As it turned out and quite sadly too, God didn't 'call' Bro Joe because he was not literate! Apparently, ability to communicate in good English does not qualify Bro Joe as literate. God wanted his Degree certificate too. As soon as Bro found this was what his 'promotion' delay was all about,he set out to right the wrong no matter at what price.
Bro Joe began a full time degree course at the Federal University of Technology,Akure in Ondo state. This was some distance from his church in Abeokuta ,Ogun state where he is as active as ever. The five years he spent to obtain the degree certificate was spent shuttling between the two states. He spends the first half of each week for the church in Ogun state and the other half for the school in Ondo state. I guess since it was God that wanted him to have it,He, as a matter of duty saw him through the program. We can not say otherwise for Bro Joe never missed a test or assignment during the five years. Neither a single carry over. He passed out in flying colours.
Everyone was happy for Bro Joe turned Pastor Joe. Everyone perhaps except his friend whom we shall call Mr Killjoy. Not that he was unhappy per se. But he had the nerve to question Bro Joe's credibility. Mr Killjoy was the one that housed Bro Joe in that five years of studying in the University. According to him,he has never seen Bro Joe with a course note whenever he comes around during that five years and it beats him hollow how Bro Joe made his Second Class Upper.
What ensued between Bro Joe who was unimpressed by the question mark put on his integrity by his friend,Mr Killjoy is another is a story for another lesson. What have we learnt from my story ? We don't need an ouija board to know that Pastor must have been 'generous' to some lecturers during the span of his studies in a desperation to meet the value-system of his Christain faith denomination. Do we think such value-system is excusable if it breeds corrupt practices even among those who are supposed to be models to the pew. What moral justification would a Pastor Joe possess to preach or to paraphrase Tosin Ayo,'to reach out' to that lady prostituting her body for cheap marks from the lecturer?
I could go on and on with scenarios Pastor Joe has no moral justification to poke his contaminated nose into. Something I can not comprehend is wrong with our value system. We put value on vanity. We succumb ourselves to undue pressure to impress people we do not care for. We use the money we don't have to purchase the goods and services we don't need. We wilfully make ourselves contestants in the rat race. And a sage once cleverly remarked,'the problem with the rat race is that even if you win,you are still a rat'. Sounds more like vanity upon vanity all is vanity.
If the church is not getting it right,the future is bleak.
®Adedayo Olaoluwa fisayo aka Ogbeni La writes from the Sunshine State.
Friday, 5 December 2014
LENS - VIEW ~ By Ogbenነ Laa
How do we salvage our defective value system ?
Today,I write about a certain man of God in one the Christain faith denomination around. I had a heated argument within me trying to determine whether I should reveal the identity of this church or not. My instinctive drive does not even have patience for such inner debate. But I desire not to heat up the already charged religious polity whereas my primary objective is to merely expose the questionable yardstick for our value system. By the way,value-system simply means the principles of right or wrong that are acceptable by an individual or social group. So said, my shout out goes to my readers who are Daddy G.Os' bootlickers. My disdainful respect for your 'spiritual ego' has successfully cautioned me from mentioning the name of the church involved in my tale.
A man whom for the purpose of this story we shall address as Bro Joe is a dedicated man of God by all Nigerian standard. He has served in the vineyard of the Lord for quite some years. Of course,this selfless service comes with the prospect of becoming an ordained pastor soon. I want to believe this is standard practice except God fancies you and 'calls' you himself. Therefore,it is only fair to put it that Bro Joe's ambition was not inordinate. He was reasonable.
But soon never came for Bro Joe after many years of 'apprenticeship.' Something was apparently wrong for Bro Joe was an acclaimed devout even within the his parish congregation. Younger brothers that joined the vineyard after him have all being posted to new parishes as pastors. God didn't 'promote' Joe-at least that's the impression the church hierachy gave. Anyway,that's my personal feeling on the whole insensitivity to Bro Joe's donkey years of service in the vineyard. God must have been telling the Church elders something inaudible to the rest of us sinners.
As it turned out and quite sadly too, God didn't 'call' Bro Joe because he was not literate! Apparently, ability to communicate in good English does not qualify Bro Joe as literate. God wanted his Degree certificate too. As soon as Bro found this was what his 'promotion' delay was all about,he set out to right the wrong no matter at what price.
Bro Joe began a full time degree course at the Federal University of Technology,Akure in Ondo state. This was some distance from his church in Abeokuta ,Ogun state where he is as active as ever. The five years he spent to obtain the degree certificate was spent shuttling between the two states. He spends the first half of each week for the church in Ogun state and the other half for the school in Ondo state. I guess since it was God that wanted him to have it,He, as a matter of duty saw him through the program. We can not say otherwise for Bro Joe never missed a test or assignment during the five years. Neither a single carry over. He passed out in flying colours.
Everyone was happy for Bro Joe turned Pastor Joe. Everyone perhaps except his friend whom we shall call Mr Killjoy. Not that he was unhappy per se. But he had the nerve to question Bro Joe's credibility. Mr Killjoy was the one that housed Bro Joe in that five years of studying in the University. According to him,he has never seen Bro Joe with a course note whenever he comes around during that five years and it beats him hollow how Bro Joe made his Second Class Upper.
What ensued between Bro Joe who was unimpressed by the question mark put on his integrity by his friend,Mr Killjoy is another is a story for another lesson. What have we learnt from my story ? We don't need an ouija board to know that Pastor must have been 'generous' to some lecturers during the span of his studies in a desperation to meet the value-system of his Christain faith denomination. Do we think such value-system is excusable if it breeds corrupt practices even among those who are supposed to be models to the pew. What moral justification would a Pastor Joe possess to preach or to paraphrase Tosin Ayo,'to reach out' to that lady prostituting her body for cheap marks from the lecturer?
I could go on and on with scenarios Pastor Joe has no moral justification to poke his contaminated nose into. Something I can not comprehend is wrong with our value system. We put value on vanity. We succumb ourselves to undue pressure to impress people we do not care for. We use the money we don't have to purchase the goods and services we don't need. We wilfully make ourselves contestants in the rat race. And a sage once cleverly remarked,'the problem with the rat race is that even if you win,you are still a rat'. Sounds more like vanity upon vanity all is vanity.
If the church is not getting it right,the future is bleak.
®Adedayo Olaoluwa fisayo aka Ogbeni La writes from the Sunshine State.
As it turned out and quite sadly too, God didn't 'call' Bro Joe because he was not literate! Apparently, ability to communicate in good English does not qualify Bro Joe as literate. God wanted his Degree certificate too. As soon as Bro found this was what his 'promotion' delay was all about,he set out to right the wrong no matter at what price.
Bro Joe began a full time degree course at the Federal University of Technology,Akure in Ondo state. This was some distance from his church in Abeokuta ,Ogun state where he is as active as ever. The five years he spent to obtain the degree certificate was spent shuttling between the two states. He spends the first half of each week for the church in Ogun state and the other half for the school in Ondo state. I guess since it was God that wanted him to have it,He, as a matter of duty saw him through the program. We can not say otherwise for Bro Joe never missed a test or assignment during the five years. Neither a single carry over. He passed out in flying colours.
Everyone was happy for Bro Joe turned Pastor Joe. Everyone perhaps except his friend whom we shall call Mr Killjoy. Not that he was unhappy per se. But he had the nerve to question Bro Joe's credibility. Mr Killjoy was the one that housed Bro Joe in that five years of studying in the University. According to him,he has never seen Bro Joe with a course note whenever he comes around during that five years and it beats him hollow how Bro Joe made his Second Class Upper.
What ensued between Bro Joe who was unimpressed by the question mark put on his integrity by his friend,Mr Killjoy is another is a story for another lesson. What have we learnt from my story ? We don't need an ouija board to know that Pastor must have been 'generous' to some lecturers during the span of his studies in a desperation to meet the value-system of his Christain faith denomination. Do we think such value-system is excusable if it breeds corrupt practices even among those who are supposed to be models to the pew. What moral justification would a Pastor Joe possess to preach or to paraphrase Tosin Ayo,'to reach out' to that lady prostituting her body for cheap marks from the lecturer?
I could go on and on with scenarios Pastor Joe has no moral justification to poke his contaminated nose into. Something I can not comprehend is wrong with our value system. We put value on vanity. We succumb ourselves to undue pressure to impress people we do not care for. We use the money we don't have to purchase the goods and services we don't need. We wilfully make ourselves contestants in the rat race. And a sage once cleverly remarked,'the problem with the rat race is that even if you win,you are still a rat'. Sounds more like vanity upon vanity all is vanity.
If the church is not getting it right,the future is bleak.
®Adedayo Olaoluwa fisayo aka Ogbeni La writes from the Sunshine State.
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