INSPIRING BEYOND DEATH

Ever heard of the phrase leading beyond the grave. We tend to hear someone’s dead and gone. Yesterday a memorial service was put together for not just a man but a great man Pastor Ina Omakwu who passed on, on the 25th of February 2003. Today is exactly 10 years he left this earth but he’s not gone his legacy lives on.
I never met Pastor Ina but it’s amazing to hear messages he preached so many years ago  still have a lot of impact now. In fact it was a message he preached God knows when that inspired my first post. I have listened to people talk of the encounters they had with him and most of them didn’t talk of his sermons rather his life style. Below are some of the tributes.
Mr Boss Mustapha “To Pastor Ina Sunday was a day to prepare the congregation for the week, his vision was to turn the multitude into members and then into ministers.”
Mrs John “He taught my husband and I that parents can negotiate with their children and our relationship with our kids improved.”
Mrs Sarah Ochekpe “He taught Christ and the Bible in its simplest way.”
Deacon Eugene “He taught me simplicity in the things of God hence I had a joy walking with God. He taught me to demystify money by making me see money as a messenger and me the boss. He was a true lover of people even on his sick bed he remembered my birthday”
Pastor Kailo “He was not just interested in your work in church, he’ll go further to what you do for a living and even go further to ask after your mother. He was a unifying factor. Convened an inter-denominational service that broke the barriers of denominations. He was a giver and it always came timely.
Pastor Wale” He had a family impact. Everyone in the home got touched in one way or the other. He was a man who cared about people’s debts. He was paid some money by the CBS for some job and he called for a meeting of the staff and asked all those who had pledged towards the support of the church building to write down the amounts they owed and he started paying off the amount he could afford with the amount he was paid (This broke my heart). He believed in the worst of people and brought out the best in them.
Pastor Sarah (His Wife) “ He was fun-loving, intelligent and humane. He made the Word JESUS real. He did husband real well. He was the best man that ever lived apart from God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit and maybe just maybe after Abraham , Jacob and Isaac.(This statement put a big smile on my face and caused the tear to stop flowing for a while).
  *A deep breath*. These are just a few I can remember. The memorial service got me thinking, and just like my theme LIVE TO LEAVE A LEGACY, what will I be remembered for. This is a man I never met but the words God spoke through him are still finding relevance and it comes all the time refreshed.
I ask you now to join me to think of this, what will people remember you for when you are gone.
Pastor Wale said something so profound and I quote him “It’s a rare occurrence to have good and great together but Pastor Ina was a great man and very good too. He went further and said when you are good at something you tell people of it but when you are great people tell of it. I saw a model man in him. A pastor of pastors and leader of leaders.”
As we remember the memory of a great man Pastor Ina whose life is still inspiring beyond the grave may we all re – examine our lives and live it in such a way that when we are gone our foot – prints will be remembered on the sand of time.
Loads of Love
JMAD