joy to the world + my book!

Hey, hey, hey guys! Merry Christmas!!! I had a lovely time on Christmas eve with friends who have become family. We had a carols service and it was fascinating! Teens alooouuud! Seeeizzzee the moment! ;)

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. //John 1:14

Jesus, thank You for choosing to come to planet earth. You rock forever! <3 font="">

So, I'm sharing this lovely song joy to the world by pentatonix.(I discovered pentatonix when I was taking the studio shots for my book. The photographer was jamming to it and I was like, wow, who are they? so yeah, I got hooked.)

here goes!

Aaaaaaand, my book! It's all ready, freshly baked from the oven of words. ;)

I'm so thankful to my lecturer who wrote the foreword for me! Most of the poems in this anthology are from the years when I was taking Creative Writing at University of Ghana.

Thank you, Dr. Azdei for teaching me how to turn the lemons thrown at me into cool glasses of lemonade of words!

A garland for the soul. There's a kindle version too! I spent tons of hours trying to get it on kindle on Christmas eve. I slept close to 4am, guys. But it's soooo worth it!

Snag the kindle version or request for the paperback and I'm gonna sent it right to your mail box. :) and lemme know what you think after reading! oh, and kindly review it on amazon for me! Thanks!

Father God is so, so, so faithful! I'll be back to gist you guys on so many other things He's doing in this heart of mine.

I love you guys! xoxo

gen delali.

my book is almost hereeeee

so my anthology is almost ready. hopefully by Christmas it's gonna be all ready! as in hard copies ready!!! I'm so excited!!! I'm planning on having a kindle version as well. still working on that.

I'm so thankful to Gd for making all of this possible. It's been quite the journey.

I can't wait for y'all to read the lines f poetry on my heart.

Self-publishing is so awesome!

 

I have so many other stories I need to share. working on that.

If you guys outside Ghana would need a copy, just lemme know. 

xoxo,

gen delali

 

music monday// here i am anyway

Hi guys! so I sorta promised to be back to tell ya'll abut the depression thing. ok, so for starters enjoy this song. it leads to bits of the story I need to tell.

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here I am anyway // josh wilson

I'm like Moses in the desert
When that bush went up in flames
You said, "Go and tell your story"
He said, "God, what will I say?
I'm so scared, unprepared
What difference will I make?"
Sometimes I feel the same

                                                                                                                                                                              If it's weakness that You want
I've got more than enough
But some days I am so afraid
To show this world your love
But I'll give You all of me
And my insecurities
God, I don't have what it takes
But here I am anyway
Here I am anyway
God, I've got so many questions
Wonder why You placed me here
You have given me these passions
But they come with so much fear
Sometimes it don't make sense at all
But I guess if I was brave
Then I wouldn't walk by faith   

If it's weakness that You want
I've got more than enough
But some days I am so afraid
To show this world your love
But I'll give You all of me
And my insecurities
God, I don't have what it takes
But here I am anyway
Here I am anyway
 

 If You say go (If You say go, if You say go)
I won't say no (I won't say no, I won't say no)
If You say go (If You say go, if You say go)
I won't say no (I won't say no, I won't say no)
 

'Cause it's weakness that You want
That's how You show Your love
Your power is made perfect
When we are not enough
 

If it's weakness that You want
I've got more than enough
But some days I am so afraid
To show this world your love
But I'll give You all of me
And my insecurities
God, I don't have what it takes
But here I am anyway
Here I am anyway
Here I am anyway, anyway
Here I am anyway, anyway

This song by Josh Wilson is my jam! Especially during the wilderness years of my life after service. You see, the plan was to snag a scholarship abroad for masters right after my one year national service. But it so didn't happen that way. Father had been telling me many times about His purpose for me to teach and be in ministry but I was like nah, abroad is more lit! (not to say that if you want to go abroad for studies it's bad. Absolutely not! Just be sure if that's where God wants you to be. We all have different journeys). 

So back to the story. I could literally not wait to say goodbye to these streets of broken promises of ghana and start over somewhere far, far away. So of course, I gave many excuses about why teaching is not not not my thing.

I told God :
I'm shy so I can't handle being in front of a class.
I look way too young for my age and the kids will bully me.
It's not what I want to do.
I don't like it.
The money ain't great.

So God being who He is, He allowed me to wander around for a couple of years, searching for a job I thought I'd like (far from teaching) and depression set in along with some crazy accusations and betrayals.   

Then, after a couple of years, He mercifully presented me a chance to teach. I had applied for masters at Uni of Ghana{my alma mater} so I was like, ok since the results ain't in, lemme just do this teaching thing for the meantime and move on to do the masters when I slay the entrance interview and exam.

And slay I did. But the interesting thing is, by the time my admission was in, I loved teaching so much I decided to defer! I know, sounds crazy...

But that's what happens when God leads you to walk in the purpose He designed you for. You might think you're not cut out for it, yet He still tells you to trust Him and obey. Cos He knows you better than you know yourself. He's awesome like that! 

And the abroad plans? Well this is where Father has me now, and I'll bloom right where He's planted me until He tells me to move. I'm glad the Norwegian quota scheme and all the scholarships bounced me cos I'd rather be walking in purpose. Who would have thought I'd come to love these streets of broken promises?! I can't quite believe it sometimes! 

The time I spend teaching the kids and getting to know their sweet hearts is so fulfilling that I don't regret or second guess letting go of my masters for now. He's actually leading me to do something different related to teaching/ministry for further studies. Whaaaaaat?????!!! Mind blown!!! This can't be me. This can't be the same ol' Genevieve! This can only be Jesus!

   

Like moses, we all feel inadequate sometimes concerning what God is telling us to do. But obeying Him is so worth it, I promise! Ask our good, good Father if what you're doing is what He's told you to do. If it is, carry on, Love warrior. If not, please obey. 

And turns out I'm not even that shy like I thought. I'm not nervous when I'm teaching, it's like I've been doing it forever. And the kids do NOT bully me! And God is taking care of me each day. #winning. & abroad? yeah it's lit alright. But my purpose right here, right now is more lit cos I'm abiding in the will of my Daddy.

Okay, I'm done telling you my life story. Carry on with your life.

    

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

xoxo,

gen delali

A Testimony

Testimony so this morning {sunday morning}, I woke up, switched on my phone and it went all blue on me with some Chinese inscriptions on the screen and eventually it went completely off. I was like what at all is all this? Smh

So I prayed and told God to let angels fix the phone for me cos there's no way I'm going to buy a new phone with my tight budget. 

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 So I left the phone, did my quiet time and funny thing, my devotional was talking all about what I was dealing with.  

So I later on picked up my semi 'yam' phone so I could listen to music on it and went about doing what I had to do during the day and I refused to let the whole thing steal my joy. I decided to look at the good side, like how it was giving me time away from social media to actually rest and catch up on my reading. 

Then this evening, I decided to charge the phone and see what would happen. And guess what?! It started charging! I turned the power on and even better, it switched on! No Chinese gibberish!! And I went like, the angels fixed my phone, Praise Jesus!!! Jesus is into the very little details of our lives!

Maybe it was some mini test to see if I'd be grumpy with God if my phone is withheld from me. Well, I hope I passed the test!   

"I will give thanks to You, Lord, with all my heart, I will tell of all Your wonderful deeds."// psalm 9 :1

tell your heart to beat again

hello guys! i know, its been so long! but i'm back! 

i went through some rough patch. but i'm all well, and good now :)

there's this song that i got to hear recently on klove radio called "tell your heart to beat again" it spoke to me so much i downloaded it and of course, had it on repeat. ;) 

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the song spoke to my inner being, my soul so much i gotta absolutely share with ya'll!

apparently, danny, the singer went through some dark times and birthed this song.

tell your heart to beat again// danny gokey

 You're shattered
Like you've never been before
The life you knew
In a thousand pieces on the floor
And words fall short in times like these
When this world drives you to your knees
You think you're never gonna get back
To the you that used to be
 
Tell your heart to beat again
Close your eyes and breathe it in
Let the shadows fall away
Step into the light of grace
Yesterday's a closing door
You don't live there anymore
Say goodbye to where you've been
And tell your heart to beat again

Beginning
Just let that word wash over you
It's alright now
Love's healing hands have pulled you through
So get back up, take step one
Leave the darkness, feel the sun
Cause your story's far from over
And your journey's just begun

Let every heartbreak
And every scar
Be a picture that reminds you
Who has carried you this far
'Cause love sees farther than you ever could
In this moment heaven's working
Everything for your good 

enjoy the song. i'll be back to blog about what i went through the past months. depression. yurp. but like i said, i'm all good now. :)

xoxo, gen.

music monday//rise

Praising the name of the Lord isn’t so easy to do all the time. Especially when walking in some blazes. But the inspired Word says to praise Him, anyway. There’s so much He does for us that we take for granted.

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 rise~kari jobe

Lead us to You, show us Your mercy

Your majesty lifted up on high

It tells of Your goodness

Your name is true

Your name is holy

Your splendor is written in the skies

It tells of Your greatness

We will rise to praise You

Offer our lives before You

Let every nation, all of creation

We will rise, You are worthy

Lift up our eyes to Your glory

Let every nation, all of creation

We will rise

We stand in awe

You won the victory

Your enemies tremble at Your name

It speaks of Your triumph

You clothe the poor

You mend the broken

You heal our hearts

You take our shame

It speaks of Your kindness

We will cry out Your renown

You are the God who has saved us

We will rise to praise you

We lift a glorious sound

You are the One who redeemed us

We will rise to praise You

“praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, you His servants; praise the name of the Lord. Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now and forever more. From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.” Psalm 113:1-3

“I will extol the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the Lord, let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me: let us exalt His name together.” Psalm 34:1-3

What I try to do when mr. grumpy wants to take over is to take note of all the things that the Lord has done and is doing for me. so something like a thankfulness list. Even if it’s something small that you can see the Lord doing for you, still rise and be thankful. It can be a struggle, but we gotta fight off the wrong moods and feelings. Let’s rise and praise His lovely name.

xoxo, gen.

music monday// these days

There’s this thing about Mondays that just undo many folks. And that’s exactly why I decided to create ‘music Mondays.’ To help us get through Mondays. Cos, yeah, I get it. it means the start of another week on the grind and possible stress. There’re so many things that we wish we could wish away. But oh welp, the best we can do is pray through it all and choose to be joyful on the journey, on the way to where Daddy is taking us.

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 these days~ mandisa

I never liked Mondays or bad news

Or breaking in new shoes

And mornings when I can’t find my phone

Nobody like traffic or short nights

Or sit ups or long flights

But sometimes that’s just the way it goes

It’s funny what You use to help me grow

So I’ll learn to love these days

Life along the way

In the middle of the crazy

God your love is so amazing

Through the ups and downs

You’re the only hope I’ve found

Lord, you meet me in the madness

I’ll learn to love these days

I’ll learn to love these days

I can see silver lining

When the sun’s not shining

Even when You choose to bring the rain

Oh, but there’s freedom believing

And trusting Your leading

Cause You’re Lord of all my joy and all my pain

I could wait the hundred years

You gave me here, the days when you were near

The days when I was out there

Looking for what comes next

Oh, cause every minute, every hour, everyday

Is such a gift and I can say

I’m thankful for each day

So I’ll learn to love these days

Life along the way

In the middle of the crazy

God, Your love is so amazing

Through the ups and downs

You’re the only hope I’ve found

Lord, you meet me in the madness

So I’ll learn to love these days

I’ll learn to love these days

I’ll learn to love these days

I’ll learn to love these days

“those whom I love I rebuke and discipline…” revelations 3:19

“endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as His children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?...no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.” Hebrews 12:7, 11-12

“He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver…” malachi 3:3

The Lord will sometimes allow us to experience certain situations which we wouldn’t find so lovely. But in His love, He knows what’s best for us and uses so many situations to help us grow in Him and exercise our faith.

I doubt anyone loves taking exams. Well, I sure don’t. but it’s necessary we study and prepare well for them in order to move to a higher stage of life. I believe it’s similar with life in general. We need to go through some things to refine us, to take away things in our hearts that are not of Him, to make us better and more like Him.

xoxo, gen