SPECIAL FEATURE | C. S LEWIS

His favorite books as a kid were Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson and the secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

As a teenager, he loved Poetry especially the works of Virgil. He was said to have made these statement.

"I can't imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only ones"

"It is a good rule after reading a new book never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between".

"No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally and often far-more reading at the age of fifty and beyond".

Born on November 29, 1898 C.S Lewis grew up around books and loved to read. He felt that finding a book to read was as easy as walking into a field and finding a new blade of grass.

According to history he was one of the intellectual giants and arguably one of the most influential writer of his days.

A first class graduate in Greek, Latin , Literature, philosophy and Ancient History and English literature.

He thought English at Magdalene College, Oxford were he worked for 29 years.

He wrote books like;
Pilgrims Regress in 1933, which was about his spiritual journey to christian faith.

"Allegory of love in 1936. This book won the Hawthorn den Prize, and is still considered as a master piece today. It's a work on the history of love literature from early middle age to Shakespeare's time.

Out of the silent planent 1938 was the first of trilogy of science friction novels.

His book, the chronicles of Narnia fantasy series was adapted into various films for big and small screen.

These are some of his works among other great books he wrote both for adult and children.

C.S Lewis life tells the story of how reading can touch a man and add colour to his career.

BEYOND THE COVER | REINVENTION BY BRAIN TRACY

How often have you looked in the mirror and thought, “Everything is perfect.” My job is fulfilling and pays me enough to enjoy the lifestyle of my dream. The people I work with are ideal colleagues who share my vision of success, and my business or company is poised to capitalize on new opportunities and dominate its market.

Never? Perhaps it’s time for a change. A reinvention! It may sound radical, and it is. But more important, it’s possible. Human beings-every one of us-are built to succeed, and if we haven’t yet charted our own unique course towards satisfaction and success, it’s only a question of when we take the plunge. The process begins when you wipe out the unsatisfying elements of the present so you can move onward and upward-quickly and decisively-toward the wonderful, bright future that awaits you.

Internationally renowned expert Brain Tracy has helped countless thousands of people literally reinvent themselves- just as he has reinvented himself over the years to achieve astonishing result in his own life and career. In Reinvention, he shares with you the same secrets he and others have used to embrace the future and create invigorating, low-stress, supersuccessful new lives.

As Tracy reveals, your own blend of talent, knowledge skills, experiences, insight, and ambition is unique to you. Once you recognize your singular gifts and path to your singular gifts, the; path to your new life will be clear. With Reinvention, Tracy takes you through a powerful 7-step process that you can use right now- and, if you like, again and again throughout your life, at any age and stage- to consciously create positive change in your life. The Seven R’s that hold the key are:

REEVALUATING: Learn when and how to take a step back and look at what id different ways.

RETHINKING. Learn how to ask the right question and get the facts about any situation.

REORGANIZING. Discover secrets for secrets for streamlining every aspect of your work and life for maximum efficiency.
RESTRUCTURING. Just as business restructure to economize, you’ll learn how to channel your time, energy, money, and other resources toward your highest priorities.

REENGINEERING. Reduce and simplify the steps in any process, and learn how to identify those tasks that are best delegated to others.

REINVENTING. The heart of the matter. If you could (or had to) start your life and career over from the ground up, what would you do differently? Learn how to embrace this mentality- and live it.

REGAINING CONTROL. Understand how you and you alone control your own life and destiny. Far from being a burden, this control is your greatest gift in remaking your life.

With our world in a constant state of flux, those who find success and true happiness will be those who not only change, but master change, create it, and leverage it. Profound, practical, and life-altering, Brain Tracy’s Reinvention will be the key to building your ideal world and securing your place in it.

Reinvention is a guide for anyone looking for success, fulfillment , and a fresh start.

A PEEK FROM A BOOK | WHAT'S SO AMAZING ABOUT GRACE

God is a God of grace. This means that, whatever we get from God is not given to us based on merit. It is a divine nature of God to be good to all.  The church is called to be like Christ. If Christ is graceful. How does the church display grace in a society that seem graceless? These three different stories from the book, ‘What’s So Amazing About Grace’ would give you a hint.

STORY ONE
A prostitute came to me in wretched straits, homeless, sick, unable to buy food for her two-year-old daughter. Through sobs and tears, she told me she had been renting out her daughter-two years old!-to men interested in kinky sex. She made more renting out her daughter for an hour than she could earn on her own in a night. She had to do it, she said, to support her drug habit. I could hardly bear hearing her sordid story. For one thing, it made me legally liable-I'm required to report cases of child abuse. I had no idea what to say to this woman.

At last I asked if she had ever thought of going to a church for help. I will never forget the look of pure, naïve shock that crossed her face "Church!" She cried. "Why would I ever go there? I was already feeling terrible about myself. They'd just make me feel worse."

STORY TWO
In church the other Sunday I was intent on a small child who was turning around smiling at everyone. He wasn't gurgling, spitting, humming, kicking, tearing the hymnals, or rummaging through his mother's handbag. He was just smiling. Finally, his mother jerked him about and in a stage whisper that could be heard in a little theatre off Broadway said, "Stop that grinning! You're in church!" With that she gave him a belt and as the tears rolled down his cheeks added, "That's better," and returned to her prayer.

Suddenly I was angry. It occurred to me the entire world is in tears, and if you're not, then you'd better get with it. I wanted to grab this child with the tear-stained face close to me and tell him about my God. The happy God. The smiling God. The God who had to have a sense of humor to have created the likes of us..... By tradition, one wears faith with the solemnity of a mourner, the gravity of a mask of tragedy, and the dedication of a Rotary badge.

What a fool, I thought. Here was a woman sitting next to the only light left in our civilization-the only hope, our only miracle- our only promise of infinity. If he couldn't smile in church, where was left to go?

STORY THREE
Peter Greave wrote a memoir of his life with leprosy, a disease he contracted while stationed in India. He returned to England, half-blind and partially paralyzed, to live on a compound run by a group of Anglican sisters. Unable to work, an outcast from society, he turned bitter. He thought of suicide. He made elaborate plans to escape the compound, but always backed out because he had nowhere to go. One morning, uncharacteristically, he got up very early and strolled the grounds. Hearing a buzzing noise, he followed it to the chapel, where sisters were praying for the patients whose names were written on it's wall. Among the names, he found his own. Somehow that experience of connection, of linking, changed the course of his life. He felt wanted. He felt graced.

"Doesn’t the bible say we must love everybody?"

"O, the Bible! To be sure, it says a great many things; but, then nobody ever thinks of doing them"
HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, UNCLE TOM'S CABIN

We speak of grace often. But do we understand it? More importantly, do we truly believe in it....? And do our lives proclaim it as powerfully as our words?
Keep in mind you are the church and no matter where we run to grace can be found only in Christ.

To read and understand how to live a grace filled life get PHILIP YANCY's book WHAT IS SO AMAZING ABOUT GRACE

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SPECIAL FEATURE | TREASURED STORY: MOTHERS ROCK

"We just don't have the money, Bennie"

BEN CARSON AND HIS MOTHER

In the months Dad left, Curtis and I must have heard that statement a hundred times, and, of course, it was true. When we asked for toys or candy, as we'd done before, I soon learned to tell from the expression on Mother's face how deeply it hurt her to deny us. After a while I stopped asking for what I knew we couldn't have anyway.

In a few instances resentment flashed across my mother's face. Then she'd get very calm and explain to us boys that Dad loved us but wouldn't give her money to support us. I vaguely recall a few times when Mother went to court, trying to get child support from him. Afterwards, dad would send money for month or two- never the full amount- and he always had a legitimate excuse.

One reason I didn't hold any grudges or harsh feelings towards Dad must have been that my mother seldom blamed him- at least not to us or our hearing. I can hardly think of a time when she spoke against him.

More important than that fact, though, Mother managed to bring a sense of security to our three-member family. While I missed dad, for a long time, I felt a sense of contentment being with just mother and my brother because we really did have a happy family.

My mother, a young woman with hardly any education, came from a large family and had many things against her. Yet she pulled off a miracle in her own life, and helped in ours. I can hear Mother's voice; no matter how bad things were, saying, “Bennie, we’re going to be fine." Those were not empty words either, for she believed them too, and they provided a comforting assurance for me.

Part of Mother's strength came from a deep-seated faith in God and perhaps just as much from her innate ability to inspire Curtis and me to know she meant every word she said. We knew we weren't rich; yet no matter how bad things got us, we didn't worry about what we'd have to eat or where we'd live.

Our growing up without father put a heavy burden on mother. She didn't complain - at least not to us- and she didn't feel sorry for herself. She tried to carry the whole load, and somehow I understood what she was doing. No matter how many hours she had to be away from us at work, I knew she was doing it for us. That dedication and sacrifice made a profound impression in my life.

Abraham Lincoln once said, "All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my mother." I'm not sure I want to say it quite like that, but my mother, Sonya Carson, was the earliest, strongest and most impacting force in my life.

BEN CARSONS' FAMILY 

It would be impossible to tell about my accomplishments without starting with my mother's influence. For me to tell my story means to beginning with hers.

Ben Carson's testimony of his mum Sonya Carson as found in the book 'Gifted Hands.

GUEST COLUMN | TRULY FAITHFUL : "THE OPPORTUNITY TO LOVE LIKE CHRIST!

Most times your spouse would do things that would get on your nerve. And as it is with the natural man, the first thing that comes to mind is to react. Pastor Vance says, it’s an opportunity to love like Christ did. But is it really easy to love like Christ did? Find out in this thought provoking read from Truly Faithful.

"The Opportunity to Love Like Christ"! ~ PAV

I remember once when we had no vehicle and I was in school, that I had to walk to school with all of my heavy books in the rain. That was almost 2 miles of walking in the rain. Before I left school, I messaged my wife on Facebook because we didn't have phones at the time and asked her did she need anything before I came home. She gave me a list of things we needed for the house so I tried finding a ride. I couldn't so I decided to foot it once again. This time I had to walk all the way from school to the store not far from our house which was a little over two miles. So I got to the store and picked up the things we needed. Well believe it or not, all that walking was the easy part as many of my past jobs required me to walk for hours at a time. The hard part was carrying all those things home as it has started back raining. I had several heavy bags and stopped frequently as the bags felt like they were cutting my hands. It was very discouraging to say the least but I kept thinking how I just wanted to come home to my wife and children, relax and eat a home cooked meal. I was tired and hoping my wife would reward me for all of the things I had done for her and our children.

When I got to the front door, I was thinking she was going to open it as she had done many times before. Because once she knew I was headed home, she would normally time how long it took me to get there, open the door, greet me and then the children are next. But this was not to be this time around. So I put all the bags down, wiped my head with my shirt which was drenched from sweat and rain and opened the door. What I saw when I walked in literally drained the little energy I had left. I saw food all over the floor, spilled milk, toys, piles of cheerios and more. My wife was on the phone, my daughters hair were not done and my son was making another pile of cheerios. I was a man on fire at that very moment.

I put everything down and in my mind, I had already refused to help do anything as I was tired and felt like my wife should have done her part in keeping our home and children in order. My wife put whoever she was talking to on hold and whispered to me, "I'm sorry I don't have anything done but I have been on the phone with this lady all day. She's been crying about this, that and the other. I will get things done as soon as I'm off". I was not happy that the house looked a mess. I was not happy that our children looked a greater mess with food all over their clothes and in their hair and I was not happy that no food was cooked or even made for me. I was like, can a brother get a sandwich? Can that woman on the phone wait? I was mad and walked away so that I would not act out in my flesh.

You see, I felt I deserved a clean house, clean children and a meal when I got home. Any of you would agree. This is what a husband is to come home to everyday. But when I got to myself, the Lord said, "Here is your opportunity to love your wife as I love the church". I stopped. Here I am mad as a raging bull and the Lord is telling me to love my wife? I was like, "But Lord, she hasn't done ANYTHING that she normally does. What about ME? What about that I have to wake up early just to walk and make it to school on time? What about the fact that she asked me to go to the store and I went with no complaints even though I had to walk over two miles to get there after walking almost two miles just to get to school IN THE RAIN? What about having to walk home in the rain carrying all these heavy bags AND MY BOOKS? In other words I was asking the Lord, "WHAT ABOUT ME"? And all He said was, "This is an opportunity to love your wife at this time".

I paused. I thought. I pondered. My flesh wanted to reject what the Lord told me but my spirit man was ready, willing and able to go and love my wife ANYWAY! I prayed a little more because I needed that strength from the Lord. I then went to get the children cleaned up. I cleaned the kitchen but left a pile of Cheerios so that my son could continue to play in while I made myself and my wife food. As I began to clean up and make food, the Lord then revealed to me that my wife had not eaten all day. I overheard the conversation that my wife had been ministering to a woman who was at her wits end in her marriage and was ready to walk out on her husband and children. And in order to keep the children occupied, she allowed them to mess up a little which was a lot in my sight (LOL) so that she could minister to a woman who was on the edge. By the time my wife was off the phone which was over an hour later, I could tell she too was exhausted (Yes for those that do not know, ministry can be very draining but God refreshes those who refresh), hungry and drained. So I served her food, made her a nice drink, pulled up the chair so she could kick her feet up and let her pour her heart out about the day she had.

Listen husbands, I'm not a perfect husband by far. There have been many times I missed the opportunity to love my wife and operated in my flesh instead. There have been times I came home and felt things should have been done a certain way and let my wife know, which started an argument between us. But THAT TIME I heeded to the Holy Spirit and listened to my Savior and loved my wife even when my flesh pushed against doing so. But look what happened? My wife got up after all of that to go lay down and then she said, "Thanks for not being upset with me. Tell me, how was your day"? Shouldn't that have been the first thing she said to me when I came home? Yes! But just because it wasn't and just because things were not in order as they should have been, does that mean she is not worthy to be loved like Christ loved the church?

The sad part about that question I just asked is that too many "believers" would have said "No she was not worthy" but that means you missed the commandment God gave us husbands. The word didn't say, "Husbands, love your wives like Christ ONLY if they submit to you as unto the Lord". It didn't say, "Husbands love your wives like Christ loves the church ONLY if she reverences you like the word says". It also didn't say, "Husbands love your wives ONLY if your wife is a good and Godly wife" or "Husbands love your wives when she does what she is supposed to do". NO! It says, Husbands LOVE YOUR WIVES...PERIOD! We don't get to choose when we love our wives when we are in obedience to Christ although we can choose not to love our wives when we are in disobedience to Christ.

My point is not to bring ANY attention to what I did that day because remember initially I DIDN'T WANT TO! I wanted my wife to drop that phone and get our our home in the way it should have been done. I wanted my food. I wanted my reward, my respect for all I had done that day, BUT GOD! God reminded me that His daughter needed to be loved even when she is not perfect, even when she is slacking in her role. The point I'm trying to make is IT WAS CHRIST who strengthened me to love her when I was justified in my feelings. Husbands, you CANNOT love a wife like Christ without Christ. I have said this time and time again, IT TAKES CHRIST to love a wife like Christ and to give up your very life for her. That day, I gave up my way in order for her to have her way and be loved like she deserved. Yes she is worthy of and deserves to be loves in spite of her shortcomings. Why? BECAUSE GOD SAID SO! It does not matter what she does or does not do, My Lord said His daughter is worthy of love ALWAYS!

It was not easy and since then I have missed the opportunity to love my wife when she needed it. But with Christ, I am getting better and better and hopefully I am perfecting my love towards her as Christ enables me to do so. Husbands I give this word to you as Christ has given it to me and all Godly husbands, don't miss the opportunity to love like Christ even in times where you don't feel your wife deserves it. Rely on Christ in order to do this because I am telling you, you cannot do this on your own or you will fail every time! Be encouraged husbands, pray and ask God to help you to never miss "The Opportunity to Love (Your Wives) Like Christ"!

Eph 5:25 (ERV), "Husbands, love your wives THE SAME as Christ loved the church".

Only if you have Christ can you do this! Do you have Him?"

ABOUT OUR GUEST: Truly Faithful, which originally started in 2006, is a ministry that focuses on helping couples to become and stay Truly Faithful in their marriages and helping singles to prepare for Godly marriages according to the word of God.  Their motto for the ministry is, "Married couples, in order to be Truly Faithful to your spouse, you first must be Truly Faithful to Christ.  And singles always be Truly Faithful to Christ"!  The ministry is overseen by husband Pastor Antonio Vance, and his help meet Octavia E Vance known to many as "PAV & OEV".

The Vances have been married a little over 10 years and have 4 children ages 7, 5, 4 and 1 with another little one currently on the way.  PAV and OEV believe in being transparent about their ups and downs in marriage as led by the Holy Spirit in order to teach and encourage couples and singles who want to do marriage God's way.  They base every teaching off the word of God as the word is their governing authority.  You may find them on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, google+ and their personal website all listed below.

www.TrulyFaithful.com
www.Twitter.com/BeTrulyFaithful.com
www.youtube.com/BeTrulyFaithful
google.com/+Trulyfaithful
www.TrulyFaithful.com

MEET THESE AUTHORS | AUTHORS OF GIFTED HANDS; BEN CARSON AND CECIL MURPHY

BENJAMIN SOLOMON CARSON

Benjamin Solomon Carson was born on September 8th, 1951 in Detroit. He is the second son of Soya and Robert Solomon Carson.

He received his M.D from the university of Michigan Medical school and became a Director of Neurosurgery at John Hopkins at age 33.

He is well known for being the first surgeon to successfully separate Siamese twin joined at the head.

He was awarded the the presidential medial of freedom by president George W. Bush.

In 2013, he became a popular figure in conservative media after delivering a widely publicized speech at National Prayer Breakfast on social issues and federal government.

At the moment, Ben Carson is a columnist and a retired Neurosurgeon.



CECIL MURPHY

Cecil Murphy was born in Hobart, Oklahoman on January 28th 1933. He grew up in Davenpot.

In 1954, he became a christian through reading Magnificent Obsession by Lloyd C. Douglas.

He obtained a Bachelor in Religious Education from Chicago Bible college and BA in Education from Pestalozzi- Froebel Teaching College. IN 1970, he received his MA in Education and masters in Divinity. He was ordained that year by the Presbyterian church.
He also has a Ph. D from Emory University. He thought at Beulah Height university for 25 years.

He began writing in 1971 and in 1984, he left the pastorate to become a full time writer.

He wrote 90 minute in Heaven; A true life story of life and death. including other titles and devotionals.

He worked with Ben Carson to make Gifted Hands a reality.

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BRAIN FOOD | THE IMPORTANCE OF READING GREAT BOOKS

Written By Gbanaibolou Burutolu

“A rule of thumb for predicting future success is to know the number of books in the home.”

What's the Big Deal About Reading Lots of Great Books?

C. S. Lewis once said, "We read to know we are not alone." What this means to me is that, through books, more than through any other medium, I can have conversations with the minds of other people--how they think, what they believe, what they value. And more important, I can find out more about myself. There is something identifying and affirming to realize that other people have thought the same thoughts, had the same struggles, felt the same longings.

Reading also provides a window on the world. Robert Lewis Stevenson wrote, "There is no frigate like a book," meaning books can take you to times and places that you could never go in real life. I can read Perelandra and be on Venus or Ben Hur and be in the Roman Empire at the time of Christ or Cold Sassy Tree and feel what it was like to live in a small town in Georgia in the early 1900s.

From an educational perspective, being well-read places you in the small percentage of people who have a broader perspective of life--the movers and shakers of the world. Why? Because readers have superior language and thinking skills. They also know about life outside their narrow slice of it. They can see both the "big picture" and the details and keep a sense of perspective because they have read enough to expand their minds beyond the parameters of their own lives.

What Do We Want to Communicate About Reading?

There are four main concepts we want to communicate to our children about reading: (1) Written words have value because they are a vital communication tool; (2) Written words can be personally enjoyable; (3) Written words increase understanding and power over the world; and (4) Reading is something most people can easily learn to do. We communicate these concepts through:

Having a print rich environment. This simply means our house is full of good things to read.

Reading aloud to the child from an early age, pointing out simple words, running a finger from left to right under the lines of print, and encouraging the child that soon he will be able to read these books himself.

Letting the child see you read. Children take their cues about what is worthwhile from their parents. If the parents seldom read, the children assume reading is not a valuable activity. Boys need to see their fathers read.

Letting the child see you attach value to books. This not only means that you have your own library of personal “treasures,” but it also means that the child sees you enjoy reading and knows you go to books for answers to questions you have.

If books are to become an important part of your child's world, they must appear to be important to you. It is difficult to convince a child who never sees his or her parents with a book that reading a pleasurable activity, and self-education is a worthwhile use of time.

Many parents lament that their daughters become avid readers, but their sons are totally disinterested. Our question to these parents is: Do your children ever see their father read? Boys who only see Mom read begin to associate reading with feminine activities.

Fathers we have posed this question to give all sorts of excuses for not reading--they don't have time, they are slow readers, they can't find anything they want to read, they don't like reading, and so on. If you are a father who doesn't enjoy personal reading, consider reading aloud to your children books that they enjoy. This way they can see you interacting with books, even if you don't read much yourself.

The Benefits of a Print Rich Environment

It has been proven that children who grow up in homes where they have access to lots of good books for them to read whenever they choose have naturally superior language art skills.

For those reasons, we say READ, READ, READ; WRITE, WRITE, WRITE; and TALK, TALK, TALK. A child who hears English properly used at home and consistently reads well-written literature will automatically internalize correct grammar, word usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling and will also develop an extensive vocabulary.

If that weren't enough to convince you that reading is one of the most important activities your child can do, Cradles of Eminence studied common factors in the childhoods of 400 eminent men and women and concluded: “A rule of thumb for predicting future success is to know the number of books in the home.” With this in mind, you may want to slowly but surely build your own home library of proven favorites.

Although it may seem easier and cheaper to simply check books out from the library, children love to read and read and reread their favorites, and they take pleasure in having copies of books that have become their special friends. Also, if you have a large family, the books become an investment to be passed down to each succeeding child, and perhaps even to grandchildren.

Gbanaibolou Burutolu is a passionate lover of Christ and studied at University of East London.