2012... THERE IS AN END!

Dear Friends,

Assuredly, the year 2012 is on a countdown to become history. But, not your expectations and hope. "For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off" - Proverbs 23:18.

Be thankful, because whatever dreams, and desires or prayers that were not fulfilled in 2012, can still be met in 2013 and beyond. The important thing is to remain focused and connected to God - our source. Dreams and expectations are birthed and realized in His presence, and so I urge you to be in His presence on the midnight watch today.

Find a good church near you and fellowship with the brethren and let God hear your prayers. You are equally welcome to our candle light service today; 9 p.m. prompt @ CHAPEL OF DESTINY RESTORATION CHURCH, 2 Akinlabi Lane, off Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, by Round About Bus Stop, Ikeja. Lagos.

See you in 2013!

P SQUARE & DJ JIMMY JATT DAZZLE @ HIGH IMPACT RELOADED!

Dear Friends,


Find a brief report on High Impact Reloaded, Solution Media and Infotech’s year- end concert on 28/12/12. It’s part of our mandate to feature best practices in entertainment and show business….

Held at Landmark Park, Oniru, Victoria Island, Lagos; the show was a visual and aural experience. Of note was DJ Jimmy Jatt, who, once again proved the master he is.
P Square, undoubtedly the stars of the night, thrilled with good lyrics, superlative dance routines and movements; and yes, they played the guitar! The lyrics in particular were realistic and meaningful. Covering almost all sphere of life, the inspiring lyrics took the audience through their rags to riches journey based on the principles of hard work, consistency and focus.

With a number of other acts thrown in, High Impact Reloaded was a great show…. even if I say so! Kudos to Solution Media. Being privileged to watch their maiden show @ the grounds of King’s College, Victoria Island, Lagos Nigeria, it’s obvious they have upped the ante in the conception and execution of world class musical concerts. We hope to see more of such shows in 2013!

BASIL CHINATU CHUKWUEZ I – A PROFILE

Dear Friends,

One of the things I promised on my blog before the year ends, is a profile of myself. I am keeping that promise, hoping that it will bring us closer to a working relationship towards achieving the objectives of kingdom entertainment! May we meet in the new year, 2013…

Basil graduated best of class in his set at Department of Theatre Arts, University of Calabar, Nigeria, and did youth service at the National Arts Theatre, Lagos. After a brief stint in insurance and journalism, he cut his management teeth through the competitive eighteen-month management trainee programme in Unilever Nigeria Plc (then Lever Brothers Nigeria Limited). He stayed on for another two years as District Sales Manager, Lagos, before joining the banking industry.

For over a decade, within which he acquired an MBA, Management, from ESUT Business School, Lagos; he worked in a number of front line Nigerian banks including Fidelity Bank Plc, First Bank of Nigeria Plc and United Bank for Africa Plc. Always in the customer facing function, his banking experience spanned consumer, corporate and commercial concerns; with key competences in multinationals, shipping and maritime. A thorough bred relationship management, credit, sales and marketing professional, he left banking in 2009, to pursue his private business, focused on oil and gas, real estate, logistics and entertainment.

Basil Chukwuezi is an ordained Pastor, and most importantly has dedicated the rest of his life to the services of God and humanity through Christian Pentecostal ministry and promotion of kingdom entertainment. He has a calling to revolutionize and position entertainment as a medium of enjoyment for Christians and relationship with their Creator. His belief is that Christians should enjoy an all round prosperity(3 John 1:2).

CONTACT POINTS

• basilchukwuezi@yahoo.com
• Twitter: @BasilChukwuezi
• Kingdomstreet.blogspot.com
• edensquireservice@yahoo.com
• BB Pin: 284B933C

Kingdom Street!: GOODBYE 2012, WELCOME 2013…. WELL, ALMOST!

Kingdom Street!: GOODBYE 2012, WELCOME 2013…. WELL, ALMOST!: Dear Friends, No doubt, you had such a great time on Christmas day, with family, friends and loved ones. You are also looking forward t...

GOODBYE 2012, WELCOME 2013…. WELL, ALMOST!

Dear Friends,

No doubt, you had such a great time on Christmas day, with family, friends and loved ones. You are also looking forward to a prosperous new year, 2013. I, too.

But there’s a basic exercise I would equally want us to indulge this season. That is taking stock of the year 2012, on one hand, and on the other planning and projecting into 2013. The year 2012 is almost gone, and there’s not much we can do about it, but to analyze and see how we fared in it. We can then be in a better position to anticipate and attack the New Year with focus and vigor. I am not a great fan of football, but as with it and other games, I know that the best form of defense is attack. The attack is not as with one who boxes the air, but one that is from a standpoint of knowledge; that of your strengths, weaknesses as well as your opponent’s….

The best source of this knowledge is God, and the means to receive it, I recommend, is in His presence. Is it possible that we can shut down all the noise - well almost all – the mobile phone, earphone, movies, television, cars, airplanes and private jets etc; and plug into God? I mean spend some quiet time and ask Him real good questions (Matt. 7:7): why some of your prayers in 2012 were answered and some not, some answered in a different way from what you wanted, what He has in stock for your in 2013 in the areas of family, work, business, ministry and so on. What is the time frame, you ask? At least 24 hours. Not so difficult to totally devote one day out of three hundred and sixty-five to Him – for your own good!

Well, by His grace I just did that. On the morning of 26th December, after the merriment of Christmas day, I checked into the conference centre of Foursquare Gospel Church in a suburb of Lagos, Nigeria. It is a prayer camp of sorts with good accommodation facilities. I had, as fiction writers will say “cased the joint” a week before. I mean, located the place and actually looked at what they had on the ground. This meant of course that I was resolute to make the trip on due date. And it was a fruitful and rewarding date with God. No food, no water until I got home the next day, in prayer and meditation, I opened up to Him the various areas of my life and sought directions as well as answers. I came out with clear directions (And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left - Isaiah 30:21). Armed with His blueprint, I am in a better position to attack the year 2013…

Friends, you may not check into any fancy conference facility or prayer ground, your bed room will do! New Year resolutions and wishes are popular, cross over services are good, but a one on one meeting in quiet with God is perhaps all you need to learn from the experiences of 2012, and make a great success out of 2013. You still have some hours between now and 31st December. Why not use it, wherever you are?

To find out more about God and how you can have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, visit any Bible believing church near you, or: CHAPEL OF DESTINY RESTORATION CHURCH, 2 Akinlabi Lane, off Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, by Round About Bus Stop, Ikeja. Lagos.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Dear Friends,

Today, we ceremoniously remember the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. I wish you and your loved ones the best in joy and merriment.

More importantly, I pray that your knowledge and relationship with Jesus Christ become a deeper and daily experience – after all He is the reason for the season. Happy Christmas and a prosperous new year, 2013, my friends!

TAKE A STAND PART 3 – MY STAND!

Dear Friends,

I do hope that in whatever corner of the globe you are, earnest preparations are being made to celebrate Christmas. Of course Christmas is possible because Jesus Christ was born with a mandate to save humanity; and he took the stand and fulfilled that calling!

Today, as I promised in the last post, I will attempt to share my stand with you. No doubt, if you have followed my blog from inception, or even somewhere in the middle, you would have got a hang on what side of the divide I belong to; entertainment wise. Don’t be surprised to see some of the views I have expressed earlier; I will only try to rearrange them.

I stand for kingdom entertainment (the term, gospel entertainment is a bit restrictive) - one that truly entertains, inspires, edifies, and does not conflict with your faith. Take note also that entertainment is used in a broad sense to include amongst others, expressions in fashion, drama, comedy, music, video, cinema, books, magazines, poetry, spoken words, fine arts etc. Kingdom entertainment recognizes the truth that entertainment is a creation of God; and everything made by Him is very good (Genesis 1:31). It is important that we strive to live the very good life and produce things that are equally good. Of greater importance is that we should employ only God’s standard as a benchmark for what is good, whether in entertainment or other fields of endeavor!

No doubt, entertainment is part of our present, and future. If the future must be preserved, then we need entertainment that can bring about positive change and help us in nation building. We need songs and lyrics that inspire and also entertain. We need music videos that tell a good story. We need dance that is proudly Nigerian, nay African. We need jokes that are clean, funny and help us make necessary changes in our life. And yes, we need fashion and clothes that cover.


These are some of the entertainment objectives I stand for. And as far back as 2006, my organization, Edensquire Entertainment, set out to achieve them through a funfair for children. We continued between 2007 and 2009, with the platform of our headline Valentine show – Love Bananas. Held the Sunday following the Valentine’s Day, Love Bananas showcased the best of inspiring music, dance and comedy. The maiden edition held at Shell Hall, MUSON Centre, was heralded by Julius Agwu and Buchi. We have in the course of the show featured such fine artistes and comedians as Segun Obe, Tosin Martins, Gordons, Kofi, amongst others. We have had the privilege of working closely with Dj Gosporella over the years. Our dream of owning a radio/television station is being made easier by internet platforms. And along the way, we have attracted like minds and destiny helpers who consistently encourage and walk with us on the journey.

While the foregoing is a brief summary of what I stand for, the fact remains that it requires a team work to succeed. You can encourage and play an active role in its realization in any way you are laid to. If so do not hesitate to contact me. Next week, I will give a snippet of my profile, which hopefully will assist your consideration…..

As we celebrate Christmas, I can only encourage you to develop a better relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the reason for the season! To find out more about God and how you can have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, visit any Bible believing church near you, or: CHAPEL OF DESTINY RESTORATION CHURCH, 2 Akinlabi Lane, off Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, by Round About Bus Stop, Ikeja. Lagos.


























 

RE: MY VALENTINE!

Dear Friends,23:55 hours later, my wife and I are overwhelmed by your prayers and outpouring of well wishes on our wedding anniversary. We say a big Amen! Thank you and may your joy be full and overflowing; particularly @ this Christmas season. God bless you all!

MY VALENTINE!

Its 12am in Nigeria and 15 years since we began this journey of destiny. God has been merciful and together we have fought and won many wars. Above all,God has blessed us with the best kids on earth and our love remains as strong and fresh as ever. I love you my Valentine, I love you my 'Quarter Cast' Happy wedding anniversary! FLHFo3+J

PORT HARCOURT, MUBI, CONNECTICUT: WHAT'S THE CONNECTION?

Dear Friends,

The story below is reported verbatim from Yahoo! News. Do you see any parallels from my post earlier today!Draw your own conclusions, but it sure is scary!

Connecticut school shooting suspect was honours student who lived in prosperous neighbourhood

By Pete Yost And Jason Keyser, The Associated Press | Associated Press – 8 hrs ago



WASHINGTON - He was an honours student who lived in a prosperous neighbourhood with his mother, a well-liked woman who enjoyed hosting dice games and decorating the house for the holidays.Now Adam Lanza is suspected of killing his mother and then gunning down more than two dozen people, 20 of them children, at a Connecticut grade school before taking his own life.The 20-year-old may have suffered from a personality disorder, law enforcement officials said.

Investigators were trying to learn as much as possible about Lanza and questioned his older brother, who is not believed to have any involvement in the rampage.
Lanza killed his mother at their home before driving her car to Sandy Hook Elementary School and — armed with at least two handguns — carried out the massacre, officials said. A third weapon, a .223-calibre rifle, was found in the car, and more guns were recovered during the investigation.

So far, authorities have not spoken publicly of any possible motive. They found no note or manifesto, and Lanza had no criminal history.Witnesses said the shooter didn't utter a word.Lanza's aunt said her nephew was raised by kind, nurturing parents who would not have hesitated to seek mental help for him if he needed it.
Marsha Lanza, of Crystal Lake, Ill., said she was close with Adam Lanza's mother and sent her a Facebook message Friday morning asking how she was doing. Nancy Lanza never responded.Marsha Lanza described Nancy Lanza as a good mother and kind-hearted.
If her son had needed counselling, "Nancy wasn't one to deny reality," she told The Associated Press late Friday.Marsha Lanza said her husband saw Adam as recently as June and recalled nothing out of the ordinary about him.

Catherine Urso, who was attending a vigil Friday evening in Newtown, Conn., said her college-age son knew the killer and remembered him for his alternative style.
"He just said he was very thin, very remote and was one of the goths," she said.
Adam Lanza belonged to a technology club at Newtown High School that held "LAN parties" — short for local area network — in which students would gather at a member's home, hook up their computers into a small network and play games. Gloria Milas, whose son Joshua was in the club with Lanza, hosted one of the parties once.
She recalled a school meeting in 2008 organized by the gunman's mother to try to save the job of the club's adviser. At the meeting, Milas said, Adam Lanza's brother Ryan said a few words in support of the adviser, who he said had taken his brother under his wing."My brother has always been a nerd," Ryan Lanza said then, according to Milas. "He still wears a pocket protector."

Joshua Milas, who graduated from Newtown High School in 2009, said Adam Lanza was generally a happy person but that he hadn't seen him in a few years.
"We would hang out, and he was a good kid. He was smart," Joshua Milas said. "He was probably one of the smartest kids I know. He was probably a genius." Lanza and his mother, Nancy, lived in a well-to-do part of Newtown, a prosperous community of 27,000 people about 60 miles northeast of New York City.A grandmother of the suspect — who is also the mother of Nancy Lanza — was too distraught to speak when reached by phone at her home in Brooksville, Fla."I just don't know, and I can't make a comment right now," Dorothy Hanson, 78, said in a shaky voice as she started to cry. She said she hadn't heard anything official about her daughter and grandsons. She declined to comment further and hung up.

A law enforcement official speaking on condition of anonymity said investigators believe Lanza attended the school several years ago but appeared to have no recent connection to the place. At least one parent said Lanza's mother was a substitute teacher there. But her name did not appear on a staff list. And the law enforcement official said investigators were unable to establish any connection so far between her and the school.Adam Lanza's older brother, now 24 and living in Hoboken, N.J., was being questioned, a law enforcement official said. He told authorities that his brother was believed to suffer from a personality disorder, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record about the unfolding investigation.The official did not elaborate, and it was unclear exactly what type of disorder he might have had.

Ryan Lanza had been extremely co-operative and was not under arrest or in custody, but investigators were still searching his computers and phone records. Ryan Lanza told law enforcement he had not been in touch with his brother since about 2010.
Brett Wilshe, a friend of Ryan Lanza's, said he sent him a Facebook message Friday asking what was going on and if he was OK. According to Wilshe, Lanza's reply was something along the lines of: "It was my brother. I think my mother is dead. Oh my God."

Adam Lanza attended Newtown High School, and several local news clippings from recent years mention his name among the school's honour roll students. Lanza's parents filed for divorce in 2008, according to court records. His father, Peter Lanza, lives in Stamford, Conn., according to public records, and he reportedly works as a tax director for General Electric. A neighbour in Newtown, Rhonda Cullens, said she knew Nancy Lanza from monthly get-togethers the neighbourhood women had a few years back for games of bunco, a dice game."She was a very nice lady," Cullens said. "She was just like all the rest of us in the neighbourhood, just a regular person."
Cullens recalled that Lanza liked to garden and to make her house look nice for the holidays. Lanza joked, though, that no one noticed because the house was out of view, up a hill, she said.

Sandeep Kapur, who lives two doors down from the Lanza family in Newtown, said he did not know them and was unaware of any disturbances at the Lanza house in the three years that he and his family have been in the neighbourhood.He described the area as a subdivision of well-tended, 15-year-old homes on lots of an acre or more, where many people work at companies like General Electric, Pepsi and IBM. Some are doctors, and his next-door neighbour is a bank CEO, said Kapur, a project manager at an information technology firm."The neighbourhood's great. We have young kids, and they have lots of friends," he said. "If you drive past this neighbourhood, it gives you a really warm feeling."
___
Keyser reported from Chicago.
___
Associated Press writers Adam Geller in Newtown, Conn.; Dave Collins in Hartford, Conn., Michael Tarm in Crystal Lake, Ill.; and Michael Rubinkam contributed to this report.

TAKE A STAND (PART 2 – THE UNIPORT 4 & MUBI +40 )

Captain Thomas Sankara



Dear Friends,

I will like to personally congratulate you for having made it thus far in the year and to again, wish you a merry Christmas and happy new year in advance.

In my blog post on Take A Stand (Part 1), I had argued for the requisite affirmative action to back up any position or stand we take on an issue, and ended with a reference to my friend who is working to realize his dream of revolutionizing supermarket shopping experience in Nigeria. I hope, with his permission, to devote some posts to that concept when he opens his doors shortly! For the remaining weekends to the end of this month and year, commencing from today, this is what I propose to focus on in the blog: give a few more examples of those who took a stand, emphasize my own stand and your possible role in it, and then let you have a brief profile of who I am…..

Taking a stand on an issue or a dream is by no means an easy venture – it takes guts, determination, tenacity, sacrifice and faith. It requires one to give up their comfort zone and throw their hat into the ring of uncertainty and prospect of failure, yet the heart is resolute to overcome all odds. The anticipated victory at the end of the contest is what pushed President Obama, a black, originally from Kenya, to go for the White House, not once, but twice! Before him, Rosa Park refused to give up her bus seat to whites and thus set a definitive force in motion for the Civil Rights Movement in America. Nelson Mandela endured 27 years in a solitary prison cell ensconced in Robben Island, and came out to become the first black president in post-apartheid South Africa. Today the world stands to attention, if he so much does a simple task of going in for medical check -up! The glory of success overshadows the pain and agony of taking a stand. Sometimes, people have paid with their lives, like Martin Luther King, Patrice Lumumba, Thomas Sankara, etc; but it does not stop us from coming forward.

It is not only in the hallowed political and economic affairs that one can take a stand. It may just be on such a basic issue as how we raise our children, or the ability to keep an issue on the front burner until a solution is found or justice is done. This brings me to a recent issue that reached boiling point and headed for the gaseous state in our nation, Nigeria – the dastardly lynching of four UNIPORT students by a mob, whether pre-meditated or spontaneous. This incidence, I hope in no way pales into insignificance, the murder of over 40 students in three institutions in Mubi, North Eastern Nigeria. In either case, young lives - students, future leaders - are taken wantonly. These acts are highly atrocious and portend ominous consequences for our nation, if unchecked.

Beyond the initial public outrage and usual government statements, what other force, legitimate and civil, can we muster not only to bring the culprits to book, but to forestall such incidence in the future. While not neglecting the immediate direct actions, perhaps, the more effective path will be to take a stand on the children we are raising these days. The bandits that murdered the students at Mubi were not spirits, they were raised in homes. So also the mob that set ablaze fellow human beings - students the community should be protecting, rather than destroy. What future generation are we raising – is it one that has regard for the sanctity of human life or the one that under the guise of religion, culture, or sheer apathy, destroy another life?

These issues run deeper than meets the eye, and apart from the physical solutions, the ultimate answer lies in divine intervention which is guaranteed by a relationship with God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us take a stand to raise a godly generation that respects the sanctity of life. To find out more about God and how you can have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, visit any Bible believing church near you, or: CHAPEL OF DESTINY RESTORATION CHURCH, 2 Akinlabi Lane, off Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, by Round About Bus Stop, Ikeja. Lagos.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Friends, the Almighty crowns the year with goodness. He makes the work of your hands to be fruitful. Therefore enter into your rest and celebration. Welcome to the month of December! And, yes, Merry Christmas in advance!