The same word is used in 1 Thessalonians 3:2 where Paul
says,
We sent Timothy, our brother and servant in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen you in
your faith and to exhort you that no one be moved by these afflictions.
To strengthen someone by a spiritual gift means to help their faith not give way as easily
when trouble enters their life. We have spiritual gifts in order to help other people keep the
faith and maintain an even keel in life's storms. If there is anybody around you whose faith is
being threatened in any way at all take stock whether you may have a spiritual gift peculiarly
suited to strengthen that person.
I think it would be fair to say also from this text that you shouldn't bend your mind too
much trying to label your spiritual gift before you use it. That is, don't worry about whether
you can point to prophecy or teaching or wisdom or knowledge or healing or miracles or
mercy or administration, etc., and say, "That's mine." The way to think is this: The reason we
have spiritual gifts is so that we can strengthen other people's faith; here is someone whose
faith is in jeopardy; how can I help him? Then do or say what seems most helpful and if the
person is helped then you may have discovered one of your gifts. If you warned him of the
folly of his way and he repented, then perhaps you have the gift of "warning." If you took a
walk with her and said you knew what she was going through and lifted her hope, then
perhaps you have the gift of "empathy.'' If you had them over to your home when they were
new and lonely, then perhaps you have the gift of "hospitality." We must not get hung up on
naming our gifts. The thing to get hung up on is, "Are we doing what we can do to strengthen
the faith of the people around us?
I really believe that the problem of not knowing our spiritual gifts is not a basic problem.
More basic is the problem of not desiring very much to strengthen other people's faith.
Human nature is more prone to tear down than it is to build up. The path of least resistance
leads to grumbling and criticism and gossip, and many there be that follow it. But the gate is
narrow and the way is strewn with obstacles which leads to edification and the strengthening
of faith. So the basic problem is becoming the kind of person who wakes up in the morning,
thanks God for our great salvation and then says, "Lord, O how I want to strengthen people's
faith today. Grant that at the end of this day somebody will be more confident of Your
promises and more joyful in Your grace because I crossed his path." The reason I say
becoming this kind of person is more basic than finding out your spiritual gift, is that when
you become this kind of person the Holy Spirit will not let your longings go to waste. He will
help you find ways to strengthen the faith of others and that will be the discovery of your gifts.
So let's apply ourselves to becoming the kind of people more and more who long to
strengthen each other's faith.
Now, in Romans 1:12 Paul restates verse 11 in different words: I want to strengthen you
with my spiritual gift, "that is, I want us to be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both
yours and mine." Paul does two things here. First, he uses the old "It's my pleasure" tactic.
You remember my sermon on Christian Hedonism and humility? I argued that when we say,
"It's my pleasure," after doing someone a favor, it is an expression of humility. It is like
saying, "Don't get too excited about my self-sacrifice; I'm just doing what I like to do." When
Paul rereads Romans 1:11 he probably says, "Hmmm, that may sound a bit presumptuous,
as if I'm the great martyr doing all for their sake, when in fact I look forward to a great
encouragement from them for myself." So as he restates verse 11 in verse 12 he adds that
he, too, and not just they, is going to be helped when they meet. That is the first thing he
does.
The second thing he does is show that the way he will strengthen their faith by his spiritual
gift (verse 11) is by encouraging them with his faith. In verse 11 he aims to strengthen them;
in verse 12 he aim to encourage them. In verse 11 he strengthens faith by his spiritual gift; in
verse 12 he encourages by his faith. The conclusion I draw from these parallels is this: a
spiritual gift is an expression of faith which aims to strengthen faith. It is activated from faith
in us and aims for faith in another. Another way to put it would be this: A spiritual gift is an
ability given by the Holy Spirit to express our faith effectively (in word or deed) for the
strengthening of someone else's faith.
It is helpful to me to think about spiritual gifts in this way because it keeps me from simply
equating them with natural abilities. Many unbelievers have great abilities in teaching and in
administration, for example. And these abilities are God-given whether the people recognize
this or not. But these would not be called "spiritual gifts" of teaching or administration
because they are not expressions of faith and they are not aiming to strengthen faith. Our
faith in the promises of God is the channel through which the Spirit flows on His way to
strengthening the faith of others (Galatians 3:5). Therefore, no matter what abilities we have, if
we are not relying on God and not aiming to help others rely on Him, then our ability is not a
"spiritual gift." It is not "spiritual" because the Holy Spirit is not flowing through it from faith to
faith.
This has tremendous implications for how we choose church staff and church officers and
board members. It means that we will never simply ask, "who has the skill to be efficient?"
We will always go beyond that and ask, "Do they use their skill in such a way that you can
tell it is an expression of their hearty reliance on the Lord? And do they exercise their skill
with a view to strengthening the faith and joy of others?" A church where the Holy Spirit is
alive and powerful will be a church very sensitive to the difference between natural abilities
and spiritual gifts.
Now let's go on to Romans 12:3-8, a unit dealing in a bit more detail with spiritual gifts,
though they are only called "gifts" here.
By the grace given to me I bid every one among you not to think of himself more highly
than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of
faith which God has assigned him... (v.3). Having gifts that differ according to the grace given
to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith, if service, in our serving; he who
teaches in his teaching; he who exhorts in his exhortation; he who contributes in liberality; he
who gives aid with zeal; he who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness (vv. 6-8).
I will only draw your attention to two things. First, I believe this text confirms the earlier
point that we shouldn't get too lathered up about whether we can label our gifts or not.
Spiritual gifts are not a limited and defined group of activities spelled out in the New
Testament. Rather, spiritual gifts are any ability the Spirit gives you to express your faith in
order to strengthen another person. Notice the last four mentioned in verse 8, "exhorting" (or
comforting, encouraging -- it's the same word used back in 1:12), "contributing" (or sharing),
"giving aid" (may mean "presiding" ) and "acts of mercy." The remarkable thing about these
(with the possible exception of "presiding") is that all believers are called to do these: exhort,
give, be merciful. So the "gift" must be that some are enabled by the Spirit to do it more
heartily and effectively and frequently than others. So any virtue at all in the believer's life
which he is enabled to do with zest and with benefit to others can be called his gift.
The second thing I want to point out from this text is that both the gifts we have and the
faith to exercise them are given to us by God in varying measure. The reason Paul teaches
this truth is to help us think soberly about ourselves and not too highly. The gifted are always
in danger of pride -- it was a terrible problem at Corinth (and perhaps at Rome, too). So Paul
uncovers a profound truth that is intended to blow away all pride -- all self-reliance or
boasting. He says in v. 6 that we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us. In
other words, any distinction that sets you off from others in ability is owing to grace -- i.e., it
is freely given and not earned or deserved. So you can't boast in it.
But someone might say, "O.K., I can't boast in what gift I have but I can boast in the zeal
with which I use it." That's like the person who says, "Well, I can't boast that I was born in
America, but I can boast that I used my freedom to be productive and get rich." Both of those
statements are wrong. Moses said to Israel in Deuteronomy 8:17,
Beware lest you say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand have gotten me
this wealth.' You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get
wealth.
(And He, incidentally, will hold us accountable for using it to help the disadvantaged rather
than padding our lives with luxury.) And in a similar way Paul says here in Romans 12:3,
Don't think of yourself more highly than you ought to think but think with sober judgment
each according to the measure of faith which God has assigned to him.
So not only the gift but the measure of faith we have to exercise the gift is a gift from God.
And God has revealed this to us not to lessen our hunger and yearning for great faith but to
humble us and cause us to look to him for everything. God has done all things "so that no
human being might boast in His presence.... Let him who boasts boast in the Lord" (1
Corinthians 1:29,31). Few things keep our pride quelled and our thinking about ourselves
sober and humble like the awareness that the Spirit of God is absolutely sovereign and gives
both the gifts and the faith to use them to whomever He pleases in whatever degree He
pleases for the upbuilding of His body. The church should be the humblest and happiest
fellowship on the earth.
And now, finally, turn to 1 Peter 4:10,11, one of my favorite texts. I want to make four brief
observations about spiritual gifts on the basis of these two verses. Let's read them.
As each has received a gift, employ it for one another (or serve it up to one another) as
good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who utters oracles of God;
whoever renders service, as one who renders it by the strength which God supplies; in order
that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ...
First, note that "each has received a gift." Gifts are not for a few but for all, and every
believer has abilities which the Holy Spirit has given and can use to strengthen others. And it
is the supreme joy of life to discover what they are and then pour yourself out to others
through these gifts. And you will find them if you really desire to be God's instrument in
bringing about faith and joy in other people. That, you recall, is the fundamental problem.
Second, the picture we have in verse 10 is of a house with variously talented stewards who
are given the owner's funds to administer. The house is the church, the stewards are all of
you, the various talents are all our varied gifts, the funds are God's grace and the
administration is the exercise of our gifts. The most striking part of this comparison is the
analogy between the owner's funds and God's grace. Grace is the currency in the household
of God. We are called to be stewards of grace. We have a board of stewards in the
Minnesota Baptist Conference and they are given the responsibility to receive and disburse
thousands of dollars for the household called the Minnesota Baptist Conference. That's the
way we should think of our responsibility in the church - all of us. We are recipients of grace
and it is our duty to disburse this grace for others. The vehicle by which we make these
disbursements is our spiritual gift. So now we have another definition of spiritual gifts: they
are abilities by which we receive the grace of God and disburse that grace to others.
This fits beautifully with our earlier definition of spiritual gifts as the abilities given by the
Spirit which express our faith and aim to strengthen the faith of others. They fit together
because faith is what the house owner wants in all his stewards and grace is the only
currency that can purchase faith. Or, to change the image, faith feeds on grace and is
strengthened by grace. God gives us his grace in Christ and all the promises that are Yes in
him, and our response is faith; then we, in the exercise of our spiritual gifts disburse that
grace to others and thus feed their faith. It is the free and precious grace that strengthens the
heart in faith (Hebrews 13:9). So, what should be happening at Bethlehem Baptist Church is
that all God's stewards -- all of you -- should be waking up to more and more of God's grace
that you have in Christ, and finding more and more ways to creatively disburse that grace to
each other and to those outside by the use of your spiritual gifts. O, that the Spirit might
cause a wheeling and dealing in the currency of grace at Bethlehem Baptist Church!
The third observation from 1 Peter 4:11 is that grace can be disbursed through gifts which
are word-oriented or deed-oriented. "Whoever speaks (let him do it) as one who utters oracles
of God." If your gift involves speaking do not rely on your own insight, but look to God to give
His words through you. We impart grace to our listener only if we give them a word of God. It
may not be an exact word of Scripture, but a word prompted and guided by God so that
attention is directed to him, not us. Our aim is to strengthen faith and He is the infinitely
trustworthy hope-giver, not us.
Then it says, "Whoever renders service (let him do it) as one who renders it by the
strength which God supplies." So, if your gift involves practical deeds of service do not try to
do them in your own strength. For then your gift will cease to be a "spiritual gift." It must
come from faith and reliance on grace in order to be a "spiritual gift." So then grace can be
disbursed to other people either by gifts of word or gifts of deed, if we speak with the words
and act with the strength that God supplies.
The final point from this text, and my final one this morning, is that the aim of all spiritual
gifts is "that in everything God might be glorified through Jesus Christ" (v. 11). This means
that God's aim in giving us gifts, and in giving us the faith to exercise them, is that his glory
might be displayed. He wants us and the world to marvel at him and think he is fantastic. The
stupendous reality of God is all encompassing. "For from Him and through Him and to Him
are all things" (Romans 11:36). And there is nothing more thrilling, more joyful, more
meaningful, more satisfying than to find our niche in the eternal unfolding of God's glory. Our
gift may look small but as a part of the revelation of God's infinite glory it takes on
stupendous proportions.
Location: Nigeria
Nssien St, Eket, Nigeria
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