BOOK REVIEW: PIERCING THE DARKNESS

Bacon Elementary School seems to be like any other school except that the school offers non-traditional subjects, such as a curriculum called ‘Finding the Real Me’; where pupils are taught to find their ‘true selves’ by connecting with inner spirit guides and channelling spirits. 

The problem begins when a student, Amber Brandon, transfers from Bacon Elementary School to Good Shepherd Academy. Amber is a ten year old girl with a spirit guide called Amethyst who often exhibits animal characteristics by prancing like a horse and making animal sounds in class. This upsets the school’s headmaster, Tom Harris, who regards Amethyst as a demon; and so one day he attempts to cast the demon out of Amber. 

Amber’s mother is infuriated when she learns of the attempted ‘exorcism’, and she, backed by big organizations like the American Citizens Freedom Association and the National Coalition on Education, files a lawsuit against Good Shepherd Academy. The school hires an attorney, Wayne Corrigan, to represent them in the lawsuit, but what they don’t know is that they are entangled in a conspiracy that is bigger than what they could ever imagine.

 In attempting to gather information that will help them win the case, Tom and Wayne find themselves fighting against forces that are not just physical but spiritual as well. In the race against time, Tom and Wayne discover that the battle is also over spiritual territory, and only with the help of a mysterious woman, Sally Beth Roe, the writer of the ‘Finding the Real Me’ curriculum, can the pieces of the puzzle finally fall into place.

Frank Peretti

 Piercing the darkness is a novel written by Frank Peretti, best-selling author of several books like the Oath, Visitation, Monster, Prophet and The Veritas Project.

MY THOUGHTS ABOUT THE BOOK…

Love, love, love. This is my favorite book for the moment. While I found it a bit difficult connecting with the first book in this series [This Present Darkness], I was hooked on this book from start to finish. 

If you love suspense, this is the book for you. It will keep you on the edge of your seat-you just can’t wait for Peretti to break the suspense. The story plays out neatly and beautifully and the characters are intricately woven into the story. Peretti is a master of the thriller genre, and I found the book to be quite interesting, entertaining, captivating and engaging.

In addition to being entertaining though, the book contains lessons. First, it serves as a grim reminder to parents to be aware of what’s going on in their children’s school. What subjects are they taking? For non-traditional subjects, what does the curriculum entail? Are your children being taught values that are in line with what you want them to know? Be involved in your child’s school. Know the curriculum.

The book also highlights the need for schools to have a system of checks and balances-Know your students before enrolling them at your school. Extensive detailed information about each student should be obtained where possible as this can save a school in the event of a lawsuit.

I heartily recommend this book to those who are yet to read it, particularly church leaders, parents and educators.

BOOK REVIEW: THIS PRESENT DARKNESS

Something strange is happening in the little town of Ashton. A dark, sinister force is at work. A college professor, Professor Juleen Langstrat, has come to town with some ideas on Eastern mysticism and the New Age religion, and suddenly, the once peaceful town has become rocked with unpleasant occurrences like murder and the expulsion of many of the town’s inhabitants. This makes the local church pray more earnestly while newspaper editor, Marshall Hogan, and his reporter, Bernice Krueger, whose sister died under very mysterious circumstances, try to get to the bottom of the mystery. What they don’t know is that their battle is not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers in the heavenly realm. Marshall and Bernice unearth a series of cataclysmic truths that catapults them into a world of greed, lust and occultism even as angels and demons battle furiously for the life and soul of the town itself.

Frank Peretti

This Present Darkness is a novel written by Frank Peretti, best-selling author of several books like the Oath, Visitation, Prophet, The Veritas Project, etc.

What I love about the book:

The novel makes readers more cognizant of the fact that there’s a spiritual battle going on in the world at any given time. It offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of angels and demons and emphasizes the importance of prayer in a person’s life. The book also projects quite sharply the importance of angels in the life of the Christian and makes the bible verse: ‘For we battle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers’ come alive for the reader.

What is not so good…

I am a great fan of Frank Peretti, however I must admit that I have ambivalent feelings about this book. While I like the way it highlights the spiritual struggle going on in the world today, I must admit that I found some aspects a bit implausible or too convenient; such as the way virtually every enemy of the Universal Consciousness Society in Ashton town was run off the town, and the way Hogan’s wife, Kate, returned to him at the end of the story. It was just too easy. 

I also wish some parts of the story were more developed. For instance, providing background details about Juleen Langstrat and what led up to her becoming steeped in the occult would have helped readers understand her character better.  Also, one gets the feeling that Peretti was trying to focus on too many things at once- at a point one has to wonder if the story is about angels and demons or about a man almost having an affair with his newspaper reporter.  Peretti also almost failed to deliver the punch line, thank God this finally happened towards the end of the book.

In the end though, these flaws are forgivable when you remember that this was Peretti’s first published novel for adults; especially seeing as his other books like Oath and Visitation were more plausible and interesting. While I will not recommend this book to someone who has never read any of Peretti’s books, for those who are used to his style of writing, read on-you just might like it better than I did.

IN PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE: OVERCOMING THE OBSTACLES ON YOUR PATH

Nineteen year old D was ecstatic when she saw her result. Distinction in the West African School Certificate! What a wonderful result! Things began happening in quick succession after that. D received a scholarship to the University, where she decided to study Pharmacy. Being a scholar by nature, she refused to stop at first degree level, choosing instead to study Pharmacy up to the post-graduate level. She eventually became a lecturer in a university as well as a consultant to many reputable organizations and government agencies.

Life, however, was not all rosy for D. At a point, her diabetic sister became ill and died of a fake insulin injection. This tragic incident was one of the turning points in D’s life, and years later when she began her crusade against fake drugs, some would look back on the incident as the catalyst for her actions. D, of course, is no other person than the late Professor Dora Akunyili, former Minister of Information in Nigeria and once Director-General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

Many Nigerians are familiar with the state of the pharmaceutical industry before the advent of Dora Akunyili. At the time, fake food and drugs, both local and international, flooded the markets and for some reason the then NAFDAC chairman seemed to find it difficult controlling the influx of these fake items into the market. The question seemed to be: ‘Who will bell the cat?’

However, on being appointed Director-General of NAFDAC, Dora immediately began the herculean task of sanitizing the Food and Pharmaceutical Industry in Nigeria. This did not come as an easy task and she soon made enemies. On Friday, December 26, 2003, an assassination attempt was made on her life and the silver bullet narrowly missed her hairline due to the headgear on her head. All this did not deter Dora. She knew she had enemies but she continued her crusade against fake food and drugs. Because of her courage, tenacity and productivity, she received numerous national and International awards such as the Integrity Award by Transparency International [2003]and the African Cultural Institute’s Icon of Excellence Award [2005]. She was also honoured by TIME magazine, New York, in 2005 as one of the 18 heroes of our time. 

Dora conferred with the Harmony Award by Planet Africa television, Canada.

The Oxford Dictionary defines excellence as ‘the quality of being outstanding or extremely good’. Excellence is a word that is bandied about by all and sundry, with the majority claiming to adore the virtue. However, a quick look at what is happening in workplaces and even the country at large shows that many people are merely paying lip service to excellence as a virtue as mediocrity seems to be the order of the day. 

Basically, there are three kinds of people in the world viz:

1.      People who are mediocre and who hate getting out of their comfort zone

2.      People who wish to be excellent but are discouraged by the obstacles around them.

3.      People who love excellence and who have overcome major obstacles in their path, in their quest to achieve excellence.

This post is aimed at the second type of people, those who are pursuing excellence but who are discouraged in that pursuit. Just like Dora Akunyili, you may find yourself working in a field, an environment or an organization where no one cares about doing right, mediocrity seems to be the order of the day. In trying to implement policies that lead to excellence in such organizations, note that you may go through the following process as outlined by Mahatma Gandhi;

Stage 1: The Ignoring stage: Other members of the organization may ignore your efforts in the hope that you will one day get frustrated and give up. 

Stage 2:The Laughing stage. At this point, you’re beginning to get the attention of the mediocres. They’re still a bit unsure of your capabilities and are thinking ‘just how capable is this man or woman’? They may decide to shake you up a little bit by laughing at you and ridiculing you, hoping to damage your confidence and self-esteem.

Stage 3:The Fighting stage. Now, you’ve gotten everyone’s full attention. The mediocres hate you at this point. You’re more than a fly on their wall; you’re like an irritating fly that refuses to go away. At this stage, mediocre minds fight tooth and nail to frustrate excellent minds chiefly because they cannot stand the fact that someone else was determined and courageous enough to succeed where they failed. This is a critical time for those who love excellence. It is the point at which loyalties are tested, and I must also add that this is the loneliest time for many excellent minds. Betrayals occur at this stage as some people who were regarded as friends may turn out to be enemies in disguise. Sad to say, some excellent minds give up at this stage as they can’t stand the heat in the kitchen, so to speak. 

Stage 4: The Winning stage. Excellent minds that hold on to their convictions despite the opposition will finally get to savour the sweet smell of victory. Oh la la. At this point, all sorrows are forgotten, and those who said ‘You can’t do it’ will end up saying ‘I knew you could do it all along’

In conclusion, the pathway to excellence is not an easy one, rather it is one that is fraught with obstacles and dangers… and filled with happiness as well. Dora Akunyili died of cancer in 2014, but her courage and accomplishments will never be forgotten, and wherever the history of the Pharmaceutical Industry in Nigeria is told, her name will always be mentioned. If you are presently facing challenges in your quest for excellence, keep calm, be courageous and remain tenacious. In the end, you will win.

QUOTE FROM MARGARET THATCHER

This is one of my favorite quotes, and I particularly like it because it is applicable in all facets of life.

For example: in your office, if you have to constantly remind your staff that you're the boss, then you most likely aren't.

At home, if you constantly tell your wife: 'I'm the man!', hmm.....are you really sure you are? 

NOTE: Leadership is influence. A true leader doesn't have to proclaim it, it surrounds him / her like an aura. Work at increasing your leadership ability, then you won't need to announce it, it will speak for itself.