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Wednesday 27 January 2016

#Vlog - A Spouse for Now and Tomorrow! (Video Post)

Hello everyone!!

I am excited to be presenting the first Vlog of 2016 for 1 + The One!

It's been a while right? Lol.. Well, by God's grace, the plan is to have a Vlog once a week and hope to engage with you as much as possible.

If you'd like to ask any question or would like us to discuss a particular topic, please do not hesitate to contact us by sending an email or DM on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram :-)

Today's Vlog is inspired by an interesting story I heard someone tell about he and his wife building their house as a young couple and something they learnt!..  Now how does that have anything to do with relationships / marriage?? Well, you have to watch to find out! :-D

Thank you guys for the love, encouragement and support. I appreciate you immensely. Lots of love xxxx



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Tuesday 19 January 2016

Really wonderful? Or a Sweet Invention of Your Dreams?



If you ever watched the 1997 Rodger's and Hammerstein's version of Cinderella with singer Brandy as lead character, you might be able to remember the above excerpt from one of the many songs in the movie.

My sister and I loved singing this among many of the other very catchy and lovely songs from the movie (we both love songs and are incurable romantics too! lol).

I was singing it a few days ago and the words hit me afresh. The questions asked in those lines are very valid in a relationship! (You can read again).. Permit me to rephrase:

Do you love him / her because he / she is wonderful or is your perspective coloured by the fact that your feelings for them are so deep that at the moment you are very blind to their shortcomings or to the fact that this person isn't good for you!

Image result for love is blind
Open your eyes love
They say love is blind, I say marriage is too important for you to go into blindly! I consider romance and physical attraction very important ingredients of a great marriage, however it is important to be objective in a relationship and be realistic about your partner... Like really look and evaluate this person that you would potentially share your life, dreams and destiny with.

No human being is perfect, but there are some imperfections that you can live with and others that would drive you up the wall!

It's not enough to say with a dreamy look in your eyes "He's just *deep sigh* wonderful!" when really and truly there are a number of things not quite wonderful about him.. You get me?

Here are a few ways for you to check your relationship and partner objectively:

1. Your Loved Ones: Watch what they say and think about the person you're dating/courting. If they really love you, they want you to be happy! It's amazing how our close relatives and friends can spot a phony even when the person seems very perfect to us. Don't be quick to dismiss their opinions.

2. Their Loved Ones: In this case, you are the one who would do the observation. Watch how they treat and relate with their family. Does he/she respect them? Are they sacrificial with them? How do they view commitment to family? You see, if you do get married, you would become 'family' therefore, they might treat you like royalty while you're dating but when you become 'family' their idea of what it means to them is how they might interpret it with you.

3. Their Words: Listen, like really listen to what they say. Don't toss it away as just 'speaking in the moment' be careful to listen to comments they make, how they respond to situations and speak about the future. Are they negative, positive, aggressive, measured, critical or benevolent? The words that proceed out of someone's lips is a good indication of what's going on inside.. After all, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

4. Their Friends: Very simple - 'Show me your friends and I will tell you who you are'. If it seems to you that except your partner, all the their other friends are bad then you might want to check again. I don't know about you but I may have many acquaintances but most of my close friends are people I share certain values and norms with.

5. Strangers: By strangers, I mean strangers who serve them. You might have heard this before but please do not ignore - watch the way they talk to and treat people who are of no help to them. Are they courteous to waiters when you go out to dinner? How do they talk to people who serve them at stores? Are they brash, kind or dismissive?

The list above is in no way exhaustive so please feel free to add yours when you comment!

I must say though that when it comes to human behaviour and personality, one brush is insufficient to paint the lot. There might be exceptions to the rule but very importantly, know your man, know your woman! Don't be blinded by emotions and feelings. Ask questions, watch and above all pray for God-ly insight.

Thankfully, Cinderella was right about her Prince, it wasn't just a sweet invention of lovers' dream.. How do I know? Well, they lived happily ever after! :-D

May God give us the grace to open our eyes to really see the stuff that our partners are made of in Jesus name. May He also build and mould us to deal with our shortcomings and be excellent people ourselves.

xxxxx

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Friday 15 January 2016

Dear Daddy

Dear Daddy,

My Ultimate Focus, the Great Rewarder, the One whose word is Faithful and True. The One whose power is matchless. The One who reigns in heaven and rules the affairs of men. Excellent God, Beautiful Saviour, Gentle Holy Spirit, I honour You. You are great and greatly to be praised!

Daddy, I am learning new things in the area of thanksgiving and I am thankful to You for making this possible. My dear friend and sister said to me only a few days ago - "Ayo, I am learning to be grateful for NOW"..

Sometimes Lord, we get so focused on the future and what we hope to have and be that we forget to appreciate and thank You for today. Indeed, today is the answer to yesterday's prayers.

I thank You for where I am right now! I thank You for this season of my life. I know that it is part of your perfect plan for my life to be me right now. I thank You for blessing me with such amazing people around me now, I thank You for my job now, I thank You for my income now, I thank You for my position now. I thank You for the girl that You have made me now - certainly not the same as yesterday.

I know I don't thank You enough Daddy, as sometimes I tend to be more set on the future, on what is coming (I guess I am very excited about what the future holds in You lol) but Daddy from the bottom of my heart, thank You for my now. My life is in Your hands and I acknowledge that Your timing is perfect, impeccable, absolutely faultless.

I am forever grateful Lord and whether it be now or the future, one thing I am sure of is that I am sold out to You. It is me and You for the long haul - this side of eternity and after!

I love You always and I remain indebtedly grateful to You.

All my love (and then some),
One xx

Tuesday 12 January 2016

The Gift of Waiting

"God has put dreams and desires in every person's heart. But most of the time, there is a season of waiting involved. Maybe you are waiting for a relationship to improve; waiting to get married or waiting for a promotion. Much of life is spent waiting...." - Joel Osteen

I was sent this very beautiful piece of encouragement this morning by my beautiful mum. It's an extract from Joel Osteen's devotional 'Today's Word with Joel and Victoria Osteen'.

That last line is the truth - "Much of life is spent waiting".. Waiting or praying about something. Can you look back at your life and think of a time that you weren't expecting something or 'trusting' God for something? It's difficult right?

When?
Personally, looking back, I remember when the most important thing for me was being able to make good grades in school. Next, prayers changed to being able to gain admission into a great University. Following that, was to graduate with a good grade. After that, I needed a great job. Afterwards, I wanted a great man and a great marriage.. After this, there would be the desire for children and to conceive, next would be for them to be born healthy and then for them to be safe etc etc.. the cycle continues. The truth is that there's hardly a time in our lives that we are not hopeful about something, committing it in prayers and trusting God to answer!

Now, one of the things about prayer and answers from God is that we don't always know when the answer would come. We determine the course of action (prayer), we are assured that God will answer (Matthew 7:7), however, often times, what we cannot tell is when He will.. This is where the waiting comes in.

You and I can agree that waiting can be the MOST difficult thing! Argghhhhhhh.. Who invented waiting??! (You and I know who right?) lol

Nevertheless, just like everything God makes is good, waiting on God is good (don't shoot me yet!). Indeed, there are many benefits I have discovered in waiting. It's hardly ever a pleasant experience, but I believe that a lot of our character and strength is moulded in the place of waiting. Particularly, waiting on God!

1. You learn how to trust God more. You learn the power of pure dependence on God.

2. You learn how to be patient - Oh you do!

3. You learn how to pray (praise and fast!). Your walk with God is enhanced.

4. You appreciate your blessings.. Sometimes, it becomes more valuable.

5. You KNOW that the God that you serve is faithful indeed.

6. The gift is not the prize, the character you build in the process is the real gift of waiting.

... There are so many benefits of waiting and I enourage you to think about it, focus on that rather than on what is yet to come. Trust God, He is ever faithful. Know that He has only your best interest at heart. Has He made a promise to You expressly personal or through His word? He will definitely come through for you. It's only a matter of time.. Do not waste your gift of waiting in the place of idle anxiety.

May 2016 be good to you by the grace of God.

What's your waiting story? What have you learnt in the process? Please share...

Lots of love xxxx

PS Don't forget the Understanding Purpose Conference this Saturday, 16th of January, 2016. I'll be there, hope to see you!!

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Remember that 1 + The One is very social :-) Please connect with us on:

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Monday 4 January 2016

2016 is Here! 'Understanding Purpose'

2016 is here with a bang and I am excited!!!!!

It's time to look forward, make plans, dream big and trust God bigger! I hope you are ready? If you asked us on 1 + The One, we are certainly ready to go the extra mile and take things to a new level by God's grace and we would be excited and very glad to have you join us on this wonderful journey of 2016.

If you haven't made any plans yet, please take a moment to do so. Don't just think about them, write them down. Don't just write them down, run with it.. Set targets, be practical about how you hope to achieve them and pray like you had no other option!! I hope to rejoice with you come December 31, 2016!!

In a bid to support you making those dreams come true in 2016, we ask:

Do you love music? Are you hoping to build a career in music but not sure how to go about it? Are you looking for mentorship in your musical career? Then this is for you!!!


Jaibikay's World Entertainment presents a one day music conference tagged: "Understanding Purpose". Join a host of distinguished music acts and key players within the music industry as they share from their wealth of knowledge and experience.

Speakers include: Nathaniel Bassey, Joe Praize, Preye Odede , ID Cabasa, Wole Oni, Lolo1 of Wazobia FM, Alex Amos (Selah Afrik) Tola Omoniyi (Praiseworld) Fola Folayan and many other greats.

Date: 16th January, 2016

Time: 10am

Venue: Citilodge Hotels. 1 Goshen Estate road, by Elf Bus-stop, Lekki.


Admission is free but registration is required.

Register at www.eventbrite.com. Search for Understanding Purpose on the site as well as convener@jaibikaysworld.com

This is proudly supported by: Citilodge Hotels, Cool FM, Wazobia FM, Nigeria Info FM, Cool TV, Wazobia TV, Wazobia Max, Rayvolution Media, Tehila Sounds, Liveway Radio, Praiseworld Radio, Missorge Kiddies, SelahAfrik, KemiFilani.com, Praiseworld radio and many more.

It's all about impacting lives!

There you have it folks... It's going to be great and it's FREE!!! Don't procrastinate, get registering and start the New Year on a very high note!!

Lots of love and a blessed 2016 to you!

Happy New Year xxxx