K!
LIVING THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE
THE COURAGE TO CREATE By Jordan Raynor
PG.11 THE LETHARGY OF RELIGION VOL. 2
IN THE TIME OF
ELECTIONS BY PASTOR BANKIE
PG.6
YOUR
RIGHTS & YOUR REWARD By Rev. Mosi Mosugu
PG.4
BY GABRIEL AKO
PG.9
HAPPY NEW YEAR JAN-MAR 2018 ISSUE 12 kulturemagazine.com
KULTURE! ISSUE 12 JAN-MAR 2018
Credits Publisher
Cream Valley Media
Editor
Onochie Onyekwena
Writers
Gabriel Ako Sandra Enyida
Guest Writers
Pastor Bankie Olusina Rev Mosi Mosugu Jordan Raynor
Creative Design
Onochie Onyekwena
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kulturemagazine kulture411
[email protected] [email protected]
234-706-306-3553 234-802-828-6814
KULTURE! JAN-MAR 2018
HELLO NOTE
Happy New Year “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” 2 Corinthians 5:17. The above statement is one of the most profound statements you’ll ever see or hear. Once you have immersed yourself into the body of Christ by acknowledging Jesus as Lord, everything you once were dies, and a new man, a righteous man is born. Old things leave, and new things arrive. “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him.” Romans 6:8. When we are in Christ, we die the death He died and we are raised to the Life He lives. Whoever you are, whatever you were, dies on the cross with Christ and you’re raised with Him. You were once a sinner, now in Christ you’re the righteousness of God. When you’re in Christ Jesus you are as righteous as God is. Slow down, don’t call me a blasphemer. When you believe in the Son of God, you are made God’s righteousness; in other words, God confers His very own nature in you. So that means that now you’re born-again, God’s nature is your nature. So how can God be more righteousness than Himself? Exactly. So God has brought you up to His level. He has infused you
into His being; He has shared His very essence His DNA with you in Christ Jesus. So the old you, the you that was a sinner, has died and the you who is righteous has been born. Your spirit has not been renovated in Christ, it has be re-created; brand new. Don’t let the devil tell you that you can’t have peace with God. Don’t let him tell you that you have to keep trying to earn God’s gift of Righteousness. The righteousness of God isn’t earned, its what you are made. You’re made His righteousness, not because of anything you can do with your efforts, you’re made His righteousness by what Jesus did: His death and resurrection for your salvation. God loves you and wants you to be part of His family. Won’t you accept His offer today? Won’t you believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and become one if His? It would be an amazing decision.
Onochie Onyekwena
KULTURE!
Hub Cuisine
Taking a cup of bitter leaf juice a day is a great way to detoxify the body of toxins (poisons from metabolism and /or those from external sources like air pollution and otherwise).
Bitter leaf soup, like most other Nigerian soups is named after the particular leaf which is used in preparing it. But of course you need to wash this leaf to remove at least ninety percent of the bitter taste, just so you don’t end up with a very bitter soup.
#BITTERSWEET
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BITTER LEAF SOUP (OFE ONUGBU) 2kg Meat of choice (beef, chicken, pork, turkey) Bitter leaf (wash to desire) Half cup of ground Crayfish Maggi or knorr seasoning (3 cubes Ogiri (a product of castor seeds)(optional) Dry fish (2 medium sizes) Stock fish head (1 big size) Palm oil (about 25cl) Salt and pepper to taste. Cocoa-yam (pounded) 1. To soften the leaves and further remove the bitter taste, it is advisable to boil alone in ordinary water for 10 to 15 minutes, most people like to add a little quantity of edible potash to hasten this process but its highly advised against; the reason being that this catalyst (potash) tend to affect the entire soup in a
slightly negative way. 2. If you still want to add potash, it will completely wash off the bitter taste and soften the leaves in less than 3 minutes of boiling (the reason most people like using it), but then you would want to boil again alone and wash thoroughly with just water to remove every trace of the potash. 3. Parboil meat with every necessary ingredients, use 3 cubes of maggi or knorr, a teaspoon of salt and half cup of onions. Allow to boil for 10 minutes then add water and cook till the meat is tender. 4. Add the (hot-water) washed dry fish, stock fish and cook until it is tender, add more water then add palm oil, ground crayfish, pepper, maggi seasoning, salt and pepper to taste. Stir and allow to boil.
5. At this point it should give a good soupy taste (even though it would be watery). Then add the pounded cocoa yam as you can find in the video below (at this point you can add the ground egusi if you choose to make bitter leaf soup with egusi), also add the ogiri now. (this would likely take about ten minutes) then add the bitter leaves, stir, taste, add more salt if necessary then cook for three to two minutes and you are done with the making of Nigerian Bitter Leaf Soup (Ofe Onugbu).
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JAN-MAR 2018 KULTURE!
SOUNDING GREATNESS
YOUR RIGHTS YOUR REWARD&
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A lot of believers struggle to walk in God’s provision simply because of a lack of understanding. A lack of understanding is the greatest hindrance to enjoying the benefits of this new life. “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses” 1 Timothy 6:12. If there is a fight of faith then it means that there are enemies of or hindrances to faith. Therefore, we have to rightly divide the Word of God. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” 2 Timothy 2:15. The phrase “not to be ashamed” is to be irreprehensible, irreproachable, blameless or without fault. In other words, when we rightly divide the Word of Truth and walk in the light of that understanding, our lives will be without fault. In every believer, there is a yearning to live a life of dignity. There is a yearning to live a life that adds value to others. There is a yearning not to be the topic of unhealthy conversations and a bad example of what others don’t want to become. The ability to live in the fullness of God’s provision is available to all believers. In fact, it is yours for the taking. However, many times, we fall into natural thinking and it hinders us from enjoying God’s best. For example, we say to ourselves, “Faith moves mountains. So if I am in this financial need, I must not have enough faith. Therefore I need more faith.” This is just your natural thinking speaking. This kind of talk is the product of an un-renewed mind. It demon-
KULTURE! JAN-MAR 2018
Rev Mosi Mosugu is the Director of Fellowships and member, board of trustees in Savannah Ministries. He is a Network Engineer, Serial Entrepreneur and pastor of Savannah Grace Chapel, Kaduna. He is married to Modupe and they have 2 boys.
BY REV MOSI MOSUGU
strates a lack of understanding of God’s Word. To walk in the fullness of God’s provision you must understand and know the difference between your rights and your reward. They are like two sides of a coin. YOUR RIGHTS Everything Jesus accomplished in His death, burial and resurrection was done to our credit. In other words, there are things that belong to us right now because of His finished work. We cannot pray enough, fast enough, give enough or do good deeds enough to get it. It already belongs to us. They are our rights. Glory to God! The first step to enjoying your rights is finding out what is yours. Therefore the Christian walk becomes one of discovery. Examples of our rights include: 1. Healing There was something I heard my wife say during healing school: “Healing is not a reward. Healing is not something you attain. Healing is not a destination, somewhere you arrive. Healing is not a privilege. It is a right! Healing belongs to you. Healing is the children’s bread. Receive your healing!” 2. Authority over the devil The smallest and newest member of the body of Christ has complete and total authority over the devil. To pray against the devil is to waste your time. Stand in authority! 3. Baptism of the Holy Ghost All believers can receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues. 4. Personal provision God is not an irresponsible father. He certainly takes care of His
own. He is the Good and we do not want for supply. The next step after knowing what belongs to you is to appropriate your rights. Your rights are appropriated by faith. Therefore you have to believe what God’s Word says, confess it and act on it. YOUR REWARD On the other side of the coin is your reward. The mistake I see a lot of believers make is trying to claim what the Bible describes as a reward by faith. In a sense, there is a kind of faith employed. However, it is not in what Jesus accomplished but what He provisioned. Your reward is appropriated by faithfulness. God rewards faithfulness. There is simply no way around this. There are things available to you right now because of what Jesus has done and there are things that will be available to you because of what you do. Furthermore, you cannot receive your healing by faithfulness. Let’s look at some scriptures. “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister” Hebrews 6:10. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” 1 Corinthians 15:58. “For ‘He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit’” 1 Peter 3:10. “Knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free” Ephesians 6:8. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who
KULTURE DESK
diligently seek Him” Hebrews 11:6. As you can see from the above scriptures, there is a requirement for you to consistently do something for you to receive the reward. God has to prove us on some things. God has to prove us in ministry. God has to prove us in our following His will for our lives. God has to prove us in our obedience. “Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful” 1 Corinthians 4:2. However, God rewards faithfulness! An interesting part of this is that I believe the reward of your faithfulness even extends to your children! Also the reward of your faithfulness is not only in this life. “For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance” 1 Timothy 4:8-9. This is why we must learn to develop the fruit of the recreated human spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). We ignore the development of our character to our detriment. The lack of this development will ultimately hinder us. “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, knowledge selfcontrol, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble” 2 Peter 1:5-10. In conclusion, the bible doesn’t just speak about the ability of Christians to receive but it also speaks about the benefits of Christian living. Remember that in Jesus’ finished works, what He accomplished guarantees your rights and what He provisioned guarantees your reward.
Remember Not To Forget “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.” Psalms 103:2. It’s vital to remember the benefits we have received from God. David told his soul not to forget all God’s benefits. It’s so essential to remember things. When you keep things in your memory, over time those things become a part of you; if you remember every day to take your mobile phone to work, at some point you start doing it unconsciously; it becomes a reflex. That’s what God wants for us. Why is it essential for a Believer in Christ to remember not to forget God’s benefits? Well, it’s because these benefits given to us through the finished work of Christ are what we need to live and to reconcile the world to Jesus. “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the
BY ONOCHIE ONYEKWENA
eagle’s.” Psalms 103:2-5. The finished work of Christ has made us partakers of the inheritance of the Saints, so we have the forgiveness of sins, divine health, protection, love and provisions. We have these benefits, and have them in abundance, to be a blessing to the world. We must remember these things so that we don’t get distracted by the lies of the enemy. The devil will always try to throw up situations that are contrary to what God has made available to you; but you must always go back to the Word and remind yourself of His benefits until it becomes part of you. Remember not to forget that your sins are forgiven. Remember not to forget that you are healed. Remember not to forget that no harm can come to you. Remember not to forget that God loves you eternally. Remember not to forget that all your needs are met and all your bills are paid. Remember not to forget and you will live victoriously in this world.
JAN-MAR 2018 KULTURE!
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THE SUPREME WORD
IN THE TIME OF ELECTIONS This message is about righteous principles as it relates to democracy for the average citizen. It is particularly important for Nigerians at this time. The elections are close in Nigeria, and so the campaign is on. How should a Christian react? Below a few points outlined to help.
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1. PRAY WITHOUT CEASING (1 Timothy 5:17). Prayer is powerful; the Bible says that the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective (James 5:16). People of God can make changes in government and in the society by their prayers. The problem is that the generally do not pay the proper attention to this ministry or they ruin the power in their prayers by grumblings, faithlessness, lack of patience, and other behaviours of children of God that ruin spiritual power. Whether it is democracy or any other form of government, the fact remains that God still rules in the affairs of men, and He is still that one that ultimately determines who will rule. Our votes are just the method that He uses under the scheme of democracy. Space will not allow me now to give testimonies upon testimonies that illustrate this biblical principle. I remember one brother who came to see me once; he told of how he won an election when he was not at all wellknown among the political powers or even properly funded. He followed the instructions given Him in a dream by the Lord. Later when he had become very well-known he sought another elective office, the same Lord told him in another dream that no matter what he does he wouldn’t win. At the end of the day, the votes were counted and he seemed to have won, then for certain reasons the elections were annulled. God just showed him that He was the one in power and not the masses by KULTURE! JAN-MAR 2018
Dr Daniel Bankole Olusina and his wife, Ufuoma Tolu Olusina are the founders of Kingdom-Word ministries, set up to propagate the preaching of the word of the kingdom. BY PASTOR BANKIE OLUSINA
their votes or the men who seem to be in power. We must approach prayer knowing that it is God who makes rulers. He appoints kings as it is written, “So then, let all people everywhere know that the Supreme God has power over human kingdoms and that he can give them to anyone he chooses — even to the least important of men.” Daniel 4:17 TEV. So, in the time of elections, we pray for the Lord to choose the leaders that will do His will in the season. Pray that He will thwart the plans of the wicked ones who want to destabilize things for their own benefit. Pray that He will grant peace during the whole process. It is important that you confess the sins of the land and ask Him for mercy. God will never appoint good leaders for a people that continue to walk in iniquity unless certain righteous ones therein specifically ask Him for mercy. Those that can thus ask for and receive His mercy are called the salt of the land. The salt must do its work of praying. 2. DO NOT CONDEMN OR CRITICIZE THE GOVERNMENT. Condemning (wishing evil upon people) or criticizing the government are some of those habits of Christians that kill the power of their prayers and erode faith. Refusal to do these things does not mean you agree with or are pleased with everything the government is doing; it just means you are focused on God as the true source of blessing in your life and that you realize that
the power still belongs to God even in the minute details. It also means you understand what you have been called to do as a child of God. We are not called to criticize; we are called to pray. “You may not say evil of the judges, or put a curse on the ruler of your people.” Exodus 22:28 BBE. “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.” 1 Timothy 2:1-4 NASB. Everyone in life has his God-ordained assignment, and that of the Christian is to pray for the government. Criticizing the government is the job of the opposition party and the numerous critics that we have in the society (many of whom are not at all better than the people than are criticizing). If you have a wise counsel for someone in power, do what you can to send them a word if possible, otherwise specifically pray about the thing that you believe is wise to do; you will be amazed at what the Lord will do. Criticizing, raving, ranting, judging and such activities do not change things; they only create an atmosphere of chaos in the realm of the spirit. Let your anger and frustrations motivate you to pray. 3. IT IS LAWFUL TO CAMPAIGN Sometimes because we say that God actually rules in the affairs of men, some think it is therefore wrong to participate in the
political processes, but that is an extreme and wrong opinion. The sovereignty of God does not excuse us from working according to what is right within the context of the current form of administration in the society. We must continue to do our physical duties. Spiritually, it is lawful for those involved in the political process to campaign for any candidate or party of their choice, even if it is the opposition party to the current government. That is different from just criticizing the government. If you are involved, be constructive in your campaign even as you point out where your party or candidate may be better than the opponent, even if they opponent is the current one in power. Christians are to set the example in civility.
really desire. Do not vote based on tribal sentiments and such thought processes; vote for the person who you believe is the best of the available candidates and who is closest to what you are praying for God to do in the society. I remember a room-mate of mine while I was a university student. He came back one day raving about the extreme incompetence of one of the candidates for the just concluded elections into the leadership of the student body in his faculty (he was a law student). He spent quite some time describing how the fellow in question was not fit for the office he vied for and how occupying
incompetent leader as long as he is from my village.” That is the real prayer of people like him; the words they use when they pray are negated by their voting pattern. These are some of the things we do as Christians that kill the power of our prayers. It is called doublemindedness. “For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” James 1:7-8 NASB. Remember, the way you vote is making a spiritual statement, therefore consider your ways. 6. WHAT IF HE LOSES? Please note that no matter how prophetic, holy and righteous you are in your choices and votes during the elections; the candidates you voted for may end up losing. God may choose some other persons apart from the ones you want, and you may not know the reasons He did that. Remember that your vote is a statement while the Lord is the chooser of who wins. You just make the right statement and keep moving. No matter the outcome, be thankful in everything.
“Continue to prophesy good upon the land. Speak positive words. Rebuke the spirit of chaos, violence and such negative things.”
4. PLAN TO VOTE Again, the knowledge of the rulership of God among men in choosing who will rule doesn’t mean we should not vote. I have heard people say things like ‘I vote for God,‘ or for Jesus Christ. These divine persons do not have a ballot box or space on the voting sheet. You can only vote for God in prayer and in your personal life. Voting is a civic duty, so please do it. Don’t worry about the possibility of rigging; if you do not vote God will find it rather tight to judge the riggers. Your vote is a spiritual indictment for the riggers; it will provoke the judgment of God on those who do so.
5. VOTE BASED ON RIGHTEOUS CONVICTIONS As you plan to vote, remember that your vote is a statement concerning your morals, so be careful as you make your statements before God. He is watching you. Your vote is also a statement about what you
the office would bring no good to the association. He really tore the fellow to shreds (apparently the fellow won the election, I think as president of the association). Then he concluded the tirade by informing us his roommates that he voted for the fellow. Shock, shock! “Why would you do such a thing? You just described how unfit the chap is for the office!” His answer was, “because he is my brother.” (‘Brother’ here meant they share the same geographical area of origin.) What??!! I was flummoxed, but thinking about it now helps me to understand why God doesn’t often find it fit to appoint for us good leaders. God cannot appoint good leaders for us if we continue to tell Him that we are not concerned about it. That fellow just said to the Lord by his vote that, “I am OK with an
7. LAST POINT IS - DO NOT STOP PRAYING Prayer is the main weapon we have, and it is potent. Continue to prophesy good upon the land. Speak positive words. Rebuke the spirit of chaos, violence and such negative things. Continually wage war in the realm of the spirit with your words. It is well with this country, in Jesus’ name.
JAN-MAR 2018 KULTURE!
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FILM!
WHO’S IN IT Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Forrest Whitaker. DIRECTED BY Ryan Coogler PG-13
BLACK PANTHER Destination Wakondia OUT FEBRUARY 16
T’Challa (Boseman), after the death of his father, the King of Wakanda, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation to succeed to the throne and take his rightful place as king. Its first trailer raised the stakes and pretty much blew up the internet, and Black Panther is poised to become one of the biggest MCU movies to yet be seen. Panther is definitely a precursor to the upcoming Infinity War, so we should be seeing the last Infinity Stone in Wakondia. For what it’s worth, it will be nice to witness Danai Gurira’s (Michonne in The Walking Dead) entrance into the universe.
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WHAT ELSE? I Pity the fool! Jordan plays the baddie in this one
Danai Gurira is the third cast member from television series The Walking Dead to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Michael Rooker and Jon Bernthal.
WHO’S IN IT Ben Whishaw, Hugh Grant, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins. DIRECTED BY Paul King G
PADDINGTON 2 There was a Bear OUT JANUARY 12 Paddington, now happily settled with the Brown family and a popular member of the local community, picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy’s 100th birthday, only for the gift to be stolen. The first part was a feel-good movie; the second should be more of the same. By the way, Paddington author Michael Bond died a day before the last day of filming Paddington 2. WHAT ELSE?
Ben Whishaw, Jim Broadbent and Hugh Grant previously all three appeared in Cloud Atlas (2012). KULTURE! JAN-MAR 2018
Smitten Paddington pulls out the Awws...again
SAY IT NOW
The Lethargy of Religion Vol.2
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Authenticity- the quality of being original. Authenticity is linked to freedom, and freedom is without question, the invaluable asset of all. The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants, defines the fine line between religion and relationship. In any relationship with God, we must first discover and own our identity, not just as part of a collective, but as a person. In the thunderous echo of the crowd, we must find our own voice. Question then is, how do I find my voice if I sound like everybody else? How do I stand out, when I’ve been conformed to the crowd? Within that orchestra, and maybe sometimes, within the noise, I should find my own voice! Speaking on the same lines, Eric Johnson of Bethel Church, Redding says, “One of the keys to finding your voice is to be authentic”. What does that really mean? What does it mean to be authentic? Well, it’s pretty simple and straight forward- being authentic is being yourself, without trying to fit into a predefinition. This is why at the start, I linked authenticity to freedom. The character of being original, sticking to the truth of who I am, and expressing it daily, creates an atmosphere of trust. This trust fuels our relationship with God and ultimately filters through our relationships with one another. Here’s another take at authenticityauthenticity is telling the truth always, standing in front of the mask and not behind it, away from the façade, and turning our backs to conformity. But you see, there’s a challenge for today’s believer, and especially one who’s influenced by the spirit of religion, and here’s why. Religion is rooted in culture, and the culture of religion focuses on being right, and by that, I mean being Christian.
This culture is focused on saying the right thing and keeping shut on the wrong. But isn’t this good? It sure is, except there’s a fine line. Within a religious culture, the language of being Christian means saying the ‘right’ thing- the Christian thing, giving the ‘right’ answer- the Christian answer; and that, irrespective of how you truly feel; just be ‘Christian’. This culture threatens authenticity, it silences the truth, especially when it’s not ‘Christian’, thus imprisoning the soul. This culture breeds a silent fear of being who we are. Consider King David in the bible; the shepherd boy who became king. He penned the most powerful, prophetic, highly emotional and deeply authentic psalms of all time. Though he existed in an era we refer to as the dispensation of the law of Moses, the spirit of religion never got a hold of him. That man after God’s heart was the definition of authentic. Imagine for a while, what it’d have been if King David was influenced by the spirit of religion, because I bet in a religious environment, most of those psalms wouldn’t see the light of day. The Pharisee in the Christian would say: “you don’t talk to God that way”, “you’re not allowed to say that”, “no, that’s not how Christians act”, “Oh,
BY GABRIEL AKO that’s really negative, you must be hurting, so why don’t you just go to the backroom and keep that to yourself”, “you can’t write that down, too negative for the church” ... With sounds like this echoing through a hurting soul, what we end up doing is create Christian actors. The believer is forced to put up that façade, pretend like it’s all okay, wear a mask and shy away from being authentic. David laid himself bare, and that vulnerability kept rekindling his relationship with God throughout his life. The lesson therein is that, when we put our weaknesses out there and our broken heartedness, help can come. After all, we’re all constantly
“That man after God’s heart was the definition of authentic.” in need of a savior – the Savior, Jesus Christ; for none can save themselves. We cannot be anymore Christian than that we daily seek the grace of God. The church is meant to be a place of freedom, where people can be authentic, and they’re not punished for it, where people can say where and how it hurts, without being shamed for it. We must learn and pursue authenticity, because it’s freedom! And this freedom is rooted in the truth of who we arebody, soul and spirit.
JAN-MAR 2018 KULTURE!
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Sandie Says
TIPS & TRICKS TO MAKING YOUR FOOD HEALTHIER
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One of the many mental blocks people have when switching to a healthier lifestyle is : SEEMINGLY BORING FOOD. They believe healthy food is boring and bland. But is that really true? In making your transition, it's best to do things SLOW AND STEADY. Don't try to make a lot of changes at once. Your taste in food can't change that suddenly. But you'd want to see yourself making the best food decisions you can per time. It makes you feel in control,that you're actually taking care of yourself with the information you have. Now let me add to that information bank. Little changes go a long way in this wellness journey, and there are little changes you can make that'd go a long way in making you healthier: Cut down on salt You can replace salt with sodiumfree flavor boosters like pepper, lemon juice, vinegar, and mustard. You can actually get used to less salt in your meal. Regular table salt has daily limits (less than 1500mg of sodium, which amounts to 3.75grams of salt per day) and can increase your blood pressure and cause you to retain water, giving you that full bloated look. Sea salt (also called 'pink' salt or Himalayan salt) is a healthier salt version and should replace your regular table salt because it contains up to 90+ minerals. Allow people to season their food after tasting it - they are likely to eat less salt overall that way. Eating less canned soups and broths can drastically reduce your salt intake, as salt is used in their preservation. Cut down on sugar Experiment with using less sugar when you bake - most cakes will KULTURE! JAN-MAR 2018
work even if the quantity of sugar in the recipe is halved. Use other healthier sweeteners instead like dried fruit, stevia, xylitol, raw beets, vanilla extract, applesauce, cinnamon, etc to drastically reduce the amount of sugar you use. Even your cakes can be healthier. Switch your flour In baked food and other recipes where flour is needed, switching from white flour to other healthier flour alternatives is one sure way to ramp up the nutrition and increase the Fibre content of your food. Other flour options are coconut flour, whole wheat flour, buckwheat flour, almond flour, etc. Modulate water content in the recipe to make up for flour changes in your baking. Oats can be added too! Meeting your daily fibre requirements (at least 25grams a day) will keep your bowel movements regular, regulate your blood sugar level, and even reduce your colon cancer risk. Other ways of increasing fibre in your food is by switching to brown alternatives of rice, pasta, and bread. These are minimally processed and are more nutritious, and keep you feeling full for longer. Replace mayonnaise in salads with natural yogurt or home-made vinegarbased dressings served on the side. When making sandwiches, choose mayonnaise or butter, not both. Your mayonnaise is better made at home so you can regulate its salt and sugar content, and skip the harmful preservatives. Bake, grill, roast or poach animal products like meat, fish, or eggs, instead of frying them. 'Oven frying' needs less oil than standard frying, and most foods can be prepared this way and still get the crispy result desired. You simply have to use a cooking brush to put on a thin layer of some good fat like coconut oil on the meat or potato, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then bake in a pre-heated
BY SANDRA ENYIDA
oven. Using bread crumbs or a high fibre flour can increase its crunchiness easily too! You can also raise protein value by coating with egg whites. Juicing This is one sure way to 'eat' a lot of fruits and veggies at once. It's concentrated nutritious goodness, and helps your body heal from inside out. All you need is a good juicer and an adventurous attitude, you can experiment with lots of recipes and tastes! Bake with avocadoes instead of butter Avocadoes are rich in over 20 vitamins and minerals and high in good fats. Its consistency also makes it a good substitute for butter in baking recipes. Switch up your oils Switch up your regular vegetable oil for coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil. The myth that saturated fat is bad for you has been debunked by researchers and scientists, and it turns out coconut oil is one of the best oils for you. Look for high quality olive oil, store properly, and use for salads and very light cooking only. Slow down... The pace at which you eat affects how much you eat and how likely you are to gain weight. Practice 'mindful eating' and learn to listen to your body as you eat. It'd take at least 20 minutes for your brain to receive signals that you're full, so eating more slowly makes it more likely you'd be more sensitive to sensations that you're full. You're also more likely to chew more thoroughly when you eat slower, and your good would digest better. Just a few tips and tricks here! Start using each one and sooner or later you'd see the benefits!
CATALYST LEADER
THE COURAGE TO CREATE By Jordan Raynor
H
ave you ever heard a sermon so compelling that you drove sixteen hours to thank the pastor in person for how his words changed your life? My friend Kristin Joy Taylor has. One Sunday, a pastor from Mansfield, Ohio by the name of Jerry King was guest preaching at Taylor’s home church in Tampa, Florida. From the pulpit he shared, “God presents himself in the Bible first of all as the Creator God. He could have begun this story in lots of different ways, but the place he chose to say ‘Human beings, this is who I am, I want you to know this about me first,’ is here: I am the Creator God.” Those words brought a leap to Kristin Joy’s spirit and tears to her eyes. “All my life, I always knew I was creative, but there was no validity for my creative work being a calling from God. Creativity was kind of always on the fringes,” she said. “That sermon gave me a huge validation in my spirit that creativity is not a fringe thing, but it is central and of infinite worth, because we are made in the image of God.” A few weeks later, Kristin Joy and her friend drove sixteen hours to Mansfield, Ohio to thank Pastor King in person for how his words had changed their lives, giving them biblicallybased courage to create. Why did this sermon stir up such a radical response from these two women? I think it’s because that in the Church, we often hear that God is loving, holy, omnipotent, sovereign, just, merciful, and faithful. But we rarely, if ever, hear that God is creative and entrepreneurial. In my book, Called to Create, I outline three biblical truths that should make Christians the boldest, most courageous entrepreneurs and culture-creators in the world.
1. We worship the Creator God. As King pointed out in the sermon above, the very first thing that God reveals to us in Scripture is that he is creative. But it’s not just in Genesis that we see God’s creative character. Look also at the life of Jesus who spent eighty-five percent of his working life as a creative carpenter and small business owner. Jesus came to earth to be “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15), revealing God’s character through human speech and mannerisms. In just three years of public ministry, Jesus revealed countless characteristics about his Father. To the woman at the well, Jesus showed us that God is omniscient. To the five thousand, Jesus showed us that God is our provider. To Lazarus, Jesus showed us that God is the giver of life. If Jesus was able to reveal so much of God’s character in such a relatively short period of time, the fact that Jesus spent twenty years revealing God’s creative and entrepreneurial spirit through his work as a carpenter should stop us in our tracks. 2. We have been called to create. What God created in the first six days is astonishing. But what’s equally remarkable is what he did not create. He created animals, but he didn’t give them names. He created land, but he didn’t create irrigation systems. He created stars, but he didn’t create an iPhone app that would allow us to hold a computer up to the sky to see them all by name. After working for six days, God left the earth largely undeveloped and uncultivated. He created a canvas and then invited us to join him in filling it. “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him” (Genesis 1:27). The dominant characteristic God has revealed about himself up until this point in Scripture is that he is creative. So when human beings are created “in his own image” the logical implication is that they will be characterized
Jordan Raynor is a serial entrepreneur and bestselling author who leads a growing community of Christians following God's call to create.
by the creativity of their Creator God, who uses his first words to humankind to issue an explicit call to create, commanding humankind to “fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28). This means much more than just procreation. God created us to be co-creators with him, to create new things for the good of others. God is calling us to have the courage to create. 3. We have nothing to lose. The Creator God has called us to create, but he has not necessarily called us to what the world would define as “success”. The fear of failure is holding so many Christians back from creating cultural goods that can be used to reveal God’s character, love others, and make disciples of Jesus Christ. Before Jesus began to create a public movement, his Father said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” For those of us who are trusting in Christ alone for our salvation, we can take comfort in God the Father speaking those same words over us. This security should make us the boldest entrepreneurs and creators on the planet! Without our ultimate hope in Christ, failure is terrifying. But with it, you can have the courage to say that whatever your lot—epic success, massive failure, or something in between—it is well with your soul. In the words of Jerry King in the sermon cited above, “If you are one who has a greater amount of creativity in you, you have a place at the table of God’s people and of humanity. You’re valid. Step up. Bring what you’ve got. Don’t you dare hold back. Not cringing back, not with arrogant pride, with sane humility bring your stuff. Other people need it.”
Courtesy catalystleader.com JAN-MAR 2018 KULTURE!
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