Memoirs magazine Christmas/Newyear Edition 2019

MEMOIRS CHRISTIAN LIFE-STYLE MAGAZINE

AT THE FIRST CHRISTMAS THERE WAS WORSHIP Its role and significance

CHRISTMAS PICTURE ...and who made the red carpet

EXCLUSIVE MEET MR. NKAY Gospel Artiste per excellence shares his story

EDITOR'S LETTER Season’s greeting family!

It’s the season of festivity and also doubles as our 2nd year anniversary edition. Wow!! Two full years with 5 editions, that right there is the faithfulness of God and none other. In all, we remain grateful to God for an amazing year so far and we are elated about the New Year. We thank God, for each edition has been an improvement on the other. A big “Thank you” to everyone for being part of this. We want to use this opportunity to thank everyone that was part of our outreach. We love and appreciate you all immensely.

Sneak peek into the Pages In the spirit of festivity, this is a celebration edition, serving is a mini Christmas buffet on Memoirs delicious recipes (Memoirs DR) and we are dressing up for a black tie event with Fashion and Style Alley as we explore the “Dress code: Black-tie” . Most times hosting a party or an event can be so time and mind consuming that the host forgets to find time for themselves..

Also, some people attending may not even be aware of what the celebration is about.

Bringing it home, the

whole world is celebrating Christmas and some people are participating in celebrations yet, not acknowledging the reason for the season. People are caught up in the buying and receiving of gifts without acknowledging the gift of the season. For this reason, one of the highlights of this edition is a piece which unravels a crucial common theme shared in the story of Christmas and brings to mind the true essence of Christmas tagged “At the first Christmas there was worship”.

This is also a season of taking family pictures, capturing special moments that are priceless. As Christmas is that time of the year when families come together in love to celebrate love. We grabbed a virtual camera to attempt taking a perfect picture of Christmas with our imagination; breezing through the tabloids of the day.

Not sure what we mean?! check out “Christmas Picture (im)perfect”. The New Year is here already, and is often marked with New Year’s resolutions. As such, after taking down the Christmas decorations we need to bring something new home and so Memoirs presents an article “Getting Started” which does just that, helps you get the new year started. It walks you through setting goals and achieving them check it out.

While at that you might want to start the New Year resolving to read more books, The Book Stand has something that has a mix of Christmas and New Year. It’s a secret you will discover as you flip the virtual pages of this magazine.

Resolution 3, yeah, you weren’t counting? Health is wealth,

Memoirs Health takes a plunge into getting you more of nature’s candy and bests with “5 a day”. Surprised?

Curious? Flip the pages to Memoirs Health for the inside scoop. Not forgetting your skin DIY Spa presents you with two must haves for the New Year and a throwback to skin care 101 to know what skin type your skin is.

Finally, for our special feature is someone special who is not ashamed to sing about the Love of Jesus, gospel singing sensation Mr Nkay. A must read.

Special thanks to everyone on our team, Mr Nkay for affording us the privilege of an interview and for being phenomenally patient with us. Thank you to a dear sister and friend Ayodele Sanusi for as always taking the best of photographs. Thanks to you for constantly downloading and being a part of our journey this past 2 years and counting. It means billions to us and so thanks a billion. On these pages are special Christmas and New Year presents to you. Merry Christmas and Happy new year from the entire memoirs magazine team.

a m o b o n u m Ta Ikiriko

Contents

014 002

Editor's Letter

003 004

Table of content Christmas Picture

009

The First Christmas there was Worship

014

Cover Story

028

Health

034

DIY

037

The Mini Christmas Buffet

048

Fashion and Style Alley

056

Getting Started

065

Memoirs' Outreach

066

The Book Stand

048 037 04

CHRISTMAS PICTURE ....who made the red carpet?

Christmas Picture (im)perfect What makes a perfect picture? Selfie?Boothie?

A great smile? A striking pose? The right camera?

name, funny he inherited the blessing but, picked up a few flaws from Dad (Abraham) like telling a lie about his wife calling her sister.

However, he was mega successful expressing the blessing, guess someone can relate to this, being perfect isn’t the big idea, is it?

Taking steps and working with the perfect God who makes the flaws and imperfections disappear, a great spring board into destiny and a deal breaker.

Jacob the trickster, who even brought it home.

Took advantage of his twin brother’s hunger and traded his brother’s birth right for a plate of venison. To top that, went in his place to receive his blessing. Know anyone so dubious they sell things you never knew could be sold?

Or offer a price on things you never imagined could be sold? Yet, again Jacob grew to be an amazing man full of the blessing.

Few names down the list is an ex-prostitute, someone with a reputation that would make The Grace Trail you think it impossible to make this hall of The picture of Christmas might look like a fame. Yet, she did, she kissed the streets and picture of when everything and everything just old ways good bye and was honoured to be goes wrong or when everything and everything the mother of Boaz. An excellent man who in spite of everything just turns out right? It would go on to protect the image of his soon depends on how you look at it really. Trailing the to be bride and go the extra mile to ensure all lineage of Jesus is a perfect example. the right boxes were ticked. This bride was a widow a ‘foreigner’ who embraced her Maker, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, wealthy, God followed an old mother-in-law a widow herself fearing, very Godly really but, they made but, wait! Was she worth protecting? Boaz is mistakes. Ishmael a child Abraham had when called a redeemer, reflecting a picture of how he felt the need to have a son as God had God goes the extra mile to protect and redeem said, the only thing is he and Sarah (his wife) us even when tradition, culture, life (bios) says went about it the wrong way. Guess someone it is illogical to do so. can relate to trying so hard to see results and wanting it at all cost so much so desperation Few names down is what in modern day can sets in. The temptation to take the short route be unarguably called a scandal. As a king is high. Next on the line up, Isaac the promised had an affair with another man’s wife and child coming after they had waited a while. ordered the man be killed in the line of duty Having him (Isaac) in their old age. A miracle serving in the nation’s military. Talk about indeed. Laughter, the English translation of his impunity yet, the very next king, the heir

apparent to the throne would then be a product of this self-same scandalous relationship. No tricks, his siblings didn’t just sit and watch this be the case however, that didn’t count for anything he was still enthroned. A lot more goes down, down the trail until finally Jesus.

Background, mistakes, imperfections don’t intimidate Jesus if you doubt it check out His lineage, to think that all these things seem like they only just happened. God saw Jesus in Rahab a harlot, saw Jesus in a widow merely showing honour to a bitter mother-inlaw, He saw Jesus in the midst of the royal scandal, He saw Jesus through this lineage.

Truth is it is far from a coincidence every single person was chosen deliberately. He specializes in choosing the foolish things to confound the wise. *1 Cor. 1:27 it was all in the plan. In what ways have you written yourself off the possibilities of a life in God? Look through the trail which clearly spells out grace and think again. The News of it, a picture of reality.

The family of renowned Priest Zacharias of the division of Abijah welcome their new born son after several years of childlessness and had given up on the possibilities of such occurrence as the couple were well advanced in age. Witnesses at this event say, the Priest who had become mute about the time the celebrated baby was conceived. He spoke for the first time during the christening of the new born. He allegedly claimed to have been made mute by an angel who appeared to him whilst carrying out his priestly duties. The child was rumoured to be one of great destiny and the occurrence at his christening might be a confirmation to this. He was named John, a mega congratulation to the entire family on the arrival of this bundle of joy.

Picture this today in the headlines, what would people have said about Zacharias, Elizabeth and John? “The priest must have sinned for him to be mute or the child is bad news or an evil child, I mean look at the circumstances Knowing the outcome of a movie reduces the surrounding his birth”. How would Elizabeth suspense which would have been otherwise have felt having a baby when she was way filled with massive thrills and chills. Knowing past child bearing age? At her age she was the outcome of the entire Christmas story may meant to be a grandmother not just a mother.

Imagine her at the mall with John and also mask what was seemingly imperfect, someone says “oh your grandson is really making it into a perfect picture which by the adorable”. Flashback to pregnancy; carrying a way it is. Like a Jigsaw puzzle the individual baby and everything about it, mixed feelings pieces of Christmas might have not seemed maybe. The very thing that should be her joy, perfect but, the coming together gives that embarrassing her. perfect picture. If you are in doubt an imaginative journey into the tabloid of the Did she dress up with layers and layers to dailies might help. cover up the very thing she was very elated about? How about the symptoms, how did she cope? I am guessing the angel’s visit was very relevant because, I can imagine her treating something else with the last thing on

her mind being a baby. In all, here was something she had always wanted, now it had come so ‘late’ that a priest doubted (I mean if anyone has seen the manifestations of God first hand it should be him). The truth is, it is never too late with God. Familiarity must never get in the way, even when it seems pasted a stage, God does not forget, He will come through and massively at that.

John was the fore runner of Jesus and His cousin as well; all still part of God’s plan.

Really! Trusting God is everything.

A teenage girl found to be pregnant claims to have not had any sexual relations with her betrothed lover Joseph, of the house of David or any man at all yet, has been confirmed pregnant. Surprisingly, her fiancé Joseph seems to be in on this plan as he has agreed to carry on with the marriage ceremony despite, what seems clearly as a situation of betrayal. Teenager Mary claims to have miraculously conceived the baby she is pregnant with and her fiancé allegedly concurs with this statement.

The couple claims an angel appeared to both of them at different times to clarify any doubt both parties might have. The couple are happily married and expecting their baby despite these rumours around town.

Imagine today someone you know mentions she is pregnant and maintains she is still a virgin. Would you believe? Ladies, imagine how your family would respond. I mean this is after such a thing has happened

before in history i.e. Mary.Then, imagine how it felt to be the first, she had never heard of such, how about Joseph? He almost ended the relationship but, for the intervention of God sending the angel. If Joseph followed due process Mary would have probably ended up dead. God saves and has excellent people skills. Just right about the time Joseph was planning to put her away secretly He sent in help. “Do not be afraid to take Mary as a wife …” fears arise when making serious decisions like choosing a spouse especially, when circumstances like this arise. God is still in the business of clearing doubts over grey areas.

Elizabeth wife of priest Zacharias has been spotted in town with the allegedly pregnant virgin, Mary. They are reported to be relatives and the young lady is visiting the family of the priests. How could the wife of a priest be associating with this young lady in question?

There are of cause logical explanations for such a visit.

Imagine being seen around town with each other, people chatting away about the two pregnant cousins. Years apart in age yet, they were able to have a rendezvous, imagine the humility of Elizabeth referring to the greatness of the baby Mary was carrying showing even much respect in her salutation. Some people might have said, “Please it is just a baby few months apart why should I treat her differently?” Elizabeth versus Mary, one’s baby came too soon, the other seemed too late truth be told they were both in time for God’s plan. A major highlight is it took a miracle for both to happen, God is still in the business of working miracles and can in fact give a Christmas miracle to you.

people but, it is interesting to know, that all was part of the grand master plan. Angels where already in on it hence, the joyous welcome and celebration experienced by these shepherds.

Something consistent, reading through the story Caesar Augustus has recently decreed that of Christmas and the grace trail, is prophecy the entire world should be registered, fulfilled; His birth and situation surrounding it was following this Quirinius governor of Syria has prophesied *Matthew 1:22 so all this was done ordered that all citizens should go to their that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the cities/places of origin to be registered. This Lord through the prophet saying “behold, the will result in a lot of families and individuals virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, they making trips across the country in order to be shall call His name Immanuel “ which is promptly registered particularly, those translated “God with us”… the place of His birth residing far away from their places of origin.

Matthew 2:3 -6 verse 5 so they said to him, “in We wish all people making such journeys Bethlehem … to mention a few. God said it and safe trips ahead. in a matter of time there was the fulfilment exactly as it was declared, coming down to the Impromptu announcement, sudden change everyday life prophetic declarations for the year, of plan at such a time... what can be more words that have been illuminated in your hearts annoying? Pregnancy due yet Mary and and the promises from God you embraced Joseph had to make the trip. because you knew it was for you. Not to worry, God is still in the business of fulfilling promises and as such His words would not fail. Like every actor in the Christmas story, simply believe and A baby born to the family of Joseph is said to obey the instructions that comes with the promises spoken or words embraced. Like the have a kingly dynasty. It is alleged that the royal sceptre has left the family of the current birth of Jesus became a reality and prophecy fulfilled crowned with celebration, brace yourself king Herod and is in fact, now bestowed on because celebration is here. this family with the baby being the King.

Certain shepherds are reported to have In conclusion, the story of Jesus birth is a story witnessed an apparition of angels while keeping watch over their flock by night. One of conceiving and birthing the unbelievable. shepherd said, “Behold an angel of the Lord Prophecies fulfilled all emanate from the least stood before us and the glory of the Lord expected places, people and families. A story of shone around us and we were greatly afraid. imperfect people, in imperfect places, making Then the angel instructed that we should not the perfect picture because, behind the scenes be afraid as he was a bearer of good tidings the master strategist and executor has it all of great Joy, the news was that a saviour had figured out. been born and he gave clear instructions where we can meet this child.”

Praise welcomed the birth of Jesus, it appeared this was happening in the most unlikely places and to the most unlikely

At the First Christmas

there was Worship

WORSHIPERS LINE UP HOST OF HEAVEN AND ANGEL SHEPHERDS

WISE MEN FROM THE EAST

*Luke 1 :13 Nkjv 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

A song we sing, lying prostrate, kneeling, the consciousness we have in the way we live our lives … all are indeed worship.

Worship is more than a song it’s the state of our hearts even when we are not singing and when we are. It is the extent to which we are willing to pour out ourselves to please none other than God the Almighty one. Considering the circumstances surrounding the birth of Christ, worship might have not been the initial response thinking logically and given the play out of events …but, of cause over 2000 years after, it is more than understandable that Joy, excitement and worship can be associated with these same events.

However, logical or not at the first Christmas there was worship and this in many ways paints a dynamic picture of what worship truly is; centred on the person not necessary the event or environment.

At the core of every actor in the Christmas story is a unique similarity shared “they came to worship the new born king”.

Even Herod in trying to deceive the wise men pretended to want to worship. Why? Was it in the way they were so eager to meet this new born king? Picture they assumed that was the place of birth of the king and as such they did all they had rehearsed. The details of their visit are not documented to that extent. However, it comes across as an imaginative picture of a surprise party with guests sneakily hiding and eagerly anticipating the celebrant. So everyone is mega still and hushed then, a knock on the door and balloons in the air, everyone screaming out loud “surprise!!!” Only to realise it is just another guest who had shown up late.

Well if these guests are as determined to celebrate their friend /loved one, they would pick up the balloons and go back into hiding, filling the new entrant in on the plan, probably even give it (the plan) an upgrade before going on to do the celebration proper when the right person shows up. This is hinged on the fact that it is the person the whole celebration is about that matters most. The same might have been the case with the wise men. Though, they missed the actual place of birth yet, they got everything prepared and planned again to go in search of where they would find this king that was born. That might have been all Herod saw and said to himself, “if I am ever going to get these guys to come back here with the information I need, I might as well pretend to be as eager to worship this king as they are“. That he did so well, it took an angel appearing to them to make them think otherwise. I wonder what passion they displayed to make Herod feel that way, or is it just something that emanates when true worship is intended. So it is safe to say passion is displayed when true worship is rendered.

They started their journey long before Jesus was born and think of it “the king was only just born” it was not even his coronation ceremony yet they came.

It would take over 30 years for them to see or feel the impact of His reign as king yet, they came with passion and excitement.

Christmas as always falls right before the end of the year, with numerous expectations for 2018 rolling out and the year seems like it’s over. Would you consider borrowing a little something from these wise men? Get excited, elated and passionate about those expectations that have not even been birthed.

Let’s flashback to talk about Mary, who conceived a child through the Holy Spirit; pregnant with God. Many years after that, in the 21st century and now we know the whole story that might seem cool. However, not exactly considering the implication this had on Mary, her then courtship and reputation*(Luke1:27). The angel came excited about this apparently not very exciting “NEWS” a classic buttressing point to the popular phase “things are not always as they seem” and although the angel said rejoice she was afraid*Luke 1:28-29). Yet, in this salutation lies a core theme and essence of worship “rejoice God is with you” and it goes on to form like a “Mexican wave” effect along the line of actors in the Christmas story; from this salutation, to the declaration of Jesus as Emmanuel; God with us, to His actual manifest presence even as a new born king. They all rejoiced and worshiped with this mind, so why worship? Because God is with you and how do you know He is with you? You have His word for it. *(Luke 1:27-34) Now Mary’s personality as a worshipper is amazing and fascinating. An angel tells you this 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And HE WILL REIGN OVER THE HOUSE OF JACOB FOREVER, AND OF HIS KINGDOM THERE WILL BE NO END.”

And her response to this was 34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?

Excuse me! Had she ever seen or heard of a king that reigned forever? Not all his life but, forever?? Never ending reign? Given that seemingly impossible or at the least never been seen proposition /declaration Mary, amazing Mary asked how she would conceive this?

Pause, would you have asked how someone can reign forever instead?

Well, she asked a significant question.

Paraphrasing her question, it would be “How do I play my part in this”?

Which is a life lesson right there. Sticking to how you can play your part in the equation of things which is often easier compared to God’s part. Fast forward to the visit to Elizabeth, which is another wise move she made.

Realising she was not alone in this experience, but her close relative Elizabeth was experiencing same, she decided to journey there to be around like minds.

This meant so much to her plus it was an implied instruction.

39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah (which means praise) Mary went to a place of praise to see someone who she could relate with.

Conceiving that amazing thing may seem lonely but, in the place of praise, besides rejoicing, you find companions. How did she find the place of praise?

She obeyed.

Remember the angel mentioned Elizabeth (it appeared to be she was mentioned in passing) but, Amazing Mary paid attention to that detail. , 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 Blessed is he who believed, for there will be a fulfilment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

Next Mary busted out with a song. You can imagine the experience, the impact or influence they had on each other. Mary’s greeting alone triggered inspiration, then prayers, a prophetic declaration and finally the ultimate response, Praise! Some people, with their presence trigger true worship and their worship makes you want to worship … the gathering of worshippers you might want to tag this meeting, but you see, despite the age disparity; too old to be pregnant and too soon to be pregnant, the women found a comfy place and comfort in worship. Hence, the call to worship given the circumstance, may come across as inappropriate and even scary sometimes but, ask questions if need be, get information needed and like Mary don’t forget the most important bit “worship”Hangout with a worshiper. In the 21st century, music being a form of worship (not the only form) unites two individuals from different parts of the world by a simple touch of the ‘play’ button Selah.

This Christmas let your passion be on display. It doesn’t matter the form you expect Jesus to come in or where you expect Him to show up … like the wise men make plans, gather what you need (dancing shoes, garment of praise, etc.) and set out on a trip to worship God for His move even before it is birthed. Fall down prostrate and be elated about “the baby form that would take over 30 years to grow to be king. Like Mary, let your response to every news be worship, pay attention to the details and join a gathering of worshipers to worship if the opportunity so presents . Finally, like Elizabeth let everything in your being respond in worship to the King of kings.

A song writer wrote “I will praise you through the good times and bad, I will praise you whether happy or sad, I will praise you ...because, praise is what I do and I owe it all to you”.

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife,[a] who was with child. 6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Glory in the Highest 8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold,[b] an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.

10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”[c]

15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely[d] known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

EXCLUSIVE Meet Mr. Nkay

PHOTO CREDIT: AYODELE SANUSI

of his growing up years there up until his early teens.

A Memoirs Magazine exclusive interview with award winning Afro-beat gospel sensation songwriter and law graduate Mr Nkay. Earlier this year (February), we met up with this rather gifted music minister and here is the inside scoop of the interview.

The gospel music scene has in recent times produced several gifted and versatile young people with a heart for God, people that could very well make musical hits doing main stream secular music. However, are passionately driven to gospel music, one of such people is Emmanuel Nkemaran popularly known as Mr Nkay. He is one of the artistes signed under record label “Rock Town Records” (owned by renowned gospel artiste Frank Edwards). With an ear for good music from a tender age he was often drawn to the boom box or stereo, this influenced his love for making great sound.

Growing up years…

Originally from Nigeria, precisely Akwa Ibom state, he was born in Cross rivers state and spent most

“Growing up for me was very quiet and calm because, we grew up in a small and calm city. My father worked in another city, Akwa Ibom state while we were based in Cross River state. I spent most of my growing up years with my mum. My father visited once every two weeks which most times were weekends. Hence, I was raised by my mum a very strong, very industrious and hard working woman (a lion in an industry of men). It was very inspiring seeing a lot of hard work; we were picked up most times from school and taken to my mum’s office. We did our homework and everything that needed to be done, closing with her at the close of day.

Basically, that was what growing up was for me. We were very reserved.

My Mum was very protective of us.

She was particular about the kind of people that influenced us so she didn’t just allow us hang out with just

anybody. In being protective like that I learnt to spend time with myself; exploring my potentials (I happen to be a very reflective person). We spent most times indoors and at times when we get to go out we did under supervision, so I spent a lot of time with myself. Creative side; I had a lot of music around me growing up.

My fondest memories of myself growing up, was that I was always beside the music deck; all the time memorising every song, learning every single lyric and climbing on top of chairs to sing. I used to think I would end up a pastor.

Actually, there were three things I used to say I wanted to be; a pastor, lawyer or a musician but, I was always shy to say the musician part because my family is very academic... I practiced the pastor thing on the chairs as If I were on the pulpit with my younger brother or the music one; I used to memorise lyrics so well on my own and I always used to sing. My mum will always be like “if you memorise your books as well as you memorise music lyrics you will be better off” … but, it was always part of me… It was just a very protective childhood, just had time enough for school and any other thing you could get your hands on and mine was music, football and music.

It is said that the first set of friends we have in life are our family, this holds some truth for Mr Nkay being the third in a family of four children. He has two older siblings a sister and a brother and an immediate younger brother, a tight bond knits them all together particularly between the two younger siblings. Little wonder while doing music came as a surprise to the older siblings it was no news to his younger as they had both attended the same school and he (the younger brother)

had the privilege of watching Mr Nkay perform because he had started doing music even while in school.

“I am the third; I have an older sister, older brother, me and then my younger brother but, they (older siblings) are way ahead of us, so the gap is intense … Not that we are not close but, in terms of rapport, the two of them (older ones) have their own thing going, while we (the younger ones) are closer to each other. He knows everything about me. When music started, everyone was like “where did this come from?” but, he knew… “ At age 14 the family moved to the city of Port Harcourt and at 17 he set out for a law degree as he returned to the place of his birth Cross Rivers state for university. Unknown to him that things would take a different turn. In his second year of his studies there was a cult clash which necessitated NKay’s relocation to the United Kingdom to continue his university education where he bagged a first and second degree in Law.

“… At 17 I moved to Cross Rivers, started university but, had like major casualty... there

was a cult clash in my own campus, and so I was arrested. I wasn’t involved, we had a fellowship and because, I was trying to get people from the gate to attend at the time, the police arrested everyone they could find. I spent the night in a police cell. It was a serious case because, someone died so they were just looking for anyone to put the murder case on ... I left Nigeria after that and I moved to England (I was about 19) . I had spent two years of my law degree in Nigeria and I had to leave for England where I spent four years completing my first degree. After that, I did my master’s degree. After my masters I returned to Nigeria for my service year (participated in the National Youth Service Corps) and currently post service life hopefully…”

The Journey to music What looked like a move because of a situation arising turned out to be a season which would go on to become a highlight in his musical journey. Interestingly, in his first year of studies in England he had ample free time as classes held twice in a week, affording him time to work part time.

It was at this time he started his home setup (Miniature studio).

“I used to record in my home setup basically, so I had a laptop in my room. I download tracks off You-tube or instrumentals off sound cloud...and I would record. I had an old sound cloud that nobody can ever have the password for. I used to record stuff and put up there and I used to tell people, tell me what you think? One time a classmate friend I had in Nigeria was in England trying to record his compilation album, he sent me like three tracks and I wrote for like 3 of them. I wrote so that someone else could record it. The songs I recorded sounded so good and I was surprised at how well it was received by .

everyone in the studio. Most of them kept asking “is this your first recording?”. I took those tracks but, something happened. I was not in communication with him during that period. He went to Abuja and changed the whole song leaving me with the versions that I had recorded What seemed like a disappointment with a friend turned out to be the stepping stone to be signed on by his current record label. In his usual habit of getting feedback from people on his music, he shared some of the recordings with an individual.

Then Frank Edwards was having a competition online in December, someone messaged me like “Frank is having a competition” I was like yo! I have a friend that has a good song, I was not even thinking about mine cause I was still like mine is not good enough. I have a friend that has a really good song… I picked up a song, I won’t mention names, I picked up his song I sent him his song and mine.

I wasn’t sure about mine. I wanted to know what he thought but, let me send the one that I know is good (were his thoughts while making the submission).

Nothing happened, they did not say anything, about three months after there was a choir audition … I took a song to audition for the choir to sing and then ..I saw a DM (Direct message), a mention from Frank Edwards on twitter saying “he has been watching this young man for a while now, we think he is very gifted and he was like I should check my private messages” (in the private message) He was like send me your number, we love your sound and send me other things you’ve worked on. I had worked on three or four other songs and I sent everything thing to him. He was very impressed and flew me to Nigeria. I was still in school at

that time so, I had to finish up my assignments, I had to lay low for a week, my family did not even know that I was around, my mum knew but, my dad didn’t know until … we worked on music and basically that’s how we started.

single. Following the recording people were like “you don’t know what you have coming”.I left the song for two months which was like September, March Frank was like “Nkay when are we going to release this song and I did not hear anything back from the label. I

The beauty in these God orchestrated events was he did not intend to put himself out but, from one event to another God was lacing up things in his favour, setting him up for the start of his musical journey.

just kept quiet and one day he messaged me like “we are going to release your song soon get ready” hence, we had to start all our publicity. The night that song dropped, imagine you ..no one had known you as an artist before and they didn’t even give you prior notice for your song and I had just two days to get ready . I did not even know anyone to publicize anything,the night that song dropped, it spread naturally. Literally everybody on twitter who knew me and those who didn’t know me opened up the link and shared the song . My mentions were amazing. I mean it was like God’s hands was directly on me, my mentions throughout that night were unbelievable. I was up till 4am that night, sleep was far from me. Getting to

One time I was praying, and God was like “you are never really going to even push to be on a platform or under anybody”. The reality is “I never had a time when I had to send my songs to anybody ... to listen to this or that“... it just happened and then after that period of the first time, I came back to Nigeria a second time. The music I had worked on was so good like my first

class the next day, I was distracted because, my mentions were.. people were like “the song is everywhere, even in other countries aside England, everywhere, Nigeria .. I was getting follow backs from people that I looked up to .. it exploded overnight without me trying to do anything.

People I had not imagined, I had people calling me “we need to manage you.. What’s happening?” .. overnight. The Single “Your love“ overnight I had no idea what was going on. It was mind blowing. It’s one of the most amazing things... that has ever happened to me. That was how we kicked off everything and that song spread. This led to us coming together to shoot its video because of its impact and that’s how everything kicked off.

Let’s talk genre Globally, gospel music has moved on from being categorize as a genre, to becoming a definition of the message of songs (songs having a gospel message/content) which houses several genres. Versatile, Mr Nkay does what he would like to broadly categorize as contemporary gospel for the purpose of being easily understood. On the other hand, specifically classifying the nature of the sound he has which he calls “music for millennials” he does Afrobeat gospel music.

that’s what I do Afro-beat gospel music that is what I would personally say I do”.

Why Afro-beat?

“I think the gospel scene is so saturated with repetition. I met someone one time and he said to me “I am a Christian but, just because it is gospel doesn’t mean I have to like it”, how?, I like good music … I remember when I first got on the “..I would say I do Afro-beat gospel. I scene, when I heard “Lagimo“ the day I heard like that because, what I am trying to do Lagimo I was telling everybody about Lagimo , … is to open a new door. I have my slow it was so inspiring that three years ago I was at an nice songs but, those are not my event with “Rooftop Mcs” and I was telling them trademark. What sets me apart from the yo, when I was younger you people were my lot is that I have been creative enough inspiration . Yeah so “Lagimo” was so inspiring to to do like Afro-beat gospel music. me … these people sounded so well and then Someone sent me something on they kept it right within the message.

Instagram the term am going to use “music for millennials” I like that so

Rather passionate about this, Mr Nkay is of the opinion that gospel artiste can strike a balance between conveying the message of the gospel and making very good music only that it requires more creativity being invested in the craft.

Particularly, in finding one’s niche as an artiste as opposed to working towards replicating the sound of renowned and successful gospel artiste who have themselves been able to find their unique sound. Passionate for the younger generation he says, “There is a new generation and we need to be able to reach these people” .Grateful to God for gifting that enable him make such unique sounds that the younger generation can relate with “ .. Not everyone can do that but, I seem to be gifted enough to be able to pick up these sounds and put it together properly… be creative, put in the right lyrics .. get the production right, which is why I just thought blazing a new trail is what I would rather do and just come out” . However, the understanding and discovery of this did not come at the start of his career but, was born out of a season of self-discovery.

“There was a period where I had recorded “Your love” and there were a number of songs I put out , … I played the second single it was ok, I started seeing the possibility of us being a lot bigger than where we were but, the gospel industry … so I was like where do we go from here? I started recording all sorts of songs that were not even me … record a worship song and you want to sound like Chioma Jesus, sound like Frank Edwards, I was so confused as.. what to record. I would listen to another person and want to copy that, I have voice notes of things that do not just sound like me. For a very long time after that, I put out a song “A million Times” , everyone was like Nkay this is so beautiful it is not fast , it is one of those soulful songs but, it was me , it was a message I wanted to put across . Then I started realising that I know but, then it didn’t end immediately I still had to wrestle with, what do I put out? “If you put out a worship song it is easier to give a promoter and because that is what pastors would call you for easily”, His thought. I got really depressed with music, I did not put out any music for almost a year. The only song that came out that period is one I recorded with Giljoe. We recorded that song way before that time so we put it out … for me everyone was asking me “Nkay when are you putting out some of your music?”, I said nope because, I don’t just understand the industry…

He took out a year to basically understand himself during which he was in England studying for a Master degree. ”After my masters I felt I was ready! then I put out my EP last year which was I think my favourite part of my music journey so far. It was me being able to stand up from that period of depression and me just working on the EP. Every day I get messages regrading that EP. I still wonder how God gave me the strength to put that project together. It is one of the best things that has happened.

In all he believes heaven found this unique sound, Afro-beat gospel is the preferred genre that communicates his uniqueness.

“Afro-beat gospel is the genre I prefer and I feel like it is easier to reach out to the millennials with this than what they have always known, I mean like you said God will do new things. He is in the business of doing new things …not repetition “ He has since bagged an award for best Afro-beat gospel video in UK for the song “Your love” which is a phenomenal song which speaks of the love of God. Doing gospel versus doing secular music On one hand is finding a unique sound and the other is what if that unique sound may not have the much reception the artistes expects? These among other convictions have resulted in certain artiste carving out a safe niche in music that is inspirational yet, not out rightly coming out as a “gospel song”.

Afro-beat especially from Nigeria has a history of standing out among genres particularly the ones that appeal to the younger generation. Hence, why has this rather gifted artiste decided to streamline the Gospel music category of this genre and not secular?

“There is a big conversation I think with regards this especially, I feel like you can be a Christian and you make music that is not church music but, you should know what you are doing.

You should be very purposeful about it like … if you say God, I want to make

inspirational music and you know this is what you and God want to stick with and go for it.

Don’t confuse yourself, if you want to do gospel stay with gospel but, make sure that what you are doing aligns with the faith ..like define what you want to do with God . God is not going to box everybody into.. for example a Christian who is an instrumentalist must he play in church alone? No?! These are dangerous lines which I don’t want to delve into too much. Very controversial you never get one answer, but, personally I feel like there are too many people doing the other side already am not going to make a difference if I go there. One time I went for a gig we were invited Frank Edwards, Gil Joe and I we went for the show .. it was in Enugu.

This event had a list of artistes doing different genres both secular and gospel, hosted by Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and came courtesy Frank Edwards being one of their Ambassadors. “ It was INEC inviting us so, we had to just sing ..it was along with secular artiste. The show, promoters, the event everything had a bit of a secular appeal to it. We were kept back stage which had like club lights but, not like club was going on. Then, I just saw the way it felt after a secular show, there is no fulfilment that you get… It felt so empty … and I said to myself if I did this I would not make any difference … because too many people are already doing that, the Davidos and the Whizkids, they are already doing this thing .. what am I going to bring to the table that would be different...

Nobody has ever used Afro-beat music with gospel in the way that God could use me to do it so, if I just stood my ground and carve my niche. I could be a lot better doing this than, just trying to be the next Whizkid. Also, Certainly the journey of my life and the story am trying to tell could never be passed through that ..As there are certain expectations and

criteria of what is expected as musical content that cannot pass what I am trying to pass on if I stick to that sort of music.

This is the best genre to express what God has given me and tell the story, because of the story He is trying to use my life to paint”.

It is no wonder his first single “Your love” speaks of the love of God, the story and inspiration behind that song?

Spot light on Debut single “Your love” the story behind it “You mentioned something about gospel artiste not wanting to mention God in a song, I got a bit of backlash when this (the release of the single “Your Love”) happened because, it was not intentional remember this is my first single, I had no idea how the industry worked. So am not even trying to play any gimmicks, trying to get to the industry. I am literally just coming out, a novice, am expressing this song as me having a conversation with God. If you are having a conversation with your mum you are not going to keep mentioning her first name all through? So it was not even anywhere, it was after we had recorded the song … that I got feedback like “you didn’t mention God in your song” … I didn’t even know how the industry worked.

That song was basically about the story of.. one of my biggest themes ever is God’s love, Christian theme. I can’t stop talking about it, it is one of the most dominant themes in the bible and I love talking about God’s love so much. Beyond the groovy lyrics he shares some deep experiences of the love of God.

I said “dried eyes they can’t recognize, been going six years and am doing fine” I mentioned the number of years I had been saved at the time (6 years) and they can’t recognize me anymore because I have been changed. Also, the first four lines are very personal to me. I was like “cleaned me up and gave me new names, change my sight gave me new frames, you freed me up and you broke the two chains” referring to the secular artiste “Two chains” … you make sure there is nothing that am wanting”… in all I was just expressing that love I have experienced with God so far. That’s basically what “Your Love” was about … its funny because there are so many songs about God’s love but, that managed to stand out, so I thank God …

The Message At the core of every musician’s journey is the desire to be identified with a message, with every song there is an intended message the artiste also desires to communicate. For Mr Nkay the core messages he would want to communicate with his music are..

“Cardinally, I would say they are like two or three not just one, first one like I said is God’s love, it is a dominant theme, I think it is what holds this whole world together. Lately, the older I have become, the less judgemental I have become about people in their walk with God. There is nothing I would hear that would surprise me anymore about anybody or about a fellow Christian because, somehow each and every one of us have wronged in our own ways. The love of God is the most dominant theme. The second one which I think still connects with the love of God, is the fact that no matter how much you have messed up, you can’t go too far away that you can’t come back to God ..one of my favourite songs , of the songs I have put out “A million times” expresses this theme, the lyrics in the song is

… “ a million times again you are the lifter up of men , if we fall you pick us up again” No matter how many times you’ve messed up. That was inspired by Peter’s fall while trying to walk on water .. we want to .. have faith, we want to believe in God but, life is full of distractions, life is full of contrary winds …but, just because you fell does not mean He is going to leave you there . He is not going to leave you there, He picked him up but, He asked why did you doubt? Don’t doubt but, He picked him up… “if I fall You are going to pick me up”, I am sure if I fall He is going to pick me up … the love of God and the theme of not falling enough for God to want to cast us away . Also inspired by the story of the disciple who was forgiving and asked Jesus “how many times do I have to forgive my neighbor, 70 times and 7? If you offend someone 70 times 7 times in one day there is a problem with you. It is just trying to tell you that no matter how many times one offends, give them forgiveness because, God has forgiven you …So I think those two themes basically are my cardinal themes for my music.

Those are the two messages I really want to pass …. Then, thirdly if I would chip in, the worthlessness of idolatry and everything we see in life. So the love of the world, the love of life, everything that catches the eye, everything that meets the eye .. I think it is what most young people are distracted by. I think with my music I try to really bring that out that it is all emptiness, it is all worthless, that’s what my EP was really themed towards.

Moving on, beyond music Mr Nkay has a career in law as well and juggles living in Nigeria with living in the UK. Music and law may seem miles apart but, he tow both lines and manage to balance both, shuttling between UK and Nigeria.

“Lawyer to be anyways, I will be called to bar next year, but it is more or less like I have

been in and around that field because, between NYSC it was like real legal work. It wasn’t like NYSC. I am working at the moment in a firm before law school but, I kind of feel like I am already a lawyer before I have to go to law school. Juggling that ...it’s not been easy .. because, sometimes I am like God why am I so gifted in very contrasted areas of my life? It doesn’t make sense Law, music … but, I have learnt to accept these two places in my life. I read the story of Michael Angelo when I was younger, it was this book of people who change the world.Michael Angelo was so gifted from science to art, he had almost 20 something gifting and it didn’t stop him from exploring all of them. So I always knew I had music but, I was scared, I used to be so scared of exploring my musical side. When I was in campus fellowship I used to be head of ushering, when I moved to England I was like one of the leaders in the youth church and our youth church is beautiful but, exploring music exactly was something else.. I used to be so jealous of people in the choir, (laughs) because you are there ushering and then you are looking at them (the choir) like I can do this.

I eventually got out of that nut shell. People who knew me as head of the ushering team were like “where did you get this from? It just tells that there is stuff inside of you that you need to really dig down in and explore”. So yeah, I just learnt to live with the conflict of my gifting so far and wherever God leads.

He doesn’t lead by showing you the whole picture He shows you in phases. I am in the middle right now that’s where I am.

That was how the journey of exploring his gifting as an artiste was inspired. On the other hand a career in law was inspired in another unique yet, interesting way.

I think first of all, that was all I used to hear when I was younger. Then, in a typical Nigerian family you are either a Lawyer, an Engineer or a Doctor. I am even the first Lawyer in my whole family. I used to hear “you are a lawyer, you are a lawyer” so, I never really saw myself doing something else. I wanted to do mass communication at one time which I think I would have done well at but, I just used to hear “you are a lawyer, you are a lawyer”. I started my university in Nigeria and found out that I had a flare for law actually. Then when I moved to England, it was funny because if you were an average student here, on getting there you could do very well. It is not easy exactly but, the system does not stress you unnecessarily. I was ok here but, when I moved over there I was excelling very well in school extremely well so, I thought to myself maybe this thing is really what I am good at … we had a lot of people drop out of law but, some of us did well. I just thought to myself I couldn’t see myself studying any other professional course or being interested.. but, even when

I thought ... maybe am good at the academic part, when I started work in such a short time, I was already doing things that people who have even been out of law school already are not doing so, I thought this maybe just me and God just easily guided me in this direction.

that “oh I picked it up for you”. Someone brought the award for me.

Striking a balance between a budding career in Law and music are not the only areas Mr Nkay juggles. He equally shuttles Nigeria and UK and amazingly still finds a way to balance it all.

One was at the experience, I went to the experience with Frank Edwards; that in itself was “wow”. The next one was, we performed one time, because we go to Christ Embassy, at an international pastors and partners conference, performed a song, four of us. Getting on to that, the lead up to that performance was so challenging they cancelled the Sunday morning before, the evening of the event they gave us … they still cancelled, we just said let’s just dress up and go to church in faith. We sat down... it was a musical concert then, the next thing we just got a tap they said you guys should come up, we had to run and go meet Frank backstage.

It was being streamed around the world and after the ministration it was like my phone blew up, even my mum called me. My mum does not go to Christ Embassy but, how the message reached her in less than 30 mins, it was everywhere. I got messages from everywhere. It was huge…so I think those two were major platforms that really shook me definitely.

I am strongly tied to my UK family, that’s where music started. I have learnt to be... for now, it is kind of difficult because, sometimes I get invitations and have to give excuses of not being around, I have had to sort out this and sort out that. I have had to give periodic times when I will be available... like I will be in England in May... and then I have started letting people know anything we are doing, like there is a collaboration that needs to be shot and then May is when we can shoot the video. Apart from that you are not going to see me maybe until December or there about. So, I just schedule it and let a lot of people (who try to get in contact with me) know ahead of time but, England is strongly where it started and where my first love really lies definitely.

Mr Nkay’s musical journey has been highlighted by several electric appearances and experience.

I don’t think there is one oh, there has been a couple. “Your love” video because, we were able to carve out something different from normal and then it won best afro-beat gospel video in the UK so I think that’s a major highlight. Really for them to recognise me through that niche “this is what he does”, that’s a major! Major!! Highlight … I was sent the recording, I was messaged randomly

He has equally graced several other platforms alongside internationally renowned artistes two of which stand out for him.

For individuals interested in towing the same line he advises

You have to be very clear that this is what God wants you to do, don’t deceive yourself and, even when you are good you are going to have doubts. It took me a long time to come to the point where I knew that, this is my gift. It took almost three years. I put out my EP last year. It took up to the point of putting out my EP last year, the recording process to know that it was me , this was God … because I was recording songs that I would sit down and think how on earth did I put this together.

After going through a period where I was depressed in music, the songs were flowing.

Before I finished one the next idea came to me. I had too many songs coming to me to put into an EP ... somebody was like why don’t you complete it and make it into an album? I was like no not yet. I knew that nobody else could do these things the way I did it. I was clear that God wanted me to do this and it was my gift. Everyone was shocked because, I had moved from... when I started music, I was just a singer I didn’t even know how to coordinate myself in the studio, I always needed someone who had bigger, better, ideas. Someone who will give me then, pointers “Ok! You should do this here, harmonize it there don’t do that”. I don’t know how it changed, I just had a period where I was in England and I was not putting out music. I just learnt mastery of my craft by myself. Started learning how to engineer my music, how to put my song lines together, how to produce my music together. I may not be a producer who is going to sit down in the studio but, I direct my sound and I direct for other artistes as well. I also write for other artistes. I don’t put out my name that I do that.

They used to tell me “Try and dilute this your songs oh, you need to do one or two Akanchawa songs (Igbo high-life gospel music)”, I don’t have any Akanchawa songs and am not planning to change because of that because it will not be me. Stick to what works for you but, be dynamic; be consistent with your aim but, be dynamic with your music.

So you necessarily have to be sure that this is what God wants you to do.

Secondly, I would say you have to have thick skin. This industry is not for someone who is just trying to try out as a pass time hobby. You have to have serious thick skin because you… boy! There are days, mehn! There are days trust me. You have to have thick skin. It is so important. Also, you always have to be innovative along the way, don’t say because Frank Edwards and Sinach did it like this or Team Godfrey did it this way, this is what is going to work for me.

UK gospel music scene

What’s new and what to expect A secondary school tour trying to get a couple of secondary schools about 6-10 across Lagos.

The inspiration behind this is; the music we are putting out really appeals to young people. So why not catch the youngest bunch of them especially in Nigeria. I remember when I was in secondary school some people came to my school to do a gospel concert and I can’t forget the songs till today because it was good quality.

It was really touching and very inspiring. My secondary school was in Port Harcourt. I am also considering taking it outside Lagos once this is over. I intend partnering with Gil Joe. It is like a joint tour we are trying get done. We are working on logistics now. It should be finalized and then I think by April we would embark on the school trip so that’s the plan.

We have been trying to do contemporary music, Afro-beat gospel music and Rap Hip pop. We can do very little individually so what we are trying to do are collaborations. Myself, Called Out Music, Giljoe and some other young people are trying to really put ourselves together, merge, put out songs, collaborations, joint tours, joint events because, that is how we will get the people’s attention. We have planned a joint song sometime in summer Faith child. Those are some exclusives that are still being worked on hopefully the song can be sorted out but, I have for example my song

“replace “ I have the remix coming out with “Called out Music” next month (March)In the UK. He believes beyond the shores of Nigeria particularly the UK the demand for contemporary gospel music is on the rise owing to the dynamic nature of such music.

However, this genre is still budding with not so many songs existent.

With that we wrapped up a rather insightful interview with renowned UK and Nigerian based artiste Mr Nkay.

Anticipation is high for many more hot yet, inspiring afro-beat gospel hits, collaborations and tours from the versatile, innovative, yet anointed artiste.

MEMOIRS HEALTH

FRUITSAND VEGETABLES PROJECT 5 A DAY

You are what you eat or are you? Like most quotes this is in no way meant literally but, it brings to our attention the fact that what we eat greatly influences our health which by the way is wealth. Thus, factoring what to eat and what not to eat and basically setting the necessary boundaries, is a step closer to experiencing wealth especially regarding health. During our elementary science class, before the parts of the body was taught in much detail, we were taught the classes of food and what a balanced diet is. Also, in recent times more and more research and publicity centres around diets, staying fit and losing weight as such we are talking more about food than we did in times past. More so with the festivities especially with the New Year ahead, in no time New Year resolutions on weight loss, staying fit and eating healthy which would be very much in season will be made. As such Memoirs Health, in this edition focuses on the latter of the line-up delving into the world of fruits and vegetables, to see just how we can get at least 5 portions of fruits and Vegetables in a day.

5 a day What is the big idea about ‘5 a day’?

Research reveals including a minimum of five 80g portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables (five of both groups not each) daily in your diet significantly impacts your health, having immense health benefits. It is no surprise this comes as a recommendation by the World Health Organisation to daily eat 400g of fruit and vegetables in order to lower risk of severe health challenges like heart disease, stroke and certain cancers.

Therefore, several nations have adopted this and launched 5 a day campaign and apps to encourage this and to ease the process. Why so? Again back to elementary science, fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C, folate and potassium. Equally, they are rich sources of dietary fibre which facilitate easy digestion, prevents constipation and helps keep your gut healthy meaning among others a lowered risk of bowel cancer. Aside from being generally very healthy, majority of fruit and vegetables especially fruits are very delicious not to mention there are an array of them available giving more options to choose from.

Not to mention how these are often low in calories, fats and oils hence, adding this to one’s diet helps maintain a healthy weight.

Given the variety of vitamins, fibre, minerals and array of nutrients available in various fruits and vegetable, to optimize five a day, a variety of fruit and vegetables combined, should be included in diets to get in as much nutrients as possible.

Interestingly, nearly every fruit and vegetable counts for your 5 a day ranging from fresh to those canned or juiced.

However, exceptions like potatoes, yams and cassava exists as these contain primarily starch to the diet.

Eat well Plate Have 5 portions of fruits and vegetables Question: should I then go completely vegetarian and eat strictly fruit and vegetables?

Since balance is key especially when it comes to planning meals, it is important to know what portion of a class of food one should consume. Now this is where ‘The

Eat Well Plate’ comes in. It is basically a visual illustration (using a plate) of all classes of food and what percentage each should constitute to have a balanced diet and eat healthy. In other words, when planning your meal, you need to know what portion is what.

For example, you need to know the percentage of carbohydrate you should have in your meal. If properly adhered to, one can easily put our calories in take in check.

Portion size What Makes a Portion?

A portion of your 5 a day can be a combination of dried and fresh fruits, for fresh fruits that equals 80 g, same applies with canned or frozen fruit and vegetable.

However, when choosing canned options, fruits and vegetables which contain natural juices or water containing no added sugar or salt is the best way to go. With dried fruits 30 g as these equate 80g of fresh fruits and as such pass for a portion of 5 a day. A little caution though when having dried fruits, these should be eaten with meals and not as snacks to avoid tooth decay onset. Conversely, certain portions of fruit and vegetable can only count once daily, these include; fruit/vegetable juices and smoothies. It is advised that a total of 150ml daily is the healthy composition to form a portion. Owing to the process of juicing fruits/vegetables, sugars contained are released and as such can result in tooth decay. Also, Beans and pulses count as a portion daily regardless of the quantity consumed why? Reason is these are great sources of fibre.

However, these are not as rich in nutrients in comparison to other fruits and vegetables.

80 g of fruit, scale out to measure? Not to worry there are easy ways to know what a portion of fruit or vegetable is. Now here is a guide to help in identification of what counts for a portion in adults, this differs from that of children as this is determined by age, weight and the level of engagement in physical activity. However, a portion could tentatively pass as a handful of fruits and vegetables.

Another way to tell a portion aside weighing fruits to 80kg, the sizes of fruits and vegetables can give you a clue as well. For instance, with smaller fruits such as strawberries (7), plums (2) a potion can be two of more fruits. While, medium sized fruits such as bananas, apples and oranges, one fruit counts as a portion.

Larger sized fruits such as grapes (1/2), pawpaw (1 slice), melon (1 slice 5cm), pineapple (1 large slice) or mango (2 slices 5cm). For more on knowing what counts as a portion.

https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/5ADAY/Pages/ Whatcounts.aspx dietician explains further.

Colour code Another key to getting a healthy variety from your 5 a day is to opt for more colours, aim for a rainbow of colours as the more colours the better. Also, the colour of a fruit can equally be indicative of its content.

Here are a few colours of fruits and what they have

Hygiene Eating fruits and vegetables is very great for our health however, hygiene is very crucial to getting all the healthy vitamins and not germs alongside. Seeing most fruits can be eaten raw, skipping the cooking process increases the likelihood of ingesting germs. Therefore, maintaining proper hygiene is also as important as eating healthy. Here are some helpful tips when handling fruits and vegetables.

Wash This is very important! It is best done under a running tap but, if you do not have that, rinsing in a bowl of water is equally great. The aim is to ensure the fruit is thoroughly washed. Adding some salt can also help rid fruit and vegetables of germs on its’ surface. .

Most fruits have antimicrobial protective layers in peels, preserving the actual fruit (more or less a natural covering). Some of these coverings are not edible or better not eaten e.g. Banana and oranges.

However, washing is still important in the course of riding it of its’ antimicrobial layer, microorganisms can get into fruits and vegetables. Hence, washing is very important. Washing hands before handling is also key.

Still on hygiene when cutting fruits ensure knife is clean and was not previously used to cut raw food items which if consumed raw can be harmful for ingesting.

For more https://www.nhs.uk/change4life/food-facts/five-aday#loKUITB2jdeFojeY.97

MEMOIRS DIY

NEW YEAR,

2M U S T

HAVE

As we get into the New Year we make New Year resolutions and it gives us an opportunity to make new decisions about our health. It is important to take care of ourselves (especially our skin and hair). Hence, in this edition of Memoirs DIY Spa we explore two significant “must haves” you might want to include in your beauty regimen in skin and hair care. First on the line-up is the good old black soap.

Black soap.

Today we celebrate an African traditional skin care product ‘Black soap’. It is known for its unique composition of several natural ingredients such as; ashes of various plants, Shear butter and in some cases Aloe Vera. Black soap is a cleanser, natural exfoliator, effective in clearing blemishes and is great for treatment of several skin problems such as Acne. It also leaves skin with a natural glow, helps with evening out skin tone and is particularly good for oily skin type but, is equally helpful for other skin types as well. However, individuals with dry skin should use with caution to avoid skin being overly dried out.

Tip #1 Before using facial mask wash skin with black soap, this rids it of impurities which would get in the way of maximum effectiveness of the facial mask.

Black soap naturally would not bleach your skin however, skin lightening ingredients might have been included in the manufacturing process. Hence, be on the lookout when considering the brand of black soap, you would like to invest in to avoid any such alterations.

In all remember Black soap is your all-purpose skincare must have.

Next on the line-up is already mentioned Shear butter, Shear butter is fat extracted from the nut of the African Shear tree, an excellent moisturizer for dry skin and interestingly, oily skin as well. It should only be used in small quantity because it has a greasy consistency. It possesses antibacterial properties which help prevent acne breakouts as well as moisturizes. The key is to try out small portions first, if breakout occurs then stop application (this is very unlikely). Additionally, Shear butter has great ultra violet ray absorption and as such makes a great sunscreen. For older skin, it helps effectively hydrate the skin.

Equally, Shear butter is great for hair. It is a great hair conditioner to protect hair as well as strengthen it to prevent breaking etc. These are only a few amazing things Shear butter offers.

Tip 2

Thinking of deep conditioning your hair? Thinking of how to nourish your hair? Looking for how to tackle split ends and breakage? Shear butter is the way to go. Here is how! This can go two ways warm or cold steaming. The products involved remain same; Shear butter, however the methods differ.

Warm steaming Heat a portion of Shear butter slightly, then apply the oil to the washed hair thoroughly. Wear over the hair, a Plastic (shower) cap or deep towel in hot water allow to cool for a bit then wrap hair and leave for 30 minutes. Another option is (if you have access) to use a hood drier (maybe at your local salon) then, use for a duration of 15 minutes.

Cold steaming Cold steaming on the other hand has a similar method, firstly, heat up Shear butter until it melts into oil, apply oil to hair, wear plastic cap and leave in hair for 30 minutes. Thereby, allowing the hair to properly absorb the hair product. This can be done in the comfort of your home and the long-time affords you time to take a relaxing bath or carry on with other activities within the house. You can choose to wash out oil or merely rinse out excesses and dry the hair thereby using it as a “leave in� conditioner (to keep working on hair the choice is yours). Shear butter can be sourced from various places. From locally processed forms to large scale manufactured forms with other helpful essential oils and ingredients depending on what you want it for. Some come in flavours such as strawberry, giving it a more refined twist.

However, the latter would cost more in comparison to those locally sourced. Once again the choice is yours, some processed ones maintain the original richness while, some do not. In the New Year we wish you a healthy and amazing skin as you add these two to your skincare routine.

MEMOIRS DELICIOUS RECIPES

The Mini Christmas Buffet

Festivity is synonymous to feasting, another word beginning with the letter “F”. The highlight of these festivals is, Food. It is safe to say a party without food or the holiday without a delicious family meal is simply non-existent, as in fact food is a constant when it comes to festivity and feasting. There is no such thing as a party without delicious food as such this edition of Memoirs Delicious Recipes explores a three-course festive meal. We are very well aware festivity also comes with the digging out several traditional family recipes; mum’s special.. recipe, grandma’s special … Therefore, we are in no hurry to sweep these away but, we just want to put a bit of a twist on them. We hope you like and possibly discover or even adopt a new recipe in to the family’s chain of traditional recipes. Here is our Mini Christmas buffet Menu.

~ Menu ~ Appetiser: Crispy Shrimps and Chicken Balls with Sweet Chilli Dip Main: Senegalese Jollof Rice/ White Rice and Shredded Beef Sauce Side Dishes: Sautéed Plantain/ Coleslaw ∞

Sweet Course: Carrot Cake and Cream

Appetizer Crispy Shrimps and Chicken Balls with Sweet Chilli Sauce Ingredients 2 seasoning cube 3 eggs 1 cup flour 1 cup of Bread crumbs ½ kg Minced chicken 1 pack Shrimps Salt 2 tbsp chilli powder 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp vegetable oil 3 tsp curry powder 1 small onion chopped

Directions

Assuming shrimp has been properly cleaned (shell removed and deveined) marinate shrimps using 1 seasoning cube, salt, garlic powder, 2tsp of curry and chilli powder.

Cover bowl with foil or cling film and refrigerate for 20 minutes. After which, place flour in a bowl, season with salt, and pepper. Next, lightly beat 2 eggs in one bowl and place breadcrumbs in another bowl. Place minced chicken in bowl season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, curry powder, a tsp of oil and 1 egg. In case some guests have seafood allergies , start the coating process with the chicken as well as frying (if frying) and if not, place both items in different trays while oven grilling. First, roll chicken into small round balls (the smaller the better since these are appetisers) then toss into seasoned flour bowl roll until covered in flour. Next dip in egg and then breadcrumbs, with shrimps simply put in flour, then egg again and breadcrumbs. Deep Fry / oven grill (180oc) as so desired, key is to get golden brown finish (oven grill chicken for 30mins)

Sweet chili dip This dip is a McDonald’s inspired dip to give that sweet yet, hot taste of chili considering in most parts of the world it’s a bit chilly in December or at the least a bit cool.

Ingredients ½ tsp Vinegar ½ tsp Corn-starch 4 Chili peppers 1 tbsp Sugar

2 gloves Minced garlic

Directions

Grind pepper into paste or simply blend all ingredients in food processor, place the ingredients mix in a sauce pan and boil with some water for 3 minutes while stirring after which, allow to stay uncovered as sauce would thicken when heat is turned off as it cools.

Serve finger foods with toothpick and little serving bowls for sauce.

Main: Senegalese Jollof rice and fish (Thieboudienne) A man who finds a West African wife, finds a good thing and obtains Jollof rice Travis green Award Winning Gospel Artist

Certain subject matters have aroused nationwide discussions, arguments and comparisons.

Our main dish is one of such. The traditional sumptuous gift of Africa,“Jollof rice”. This could be enjoyed simply as it is or with a lot of extra garnishing and meaty pieces like a paella or fried rice, either way it is a highlight of festivity and celebrations so much so it could pass as a signature meal for every occasion from birthdays to weddings to christenings, it is a constant appearance expected by guests on the menu. Back to the arguments, several countries have bragged on having the most delicious Jollof rice and as such we thought to switch up things and try the Senegalese version of this meal, not because we want to join or make a ruling on the contest for best but, to solely try out the version of the country it gets its name from.

Apparently Jollof rice derives its name from the Wolof people of the Jolof empire in the Senegambian region (a 20th century confederation comprising of Senegal and neighbouring Gambia) * Interestingly Jollof rice in its birth place Senegal is referred to as Thieboudienne or Ceebu jen. * Curious to know how that tastes? Let’s journey to where it all began. If you get to try it out do let us know how Ingredients 1 handful of parsley 6 cloves Garlic 4 scotch bonnet(or more/less pending on your taste ) 4 seasoning cubes 3 tsp black pepper Salt 1 white fish (any) 2 cups broken/regular jasmine rice 1 sweet potato 1 eggplant (Purple) 4 carrots 1/2 a head of cabbage 2 bell peppers 225 grams Vegetable oil 225 grams Tomato paste 1 large onion chopped

Direction Fried fish Make a paste of parsley, garlic, scotch bonnet, bullion black pepper and salt using a food processor or mortar until a rough paste is formed. Make holes in the white fish of choice, stuffing with parsley and peppers paste. Fry fish until golden brown on both sides.

Sauce To prepare the sauce make a rough paste of the 2 scotch bonnet peppers (fewer if you are not up for hot and spicy) and 3 gloves of garlic using a mortar and a pistol or a food processor.

SautĂŠ in medium heat oil the chopped onions until appearance is translucent, then in goes the tomato paste, stir fry until paste begins browning which could take 5 mins and finally stir in the rough garlic and scotch bonnet paste. Next, add seasoning cubes (preferably shrimp/crayfish/crevette bouillon), 1 tsp of black pepper (or more depending on your taste), approx. 8 cups of water and Season with salt to taste.

Now it is time to boil the vegetables in sauce beginning with the ones most difficult to soften while cooking such as the sweet potatoes. Allow to cook until tender then remove and set aside, next the carrots, cook until tender as well remove and do same to other vegetables.

Following this set aside all cooked vegetables and then add fried fish in the same sauce, allow to cook for about 2 to 5 minutes after which carefully remove fish and set aside as well.

Jollof rice

Per Boil the jasmine rice slightly for 3-5 minutes drain and pour into the same sauce used to boil vegetables and fish. Ensure sauce covers the rice by adding the much-needed quantity of water to do so, next cover pot and allow to cook on a low medium heat for 15-20 minute.

A tip to keep the steam locked in is to cover the pot with a foil before using the actual pot cover, after 15 minutes do a check to ensure rice is soft and all moistures has been absorbed. Allow to cook for another 5 minutes if need be also if rice is not soft to taste add a small quantity of water just enough to achieve the softness you need say roughly 4 tbsp or more, leave to cook. After which your Senegalese Jollof rice is ready to eat, serve with vegetables and fish (some lime wedges to accompany your delicious tasting fish)

Photo and recipe credits: https://www.yummymedley.com/thieboudienne-senegalese-rice-fish/ Some people like to control how savoury a dish is and considering Jollof rice comes all savoury and in some cases spicy, we saved a simple plain rice for those who want a sauce they can control portion side and our sauce of choice is shredded beef sauce .

Ingredients 300 g shredded beef 3 chopped garlic cloves Salt 2 seasoning cubes 1 green, yellow and red (mixed peppers sliced) 1 tbsp. corn flour 1 onion (small size sliced) 1 tbsp. grated ginger 2 tbsps. Soy sauce (optional) 1 tsp. powered chilli pepper 3 tbsps. Vegetable oil

Shredded beef can be gotten already shredded however, to get that homemade twist buy beef steaks and slice into thin slices as you would French fries. To ensure beef is thoroughly cooked put a small quality of water in a sauce pan add shredded beef allow to cook for 5 minutes until slightly tender (reserve the water left). Turn off, gently take out beef strips into a bowl add salt, 1 seasoning cube, some powered chili pepper, ½ tbsp of ginger and 1 clove of garlic chopped , work seasoning in and sprinkle corn flour on beef after which allow to marinate for 30 minutes .

Next, add 1 ½ tbsps. Oil to frying pan, add chopped garlic, ginger and sauté, ensuring garlic doesn’t burn do this on medium heat. Then add marinated beef, stir fry until cooked for about 2-3 minutes after which take out beef and discard oil. Following this, add 2tbsps of oil allow to heat then, add onions, mixed peppers allow to stir fry for 2 minutes, now in goes the soy sauce or 1 seasoning cube and then add the fried beef strips as well. Add a little of the leftover stock gotten from cooking the beef (3 tbsps.) forming a thick paste and voila your shredded beef is set. Serve with any kind of rice of choice from jasmine, basmati, simple long grain etc. Tip: it is the festive season so go all out for presentation from molding rice, to garnishing with vegetables, explore and let the family know it’s Christmas.

Photo and Recipe credits: http://sisijemimah.com/2015/12/18/shredded-beef-sauce/

Turkey By now if you are reading this and considering going on with this, you must have gotten yours (presuming you are reading around Christmas time) as by now stores would have been almost out of them. If you live in a place where turkeys never run out then voila you are living the dream.

More seriously though, turkeys just scream out festivity from the size of the pieces, to all that goes into preparation and it is amazing how left overs can come in for sandwiches, salads or garnishing subsequent meals. Hence, the reason it has made its way to our Christmas buffet menu we suggest both ways, roasting it as a whole or cutting into pieces and doing same Having whole Advantage

Whole turkey, encourages bonding at the table when you cut pieces and offers an array of parts for those who love variety. If you love a properly marinated piece of turkey then, you might want it to marinate for up to 24 hrs to get all the spices in. For individual pieces on the other hand you can properly spice each piece and even choose special parts of preferences.

Whichever you choose, it would be turkey all the way and our recipe can fly for both the only difference would be stuffing for whole turkey.

Ingredients (1 stick) unsalted butter 1 lemon, (zested and juiced) 1 tsp thyme Thyme leaves (optional) 1 turkey 1 onion 1 glove garlic To taste Salt Black pepper Chilli powder

Direction Preheat oven to 180oc, in a small sauce pan melt butter, squeeze some lemon juice, add some zest and 1 tsp of thyme and set aside. Clean turkey by stripping it of all intricate, excess fat and feathers on skin after which pat surface dry. Following this, put turkey on a baking tray or roast pan, make a mix of peppers and salt and lavishly rub inside turkey.

Next for stuffing, place lemon cut into half, onion quartered and garlic. Brush turkey surface with earlier prepared butter mix adding some salt and pepper. Ensure turkey legs are tied together using a string also, tucking wings under turkey’s body.

Allow to roast for approx. 2hours 30 minutes, check by cutting between turkey legs and thigh when ready juices run clear and there are no traces of raw blood. When set, place turkey on serving dish or cutting board.

Sides

Every main needs a lovely side to compliment it and to our main we would explore two sides one is plantain which passes as both a main dish and a side in order words you can have both plantain as a main and the salad as a side to it or just have two sides.

Plantain 1 serving 2 tbsp butter 2 tbsp oil (oil of choice) 2 plantains chopped into cubes or sliced depending on personal preference

Directions Using medium low heat, Heat butter and oil in a frying pan giving ample time for butter to melt, after which place plantains and sautĂŠ ,continue until plantain is golden brown which could be approximately 10 minutes , flip to ensure all sides are properly sautĂŠed.

Photo and recipe credits: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sunny-anderson/sauteedplantains-recipe-1941119 Next is a simple coleslaw recipe Ingredients White cabbage Carrots Raisins Walnuts 4 tbsp. plain yogurt 2 tbsp ginger syrup 1 apple DIRECTION

Prepare all salad vegetables (carrot and cabbage), apples should be cut into cubes. Toss prepared vegetables, apple cubes, walnuts and raisins into a salad bowl. Next add plain yogurt and ginger syrup; if you love it sweeter you can switch the ginger syrup with honey alternatively, if you love something a bit spicy then add a little salt and pepper.

Sweet Course: Christmas Carrot Cake Festive times especially Christmas usually call for doing a bit more extra for instance; baking a special desert which you would probably not consider given the time in other circumstances. One of such is the very special Christmas cake, baked to details and with frosting, bringing home all the delicious senses, indulging sweetness, after all what is a sweet course without a little sweetness? Hence, our choice of sweetness for our sweet course is the ever-sumptuous and delicious Carrot cake …

“When I first heard of carrot cake, I went carrot cake ok? However, when I had it, it was like mega delicious, I didn’t see such a sumptuous taste coming from carrots” Confessions of a carrot cake lover.

What ingredients are needed?

Butter 280g flour 450g sugar 2tsp Baking soda 2tsp cinnamon 1tsp salt 4eggs 300g grated carrots 337.50ml vegetable oil

Directions

First step is to get the oven preheated up to180oc degrees. Prepare baking pans (3 round pans) by greasing with butter, adding flour and equally lining bottom of pans using parchment paper. Next is to mix all ingredients for the cake mix, starting off with a combination of flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt all in a large mixing bowl. Following this, add eggs and vegetable oil giving a thorough mix using a hand mixer of choice. For the main ingredient the grated carrot, simply add to this already made mixture (raisins can also be added for a little sweetness) and mix .Then transfer into pans allow to bake for about 40 minutes, check to see cake is properly baked, take out of oven and leave to cool for about 5 minutes. After which take cake out of pans placing on waxed paper to properly cool, when cake is cool frost if so desired.

Frosting 1 stick salted butter 2 8-ounce packs of cream cheese 1 box (16 ounce) icing sugar 1tsp vanilla extract 30g chopped nuts / coconut flakes Mix all ingredients (excluding nuts) using a hand mixer till you have a fluffy consistency, coat each layer of cake with frosting, sprinkle nuts on top as you please or coconut flakes.

Photo credit : http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/251757/carrot-cake/ Recipe credits: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/grandma-hiers-carrot-cakerecipe-1917589

now that’s it for the Christmas mini buffet menu hope you love and try out this festive season bon appetite and have an amazing festive season with delicious meals .

dress code:black tie Memoirs Fashion and Style Alley

Dress code : Black tie At the heart of festivities, various themed events seem to spring up everywhere from carol services, to gala nights, a ball, red carpet events, corporate business parties, classic concerts, weddings etc.

These themed events usually have somewhere on the invitation (IV) stating “Dress code” as such in this edition of Fashion and style Alley, we explore the Black-tie dress code, what to expect when you see this dress code as a theme and how to appear stunning and suave.

Black tie dress code Cravat Noir as the French would say, the black-tie dress code is Second in degree of formality to “the white tie dress code”. Though more formal than a business event which requires a business wear dress code, certain work outfits

might not match up to black tie such as work suits.

Hence, it is safe to say this is a bit more dressed up than work wear. Traditionally, black-tie events take place at the later hours of the day beginning between 6-7pm. However, weddings make an exception to this trend of start off time but, in no way downplay the sophistication associated with this formal (or semiformal) yet, classy dress code. Interestingly, an event does not have to be a black tie event for you to turn up in black tie fashion, one can choose to dress up black tie for a formal event which does not have a stated dress code or when clearly specified for an event, either way here are a few points we hope would help put together a stunning black tie outfit.

Men A tuxedo /dinner jacket with varying shade of lapel from the jacket colour, a white dress shirt, a black bowtie (hence the name black tie), a classic evening waistcoat and a black pair of shoes. All are the basic essentials for achieving the stunning suave look characterize by this dress code. As simple as it might appear it is a more expensive way to dress than typical work wears with the bulk of this going to the tuxedo. Thus, if looking to cut cost on any piece cutting cost off other accessories might be the way to go, keep the tux classy (not necessarily breaking the bank but, a good tux cost a lot). Let’s take a look at individual pieces of this outfit

Tuxedo Ideally a classic black tux is the way to go, though a white tux is stunning, when it comes to Black tie specific events black is the way. If looking to explore other colours then, midnight blue or navy blue is also acceptable. However, a white tux can pass excellently for events which are not strictly black tie or are a bit flexible. How then does a tux differ from a classic suit jacket? The difference lies in the fine detail of a contrasting fabric laced on the lapel flaps of the jacket often times made of silk or a similar fabric. Similarly, the buttons on the tux are also made of different fabrics from the usual suit jacket. Varied options of tuxedos are available to pick from although everyone might seem to be in black but, a classic way to stand out is with a double-breasted tux which is a popular choice in casual suit jackets. Note though, this gives an effect of a wider body frame owing to the tworowed button. Another way to switch up things a bit is to pick a tuxedo with a stylish lapel style this could be peak or shawl styled.

The most common when it comes to tuxedo lapels is the peak lapel, the advantage lies in the way it enhances the entire body frame especially the shoulders giving a broader appearance.

Though simple and classy these work excellently with various body sizes. Alternatively, the shawl lapel rather polished in its finished state, giving a classic and sleek black-tie look, is a way to go.

Note however, to pick a shawl lapel tux which flatters your body type other than that, a shawl lapel tux is an excellent way to go black tie. For

an overall rather stunning classy finish, a velvet tuxedo is another classic simply suitably pair with a plain black (subtle) pair of trousers to achieve a vintage yet, classic finish.

Trousers Opt for a pair which complements tuxedos excellently, preferably invest in a tuxedo set (of jacket and trousers). Balance is also key, trousers should be hemmed, properly tailored, not too long or short but, a perfect fit.

White Dress shirt Tuxedo check, next on the black tie code must have, is a classic white dress shirt or to go all out a wing tipped collared white dress shirt or basically those with smaller sized collars. Thus, giving a classic suave feel of a bow tie , the smaller the collar the

better or better still simply opt for a classic wing tipped collared shirt (following dress etiquette is perfect for this). This is a rather distinct shirt which has a small collar with only two small wing tips in front, covering a portion of the bow tie exposing portions of the back area on the neck. Another, option could be purchasing a shirt with a detachable collar, both options tend to be more expensive than a regular white dress shirt and have the restriction of being worn to mostly black tie events . Hence, if you are looking to add this classic piece to your wardrobe regardless of the budget and restriction then voila. Looking for a way to save then the dress shirt is a way to down play the total outfit cost as it still comes across are rather sophisticated.

Waistcoat Add a splash of extra details and textures to your outfit by including a waist coat; preferably opt for waistcoats made with silk or similar materials although these might cost more. Also, at this point exploring colours outside white and black is permissive but, for a classic black tie look then, black is the way to go.

The Cummerbund This makes a lovely statement piece yet simple. It is made of silk or satin worn slightly over the top of trousers. It is simple to wear, you just simply slip it on the waist and fasten behind.

This should match the colour of the bow tie of choice if opting for a colour besides black.

The Bow-tie Here is another stunning piece associated with the black-tie outfit, a bow-tie. These could be already made tied or requiring to be tied. You don’t know how to tie one? Here is a step by step guide.

Bow Tie Source: www.ties.com

Here are some tips when it comes to getting a bow tie right especially with size

The Shoes Certain shoes go very well with tuxedos, as such these should be the criteria to consider which to go for. However, if you are not considering investing in a pair of tuxedo shoes, simply look out for shoes with great shine particularly, patent leather dress shoes. As these compliments the black tie outfit better that other kinds of shoes. Equally, shoes with narrow round toe are great as well for a black tie outfit.

In all when it comes to black tie outfits for men the overall key is to keep things simple and classy, employ classic finishing touches of simple cuff-links. Also pocket squares made with satin give a stunning finish not forgetting particular attention to hair, groom and scents.

Women

Separate pieces

It is often presumed that the black-tie dress code does not apply to women but, this is not the case. Yes, more specifications apply to men narrowing options nonetheless, women have specifications though broader.

Traditionally, this dress code requires floor length dresses, in recent time midi cocktail dresses have become also acceptable which complement the black tuxedo in formality.

Other accessories like fascinators, clutch purses, jewelries, and sophisticated foot wear can be lovely enhancements.

Tara Feladurotoye styled by Veronica Odeka If for some reason a dress seems too clichĂŠ then fancy wearing a classy separate like a silk blouse and a full satin skirt. These equally apply for a black tie themed weddings plus, it remains safe not wearing white regardless of length or style. When it is chilly yet still winter black tie events tend to occur, hence, throw in a little sophisticated finish with a fur/ faux fur coat, a stylish shawl as opposed to denim jackets and regular bubble jackets.

The dress When it comes to a dress it could be slim lined, structured, empire line or voluminous so long as a smart appearance is achieved.

A perfect fit is at the heart of a stunning look, nothing too tight or which falls above the knee. Opting for dresses which fit body shape and size is very essential noting floor length dresses tend to give a taller appearance and flatters a taller physique.

However, the good news is a petite frame can appear taller by adding stunning high heel shoes /sandals to an outfit. Better still opt for a midi dress or one which falls on the knee which flatters this physique. Ensure the dress has a rich colour, print and styled in a formal way as opposed to casual.

Colours to look out for are black, jewel tones, metallic, brown, red (yes red!) ..

Simply opt for lighter shades in silk like Fabrics such as organizer or chiffon avoiding shinny or stretchy fabric, keeping embellishment simple and minimal.

Accessories Earrings, neck pieces, clutch purses all give an outfit a very dressed up outlook, the number one tip to getting it right with these is to plan accessories and makeup ahead of the event for a better outlook. As a pair of stunning heels, a lovely necklace or a classy red lip brings a massive transformation effect to any outfit. A safe way to go is to opt for black accessories with a printed dress or one with a lot of embellishments. Another tip

is to consider accessories while shopping for a dress or choosing one considering the entire outlook. Plain single coloured dresses give room for going a little extra with statement accessories conversely, with bold prints and patterned dresses going along simpler lines for accessories is best as these in this case simply enhance the outfit. For footwear single soled shoes and sandals are the way to go as opposed to platforms which play down on the sophistication associated with a black-tie dress code.

Simple and Classy

Hair Accessories from fancy glittery hair clips or slides to fascinators are great; simply opt for smaller sizes of fascinators which complement the dress appropriately. For hair styles going the extra mile to do something classy or simply; putting your hair in a simple up do is also great.

Stepping out with the Black tie options can be simple and classy from dress to accessories or a stunning statement dress with rather simpler accessories, or go unconventional with separate pieces and stunning accessories.

Whichever way, remember it should be formal, smart and complement a tuxedo. Voila..

Whichever way you choose to go be you and look suave and stunning cheers.

M E M O I R S

GETTING STARTED 2 0 1 9 I N V I E W

I

n a couple of days from now the cheers of the new year would be upon us “out with the old and in with the new” just like that. However, making a fantastic start is so crucial in setting the pace for the year, as is said “you never recover from a good start”. For this great start people tend to make New Year resolutions and basically do loads of planning of which by the middle of the year some resolutions may be out of the window, History!!! A classic instance is with gym registrations; a survey shows that the New Year is welcomed with an increased number of gym registrations of which, by midyear a large number would have faulted in attendance or stop completely. The question now is, are resolutions a waste of time or not? Or are they just firm enough to break certain habits? In this article we would journey into starting the New Year with adequate planning and setting goals that would facilitate execution of plans effectively. A massive disclaimer before we carry on, goals do not automatically guarantee accomplishment but, sets you on a path of increased likelihood of fulfilling and accomplishing success when adhered to. That been said, a bit of clarity on how to actually get started on setting goals, think of it as the goal to vision, to accomplishment road map.

Life is progressive; Days amount to months, months to years and so on. Thus, it is safe to say, how you spend each day amounts to how you would have spent the month and invariably the year as a whole. Since the New Year marks the beginning of a new season, it makes an excellent opportunity to develop new (good) habits that in the long run will help you prepare for the future God has mapped out for you. Now, if you tend to flunk on new year resolutions bear in mind that God is the Alpha (the beginning) and Omega (the ending) Rev. 1:8. He is capable of helping us have a good start and see us through the year by making HIS grace available to us to finish well.

Lesson 1 therefore is ‘the key to getting started well is to pay attention to the baby steps’.

The Big Picture.

With ambiguity out of the way and assumptions cleared, “vision” is defined as “The big picture” for the purpose of this article. A vision is the big picture of what you would like. On the other hand, goals are the little steps you take that sum up into achieving the vision.

So, say you want to bake a cake for your birthday, baking a cake is the big picture (the vision).

To know what goals to set towards that begin by asking certain questions such as “what kind of cake do I want to bake?” Chocolate? Sponge? Red velvet? (Fun bit: say out loud your favorite cake for the sake of it). Now on to the next question which is “what are the ingredients required to bake the cake?” This will determine the ingredients to shop for. A chocolate cake for example, isn’t a chocolate cake if it does not have the ingredient “Chocolate”. Finally, the size of the cake must be taken into consideration because, that will determine the quantity of the ingredients to be made available, the pan size and so on.

Away from baking and into the real world, a major way to start out the year is by having a vision; a big picture and then set goals that will help you accomplish this vision. How in practical, do you want the new year to look like? Since, your life comprises of different aspects a Vision can also cut across different areas of life; career, relationship, marriage,

health, ministry, and so on. In all at this point there would be a big vision ‘general’ and then, more specific vision. Remember the cake analogy? Let’s imagine the cake was for a party, then the big vision would be “Have a party”. Mini vision - bake a cake both are visions.

The big picture (vision) board

more details pending on where you hope to paste this. Print out, paste or frame it in a picture frame and place at a spot you would always see which could be by your mirror, on closet doors etc.

What makes a vision different from a goal?

Getting a picture of what you want to achieve Vision is “what” while a goal is “How” you will goes a long way to keep you inspired. While, accomplish your “What” simply put. Your goal you might not be able to paste your goals in a it the road map to you Vision (map). The place you can easily see, you can do that with breakdown of a vision into goals requires the vision. Thus, to create a big picture board, information. Note that the more specific the get a picture of all you want to achieve- a break down the more likely you are to take picture of your vision. Make a picture collage those goals seriously. Think of a massive of it if possible, the dates you set for each or meal you had placed before you which you

have the capacity to eat but, you won’t push to do so or a huge task to do an essay of say 6000 words, Wow! Some might say. The food; grab a sit in front of the Television, turn on your favorite movie /television series, get a spoon and dig in.

In no time you are most likely going to finish the meal, maybe you might feel a little uncomfortable from over eating but, it will happen. On the other hand, the essay: you start out with researching on the topic which should get you inspired and excited, grab your laptop/tablet / iPad whatever the case may be.

Then you start with one word, a sentence then, a paragraph and soon you find you have gone past 6000 words and are looking for a way to rephrase some parts of the essay in order to stay in the confines of the stipulated 6000 words.

Lesson 2: Goals that are simple and specific help simplify the task and make it easier to accomplish.

What then should make a goal? The answer to that is the SMARTER the goal the better, goals should be: S (Specific) what, which, who, where, M (Measurable) from -to, A (Attainable) How R (relevant) worth the pursuit T (Time Bound) when Specific: detail specifically every aspect of what you hope to achieve as simple as possible giving no room for ambiguity.

Measurable: set goals in such a way that measuring progress is possible. It is great to have a goal but it is even better to have the start point and when the goal is intended to be completed.

Attainable: the time set for this goal based on research, understanding of your person and several other things. Do you believe that the

goal you have set would be easily attained within the given time frame?

Realistic /relevant: is the goal worth pursuing Time bound: the when; at what point would this goal have been achieved? Set a time for the goal.

For Example: June would like to become fit and healthier in 2019 and believes losing some weight and developing a habit of eating right is the way to go. The vision is set, although this is stated and clearly stated, if she does not set smart goals to attain this, she might end 2019 the same.

To start off S specific… notice the vision is not the most specific it can be; become fit, lose weight, eat healthy…

Goal: To lose 20KG – now she is specific about the amount of weight she wants to lose. How? By enrolling in a fitness class that has a coach who puts participants in appropriate weight loss plans and supervises progress, now that is specific to a large extent.

Measurable ... to lose 20 kg in 12 months, means losing 1.6 kg per month at least, so let’s make it 2 kg per month so give or take she will meet her goal.

To lose 20 kg and start eating healthy by December 31st, 2019. * Join a fitness group to help lose 2kg every month in 2019 by 31st December 2019 I should weigh 20 kg less.

Attainable: Has June been exercising at all? Has she been consistent with eating healthy, how feasible is 2kg per month for her?

Chances are if there are months she does not lose weight at all then, she is a few steps behind her goal but, all is not lost. However, with serious commitment on her part to her group and instructions it is very possible to attain her goal hence, she ticks the box for Attainable.

Relevant or realistic: maintaining a healthy weight helps minimize her risk of developing certain illnesses/diseases. It helps her also stay in top shape, in that way it is important she makes such a goal as such her goal is relevant. Relevance is key because, if the importance of the goal is not clearly understood the desire to pursue its fulfilment will dwindle.

Time bound: December 31st is the date her goal will be actualized so it keeps her in check.

More importantly, as you make progress with your goals never lose track of them.

Goal setting or magic setting.

Setting a goal is fantastic but, without discipline and taking the appropriate steps the goals would only remain desires. True, sometimes we might just want to wish them away, kind of like a magical trick “now you see, now you don’t”. However, setting a goal to fulfillment is a faith walk and we know “Faith without works is dead… but works without faith is deader” Rev Biodun Fatoyinbo. In order words the constant in every situation is God. As children of God, we have not been left without hope.

We have grace. Asking for grace to achieve those goals and stepping out in faith knowing that God is faithful is what strikes the balance to accomplishing goals.

Now we know clearly what characteristics our goals should have, next, what sort of goals should one set and what should drive these goals?

Kingdom minded goals “It was about the end of the year 2014 and my pastors shared on setting kingdom minded goals; Goals that have God at the center of it all. I learnt that the best time to plan for a year is before it starts however, it is not too late to start if you have not already started.

Also, to have great goals, prayer is key.

Simply pray about areas you need to set goals in, the visions in your heart and the goals you need to set that you are oblivious of. This introduces the strange dimension of God’s power -the Holy Spirit- who is our helper in all things. Also, Meditating on God’s word should be a habit we want to cultivate this year”.

Here are some areas you could consider setting goals this year: Kingdom goals "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”. (Mat. 6:33) It is important to know that God wants us to be successful much more than we want to be. He is loving enough to have given us a template to achieving this success which is to desire Him and desire to fulfil His purpose for us. We become successful when we are connected to the source which He is. Most Electronic devices need to be connected to a source of power supply in order to function appropriately. We also cannot function as we ought unless we are plugged in (the source of a thing sustains it). God is our source hence, He sustains us.

When we are plugged in, every other thing becomes icing on the cake. Jesus said “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you” (Mathew 6:33).

Practically, some kingdom goals could include:

1.) Starting your day with God or spend more time to fellowship (studying the word more, be given to soul winning etc.)

Set goals to Affect People’s lives.

God has placed people in our lives for us to be blessings to them. We could make a list of people we want to help this year; the interesting thing about help is that it could be in different forms. You could help with material things, help people grow spiritually, help by praying for them or buying them books or messages that will make them grow or make them better people.

Remember, in blessing other people we get blessed as well. Learning good cultures, working on people skills can equally be goals you want to set so you can get along better with others.

Personal goals: Improving on ourselves is a task that lasts a lifetime and helps maintain relevance.

Hence, to achieve this, it will be in place to set goals, goals that will give you focus and direction.

These goals comprise of: i.)

Things we would like to do to improve on ourselves, things we would like to have, places you would love to visit etc. A personal goal like it is called differs with individuals. Prov. 4:18 shows that the path of the just shines brighter and brighter unto the perfect day. The grace for an ever brighter shining path lies within us, God has a part to play and we equally have ours. A classic example of a personal goal can be to improve fluency in a language previously learnt.

Health goals Another category of goals to set are health goals, “Health is wealth”, and the importance of health cannot be over emphasized. We understand that health is a gift from God and we are responsible for it as such it is in place to plan for your health. We could set health goals to improve our health. Goals such as eating healthy, exercising more, reading more on health...etc.

Career goals These comprise of goals to improve or maintain a certain standard in the area of career. With the world becoming a global village, information is gotten by the click of a button. The implication of this is that a person can become out-dated in his career within days if the person is not constantly in touch with happenings in this field. On the other hand, in order to climb the ladder of one’s career, improvement on prior knowledge is key.

Academic goals Most of us wish to be the best in whatever we do and our academics is not left out. We tend to wonder what those people who top the class do differently. Well! The truth is they get to plan properly to achieve this. A student can set academic goals for a session or semester or one could set goals to take a course or classes etc. and with careful, disciplined, application of themselves, they come out tops.

These are just a few broad categories, within are other more specific goals which could be for instance; relational or marital e.g. to be a better spouse, read more books on marriage to mention a few, Knowledge is power. Let’s head out to the drawing board to see practically what these goals look like.

The Drawing Board setting goals let’s use the line “I want to ….” to paint the vision, then we will build up from there. Here are some prospective visions and goals for the year.

searching for and at the same time give you insights into the specific business you are interested in.

Another prospective goal could be

I want to be more organized The question you should ask yourself is “why am I not organized?”. It is important to understand the challenge. Then you may have to seek help (help in whatever form for example; counselling, materials from trusted sources i.e. the Bible {it is amazing the solutions you have in the Word}, blogs, magazines (Memoirs Homes section)…etc.

With all these questions asked executing goals becomes pretty easy.

Possible goals * Every month I will save N…, or $... amount out of my earnings in an account to meet my target to start my business.

Prospective goals * Read about home organizing everyday. * Read memoirs homes, follow blogs or page of this interest as well and apply the insights I want to lose weight /gain weight Prospective goals

It is important to find out from people who are already doing what you want to do or something similar in order to learn from them

I will get a suitable diet plan.

* You could set a goal to spend ten minutes every day reading up about people in that line and how they started. Information can be searched out using search engines on the internet. For me, I get to use the Google search engine a lot to get information about my stuff. Therefore, if you are like me then it will help to be a lot more deliberate about what you are

I will have my dinner by 6:00 Pm and it will be a salad.

I will exercise every day for 25 minutes set Time e.g: 6:00 am to 6:25 am.

I will learn healthy salad recipes.

I will eat a balance meal 3 times and snack on fruits.

I will make it a habit to take walks, use the staircases as opposed to elevators and escalators.

There are a lot of places you can walk to, but you would rather drive; this habit of walking involves walking to such places as well, invariably meaning to calculate the duration of the walk and set out bearing that in mind. By so doing we make time out of no time to check this box.

I will ask a friend that has a good eating habit and exercising habit to help me or I will get a trainer or better still I will register at my local gym.

Or sign up for plans such as this “Sign up for the 6-week Challenge and you'll receive easy, healthy recipes, inspiration, and powerful devotionals to help you in your journey to a healthier, better you.

You will also receive EXCLUSIVE weekly videos full of personal insight & encouragement to stay committed to your transformation.

Sign Up Today! http://weightisoverchallenge.com/ https://t.co/bMNCPgZOuZ iTunes download of the weight is over CD http://store.tdjakes.org/p-3006-no-cheatsneeded-book.aspx No cheats needed book (Culled up from www.facebook.com/ bishopjakes)

By now we hope you get the picture of the drawing board.

Getting started tips #Procrastination.

Do you have a challenge with procrastination?

Here is a tip for you, now! Do It Now “DIN” one letter short of Ding! Whatever you are putting off doing to do at a later time, try to take a step towards it no matter how little. For example: you have a report to write you could write a page or a paragraph each time you remember. You will be amazed at how far you will get that report done, than procrastinating until the whole report piles up. You need to put a call through, make the call the moment you remember or set a reminder if you forget and make the call once the reminder goes off. This is like cutting down a tree. Also pray about this habit (this should be the first step) and ask for grace to do things you need to do and not put them off for a later time.

Remember, anytime you ask the Holy Spirit to help you He does; it may be an instruction, or sending you help through people or working out His purpose through you. Whatever way, He is sure to help you whenever you ask. #Plan your time Prioritize things, activities and events. Make use of daily planners have a schedule and follow it.

Also, this may be a pointer for to read more books on time management. #The Importance of Information Spend 10 mins everyday reading about areas you would like to see improvements. The reason for that vicious circle you have been trying to break away from may be as a result of stale information or has its roots in ignorance. If you want to get more organised? Read on home organizing, general organizing, watch TV programmes and subscribe to blogs on this topic. A blog can be a useful platform once you find the right one. A point to note guard your heart, do not just subscribe to anything. Prov 4:23 NIV. Says Above all else, guard your heart, why?

For everything you do flows from it.

Tired of the decor in your home read about home décor, go for information. “Your anointing peaks at the level of your knowledge. Go for kingdom sense as well” Rev Biodun Fatoyinbo.

Do you need healing, meditate on healing scriptures; get books on healing (Christian books consistent with scriptures). Pick a scripture to meditate on daily, invest in messages; CDs, soft copy; sound cloud clips, mp3s etc. Do the same for other areas of your life.

Similar to the previous tip is this next tip Be given to learning A first step to learning is developing that desire or yearning to know “In 2019 I want to be willing to learn”. It is can be like learning to ride a bicycle; you may fall off, it may look like a far journey, but in the end you will be so good, you could drive absent minded. Yes, learning sometimes may require courage. Like Peter, as we step out to walk on water, Jesus is ready to pull us

up and walk back with us to the boat in victory.

Learn from people, learn from books, and learn from television shows. Learn edifying things (that gives God glory). It is never too late to start learning those things you want to. A dear mentor and mother once said this and it is so profound Mama Funke Adejumo said ”you could ask a makeup artist to show you a thing or two if you feel you do not like makeup”, that is a step to take in the direction of learning to improve your appearance. For instance, You Tube is flooded with makeup artist vloggers.

That may be a place to start. In all in 2019 be given to learning like Dr Mike Murdock said “I am a professional learner”. Be a professional learner. That is how to stay relevant.

Finally, remember on your journey through goal setting, to be thankful for progress no matter how little.

Prayer “Lord I thank You, I may not be where I am going, but I sure am not where I used to be”. Whatever you give thanks over multiplies. Luke 9:1 NIV have a fantastic 2019.

Memoirs' Outreach JEGEDE PAUL FOUNDATION, LIFE FOUNTAIN ORPHANAGE HOME. NO 902B GBOLAHAN OWOLABI CLOSE, OPPOSITE ZENITH BANK,OMOLE OJODU LAGOS. A

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We are elated as our 1st year celebrations held in top gear with our Orphans’ Outreach and online campaign.

We would like to take this time to appreciate everyone who took part in our first year anniversary celebration.

Particularly, Miss Oluwanifemi Adekanni, Mrs Abimbola Adebola, Miss Chinyere Omeronye and Mr and Mrs Eyo for their generous donations, food items, clothes and storybooks were presented during our Orphan’s outreach to the Life Fountain Orphanage. Also, a massive thank you to everyone who took part in our online campaign “The Splash Challenge” we really appreciate you. We thank God for one more year and many more years ahead.

THE BOOK STAND

Season’s greetings to you all, over the festive period there is rarely anytime to read per say or at the pace one would normally do. However, there are a lot of books with a Christmas theme which can easily spice up the experience of the season. The New Year on the other hand could mean a new reading list and if that is not the practice for you, this might just be a cue to do so. As such, for starters we encourage you to take out time to find areas of your life you want to see improvements and prayerfully research books in those areas creating a reading list. A book club can also be a very great way to improve your reading, joining a good book club centered on reading books of particular interest to you might just be a way to go. Add money for books to your budget and if possible join a library online or otherwise where you can always get books from easily. Hope these tips have been very helpful, now here is a lineup we hope you consider adding to your reading list.

Book Review Christmas is the celebration of grace as grace came in the person of Jesus here is a dive into a phenomenal book on grace.

In the Grip of Grace by Max Lucado

“Life is full of fumbles and stumbles, fraught with opportunities to make mistakes, occasions to feel guilty and to the drive to “do it yourself”. The pressure to be self-sufficient is high but, it is not the life God offers. The way of the world will direct you to try harder and work smarter so that you can take care of yourself and even make yourself

successful but, the way of the cross will point towards the place where you stop every initiated effort so that you can fall into the boundless liberating, refreshing grace of God. Just imagine being love driven instead of being self-propelled, imagine abandoning your life to Jesus instead of trying to save yourself. Can you imagine exchanging your fears for that peace that passes all understanding? Being relaxed and free instead of stressed out and anxious. If you can imagine enjoying God instead of trying to repay Him then, you can imagine grace. So go ahead and jump off the cliff of self-sufficiency, leap out of legalism, of the pier of guilt and condemnation that is the only way you will land in the strong arm of the father who loves you, the father will catch you every time in the grip of His grace”.

Reviewed by Seyi Afoyalan

New Year New Bible Where you expecting this? Did you know getting a new bible can spice up your studying of God’s word? If you did not know now you know, why not start out the New Year on a clean slate with crisp pages of a new study bible. Why a study bible? This is because by design these bibles are made to enhance studying with helpful tools such as cross references, bible study plans, extra information such as historical facts and maps, the list goes on. Here are a few bibles you might want to consider, (if you have any exciting ones we haven’t mentioned feel free to mail us at memoirsofa21stcenturyprov31woman@yahoo.c om with the subject “the book stand” or inbox us on our several social media platforms).

The classic Thompson Chain Study Bible which is unique for the chain reference system, as it offers more than 100,000 chain references contained in the margins of

corresponding verses. Thus, from one verse one can link several verses of scriptures which highlight a specific area of choice. Also, this is available in a variety of translations such as New King James version, KJV and English Standard Version. A review stated “it provides tools which allows scriptures interpret scriptures”, as such if you are looking to have such an experience with the word then the Thompson chain study bible is the way to go.

Next is Similar, the Life Application Bible; it is also available in a variety of translations. Like it is called it helps apply to real life the truth and realities of scriptures bringing out practicalities of every day from the passages of scriptures. A review stated “the Life Application Study Bible was created to help you answer the question, “What does God’s Word mean for my life today?” contained a several features just as above mentioned typical of study bibles plus life application notes . If this resonates with the study experience you crave in the New Year then by all means opt for these. These are just two classics of many more study bibles available.

Additionally, Study bibles can be specialized as well, as numerous line up of study bibles are designed for children more specific, boys and girls, for different age categorizes as well for toddlers. Also, young adults; teens and teens have age appropriate study bibles.

Adults are not left out as study bibles for men and women, mothers, fathers etc. are also available. In this year you can have the word of God tailored to meet your specific need as a man or woman, boy or girl.

Another fantastic thing to consider when choosing a new bible for the New Year could be the translation various translations now exist to help have a better understanding of the bible.

For more in-depth studies some contain Greek and Hebrew root word references and are linked to dictionaries which provide meaning of these words.

The key is to research into translations understand the intention and design so you know how to apply and get the most of them. Some translations are designed for example to be used alongside a reference translation simply for study purposes, a tailored research would help identify these. Most importantly

however, making use of more than one translation comparing it with the King James Bible or New King James Version (or any modern revised King James Version) as reference makes a great safe spot (a research still makes the experience more insightful).

Finally, whatever the choice of bible or translations and electronic version gives that bible on the go convenience that brings more excitement to bible study. Several apps exist to make a choice from a popular bible app is the ‘You version’ bible app with several translations; Message, New living translation, Amplified to mention a few. Available in several languages as you upgrade your vocabulary in that new language you are learning when you explore the language option or simply get the bible in the language of your preference that best suits you . Also, available are several formats audio bibles so you can walk through the mall, take a drive or a jog or run with your ear phone (PS (Please), SVP (Si Vous Plait) (fill in the gaps with language of choice) for safety use one piece of the pair so you can hear sounds in your immediate surrounding environment to prevent accidents of some sort while listening as the audio bible is read out to you. .

Video formats of the bible are available as well, again off to the ‘You version’’ bible app if this resonates with you. Also offered are a variety of bible plans and devotionals to enhance your study experience.

In conclusion , a reading list for a new year or to develop a reading culture in the new year , a great read on grace at the heart of Christmas and a new bible to spice up bible study in the new year are the suggestions the book stand offers projecting to the new year ahead .

From us at the book stand Happy New read year and cheers to a better you and your best year yet. Season’s greetings family. God bless you.