Crushes!

Ummmmm... a new year just started and this is my first post of 2015? I want to talk about something this insignificant? Yeah, I feel bad. Well, at least I'm not talking about some Gh celebrity being accused of raping a teenager (I'll leave that to the celebrity bloggers to blog about). On that though, seems the problem quite a number of Ghanaians have with it is he had sex with a teenager (he's admitted to that). As to whether it was consensual or not, is not the issue. The problem is he is 49 and she is 19 (his daughter is just about the same age). Whatever happens, even if the girl recants, his reputation really is just ruined (but I really am not talking about this).

Happy 2015, and all the blessings that come with entering a brand new year!
Let me put up something inspirational (I think) then if I haven't put up 2000 words, I'll talk about crushes.
I'm Anglican. I go to church every Sunday (yeah, really). The Gospel is read (bible passage), a hymn is sung, the preacher says a word of prayer, the preacher preaches and at that point I zone out (embarrassing, but it's the truth). Why do I do that? Well, I figure that's less embarrassing than dozing off and have my head lolling backwards (mighty embarrassing). Besides, when I zone out, no one even notices. I come back to earth when the preaching is over and we rise to say/sing the Apostles creed or Nicene creed.

Why not change churches if the preachers in my current church are not exactly interested in keeping me paying attention? Well, I have heard other preachers preach and pretty much the same thing happens. See, there are 3 priests in my church and any of them can preach according to their roster. Sometimes visiting priests come in to preach. Some preachers will start, just when I'm zoning out, they say something interesting or funny, I come back, I'm getting into the preaching, and then in an effort to reach the non-English speakers in the church, they translate what they say into a local language, which I probably don't understand (again, embarrassing), and then I go and come back to earth when they are done. Some preach all through in English with lots of jokes, so I stay with them throughout, laugh, enjoy what they say, but at the end, I don't particularly feel inspired or like I learnt anything. Matter of fact, 10 minutes after the preaching is done, I don't remember what it was about. As for some, as soon as I see them approaching the pulpit while the hymn is being sung, I know it's time to go.

And then last Sunday happened. There was a visiting priest. We are singing the hymn, I'm preparing to go, we done with the hymn, he says a word of prayer, I'm about to go, and then I hear, "start living in 2015". Of course I come back, mainly to say to myself, "we are 4 days into 2015 and now you say I should start living in 2015? What about all the years preceding 2015? What have I been doing? Seriously?" So now he has my attention mainly because I want to argue with him in my head. Then he breaks it down.
S - Stop making excuses
T - Take inventory of your life
A - Act in faith
R - Refocus your thoughts
T - Trust God

Not only did his message make so much sense, he added a whole lot of humour to it, plus there were real life examples, and he kept engaging the congregation, asking us to repeat stuff, asking us questions, etc. Most importantly, I felt inspired. By the time he was done, I literally felt like running up to him and lifting him shoulder high (seriously). But, he was just visiting, now I'm seriously thinking of looking up his parish and joining, all the time hoping he's not a one trick pony. But really, what I find so impressive is today, 5 days after, I can remember the message without looking into a book (I didn't take notes. beats me how I still remember any of it).

Before I start getting judged, I should say, I have received messages on social media talking about how people don't have time for the word of God, how churches are getting empty and clubs getting full, how people fall asleep while being preached to but are able to sit through countless movies. Well, I don't bother zoning out during some movies, I sleep. Not doze, sleep. We all have different gifts/talents (that's in the bible). Not all are meant to be preachers. Much respect to all the preachers out there. If for every 10 people you preach to, there is 1 of me, my utmost respect in trying to reach us (at least you try).

Now, for this priest, not sure I got his name. Hope his parish isn't too far from where I live.

But there goes my post on crushes. Maybe next time.