Life Seeds International

Tomorrow shall come; the aftermath of the past

Yesterday was present in all that has breath today

It came with all it had; a box of gifts or a cache of grief

Some packages came suitably as soothing cushion or balm

Others were hurled as bricks; tearing down everything on its path.

 

When goodness took up residence, we felt shielded like warmth in wintery weather

We laughed at the tickle; the profound joy that it brought

Celebrated the successes; endeavours wearing the crown of victory

We cheered and clinked glasses to continuity; an endless stream of happiness

We danced to the beat of triumph, in hard and freestyle fashion.

 

When pain thrived, it wreaked hopes and goals

We bled of tears; saddened by the disappointment that rubbed in

Expectations were torn apart, lost in the tsunami of failure

Emptiness overwhelmed the atmosphere; a vacuum like utter silence reigned

In disbelieve we mourned our fate, the seeming end of a dream.

 

Yesterday is past and today is here; the triangle of life is pending until tomorrow is born

Waiting in the wings; the arrival of a new day, a fresh hope, another chance

Like yesterday and today, tomorrow shall bring forth another package

Either the chances to laugh, cheer and dance, or suck in the bricks of pain and tears

Beside God, tomorrow is unclear; hidden in the womb of the unknown

 

Do not contaminate tomorrow with the filth of yesterday

To pour new wine into old wineskins is a warm-over of the old order; “…the

skins will burst, the wine will spill and the wineskins will be ruined” (Matthew 9:17)  

Today is a time to wipe the slate of old; the period of new beginning

An opportunity to retry or start afresh; to take a better shot at your dream

It is a time to refrain, amend, correct; straighten the crooked path

 

Cash in on today; the negotiating chip between the past and future

Seek the ever-present help (Psalm 46:1); access your destination via a novel route

Jettison the ways of yesterday; ask for a new song, place your trust in God

Try a potent partner; He that offers you the strength to do ALL things (Philippians 4:13)

Clean up the slate; wipe off the dirt and start anew.

                                                                                Victor & Jolomi Awani (01-01-2011)

  Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Victor Awani

Still suckling, I swopped intermittently between crawling and walking

Stood on my little thin legs; quivering as I moved

A forlorn hope I thought, sustaining the quest for mobility;

until my tiny hands reached out in support to another’s tiny hand,

And together, leaning side by side we staggered along;

finding strength to go the distance.

 

Enrolled into what was called school; to give dad and mom a break

With crayon I scribbled everything, yet nothing made sense

Sharing my colours with Emmanuel – my classmate; call him playmate

I returned to school next day; my crayon somewhere under the sofa at home

Yet I made the day’s mess painting with crayon

Filling the gap was Emmanuel; because he shared his crayon with me.

 

Aged ten and spending quality time for God,

I travelled within the community with Reverend Father Donning – an Irish priest;

as an ‘altar boy’, serving at 5.30am celebration of the Eucharist mass.

The fear of God was ingrained; it found an early root in the recesses of the heart

Although the emerging stem was shaken and beaten by the turbulent wind of the world;

cut down severally by the double edged blade of vices, the root lived on as I sojourned.

Today’s tree is the consequence of an undying root

 

Simple as it seemed, the lifespan of a crayon diminish each time it is used

For a ten year old, Eucharistic mass at 5.30am meant the loss of sleep

To give or share is sacrificial; it entails parting with something – tangible or intangible

Giving without a premeditated reward, brings a related benefit down the road

Often unforeseen, it is the catalyst for finding help in your time of need

It presents as a seed waiting for harvest; an assurance policy that matures in due time

The giver receives because God remembers and responds.

                                                                                             Victor Sisan Awani (01-01-2011)

  Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Victor Awani

As outlaws and stiff-necked we travelled, leaving behind a trail of misdeeds

Head and mind clouded and bereft of knowledge; the greatest noise we made

Misconduct enjoyed a good presence, creating casualties everywhere

Wickedness and mischief brazen and bold, wrapped with ribbons were spread

Obstinacy and pride struggled for dominance; hardened hearts dug into trenches

And traffic was heightened down the wrong road.

 

Blindfolded by self we trudged along

Hauling with affliction our luggage of unrighteousness

Wobbled as we went with tired legs weakened without end

Leaning forward, saddled with burden felt but unseen

Mouth agape, everything was said yet no one heard us

Shoulders dropped with pain; and arms went up in surrender.

 

Wallowing in heat; a collective cry echoed for intervention

The Almighty angered by an unruly people, pondered in his mercy seat

Shifting ground to behold his creation with compassion; opting to ‘give’

He relinquished all he had; gave the ‘only one’ for the sake of humanity

Settled the ransom to enthrone eternity; a life that run through time

A peaceful continuity after earth’s turbulent sojourn.

 

Christ was born to pay the price; burden of an unrighteous humanity to bear

Flawless and without transgression, yet made blameworthy

Stood in the gap; despised, docked and persecuted for our sin

The wreath of thorns; the reddened marks from whips

Nails pierced through the tissue of love; the yoke of the cross

Wounded, bruised and chastised; atonement for our wrong.

 

Victory over sin and death; with his stripes came healing

Reconciled back to our maker; fresh and new again

Guilt as scarlet washed away; like snow the white is felt

The iron grip of iniquity broken; freedom return home

Hope was reborn; eternity is within eyesight

Salvation bought with a price we celebrate.

                                                                     Victor & Jolomi Awani (29-12-2010)  

  Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Victor Awani

CHRISTMAS  is neither a time nor season;

it’s about hope reborn.

A lifeline from God;

to help us regain our childlike innocence,

through fellowship with His son Jesus Christ.

As we celebrate this glorious intervention,

we wish you peace and joy in the spirit of –

‘CHRIST’ and his ‘MAS’ (mission for atonement and salvation).  

 

 

From all of us at Life Seeds,

                   Victor & Jolomi Awani 

The world beseech for knowledge; not vain values enforced by parents on their

brood, or knowledge as handed down by professors, sledgehammer wielding

bankers, the blurred pens of journalists, and the dicey lips of politicians.

 

The world hanker after knowledge; not as strained through our ears by the

boom of guns, debauchery disguised by television, deception disseminated

by enchanters and sorcerers, or knowledge as foretold by the positioning of

the moon and stars.

 

The world yearn for knowledge; not the conflicting theories on climate

change shared by scientists, the erratic and flawed outcomes from scans

and crystal balls, greed decorated by profit mongers, or solution

defying data from straw-grasping economic scholars and bailout apologists.

 

The world desire knowledge; not the semblance of unity in the disunited

comity of nations, or knowledge conceived, shredded and stitched together

by policymakers, or as read and misread by toupee wearers and their

forerbears – the courts.

 

The world sulk for knowledge; all-inclusive and greater kind of knowledge,

the absence of which portent turmoil. Knowledge supreme to the judgment

and limitation of man, rooted in unfailing love, truth, shared and

common existence.

 

The world need knowledge; that transcend the pettiness of pigment,

tribe and tongue, that which will have you do to your neighbour as you

would want him do to you. The knowledge that bond and unify people, devoid

of selfishness, hate, bitterness, strive, the wanton threat of harm, and

undeserved death itself.

 

The world is in want of God; the knowledge that can save, deliver and

reconcile. Heavenly knowledge that guarantee eternal life; not as defined by

man, but by Him who is over and above all His creation. The awareness of

peace in the midst of storm, sufficiency albeit the dinner table lay

bare, assured victory that flows from the stream of faith.  A knowledge

that commence with the functional fear of God; that which facilitate an experience

of the Father through His Son – Jesus Christ.

                                                                – Victor & Jolomi Awani (16-11-2010)

  Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 Victor Awani

You are a miracle; yes a miracle on hold. Acknowledge yourself and appreciate how blessed you

 are; speak and live your true value. Hurting as the world may seem, you are the hope of

someone. Bleak as it all appears, you hold the key to unchain another’s destiny. Look ahead

 of you; wandering down the road is someone waiting to be blessed, to be blessed by you.

  

A candle dimmed by the dark cloud of life; yet light to the tunnel of the neighbour next door.

 Look over your shoulder, take a demanding and realistic look, x-ray the four ends of the

 earth and give a dispassionate glance at the mirror; staring at you is a revelation waiting to be

discovered. Look the other way, lurking around not too distant is someone waiting to be

blessed; to be blessed by you.

 

  Loneliness reign and hover above, and emptiness like a rolling stone thunders down, a loved

 one gone forever; blown afar by the irreplaceable loss that is the end. Anguish and misery

 pervades the air; the atmosphere overwhelmed with helplessness, yet hopeful in a continent

 not long away is a thirsty mouth yearning to drink from your well of fresh water. Take a

 close look, standing assuredly is someone waiting to be blessed; to be blessed by you.

 

  A cherished union gone sour; the Judge’s gavel slam on the desk of divorce, and the pang of

 separation slice through the heart. Endless beads of salty water pour from the fountain of

 sight; the hurt no one can fathom. Turn the other way for in the vicinity is someone that

 holds you as favoured, saved from a vow that should never had been; someone waiting to be

 blessed, to be blessed by you.

 

  Distinct and wonderfully made, potentials untapped scramble for space within. Embrace

 the fullness of yourself; celebrate the gift that you carry. Challenges thrive daily and the

 rocks from the sling fly across the board; from the exalted throne at Vatican to Bill of the

 Gates clan, living spreads a fair share of bruises. Trip to the sick room or walk the breezy

 terrain of a cemetery; a leveller is none other than life. Look behind you, hopeful is someone

 waiting to be blessed; to be blessed by you.

 

 You are a miracle; yes a miracle on hold. Endowed with loads of blessings priceless and

 beneficial to many; prospects either unknown or underutilised lay ravaged in a field

 unexplored. Spread your gift, the little in your hand share. Successes or travails, touch and

 change a life with your story. Your morsel is a chunk to another; a penny from your

 pound is a lifeline to a human being somewhere. Unlock your blessings; be a vessel of joy to

 the heavy laden and poor. Like an orphan supporting a Orphanage, emphasise your God

 given value and overcome the limitation of challenges. Liberate yourself from yourself;

 refuse to be made worthless by your thoughts and fears. Look everywhere, there’s someone

 waiting to be blessed; to be blessed by you.

                                                        -  Victor & Jolomi Awani (16-11-2010)

  Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 Victor Awani

From the human and narrow perspective, the challenges faced in your

daily walk with Christ could be off-putting to say the least. But believe it or

not, it’s all part of the divine pathway to the realization of God’s purpose for

you. Whilst your focus is heaven, your workplace is here on earth; laden

with wickedness, unimaginable treachery and imperfections.

 

As people of God, there are realities or challenges relevant to the

‘workplace’, the ‘harvest-place’ if you like, that God allows so we can

experience ‘the world’  firsthand; and not through the pages of books or the

deceitful and misleading misrepresentations associated with man. As is

commonplace with all mortal beings, you are also susceptible to mistakes or

wrong judgments; whether innocent or otherwise, that you must learn from.

 

As the Lord order your steps, He may lead you in a circle but He will not

lead you off beam. The Bible is replete with men of God who faced untold

challenges in the course of discharging their assignment. Great favour

attracts great challenges; but the ultimate victory is not in starting or

running the race, but in breasting the tape at the finish line. To the

foolishness of the wicked, these challenges are divinely allowed for a blessed

and triumphant outcome. Embarking on the ‘great commission’ is not a

bread and butter endeavour; and the Lord will always tutelage and prepare

His people for the onerous task ahead.

 

It is instructive that Hosea at the prompting of God took for wife, Gomer – a

woman of easy virtue. Arguably, he may not have elected to walk that path

by his own leading. The travails of David even in the hands of King Saul to

whom he was subservient speak volume. But it was a painful but necessary

pill preparatory to becoming a great king and one dear to the heart of God.

Let us not be unmindful of the persecution of the Church and early

Christians as the Bible accounts in Acts 8. It was an agonizing means to a

glorious end. The resultant rapid spread of the word of God was its direct

consequence; a fallout that depicted a glorious dawn after a bitter spell of

darkness.    

 

Assignments are determined by God and discovered by us. Our prayer is

that the good Lord should lead His people through this faint path of

discovery. We are confident that the challenges you presently contend with

are not walls but doors to your next season. However, whether as shepherd

or flock be mindful that there are locations and people that you are

completely unnecessary to. Whilst in the waterway, refrain from swimming

upstream; stay in the flow of God. The battle is the Lord’s and victory is as

certain as day and night.

                                                        - Victor & Jolomi Awani (30/09/2010)

  Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 Victor Awani

A folded hand; hands closed and tucked away

Bereft of empathy, devoid of moral concern

Contempt for the needy, a scorn at their toil and groan

Conceals life, a dreadful denial of bread and sustenance.

 

Help deprived, expectation blown into oblivion

Ocean buried beneath ground; not one drop to wet the lip

Happiness withheld; indifference to the pangs of hunger

Scorched bowels squeal for attention; the absence of a meal.

 

Outstretch your hand; break the yoke, restore a life 

Release the lock; salvage a neighbour drowning in the sea of lack

Key into a pain and wipe the tear; give a portion and munch the rest

By His grace you received, freely give just as you were given.

 

Outstretch your hand; unfold it, lighten a burden 

Hold back nothing; give a hand with gladness

Be a conduit for survival; waste no chance at conferring hope

A giver receives more (Acts 20:35); a gift opens the way

Bless the poor, you will lack nothing; the reward spans eternity

Outstretch your hand; give life a sense.

                                        –  In His Grip,

                                           Victor Sisan Awani (29/09/2010)

  Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 Victor Awani

You were made in the image and likeness of God, ordained to reign in the earth as king-priest (Rev. 5:10),

yet it is possible to miss yourself; walking as though sightless, at variance with who you are.

 

You miss yourself: when you walk away from your kingship,

oblivious of what you are; lost on who you were made to be.

 

Living at cross purpose with His intent; in contradiction with divine will,

heading north to a slum, when a palace lay waste down south;

 

Flying the banner of the world, 

a proud holder of season ticket; running commentary on the round leather over a chilled pint,

the ‘Word of Life’ consigned to desolation in a bookshelf.

 

Ferociously tight – lipped with mind foreclosed to the ‘Living Truth’,

paying allegiance to no one but self; defining your relevance by vain titles and status garnered,

life’s success miserably measured by rectangular papers stacked in vaults and printed statements.

 

Self takes centre stage, and your sense of ‘a neighbour’ narrowed to family relatives,

when your vision captures only your shadow.

 

You miss yourself, when your values and practices are at odds with the will and purpose of God for you,

when like an undiscerning sheep you stray from the shepherd; threading the opposite path.

 

                                                                                                                      – Victor Sisan Awani (07/09/2010)

 

 

  Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 Victor Awani

The harvest is a product of the seed; an outcome of what was sowed.

An adult is the offshoot of the child; a reflection of what was instilled

He can only give what he has; therefore:

Bring up a child with mockery; and you find an adult who is timid

Bring up a child with deprivation; and you find an adult who is insecure

Bring up a child with abuse; and you find an adult who is bitter and hate

Bring up a child with vilification; and you find an adult who despise

Bring up a child with reproach; and you find an adult who feel guilty

Bring up a child with correction; and you find an adult exuding moral values

Bring up a child with physical force; and you find an adult who is aggressive

Bring up a child with care; and you find an adult who has a sense of self-worth

Bring up a child in disobedience; and you find an adult who is at odds with ethics

Bring up a child with encouragement; and you find an adult who is inspired

Bring up a child with thoughtfulness; and you find an adult who is considerate

Bring up a child with commendation; and you find an adult who is thankful

Bring up a child with moderation; and you find an adult who is humble

Bring up a child with fairness; and you find an adult who project justice

Bring up a child with commitment; and you find an adult who trust

Bring up a child with recognition; and you find an adult who has self-esteem

Bring up a child with affection; and you find an adult who love

Bring up a child with ‘giving’; and you find an adult who is kind and share

Bring up a child with thanksgiving; and you find an adult who show gratitude

Bring up a child with the fear of God; and you find an adult who has wisdom

Bring up a child in the way of the Lord; and you find an adult attached to the

‘true vine’ (John 15: 1-8)

Find an adult clinging to the ‘true vine’; and you will see a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17).

                                                                          – Jolomi O. Awani (16-04-2010)

  Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 Victor Awani