hello, my name is______.

I’m the kind of girl who dreams up the future and imagines all the endless possibilities that will show up in my life and sometimes when i’m wide-eyed, dreamy and musing about my future i get scared. While i’m busy thinking and praying about the future, fear shows up, gives me an ugly crooked smile and says “hey, you really think that’s going to happen? Look at your history, does it look like you’re good enough to get that? psht! dream on. you’re going to wind up alone, miserable and poor.”

Fear has a way of seeping into the colorful, beautiful picture i have of the future and tries to soak up all the colors, turning my picture into a cold, ugly gray. And i begin to doubt myself. Will God bother Himself about the miracle i’ve been sowing prayers into?  will I get the funds for the mission trips i’m oh, so passionate about? Can i survive the hard, harsh realities of the life i’ll experience on the missions? am i capable of loving the unlovable like Jesus requires of me? Will i ever write and publish the books i want to? Am i even a good writer? Will anyone read those books? Am i talented at all? What if i miss out on all God has planned for me?...I wonder if i’ll ever meet that godly man i’ve been praying for, if i’ll be at all deserving of his love. will i have the children i desire? will i get to see them grow? Will i make godly friendships wherever i go? Will they think i’m snobbish, or that i’m not cool enough, write me off without trying to know me? Will that horrible respiratory illness dare show up again? will i make Heaven?!...

fear wraps it’s gnarly, knotted hands around my neck and tries to squeeze the life and hope out of me. i panic. i get scared.

But there’s another voice that speaks and the fears begin to hide. And the shame of yesterdays gone past, run. It’s the voice of my sweet Father that says, I have loved you with an everlasting love.  (jeremiah 31:3) For, I, the Lord your God will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘fear not, I will help you.’ (Isaiah 41:13)...and the fears begin to melt and fade away. The brilliant light of Jesus begin to shine on my dreams and the gray begin to turn into vibrant colors.

I begin to feel hope surging as God says, you’re my beloved, your expectations shall not be cut shot, affliction shall not rise up a second time. Your future is great, your future is filled with my undying love. your whole life is filled with my love. just trust me. Be brave. I’ll be here to drive out the fears, you’ll see...and these words breathe into my hungry lungs life anew.

"But as it is written, eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." 1 corinthians 2:9

Despite the terrible, terrible fears, i’ll be brave to believe that i’ll be graced with a man passionately chasing after Jesus, that God will orchestrate a lovely story for me and him (whoever and wherever he is). I’ll be brave to believe that beautiful, glorious and wonderful things have been prepared intentionally for me by my loving Father. I’ll be brave to dream and prepare for big, vibrant dreams. I will be brave to brace the future. my dreams are not too big for the Lord. infact, He placed them in my heart. I was made for this. I was created to be brave.

There’s this scripture i recited many years ago in church when i was a child. It’s always stuck with me. It says the Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him. Nahum 1:7. Are you battling with fear? Hold on to Jesus, and He’ll teach you how to be brave, how to keep having faith in Him, even in the storm.

Hello, I am brave. My faith in the promises of Jesus is fierce. 

xoxo, 

Delali.

**this post is part of the hello, my name is link up with kerriewilliams.com**

currently

  

Loving: this post and that post. It’s great how what you write can be a blessing to yourself.

Joyful about: my new and first guitar which i got over the weekend! I haven’t settled on the name yet. maybe Cheryl? a friend said that’s too girly. hahah

Listening to: rise to You & only a mountain by jason castro, take these things away, work of art by rachel platten, everything sad is coming untrue, the end of me, a way to see in the dark by Jason Gray, fighter, come to me by jamie grace, on and on by tenth avenue north and someone worth dying for by mikeschair.

Reading: through the Psalms. It’s soul reviving, guys.

Rejoicing: over my amazing friend, Ruth, who published her book, A treasure to pray!

Praying: for the silenced. (did you know that about 170,000 Christians are martyred for believing in Jesus every year? Yeah, me neither.) i hope my prayers, along with those of other Christians strengthen all the people who are being persecuted for Jesus’ name sake.

Grieving:  the loss of Komla Dumor. i grew up listening to this guy on the radio nearly every morning. he was my major teen role model. i would go like, someday i'll be a journalist like Komla Dumor. and though i outgrew that dream, i still lighted up just by hearing the sound of his voice. it didn't nearly matter what news he was presenting, his voice felt like home. now, my heart thumps faster when i hear his name on the news. it’s like the blow surfaces all over again...i pray his soul is safe.

Dealing with: a slight case of the flu. hoping it goes away soon & doesn’t become worse.

Watching: actually planning on watching Jane by Design for the gazillion-th time. (wah! why was the plug ever pulled on it? It’s so good!) & re-watching October Baby. i got to watch it for the first time during movie night when i was on missions in south africa. (just so you know, i don’t advocate for the catholic church bit in it, but the movie in general is a positive one.) aaand, i’ve been considering watching parenthood. is it any good?

Singing: God will make a way by don moen (an old one but the words still ring true) & the words i would say by sidewalk prophets.

Enjoying: the 40 day challenge by overcome the lie & the new series my pastor has been teaching this month (titled this thing called marriage ;) lots of insight.) 

Learning to: bless others more. how does the saying go? give, and you shall receive more? yurp. more of my time, more of my service, more of Jesus through me.

Understanding: that i shouldn’t expect people to reciprocate my kindness. bcos that isn’t what i’m doing it for. gotta admit it kinda stings sometimes when it’s not returned though. so, to be kind, just because. 

Thinking about: when i’ll finally cut off all the relaxed ends of my hair & rock my ‘fro.

Rocking: kinky twists, bright blue nail polish & red lipstick these days. edgy huh

Craving: lots of sleep & rest.

Needing: lots of vitamin c in my system. I’ve started taking a liking for oranges due to this. Aint nobody got time for sore throat, but i’m sadly on the verge of one.

Brushing off: negativity. i've come to understand that people have this terrible need to gratify themselves by trying to belittle others by words and actions, and that's their problem. i choose joy.

Drinking: a good amount of fanta blackcurrent.

Thankful: for the many creative ways God uses to bless me. He shows up everytime before it’s too late. His handprints are all over my life clearly saying babe, i got you. i love you, just trust me. & i’m thankful for the people who yield themselves to allow God to use them to reach me (and sometimes they have no clue!) like when someone talks about something that speaks to a situation i've been facing and talking about to Jesus. 

Checking out: curly nikki, & this fam-->(they can be so hilarious!)

Challenged by: 1 corinthians 13, echoed by the lyrics of this song and that one. Let’s be honest, sometimes it’s just so hard to be the proof of His love. Dying to self daily 
aint easy, but it’ll pay off. 

Discovering: that i’m more of an infp and this presents a battle. an internal battle between who i’m called to be in Christ and the traits of this personality which aren’t like Christ. For example, i have to fight my deep need to have lots of me time, cos how do i share Christ if i’m by myself (or with only the people i want to be with) more than half of the time? And i need to tame the need to attain perfectionism and not expect people to be perfect. I gotta remember we have all fallen short. Romans 3:16 so, see? the struggle.

Being inspired by: this, this and that. In His time, He makes all things beautiful. :)

**Post was inspired by illy! so, what’s been going on with you currently?

xoxo,

Delali.

Through painted deserts

I posted this blog a year ago, but for some reason the link got broken and i couldn't seem to fix it. So, i decided to re-post it. enjoy.

Have you ever read a book and enjoyed it so much you became sad that it had to come to end? It’s like you’ve become a part of the story and leaving the scene is hard for you because you want it to roll on for your continued enjoyment. Through Painted Deserts by Donald Miller is one of such stories.Somewhere in early December last year, I was looking up Christian books I could put on my to-read list, and I came across Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. It had good reviews and I found out it was even turned into a movie so I got convinced it must be good. Around Christmas I was looking for some good music on Noisetrade when I stumbled on a free audio version of Don’s book, Through Painted Deserts. Was I thrilled? You bet! I mean although Blue Like Jazz was what I was bent on reading, I was like why not give this a listening ear? After all it’s by the same author and if Blue Like Jazz is good, chances are Through Painted Deserts also is. Was I wrong? No!

 

In fact I’ve fallen in love with the book, seriously! (Sorry I had to scream that.) This is more like say, a short, informal review of the book with a bunch of my favorite quotes from it.

Through Painted Deserts is a memoir that takes you on a journey into how the author found the meaning of why God made us, his beloved creation... about changing, faith, finding light, friendship and beauty on the open road. It’s very touching and warms your heart in the right places. Oh, and the soothing voice of Don reading the book adds such calm and peace to the story itself.

It’s a book I will recommend for everybody especially those whose faith in God is a bit shaky and who doubt the goodness and beauty of God, people who wonder or doubt if God ever listens to their prayers and people who may need to leave their comfort zones and everything behind to go on an adventure to get a better perspective of life. It’s a book for people who get so caught up with life and forget there’s a big world out there full of the calmness and peace of God, people who don’t stop to enjoy the big, blue sky, people who don’t stop to breathe and experience the soothing nature, the works of God’s hands. Although we have to participate in life and go about our duties in order to survive, we need to take breaks every now and then to get away from the pressures and noise of it all and just enjoy God.

 

Considering I’m a ''small'' town kinda girl in this little country, Ghana, this book encourages me personally to venture out from my all too familiar surroundings to somewhere new, somewhere that’ll give me a new and beautiful perspective about life and God. I so want to leave, to venture out and experience and enjoy the magnificence of God somewhere away from where I call home, sharing His truth and forging beautiful friendships along the way... and I’m trusting God with that. I want to experience Him in canyons, on mountains, in deserts, in falling snow, in the falling of red autumn leaves, on beautiful beaches, on islands, on the open road... in different cultures. Nature has such an endearing way of reminding me not just of the greatness of God and the beautiful works of His hands but it also affirms that God really does exist.

So here are some quotes I totally love from the book. They’re like urm, spoilers of a good movie. LOL They’re quite a number but you can’t resist such lovely words that speak straight to your heart, right?!  Haha, here goes:

“Every person has to leave, has to change like the seasons. They have to or they die. The seasons remind me that I must keep changing and I want to change because it’s Gods way.”

“Everybody has to change or they expire. Everybody has to leave their homes and come back so they can love it again for all new reasons.”

“I want to keep my soul fertile for the changes so things keep getting born in me, so things keep dying when it’s time for things to die.”

“I want to repeat one word for you. Leave. Roll the word around on your tongue for a bit. It’s a beautiful word, isn’t it? So strong and forceful, the way you’ve always wanted to be. And you’ll not be alone. You have never been alone. Don’t worry, everything will still be here when you get back. It is you who would have changed.”

“No, life can’t be understood flat on a page, it has to be lived, a person has to get out of his head, has to fall in love, has to memorize poems, has to jump off bridges into rivers, has to stand in an empty desert and whisper sonnets under his breath.”

“It’s a living book, this life. It folds out in a million settings, cast with a billion beautiful characters and it’s almost over for you. It doesn’t matter how old you are. It’s coming to a close quickly and soon the credits will roll and all of your friends will fold out of your funeral and drive back to their homes in cold, in still, in silence and they’ll make a fire, pour some wine and think about how you once were and feel a kind of sickness at the idea you never again will be.”

“And so my prayer is that your story would have involved some leaving and some coming home, some summer and some winter, some roses blooming out like children in a play. My hope is that your story will be about changing, about getting something beautiful born outside of you, about learning to love a man or a woman, about learning to love a child, about moving yourself around water, around mountains, around friends, about learning to love others more than we love ourselves, about learning oneness as a way of understanding God.”

“Everything is like a symphony if you think about it; birds are perfect and crickets come out of the wet woods like a choir...nature itself worked perfectly to calm the soul.”

“Life is a dance toward God... and the dance is not so graceful as we might want. While we glide and swing our practiced sway, God crowds our feet, bumps our toes, and scuffs our shoes.”

“There is nothing I’m missing. I have everything i was supposed to have to experience the magnitude of this story, to dance with God.”

“I guess I’m looking for what any guy is looking for. I want a companion, you know. Just someone to share life with. I want her to be my biggest fan and i want to be her biggest fan too. I want us to raise kids in a home where they know their parents are in love with each other, with them, and with God. I guess that’s all I want.”

“I want a friend, a true friend. Someone who knows me and loves me anyway. Like, when I’m through putting my best foot forward, she’s still there.”

“Real love doesn’t ask “what’s in it for me?” It just gives unconditionally, it just tries to take the weight out of somebody else’s pack, lessen his load and if it gets reciprocated, that’s great, but that isn’t what you did it for.”

“Don’t kick yourself around, if you can’t climb up out of a canyon real quick, just do it slow.”

“God made a whole beautiful earth and decided to put you in it, to experience all of this beauty. You can’t do that watching television all the time.”

“Life is not a story about me, but it’s told to me and I can be glad of that. I think that’s the why of life...to enjoy God.”

“Months ago I would have told you life was about doing, about jumping through religious hoops, about impressing people and my actions would have told you this is done by buying possessions or keeping a good image... but I don’t believe in that stuff anymore. I think we’re supposed to stand in deserts and marvel at how the sun rises. I think we’re supposed to sleep in meadows and watch stars dart across space and time. I think we’re supposed to love our friends and introduce people to the story, to the peaceful, calming why of life. I think life is spirituality.”

“If I ever get frustrated with life again, if I ever get into river deep debt, I will sell it all and move out into the woods, find some people who aren’t like me and learn to love them and do something even harder, let them love me. I will sleep beneath the stars and whisper “thank You” to the Creator of the universe as a way of reacquainting myself to an old friend, a friend who says you don’t have to be smart or good looking or religious or anything, you just have to cling to Him, love Him, need Him, and listen to Him while He tells His story.”

“Some things have to end, you know. I will be leaving soon and i want to feel this, really understand that it’s happening because God breathed some spark into mud that became us and He did it for a reason and I want to feel that reason, not some false explanation.”

"And if these mountains had eyes, they would wake to find two strangers in their fences, standing in admiration as a breathing red pours its tinge upon earth's shore. These mountains, which have seen untold sunrises, long to thunder praise but stand reverent, silent so that man's weak praise should be given God's attention."

"It's a wonder that those exposed to such beauty forfeit the great questions in the face of this miraculous evidence."

“I think again about this small period of grace, and thank God for it, that if only for a season I could feel the why of life, see it in the metaphor of light, in the endlessness of the cosmos, in the miracle of friendship. And had these mountains the ability to reason, perhaps they would contemplate the beauty of humanity and praise God for the miracle that each of us is, pondering the majesty of God and the wonder of man in one bewildering context. Their brows are rumpled even now and their arms are stretched toward heaven.”

Whew! (That’s a good whew, LOL) I’ve come to the end of the lengthy but lovely quotes from Through Painted Deserts. It’s such a good read and I love how the acoustic guitar plays in the background at the end of the final chapter. It ends on such a beautiful note that it even gets me teary-eyed (In a very good way.) I hope you enjoyed them and that you’ll read the book or better still get the free audio version right here. It’s a good read (have I mentioned that already) and you could listen to the audio book (all twenty-seven chapters) in a day. I personally didn’t want to consume all the yummy goodness in one day so I chose to listen to it in bits, over a number of days to let it all sink in. God bless Don’s kind heart for giving it away for no cost and for allowing others to go along on the journey with him through the mind’s eye. He sure has a way with words and he writes from a place of honesty and truth.

People travel all the time. Probably you do or you currently are. What I’m beginning to realize is that you could travel the entire world and it wouldn’t really mean anything until you travel with meaning, with the knowledge that God created all these magnificent things in life. Traveling should awaken us to the wonder of God and rekindle our love for Him. It should involve loving and sharing God’s truth to the people we meet along our journeys. Let’s always remember what Jesus said “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30,31 In our everyday living, we should not lose focus on loving God and people. And if you love people, you would want to share God’s truth with them so that they get saved. So travel to enjoy God and love people along the way!
:)

 Jesus loves you. xoxo

Delali.

Hello, 2014!

We made it into 2014, didn't we?! :D whew. I’m forever thankful to God. Personally, i call this year ‘the takeoff’ cos i believe it’s going to launch me into so many beautiful, Christ-worthy adventures.

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So, we have a clean, fresh start at this thing called life. Question. How are you going to live it?

Are you going to let yourself dabble in things that do not absolutely matter or will you commit yourself to goals that ultimately bring you joy and glory to God? The ball’s in your court, you choose. But as for me, I choose to continue bringing glory to God in all I do. He gave me this life in the first place, and He absolutely deserves my all.

Based on Acts 2:42, there are four key things I’ll pursue this year. It says “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

1. I need to steadfastly dig deeper into God’s word. The Word of God is a mine, and in there are precious gems. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

2. Like any quality and viable relationship, I can’t sustain my relationship with God without spending time with Him. I gotta spend more time with Him in His temple with other Christ followers. I can’t walk in God’s power by isolating myself, I need fellowship. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:23-25

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3. I need to commune with my Father and passionately pursue my personal relationship with Him. I gotta have date nights with Him. ;) “And when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 1 Corinthians 11:24

4.  I need to pray more this year. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6

“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:14-16

So, guys, I hope you make the most out of this year. I really do. Know that you need to leave the stands and be on the pitch. Live this beautiful gift from God called life, and let what you do always bring Him the glory. He deserves it and it’s totally worth it. And throughout this year (and your entire life), i hope you remember this scripture:

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8

Have a joyous and blessed new year!

xoxo

Delali.

Looking back at 2013

In this past year, great and small things happened. And even the small things somehow seem great too. I’m taking the time to take a glimpse back at the things that challenged me, excited me, thrilled me and even scared me (in a good way). This is to remind me that this year wasn’t all pain and misery, but also filled with great stuff. So, as i’m bright-eyed, waiting eagerly for the new year (a couple of days away. ;), i take a look back at this year, not one of regret, but one of a great sense of accomplishment and fulfilment.

This year,

I moved my lil blog from wordpress to blogger. Why? Well, i was finding my voice as a personal blogger and realized blogger was more for that. Hey, in my humble opinion.

I went for my first local missions trip.

I hiked and made it to the top of the highest mountain in the country. heck yes! & went to see the wli falls for the first time. Pretty sweet.

I faced my stage fright-ness and performed one of my poems.

I discovered soul soothing songs like this one.

God made a way and took me to South Africa & Swaziland for missions. How He made this happen still blows my mind. He’s just awesome!

I attended the annual Singles' Summit my church holds.

I started serving as a steward in church.

I graduated from UG after my undergrad studies. yea, i know i don't look it. *shrugs*

I joined the ‘I Write’ video campaign. Long braids, green top. yea, that’s me.

I got baptised by immersion. The real deal, people.

I’ve been a consistent blogger. C’mon, i blogged at least once a month. That should count for something, right? Right.

I’ve learned to wait, really wait in hope, & letting the valley teach me how to sing.

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Oh, and two of my favourite musicians of allll time tweeted me! Moriah Peters & Jason Gray. So, in honor of their total coolness, i would like to share my fav songs by them. You should totally listen to them!

Moriah Peters:

I choose Jesus

Well done

Bloom

Miracle

Waves of love

Know us by our love.

Jason Gray:

Nothing is wasted (this song has seen me through a whole awful lot!)

I am new

Remind me who i am

Good to be alive

Fear is easy, love is hard

More like falling in love.

For alllll of these things that happened to me this year, I’m thankful. For both the good and bad, I’m thankful. Cause i sure know God’s working it all together for my good.

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So, though i couldn’t do all the things on my vision board for the year, I’m glad i did do some, plus others that God sweetly surprised me with but wasn’t initially part of the plan. He's good like that. :)

There are many awesome adventures and challenges up ahead that’ll grow me up the more in Him in the coming year, and I can say I’m ready for it all.  Bring it on, 2014! ;)

How was this year for you, and what did you end up accomplishing? Do share!

xoxo

Delali.

My baptism and good tidings!

During the weekend, I took a great step of obedience publicly. I got baptised. :)

Well, I was baptised by sprinkling when i was only a baby but on Saturday, i did the real thing Jesus did when He walked this earth. Baptism by full immersion. Lemme share a lil info from my baptism class. ;)

 Inside the baptistry in my church

This is a physical act expressing a spiritual truth. Baptism is derived from the Greek word 'baptizo' which means 'I wash'. 

Baptism has four spiritual significance:

1. Christ died, and I died in Him ''Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin.'' Romans 6:6,7 

2. Christ was buried and I was buried with Him ''Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.'' Romans 6:3,4  

**You don't bury by sprinkling dirt on a casket lying on the ground, you bury by putting the casket fully into the belly of the earth. That's the same way real baptism is to be done by fully being immersed in water.**

3. Christ was raised from the dead and I was raised with Him and I have a new life in Him. ''For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.'' Romans 6:5

4. Christ ascended to Heaven and I ascended into Heaven with Him. ''But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.'' Ephesians 2:4-6

So, there you have it. I hope you've learned a thing or two.

 And, have yourself a merry little  meaningful Christmas!!! Remember that it's not about the shiny lights or the trees. Jesus Christ is the reason for our joyous celebration!

 I'm oh, so thankful that my sweet Jesus came to this earth to save me from my sins. :)

 

Merry Christmas!

xoxo

Delali