Author: Deji Okegbile

Sir Omoniyi, Story of a True Wesleyan steward.

A special dad is hard to find. Such a father’s name is story for tomorrow’s (Itanola) generation. Papa Sir Johnson Itanola Omoniyi, a Methodist Knight of John Wesley (KJW) was a special father with special smile and a special face. Sir Omoniyi was born on October 28, 1937 in Iloko-Ijesa to Pa Samuel and Madam Victoria Omoniyi of the Idi-Igberesi compound. He attended Methodist Primary School, Otapete, Ilesa. He had his secondary education at Government College, Ibadan and later proceeded to the University of Ibadan, where he studied History. Married on January 26th 1968 to Mama Rebecca Olufunke Omoniyi,...

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BEAUTY IN PAIN: LIFESTYLE OF EASTER PEOPLE.

In the same way I will not cause pain without allowing something new to be born,” says the Lord. “If I cause you the pain, I will not stop you from giving birth to your new nation,” says your God (Is 66:9). God is saying to someone, there is beauty in your pain. We all have different experiences of pains. As Easter people, in our pains, all we have is hope, the hope of the beauty to come. May be all that you see around are persistent injustice, loneliness, hunger, wars, poverty, racism, immorality, evil, divisions, or doomed situations, remember,...

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CHURCH REBOUND FROM DECLINE: THE METAPHOR OF EASTER.

Glory be to God in highest and thanks to you for joining me on 2022 Lent for Everyone through Journey with Jesus. Each week of the Lent was built upon a scriptural metaphor or title for Jesus Christ. The better way to round up the reflection is to look at the overall metaphor of Easter to help the church rebound from decline. Despite the deplorable invasion of Ukraine by Russia, there is emergence of new life at this beautiful time of year, brown lawn grass is growing greener, ‘a feeling of hope and renewal.’ The applicable symbolism of Easter...

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JUDAS, A MODEL OF A PERFUME CHRISTIAN: LESSONS FROM MARY, A FRAGRANCE OF CHRIST.

The Gospel of John identified Judas Iscariot as the one questioning the expenditure and theology about Mary’s costly oil to anoint Jesus’ feet (Jn 12). In the Gospel, Jesus links the oil with His upcoming death and preparation. Biblical narrative reminds us of ‘the place of smell from the aromas of burnt offerings to the Old Testament through to the precious perfume in our Gospel reading today.’ Primarily, perfume is to mask the base odour/smell of person/product. Perfume gives person or product an identity and advertisement. The main purpose of the perfume is to keep unpleasant body odours at bay...

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Symbolism of the cursed Fig Tree: Reality of God’s judgment and Call to Repentance.

Jesus’ short parable about a cursed fig tree speaks of imminent judgment and a call for repentance. The parable was Jesus’ way of saying that the whole nation had become spiritually barren and unfruitful before the Lord (Hosea 9:10; Jer 8:13). Using the words of John Wesley, the whole nation had ‘the form of religion without the power.’ They had and knew the right words, theology and philosophy to say, but their hearts were far from God and His Words. The parable of the cursed fig tree offers both good news and bad news. The good news is that,...

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