Parents to their children:

“When I was your age, I trekked to school, and therefore you also have to trek to school so that you can learn to be strong and resilient”

Some of the things that happened to us—that taught us deep life lessons, helped us learn resilience, and built mental strength — were unavoidable circumstances we had to get through.

That you went through hard times doesn’t mean your child has to go through the same hardships to learn resilience or strength.

Some of the wisdom and lessons we learned as kids growing up were circumstantial, not natural life lessons.

• You learned how to jump a fence because you were being chased by a dog.
  

Jumping over a fence was the only option available for you to survive at the time. You do not have to let a dog chase your child so that she too can learn the lesson that comes with jumping over a fence.

• In your generation, you had no phone, and therefore you did not communicate with your parents as often; that made you learn how to write and post letters. That doesn’t mean that your child should have no phone so that he can equally learn to write letters as you did.
  

• In your generation, you had no electricity, and therefore had to burn the midnight candle to study; you do not have to put your child through the same suffering and torture of lack of electricity for them to learn the lessons you learnt.
  

You don’t have to put your child through the same circumstances you went through just to teach them the same lessons you learned.

Making your child trek to school because you did the same in your time is unreasonable (especially when you can afford to provide a better option for your child—like driving them to school), because instead of learning the lesson you intended, your child may end up traumatised or resenting you as their parent for putting them through that.

And that’s how generational trauma begins. ‘My father used to flog us even when we did nothing, and that made us strong; therefore, I must flog my kids so they too can be strong’. Now instead of having a strong child, you have a child whose childhood memory is filled with physical abuse. A child who thinks his parents hated him.

To raise a resilient child, you have to understand what resilience means for your child in their own generation. You have to understand what strength looks like, and in what ways you can teach them using their own unique circumstances and life situations.

You do not have to recreate your own hardship on your children just because you want them to learn the lessons you learned from your father.

Your parents’ generation is different from yours, and yours is different from your children’s, so you have to let your children learn things based on what they need.

The interesting part is that we often blame our parents for their shortcomings in raising us; however, knowing your parents’ flaws and shortcomings will not stop you from repeating their mistakes on your own children. It requires intentional parenting to avoid that. Otherwise, that’s why we have bad children who become bad parents.

To be a good parent, parents of this generation need to be more creative in raising their kids. If your parents beat you to correct you, you don’t have to use the same tactic for your child.

Personally, I think beating/using the rod is too easy. It is the laziest form of discipline. To actually discipline your child, it requires thinking outside the box. Thinking of creative and teachable ways to discipline and correct your child.

For example:

• Asking them questions instead of immediately spanking them, in order to understand their reasoning behind their actions when they do something wrong.
  

• No screen time
  

• Turn it into a game: “Let’s see how fast we can beat the clock and get shoes on” instead of raising your voice and insisting on them putting their shoes on.
  

• Instead of just punishing them, have them make it right — make them write an apology note, fix what they broke, do something kind for the person they wronged.
  

• Give them a “calm-down corner” where they go and cry or stay silent for some time after they’ve done something wrong or while throwing a tantrum.
  

You see? Some of these things are even more difficult for the adult human brain to think of as a disciplinary action, and some parents are too impatient to do these; that’s why many parents just quickly resort to using the rod instead of their brains.

First of all,

Christianity is not black and white!

If it were, we wouldn’t need the Holy Spirit or preachers to give us understanding and help us interpret certain parts of the Bible accurately.

And this is why we have different denominations of churches, and different Christians who strongly believe that their interpretation of Scripture is more accurate than others'.

That’s why when we study the Bible, we sometimes rely on the interpretations of our spiritual leaders (some of whom have unfortunately twisted the scriptures or even interpret them based on their own sentiments, cultures, upbringing, or limited human understanding) because we trust that they have accessed higher knowledge.

We have the Bible, yet we have different interpretations. Why? Because the bible is not black and white.

This is why you hear some pastors who say things like:

“If you don’t give tithes, you’re going straight to hell”

Or

“Women should not preach in church”

Where did they get some of these debatable ideas from? The Bible!

If the bible was not subject to interpretation, would certain texts be misinterpreted or debatable? I don’t think so.

But the question now is:

Are people’s interpretations of the Bible often accurate?

Do preachers recognise that certain Biblical texts are not meant to be literal?

Do readers of the Word understand that biblical quotes should be framed contextually, culturally, or based on the current generation?

Can we regard ALL the texts in the Bible as applicable to everyone/every generation, or are some texts in the Bible only applicable to the time it was written?

Should we read the Bible and take it literally or put certain factors into consideration?

For example, the Bible says in Isaiah 1:18:

“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.”

But also says in Matthew 12:31–32:

“And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven”.

And now you wonder how this all-forgiving God is saying that some sins cannot be forgiven, when it had earlier said your sins will be forgiven even if it’s as red as scarlet.

Are these passages contradictory? Some might say yes or no.

But there are contexts to these passages, aren’t there?

You also hear Jesus in Matthew 10:34–36 say:

“Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.”

“Father will be against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Now, if you read the passage literally, you will wonder if it is the same Jesus—the Prince of peace who died for our sins that is saying that.

And that is where you need spiritual understanding, guidance from a custodian of the word, and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit when studying the scripture.

Because no! The Bible is not black and white!

So the people saying ‘if you need anything, go to the Bible’, or “the Bible is black-and-white”, that is a very immature mindset to have when it comes to Christianity.

Some people believe that Christianity is a set of Dos and Donts…

Let it not be lost on us that Christianity simply means follower of Christ. It is not just a religion full of laws alone. It is a lifestyle.

And that’s why you see a woman caught committing adultery brought to Jesus, but instead of Jesus condemning her, he condemned those who condemned her.

That’s because there is a part of Christianity that requires empathy first, not immediate judgment or condemnation.

Sometimes it is empathy before logic,

Empathy before laws.

There are certain decisions in life that you are going to take, and you will require the Holy Spirit to teach you and give you customised guidance and conviction, either because you cannot find the exact example in the Bible or because the situation is complicated.

For example, being told by a doctor to choose between your wife and your unborn baby, which one you should save, because the situation is critical.

Now, if you hastily judge and condemn the man for choosing his wife and letting his unborn child be aborted because abortion is a sin, you might be right, but then you’d be an immature Christian because of your swift judgment, which possibly also lacks empathy.

You are not any different from the Pharisees whom Jesus Christ called hypocrites, because they too were often very quick to judge and condemn.

Once again, Christianity is NOT black or white!

Christians these days are just too quick to throw the stone—pass judgment and condemn others in a way that is not Jesus-like.

Too quick to pull out a list of set rules that must be followed.

That is also why you will see Jesus mostly found breaking the laws that the Pharisees had known all their lives. Because Christianity is not just about dos and don’ts.

There are areas in Christianity that may not be clearly categorised as sin in the Bible, but will require you to search your heart, query your intentions, and, in most cases, the Holy Spirit might convict you even when that thing is not particularly captured in the Bible.

• That’s why the Holy Spirit can convict someone for taking alcohol and not do the same with another.

• That’s why the Holy Spirit could ask someone to give up their use of social media, and not do the same for another.

• That is why you find Jesus healing people on the sabbath day when the law forbids anyone from doing any work on the Sabbath day, because it is a day fully reserved for God.

Even though you could see that their intention for reserving the Sabbath day is godly, Jesus broke that law, describing the Pharisees as hypocritical because they upheld the laws more than their love for God.

So once again, dearest gentle reader, Christianity is not just black or white.

Let us be gentle and empathetic—not just law-abiding—in living our lives as Christians and followers of Christ.

And I pray that God in his mercy will fill us with the gifts of the Holy Spirit—wisdom, understanding, and knowledge to understand His word, and to follow in the footsteps of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

END.

We don’t talk about how there’s a possibility of receiving the wrong thing whilst waiting to receive what you’ve prayed for.

When you finish praying about something, you become expectant; your heart is open to receive because you trust that God will answer your prayers, but we sometimes get a lookalike answer and mistake it for God’s real answer.

You’ve finished praying for something, and instead of receiving answers, you might receive temptation from the devil!

Here are a few examples:

1. I had a friend who was praying and fasting for international opportunities and for her visa to be approved. On her way to the immigration office, she met someone who offered to help her with the process. She returned home with high hopes and was super excited because she believed that God had sent a ‘helper’. Only for this helper to start making sexual demands from her before he’d help her with the process.

   Is that really from God?

2. Years ago, I remember being at a critical point in my life where I was praying for so many things, including a new job I had previously applied for. I  then received an email from the company, saying I had been selected for an interview. My hopes went up; I was already preparing my testimony in my head and giving thanks to God for answering my prayers, only for me to later find out that the job was a scam!

3. Do you recall the time in the Bible when Jesus finished fasting and praying for 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness? Guess what?! The first experience he got after his prayer and fasting was temptation from the devil!

After your prayers and during your waiting season, the devil knows you are expectant.

The devil knows you’re fragile, and that you might interpret any ‘blessing’ in that season as an answer from God, so sometimes he—the devil— sends a lookalike; a cloned or fake version of what you’ve prayed for, and because of how expectant you are, you might be so blinded and fail to apply wisdom and discernment.

This is why simply waiting after praying/fasting is not enough!

Even while you’re waiting to receive answers to your prayers, you still have to be mindful and rely not on your own understanding.

You need to wait with wisdom and discernment, and most importantly, patience!

Because we sometimes rush and accept lookalike blessings because we’re impatient and desperate!

• You’ve prayed for a job, and while waiting for your answers, you received an email saying you got the job, only to later realise it was a scam.

• You’ve prayed for a child, and while waiting, you met a friend who offered you some sort of medication that would help boost your fertility, unbeknownst to you that that would even exacerbate your problems.

• You’ve prayed for God to bless you financially, and while waiting for God to answer, you met someone who offered to introduce you to a business or a scheme where you could triple or double your money, and you were super excited because you assumed that God had sent your helper, only to realise that you were dipping your hands in trouble.

• You’ve prayed for a life partner and even wrote down a deadline by when you’d like to receive it — say by your next birthday—and while you’re waiting, just around your birthday, you met someone who appears to be ‘the one’, only to realise the person is a cloned version of what you prayed for.

I believe there are people who would find these examples relatable.

Here’s how I wrote it in my journal:

Sometimes we end up sabotaging our actual blessing from God by receiving the wrong one too impatiently and hastily.

• Not every open door was unlocked by God! The devil also opens doors!

• Not all blessings are from God!

• Not all miracles are answered prayers from God.

END.

✍🏽 Progress Oberiko

You may have seen this trending video of Pastor Sarah Omakwu.

While I see it as a reminder for preachers to study the scriptures and rely on the Holy Spirit for interpretation (particularly in a way that is suitable for our generation), here’s what I think:

It is interesting how we often pick and choose which part of the Bible we should follow.

And how we often single out texts from the Bible and use them, sometimes even out of context. Because the Bible says a lot of things that we don’t do.

The Bible also says a lot of things that we have contextualised and picked out the ones that are only relevant to our generation. But for some reason, when it comes to women, preachers feel stuck with certain non-ideal ideologies and are unable to contextualise.

Respectfully, if we are to follow the Bible squarely and literally, then it means our mummy here should not be holding the mic on the pulpit, because the same Bible says women should not speak in church or have authority over men.

“Let a woman learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be quiet.” 1 Timothy 2:11-12

Also in Corinthians 14:34-35, Paul writes:

“Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.”

So, going by the very Bible, can we say all the female pastors of this generation are committing a sin or going against biblical command?!

Oh no, we can’t!

Because we have now deconstructed and contextualised that to mean that Paul was speaking to the women of those times and for a particular reason, so it doesn’t apply to our generation. And therefore, it is OK for women of our generation to become pastors and preachers, and attain leadership positions, against the Bible’s command, isn’t it?

But guess what? I’ve come across a man who, using that same Bible verse, stopped his wife from teaching in Sunday school, because he believes that as a woman, she has no authority to be speaking in church (since she’s under him), as the Bible rightly said.

So you see, the Bible is heavily subject to interpretation. And that’s why over the years some people have taken advantage of biblical texts to oppress and subdue others.

And texts like “women were made for men” are one of those texts that could easily be twisted to suppress and oppress; hence, preachers should be more careful when throwing those verses around.

It is too risky to use phrases like ‘women were made for men’ as a stand-alone sentence when preaching to an audience full of men and women. Because we are still in a generation where women are still fighting for their identity, their autonomy, and their independence as a result of cultures and traditions that continue to tell women that they are less than, that they are unworthy humans, and that they are weak.

Having this awareness should inform the way a preacher or a custodian of the word communicates certain texts in the Bible to their audience. You don’t just throw words around.

You don’t just say things like “women have no purpose on their own” or “as a woman, when you marry, you’re for the man, don’t get married if you don’t agree”

Firstly, that statement is only half of what Paul said in Corinthians

The full statement is:

This refers back to the creation account in Genesis 2, where Eve is created after Adam as “a helper suitable for him.”

Now, there are two ways to interpret this. A woman being made FOR man could be interpreted as ‘women were made as a tool for men’, and with the way our mommy said it while preaching, many men could run with this interpretation.

However, ‘woman being made FOR man’ could also be interpreted as ‘men NEEDED women’, or ‘men were HELPLESS without women’. And this interpretation is what was portrayed in the book of Genesis 2:18, where God said:

“It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

Apparently, God saw that man was lonely, so it was out of necessity that woman was created for man. The woman was not necessarily the one in NEED of a man; it was the other way around: it was man that needed help, and for that reason woman was created. And the help that women provide does not make them less; it actually makes Adam's life even more meaningful. One could argue that that alone makes the man dependent on the woman because he was the one who NEEDED help.

In addition, the Hebrew word for “helper” is ezer—the same word that is frequently used in the Bible referring to God helping Israel. So again we can clearly see that the help God provided for man was the same help God himself provided for Israel, and we know how much of a covering God was for Israel, so ‘woman was made FOR man’ can NEVER imply inferiority or lesser value, because she is ezer!

More interestingly, after saying “For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.” in 1 Corinthians 11:8-9,

Paul immediately balances this statement in the same chapter:

“Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.” (1 Corinthians 11:11-12)

So Paul emphasises mutual dependence, not male self-sufficiency or female inferiority.

So you see, it is too risky to use such one-liners independently without context, because people—the men of this generation—will take advantage of it to further subdue women, and God doesn’t want any of His creation to be subdued— especially the ones he made in his own image and likeness. Such things, especially with the kind of men we have in this generation.

Secondly, saying that after a woman marries, she has no purpose, rights, or privileges, but to be FOR her husband alone is such a misleading and risky statement to make.

This type of teaching is why men see women as a commodity, not as a worthy individual deserving of respect and autonomy. That’s why domestic abuse thrives in marriages, because if she’s your property, you can do anything to her.

We have heard some men say, “I paid your bride price; therefore anything I want, you must do it.” Using control and coercion to insist that his wife lives a certain way, even if it means going out of God’s will for her life, because after all, she’s his.

So again, you see, a statement such as “You have no other purpose, you’re for the man” or “As a woman, if you marry, you are for the man” can cause more harm than good when taken out of context like that.

And it is because of such poor interpretation of scripture that’s why you’ll see that in the Bible, certain laws had to be amended:

1. to accommodate certain injustices or

2. because of how they were misinterpreted or taken advantage of, or

3. because they were archaic and had to be deconstructed

And also, there’s room for amendment.

There are many examples where laws were amended in the Bible, but I’ll give two:

1. The daughters of Zelophehad.

Their father died in the wilderness without any sons. Under the inheritance customs of the time, their dad’s land would pass to other male relatives, meaning his daughters would receive nothing.

His five daughters, Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah, approached Moses and said:

“Why should our father’s name disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father’s relatives.” (Numbers 27:4)

Instead of deciding himself, Moses brought the matter before God.

God said:

“What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right.”

He then instructed Moses to establish a new legal provision:

• If a man dies without a son, his inheritance should pass to his daughter.

Even though the law was already set in stone and written in Scripture, God could still change it, especially as it was an unfair law.

Another example is:

2. Exodus 21:24 “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth…”

This law was intended to limit revenge by ensuring punishment was proportionate.

But when Jesus came, He totally disrupted that existing law in Matthew 5:38-42

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But now I tell you: do not take revenge on someone who wrongs you. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, let him slap your left cheek too.”

How did we go from “an eye for an eye” to “if someone hits you, turn your left cheek also”

That tells you that a law can CHANGE from retaliation to forgiveness!

You already know where I’m going with this? Don’t you?

My point is, even if it was a law, Laws can change!

Yes, it is in the Bible, but if certain biblical texts have become a tool for oppressing one gender, we can table that matter before God—the very one who made us in His own image and likeness!

For example, “God hates divorce”. But should a victim of domestic violence remain in a toxic marriage where their life is at stake just because “God hates divorce?”

Does God hating divorce mean God equally hates the divorced?

God hates sin, but does he hate the sinner?

If we bring the matter of divorce before God, will He insist on upholding the laws in the Bible over the life of His own (oppressed) child?

I don’t think so, because through the character of Jesus, we see that Jesus Himself disrupted existing laws to show empathy and mercy to people.

Seeing that some of these laws do not favour women, and that the men of our generation are taking advantage of the Bible to suppress and oppress women created in the image and likeness of God with a purpose, preachers should be more careful with using these texts.

Bible quotes like the ‘woman is for the man, or ‘women must submit’, etc., have been used and abused over the years, even by Christians, and this is essentially why there is a need to readjust our usage of some of these biblical phrases and be more careful with how we use them, to ensure we’re not further exposing more women to abuse and oppression in the name of preaching the Bible.

Preachers whose preaching tends to demean women should be careful because while they might be quoting the Bible, they are not interpreting the mind of God if it demeans His children.

Or was it not the same Bible that said:

“So there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, between slaves and free people, between men and women; you are all one in union with Christ Jesus.” Galatians‬ ‭3‬:‭28‬.

“Afterwards I will pour out my Spirit on everyone: your sons and daughters will proclaim my message; your old people will have dreams, and your young people will see visions.” Joel‬ ‭2‬:‭28‬

As a woman, please be reminded that you have a purpose and various assignments to fulfil during your time on earth, married or not!‬

‪At the end of your life as a woman, God will not ask you whether you married or not! He will demand of you what you did with your life.‬

‪What did you do with the assignment(s), skills, or talents He gave you?‬

‪Because when you were born into this world, you were born as an individual with a PURPOSE and ASSIGNMENT to fulfil!‬

‪So with or without marriage, you should fulfil that assignment.‬

That's why we say we should choose our spouses wisely, because the wrong spouse can take you away from the will of God for your life.

So you see, God has a will for you—a unique plan for your life. You’re not just a tool made FOR a man.

That's why a woman could be called to be a pastor, and her husband isn’t, yet he’s supposed to support her to fulfil her God-given calling, not impose his on her, because we’ve been told: “she’s made for him”.

Their paths are unique. They’ll each answer separately before God.

Imagine being called to be a preacher as a woman, but because you’ve been told that you’re made FOR the man, you then have to abandon your assignment and follow the career path or calling of your husband. That’s the message we send when we choose to emphasize certain biblical texts about women (without context).

He said, “Before I formed you in the womb of your mother, I knew you” Jeremiah 1:5

This statement was not reserved for men alone. It is His word, and it applies to both genders

Marriage is a beautiful institution of companionship and partnership designed for the favour of both man and woman.

The funniest part? It is often preachers that make marriage look like it is an institution against women.

For the longest time, Christian preachers are often the ones demarketing marriage through their preaching and diluted biblical interpretation of marriage, then act shocked when women say they don’t want to marry. Or blame feminism for the bad PR marriage has.

If it’s not the topic of female submission, it is “you have no purpose but to live FOR your man”

Haba nawww!

And the sad part is that they often quote the Bible and make it sound like that is the authoritative and final verdict of God himself. Pheeewww!

That’s why we need to rely on the inspiration of the Holy Spirit when studying Scriptures, rather than on our own human wisdom and interpretation, because some of our interpretations stem from culture, upbringing, personal sentiment, and bias!

END.

In case you’re wondering who is writing about Christianity and feminism, hi, it’s me!

I also have a Substack article and a YouTube video titled ‘Can you be a Christian and a feminist?’

If this post resonated with you or raised any questions, I’d love to hear from you.

Leave a comment.

You’ll also catch me yapping deep, meaningful yaps on my YouTube channel

Let me tell you a story that happened recently.

But first, lemme say this:

If there’s anything you must do for yourself in this life, it is…

It is very important that you grow in life and be better than you were yesterday.

I’m not even saying be better than someone else, just be better than the version of who you were yesterday.

And I’m saying this because I recently had an experience that made this very glaring in my life.

I received a message from someone whom I haven’t spoken to in over eight years.

This person is a respectable individual whom I met during my NYSC eight years ago; I worked on a project with them and was paid a token, which at the time was peanut money.

Eight years later, they reached out to me saying that they would like me to work on a storytelling/media project for their NGO, because they recall that that's my area of expertise

They invited me to their office, and we had a discussion

They went ahead to give me a breakdown of the project they would like me to work on

It includes:

• Producing documentary films

• Storytelling,

• Storyboarding,

• Guest interviews,

• Traveling,

• Playing an advisory role for the org’s video editors,

• Scriptwriting,

• Brand management,

• And more…

All of these would require me to come into the office often, so it’s a hybrid role

I was actually excited about it and started sharing ideas on how I’d work with the different teams because indeed this is my area of expertise,

until he dropped the bombshell

Drum rolls please… 🥁

It’s a volunteer project!

They want me to work as a volunteer. i.e I’d have to work for £FREE.99

However, they went on to say they can offer to pay me a stipend.

Imagine hearing this after being given a long list of job descriptions that required scriptwriting, interviewing, editing, storyboarding, video production, brand management, and more… 👀 Huh?!

P.S: This individual owns an NGO that generates income!

As I listened to them, I just started smiling.

After they finished speaking, I thought I should begin my response by taking them on an 8yr journey of my life.

I started by giving them a rundown of my relevant skills, experience, and career journey during these past eight years.

Because obviously they didn’t realise that the Progress that is sitting before them now is no longer the same Progress they met eight years ago

Currently, I am a seasoned media and communications consultant, with experience in documentary filmmaking, podcasting, and social media management.

I am a writer and author of two books and multiple articles, with my work featured on platforms like The New York Times, Channels TV, ITV News London, The Nation Newspaper, and other international platforms.

I also did not forget to mention that in these eight years, I have lived abroad, studied, and acquired a master's degree in Media, Communications and Development.

I have worked with more international organisations than I have with Nigerian organisations, and I bring this international expertise into my work.

And now, in fact, I mostly work with international organisations, which means that for the past few years, my earnings have been in Forex!

As I politely carried them on this journey, I could see on their face that they were totally flabbergasted because apparently, they assumed I must be in the same place where they met me—that NYSC corper who is job hunting and will settle for anything.

I went ahead to give them the salary estimate I’d accept for the role, and in my mind I knew that there’s no way I am accepting anything less than that figure for that particular role.

At this point, they began to stutter. I guess the margin of growth was way higher than expected.

They said they will ‘get back to me’.

It’s been about two months now since that meeting, and I’m still waiting to hear back from them.

Now, this is where I’m driving at:

And quite frankly, you don’t even have to go abroad or have all these international credentials to become a better person; you just need to consciously and intentionally strive to improve yourself:

It could be:

• taking online courses,

• garnering work experience,

• improving your knowledge,

• acquiring new skills,

• building your confidence,

• Improving your vocabulary,

• changing certain habits,

• working on your habits/character/behaviour

• and other little changes.

So that the next time you show up, they will notice a new version of you, different from the one they last met.

Again, I’m not even saying be better than someone else, just be better than the version of who you were yesterday.

It is a gift you owe yourself.

Do not stay where they left you!

Cheers.

If this post resonated with you or raised any questions, I’d love to hear from you.

Leave a comment.

You’ll also catch me yapping deep, meaningful yaps on my YouTube channel

There are two types of Christians I’ve come across:

1. The ones who believe that because they’re Christians no harm or evil should come near them. That because they’re Christians they can’t be oppressed by the enemy.

2. While there’s the other group who believe that life is deeply spiritual. Although aware of their victory in Christ, they’re not oblivious of the forces of darkness.

The first group believes that because they don’t think evil of others, others won’t think evil of them.

These are the passive Christians who most likely have a weak prayer life.

They often tarry in sin because they believe grace will abide, and that God is forgiving.

They don’t believe in the existence of witchcraft or the evil eye.

As if denying it automatically makes it nonexistent.

They convince themselves that witchcraft does not exist, simply because they are Christians, but the truth is they’re just being delusional and/or lazy.

Because recognising that there is evil in the world and that they can still be targeted even as Christians puts a burden of responsibility upon them, which means that they constantly have to fight their way through life by praying, and remaining dedicated, and that is a lot of work for some people.

They don’t want to have to think about that.

They don’t want to have to worry about witchcraft or troubles.

They have this (childlike) simplistic belief that because they are a good person, everyone else must be good to them, but unfortunately, life is not as simplistic as that.

And personally, I think that’s such a shallow mindset to have as a Christian.

Because the truth is,

You’re just being delusional.

Basking in ignorance and denial.

Fact is, being a Christian automatically makes you the target of the enemy.

The devil doesn’t go after those he already has under his captive, he targets the ones who have set themselves apart by being light of the world—Christians.

The earlier you recognize that being the light of the world also means that you attract both light and darkness, the better for you. By darkness, I mean, evil people, and by light, I mean good people.

Yes, you’re a Christian, but the enemy can still target and oppress you if you don’t constantly and continuously activate your victory in Christ through prayers, warfare, a relationship with God, learning His word, and other ways that build your confidence and strengthen your faith.

In fact, as a Christian you’re called into a battle field—a solder of Christ! And what do soldiers do? Yup! That’s right. They fight!

The awareness of evil shouldn’t put fear in you, rather, it should empower you.

Luke‬ ‭10‬:‭19‬ says:

“Behold, I give you the authority to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

Why are we called to ‘trample’ if they won’t come near us?

They will target you, but you must overcome! Through prayers and your authority as a Christian.

You don’t overcome by simply assuming that they don’t exist or that they can’t hurt you.

Bearing the label “Christian” alone does not save, nor does it guarantee total freedom from oppression of the enemy.

The victory doesn’t come from just believing alone. The victory is attained through constant effort—fasting, striving to live a holy life, and labouring in prayers where need be.

Christianity is hard work!

It is pragmatic!

It is a lifestyle!

It is not an umbrella that you run into just so you can be exempt from troubles.

Many Christians who have such mindsets are often lazy. They don’t want to put in the work.

Even Christ says “to be my disciple you must carry your CROSS and follow me” Matt 16:24

So yeah, even Christianity comes with a cross that must be carried daily, not a cross that is carried one day and dropped on the other days. And remember, crosses are heavy, crosses can be inconveniencing, yet we must carry them.

Jesus is divine, yet demons still approached Him and confronted Him. They recognized His authority but could not overpower Him. Mark 1:23–26, 5:1-20.

We are also told in the bible that the devil himself even approached and tempted Jesus after His fast in the wilderness. Matthew 4:1–11

The apostles were spirit-filled, yet they were still thrown in prison and persecuted. It took prayer (for their chains to be broken while in prison), and resilience for them to fight their way through just to preach the gospel. Acts 4:1–3, Acts 5:17–18, 19-20, Acts 12:1-27.

Imagine if they assumed that being followers of Christ alone is enough to exempt them from any harm. That’d have been a delusional mindset to have.

You have to get on your knees daily, not just once in a lifetime.

So if God is telling you or showing you ways that you are being oppressed, instead of pushing it to the back and convincing yourself that no one is oppressing you or that there’s no witchcraft anywhere, you better get on your knees and go into warfare, fighting your way through that oppression. Otherwise, while you convince yourself that no one can touch you because you’re a Christian, you’ll ignorantly remain a captive for the rest of your life.

Now, I am not saying this to encourage Christians to live in constant ‘fear of the enemy’, but I am saying this for us to be a step ahead of the enemy, because if you know that they exist, you’ll know how to fight, and if you know how they operate, you will be more discerning of patterns and tactics through which they show up to oppress you in your life.

You will be attuned to when God is speaking to you or exposing their plans to you, and know how to ward them off.

But if you continue to live in the delusion of “they can’t touch me” you may not even be able to pick up on what God is showing you about the enemy or how to tackle them.

And that’s how people—Christians remain captives of the enemy.

It is okay to have a positive mindset and proclaim positivity over yourself, but your positivity should not slip you into ignorance/delusion/denial.

There’s a thin line.

You can’t afford to live in the bliss of delusion as a Christian!

That you don’t believe evil exists doesn’t make it nonexistent.

Wake up!

END.

If this post resonated with you or raised any questions, I’d love to hear from you.

Leave a comment.

You’ll also catch me yapping deep, meaningful yaps on my YouTube channel

If you’re someone who intends to get married, please choose intentionally.

Choose a competent and independent partner.

I’ll explain…

By competent and independent, I mean someone who is good at things, or is at least willing to learn.

Someone who can take initiative.

I mean, someone who can still survive on their own when you’re not there.

Someone reliable and useful

Not one who weaponises incompetence.

I understand that in any relationship, especially in marriage, there's a healthy level of codependency, which means you both rely on each other for companionship and other things, as needed.

But codependency is not over-dependency—where your spouse cannot function without you.

• They can’t cook,

• Can’t look after the kids when you’re not there,

• Can’t handle certain financial needs in your absence,

You literally have to put your life on hold or constantly compromise and make sacrifices because your partner is incompetent and overly dependent on you.

Why do I say this?

Many (especially married) women who live purposeful lives do so because they have supportive, competent husbands.

• Ibukun Awosika,

• Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie,

• and many others.

One example:

If you listen to Apostle Stephanie Ike Okafor, you’ll hear how she often acknowledges her husband whenever she’s on stage.

Being a globally recognised preacher means she travels a lot, but the interesting part is that she has incredible support from her husband.

She’ll be preaching on stage and stop to acknowledge that her husband flew in with her, or that her husband is currently looking after the kids, etc, which is adorable.

It shows he’s competent, independent and reliable.

But some men may not be able to cope with being left with the kids because they don’t know how to look after them.

Some women may struggle to respond to the weight of God's call in their lives or even their ambitions and careers, just because their husbands are not as competent when it comes to homemaking—can’t cook, can’t look after kids, because to them, those things are for women alone.

Such a shallow mindset.

Imagine being a global speaker, and you’re so worried about who to leave your children with because your husband doesn’t know how to take care of his own kids; he doesn’t know how to cook, etc.

You come back and find the house messy, waiting for you to clean, because your man is untidy, yet unwilling to learn, and believes cleaning up or doing house chores is your job as a woman.

Isn’t that what they call weaponised incompetence?

How would you, as a purpose-driven woman, be able to do the global things that God has called you to do?

But a competent and independent partner can survive even in the absence of their spouse.

• Can competently take hold of the household if their spouse is not around.

• Will not wait around or starve himself for his wife to come back from a hectic day to cook for him.

• Will not wait for her husband to come back before she can buy Pampers for the baby.

Let it show that you have adequate love, help, and support from them.

You can’t be shuffling too many things alone when you’re married—whether as a man or a woman.

You can’t be over-multitasking when you have someone you ought to be sharing that load with.

You can’t be living like a single-married-woman/man just because you’re unfortunately married to an incompetent, unreliable, or overly dependent partner.

It is called a LIFE PARTNER for a reason.

So let it show that this person is actively doing life with you.

A competent and independent partner is so useful in marriage, especially as it pertains to fulfilling God's will for your life.

Whether you’re a man or woman, it is imperative that the person you’re choosing to spend the rest of your life with’ll not become a burden to you or to your life’s purpose, but rather will be competent enough to support you to becoming your full self, even if it means them making certain sacrifices, taking a step back, compromising, learning home-making skills, looking after kids, etc.

When I speak like this, I’m always tilting towards the men, because for the most part, women are already always taught these things:

• compromise,

• sacrifice,

• submission,

• forfeit their career,

• be laid back,

• support your man, etc,

  But men need to be told these more, so that we can have more women following God's call for their lives—making the most of their lives as God designed them to be.

So this is especially for men:

Please, if you have a wife who is a pastor, or in some sort of ministry, career, or business, etc, be a supportive partner.

Please do not dim her light,

Please do not box her to only fit into the kitchen or the kids alone.

As a husband, it is your duty to ensure that your wife fulfils God’s purpose for her life—to the fullest—and that your wife’s light shines the brightest in that marriage, not grows dim because she married an incompetent man.

Behind every successful wife, there’s a yielding and supportive husband.

For those in Ministry…

This is also another opportunity to mention that:

the fact that you’ve been called to ministry doesn’t mean your spouse has to.

That you are a pastor’s wife doesn’t automatically make you a pastor, especially if you don’t have the same calling.

That you’re a pastor’s husband does not automatically make you a pastor if you’re not called to ministry.

You can support your spouse in meaningful ways to help their ministry. By looking after the kids, helping plan their trips and activities, sharing wise advice, praying with them, etc., and, oh, you are also called to live your own life to the fullest, fulfilling your unique calling and purpose through your career, business, ambitions, etc.

Don’t feel the need to be what your spouse is, especially if you’ve not been called to the same ministry.

Queen Elizabeth's husband wasn’t the king, but he supported her to be queen in many meaningful ways, making her leadership impactful.

You don’t automatically become a doctor just because you’re married to a doctor. Unless you go through the same level of education that is required to be a professional doctor, you don’t automatically become one just because you’re married to one.

No one would want a doctor’s spouse with limited knowledge to perform surgery on them or administer medication to them just because they're the doctor’s spouse.

The same applies to ministry.

Some things are just a calling and a vocation, and as such, should be professionally acquired; they are not maritally sexually transmitted.

You don’t become a professional just because you are married to one.

You can complement your spouse in ways that are super useful and meaningful.

END.

I hope that when you hear ‘decenter marriage,’ you don’t immediately think ‘hate marriage’ or ‘remain unmarried, ’ because it’s none of that. It’s about refusing to make marriage the organizing principle of your life. Refusing to see marriage as this superior thing, without which you’re incomplete. And I shared this in depth in Episode One.

But why do we need to decenter marriage? You may ask.

• Because there’s so much more to life than just getting married.

• Because society and culture have conditioned us (especially women) to deem their lives meaningless and unworthy because they’re not yet married—and that’s not true.

• Because many people have had to pause their lives—dreams, careers, ambitions— because they aren’t married

• Because many no longer want to pay attention to God’s plan or assignments for their lives, the only thing they desire out of life is marriage

• Because for some people, marriage has become a trophy they just need to achieve, not an institution masterminded by God that they need to be intentional about

• Because marriage has become an escape plan for some

So you see? Yup! That’s why we need to decenter marriage.

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Having said that, I recently conducted a survey asking unmarried men and women what their lives would look like if marriage never happened for them. (If you’d like to participate, you can find the survey here.

The responses I got from people’s replies were fascinating; maybe I’ll share them in another article. But that’s where you need to start from.

Ask yourself:

If the answer is no, perhaps marriage may have become too central in your life. Now, here are some ways to de-center marriage:

1. Center yourself and your life’s purpose.

Live your life NOW! Intentionally and purposefully.

Dear Single Pringle,

Think of it this way:

When you were born as a baby wrapped in your mother’s arms, you were born as a single individual with a destiny —a purpose/assignment to be fulfilled! That purpose is the reason for your existence, whether as a single or married individual. So instead of tying your identity to a thing—marriage—remind yourself that you were created for a reason! Not just marriage.

Marriage is beautiful, but marriage is only a part of one’s life; yet many people unconsciously put their lives on hold until they meet a spouse.

They postpone joy, travel, service, learning, friendships, and even pursuing their calling, just because one part of their lives is yet to be accomplished.

There are so many examples in the bible of people who lived fulfilling lives while being unmarried. Paul the Apostle was unmarried for at least part, if not all, of his ministry. Jesus, our Saviour, was also unmarried, yet He lived a fulfilling life, giving it all up for us on the cross. Again, this is not a call to perpetual celibacy or to give up marriage, but a reminder to see beyond marriage as one’s sole purpose on earth.

Dear Single Pringle,

Your season of singleness is a calling, and scripture consistently calls us to faithfulness in whatever season we are in—to bear fruit in and out of season, rather than pausing our lives in wait of the season we hope to enter. Remember how Jesus cursed the fig tree, which had leaves on it but did not bear fruit (Mark 11:13). You have the capacity to bear fruit in every season of your life.

There’s no need to pause your life waiting for marriage. Go on that vacation, purchase that landed property, pursue that career, start that business, build intimacy with God, etc. Life is worth living. Ensure you’re living it to the fullest.

2. Separate your identity from your relationship status

Dear Single Pringle,

You’re not a “wife-in-waiting” or a “husband-in-waiting.”

You’re a whole person today. You are a complete individual, and marriage is the union of two wholesome individuals, not two broken or incomplete persons.

Marriage changes many things, but it does not create your worth, purpose, or sense of self. It also does not change who you are to God—that’s your first identity.

3. Be careful what content you consume

Dear Single Pringle,

It gets exhausting when everyone around you is making you feel like you have a disability because you're unmarried. Like you’re incomplete. Everywhere you turn, you hear “When are you getting married?”

You might brush it off and think “well, their opinion doesn't bother me”, but what you probably don’t realise is that even when you don't consciously absorb these projections, you subconsciously do.

Suddenly, you start to feel like your life is worthless; you wake up one morning feeling depressed because you’re single. Sometimes those feelings don’t come from your personal desire for marriage; rather, they are often feelings that you might have absorbed subconsciously from external opinions and projections. They could also be the ones we have consciously suppressed.

So watch the people in your circle—choose them wisely, not the ones who will constantly make you feel insecure.

If every sermon, book, conference, conversation, and prayer revolves around finding a spouse, marriage can begin to occupy more mental space than God, your purpose, your character, or your assignment in life.

What we constantly focus on tends to grow in importance.

4. Pursue God for God

Dear Single Pringle,

One subtle form of idolization is using God as a means to get married.

All your prayer points revolve around marriage:

“How do I get married?”

“When will I get married?”

“Why haven’t you given me my spouse, Lord?”

“God, when?!!!”

I mean, as I said in Episode 2 of this series, it is okay to desire marriage and pray for a spouse, but don’t you think there’s a problem when your relationship with God is solely centered around getting married?

The only reason you’re going to church is to find a life partner.

The only thing you even talk to God about is marriage, no personal desire to serve and please God with your life, or know Him more intimately. That’s where the problem is.

Instead of that, maybe you can try asking:

• “Lord, what are you teaching me in this season of my life?”

• “How can I serve you better?”

• “How can I utilise the skills, talents, gifts, and ideas you have placed in my hands?”

The shift is from solely seeking God’s providence maritally to seeking God’s heart.

5. Invest in non-romantic relationships

Dear Single Pringle,

We all have an innate need for companionship and a sense of belonging, and some people assume that they can only find that in romantic relationships, but that's not entirely true. Yes, romantic relationships offer a unique kind of companionship and intimacy, albeit there are people and communities that can equally offer that at another level—make you feel loved and cared for, offer emotional, psychological, and even financial support, etc. And you can find these in friendships, church communities, social groups, etc.

But modern culture often treats romantic relationships as the most important relationship category.

The Bible places enormous value on friendship, community, family, discipleship, and service.

And all of these support systems will remain relevant for you even after you marry; marriage doesn’t automatically ostracise you from the healthy systems you have built for yourself. So if your entire emotional world depends on finding a spouse, you’re carrying a burden that marriage was never meant to bear.

6. Hold marriage with open hands

Dear Single Pringle,

I didn’t say let it go or forget about it. Hold it in a way that it doesn’t stand between you and God.

Throughout Scripture, God sometimes asks people to surrender even good desires.

Not because those desires are evil, but because God must remain first.

A desire becomes dangerous when we say:

“I must have this for my life to be complete,” but what if God says, “Surrender?”

I wrote in depth about this in Episode 1

De-centering marriage means being able to say:

Marriage should be an important part of your life plan, but it should not be the center of your life story. The center belongs to God. Everything else, including marriage, must orbit around Him.

END.

I have an all-encompassing YouTube video on waiting season for single pringles; you’d love it.

Watch out for Episode four.

Oh, lest I forget, this piece is an excerpt from my upcoming book, which will be out soon. You read it here first.

Can’t wait to share it all with you.

If this post resonated or raised any questions for you, I’d love to hear from you.

Leave a comment.

You’ll also catch me yapping deep, meaningful yaps on my YouTube channel

Four years ago, in 2022, a video of women in a church who were passionately praying and singing "Jehovah carry me dey go my husband house" went viral. I wrote about it then (you’ll read it later as you scroll this article). Looking back, I think it revealed something deeper about how many of us have been taught to think about marriage; hence, in my first letter to you, I started by discussing decentering marriage while desiring it, and I also explained what it looks like when people idolise marriage.

Then the next question that popped up was:

Short answer:

Not exactly.

Long answer:

It is okay to desire marriage. It is okay to want to share your life with someone; it is absolutely normal to desire companionship and love. In episode 1, I said ‘don’t idolise marriage’, but that doesn’t mean “don’t desire marriage”.

Desire does not mean you are incomplete. Longing does not mean you are miserable or dependent. You can be whole and still want to be loved deeply. You can be fulfilled in many areas of life and still feel a gentle space reserved for someone who has not arrived yet. These two truths can coexist without cancelling each other.

The desire to love and be loved is inherently human. God deposited these desires in us. However, where you need to apply caution is when these desires are now beginning to make you feel incomplete or less than human. You begin to feel unworthy and undeserving because you don’t yet have a spouse, and I don’t believe that God wants you to feel that way. I believe it is the will of God for you to bask in and savour every season of your life, even while you desire another.

Let’s take a look at a part of that essay I wrote four years ago:

And this is the situation of many single women today. Many young ladies are chronically depressed and unhappy with their beautiful lives because they’re yet to find a husband.

Now, it is okay to sometimes feel sad about not having something you deeply desire—sometimes that feeling is honestly frustrating. It is equally okay to pray about that one thing, but not to the point of putting your life on pause or believing that life is not worth living without that thing, because in that case, you have attached your self-worth/identity to that thing, and nothing else matters, not even God’s will for your life.

Instead of feeling miserable, depressed, and frustrated, there are other meaningful ways to approach singleness than simply waiting. I will share these in the coming episode. But you can also watch my video on waiting season

Your singlehood is when you should be making the most of your life and being useful to yourself, because if you’re not useful to yourself, how then can you be useful to someone else—a spouse?

For many women, life has no meaning outside of finding a man. Marriage has become their destiny, which is the wrong mindset to have—no thanks to culture and societal pressure. You’re doing yourself a disservice if you continue to think this way.

As I mentioned in episode one, when you die and leave this world, God will not ask you whether you found a husband or not; God will ask you what you did with your life—the life that He gave you!

Here’s how you can think about it:

In Matthew 25:1–13, the five foolish virgins are called foolish because they failed to prepare adequately for the bridegroom’s arrival. They brought lamps but did not bring extra oil. That’s a lack of readiness and foresight. And that’s how some single pringles wait for their spouse—thinking that the next thing you need now is a spouse, but you’re not even fulfilling the assignment God placed in your hands.

All ten virgins expected the bridegroom to come. But only five prepared for his arrival. The lesson is not “don’t wait”; it is “don’t spend the waiting season unprepared.”

P.S. I personally don’t like to refer to it as a waiting season because it is not just for waiting but for thriving.

While the parable is primarily about spiritual readiness, it offers an interesting secondary lesson:

And in the context of this post,

There’s a thin line between desire and desperation.

Desire means longing for something, while desperation means the willingness to do anything and everything to acquire something/someone, even to your detriment.

Desire on its own is not a bad thing, but desire+pressure=desperation, and desperation is where you need to draw the line.

Desperation has led many individuals into the wrong relationships with the wrong people.

Don’t let your desire metamorphose into desperation.

How? By refusing to shrink your standards to satisfy your desires. By trusting that your life is meaningful even now, not only when a ring appears. Because marriage, beautiful as it is, should be an addition to a full life, not a rescue mission for an empty one.

My dear, marriage is not the destination, even though society makes it look so. Focus on finding yourself and making the most of life. If marriage happens, it is beautiful, and if it doesn’t, ensure that you’re still happy with the life that you have!

So yes, it is okay to desire marriage.
However, don’t forget to live fully while you wait, actually, thrive!

END.

I have an all-encompassing YouTube video on waiting season for single pringles; you’d love it.

In Episode Three, I will share practical ways of how to decenter marriage while desiring it.

Oh, lest I forget, this piece is an excerpt from my upcoming book, which will be out soon. You read it here first.

Can’t wait to share it all with you.

If this post resonated or raised any questions for you, I’d love to hear from you.

Leave a comment.

You’ll also catch me yapping deep, meaningful yaps on my YouTube channel

Dear Single Pringle,

We have all grown up in a marriage-centered world. It is not just in Nigeria. In many societies and cultures globally, marriage is often seen as the apex of a person’s life. No wonder they ask, “When are you settling down?” As though one’s life is haphazard, directionless and unsettled as a single, unmarried person. As if marriage is the thing that gives purpose and meaning to life.

For a woman, you are seen as an incomplete, unworthy, undeserving of respect, and unsuccessful human being—no matter the level of your achievement: academically, career-wise, financially, self-growth, etc., because in many cultures, a woman’s worth is tied to her marital status (lets not even talk about the pressure that hits you if you mistakenly enter your 30s without being married, ah! are you sure you dont have a bad character?). And that’s why you notice a glaring shift in the way you’re treated once people know you’re a ‘married woman’. There’s more respect and more ‘ma’ to your name, not because you deserve respect as a person, but because you now have a man in your life; you have now arrived at that status of worthiness. That status is often what some women aspire to when they say they desire to get married.

For men, there is equally the status factor that marriage gives them. Men are often perceived as more respectable and capable when they're married than when they’re not. However, the hot balls culture and society throws at unmarried women are way hotter than the ones thrown at unmarried men.

Having established the societal perception of marriage, let me start this episode by saying this:

What do I mean by ‘idolising marriage?’ Biblically, an idol is anything that takes the place that belongs to God alone: your ultimate trust, devotion, obedience to God, identity, or desire.

Anything that you have enthroned in your heart, anything that takes the place reserved for God in your heart, becomes an idol. The first commandment says, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). This command is not only about worshipping statues/idols. It is more about allowing nothing to rival God for first place in your life. It could be anything, even good things. Marriage is good, but if it becomes more important than obedience to God, then it’s an idol. That means if you prioritise marriage so much that you don’t care what God’s will or God’s timing for your life is, you’re probably dealing with an idol in your heart.

But how do we decenter this very thing we have been taught to aspire to right from childhood? I’ll share a deep dive and more practical ways in my next letter to you, but for now, here’s what I’ll say:

Dear Single Pringle, you decenter marriage:

• By centering yourself and God’s timing/will for your life.

• By refusing to make marriage the one and only organizing principle of your life.

• By recognising that you are a complete individual, with or without marriage, that your life is worth living with or without marriage.

• By recognising that you were created for a purpose which you still need to fulfil, married or single—and that should be your drive.

• By recognising that at the end of your time here on earth, when you’re standing before God’s throne of judgment, just like the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14–30, the question will be:

“what did you do with the life, skills, knowledge and talents I gave you?”

Not necessarily ‘Did you get married?’

Even though marriage is beautiful and desirable, there is a lot of life to be lived within or outside of it. Because even in marriage, your spouse's primary role in your life is to support you towards accomplishing what God created you for. So yeah, whilst they can be a useful tool for accomplishing your purpose, you bear the major responsibility.

Now, the next question is:

In Episodes 2 and 3, I will respond to these two questions.

I write in more detail about decentering marriage and equally share practical ways to decenter it while still desiring it.

END.

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One of the problems I have with ministers of the word of God is that sometimes, they take an an instruction that was customized, and given to them specifically, and make it a ‘law’ that others must obey.

And I’m saying this because I’ve heard someone say that God told them to leave feminism, and since after receiving that ‘instruction’, this individual started to advocate against feminism, saying that feminism is against Christianity.

Now, while it might be true that they received that particular instruction, there are a few reasons why God could instruct someone to give up something that is not inherently sinful. When God did this in the bible, it was often about obedience, dependence, timing, calling, or the person's relationship to the thing, not the thing itself. And I’ll share some examples from the bible as you read on.

• The Holy Spirit may have instructed you to slow down your advocacy on feminism or to totally remove yourself from it, perhaps because whilst advocating feminism, you are using feminism as an umbrella to push your own personal agenda.
  

• Perhaps your advocacy for feminism did not stem from a place of equity and equal rights, but from your own personal trauma and bitterness that you have subconsciously borne in you.
  

• God can equally ask you to give up something because you are centering yourself instead of the purpose of the thing.

And so God had to step in and yank you out of that space.

But because of your lack of understanding you assumed that God is adverse to Gender equity and fairness for women—which is what feminism stands for, and now you are even committing another level of sin by using your strength, might, and platform to advocate against this thing simply because God gave you a personal instruction.

Some non-biblical examples…

1. I have heard someone say that God told him to stop using a particular luxury perfume, but then he came out to tell his followers that using perfume is a sin.
   

Now, God may have rightfully instructed him to give up using that particular perfume not because it’s a sin, but perhaps because of his lack of discipline when it comes to investing his finances in that luxury perfume.

Maybe he spends all his money on that luxury perfume,

maybe the perfume gives the demonic realm access to him specifically,

maybe he’s obsessed with the luxury perfumes so much, it’s almost becoming sinful or like an idol to him, and therefore, God instructed him to step back from using that perfume. That instruction is customized and personal to him, not to the rest of the world.

2. I have also heard a Nigerian celebrity say that God told her to delete her social media because she was so addicted to social media, she was so obsessed with herself, likes, comments, she was not a good influencer. According to her, she also had a terrible digital footprint that she needed to clean up before she got married. And she said she was also not using social media to glorify God. So God then told her to delete her social media, which was a struggle at first, but she finally obeyed the instruction. Now, should the rest of us therefore conclude that social media is a terrible/sinful place for any child of God to be? Should we all also delete our social media?

Some Biblical examples…

• In the bible, God’s command to Abraham to sacrifice Isaac was not because Isaac was bad. Isaac was the promised son, a gift from God Himself.

“Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love...” (Genesis 22:2)

Isaac represented God’s promise, yet Abraham was asked to surrender him. The test was whether Abraham loved and trusted God above even God’s gifts.

• In Luke 18:22, Jesus told the Rich Young Ruler to give up his wealth.

Wealth is not inherently evil. Yet Jesus instructed this particular man to sell everything.

“Sell all you have, and distribute them the poor...” (Luke 18:22)

The problem was not money itself but the man’s attachment to it. Because we’re told in that same chapter that the man became sad.

• Peter, James, John, and Andrew left their careers.

Fishing was an honorable profession. Yet Jesus called them away from it.

“And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.” (Matthew 4:20)

They gave up something good because God had a different assignment for them—they became fishers of men.

It is in the same way, God can instruct someone to give up a particular item, like their wealth, their resources, their time, or even a particular food. Maybe to test their faith and obedience, because some of us are more loyal to a thing than we are to God. And anything that has become the center of your life that is not God, has become an idol—including feminism.
But the instruction to give up that thing is often specific to that particular person, not general to everyone else.

It could also be that it was the same instruction that God gave to a particular minister, telling him (and his household) not to use Television, jewelries, or wear certain outfits, but then he came out and made it gospel—insisting that everyone in his church must not wear trousers, earrings, makeup, or watch television, because God told him not to do these things, and therefore, anyone who does it is committing a sin.
Maybe, just maybe, that instruction was to him, or maybe just him and his household alone because of their attachment to those things, or for some other reason, yet he made it become law that everyone must obey.

In my walk with God, I have come to understand that sometimes God gives us specific instructions for us alone, not for others.

It’s for your own self discipline and for your own personal consecration to God. It is not about others, but you specifically.

And I have experienced this myself too.

There might be times where I’m studying the Bible, and I come across a very profound and insightful verse that speaks to my situation, and after writing it down, I start to feel the urge to share it so that others can benefit as well.

Instead of pausing to reflect on the message and see what God is directly telling me, I am overly eager to share with others and tell them this is what God said, and even admonish them.

But one day the Holy Spirit stopped me in my tracks and I began to question myself:

After I receive a knowledge or an interpretation or even an instruction from God, I first have to pause and ask myself:

And through that experience, I quickly learned that there are times where you might be given a revelation for you alone, not for others.

However, there’ll be times when God will reveal something to you and prompt you to share with the rest of the world. But I don’t think that everyone—especially preachers, minister, seers, prophets, have taken the time to understand this.

We have to be careful about generalizing personal instructions.

What God says to one is not always what He says to all.

We all have unique journeys when it comes to walking with God and hearing from God.
Just like Saul in the new testament, you can be so passionate about destroying a thing, thinking you’re doing it for God, whereas you’re only fighting against God.

Let’s learn to listen first, especially when the Holy Spirit is speaking to us; instead of quickly running off to spread something as gospel, when it is meant to be a personal instruction and a call to consecration.

At the salon where I went to get my hair done today, they were playing traditional Igbo songs—the ones we call highlife music.

They played songs by the late Nigerian Igbo Musician—Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe.

Songs like Osondi Owendi 🎶, Onuigbo 🎶, and other enchanting melodies.

I don’t understand the Igbo language.

These songs were not exactly made in my generation, rather, they’d be songs that people from my father’s generation (and older) would enjoy.

But as I listened to the music, even without understanding the language or lyrics, it did something to my mind.

It felt familiar. Enjoyable. Riveting.

It felt like songs I’d dance to.

The music was not just in the lyrics that I couldn’t interpret, but equally in the sound of the flute, piano, and every instrument that formed the melody.

This older Igbo woman—my hairdresser—couldn’t stop singing along.

You could tell how much it uplifted her spirit.

Most of these songs were done between 1985 and 1996.

Osita Osadebe is long dead.

According to a Google search, he died in 2007.

I’m writing this in 2026, so that’s 19 years ago.

Ostia Osadebe didn’t make this music for our generation, yet his music still makes an impact to date.

If you want to fully understand what I’m describing, go to:

• Igbo weddings,

• Beer parlours,

• Homes of elite old-money Igbo families,

• Town hall celebrations

• Diaspora Igbo occasions,

You name it…

You’ll immediately realise how evergreen this music is.

I’ve now added his songs to my Spotify playlist, and henceforth they’re songs I’ll enjoy.

But why am I sharing this?

I’m sharing it because, while I was making my hair and listening to the music, my spirit was prompted to write.

And this was what I wrote:

As a music artist,

If God has called you to sing Igbo traditional music, don’t choose to sing Yoruba songs out of your own will because you think that’s what the audience wants.

If God has called you to make music in a particular local dialect, don’t then switch to making English songs because you think that’s a strategic and wiser move, since music in the English language is more trendy and in-demand.

If God has called you to sing slow, calm gospel music, don’t change it to Afrobeat gospel just because that’s what people like.

Even if the audience you’ve been called to cater to is small, local and non-global, deliver your assignment with the same passion you would if it were.

Because the impact it makes will most likely outlive you.

Stop focusing too much on the crowd, on trends. Focus on delivering your assignment effectively!

Using your gifts and talents while you can.

Maybe your ministry is within the confines of your circle, your family, your community, stop looking for a pulpit, or a global platform before you can manifest your full potential.

Maybe you don’t need a global audience.

Perhaps, the global audience will come in due time.

Just do what you’ve been called to do with dedication and commitment, while you can!

Recognize how unique you are.

Imagine Osita Osadebe trying to force himself to sing for everyone.

Imagine someone who was called to specifically do Igbo highlife music that will outlive his generation trying to sing in English so that everyone would understand his lyrics.

Imagine him trying to cater to the needs of everyone.

Imagine him trying to go with the zeitgeist—the trends and vibes—of his time.

Do you think he’d have made this much of an evergreen impact?

There were certainly other musicians who sang in the English language or decided to follow trends, did their music stand the test of time like Osita’s? Are they as impactful?

Sometimes,

Authenticity!

Obedience!

Dedication to your craft (with less focus on trends and results)

Is just all you need.

If you are always too logical and strategic, you cannot walk with God. Because there’s no logic with God.

Human understanding and logic are often far from God's reasoning.

Strategic obedience is still disobedience.

Do it exactly as you’ve been instructed to!

✍🏽 Progress Oberiko

My YouTube channel is as mind boggling.

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It is quite disheartening to see Christians portray this attitude of quickly excluding themselves from things that pertain to the “world.”

Many Christian’s have this overly sanctimonious attitude that even Jesus Christ did not have!

• Christians who are too afraid to associate with certain people and groups,

• Too quick to spiritualize and demonize things,

• Too quick to ostracize themselves from spaces that engender practical change,

• Too quick to judge and condemn without lifting a finger to create a meaningful solution.
  

Some Christians say Christians shouldn’t listen to Afrobeat, so why don’t Christian’s make gospel Afrobeat songs? (Even the ones who do are getting judged for singing in that way.)

Some would say Christians should not go to the gym because the gym is like a cult, it’s addictive, it’s an indecent place, it can lead you to sin, etc. Why don’t you create a Christian gym?

Now there are people, Christians specifically, who have made it their life purpose to ensure that feminism—an advocacy for women—should be canceled, because, according to them, there are certain ideologies under feminism that seem to be extreme or un-Christian. And I agree.
But what I do not agree with is cancelling the advocacy of feminism because of certain extreme ideologies.

Instead of canceling it, why don’t you infiltrate and dominate it?

And don’t tell me that being a Christian alone solves all the problems, because it doesn’t.
Christian women have been abused, beaten, and even lost their lives in domestically abusive marriages. And over the years, we have seen how parts of the Bible have been twisted, misinterpreted, and used to subdue and oppress women.

Yet, the church continues to tell them to pray and submit to their abuser.
Now, there came feminism—an advocacy for women, yet some Christians are saying, “No, that’s evil.”

If Christianity were practiced ideally—where women were not oppressed using the religion—there’d be no need for feminism. Because then, everyone would be treated equally like a true child of God, but that has not been the case, and that’s why women started to speak up and advocate through feminism.

So now, you want to completely destroy this shelter that shields women from getting maltreated by culture, traditions, policies and even religion, yet you’re providing no other shelter for those women to cover their heads.

“Can you be a feminist and still a Christian?”

The question: “Can you be a feminist and be a Christian?” is like asking:

“Can you be a politician and be a Christian?”

“Can you be a lawyer and be a Christian?’

“Can you be a Nigerian and be a Christian?” (Given the level of corruption in the nation is even worse, identifying as a Nigerian abroad.)

It’s like saying Christians should not participate in politics because politics is dirty and evil, but what we are inadvertently doing is leaving the leadership of our country in the hands of ungodly men and women who will make ungodly laws and policies that will affect us Christians.

See how that sounds?

So if we can have Christian politicians who occupy positions, influence and lead in government in a godly way, then don’t you think we can equally have Christian men & women who advocate change, justice and fairness for women in society? Yup! That’s feminism. Christian feminism!

Whenever you think of the term feminism, don’t let any negativity occupy your mind; let the first thought that comes to your mind be:

“The advocacy for equity, fairness, and rights for women”.

Because that’s essentially what it is.

And the goal of feminism is to ultimately become redundant—for us to get to a place where we no longer have to advocate gender equity, because every human being— man or woman is treated fairly.

And if you’re someone who advocates gender equity, please read first, ask questions, research, don’t just jump on the bandwagon clamoring for what you don’t fully understand, even in toxic ways.

Where did that question even come from? Feminism is not a Religion! So even that question is out of place.
Feminism is simply an advocacy.
A Christian feminist answers to God!

It’s just like saying, “Christians answer to Jesus, who do politicians answer to?”

Why are you differentiating politicians from Christians? Is it not the same Christians becoming politicians? In the same vein, why are you separating feminism from Christianity as though it is a religion?!

A Christian feminist answers to God, just as a Christian politician would.

And that’s why I believe that this attitude of being a ‘soft-fearful-conforming Christian’ who doesn’t seek justice or question norms, cultures and traditions is un-Christian!

Because Christ did the opposite. He came to shake tables.

Jesus was disruptive while introducing a new way of life.

And there are multiple examples in the Bible of Jesus being disruptive:

• Jesus drove out merchants and money changers from the Temple.

• He healed on the Sabbath day

• Eating with Tax Collectors and Sinners

• Calling Religious Leaders Hypocrites, cos that’s who they were. They’ll place a burden on people but lift no finger to help.

Jesus was the biggest nonconformist I can think of. He questioned norms. He sought justice. Changed how things were done.

So this overly sanctimonious attitude of quickly pulling away from spaces is the reason why the devil keeps hijacking things and spaces that Christians should occupy.

We have slowly withdrawn from the use of the rainbow 🌈 as Christians because a certain group now identifies with it.

So if a group suddenly hijacks the cross as their emblem tomorrow, then Christians will no longer use it? The cross that Jesus died on?

Why are we so quick to chicken out?

“There are bad people in politics”, isn’t that why Christians should go into politics to transform those spaces and bring about godly leadership?

“There are extremist feminists who believe in unchristian ideologies”, but is that enough reason why a Christian cannot be a feminist? Rather, isn’t that WHY a Christian should be a feminist to introduce Christian ideologies and draw the fine line? Especially as feminism at its core advocates nothing else but equity, rights, and justice for women.

So instead of trying to pull it down, why not occupy and reclaim it, the same way we should be reclaiming the rainbow sign as ours, because IT IS OURS! A sign of the covenant between God and man.

Speaking about hijacking and reclaiming, we did that with Christmas. 25th December is said to be a pagan feast day, and to this day, there are some groups of Christians who don’t even celebrate Christ’s birth on Christmas Day.

However, millions of other Christians around the world reclaimed that day for Christ. Such that instead of giving way and allowing that day to be devoted to an idol—a pagan god—Christians collectively decided to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ on that day.

That’s the force we should move with. Reclaiming and occupying till He comes. Not chickening out.

“Jk Rawlings left feminism because of what it has become.”

In the same way, many people have left Christianity because of some of the atrocities committed in the church by pastors, preachers, and authorities that people look up to. But is that enough reason to advocate that everyone should leave Christianity?

Aren’t we still Christians? We still go to church. Because the core of Christianity centers around Christ and emulating His lifestyle, not about one human flaw or one extreme human ideology.

Irrespective of some of the woes committed in the church, we continue to remain Christians, trying to live exemplary lives that people can look at and say, ‘Oh, there are still good Christians’. And also because our rock is Christ! Not a man.

In the same way, that there are extreme ideologies from people who have hijacked and turned feminism into something else does not mean that the advocacy itself is bad. The core of feminism is fairness, justice, and rights for women. And therefore there should be Christians who advocate this—a.k.a Christian feminists!

This behavior of Christians removing themselves from spaces does more harm than good to Christians.

How long are we going to continue chickening out?

In the bible, Jesus told the parable of the talents, where the master told his servants to “Occupy till I come,” which also means ‘take possession of the territory’. Luke 19:13.

How do you take possession of the territory when you’re very quick to chicken out of spaces you should occupy?

This particular attitude of Christian’s withdrawing from things is why the churches are growing and getting filled with people, but the world is constantly looking like there are no Christians.

Because the Christians have decided to remain inside the church and not come out to take spaces.

How do we occupy till he comes if we only remain inside the church when we are supposed to be using our voices globally, in politics, in leadership, in boardrooms, in gender advocacy & advancement?

Many believe that being a Christian is just about praying, fasting, and speaking in tongues. Still, we forget that excellence, competence, confidence, the ability to demand change, and the ability to question authorities are also fruits of the spirit.

In Acts of the Apostles, there were Christians, yet they had to make a group that was specifically designed to cater to widows who were overlooked.

That means even while practicing Christianity, there can be flaws because of our very human weaknesses. And therefore groups are created to advocate certain courses, e.g., catering to the needs of the poor, widows, orphans, women facing injustices, rights for women, gender equity, etc. These groups are not against Christianity. They are tools, arms, and legs that check our very Christian but human inadequacies.

So again, instead of advocating the cancellation of feminism, we should be advocating for more Christians to be feminists so that we can jointly achieve gender equity for Christian women who have been subjugated and subjected to injustices both within the church and in society.

How will ALL men know that we are His disciples if we’re too scared to identify with labels and reclaim hijacked spaces?

How will we occupy till He comes if we ostracize ourselves for fear of being influenced by them?

Come to think of it, why is it that Christians are always wary of being influenced by negativity? Why can’t you be the influence in your circle? Aren’t we supposed to be influencing and leading people to Christ? Why are we always scared of being influenced? Are we not deeply rooted enough?

How can we manifest the character of the kingdom if we are too scared to occupy?

Is it just by staying in Church, praying, and fasting?

Where is your light shining? Inside your bedroom? Or is it by occupying spaces where real change happens?

Please, we need more Christians in the world manifesting the fruits of the spirit.

We need Christian feminists who can lend their voice and advocate for women across the world.

As Christians, we often don’t realize the depth of our calling.

We only think of our role as Christians as simply to be knee-praying, tongue-speaking, church-going Christians, but Christianity is way deeper than that.

We have also been called to ‘occupy till He comes’.

• To dominate

• To advocate

• To disrupt systems and structures.
  

If we continue to chicken out of those spaces, soon enough, we will have rulers of darkness ruling over us using their platforms, voices, influence, and policies, under our very eyes.

Christianity is a way of life that should reflect in ALL facets of society that we exist in.

So yeah, you can be both Christian and a feminist!

~ Progress Oberiko
If you prefer watching videos, click here to watch the YouTube version of this post

As promised, I have brought you some great stuff!!!

But first,

A quick question…

When applying for certain opportunities, jobs, scholarships, and sometimes even when speaking to people, do you ever feel like you are not good enough? And in some cases, you end up not applying for those opportunities?

Okay,

Let’s talk about that a lil bit before I dish out the good stuff!!

The worst thing you can do to yourself is zero yourself out of opportunities by telling yourself that you’re not good enough or that you do not deserve an opportunity.

I am saying this because I am about to share several opportunities with you, and as you scroll through those links you might get that feeling of “not-enoughness”, and I am here to tell you that you’re enough!

One of my mentors once told me “Progress, don’t be the one to disqualify yourself!” And I am saying the same to you!

Even if you think the opportunity you’re applying for is high, go for it!

Until you get a rejection you have not been rejected!

Sometimes we lose out on opportunities by disqualifying ourselves even before attempting the opportunity.

Let the disqualification come from outside, and not from you!

Don't underestimate your potential.

Embrace the journey of growth, and remember, you're often more capable than you give yourself credit for. #BelieveInYourself

You were created for more!

Now go for it!

Global Opportunities

Echidna Global Scholars Visiting Fellowship 2024
Deadline: Dec 1

Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity Programme 2024-25 (Fully-funded)
Deadline: Jan 11

MCW Global Young Leaders Fellowship 2024 (Fully-funded to the U.S.)
Deadline: Nov 12

TechGirls Program 2024 for Young Women (Fully funded to the U.S.)
Deadline: Dec 8

Yale Young Global Scholars Program 2024
Deadline: Jan 10

Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship on Entrepreneurship 2024
Deadline: Dec 4

Maurice R. Greenberg World Fellows Program 2024 (Fully funded to the U.S.)
Deadline: Dec 6

Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for the Future Fellowship 2024-2025
Deadline: Nov 10

Melton Foundation Global Solvers Accelerator 2024
Deadline: Dec 15

Because Accelerator 2024 for Entrepreneurs
Deadline: Jan 26

THRIVE Global Accelerator Program 2024
Deadline: Nov 10

United People Global Sustainability Leadership Class of 2024 (Funded to the U.S.)
Deadline: Dec 31

Akademie Schloss Solitude Fellowship 2023-2024
Deadline: Nov 30

Alexander von Humboldt Foundation International Climate Protection Fellowship 2023/2024
Deadline: Feb 1

Scholarship & International Students Opportunities

1: Northwestern Oklahoma State University(No application fee, scholarship available) https://lnkd.in/dAEbEk7V

2: University of Southern Maine - http://usm.maine.edu

3: Wayne State University. (For Graduates the application is waived, use the code "WSU2024) https://lnkd.in/dbJgsVKA (graduate GTA available)

4: Missouri University of Science & Technology - http://connect.mst.edu/apply

5: University of Dayton (All programs are waived) https://lnkd.in/dQV2cAPd

6: Northeastern University, College of Engineering - https://lnkd.in/duUwVBP2 (Engineering course free application fee) but all PhD programs get funding.

7: Michigan Tech University. charges only a processing fee of $10. (PhD funding is available) http://mtu.edu/gradschool/

8: Notre Dame University. (they have an application fee but 100% funding) All the admitted Masters and PhD students get full funding. No tuition fee is attached. 70% of Bachelor's students get scholarships. http://nd.edu/admissions/

9: University of Colorado Boulder; (No application fee for all PhD programs)http://colorado.edu/admissions

10: West Virginia Tech University. (Automatically considered for scholarship. no app fee) https://lnkd.in/diC5a6CY

11: University of Cornel. (Application fee can be requested during application) Most Masters and PhDs are funded. https://cornell.edu

12: Michigan University Dearborn. (No application for BSc/Undergraduate, Automatic Scholarship consideration) https://lnkd.in/dNz-Rwn5

13: University of St. Thomas, Minnesota (No Application FEE, All undergraduates are considered for scholarship)https://lnkd.in/d2qcVfUe

14: Denison University (No app fee)https://lnkd.in/dSxak7n4

15: University of Lynchburg https://lnkd.in/dTPJuwSe

16: New Mexico State University. (No app fee for chemistry and biochemistry Masters and PhD. Automatic funding once admitted) https://lnkd.in/drpGZAWW

17: University of South Carolina. (This school gets funding. One of my people is already in the process. No application fee for Masters) https://lnkd.in/dY8ANMSU

18. Chevening Scholarship 2024

17. Commonwealth Scholarship 2024

Events & Networking Opportunites

• 22nd and 23rd Nov 2023 Great Business Show:

• 13th Nov 2023 Global Entrepreneurship Week

• 15th Nov 2023 IAA Personal Branding

• 21st Nov 2023 Connect Fest UK

• 8th Dec 2023 Sales and Business Acceleration Workshop

• 6th Nov 2023 The UK Start-Up Conference

• 25th Nov 2023 Next Gen Conference

I will be attending some of these events myself, so if you bump into me, say hi!

Job Opportunities

• The Walt Disney Company - Content Sales Intern

• The Co-op London - Customer Team Member

• Sky - Retail Sales Advisor

• EY - Social Media Assistant Director

• Vodafone - Employer Brand Creative Specialist

• NHS - Senior Comms Manager

Let us know if you are successful with any of these, and we will love to celebrate you!

Good luck!

Announcement:

Do you know anyone interested in learning how to write a Statement of Purpose (SOP) to apply for a university abroad?

I am organising a FREE SOP webinar next Tuesday 14th Nov by 8pm WAT /7pm GMT, tell them to register here

Listen to TISP on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and other podcast platforms.

I Hope you smash it!

Look out for the next email.

Invite your friends to be part of this too! (see links below).

Cheers,

Progress Oberiko,

Founder and Creative Director, The International Students Podcast (TISP).

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I'm thrilled to welcome you to The International Students Community, a vibrant space where curiosity meets connection and diversity fuels inspiration.

I have hosted and attended a lot of incredibly inspiring events lately, and have received loads of messages from people who would like to know how to access these events and opportunities, so this is why you are here!

Whether you're a seasoned globetrotter just embarking on your international journey, or simply just looking to access new opportunities, you've found your tribe.

I'm Progress Oberiko, the voice behind The International Students Podcast (TISP) and the heart that beats for this incredible community we're building.

As a Writer, Digital Content Manager, and Social Entrepreneur, I wear many hats, but my passion lies in fostering a global community through shared experiences, learning, and connections.

TISP has been thriving for over a year now, a few days ago we had our first anniversary and I am so grateful for how far we have come. We are available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and other podcast platforms, your support has been phenomenal throughout this last year and I wanted to bring you even closer to be able to share updates, networking events, job opportunities, and other useful things that could benefit you!

So, what's The International Students Community all about?

Let me start by saying that the opportunities and updates here are NOT only limited to international students but to everyone home and abroad, young and old!

• Community & Connection: As an alumni international student myself, I understand how daunting it could be to move to a new country to study, and so, this space is a digital campfire where we gather to share stories, updates, and opportunities, and ultimately promote diversity and inclusion for foreign students globally.

Knowledge Hub: You have access to relevant information on:

- jobs, 

- networking events

- scholarships, 

- life realities abroad,

- mental health, 

- careers, 

- discrimination, 

- personal development

- finances etc, 

On our podcast TISP, we invite guest speakers to share their insights on a diverse range of topics in the various episodes, you can listen here:

To further support more international students I also host workshops and events across universities in the UK, covering a range of relatable topics.

Expect a treasure trove of insights, tips, and resources for navigating the exciting yet challenging terrain of international student life. From cultural nuggets to academic hacks, we've got you covered.

• Events and Opportunities: This community is a hub for growth. Be the first to know about upcoming (and exclusive) events, scholarship opportunities, and chances to collaborate with fellow international trailblazers.

• The Pulse of TISP: Dive deeper into the world of The International Students Podcast. Get behind-the-scenes glimpses, exclusive interviews, TikToks, and sneak peeks into what's brewing in the TISP kitchen.

• Interactive Dialogues: This isn't a monologue; it's a dialogue. Share your thoughts, experiences, and questions. Let's build a rich tapestry of conversations that resonate across borders.

In my next email, I will be sending you a long list of upcoming events and opportunities!!!

To stay in the loop, make sure you've subscribed to our FREE Substack (see links below). Invite your friends to be part of this too!

Expect newsletters brimming with insights, event invitations, and the occasional dose of inspiration delivered straight to your inbox.

Welcome aboard, fellow global citizens! This journey is bound to be exhilarating, and I can't wait to embark on it with each and every one of you!

Here's to stories untold, friendships uncharted, and a community that knows no borders.

Cheers,

Progress Oberiko,

Founder and Creative Director, The International Students Podcast (TISP).

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