In the Spirit of Holy Week: Grief Turned to Joy   “Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.” John 16:20 (NIV)   These words from Jesus still echo through the ages, soft but steady, for anyone carrying pain, loss, or unanswered questions.   A Promise in the Midst of Pain   Jesus spoke these words to His disciples during a quiet, intimate moment on Thursday night, the night before everything changed. He knew what was coming. He knew the cross was hours away. Yet in the middle of it all, He gave them a promise: “You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.”   By Friday, Jesus was crucified. The same people who once cheered Him on now celebrated His death. The world rejoiced while His followers stood in shock, watching the one they loved hang on a cross. Then came Saturday.   The Silence of Saturday   Saturday must have been unbearable. Confusion. Heartbreak. Silence. Maybe the disciples were back in that same Upper Room, sitting with their grief, questioning everything. Maybe one of them whispered those words again: “You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.” But how do you hold on to a promise when it feels like hope has died?   God’s Track Record   The thing is, Jesus wasn’t offering a comforting line to help them cope. He was speaking truth, the kind that’s been proven over and over in the story of God. From Abraham's long wait for a promise to Israel’s cries for deliverance in Egypt, God has always shown up. He has always turned sorrow into joy, even when it didn’t make sense. Even when it took time. And He still does.   For Anyone in a Saturday Season   Maybe today feels like a “Saturday” in your life. A day or season of waiting, heartbreak, or unanswered questions. You’ve prayed, but nothing’s moved. You’ve cried, but the silence feels louder than ever. If that’s you, hold on to this: “You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.” Not because life is predictable. But because God is faithful.   The Empty Tomb Still Speaks   That Upper Room didn’t stay quiet. The grave didn’t stay filled. And the grief didn’t last forever. Sunday came. Jesus rose. And joy flooded every space where sorrow once lived. So breathe. Rest. Hold on. Because the One who spoke those words is the same One who overcame death. And He’s still turning mourning into dancing, sorrow into songs, and grief into joy.    

  A Love Like No Other    I woke up this morning with a simple thought: I just want to thank God for His goodness over my life. Sometimes we forget how powerful thanksgiving is. It may seem small, but expressing gratitude, especially to the One who’s been consistently good,is never something we should take lightly. Today, we pause to reflect and celebrate a moment that changed everything: the death of Jesus on the cross. He paid the ultimate price for our lives. We hear stories in movies, books, or even real life, people going above and beyond for the ones they love. Some risk everything, even their own lives. It’s noble, inspiring, and it always tugs at the heart. But the truth is, Jesus set the first and greatest example of that kind of love.   "Greater love has no man than this, that a man should lay down his life for his friends."(John 15:13 – paraphrased)   He didn’t just speak about love. He became love. And not when we had it all together, but while we were still messy, still broken, still figuring it out. "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us..." (Romans 5:8)   He didn’t deserve to die. He didn’t deserve the betrayal, the mockery, or the cruel death on the cross. Blameless, pure, sinless, yet He chose to bear the weight of our wrongs. “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes, we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)   That’s the kind of love that words will never fully capture. So today, let’s just take a moment. Let’s reflect on these truths. On the sacrifice. On the grace. On the healing that comes from His pain. On the peace that came through His suffering. And most importantly, on the pure, unstoppable love that held Him on that cross. May our hearts never grow numb to this truth.  

  A Love Like No Other    I woke up this morning with a simple thought: I just want to thank God for His goodness over my life. Sometimes we forget how powerful thanksgiving is. It may seem small, but expressing gratitude, especially to the One who’s been consistently good,is never something we should take lightly. Today, we pause to reflect and celebrate a moment that changed everything: the death of Jesus on the cross. He paid the ultimate price for our lives. We hear stories in movies, books, or even real life, people going above and beyond for the ones they love. Some risk everything, even their own lives. It’s noble, inspiring, and it always tugs at the heart. But the truth is, Jesus set the first and greatest example of that kind of love.   "Greater love has no man than this, that a man should lay down his life for his friends."(John 15:13 – paraphrased)   He didn’t just speak about love. He became love. And not when we had it all together, but while we were still messy, still broken, still figuring it out. "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us..." (Romans 5:8)   He didn’t deserve to die. He didn’t deserve the betrayal, the mockery, or the cruel death on the cross. Blameless, pure, sinless, yet He chose to bear the weight of our wrongs. “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes, we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)   That’s the kind of love that words will never fully capture. So today, let’s just take a moment. Let’s reflect on these truths. On the sacrifice. On the grace. On the healing that comes from His pain. On the peace that came through His suffering. And most importantly, on the pure, unstoppable love that held Him on that cross. May our hearts never grow numb to this truth.  

This week, Nigeria witnessed yet another investment tragedy as CBEX, a digital investment platform, suddenly shut down. The fallout was devastating, reports suggest Nigerians lost over ₦1.3 trillion to the scheme.   CBEX had marketed itself as a global crypto trading platform powered by artificial intelligence, promising returns of up to 100% in just 30 days. It claimed affiliations with government bodies in China and even boasted registrations in the U.S. and Canada none of which were ever verified.   Operating mainly in Nigeria since mid-2024, CBEX lured in nearly 300,000 investors, most of whom were ordinary citizens hoping to improve their financial situations. Many were encouraged to recruit others in order to unlock their earnings a classic Ponzi model masked with tech jargon and flashy dashboards.   The company was never registered with Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and authorities have now flagged it as fraudulent. As it became harder for users to withdraw their funds, CBEX introduced “verification fees” to stall exits before disappearing altogether.   The Bigger Picture We operate in an economy that has cornered its people into survival mode. When a system consistently fails to provide real opportunities, it’s no surprise that “get rich quick” schemes thrive. CBEX isn’t the first scam to sweep across the country and sadly, it won’t be the last.   People are working from hand to mouth. So when a promise of financial breakthrough appears even if it seems too good to be true, they take the risk. It’s not foolishness; it’s desperation.   The harsh truth is this: in a society where wealth is a requirement to access even basic opportunities and where government corruption often goes unchecked, people will grasp at any lifeline. Social media glorifies wealth by any means, and everyday citizens are left to figure things out alone.   So we ask ourselves. Are we even redeemable?   This is not just about CBEX. It’s a mirror reflecting our broken systems. It’s a cry for change. A revolution, not just in governance, but in our values, our economy, and how we protect each other.   Now more than ever, we need to be our brother’s keeper

  The miracle of sleeping and waking   The illusion of daylight unfolding   My dreams coming to a sudden end   As I gradually creep into awareness     The veil separating dreams from reality   A window very narrow, yet such a hollow     The gentle breeze of the conscious world   Sweeps across the room, and my skin opens up   To the awakening, as I drift back to reality     For a few seconds, it felt like a booting computer   My organs gradually respond to the brain, their commander     Thoughts rush in like the sea approaching the shore   As my mind awakens, my body follows   Each muscle responding like a soldier taking its post     I yearn, I stretch, I turn   As the room fills with golden glow of the electromagnetic spectrum   And the morning light dispels the night’s mystery     © GMG ✍️