Seye Oke's Blog, page 19

Positively Influenced

When my son turned five on Sunday, it made me stop and reflect on the impact he has had on my life during those years. I think back on the day he was born and the moments preceding his delivery, which makes me marvel at God’s graciousness and the miracle of birth. I remember the day he took his first step and I’m intrigued by the intricacies of the brain and the growth process that transforms a baby into a toddler. I think about his first day at playschool, in particular the feeling of loss t...

Cos you need help

We should all take pride in what we do. We work harder and longer to show we’re the most competent person around—nothing wrong with having strong work ethics. But every now and then it’s good to ask for help—there’s no point in burning out. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Image courtesy of marcolm at FreeDigitalPhotos.net ...

This is just a content summary. Visit my blog for full content, pictures, links and more!

Do it Afraid or something like that!

“Courage is not the absence of fear”, an anonymous writer said. To dare to dream it, is to dare to do it. Have you noticed how often you fear new things? Not because the experience in itself is dangerous but because it is not the usual thing you are familiar with. So what if it’s new? What if it’s different? What if the outcome is uncertain and the concept a bit ambitious? What ifs – yes a million and one reasons not to take action if you dwell on that little what ifs. Think about it for a mi...

Stand Taller

There was once a conversation that changed the entire course of human history. This is how it went: “Did God really say you must not eat fruit from any tree in the garden?” the Serpent, an extremely crafty and deceptive creature, asked Eve, the first woman God created, in the Garden of Eden. “We can eat fruits from the trees in the garden, but God did say not to eat from the tree that is in the middle of the garden” Eve answered. This simple, almost harmless, conversation led to the ultimate...

Seize the moment

There is nothing so quick Nothing so fleeting Nothing so slippery Like opportunity It requires long preparation Perseverance and hard work To make use of it It requires a wise and a discerning heart To recognize it Once opportunity knocks at your door Don’t think twice Don’t deliberate or consult people over it Before it quickly and quietly slips away Grab it and maximize it It will always be to your benefit Only if you seize the moment “The race is not to the swift nor th...

Euphoria

      “Sweetheart, can you please lend me one of your hair brushes?” I heard Lade ask her youngest Sister, Tope.      “No!” Tope firmly replied, placing the three-set brush in her dresser drawer. Thoughts of similar events flashed through my mind. Tope was known to have a strong sense of ownership every time she received a new gift. She would treasure it above all of her other possessions. Anyone who attempted to take this new item away, even temporaril...

A Day in History - 2003

Although I had had some publishing experience with tracts, books were a whole new world to me. And as fate would have it I met a fantastic graphic artist by the name Ajam Sunnie de Great, who has now become a long time friend and without whom a lot of my publishing success would never see the light of day. Working with Sunnie I understood the process required to successfully publish a book. From editing to typesetting, proofing, cover design, printing everything, he worked with me through eve...

A Day in History - 2001/2002

By 2001 I had become fairly organized in my writing and tract publishing and I felt it was time to put some structure into the whole creativity business. I established Splendour Communication Network – an organization focused on publishing God’s love, mercy and grace through print. I had a group of friend join me as distribution partners and I committed myself to send monthly newsletters to show progress on what we were doing at the time as well as share a word of encouragement. First Newslet...

A Day in History - 2000

In 2000 while continuing to do the art plus scripture for the church notice board, I expanded my scope into writing poems and short stories for the church bulletin. I attended Foursquare Gospel Church Orogun, Ibadan at the time and that was where I was taught how to put my creativity on a schedule. Before then, I could write whenever I wanted and print whenever I wanted. Now being a contributor of the bulletin meant I had to turn in a new creative work every week and at a certain time to meet...

A Day in History - 1999

After the feedback I got from friends and family that had read my hand written tracts I was inspired to write more stories and take my creativity to another level. I scouted around for a good printing press and eventually found the University of Ibadan printing press, in Ibadan. I remember my first conversation with the Manager of the press at the time (whose name I can’t remember). He was so impressed that a young lady was actually following her dreams that he decided to give me a quick less...