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Are they really seeking Jesus?
I am inspired to put on my preachers cap again given some happenings which border on insanity that has occurred.
The reported shootings, one of them by an alleged chief who callously shot and killed a military man without any provocation at the vicinity of Millenium City Police station near Kasoa and an incident near Trasacco where two policemen were also shot to death by unknown assailants on motorbike also without any provocation.
On Sunday, you hear a lot of gospel songs on radio, you see videos on TV and you hear the word of God being preached and you see people neatly dressed standing by the roadside waiting for vehicles to go to church. This is not surprising given the census figures which clearly indicate that Christians make up about 70 percent of the population.
Given this situation, it would be taken for granted that issues of morality would be nothing to worry about in the Ghanaian society. The reality is not the case and therefore one begins to wonder what these people who go to church Sunday after Sunday, not to mention the week day services, really go to learn?
In the gospel according to John Chapter 12 verse 20 and 21, there is a lesson there worth taking note of. If you read from the beginning of the chapter, it gives a narration of the happenings at a time in the ministry of Jesus shortly before the Jewish Passover and his return to Bethany, a town he had raised a friend of his called Lazarus who had died for four days back to life.
The next day when people heard that he was coming into Jerusalem they went to meet him just like what happens these days where Christians hear of a miracle performing prophet and they rush to him for solutions to their problem.
Obviously, this phenomenon of chasing after miracles did not start today. It existed way back in the days of Jesus. A person with such a miracle seeking mindset will not go to church to listen to God’s word for life transformation but will be in church to only chase after miracles.
The legitimate question to ask those who flock to church auditoriums on Sundays is what do you go to church to seek? If the church attendance is anything to go by, then we should expect a comparative improvement in the moral fibre of the nation across the whole spectrum of society, if the people really went to seek Jesus.
In John 12: 21 the Bible says “The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.” The verse 22 describes this group of people as Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover feast.
They obviously were there with their focus on seeking Jesus, not for miracles but to have a deeper interaction with him so their lives can be impacted by his teachings first before any other considerations.
People these days are in church only chasing after miracles. All they are interested in is “hye me nkom” i.e. prophesy unto me. Others too are chasing after ladies and some ladies have also come to church hoping to hook a potential husband.
There is nothing wrong with looking for a wife or a husband but the focus should not be that when coming to church. The Bible advises that we seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and then God will add whatever we need freely to us.
If the masses who fill the church auditoriums really go to seek Jesus as some Greeks did in the days of Jesus, I am sure the population in our prisons would have reduced, corruption would not be a topical issue anymore and crime in general would have reduced.
By Laud Kissi-Mensah
Attention-Deficit or Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is often mistaken for laziness or indiscipline. In consulting rooms across Accra and in reports from school teachers, the pattern repeats: children who are bright but forgetful, parents who feel helpless, teachers who see incompleteness.
Research is clear-Barkley (2015) and others describe ADHD as a difference in the brain’s regulation of alertness, impulse and working memory, not a lack of effort.
The family’s role begins with structure. Regular sleep, predictable meal and homework times, and a simple visual list (uniform → books → water → corridor) provide the external scaffolding of these children need. Praise what is completed—“You opened the book and wrote the first sentence”-instead of rebuking what is missing.
Schools can help by seating the child front-row and centre, giving short written plus verbal instructions, allowing brief movement breaks, using quiet nonverbal cues and, where possible, grading effort and method as well as neatness. These adjustments reduce conflict and raise submission rates without lowering standards.
Couples and caregivers should share roles: one grounds, one pivots, and both protect rest. Shame-“bad parenting, bad child”-needs replacing with fact: different wiring, needs scaffolding.
Outcomes improve not by promises of perfection but by daily routines, clear limits and warmed connection. One homework slot kept, one instruction chunked, one calm repair after blurting-these small wins shift the family climate and let the child be seen beyond the label.
Resource
• CPAC (award-winning Mental Health and Counselling Facility): 0559850604 / 0551428486
Source: REV. COUNSELLOR PRINCE OFFEI’s insights on special needs support, relationships, and mental health in Ghana. He is a leading mental health professional, lecturer, ADR Expert/Arbitrator, renowned author, and marriage counsellor at COUNSELLOR PRINCE & ASSOCIATES CONSULT (CPAC COUNSELLOR TRAINING INSTITUTE) – 0551428486 /0559850604.
WEBSITES:
https://princeoffei22.wixsite.com/author
https://princeoffei22.wixsite.com/website
After two weeks of hectic activity up north, I drove to the Tamale airport, parked the car at the Civil Aviation car park as usual, paid the usual parking fee and boarded the plane for Accra.
Over the last two weeks, I had shuffled between three sites where work was close to completion.
One was a seed warehouse, where farmers would come and pick up good quality maize, sorghum and other planting material.
The other was a health facility for new mothers, where they were given basic training on good nutrition and small scale business.
And the third was a set of big boreholes for three farming communities.
The projects usually ran on schedule, but a good deal of time was spent building rapport with the local people, to ensure that they would be well patronised and maintained.
It was great to be working in a situation where one’s work was well appreciated. But it certainly involved a lot of work, and proactivity. And I made sure that I recorded updates online before going to bed in the evening.
When the plane took off, my mind shifted to issues in Accra, the big city. The young guys at my office had done some good work. They had secured five or six houses on a row in a good part of the city, and were close to securing the last.
When we got this property, unusually, Abena greeted them casually, and appeared to be comfortable in the guy’s company.
I was quite disappointed to hear that, because until the last few weeks, it seemed as if Abena and I were heading in a good direction. Apart from the affection I had for her, I liked her family. I decided to take it easy, and allow things to fall in whatever direction.
Normally I would take a taxi to her house from the airport, and pick her up to my place. This time I went to my sisters’ joint, where they sat by me while I enjoyed a drink and a good meal.
“So Little Brother,” Sister Beesiwa said, “what is it we are hearing about our wife-to-be?”
“When did you conclude that she was your wife-to-be? And what have you heard? I’ve only heard a couple of whispers. Ebo and Nana Kwame called to say that they have seen her in the company of—”
“Well said Little Brother,” Sister Baaba said. “By the way, Nana Kwame called an hour ago to ask if you had arrived because he could not reach you. Someone had told him that Jennifer had boasted to someone that she had connected Abena to a wealthy guy who would take care of her.”
I was beginning to understand. For some time, Abena had been asking me what work I was doing up north, and after I had explained it to her, she kept asking. So I think Jennifer fed her with false stories about me in order to get her to move to the Ampadu guy. Jennifer must have been well compensated for her efforts.
“In that case,” Sister Beesiwa said, “you should be glad that Abena is out of your way. She is easily swayed. Anyone who would make a relationship decision based on a friend’s instigation lacks good sense. I hope the guy is as wealthy as they say?”
“Who gets wealthy running a supermarket chain in Ghana?” Sister Baaba said. “Our supermarkets sell mostly imported products. Look at the foreign exchange rate. And remember that Ghanaians buy second-hand shoes and clothes. Supermarkets are not good business here. Perhaps they are showing off that they are wealthy, but in reality they are not doing so well.”
“Amen to that,” I said. “I’m beginning to understand. For some time, Abena had been asking me what work I was doing up north, and after I had explained it to her, she kept asking. So I think Jennifer fed her with false stories about me in order to get her to move to the Ampadu guy. Jennifer must have been well compensated for her efforts.”
She said that David Forson was only an agricultural extension worker in the north who did not have the resources to take care of a beautiful girl like her. And apart from being wealthy, the guy comes from an influential family, so Abena had done much better leaving a miserable civil servant like you for him.
“Amen to that,” I said. “I’m beginning to understand. For some time, Abena had been asking me what work I was doing up north, and after I had explained it to her, she kept asking. We would be able to sell all five houses to one big corporate customer, and we had already spoken to a property dealer who was trying to find a buyer in order to get a good commission.
That was going to be my biggest break. I had asked the boys to look for a large tract of land on the outskirts of the city where we could develop our own set of buildings, blocks of storey houses and upscale apartments. Things were going according to plan, and I was quietly excited. However, things were not going so well regarding my relationship with Abena.
My buddies Ebo and Nana Kwame had called to say that they met Abena and her friend Jennifer enjoying lunch with a guy, and Ebo believed that Jennifer was ‘promoting’ an affair between Jennifer and the guy. They were of the view that the promotion seemed to be going in the guy’s favour, because only an agricultural extension worker in the north who did not have the resources to take care of a beautiful girl like her.
And apart from being wealthy, the guy comes from an influential family, so Abena had done much better leaving a miserable civil servant like you for him.
“As I’ve already said, I will stop by her place, but I will mind my own business from now. Hey, let’s talk family. How are our parents? And my brothers-in-law? And my nephews and nieces? Why don’t we meet on Sunday? I’m going to drop my bags at my place, and go to see Mama and Dad.”
