STILL

Thwack… the harness that held the sail down to the gunwale gave way and the thrashing sail flopped

about menacingly. The storm had come upon MV Calvary without notice and the gurgling tempest of the pacific spoke thunders. The waves were tales of fiction featured in flicks only – when it troughed, the darkened clouds laughed at the keel of the fishing trawler.

MC Calvary crewmen scurried about cutting harnesses, wrapping sails around the gaff, channeling the flood off the deck. Capt. Maxi watched the whole thing without emotions from the prow, his knuckles white from gripping the gunwale. This wasn’t how he’d envisaged the end of his great fishing career on earth. “North-East’s Finest Sailor lost at sea” the headlines would read. 

He thought about all the stories he had heard about sailors dying at sea and their final words. He knew this night wasn’t going to last long because the storm had just begun and he knew what the word “cyclone” meant… this storm had the tell-tale signs of that monster written all over it. 

The waves crested again and passed immediately… their descent reminded Capt. Maxi of the crests on the highways to his village… He missed the hollow feeling that made one’s heartbeat increase whenever a crest was passed on the highway… but this wasn’t a highway… this was an ocean without borders… without solace… a moaning ocean thirsting for souls… calling… beckoning… 

As they descended, Capt. Maxi looked round to see his dejected men hold on tightly to anything that would reduce the impact whenever MV Calvary hit water again… they all looked scared and knew what he knew… this night was not going to last long… no Captain deserved this looks from men who looked up to him

He gazed down at his feet and saw the words he had engraved on the prow when he bought the trawler – PEACE BE STILL… the words of His master Jesus… he was a Christian but this was beyond his faith… Still he muttered the words… not in hope that the storm would pass but that their deaths would be in peace…

“Peace be still” he repeated silently, his eyes closed… his heart at peace… and his spirit ready to be poured out “Peace be still”… 

Before they bottomed out, another crest caught them in mid-air and took them up… at the peak of the crest, Capt. Maxi heard a screeching sound and looked round at his men. They all had their eyes shut… 

“Peace be still” he muttered again… ready for anything 

Then the trawler stopped moving… MV Calvary was perfectly still… still in the raging storm… not swaying… not canting… not tilting… but perfectly still in the belly of the cyclone. Everyone opened their eyes and noticed that the storm was still raging about them, several feet below them. Yet, their ship was steady. 

Capt. Maxi peeked beyond the gunwale and observed that they had crested on a rock. The rock had a groove that the trawler’s keel fitted perfectly into. Reverent awe washed over him… there was no record of such a rock in the pacific… no scientific expedition had evidence of this and in all his 37-years of sailing Capt. Maxi had never heard of this rock…

This was no ordinary rock… This was the Rock of Ages… this was Christ himself… Capt. Maxi knelt and his entire crew followed suit…

TWO FACED

“I specially invited you over because you have a way of stirring up emotions” Pastor Skye told

Isaiah, the rap artiste that everyone knew as “Mouthpiece”… Isaiah couldn’t believe he was listening to a man anointed by God…

 “Let me get this straight” Isaiah cleared his throat “you are saying I shouldn’t minister as the Holy Spirit leads?”

 “No… no… no… come on, how can I say that?” Pastor Skye smiled awkwardly “I’m simply saying, you should let the Holy Spirit lead your ministration in such a way that, the congregation would give willingly”

“In other words, I should manipulate the Holy Spirit”

“Boy, don’t act naïve… the Lord confirms the words of his servants the prophet” Pastor Skye justified his words “How do you think your flight from Kano was paid for? Church offering” Isaiah thought of responding but the Holy Spirit restrained him.

He had no idea why God had even nudged him to respond to the invite. Pastor Skye’s church was having a miracle revival and wanted to reach the younger generation, so they had invited him over – being a rap artiste, prophet and a preacher all wrapped in one.

“Listen Mouthpiece… if you play your part well, everyone benefits…” Pastor Skye continued “We’ll split all proceeds from the offering 50-50…”

Isaiah smiled, stood up and walked towards the door, then turned round “Sir… I’ll be in my room. When it’s time for me to minister… I’ll do what needs to be done” and he stepped out of the room

Two hours later, Mouthpiece stood in front of the congregation ministering and all he could see were thirsty souls…

He poured out all that the Holy Spirit poured into him… the move of God was apparent and everyone knew that God was with him… behind him, Pastor Skye bubbled in his seat, conscious of the vulnerability of the excited congregation… wheel chairs were being rolled up… blind eyes and deaf ears were popping open… broken limbs were healing and most of all… Souls were getting saved

Pastor Skye couldn’t wait for Mouthpiece to finish ministering; so that he could receive offerings… then he heard what felt like an earthquake…

“I speak as God’s Mouthpiece when I say this” Mouthpiece was saying “On no occasion should anyone give offerings or tithes till this week-long event is over”

Pastor Skye was about to jump up and protest when Isaiah turned round and faced him…

“I am sure the Holy Spirit is ministering the same thing to the man of God…” Pastor Skye had no choice but to nod and smile sheepishly…

Three hours later… Isaiah stood in front of Pastor Skye with his bag packed…

“There is no money for your return flight son” Pastor Skye said drily as he sipped whiskey from a glass…

“You are not my shepherd… The Lord is” Isaiah replied “My work here is done… and he’ll fly me home… but it would do you a lot of good to remember that you were not called into ministry to make money”

“It takes good money to run a good ministry son” Pastor Skye screamed

 “It’s not your job description to look for money, you are not a marketer” Isaiah calmly replied “the glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the Cypress, the plane, and the pine together to beautify the place of my sanctuary… Isaiah 60:13”

With that Isaiah turned round and walked out…

ORIENTATION OF A KING II

There was nothing… absolute emptiness that defied contemporary definitions of nothingness…

Kunle Smith couldn’t even feel his son’s palm & tiny fingers wrapped tightly around his. His heart skipped a bit and he realized he wasn’t breathing…fear clawed his heart and the blackness sunk its barred fangs into his skin. Kunle felt like he was being sucked into the nothingness.

 He could feel Eti’s hand yet he couldn’t feel it. He tried to ask the boy if he was okay, but nothing came to his lips… he tried to raise his hand to feel his lips but there was nothing where his hand used to be and he knew this lesson was one he shouldn’t have taken his 12 year son through.

Kunle Smith had brought Eti to the Imaginarium of Creation (In Otieké) to show his son how wrong evolution theory was. The boy had kicked and ranted about the facts replete on the internet about evolution, since the day he was taught Charles Darwin’s evolution. Kunle knew the boy had to pass school exams, but more important were the exams that life would pose when school was over. Eti needed to be grounded in the faith before science & philosophy stole his hungry heart. 

Suddenly, the intense fear left him and he felt an approaching force. He had no idea where the Force was approaching from, but it seemed to be approaching with such speed that the waves it radiated shook Kunle’s bones. 

He felt like crying… yet laughter rippled through his core… but he didn’t hear anything. The Force approached… and the closer it got, the more Kunle shook with laughter. A billion lights exploded inside him, yet all he saw was darkness. He felt like he was drunk on divine nectar that a zillion litres of dopamine couldn’t beat. 

The Force slowed down as it arrived near Kunle. He still felt Eti’s hand and heard him laughing uncontrollably but when he turned to look at Eti, blackness swallowed his gaze. The Force finally hovered above him and Kunle knew then that he was dead… yet alive with so much vigour that he could feel his soul flutter like a wet sheet in front of an industrial fan. 

The Force hovered for eternity… yet It had just arrived above them… The Force seemed to be just above them, but Kunle knew that this Force was everywhere… How he knew he couldn’t say… he just knew… The Force had the warmest embrace yet it was fierce and rugged… how the Force could be all of these at once, Kunle couldn’t tell… all he wished for was that His son was experiencing all of it. 

Then he heard it… what sounded like the rushing of Niagara Falls and giant gorges in the Pacific… it was sweet and bold… soft and thunderous… deafening and penetrating… there was no mistaking that voice… 

“Let there be light” the voice said 

Before the voice finished its utterance, the darkness, emptiness, blackness and nothingness disappeared. Kunle was blinded by the approaching beam of light. His eyes were wide open but the gust of energy that came with the light shut his heart up. At that instant, Kunle knew he knew everything. This light wasn’t just light; it was the illumination of existence…

Any question could have been answered by Kunle at this point… anything… this was the source of knowledge… 

Kunle beheld what appeared to be legions of angels pulling the beam of light on lightning fast golden sleights. The golden sleights where existent, yet you could see through them… transparent orbs of beauty… the angels were so huge that describing them was beyond Kunle. They pulled the beam of light past Kunle and he was once again engulfed in the ecstasy that had rocked him earlier on, only this time… He felt like He was inside The Force.

Then he felt fingers grip his palm and he looked down with teary eyes and saw Eti… with tears streaming down his face. He opened his mouth to speak… still, the words didn’t form… then he saw the words float from his heart towards Eti’s heart

“What is it son?” Kunle saw his thoughts form words

“Is this how God started creation?” Eti replied without opening his lips… his eyes wide and his cheeks glistening. 

“This is how he made creation” Kunle replied again “He started creation before He hovered over the nothingness”