The Truth About Jesus: He Is Still Alive

Jesus loves children


“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 


That’s one of the numerous quotes from Jesus, recorded in Matthew 7:7-8. Apart from “Love thy Neighbor as thyself,” I consider this particular quote recorded in Matthew 7:7-8 as one of the most powerful gospel quotes by Jesus.

Imagine, can you know the deliciousness of food when you haven’t tasted it? Without making a journey to a place, how can you know the beauty of that place, because pictures aren’t enough? 

Without reading the Bible to understand the gospel, to seek the face of Jesus, how can you know him? It’s necessary to search for something before you can find it, isn’t it?

Again, when you need something without asking, how do you receive it? And when you are entering the house of your neighbor, you may stand behind the door for hours, if you don’t knock on the door to be welcomed. “Blessed are pure of heart, for they shall see God.”

If you want to know someone, then let it be your goal to search for ample information about that person. The same applies to Jesus; if you search for him, you will not only know about him but you will find him.

For The Discerning Reader In Love With Diversity Of Culture

Once a journalist asked Chinua Achebe, one of Africa's greatest and internationally known writers, the reason he hasn't written any book about Europe and America. Achebe responded by saying that a lot has already been written about those two continents.

Yes, there are thousands of European and American writers, but only a few write about Africa. The reason my articles and books reflect on my culture as an African, that living in Europe for many years.

I know that there are thousands of readers interested in the non-fiction genre of books; thus, one of my goals is to share my non-fiction books through the diversity of culture. My utterly compelling collections are destined to capture the reader's attention and interest, to learn about other people's culture and heritage.

My books are in the categories of travel, immigration, health, and entertainment. The personal account of the stories reflects on the places I visited in Africa, such as Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Togo, Benin, and The Gambia. And in Europe, it's about life in Barcelona, Spain, Aarhus, Denmark, England, Amsterdam, Holland, Rome, Italy, and Antwerp, Belgium.

The African stories act like a guide to European and American tourists. The books will teach you how to avoid being a victim of thieves, armed robbers, and immigration crooks, who prey on nationals and foreigners, while the European stories teach Africans how to survive in Europe, without papers and crime.

Many ask the reason some of my books have sad titles. Each title reflects on the story, but the books have their humorous part too. Explore the humane, captivating, and emotional account of Joel Savage's books, which will keep you turning the pages late into the night. 

Wishing everyone, including readers, authors, and writers, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Good Friends: Wishing You Merry Christmas And Happy New Year

Friends and followers on WordPress

Wishing everyone a Happy Christmas and New Year (2016): Due to a lack of space, many faces couldn’t appear, but you are always in my mind and heart.

Christmas is a time of the year when everyone needs to be happy. It is a joyful season to forgive, to forget all the bitter experiences, and to prepare for the new year with hopes, dreams, and aspirations.  

Apart from my family, some people remain special to me. They are my friends or followers on Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Stumble Upon, Google Plus, Facebook, WordPress, etc.

We have never met before, yet your articles and comments keep us together as a family. The reason I find it hard to forget all of you. Let the rise of the December sun, my special poem dedicated to you, bring good tidings to you and your family. Wishing you a Merry 

Christmas and Happy New Year in advance.

In the Rise Of The December Sun

I had an extraordinary revelation

Your joyous holidays will continue till the new year

Your life is turning into a sumptuous and joyful one.

Have faith that  you will see the light at the end of the dark tunnel, no matter how heavy your problem is

Problems are part of the aspects of human life

We must use its lessons to educate and to make peace

Relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon to have a solid emotional foundation. 

Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person, and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. 

It is said that love is blind, but friendship is clairvoyant!  Thank you for being a part of My Life, whether you were a reason, a season, or a lifetime!

Thank you for liking me for who I am

I still believe together we can make this world a better place

Wishing all of you the best Christmas ever and a prosperous year. 

Great Men Knocked Down By Women: Will It Ever Come To An End?

Great men in sex scandals: Top, from left to right, Bill Clinton, John Profumo, Kobe Bryant, and below, from left to right, Mike Tyson, Tiger Woods, and Jeffrey Archer.

Newspapers often come out with stories of great people, including politicians and celebrities, in sex scandals, turning their lives upside down. Because they weren’t strong enough to control their sexual desire or too weak to resist the charm and power of attractive ladies. 

From Biblical times, there are stories of infidelity and adultery, putting many great men in the worst positions.

One of such stories recorded in the scriptures is that of King David, a composer, the author of the book of Psalms. He couldn’t control his desire after seeing Uriah’s wife through his window, taking her bath. 

After failing to persuade Uriah to sleep with his wife, to concede his sin and pregnancy of Bathsheba, David sent Uriah to the hottest part of a battlefield to get him killed. God severely punished David for his sinful act, and the child died after birth.

Giving examples of Biblical records of great men involved in sex scandals wouldn’t be intriguing, so let’s shift to our past and present generations. 

On June 5, 1963, British Secretary of War John Profumo resigned his post after confessing that he had lied to the House of Commons about his sexual affair with Christine Keeler, an alleged prostitute. The scandal didn’t affect him alone but threatened to topple Prime Minister Harold Macmillan’s government.

A couple of years ago, it was revealed that former President of the USA, Bill Clinton, was involved in an affair with a former staff of White House staff member, Monica Lewinsky. 

I watched as people argued that the story couldn’t be true. Is Clinton different from other great men women have brought to their knees? 

To make matters worse, after Clinton denied having any relationship with Monica, he later admitted to having sexual intercourse with Monica Lewinsky.

What about the boxer Mike Tyson? He was convicted and jailed for raping Desire Washington. According to the story, Tyson invited her to his hotel room. To do what behind closed doors?  Later, Mike Tyson was convicted of rape.  

Many believe that Desire lied about being raped by Tyson; unfortunately, not everyone believes that. Mike Tyson served his prison sentence but never became the Iron Mike he used to be.  

In one of his fights, after coming from prison, frustrated Tyson bit the ear of Evander Holyfield. They say the downfall of a man is not the end of his life, but at times, some events and situations can be destructive.

Some years back in Britain, the famous British novelist Jeffrey Archer won a libel suit against the Sun newspaper for an article about him sleeping with a prostitute. According to Mr. Jeffery Archer, the story was untrue, and it damaged his reputation. 

The author of ‘Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less’ was finally exposed. He admitted to having asked a friend to lie on his behalf to conceal the truth. So he really did sleep with a prostitute. 

The startling new revelation affected Jeffery Archer such that he stepped down from contesting the seat as the mayor of London. Oh, what a shame!

On September 1, 2004, the criminal sexual assault case against Kobe Bryant, the NBA star, was dropped by the prosecutors because the accuser no longer wanted to participate in the court process.   

This was after Kobe Bryant was charged with sexual assault of a 19-year-old woman in a Colorado hotel where she worked. The question is, “Why is it that the mighty keep falling from the hands of women?” Is it lust, lack of control, or temptation that is causing these problems? I can’t really unfold the mystery behind this.

One such news about men involved in sex scandals, which shocked the world, was the case of the successful golfer, Tiger Woods. 

With such a great career, leading him to all the corners of the world and winning great tournaments, the married man lost focus and hit the golf ball into the underwear of porno stars, severely damaging his reputation and career.  

I am a man, therefore I know the comfort and satisfaction at that place which belongs to a woman, but I am aware of the dangers and temptations, especially if you are a married man.

According to the scriptures, God places people in situations where He tests their faith and commitment.  Why does God test us when He knew the man would fail? 

Is man trying to get back the rib God used to create the Eve-woman, while the woman fights hard to keep it? If God really tests man, then a man should pass the trial by not falling into temptations, because He also gave man the power to resist temptation. In this case, a man shouldn’t blame God or a woman for his failure.

Another question worth bringing to the table is: Can these bitter stories serve as a lesson to other men? Time will tell, but I don’t think so. 

Men will always drift into danger since the body is weak to resist temptation; moreover, Satan is like a hungry lion, lurking around the corner, looking for its next victim to devour, but we mustn’t allow him to catch us.

The Heart Has No Colour, No Country, No Religion, No Sex

Andrea: Her wise comment inspired me to write this article

I do write a lot, but I have to admit that some of my writings were created from the comments of readers or my followers. As writers or bloggers, when we read comments on articles, how seriously do we take them, ponder over them to see their usefulness, significance, and effect?

Many argue that it’s not good to comment, but I say that It’s good to comment on articles, but if you don’t have anything significant to say, please shut your mouth, because your comment can give you the respect you deserve, and the same comment can put you into a very big trouble, because of the bad things you said.

Believe me, some comments are worth more than silver and gold. It can change one’s life and the way you think, especially if you don’t have any love in your heart for someone. 

There are many problems, and almost all these problems were caused by man. Pride, superiority, and racism are some of the problems tearing our society apart today, yet no one wants to be called a racist.

Recently, I posted an article captioned “Who Says There Is No Happiness Or Love In Africa?” The fact that Africa is a continent that has suffered a lot of wars, ethnic conflicts, slavery, and man-made diseases, leads many to think that they don’t have a love for each other. 

Frankly speaking, a poor African can easily share his food with a friend, than a rich man in a developed country.

This particular article I wrote didn’t generate much comment, but the only comment I had was awesome and inspiring. It touched my soul to read it over and over, allowing it to germinate in me, to add it to the little I have and share it with others.

According to blogger Andrea, who runs this Italian blog.

Each person has a heart, and in each heart there is Love.

So every one of us has love in his/her heart.

The heart has no colour, no Country, no religion, no sex.

So Love has no colour, no Country, no religion, no sex.

Too many times, unfortunately, people forget to be human and have a heart…

I hope everyone agrees with me that this quotation or comment is awesome and carries wisdom. Thank you, Andrea.

Violence against women: A global crisis fueled by culture and impunity

A victim of an acid attack

“A woman is a flower in the middle of the garden, and the man is the fence around it.”  

 

This Ghanaian proverb captures a truth many societies claim to believe: women are precious, essential, and worthy of protection. From the Bible to modern civilization, women have been described as the backbone of families and the builders of nations.

Yet reality across the world tells a different, painful story. Despite progress in education, employment, and political participation, millions of women remain trapped in systems that deny them dignity and safety.

In many countries, religion and culture, meant to guide moral life, are instead used as tools of domination. Under these interpretations, women become subjects of cruelty, silence, and violence.

Some religious traditions call for the stoning of a woman for adultery, while the same systems allow men to marry multiple wives or commit adultery without consequence. 

 

The contradiction is glaring. It raises a disturbing question: What kind of God do people believe in when injustice is committed in His name?

Across generations, women have endured every form of violence, domestic abuse, sexual harassment, rape, forced marriage, and now one of the most horrifying trends: acid attacks. In parts of Asia and the Middle East, a woman who rejects a marriage proposal or simply asserts her independence risks being permanently disfigured.

Acid becomes a weapon of punishment, control, and revenge. A heartbreaking example occurred in Bangalore, India, where a former schoolteacher and mother of two underwent extensive surgery after a man threw acid on her. Her “crime” was being beautiful.

 

He resented the admiration she received from others. This is not an isolated case. According to the Acid Survivors Trust International, over 1,500 acid attacks occur globally each year, with the highest numbers in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and parts of the Middle East. Many cases go unreported.

Even more disturbing is the age of some victims. In several regions, grown men in their 40s or 50s seek to marry girls as young as 12 or 14. When these children refuse, they are punished, sometimes with acid, sometimes with forced marriage, sometimes with death.

In many countries, the perpetrators walk freely because corruption shields them from justice. Victims of acid attacks often withdraw from society. Their injuries are so severe that they no longer recognize themselves in the mirror.

Many live in isolation, battling trauma, shame, and the loss of their identity. Meanwhile, the world’s leaders focus on political debates and international agendas while ignoring the silent suffering of millions of women.

How can humanity claim to be advancing when half of its population still lives in fear? How can global institutions speak loudly about democracy and human rights yet remain quiet about the daily violence inflicted on women?

Anyone who throws acid on another person intends to destroy or kill. Not all victims survive. For this reason, acid attacks should be treated as crimes against humanity, punishable by life imprisonment.

The International Court of Justice prosecutes political crimes, yet countless perpetrators of gender‑based violence roam free. Where is justice for these women? Who will protect them? Who will speak for them when society chooses silence?

Violence against women is not a women’s issue; it is a human issue. Until the world treats these crimes with the seriousness they deserve, the suffering will continue. Acid attackers, rapists, and abusers must face severe punishment.

Only then will society send a clear message: women are not objects to be destroyed, they are human beings deserving of safety, dignity, and respect.

If One Pretends To Be Dead, Mourners Will Pretend To Bury Him Alive

Discussing your problems with someone you love is the best way to get help and solutions to the problem.

“If one pretends to be dead, mourners will pretend to bury you alive,” is one of the thousands of African proverbs meant to educate, shape our lives, and inspire us, as each proverb carries a moral lesson, advice, and wisdom. This particular proverb speaks against pretending.

As imperfect human beings, we are responsible for both the good and bad things we do. Whichever way one takes it, to pretend is also considered to be something bad. 

The question is, why do people pretend? According to a study, pretending has both advantages and disadvantages.

Sometimes one needs to pretend. For example, when all of a sudden in a cinema hall, a gunman on a shooting spree takes everyone by surprise without any escape route, pretending to be dead among those already dead could save your life. 

But in other ways, pretending can cause self-destruction, depression, loneliness, and other psychological problems. How?

The pressure in society is enormous. Things are not going well, yet many people prefer to hide their problems behind a false smile. 

If you don’t share your problem with your family or a trustworthy friend, how can someone know your problem to give the attention or help you need? 

Researchers reveal that hiding a problem behind a false smile or faking happiness is more likely to bring you harmful feelings.

You might not be happy with your job because your boss or a colleague is sexually harassing you, exploiting you physically, emotionally, and mentally, yet you wear a false smile behind such psychological scars. 

Instead of pretending to be okay, it’s always better to tell your problem to someone to receive help.

Many wish to be someone because of the extravagant lives other people live. But we must be careful about what we sometimes wish for. We must be content with whatever we have to live a happy life. 

Don’t let your neighbor’s expensive car push you to live beyond your means, and put on a fake smile, deceiving people that you are living great, while you know that you are struggling to make ends meet.

In Africa and other countries around the world, many are believed to be sick of HIV but scared to go and see the doctor, because they aren’t ready to be told they have contracted HIV or Aids.  

They would rather prefer to hide their problems with a fake smile, forgetting that no one drinks medicine on behalf of a sick person.

To pretend that everything is okay, while suffering, is not good for our health; we must, therefore, confine our problems to those close to us for help and solutions. That’s the only way we can overcome and defeat our problems.

Failure Is A Lesson That Encourages And Improves The Quality Of Life

Having faith in God builds one strong enough to avoid depression, loneliness, and suicidal tendencies.

I have heard many times that ‘failure is not an option.’ Does it mean that we have to be perfect and successful in whatever we want to achieve in life? How can that be possible? Because since we are human beings and imperfect, we shall continue to experience many setbacks, including failure and disappointment, daily in our lives.

In relationships, careers, and businesses, we are all bound to suffer certain problems. The question is, how do we handle or take it personally when we encounter such painful defeats and failures? 

I have seen it in sports, tournaments, and certain fields of activity: participants emotionally and psychologically break down in distress because they failed to achieve what they aimed at.

Life isn’t an easy journey if you want to achieve something genuine. Many like to avoid life pitfalls or turmoil by choosing the wrong path or shortcut. You can see them driving expensive cars and dwelling in beautiful mansions, but you don’t know what they do for a living.

When you see them like that, many wish they were one of them, but be careful wishing you were someone until you read on the front page of newspapers that the person you wished to be has been arrested at one of the international airports in possession of heroin or cocaine. 

Would you like your life to end up in this way because you wanted to avoid life’s failures and disappointments?

The world is full of great people; sometimes your eyes will be filled with tears when you read their autobiographies to know what they went through before achieving success. In life, failure or disappointment teaches one to be perfect. It is worth, therefore, seeing failure as one of life’s tools that educates and shapes life positively.

My passion to be a writer was easier in Africa than in Europe, yet when I was in Africa, I thought Europe would be the right place for me to achieve my aims and objectives. Once in Antwerp, Belgium, I tried to raise funds to enhance the publication of one of my books. It turns out to be one of the biggest failures in my life.

I couldn’t raise a cent, but this embarrassment wasn’t only what happened. I became a laughing puppet at the school where I’m working. It became the talk of the town with gossip and laughter. Instead of being sad or depressed, I embraced and accepted it as one of life’s challenges to continue writing without looking back.

People do things you may find hard to believe. I don’t even think children will do what they did. The failure of the fundraising also taught me to be careful of those I contact to demand bread. 

If one fails to accept failures and disappointments as instruments destined to educate and propel your career to the highest peak, one may end up in psychiatry with depression or mental problems.

Campaign Art: Every Day, 500 Kids Don’t Make It. But You Can Save Them

People, Spaces, Deliberation bloggers present exceptional campaign art from all over the world. These examples are meant to inspire

.

According to World Health Organization figures, 500 children are killed each day in road crashes globally.  In fact, road traffic injury ranks among the top four causes of death for all children over the age of five years.  

To raise awareness of this deadly reality, Jean Todt, President of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the international motoring federation, and Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General for Road Safety, turned to world-renowned film director Luc Besson to deliver a potent message: children face incredible danger when crossing the road!

‘Save Kids Lives’ shows children in the townships of South Africa and in central Paris, France, walking to and from school to show that the risks children face are almost universally shared, whether they are due to a lack of safe infrastructure or as a result of heavy traffic.

The film is shocking and may contain images some people find disturbing. But that’s exactly the point, according to Todt, who believes that it will help focus attention on making roads safe for children everywhere.

The film was launched the first week in October to coincide with International Walk to School Day and to support #SaveKidsLives, a UN initiative that calls for action to stop the growing number of road deaths worldwide and for decision-makers to prioritize children’s safety.

The Fear Of Death Hunting Homosexuals In Africa

Homosexuality is not part of the African culture, but they are now listening to the external voice: First traditional Gay marriage in South Africa.

Homosexuality, men having sexual intercourse, is an abominable act in many parts of Africa. Africa, a continent of different tribes and clans, doesn’t approve of many things that they consider taboo.


Thus, someone caught in a homosexual act instantly faces severe punishment, beatings, and lynchings, many times leading to death.

                             

Since homosexuality is a crime in African countries that don’t permit it, those involved in such acts hide it from the sight of the public, but the homosexual movements in Europe and America today, fighting for recognition, have inspired or encouraged African homosexuals to make their voice heard.

                           

Thus, the social vice which is less popular in Africa is now becoming famous in many African countries, turning the countries into an unnerving place to live in, because church leaders and many organizations against this practice, wouldn’t like to embrace this type of culture, they call it ‘Evil’, to add to their own culture.

                         

At times, I do ask myself time and time again, do Europeans or Americans think Africa will readily accept whatever they are interested in? Africa had nothing to do with Christianity before the white missionaries ever went there. 

They thought Africans to follow the Bible or the gospel. Well, later the truth was discovered. The reason wasn’t to let Africans know about Christianity but to loot.

                       

Fortunately, many parts of Africa derived interest in the Bible and studied it thoroughly, therefore living by its teachings. An African Christian, explaining his point to defend his hate against homosexuality, would take one deep step into the Bible. 

Two of such scriptures confirming that homosexuality is an evil act can be read in 1st Timothy, Chapter 10, and 1st Corinthians, Chapter 6, verse 9.

                     

The question is: Why are Europeans and other Gay Rights Organizations now fighting for the practice of homosexuality to be recognized in Africa, when they had already been there with the Holy Bible, a book telling Africans how evil the practice of homosexuality is?” 

The teachings of the Holy Bible can’t be reversed, so I am afraid to say that Africa can never change its mind or opinion on the negative aspects of homosexuality.

                       

Africa is already overwhelmed by many diseases, such as AIDS, Ebola, malaria, and others. It, therefore, makes sense when they don’t want that practice. 

Europeans, Advanced Countries, and some Civil rights organizations are the first people whose voices are heard whenever there is a bad situation in Africa, but whenever there is an epidemic, the response to contain the situation never comes or is very slow.

                     

Aids has taken thousands of Africans to their untimely grave since the early eighties, but some rich people who were affected during that period in America are still living. 

Many believe that after Africa’s survival of Aids, Ebola, and other deadly diseases, America and Europe are destined to ruin the continent with homosexuality, just to continue to kill Africans, when any epidemic erupts.

                     

Africa has learned a lot from their misfortunes, which is the reason it is fighting against homosexuality today. Unfortunately, the path Uganda has taken to deal with this issue is totally out of course. The proposal for the death penalty for homosexuals is sheer madness. Violence against homosexuals is not an option or a solution.

                   

According to many homosexuals, they were born with it. Who feels it, knows it. Do men bear to love men? That’s really a hard concept to accept. 

The more I think about this issue, the more I get confused. African leaders must find a way to deal with the rise of homosexuality in Africa because death is not an option to eradicate or stop homosexuality in Africa.

Kicking Away Fear: The Enemy That Prevents Our Success

Fear, one of the most basic human unpleasant emotions in the nervous system

The young lady has completed her education, graduating with bright colors as a medical nurse. But due to a lack of confidence, she is scared to apply for a job. Her mind tells her she isn’t attractive enough and, therefore, going to fail her interview.

The aspiring writer has written the best book, which could be the next number one bestseller to change the world, but fear has already crippled him because he thought the book might not sell.

Fear, one of the most basic human unpleasant emotions in the nervous system, has been attributed to the failure in the lives of thousands of people. When one is gripped with fear, it prevents quick thinking, solutions to problems, and one becomes confused and nervous.

Many encounter fear in many ways, when ready to take exams, during speech, and when addressing certain situations. In the first place, what causes fear within human beings?

Many times, I like to share my experience when writing articles. I discovered during my youth that I had no fear in me; however, many attempts at things that I wasn’t perfect nearly cost my life. For example, I shouldn’t have gone deep into the sea when I was aware that I couldn’t swim. Yes, till now, I don’t know how to swim.

 I was carried away by the sea, and those trying to save me gave up because I disappeared when I was pulled into a swirling, deep hole under the sea. Then a mighty wave swept me ashore. In a state of shock, I took off my clothes and walked naked home.

‘Fear’ is an enemy, yet people shouldn’t put away fear to do what they aren’t perfect or do something wrong. For example, smuggling drugs into a country, hoping you may not be caught. That is not the right way to overcome fear or to see if you are brave.

You may end up in jail. However, there are ways one can adapt to overcome fear. Once, as an illegal immigrant in Europe, a few minutes before noon, without breakfast and not knowing where my next meal was coming from, I took to the streets on foot towards a friend’s house, hoping I might find something to eat.

Fear kills many people hundreds of thousands of times before their real death.

Over an hour's walk and still far from where I was going, I experienced the symptoms of system failure. I felt dizzy and knew I would soon collapse. I had no choice but to enter a bus without a ticket. Before the bus reached my destination, the controllers caught me without a ticket. 

This is a very big offense everywhere in Europe, taken thousands of illegal immigrants back to their country of origin. I didn’t panic or feel afraid, which gave me enough time to think of what to say.

“I am happy you are going to call the police to arrest me,” I said when I noticed they were going near their vehicle to use the equipment to call the police. “Why are you happy calling the police?”  

One of the controllers asked.“Because I haven’t eaten since morning, I will definitely get something to eat at the police station.” I replied. They were stupefied, and after looking at each other’s faces, they asked me to go home.

According to doctors, fear is normal because we are human beings. Unfortunately, fear, the feeling of agitation and anxiety that runs through the minds of human beings, preventing them from doing many things, is exactly what people in higher positions stand on to harm, bully, manhandle, and show injustice to the underprivileged in society. 

People use their positions to manipulate, cheat, and dominate other people because they know the person is scared and powerless to defend themselves.

How can someone overcome fear? There are hundreds of books on Amazon on how to overcome fear, but one of the great books that I  read,  and changed my whole life consciously and positively,  was ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’ by Norman Vincent Peale. It’s a very good book.