Selorm A to Z

Today I turned 26 and I am thrilled at the amazing possibilities ahead and the opportunities available to fulfil the Father's Will. Since there are 26 letters of the English alphabet, I decided to string out a reel of my short stay on earth so far using each letter. I hope you enjoy it and it ministers to you. As well, you can write an A-Z of me and let me know your thoughts about me using the 26 letters of the English alphabet. So here we go:

A for April 🗓️

It's nice to know that I share my birthday with Africa's richest billionaire, Aliko Dangote. That's not to say I want to be a billionaire- even though it would be nice to manage all that wealth. April, for me, is a delightful month because almost every year, the Passover falls within this month. I'm grateful to God for 26 Aprils already. I'm also grateful to God for some illustrious icons whose birthdays are in April such as Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke, Dr. Mike Murdock, Honourable Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Apostle Obeng Agyekum, Pastor Patricia Kufuor, Rev. James Dodoo-Amoo, Esinam Awutey and so many amazing folks whose lives have made the world a healthier and better place to live in. Of course, I have to make mention of those born in April who love me so dearly such as my very own eldest "Chaleman" and brother, Fast Freddy, the sister that I never had, Pastor Edna, and Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Attafuah. I love you back infinity times more!

B for Books📚

So, I have this compulsion to literally stop at every bookstand to scan through the books to see whether there is hidden in there something life-changing. Of course, my favourite book of all time is the Bible! Leave me on an island and all I'll ever need is a Bible and some coconuts! (Just kidding). I'll never forget a humbling experience I had one time in JHS. We were at an SU meeting and our patron was doing a pop quiz. He asked, "What is the last book of the Bible?" I had a Gideon's New Testament so I flipped to the last page and confidently thought, "Proverbs!" Thank God I only thought! Otherwise, only God knows the nickname I would have earned from that meeting had I said it aloud. But one thing is certain: That experience helped me to want to know more of God's Word not just in terms of the written text but the essence therein. What is the Spirit of God desiring to communicate to me? How can I practically apply the Word? How does it apply to my life today? I believe the Bible is the most relevant book of all time. 

By God's grace, I have also written a couple of blog posts which have transmogrified into mini books! Go me!  You should visit my blog (www.quotidianposts.wordpress.com) to download and read the latest: "I am Jesus: 12 Irrefutable claims of Jesus about Himself". It will be a big blessing to you!

C for Colossians📃

Still on the Bible, I love how the book of Colossians is written. It's concise but pregnant with so much truth about the reality of the new creation in Christ. How Paul the Apostle managed to compress all that into such a simple letter that was later broken into four chapters is truly a mystery!

D for Drawing✏️

Did you know that I used to draw very well? I used to o! I haven't tried drawing again since my biology class in PRESEC when I drew the plant and animal cells in my art book. Yep! I had my personal art book in which I drew beautiful things! Heads up, though! I could only draw things I looked on. I sense that that same creativity was transmitted into my writing too. I may write something as I am inspired. It could be an article, a poem or a review. However, I rarely do fiction. Do I lack imagination, or what? I dunno! 🤷🏽♂️ But I suppose that's how I am gifted. Now you can understand why I mostly write on events that have taken place. I just report to you as I saw it, clothing it with creative vocabulary that will be a blessing to you!

E for English🇬🇧

At this point in my life, I think I'm an Anglophile. I won't tell you the meaning- check your dictionary! 😜Anyway, I seem so drawn to anything English. Their accent is the most fascinating of all! 😫I just like it! It's all prim and proper. 

My mum bought me an Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary when I was a teenager. When we were done writing our BECE in April 2009, we had about 5 months to await our results and admission. So each day, I would scan through the dictionary and find new words to stock them in my vocabulary notebook. I did two words a day. In the night, I would watch DW TV- I loved this programme called Drive It. Then, before going to bed, I would flip over to the extras in the dictionary, after the A to Z, reading about collocation, sentence structure, parts of speech, speech etiquette and many others. I was so drawn to the English Language that I literally studied the dictionary cover to cover.

If I were asked which country I would like to live in aside Ghana, it would be England. 

F for Flesh☣️

Three enemies. Two external. One internal. They are the world, the devil, and the flesh. Jesus says we are in the world but not of the world. Paul says we should not be conformed to this world. The devil has been defeated. However, we wrestle against forces of darkness. It's comforting to know that the first two have been dealt with by our Lord! Thanks be to God for the victory. However, in my 11 years of being born again, I have had an incessant battle with one enemy who will not leave me be. He is always with me. He has cost me so much. He has been an inhibition to my progress in many ways. I wish I could just dissociate myself from him. That enemy is my flesh. Don't get me wrong- I am not talking about my skin. In the Bible, the flesh refers to desires which are in opposition to the dictates of the Spirit. The flesh refers to your five senses of touch, smell, sight, hearing and feeling. I don't know about you but sometimes the desires of the flesh are so overwhelming that you just want to give in, especially as a young person. For instance, you want to sleep but you know you must pray. You want to eat but you know you must fast. You want to get stuff for yourself but you know you must give. But once again, thanks be to God for the victory!🥳 One morning I was getting ready for work and I had left my phone playing a familiar message while I went to bathe. When I got back, the preacher was quoting a Scripture that changed my life: Romans 8:13. He talked about mortifying (or killing) the deeds of the flesh through the Spirit. I had read that verse many times but when I heard him quote it that morning, something just snapped! The way to mortify the deeds of the flesh is by the Spirit. Not by willpower or even self-discipline (even though they are important). Let me leave Galatians 5 with you.

G for Glory🌊

"For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." (Habakkuk 2:14). I want to see that happen practically and I want to be part of those making it happen. I am consumed by the vision of this verse. Sounding forth the knowledge of the glory of the Lord for the nations to encounter the Lord Jesus Christ is our single mission as God's children. God's glory is His personality. It is His love in action. His glory is His Word. And I want to be enraptured in that glory for all eternity. 😇

H for Holy Spirit🔥

The Holy Spirit is my Bestie! He is my Mentor! He is my Everything. I don't know what I'd do without Him. Knowing His Voice has been my earnest pursuit since I discovered who He was sent to me to be. He has saved me a lot of trouble, while I have gone contrary to what He told me too countless times. But the strange thing is that He has stuck to His promise of never leaving me nor forsaking me. 

I for Inspiration💪🏽

If there is any single individual besides the Holy Spirit who has inspired me in my lifetime, it is Pastor Chris Oyakhilome. Herh! The man epitomises Jesus. I have never met him in person but I have interacted with him more times in my privacy than any other person. He has been there, instructing me on board buses, in taxis, on the streets, in the bedroom, and even in the bathroom. He has really inspired me through his messages and books. Of course, I cannot leave out Bishop Dag Heward-Mills, Strive Masiyiwa, Bishop Matthew Addae-Mensah, Bishop Henry Dodoo-Amoo, Pastor Marvin Opoku, Apostle Albert Bartlett-Mingle, Rev. Mrs. Ekua Bartlett-Mingle, Rev. Andrew Kufuor, Prophet Kaye-Essien and you (don't get mad if I didn't list your name here!)

In my small way too, I seek to inspire people to fulfil their purpose and to live for Jesus, mostly through my writings and preaching the Gospel.

J for Joy😄

What is life without joy? In fact, Paul wrote that the life of faith is about righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. I'm fully aware that the joy of the Lord is my strength so I consciously decide not to be grumpy or discontented irrespective of my circumstances. I found out that my level of joy was very great after my mum died. I was not the least sorrowful. On the contrary, I was steadfast. I had assurance in my heart of God's Presence and His Word came to me concerning the future. That Word gave me joy. I was not the least agitated. Did I not care? On the contrary, I did. But the joy of the Lord gave me a hopeful disposition. Glory!

Only Jesus gives such joy!

K for Knowledge📖

I have a strong hunger for learning new things. I like to find out why things work the way they do. But most importantly, I want to grow in the knowledge of God. So, each day, I obtain information that can help me to improve and become better than I already am. I know for sure that a man's life is no greater than his level of knowledge. So I try my best to widen my scope of knowledge by studying more, reading, listening to those ahead of me who have made significant progress and impact, and taking cues from seemingly common affairs of life. I do not consider myself to know much because the more I know the more I realise how little I know.

L for Love❤️

Love. ❤️ It evokes diverse images in different people's minds. I think the best description of love is clearly outlined in 1 Corinthians 13. Now, you may already know that love must be seen in actions and not merely words. If there is anything I want more than wisdom, it is to behold and experience the ever-expanding love of Jesus day by day. Then, out of that experience, share the overflow of it in my life to a dry and thirsty world. Everybody craves to be loved. And that is why God demonstrated His love to its fullest extent in Jesus through His death (Romans 5:8). 

M for Marriage💍

A few years ago, I made up my mind marriage was not for me, because I felt I could make it in life all by myself. But after chancing upon Ecclesiastes 4, I realised that marriage is important in fulfilling my assignment on earth. I have encountered very amazing single ladies worthy of marriage but as I have assessed my compatibility with them and brought them before the Lord in prayer, I have not really had that 'spark' or 'green light' to go ahead and propose to them. Sometimes, I still feel like I'm not cut out for marriage but I'm certain that by walking closely with the Holy Spirit and getting accustomed to His Voice, I will make the right choice in due season. After scrolling through my Twitter timeline a couple of times recently, I can confidently say that 'beauty is vain and charm is deceitful but a woman who fears the Lord she shall be praised!'

This is between me and you: I told God I'm getting married next year so I'm expectant paa...for my own beloved. Please pray for me okay? And if you think you're the one for me, draw near and let's fellowship. T for Thanks! 🥰

N for No ☔

It has been a real struggle to say "No" to the people I cherish and respect, especially in times of urgent need. But gradually, I am learning to say "No", if I will be greatly inconvenienced and it does not fit into my schedule.

O for Oneness🌎

Jesus so earnestly desires this for His Church today. Read John chapter 17. *drops mic*

P for Priest🙌🏽

Who would have thought that I would stand in the priest's office to minister to God's people?! To me, the priest's work is 'taking the people to God and taking God to the people.' Of course, every believer is called to be a priest (Revelation 1:5), but the opportunity to minister to God's people in the office of a pastor is the greatest honour ever! Thank God for the amazing leadership of Gospel Light International Church, who saw in a 21-year old level 300 student the potential to shepherd God's people! God bless Bishop Matthew Addae-Mensah! I'm so glad that God called me as a young person. By His grace, I will dedicate every fibre of my being to serve Him in this office till my very last breath, reconciling men to God each day.

Q for Questions❔

One evening, I went visiting a brother on campus and then this dear young lady also came into the room. She was a Teaching Assistant. At the time, the brother was busy so he could not attend to me. While I waited, she engaged me in a conversation and began to ask me a myriad of questions. When she was through, I thought to myself, "Is that how intimidating I am anytime I ask people so many questions at a go?" Honestly, I felt threatened. She kept asking question upon question upon question. But that has helped me to realize that if you want to have control in a conversation, ask questions. 

My point is this: questions, the right questions are important if we want to arrive at correct conclusions. I learnt from Mike Murdock that the most important part of a conversation is a question. Ask yourself questions from time to time. Let them serve as a check on yourself- so that you can assess your life and your commitments. What are my convictions in life? What would I do with my life I were to never work another day? What will I commit to do 1 hour every day for the rest of my life? Who are the three most important people in my life? In whose presence do I sense myself growing? What am I doing with my life?

Take a break. Ask the right questions and be sure to get answers to them.

R for Read📖

I cannot overemphasize how much reading has helped me. Sometimes, I look at my books and I wish I could devour all of them in one instance. Why? Because I know that hiding between those pages are solutions to issues I may be facing at that material moment. 

If you don't like reading, train yourself to like it and to habitually engage in it. Furthermore, obtain the right materials that will build your life and set you on a course of fulfilment.

Since I am now 26, I suppose that reading less than 26 books per year would be an abomination for me!

S for Selorm💓

My mum told me a story of how my dad named me Ishmael...but she changed my name to Samuel. 👏Thank God! I like my name Samuel very much because of the significance of the life of Prophet Samuel in the history of Israel. But I also like my name Selorm, because of its meaning and how indigenous it is. Heads up! It's an Ewe name. And it means God's love! 🥰 I think of myself as the manifestation of God's love to a needy world because Jesus made me so. When I show up, God's love shows up! 

T for Time⏰

"If you can manage a day, you can manage your life."

"Redeeming the time, because the days are evil."

I'm more particular about how I use my than I am of how I use my money.

I feel like the outcome of my life is dependent on how wisely I spend my time. As a result, I am 'crazy' about Time Management. If there is a foundational course I think should be taught in our Universities, it should be Time Management. It will solve 90% of issues with students' grades and productivity.

If you want concise, potent information on Time Management, please read my article on page 7 of the Daily Graphic (27th February, 2020).

U for Unique🧬

I value my uniqueness.

V for Violin🎻

I just love how the strumming of the strings of the violin caresses my eardrums! Anytime I detect the violin playing in music, I'm drawn to it. If there's a musical instrument that fascinates me more than anything, it is the violin. If you can play, I offer myself to be your student!

W for Words🗨️

Once, I fell in love with an amazing lady and in one of our late night chats, I said to her, "I am my words." To me, our words are us. I am careful what I say. I tell people close to me, "Say what you mean and mean what you say." It is said that the tongue has no bones but it can break the heart. 

I also love to put words together in poetry. Weaving words is something that comes to me naturally but that's not to say I'm an expert. There are those whose talents with words are off the charts! Herh! 😱 People can do poetry o! 

But for me, my fulfilment comes from knowing that my words are able to heal, to deliver, to save and to minister hope. That's what I seek to use my words for.

By the way, I need a Scrabble partner- if you're up for a challenge, please let me know. 😅

And just for the records, you'll have read 3, 575 words after completion of this article! Congratulations!🎊

X for Xerox📑

O! The smell of freshly printed materials "drives me nuts"! Paper! O paper! Paper is nice. When I see any printed or published material that is well printed, I am so attracted to it. Whether it's a journal or a notebook or a textbook, it's so lovely to me.

But more importantly, I like to write down my thoughts because I figure that that's the only way I can retrieve them.

Y for Yahweh🤚🏽🖼️🔩🖼️

In recent times, the Hebrew language has become sort of an obsession for me. After I heard Pastor Joseph Prince expounding on the name of God, I began to see that the Hebrew language is very powerful. Pastor Prince explained that the Hebrew language has no vowels and that it is read from right to left. In addition, each alphabet of Hebrew represents a picture. Now, I don't have the means right now to show you the Hebrew alphabet but the name Yahweh, which is God's Name, has a glorious revelation hidden therein.

Please pay attention.

Since Hebrew has now vowels, Yahweh would now read: YHWH. So that's God's Name by which He revealed Himself to Moses.

Y as a picture in Hebrew symbolises "Hand"

H as a picture in Hebrew symbolises "Window". It also means grace.

W as a picture in Hebrew symbolises "Nail".

Thus, the Name YHWH translates to "Hand of Grace nailed in Grace." Glory! This points to our Jesus, by whom we have redemption, even the forgiveness of sins! Hallelujah!

Z for Zilch

Zilch means nothing. I don't want to be ungrateful to God but I sense that my life's work has not yet begun. Paul said that He counted all things but dung for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ. Then He went on to say, "One thing I do, forgetting those things that are behind, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ."

What I call nothing (the past) is now my ground zero for launching into higher realms of the knowledge of God. A place to move and accomplish greater works for the glory of our risen Lord Jesus Christ!