Humor's limit

I read this news report on 234Next.com yesterday,

"The family of one of Nigeria’s top comedian and Nollywood actor John Okafor (Mr Ibu) have been kidnapped in Enugu State earlier this evening, NEXT has learnt.

This was confirmed in a short interview with a friend of the Okafors, who said they were kidnapped on their way home.

Mr Henry Oduenyi told NEXT that he had been on the phone with Mr Okafor, who said the car carrying members of his family and in laws was trailed from town. The kidnappers have also asked for a ransom of 50 million naira."

Today, in the report of the Daily Sun, I read this, 

"The heavily armed kidnappers who invaded the Agbani Road, Enugu State home of top actor/comedian, John Okafor, famously known as Mr. Ibu and abducted his wife and one year old son, on Tuesday night have reduced their ransom demand.

A devastated Mr. Ibu, in a telephone chat with Daily Sun yesterday morning said the abductors had reduced the ransom from N50 million ealier demanded to N6 million, adding that they were also magnanimous enough to allow him speak with his frightened wife for a few seconds.
“In the spirit of New Year, my family and I are on our knees praying and begging these kidnappers to set my innocent wife and one-year-old baby free without any harm or ransom. They are now demanding N6 million; where will I get that huge amount from? I’m just an entertainer and peace-loving Nigerian who earns his normal wage by making people and their families happy. I wonder why this is happening to me in this New Year.
The kidnappers allowed my wife to speak briefly with me this morning, and throughout our conversations she and my one-year-old son were crying. I want Nigerians and our government to immediately come to my aid. I have done too much for this nation to deserve this kind of treatment. I want my family back without any harm or ransom,” Mr. Ibu cried.

Mr Ibu we all know is a very very funny guy and he has made me laugh a couple of times. Once I see his face, I usually just start laughing even before a word comes out of his mouth. Which is why I am so upset at what these kidnappers have done. How do you go and kidnap the wife and one year old son of this happy-go-lucky guy? How dare you?

Mr Ibu is not laughing right now. In fact, he is very distraught. There are no jokes to crack that would wish this situation away. He loves his wife and child. I was just wondering how that certain things cannot simply be laughed off in an ‘Odieshi’ way. There are serious things in this life, such as the kidnapping of one's better half and one’s seed. Because if you say a wrong thing to the criminals on the phone, you just don’t know what they might do. In short, humor does have its limits eh?

I am also someone who addresses issues with lots of humor. In a bad situation, it helps me to think; it's not that serious. But I know that this particular situation will not get me laughing. As in, you won't even see my teeth. Think about it; your one year old son? I shudder to think. Imagine ChooChoo.....

I pray these people release Mr Ibu's family oh. It's not even funny....as in literally.

Association of Witches and Wizards?..... Really?

I just read a report in the Daily Sun where the National Co-ordinator of the Witches and Wizards Association of Nigeria (WITZAN), yes, you heard right, Association *smh*, said and I quote, "Witches and wizards are praying for this nation...... We wish Nigeria well, but what has been revealed to us in the spiritual world is alarming......... He who has ears, let him hear very well, witches and wizards do not double-speak........ We are messengers from the spiritual world, and anybody that disobeys us, is doing so at his own risk.........“The way some people look at witches and wizards is as if we are evil-minded people. Not all witches are bad. Our own type of witchcraft which we practise is a progressive one. The day government and other stakeholders invite us to intervene in the affairs of Nigeria, we will gladly do so. We have the antidote to bring lasting peace to this nation........ Nigeria is a great country, witches and wizards can help restore its lost glory."


Dr Okhue Iboi, for that is his name, was speaking about Atiku Abubakar's presidential bid and its futility. He went on to say, “During our emergency meeting to deliberate on the state of affairs in Nigeria, it was clearly revealed to us that the days of Atiku’s relevance in Nigeria’s politics are over"
Now, this whole thing gives me the heebie-jeebies for certain reasons,
1. When did these people become an association? Are they registered with the CAC, or which  body? And when they wrote their association mission statement , what did they say? "To protect the interest of ......., perhaps?


2. They say someone has revealed to them; who revealed? What power, I want to know please. It cannot be God, so who? You know the answer, don't you?


3. They have also said that their own brand of witchcraft is a progressive one. How so, Dr. Okhue? How? Progress for whom and for what? Is it the kind that eliminates any body in its path? Exactly, what progress?


4. And finally, they have said they are waiting for an invitation to intervene in the issues of Nigeria before they can step in, but I want to ask, why wait? Why not just step in and do something, if there is indeed power to?


"Nigeria is a great country, witches and wizards can help restore its lost glory"

Dr Okhue, Nigeria is a great country, not because you said it, but because God made it so. He made us great, just like he made the whole world. We are the ones who have chosen to live beneath our potential and when we choose to arise, including you, Dr. Okhue, for you were made by GOD, the one who made us will now help us express that greatness.


You cannot help restore any lost glory, for no one helps restore what he didn't put in the first place!

Is the Internet the Writer's friend?

The Internet is a system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet Protocol Suite to serve billions of users worldwide. It is a network of networks that consists of millions of private, public, academic, business, and government networks, linked by an array of electronic and optical networking technologies.


A writer is anyone who writes any form of literature professionally or otherwise .


The internet is a writer’s friend for the following reasons.


It carries a vast range of information resources and services, such as the inter-linked hypertext documents of the World Wide Web (WWW) and the infrastructure to support electronic mail,providing access to classics from successful authors,profiles of authors who serve as mentors to writers and the tips they provide to improve writing skills.


Information on any body of knowledge that is needed to write a piece of literature can be obtained on the internet.


Through it ,writers can find out about writing competitions and writing courses which serves in improving their skills.


Social network sites including Facebook,Twitter

, Skype and blog networks provide an avenue for writers to meet other writers so that they exchange important ideas and information which will help hone the craft of writing.


Writers can obtain useful critique on their works through the internet,by professional writing sites like Zoethrope and Authonomy.


Online magazines,newspapers and journals provide job opportunities for writers.


It provides an alternative market for writers to advertise themselves and sell their product because of the increased readership of e-books eg Kindle,Amazon.


Indeed,the internet is the writer’s friend.


I wrote this 250 word essay to get into the Young Writer's Workshop (The Future Nigeria)

Interview with Naija Stories

I was recently interviewed on Naija Stories for being the featured writer of the month of January for my story Small Pikin wich got the highest views for the month of December.


Read my interview below


Who is Berry FeistyPen?


I am Akan Etuk Nweke, a twenty six year old woman with plans to become a literary force to reckon with. I’m a mum, a pharmacist, a blogger, a prolific alto back-up singer and an entrepreneur.

When and why did you begin writing?

I haven’t always written. What I’ve always done is read. I’ve loved to read since I knew how to. I used to go hide in my room and read everything I came across; story books with frayed ends and pages 12-16 missing, newspaper clippings, magazines, my dad’s Christian literature, my mum’s colorful management brochures etc. My mum used to say she was afraid I would grow up and not know how to keep house, since I always groaned any time a visitor came and my reading had to be interrupted to “go and buy Coke”. I discovered from an early age that I loved words, and I easily had the widest vocabulary among my peers at the time. Words provided the escape from the dreary and monotony of those evenings when power was out.


Apart from a two year editorship for my Pharmacy Christian magazine in Unilag, I didn’t start serious writing though until October, 2010. At 26, I realized that I needed to express an artistic side of me and so opportunity came when I posted a birth day note on Facebook and I received glowing reviews which did a lot to provide much needed ego boost . And since then, I’ve not looked back. I blog at www.berryfeistypen.blogspot.com, www.juvenilemuse.blogspot.com, www.ynaija.com/pilgrims-progress/. I’ve also recently written an article for Elan- the style insert of Next newspaper. http://bit.ly/eG13nm and of course Naija Stories. By the way, Mark Zuckerberg will get a share of my first book advance. Oh well, oh well, just kidding, after the tithe and ‘charity’, I’ll doubt there’ll be much left!


What inspires you to write?


I am inspired by everything around me. I believe that all life is a muse, and this reflects in my writing. A commentator on Facebook recently said he wonders what else I’ll write. I’ve written about relationships, politics, religion, raising a son, my hair, death, rats *chuckles* I have as it is 26 years worth of stories and I haven’t even started.


Do you have a specific writing style?


I write the kind of things I love to read. If a writer can present serious issues in a light hearted manner, then they’ve got me. Humor, satire, irony are predominant in my writing. I experiment with point of view, characters, and all. I am constantly looking for unique ways to present issues in my non fiction, and my fictional stories pack a humorous punch that picks you up lightly, takes you on a giddy spin and then lands you on the ground with a loud thud. And there’s always that twist. I’ve also recently been considering writing copy for ad campaigns because I do know how to write an emotive one liner.


Do you have a major theme that runs through most of your work?


Well I haven’t written enough to draw a definite line through my writing, but I think humor will never be far. I’ve even written about death in an almost humorous manner. That’s how crazy I get. I also think I will in the future tell stories about life in Nigeria and the hilarity that is woven in our religion, our politics, our entertainment, our social relations, and it won’t be all derogatory. The Westeners will soon be shocked at a novel about Africans who eat 3 square meals and work hard to take care of their aged parents. I’ll open up Nsit Ibom; my local government, Ajah; where I live and modern day Yaba where I went to school. I’ll do to these places what American novelists have done to Las Vegas, Beverly Hills, and Wall Street. I’ll tell the other stories. We have whined too much. Enough already!


What books have influenced your life most?


I’m inspired by the Bible. The Bible is a book of books written by great men who were moved by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is one interesting muse then if we do have such masterful use of language; (Hebrews), vivid imagery by way of metaphor, simile, personifications; (the Psalms), great lessons in denouement, story structure and overall emotional arcs; (the Gospels) and even erotica; (the Songs of Solomon). I also loved to read Chinua Achebe’s works notably Arrow of God and Things Fall Apart. I need to meet his muse! Somerset Maugham, the early century prolific short story writer (Rain and other stories) has a keen eye for detail and prose so muscular, you want to be taken in those arms.


If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?


Pinning down one particular mentor is hard but I would say Chinua Achebe. Arrow of God for instance was written when he was 28 and I am awed at the audacity of his muse and its ability to lead Achebe on to places no pitiable Western boot-licking would have been able to do.


What books are you reading now?


Facebook! Well, that’s a joke, but I do spend considerable time looking at faces and the stories they tell (There are some hot notes, by the way) Ok seriously, I’m currently reading J.D Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Maugham Somerset’s Of Human Bondage and Barack Obama’s Audacity of Hope. My lap top has over 50 books waiting for my attention. I also read short stories on the internet on a daily basis.


Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?


Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani is one to look out for. I love I do not come to you by chance. If you have read the book, you know that it is just the angle I would look at something as serious as internet scamming. I also like Eghosa Imasuen. To Saint Patrick, his alternate history book showed a piercing intelligence.


Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?


There are three things I find challenging. The first is finding time to actually write. I juggle a day job as a pharmacist, raising my son, preparing applications for a Masters Program starting in February, reading and of course facebooking, tweeting and protracted ‘ internet ‘researching’. I have now decided to write mostly in the middle of the night when my internet would be inactive, my little boy asleep and the Pharmacy closed.
The second is finding things to write about that readers would care to read. A lot of stuff goes through my mind every day, but I’m always wondering if anyone would bother. Why would they want to read about my hair? But thank God for little mercies; they did.
The third is power supply. I can no longer write. I mean literally. My fingers wobble when I hold a pen. I do all my writing on a Compaq Mini with a battery life of 45 mins. When the power is out and for some reason I can’t charge the lap top, I’m visibly agitated. In those times, I manage to scribble on scrap paper I find in my oversize tote.


Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?


I would need to read so much more to settle on a favorite, so I’ll say within the limited scope of twenty six years of reading, I like Enid (I always thought it was Guid) Blyton because she wove magic into a little girl’s mind and transported her to places such as a tree and a wishing chair and African legend Chinua Achebe for his fluid prose and the rich blend of local dialect and English language.


What do you think of the Nigerian publishing industry?


Publishers are not printers. Publishing includes an entire network of agents, editors, proof readers, publicists, distributors, printers, book reviewers etc. For Nigeria’s publishing industry to be vibrant, people need to realize that editing is a career and literary agency too. Farafina and Cassava Republic are doing well, but we need so many more; you can’t have only two thriving publishing houses for a country of 140 million when at least a tenth of my Facebook friend’s have desires to publish in the future.


Another area where Nigerian publishing has failed is in electronic publishing. There is such a thing as e books (see Kindle) and web sites where people pay to view so that the thousands of young writers all over the country would get paid something. The government also has a role to play in providing grants and competition sponsorships. If we have our own competitions, people would be disinclined to pander to Western sensibilities. We would simply tell our own stories to ourselves and any one that cares to listen/read.


What comments do you have about the reading culture in the country?


The question is obviously asking, “do Nigerians read paper books?” The answer is No! Most of them don’t. But a lot of people read Facebook, Twitter, blogs, online magazines, BB group chats, etc. Nigeria has been through a lot and so it is hardly surprising that book shops are empty, but the country can be helped if the publishing industry keeps up with the times and embraces electronic publishing. Naija Stories is doing well and has made innovative strides especially with the introduction of the Podcast to which a story of mine, Cold Feet was converted.


Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

I am grateful for all those one liners ‘Nice one’ and ‘Coooooool!!!!’ and even the long passages extolling my writing. Ironically, rather than puff me up or make me complacent, they have humbled me and in the dead of the night, I sit up and think, “they think you can do this, so you better do it. And I will do it. Please keep reading Berry FeistyPen; the words mean little if they haven’t been read.

My Ynaija article! Top 10 Influential Young Nigerians

The queen of Africa’s literary scene has, for the past decade, shown all young Nigerians, especially those aspiring to make impact as writers, that persistence and humility are sure pathways to the top. This 33 year old writer-cum-superstar, in 2005, won the Commonwealth First Book prize for her book; Purple Hibiscus and the Orange Prize in 2007 for Half of a Yellow Sun. She has been described by Booker Prize winner and African Literature legend, Chinua Achebe as one who has been blessed with the gift of ancient story tellers.
Over the past decade, Nigeria has been blessed with countless youths who have risen against the odds; who continue to show, in their different fields of influence, that excellence is not the preserve of any race, culture, creed or national. This list is by no means exhaustive, and there are of course countless young Nigerians impacting their world every day.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Tolu Ogunlesi


This pharmacist-turned-writer continues to show Nigeria, and indeed the whole of Africa, that speaking the truth is not the exclusive preserve of aging men. At 28, he has been a Features Editor at NEXT Newspapers, and has also been able to combine writing a refreshing column in the same editorial with a postgraduate program at the University of East Anglia. This 2009 CNN Multichoice Arts and Culture award winner has published a novella for young adults and has been published in countless articles in literary publications and magazines across the world.

Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani


This 34 year old, debuted with the award winning novel – I Do Not Come to You by Chance, and has become a force to reckon with in the literary scene. She is also the editor of Elan, of NEXT Newspapers, a columnist and a short story writer affiliated with many newspapers and magazines, including the New York Times and the Guardian, UK. Her book, which threw a beam of light on the popular email scam known as 419, won the Commonwealth First Book Prize for the African Region. As shown by her work, Adaobi represents the true African who is capable of looking at serious issues in a light hearted manner.

IK Osakioduwa,


Also known as Wild Child, IK describes himself as free and very childish at heart. This graduate of Economics from the University of Lagos has showed Africans that talk is certainly not cheap. A one-time radio presenter on Rhythm 93.7, where he attained the moniker Wild Child, he soon crossed over to the screen, presenting the M-Net’s magazine programme Studio 53, the Nigerian game show Temptation Nigeria and the stand-out stand-up series Comedy Club: Live in Lagos. Most recently, IK took over from KB Ngakane as the new host of the hit reality TV show, Big Brother.

Matse Uwatse


This young woman is a radio presenter with the indigenous pidgin speaking Wazobia FM. At 29, she has blazed a trail in pidgin radio presenting and given a voice to those who prefer to use the peculiar variant of English synonymous with Naija. Matse won the Club Unique awards in 2008 for “Most Outstanding Radio Presenter of this Generation”; and in 2009 won the Women in Media and Entertainment Awards for her “Excellence in Radio Presenting”, and the African Voices Awards in Nairobi, Kenya as the “Most Outstanding Radio Presenter in West Africa” amongst others. Revolutionising radio is what she is about, and she is certainly achieving her aim, as ‘Eko, how una see am’, her show on Wazobia FM has helped open up the hinterlands of Lagos to government intervention.

Uche Eze


Uche Eze is a 26 year old who has shown that technology has the power to change lives tremendously. I’m sure the founder of BellaNaija.com, didn’t envision that the amount she paid for her first laptop was a seed sown for this very bright future she is experiencing. Uche, who was featured on CNN i-List on the 28th of September 2010, has also appeared on the world renowned Oprah Winfrey Show. The online magazine BellaNaija.com; a lifestyle, fashion and entertainment blog grew out of a smaller blog which she started 4 years ago, and has grown to become one of the hottest destinations for celebrity news and fashion trends on the Internet.

Genevieve Nnaji


This queen of Nollywood, has shown us all what celebrity really means, climbing the ladder to become arguably the most popular actress in the whole of Africa. She has starred in over 80 films, and is tagged in some circles as the Angelina Jolie of Nollywood. Recently awarded with an endorsement contract to become the new face of MUD Nigeria, Genny as she is popularly called, has received several awards and nominations for her work, including the Best Actress of the Year award at the 2001 City People Awards and the Best Actress in a Leading Role award at the 2005 African Movie Academy Awards. The multi talented actress has launched a cloth line, St. Genevieve and released an album; One Logologo Line, a mixture of R&B, Hip-Hop and Urban music.

TuFace Idibia


Over the past decade, Tuface brought the essence of Michael Jackson’s star quality to the Nigerian music scene. Tu Baba, as he is fondly called, has a classic grass to grace story, ascending from a humble Idoma background to clinch dozens of continental and international awards over the years. Refusing to be bogged down by criticism, domestic scandals, and public misunderstanding, he has forged ahead to become the quintessential African music sensation.

PSquare


P-Square is a Nigerian R&B duo composed of identical twin brothers; Peter and Paul Okoye, born in 1981. They provide powerful instruction on the power of unity and cooperation to produce sustainable progress. They are the first Nigerian group to, in 2005, get a whooping sum of one million dollars as reward for their Kora All Africa Award. This vibrant duo released their second album, Get Squared under their own label, Square Records, the video of which held the #1 position on the MTV Base chart for four straight weeks. They have an ever growing fan base across Africa, and are dexterous dancers too. They have received numerous awards over the years, including the Channel O Best Video Award in 2008 for their song, Do Me.
Performing alongside the international artists like Ginuwine, Sean Paul, Akon, they maintain as their distinguishing factor a mastery of musical instruments such as the keyboard, bass drum and rhythm guitar.

Audu Maikori


Audu Maikori has made remarkable strides in developing the entertainment industry, paving the way for music sensations like Ice Prince, Jesse Jagz, Jeremiah Gyang and M.I amongst others with Chocolate City, his entertainment outfit. This International Young Music Entrepreneur of 2007 has been described by the judges of the British music award as showing a remarkable combination of market knowledge, clear thinking and a calm approach to business.

My Ynaija post! Let's paint the town RED!

“Baby, Let’s paint the town red today”, a guy once said to me when I was still at that point when I heard quirky lines on a day to day basis. I can remember thinking that anyone who talked like that must be up to no good. Paint the town red, ke? With my blood?! It was a scary thought to my 16 year old mind.




“Paint the town red” I eventually found out is a phrase coined as far back as the 1830’s meaning to engage in a riotous spree, connoting a riotous behaviour resulting in much blood being spilt.
Red is associated with blood, roses, fire, the sun and the sky at sunset. I recently commented on a picture of the sun setting, that it had the capacity to hold me in awe no matter how many times I saw it, with its kaleidoscope of red hues vying for glory as the sun retires to the West. Red is used as a symbol of guilt, sin and anger, often as connected with blood or sex. It is also a symbol for love, passion and beauty.

Another popular example of its symbol for guilt is in the phrase "caught red-handed", meaning either caught in an act of crime or caught with the blood of murder still on one's hands. The phrase "red-blooded" describes someone who is audacious, robust, or virile. Red catches people's attention, and can be used either in a negative way to indicate danger and emergency, or in a positive way in advertising to gain more viewers (many thriving brands use red as their color) or in nature, as a ripe fruit announces its readiness with its red color.

 Several studies have indicated that red carries the strongest reaction of all the colors, with the level of reaction decreasing gradually with orange, yellow, and white, respectively. Because of this, red is often used to catch people's attention in a variety of situations like in football where the heart rate of fans increase as they sight that red card produced from the pocket of the referee.




There is something about the year 2011 which I perceive: it is a year of the red.




2011 and the red of love.


As a nation and as individuals, 2011 is a year that must be heralded with much love bursting in our hearts. The recent bombings in Jos, and even the bombings we had at the Celebration of our 50th anniversary are not events that should occur in 2011. Love for our neighbor irrespective of tribe, religious affiliations, and political partisanship should be practiced throughout the year and beyond.

This is a most timely reminder for us all even as we embark on general elections in the new year; election rigging, zoning disputes, acts of terrorism and kidnappings are not indicators of the love of God. We, young people are usually the targets of political hooligans exploiting our red bloodedness, and therefore all such manipulations should be resisted and instead that passion channeled to loving and lovely causes. So in this case, let’s not paint the town red with our neighbors blood, but with the colour of love; red.




2011 and the red of the BLOOD


Let’s paint our towns in 2011 with the blood of JESUS. Just like in the Old Testament when the blood of rams and bulls was sprinkled on door posts so that the angel of death passed over, the blood of Jesus should be our own covering in the new year. 
It should go beyond merely a repetitive chant in churches and homes (Blood of Jesus! Blood of Jesus!) but a real awareness of the power of that blood and what it achieved for us.

Let us paint stop signs all over Nigeria with the red of His blood and say halt to Satan’s activities in the year 2011. The Scripture says” though your sins be as scarlet (red), they shall be white as snow”. In the Bible’s color coding, red+RED=WHITE; the capital red being the red of His blood.




This new year I would be caught red handed, painting the town red! What about you?

My Ynaija post! Who do Men say I am?

Last week Thursday I woke up to see the alleys of Facebook inundated with numbers – decimal numbers, whole numbers and occasionally, even a GSM number. I saw things like “#123 is ‘bad’ as in ‘a bad guy’, he can be annoying when he wants but he’s really just a bad guy”. I wondered what it all meant.


I got the inside scoop from my sister, a chronic ‘twitterlet’ if you could call it that, who said an American rapper, Nicki Minaj, had tweeted that folks should send their friends peculiar numbers, so they could tweet about what they felt of the owners of the numbers without revealing their identity. Of course in keeping with the nature of the internet, which a colleague has aptly described as ‘anti–secret’, it spread like wild fire to Facebook , which is why it ended up in my news feed.


I thought the game was fascinating, and I indulged a bit. I chose the number 2202 – my son’s birth date – and sent it to at least 15 of my friends who were in on the game. I also received at least 20 numbers. I set about providing as much ego boosting commentary as I could, throwing in the occasional criticism to provide the balance I thought necessary to avoid being ingratiating. Facebook is, after all, a social network.


I received my commentaries too; glowing platitudes of my ‘achievements’. I really had to laugh, what would God think of this? I did receive a few strokes too; a dear friend said, “You can be bossy at times”, but quickly went on to add, “but even in your bossiness, there’s still something to be learnt”. Bless her heart , for remembering that the ego is like a porcelain vase; fragile.


The concept of wanting to know what people think of us didn’t start from Nicki Minaj. Legend speaks of ancient kings who would assemble their subjects in their opulent palaces and ask that they begin to tell what they thought of the king, his leadership and the vastness of his kingdom (it was never considered that the kingdom wasn’t vast). To be certain, those sessions were a mere formality, because anyone who dared to speak of a grievance with the king was immediately beheaded – a great price to pay for unrestrained candor.


Even our Lord Jesus felt a need to feel the heartbeat of his followers; to come to terms with their perceptions of him no matter how amorphous.


He said, “who do people say I am?”. After a series of interesting answers, he asked, “who do you say I am?” speaking to his close twelve, suggesting that maybe their answer mattered more.


Many of us know the inspired answer that Simon Peter gave, for which Jesus had to confess “flesh and blood had not revealed this to you”. His answer was rewarded with the privilege of being the foundation upon which the church is built. Ah, the importance of the right answer!


Jesus didn’t ask those questions because he didn’t know who he was. He had revealed who he was repeatedly, to the disgust of the Pharisees and teachers of the law. When Jesus said, “I and my father are one,” they spat and shook their heads saying, “How dare he compare himself to God?”


Since this faith which we share is about being Christ like, then we would do well to emulate his ways. Jesus went first to his father to receive insight into who he was. The same should apply to us. God gives the clearest, unbiased, honest opinion of us through his word.


The verses “For he that looketh into the perfect law of liberty” and “As we behold with open faces, as in a glass” show that there is a place for looking and beholding. Are you looking where you should? Are you doing anything about what you see?


It is still important for us to know what men think of us, especially the members of the household of faith. Even Apostle Paul, after hearing that the Corinthian church felt that he was a bit harsh with his first letter, felt the need to explain the reason for his fiery tone by writing 2nd Corinthians. There he explained that it was really because he desired the best for them, assuring them of his consuming love. There is indeed a thing as peer-to-peer review, resulting in a change for the better.


But our unique identity, in its purest form, is still only available from God. So if HE says #123 is a bad guy, he means just that – he is a bad guy.


And if HE tells me I am too bossy for comfort, I doubt that he would accompany his comment with a compliment to try to make me feel good.