Hello, how are you be-ing?
In Through The Fire, Chaka Khan sings - “through the fire, to the limit, to the wall, for a chance to be with you, I’d gladly risk it all…”. I came into this year deciding that this was going to be the year I read the most number of pages ever. It felt like something I needed to do; go back to what I know how to do best - invent, create and love. And there’s no better way to do this than by just reading. As a result, my weekly Bedsides will change a bit. When I started Bedside, it was meant to be a prosaic way of sharing commentary on the numerous things I read daily. I probably read more than 30-50 pages of various things from new clippings to articles daily and I wanted to share that with my close community and get them to read as well.
This year, however, I will share things but not necessarily commentary about things I read in the past week. I will share informally about the things that cross my mind and things God lays in my heart, they will not be periodic nor frequent but when you do get them, you will be blessed. And the church says Amen.
New Technology
For most people, whenever they need to ask the internet a question or find out something, the first port of call has always been Google. I have just recently realised that these days, google isn’t the first place I instinctively go to. I instinctively open an app called “Pi”, an AI-powered assistant that’s able to give me responses like a human being in prose form. It’s only a matter of time for Google. See below for the kind of questions I have asked Pi in the past week (my search queries would make for a good article by the way).
Netflix Documentaries
Making a “Netflix-style” documentary has become a well-known phrase in recent times and truly, there’s something about Netflix’s documentaries. Some of the popular ones rarely make my list; I don’t like the ones about serial killers (even though a lot of people seem to like them and they are well told), however, I like most of the Sport ones. If I were to list my top three Netflix docus, they would most likely be The Last Dance, Jeen-yuhs (the Kanye West one) and then Mister Organ. You’re probably wondering what the last one is right? Well, most people may not have watched this documentary made by David Farrier about a New Zealander called…Michael Organ. I’m not sure how to describe it, but it was such a good and soothing watch.
Death
I think about death sometimes. It’s something I prepare for every day but yet you can never be well prepared for it, I live knowing that it could all go away in an instant and everything you spend your life chasing becomes null and void at the moment of reckoning. It’s a very scary thing to think about but once you get through the initial jitters, it opens you up to a whole new lease of life. This week Herbert Wigwe, arguably Nigeria’s richest banker (he owns the biggest bank) died in such a cruel way with his wife and his son in a chopper crash on their way to watch the Super Bowl. I knew him and had a few personal encounters with him when I was working on a series of partnership deals and products with his bank. He was charming and intelligent and did not get to the top by fluke. This is not a good way for anyone to die, when people are given the option of how to die, a chopper crash is never on the list and certainly dying with your wife and son is neither. Too sad.
Patrick Mahomes
My friend has been trying to get me to love American Football and the NFL. I must appreciate his patience in trying to explain the plays to me. I used to play Flag Football so I understand a bit about the plays and touchdowns but when I watch the NFL, it’s usually so confusing but he’s done a good job. He also couldn’t have timed it better as his lessons meant I was prime-ready for the Super Bowl armed with my new knowledge of touchdowns and overtime. This new knowledge allowed me to appreciate Patrick Mahomes even more. He’s going to retire as one of the greatest sportsmen ever. No coincidence that this is Pillow 058, the same number as Super Bowl 58 which Mahomes won.
Billionaires for Jesus
During the Super Bowl, there was an Ad that ran about Jesus washing people’s feet and encouraging people to learn more about Jesus. I didn’t think anything of it at first until I saw that the Ad was sponsored by the “He Gets Us” campaign, a campaign aiming to reintroduce Jesus to the modern audience through a billion-dollar advertising effort. If you have followed my previous Pillows, you will know I have been rallying for this line of things for a long time. We need to make Jesus popular again and save the lost souls of men. So I am all for it, I hope the ads show Jesus how he’d like to be shown, all of God in man - simple.
Apostle Paul
There’s no better way to end than with this passage of the scripture in Phillipians 4:11-13. I love it so much. Paul says:
11 Actually, I don't have a sense of needing anything personally. I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances.
12 I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty.
13 Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.
.End.
Miracle.