Taiwo AKINLAMI

#HomilyFromThePew

KEEP BREATHING: YOU ARE NOT DONE YET
…One Priceless Lesson from the Labour Room on the Day Our Son Was Born

Today, I take my text from the opening verses of a song that I believe God brought my way nearly ten years ago. It is by Karrie Roberts, titled Keep Breathing.

The song begins:

You wait in darkness
For answers that you can’t see
You know what you deserve
And you’re wondering why your life is
Not what you thought it should be

There are moments when those words describe our lives with painful accuracy—moments when answers refuse to come, when expectations collapse, when life no longer looks like what we prayed for, planned for, or believed for.

The song continues:

When the knife breaks
Your heart still aches
How can you face the day?

That is an honest question. How do you face the day when the pain is still fresh, when the wound is still open, when nothing makes sense?

And then comes the refrain, the sermon in a sentence:

Keep breathing
You’ll make it
Don’t give in
You’re not done yet

Sometimes, all that you can do is keep breathing and believing.

This song has become a sermon I have preached to myself time and again, because the kind of life I have chosen has placed me in situations where all I could do was breathe.

Have you ever been in a place where you needed God to come through so badly that you could not even imagine the alternative? Where you could not contemplate otherwise, because the “otherwise” was too frightening to hold?

Moments when your faith is not dramatic, not loud, not poetic, but fragile, quiet, and bare.
Moments when all you can do is breathe.

My relationship with God is anchored on three fundamental convictions drawn from Scripture, especially 1 Corinthians 10:13:

“There has no temptation taken you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear. But with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape.”

Over time, I came to understand this Scripture in three simple truths:

✅My situation is not unique: others are here and have been here before.

✅I can bear it: even when I do not feel strong.

✅There is a way out: even when I cannot see it.

I once read a rendering that said: what you are facing today is someone else’s history.

But here is the truth I must confess: this Scripture is easier read than lived.

There are moments when Scripture does not leap off the page. When prayer does not flow. When words fail. When even faith feels exhausted.

And I have lived those moments.

One of them came during the pregnancy and birth of our son.

We had been married fifteen years before we conceived, our first pregnancy, our first child. An elderly consultant obstetrician, a man in his seventies, studied our file and said gently but firmly:

“This is a very delicate and very expensive pregnancy. It must be guarded jealously.”

As the due date approached, labour was induced. We were told delivery would happen within twenty-four hours.

Twenty-four hours became forty-eight.
Forty-eight became seventy-two.

By the first night, Scripture no longer resonated. I was not praying eloquently. I was advocating, negotiating, pressing the doctors.

They kept saying, “The baby is fine. The mother is fine.”

But nothing felt fine.

I had heard too many stories. Stories of loss. Stories of prolonged labour with lifelong consequences. After fifteen years of waiting, I could not imagine the other side.

At some point, I became completely helpless.

No Scripture.
No prayer.
No words.

Just breathing.

Then, late that night, a senior consultant reviewed the file and asked one question:

“How long has labour lasted?”

“Three days.”

She paused and said, “If this baby does not come out tonight, I am bringing him out tonight.”

She did.

The next day, she told us the truth: she had been dealing with an emergency. The baby was getting tired. Weak. Time was running out. It was a risk, but it was the only way.

She said quietly, “It was a miracle.”

In that moment, I understood something deeply.

There are times in life when you cannot quote Scripture.
Times when you cannot pray.
Times when faith is not loud, but desperate.

Times when all you can do is breathe.

And sometimes, that is enough.

I have been close to death more times than I can count, some as a child, some as an adult. In many of those moments, survival was not strategy. It was mercy.

So today, my homily from the pew is simple:

There are seasons when Scripture must be lived before it can be understood.
Seasons when faith is not declaration, but endurance.
Seasons when obedience looks like breathing.

If you are in a place today where you cannot imagine the other side…
If prayer feels heavy…
If words have left you…

Keep breathing.
You are not done yet.
God is not done yet.

Sometimes, the most powerful act of faith is staying alive long enough for grace to speak.

Keep breathing.

Amen.

Do have an INSPIRED week ahead with the family.

#MinistryOfClarity

2 days ago | [YT] | 5

Taiwo AKINLAMI

#50PlusDad Reflections
What It Takes for Imperfect Parents to Raise Complete Children in an Imperfect World

This week I said to my wife, ordinary talk, “I love our son so much.” Some mornings I catch myself whispering it: I just love him.

Then reality answers: I am not a perfect lover. I cannot be. I have loved my son from before he was born, yet in four years I have not been perfect in my parenting. I have made mistakes. I still make mistakes. That is not self-pity; it is honesty.

So I am not chasing a “perfect child.”
I am chasing a balanced child. A whole child.

That goal matters even more because of my own background. I grew up with abuse. Some childhood trauma still demands daily work. Trauma can live in reflexes, not only in memories. Let me be clear: I do not beat my son. I do not yell at him. We discipline him, yes, but we refuse to let our trauma become his inheritance. Still, I must admit what many avoid: some triggers sit in the subconscious, and you may never fully map them all.

Principles can remain; methods must evolve. Yesterday’s parenting methods cannot always achieve today’s good in today’s world.

So what does a balanced child look like?
A child is not an object to manage, but a person to form.

I think in four pillars:

Worth: value rooted in identity (for me, Imago Dei). Judgment: both what to think (values) and how to think (skills). Choice: life is shaped by repeated decisions; values shape choices. Responsibility — leadership begins now, in age-appropriate ownership.

And beneath those pillars are deep needs every child carries:
• someone to believe (a steady voice)
• something to believe (meaning/values)
• somewhere to belong (safety)
• something to become (purpose)
• someone to be (a real self, not performance)

Two anchors keep me grounded:
“Train up a child in the way he should go…” (Proverbs 22:6)
“When I was a child, I spoke as a child…” (1 Corinthians 13:11)

My admonition as we approach the new year: aim not for perfection, but for wholeness. Parent not as a slave to fear, but as a responsible human—learning, apologizing, correcting, and loving.

Read the full reflections in the comment.

1 week ago | [YT] | 24

Taiwo AKINLAMI

#50PlusDad Reflection

The Parable of the Three Elephants and the Grass

I became a biological father at 51. My son is four years old. I am now 55. Those numbers matter. They shape how I see debates about children, technology, power, and responsibility, especially because what we are building (or failing to build) in our children will outlast our direct control.

There is a saying: when elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. In today’s debate, the elephants are governments, parents, and social media giants. The grass is our children.

Everyone claims to be acting in the child’s best interest. Governments speak of public welfare and safety. Platforms point to age limits, parental consent, and moderation tools. Parents, often from lived pain demand decisive action. None of these positions is automatically illegitimate. Yet something essential is still missing.

A few evenings ago, my son was beside me, scrolling through family photos on my phone (offline). Then he looked up and asked: “Daddy, why do people do bad things?” No algorithm put that question in him. No platform prompted it. It came from a developing conscience.

That moment made something plain: no ban, filter, or regulation can answer that question for a child. Only a human being can. The real work happens in living rooms, at dinner tables, and in unguarded conversations where values are formed.

So here is my concern about the current global push, Australia included, toward restrictions and bans: we may succeed in building guardrails, yet fail to build the person using the road.

Yes, algorithms are designed to maximise engagement. Yes, there are addictive patterns. But addiction does not exist in isolation. It intersects with identity, values, self-control, and resilience. A platform amplifies what it meets in the human heart; it cannot rise above the discipline, or absence of discipline, within the user.

Regulation may reduce exposure. It may buy time. But it does not build character. Only values do that. Values are not installed by legislation or software updates; they are cultivated through presence, modelling, correction, and repeated conversations.

If we win the regulatory battle but lose the formation war, the grass will still suffer.

The full article is in the link in the comments.

Have an inspired week ahead with the family.

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 15

Taiwo AKINLAMI

Breach of Protocol and the Arrogance of Power? The Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu–Governor Adeleke Encounter and the Shadow of Elena Ceaușescu

As I watched the exchange between Nigeria’s First Lady, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, and the Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, an encounter in which she reportedly declared, “Stop singing or I will switch off the microphone,” even limiting him to five minutes for his remarks, I found myself struggling to understand what our so-called democracy has become.

The image was jarring: a First Lady addressing a sitting governor with the tone of a senior prefect correcting a newly admitted junior student.

The Book I read says, “By your words you are justified, and by your words you are condemned.”

By the public posture of the political class to which both Adeleke and Mrs. Tinubu belong, Nigeria claims to be running a constitutional democracy, a system built on protocol, institutional order, and a moral architecture of leadership. Within that framework, the governor is:

• the elected representative of the people,
• the chief security officer of his state, and
• in this case, the chief host at an event on his own soil.

The First Lady, by contrast, is not an elected official. Her office is not created by the Constitution. Whatever influence she possesses is social or political, not legal or electoral.

So how does a guest at an event publicly warn the host, the elected governor, that she will “switch off the mic” if he continues singing, and interrupt him while he exercises the discretion of his office to address his own people? What do we call that? What democratic dictionary contains such an entry? Why is it so difficult for the political class, including its most visible figures, to live up to the script of democratic governance they want Nigerians to believe exists?

And how do I explain such a moment to my child, in a world where leaders are supposed to be servants?

As I watched, one historical image returned with startling clarity: Elena Ceaușescu, wife of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu and Deputy Prime Minister of Romania, whose 24-year regime crashed under the weight of its own arrogance. The comparison is not about identical circumstances, but about a familiar posture, arrogance that grows when power loses all sense of humility.

Elena Ceaușescu: When Arrogance Becomes a National Spirit

In December 1989, as the Ceaușescu regime collapsed, Nicolae and Elena attempted to flee Bucharest. Their helicopter landed under pressure, and soldiers moved in to arrest them.

Elena did not show fear. She showed fury, the fury of someone who believed the country belonged to her.

As the soldiers approached, she snapped repeatedly at her husband:

“Tell them you are the President!
Tell them you are the President!
Tell them who you are!”

It was a moment of breathtaking delusion, the blindness that absolute power produces. She believed that shouting his title loudly enough could stop the march of history.

When soldiers insisted they were under arrest, she berated them:

“This is a mistake!
You will pay for this!
All of you will pay!”

She did not see the guns.
She did not see the revolution.
She did not see the millions who had rejected them.
She only saw herself, above accountability.

During their trial, her arrogance sharpened further. When judges listed her possessions, including 365 pairs of shoes, she interrupted angrily:

“No! Not 365, 364 pairs!”

Her quarrel was not with the truth; it was with the optics of indulgence. Even on the brink of execution, she corrected the judges with disdain, as though the courtroom were beneath her and the proceedings an affront to her status. She berated the judges. She dismissed the charges. She acted as though she were still untouchable.

Arrogance had become her final language.

What Came to Mind Watching Nigeria

When I watched Nigeria’s First Lady publicly threaten to silence a governor in his own state, Elena Ceaușescu came to mind, not because the contexts are identical, but because the attitude is identical:

• a belief that power confers ownership,
• a disregard for institutional boundaries,
• a sense of entitlement that tramples protocol,
• a posture that suggests the nation belongs to a family, not a people.

In that moment, it felt as though history had returned, not in form, but in spirit.

Where are the servant-leaders?
Where is the humility that undergirds true democracy?
How do we raise children in a society where those who should model service instead model domination?

Is this democracy, or something drifting quietly toward family monarchy?

When protocol is ignored in public and no one blinks, we must ask whether governance has been replaced by personal fiefdom. When leaders cannot model humility, how do we teach our children that leadership is service, not domination?

This was more than a breach of protocol. It was a revelation, a window into how power in Nigeria is increasingly performed, rather than constrained. A democracy without boundaries becomes a dictatorship in slow motion. A nation without servant-leaders becomes a society where the people serve leadership, rather than leadership serving the people.

In the Full Glare of History

Elena Ceaușescu could not imagine a Romania where people no longer bowed to her. She believed titles were permanent. She believed power was personal property. She believed shouting, “Tell them you are the President!” could restore a collapsing world.

But history has no patience for arrogance. And nations, when pushed long enough, reclaim their voice.

What we saw in Osun State may appear small to some. It is not. It is a symbol. A warning. A symptom.

Power that disrespects protocol eventually disrespects the people.

And power that disrespects the people does not remain democratic for long.

Do have an INSPIRED week ahead with the family.

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 8

Taiwo AKINLAMI

The Fallacy of the Harrison Gwamnishu Ransom Controversy: What It Reveals About Nigeria as a Full-Blown Theatre of Absurdity -Who Bewitched Us?

Nigeria has become a full-blown theatre of absurdity, a stage so chaotic that even the legendary Moses Olaiya Baba Sala would regret dying an amateur despite his prodigious achievements, for his pioneering genius could never have imagined, scripted, or performed this best-selling drama of national madness that Nigeria has now become. What we are witnessing today defies logic, humanity, and governance.

Have we followed the unfolding tragedy involving Harrison Gwamnishu? Forget the claims and counterclaims for a moment, that is not my focus. A couple was kidnapped. The kidnappers released a video showing the husband and his pregnant wife. The husband begged Nigerians to raise money. He declared they had only ₦7 million. He announced publicly that his wife was pregnant.

And yet, the Nigerian Police, with a full video in circulation, could not trace them.
Let that sink in.

Either the police do not have the machinery or infrastructure to trace criminals in 2025, or they are working in concert with them. Pick your poison.

Into this vacuum stepped a private citizen, Harrison. The family claimed they gave him ₦20 million. He went into the bush. Allegations emerged that he removed part of the ransom. He countered that it was part of his operation, replacing some money with duplicates to embed a tracker.

But here is where the absurdity peaks:

The same Nigerian Police that could not rescue two kidnapped Nigerians are now “investigating” whether part of the ransom was removed. A pregnant woman was kidnapped. Her husband is still in captivity. The police did nothing.

Now they have suddenly found the energy, capacity, and moral outrage to investigate a civilian for doing the very job they could not do, yet they remain unable to secure the release of the husband who is still in captivity, a failure for which we must now hold them accountable more than ever before.

Who bewitched us?

Why are we analyzing ransom videos instead of asking the real question:
Why was the Nigerian Police unable to conduct this rescue themselves?

Why is the Inspector General of Police still in office? Why are the officers in charge not sanctioned?

What infrastructure failure allowed kidnappers to operate with such confidence that they released a video knowing nothing would happen to them?

Whether Harrison is right or wrong is secondary. His involvement only exposes the nakedness of the Nigerian State, the ineptitude of our policing system, and the collapse of institutional responsibility.

Let us be clear: The Nigerian Police have no moral standing in this matter.

Not when they failed to rescue citizens. Not when they could not trace the kidnappers.

Not when private citizens must now enter forests to do what the State refuses or is unable to do.

What exactly are we doing as a nation? What are we even debating?

Why are we not outraged that the State has abdicated its primary duty, the protection of life?

Who did this to us?

I am struggling to process it, deeply, painfully. Because nothing makes sense anymore.

Do have an INSPIRED weekend with the family.

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 5

Taiwo AKINLAMI

Destiny in the Casuals: Why I No Longer “Pursue” My Dreams at 55

These days, when I’m invited to speak, I hardly “prepare” in the traditional sense.

If the topic is within family strengthening, child safeguarding, protection, or purposeful and power parenting, I simply show up and speak from how I live. I don’t study to teach; I study to live. What I share on stage is what I am already practising off stage.

That is where this life lesson was born:

You don’t pursue your dream. You live your dream.
You don’t chase destiny. You position for it.

I first heard this framed by Pastor ‪@OlakunleSoriyan‬ (reinforced by distinguished voices like ‪@ErwinRaphaelMcManus‬).

My own journey has confirmed it repeatedly through what I now call “destiny in the casuals.”

Not strategy.
Not hype.
Just obedience and consistency, and suddenly, history opens a door.

A few “casuals” that shaped my path:

1990–1997: Casually participated in the Students’ Union for the love of service; gained lifelong, destiny-defining relationships.

1999–2000: Casually raised alarm about children kept in brothels in Lagos. Sent out a press release. NTA Lagos invited me to “Morning Ride”; I declined. A bigger casual door opened: NTA One-on-One, 4 April 2000, 30 million viewers at age 30. No PR agency. Just burden and obedience.

Marriage: Casually went to LASU to volunteer as a pastor. Met my wife. No strategic search, just alignment.

2003: Casually started a column with Daily Independent. It quietly became the springboard for my work with UNICEF.

2010: Casually introduced to Dr (Mrs) Femi Ogunsanya, then APEN Chair. Training her school led to one APEN session, then two, then massive visibility among Nigeria’s top private schools.

2013: Casually sent out our TeacherFIRE® brochures to international organisations. That single step birthed rewarding engagements with the British Council and SOS Children’s Villages International.

2017: Casually doing the work, volunteering faithfully, we were noticed. Our S.A.F.E for Children® framework was showcased by Facebook and Google at the Child Safety Summit in Dublin before participants from Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and observers from the US.

Second-generation relationships: Casually walked into The Fountain of Life Church on Tuesday, February 18, 1997, served in different capacities, became the personal attorney to our late Senior Pastor, and later Secretary to the Board of Trustees. That casual step, taken 28 years ago, opened a relationship that is now in its second generation.

Again and again, the pattern is the same:

I was not chasing a stage.
I was living an assignment.

At 55, here is my conclusion:

• Life is not window dressing.
• “Breakthrough” is rarely sudden; it is the visible tip of years of invisible faithfulness.
• Your life will attract your like. Somewhere, a “big person” is quietly watching how you handle “small” things.

So the real question is not, “When will my big opportunity come?”

The real question is, “Am I already living the life that will recognise it when it arrives?”

Do have an INSPIRED weekend with the family.

3 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 14

Taiwo AKINLAMI

TAINMINUTES | EPISODE 162
Ẹ̀ṣọ́ Wẹ̀wẹ̀ & Ogo Wẹẹrẹ: How to Discover & Respect What Love Really Means to a Child

Children experience love in ways the adults in their life often overlook. It could be through the little gestures, the quiet moments, the consistency, the tone of our words, and even the things we assume “don’t matter.” Too many times, we give what we call love, forgetting to ask what love looks and feels like to the child.

In this episode of TAINMINUTES, Mr. Taiwo Akinlami gently opens up a deep conversation on how children understand love, protection and emotional safety. He invites parents, teachers and caregivers to pause, reflect and realign their intentions with what truly nourishes a child’s heart.

🔊 What we will explore together:
1️⃣ The meaning of Ẹ̀ṣọ́ Wẹ̀wẹ̀ & Ogo Wẹẹrẹ and why every child’s love language deserves to be known and honored.
2️⃣ How children interpret actions, tone and presence as love or the absence of it.
3️⃣ Simple, everyday practices that help children feel seen, safe and deeply valued.

📅 TOMORROW Friday, November 5th, 2025
🕗 8:00 PM WAT | 3:00 PM EST
🔔 Subscribe & turn on your reminder:
bit.ly/TaiwoAkinlamiYouTubeChannel

See you soon!

#TAINMINUTES #TaiwoAkinlami #ChildProtection #ParentingWisdom #ChildrenFirst #HolisticParenting #EmotionalSafety #PurposefulParenting #FamilyMatters #LoveInPractice

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 7

Taiwo AKINLAMI

#50PlusDad Reflections

Why I Paused My Life for My Son: The Uncomfortable Truth I Learned From One Month Away From Daycare
Some Mondays, writing this column feels effortless.

Today is not one of them.
Not because I lack lessons, but because parenting at mid-fifties exposes depths that resist neat sentences. Raising my first child in my fifties is a school no lifetime of income can pay for, beautiful, demanding, and at times emotionally overwhelming.

Parenting in my twilight forces me to navigate two worlds:
the world I came from, and the world I am determined to build for my son.

My childhood was shaped by abuse. My adulthood has been shaped by nearly three decades of confronting abuse, strengthening systems, and defending children. Sometimes, what I survived and what I know collide, and I feel the weight of responsibility intensely.

Recently, my wife and I asked a defining question:
What exactly are we trying to raise?
Our answer was simple:
We are not raising a perfect child.
We are raising a balanced child.
Perfection is a prison.
Balance is a possibility.

Last month, that conviction became an experiment.
I withdrew my son from daycare for the entire month of November. I cancelled meetings, shifted timelines, disrupted routines, and rebuilt my schedule around him. He sat through my online sessions, followed me to meetings, and lived each day closely with me.

For one month, we shared the same rhythm, air, and pace.
Today, I took him back to daycare,
and I almost cried.

My wife and I agreed: we will watch for one week. If what I spent one month sowing has not taken root, I will pull him out again. My calendar can scatter. My son’s destiny cannot be postponed.

I run multiple organisations in Nigeria and in the United States. My schedule is not merely busy; it is shape-shifting. Yet this month reinforced a truth I have taught parents for years:

The responsibility of raising a child cannot be delegated.
You may delegate support, but not essence.
You may delegate tasks, but not destiny.
You may outsource activities, but not identity.

Any arrangement that makes the parent a secondary influence is not delegation; it is a quiet assault on the child’s destiny.

Schools can assist.
Daycares can support.
Nannies can help.
Family can contribute.
But parents must remain the drivers, not the passengers.

I do not beat my son. I do not shout at him. I reason with him. I speak to him with dignity. Children understand far more than adults admit. Before he ever spoke, he was already learning from his environment. If the environment can teach him, then I must teach him, deliberately, intentionally, consistently.

This is the labour of parenting in my fifties.
This is my classroom.
This is my curriculum.

And today, this is my offering:
a vulnerable reflection from a father who is learning, adjusting, and refusing to surrender his son’s future to chance.

Read the full reflection in the comments.
Do have an INSPIRED week ahead with the family.

4 weeks ago | [YT] | 11

Taiwo AKINLAMI

Since its inception in 2010, the TeacherFIRE® Revolution has redefined what it means to teach, awakening educators to see themselves not as employees, but as nation-builders.

TeacherFIRE® Revolution US Edition is almost here, it is a transformative virtual gathering designed to equip educators, counsellors, school leaders, and caregivers with practical tools for creating safer, more supportive classrooms and learning environments.

At the recently held TeacherFIRE®️Monthly Drill, our guest speaker Dr Joy Isa (EdD, CMC), reminded participants that:

“We must be lifelong learners and submit ourselves continuous professional development.”

➡️ Swipe through to catch some of the unforgettable nuggets she dropped, each one a reminder of why we do what we do.

Have you registered for the TeacherFIRE® Revolution US Edition?

Theme:
From Head to Heart: Safe Teachers, Safe Classrooms, Safe Children
...Building Cultures of Safeguarding Across Multicultural and Mainstream Schools.

📅 Date: Saturday, December 6th, 2025
🕕 Time: 6pm WAT | 12pm EST
📍 Venue: Virtual (details sent upon registration)
🧾 Register here: tinyurl.com/TeacherFireRevolutionUSA

💥 Participation is free but registration is mandatory.Only registered participants will receive access links and materials.

See you soon!

#teacherfirerevolution2025 #purposedriveneducation #safeschools #childprotection #globalteachers

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4 weeks ago | [YT] | 7

Taiwo AKINLAMI

Since 2010, the TeacherFIRE® Revolution has challenged educators to rise beyond routine work and embrace their role as nation-builders. This movement continues with the upcoming TeacherFIRE® Revolution – US Edition, a focused virtual gathering created to help educators, counsellors, school leaders and caregivers strengthen their capacity to build safer, more supportive learning spaces.

During our recent TeacherFIRE® Monthly Drill, guest speaker Mr. Rotimi Eyitayo emphasized a powerful truth:
“Safeguarding is not just a field of knowledge, it is also an area full of opportunities.”

Swipe through the highlights to revisit the key insights he shared, each one a reminder of the responsibility we carry and the impact we can make.

Now is the time to register for the TeacherFIRE® Revolution – US Edition.

Theme
From Head to Heart: Safe Teachers, Safe Classrooms, Safe Children
Building Cultures of Safeguarding Across Multicultural and Mainstream Schools

Date: Saturday, December 6th, 2025
Time: 6pm WAT | 12pm EST
Venue: Virtual (details will be sent after registration)
Registration Link: tinyurl.com/TeacherFireRevolutionUSA

Participation is free, however, registration is required. Only registered participants will gain access to the event links and materials.

We look forward to hosting you.

#TeacherFIRERevolution #PurposeDrivenEducation #SafeSchools #ChildProtection #GlobalTeachers

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4 weeks ago | [YT] | 6