Our Mother's Day Video!!!!!!!!!

Happy Mothers day to our amazing,strong,selfless,confident,bold,courageous,enduring,forgiving and loving Mums. We celebrate You!!!!

Music by Tim Bickman-Mothers love

The Celebration Of Mums Continues 2!!!!!

It's finally mother's day tomorrow. We embarked on a celebration project all week and we cannot say thank  you enough for the tremendous  support throughout the week. Thank you for reading and sharing.

Most of all, thank you to the ladies who participated by sending Write Up's and Pictures.This celebration would not have been as great as it was without it. I may be far from my mum but I am grateful to have had the opportunity to celebrate her with you all and I hope it has been the same for you too.Tomorrow, we crown the celebration with our Collage and Fab video but for now enjoy our latest write up's from our readers.

My Number 1

How do I begin to count my blessings. I am beyond blessed because  I have many mothers who have played a big role in making me the woman I am today.

So today i celebrate My Angels here on earth, Grandmum, Dr Y. Akinola (Big mummy),Mrs Alli-owe, Dr O. Akinola,Miss F. Akinola, Mrs T. Oshodi, I thank You for the unconditional love you show me ,the 'plenty' money you give me, the delicious food , the advice...the list goes on. I pray that God gives you very log lives to reap the fruit of your labour in Jesus name.

To my mother, my "bestest"  friend, my confidant, my love , the one that loves me no matter what my, super woman....Words can not express the love and gratitude I feel.You have been my everything from the day I was born , I am grateful to God  for giving you to me as my mother. Your love astounds me , you have wisdom beyond your years,your advice still guides me."Iya mi owon". May you live loooooong to reap the fruit of your labour and see your great grandchildren, may God give you good health and peace of mind.

Happy Mothers Day to my number 1

Perfection is the definition of the friendship I have with my mum.....more words will defeat the definition of perfection.

Happy Mother's Day Mum.

Last Minute Mother's Day GIft Ideas!!!!!

Having last minute plans for gift ideas or you just can't seem to figure out what to get your mum?Don't panic quite yet. We have a few gift ideas suitable for various kind of  mums that may just sort it all out. The key thing is knowing your Mum and her preference.

1. A mother's Day card.
 Yes,It is traditional but you would be amazed at how treasured words are.Every mum is different and for some, words are golden and deeply treasured.There are lots of things we take for granted by assuming that your mum knows how much you appreciate her.This is one day  you can take out time to move from assumptions to expressions by letting her know the treasure she is to you.There are still some traditional mums out there you know.

Now for some mums, a card will pass as OK,but for some something definitely has to go along with the card. Being a child of african descent, predominantly Nigerian , I know what I mean when I say a card would not be sufficient for all mums. A card will suffice when you are younger but with age comes wisdom lol. If you know what I mean.

2.  Bouquet of Flowers
If your mum is laid back ,Someone who would rather relax and unwind at home.Try a bouquet of flowers to go with the card, It would be the perfect icing on the cake. Make it a bit more special by getting a flower company to deliver it over. Cozy up with your mum all day,share a meal,some tea,some wine and dont forget some desert .It never hurt anyone.

3.A Gift Card or getting Her a Gift You know She Would Be Intrigued By
If your mum is not the traditional type , She is more into gifts and it may be a little difficult to figure out what to get her, a gift card might just do.

  

 Get her a gift card to one of her favourite stores. I mean what better way to show love to a Mum who is extra particular by letting her see that  you are well aware of her preference and taste and you appreciate it. Showing your love ,by showing an appreciation for things that are valuable to her is key. If this option is not suitable for her,some brainstorming might just do. What Does she like?What particular things has she showed some liking towards.Is it a particular perfume? A phone? Jewelry? or maybe its one of these uniquely shaped bags  by Nigerian Designer 'Dots'.When you figure that out,It would be the perfect gift because it is paramount that your gift says I made some considerations towards your gift not I chose anything that was available.You want her to see her gift and actually mean it when she says I love it.

4. A Spa Day

This is for career  Mums who forget to treat themselves sometimes or take some time out to relax. A  Soothing and relaxing atmosphere which a spa provides will be just right.

A reliable source tells me the Spa at Four points Lagos provides you with that serene ambiance to make her feel pampered and  feel like the Queen that she is.

5. An all Girls Day out With Your Mum

In this busy world, It may be quite difficult to make out  time as mush as you would want to hang out with your mum.This is for all the folks who are super busy or have super busy mums.

What better way to make her feel special  and make up for lost times than to treat her to an  indulgent day of fun and Dining .Spend the afternoon at the movies, bowling ,walking or at the park. Whatever you think would intrigue her but the key thing about is you get to catch up,share laughs and make new memories .Crown the day with a Night out at a fancy restaurant.Don't stay out too late remember duty calls on Monday and enjoy every minute of it.

Gift Card is by Emerald Gift Cards for use at various retail stores.

Bag by Dots Fashion
Photo Credit : Visual photos.com and World Wide Web.

The Celebration Of Mums Continues!!!!!!!

This week is still celebration of Mums week and You still have time to be a part of this .For further information on how you could,please read the previous post but for now enjoy the write up's by some of our readers .Find out why one of them celebrates two Mums, and why the other regards her Mum as her Gem of Inestimable Value.
Thank  you Ladies.

 My Mums
I have always grown up knowing that i was blessed with 2 awesome women that I could call my mothers .This mother's  day I choose to honor their unconditional love for me.I remember all their boarding house visits, the words of encouragements when I panic, which i still do a lot lol.The unwavering support I get from both of you be it in school matters or just normal everyday activities.I know I am truly blessed to have both of you in my life and I wont change it for anything.
To my mom whom people say we look alike but we both think we are so different, I appreciate all the prayers.thank you for introducing me to my love of books, for just taking time out to be at important functions in my life and for just being there for me.For little things like sending me food when I forgot to pack some during my electives and encouraging me to achieve my dreams,I wanna say Ngiyabonga and ngiyakuthanda.

Happy Mother's Day!!!
                                   


To my dearest godmother aka our second mummy,thank you for being there.For sewing all those polish outfits for me when I was younger,trying to teach me polish(ps If I knew I would end up in poland I might have made more effort to learn), teaching me how to crochet ,abeokuta vacations, boarding house visits and most of all for giving me a whole new family to love in Poland.

Kocham sie!!!!!! and Happy Mothers Day!!!!!

My Gem Of Inestimable Value

My mom died when I was 7 years old you know. I don't remember her as such the thing I seem to remember though is sitting around a bowl of goat meat pepper soup on the sitting room floor laughing with my sis and my mom.Apparently she loved goat meat pepper soup a lot lol. From all I've heard about her she was an amazing woman very stylish, funny , easy going, playful and an amazing mother.Oh and I'm her splitting image which means she was gorgeous(not to blow my own trumpet or anything)

So this post is in gratitude to the woman who gave me life.I know we did not spend a lot of time together, I didn't get the time to get to know you as much as I wanted,I did not get to share the boy issues with you the emotional roller coaster girls seem to go through. I did not get to share my fears about my first period with you or go out for a girls vacation with you and Rieme but I am grateful you were my mom, from my life and Rieme's life I can tell you were one in a million.The fact that Daddy refused to marry is evidence of what a rare gem you were that could not be replaced. I miss you everyday more than I can explain and even though I can't see you today, I want to honor You Mummy.

Happy Mothers day Mum 

To Mrs Adesuwa Taiye Okungbowa with all my love.

Celebrating God's Gift To Us With The World!!!!!!

Give to everyone what you owe them :If you owe taxes , pay taxes; if revenue ,then revenue;If respect ,then respect, if honor, then honor. Rom 13:7

I choose to honor my mum's selflessness. A medical doctor at the peak of her career who still found the time to drop us at Lagos Country Club for swimming lessons and then staying whenever she could to encourage us.I remember when we were learning how to jump into the water all the other kids had jumped in including my siblings and  cousins but I did not .The coaches could not just understand why, but she put on a smile and was right there to encourage me through it.

 I remember  the many , many, many times she showed up when I called  from Boarding school because I wasn't feeling well (which was actually my prayer at the time ).If I got a cold, a hint of malaria, anything was fine with me as long as I got to go home . Thinking about it now, I never considered how busy she might had been.My Primary concern in junior school was to get home.

  Recently, I had my jaw wired  after a minor surgery and she was up early everyday to make the liquid diet I needed. Notwithstanding the fact I could do this myself, she did it everyday for two months. Although it was a pretty difficult time her support, selflessness and love kept me going. These are only a few words that describe what an amazing  mum she is.I love you Mummy

 Here's to My friend, Gist partner, Movie(Africamagicyouruba)buddy and God's gift to me.

Happy Mother's Day Mummy!!!!

If you are still wondering why we dedicated a post to mothers or maybe you already got the gist of it,mother's day is on the 30th of March .If you forgot,you are very welcome!!!

Join us this week as we celebrate our mums and mother figures in our lives .We are going to be celebrating our mums. the entire week.the entire week ? Yes the entire week.We have some pretty amazing plans for the week, which we are totally elated about.

What makes this different is that all our readers are invited to be a part of this. You can help us make this a truly remarkable celebration for our Mums all week long .

There are  two ways you could do this;

1.Send a write up  like the one above of not more than 500 words appreciating your mum.You can make it more special by sharing something specific about your mum which you want to share on this mother's day or an experience you had with your mum which you simply just want to share.
2. You can also send a Picture of you with your mum.

If you fancy doing both options that would be great.All details should be sent to "thefvfactor@gmail.com" latest by Thursday the 27th.

The idea is that our write ups will constitute the posts for the entire week.Also,the pictures are going to be used for the videos and collage which would be displayed on Sunday the 30th.Therefore we really do need your help to make this a success.  Do join the happy train, catch the celebration spirit and Invite people to Join the train with us.Send  Your Information Now!!!!!

'God is busy thinking good thoughts about me,I should be busy Doing the same'

The  other day, I came across the scripture in Jer29:11 that says 'For I know the plans I have for you, plans of good and not of evil,to bring you to an expected end'.I've read and probably quoted that scripture many times like most of us and for me it is such a great comfort and reassurance that God indeed has my back.On this fateful day however, my mind was opened up to another entirely different concept. It was a light bulb moment I tell you. It occurred to me that when God thinks of me his baby girl, All,I repeat ALL His thoughts concerning me are GOOD.This is a Fact.This is the reality.Now based on logical reasoning, and this is pretty simple,it's only sensible I do the same.I mean why not?

For some reason that was life changing for me.It takes the same amount of energy and the same amount of intellectual ability to form a good or bad thought, so why not form good thoughts.Instead of thinking about the 100's of reasons why your goals won't be accomplished, think about one good reason it will and focus on it.Focus on your strengths and not your flaws.Choose to believe God when he says you are wonderfully and fearfully made, in spite of your weakness.It makes all the difference.

A little self-love never hurt anyone.When you think of you what comes to mind?Can you describe  yourself in 3 words?What are your values ?It's important to ask these questions , to see if your thoughts and actions align with what God thinks about you.

A lot of times we ask people what they think about us, and while it is good to get an unbiased opinion about various things that concern us, you cannot rely entirely on another person's opinion of you.

My day to day reality is anything can happen,good or bad but that is OK. In spite of the outcome,everything works out for my good.So basically,there's good in the bad and that pretty much makes it good!

It takes a conscious effort to actually maintain a good attitude when you're on the receiving end of , for lack of a better word 'trash'.This Could mean unfair situations, or unreasonable people, basically anything unpleasant.This post will be pure deception,if I said it was easy,because it's not. What I have found is that it gets easier.The more we practice patience the more patient we will get.The more we switch our aggravated thoughts for peaceful ones in the midst of challenges, the better we get at doing the same in the future.We do all this relying on God's grace.You are a thought away from having a good or bad day.What will it be?


Every day is a lesson;everyday is an opportunity to be a better version of who you were yesterday.I learnt to accept that I don't have all the answers and I don't know everything.Heck I don't even know what I'm having for breakfast tomorrow,What I know is God has a good plan for me, I may not have all the details yet, but I'm content to follow Him daily and enjoy the journey.


Ogunidpe Oyinkan for Femme Vertueuse
 Photo Credit : World Wide Web

Wednesday Song Day!!!!!!!!

It's Wednesday Song Day!!!! This week, we just want to give him praise, we recognize that we are nothing  without him, all that we are, all that we have is because of him.Everything may not be perfect but be encouraged,feed on his faithfulness and remember the Lord Your God .He deserves the glory.We share two songs  this week ; What Can I do By Tye Tribbett and With Everything By Hillsong. We are aware  that we did say 'Song of the week' in the previous post however, the two songs are pretty amazing.Hope you enjoy the songs as much as we do.Please share and check in on Friday for our new post.












Video Credit : You Tube

Quotes To Keep You Motivated All Week Long!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   Hey Ladies!!!We hope you had a Fab Weekend .It is the start of another week and we have some cool posts for the week.We are especially thrilled about our inspirational post.However,we are keeping a lid on it for now.We commence this week by sharing some quotes which motivate  you and  also serve as a build up to the main post for the week.We may be nice and  just share the title ....ehhhhm Nope, changed our minds.Enjoy the clues, enjoy your week and do check in on wednesday for our song of the week and on Friday for Our Inspirational Post that would give you an entire new view on things.

The Two Fold Piece Part 2 ;Don't Deny Yourself The Gift Of Jesus!!!!

This is a continuation of the first part Judge Not That You Might Not Be Judged so please watch the video and  read  the previous post first before you go through this second part.

Please ,don't let anyone restrict you from that which Jesus did on the cross for you .Jesus stopped for Zacchaeus a man whom the entire society knew as a man that cheated people.Jesus was open to women who the society had rejected.He sat down with a prostitute and had a conversation with her.Even, a woman that was caught in adultery,

John 8: 1-11 A Woman Caught In Adultery!!!!!

3 As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act ofadultery. They put her in front of the crow4 “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” 6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!”8 Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. 9 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 

10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?”11 “No, Lord,” she said.
And Jesus said,“Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

  Jesus came for you and me and for everyone who would just receive him.He came for the whole world.He illustrates his love such that he would leave 99 sheep for one. You are as important to Jesus as the most holiest person you could think of.He came for the world.The book of John 2:17 puts it this way " For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved"You do not have to measure up to receive his love.Frankly there is nothing we could ever do that merits what was done on the cross. It does not matter your background, how far you have strayed or how lost you feel.Jesus the great healer will heal the brokenhearted,the abused,the lost, the hopeless, it doesn't matter.Jesus the chief physician will fix you, not any man or pastor but Jesus himself.He may work through a pastor or a man, but it is him that ultimately does the saving.Please don't let anyone hold you back.He came for the sick.Those who need help.

Mark2:13-17 Jesus Calls Levi and Eats With Sinners 

13 Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. 14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

15 While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”.

He came for the sick.He alone understands best what you have  gone through or what you are going through.If you haven't received him into your life,or you were in the fold and you strayed a little.Please do not let anyone hold you back.He says 'WHOEVER' calls upon the name of the lord will be saved. It does not matter who you are are.where you have been, what you did a few minutes before you read this .If you call upon the name of the lord, he is willing and able to save and keep you.Please pray this prayer with me.

Prayer

Jesus today I thank you for your love for me, I thank you father that you love in spite of my wrongs and my shortcomings .I thank you that you haven't given up on me and you never do.Father today I ask that in your mercy,you forgive me my sins you wash me white as snow and you receive me into your loving arms.Lord I thank you for I am forgiven ,Today I receive your unfailing love and I thank you because I am a new creature and old things are washed away.I have a new identity and its in you Christ Jesus.

If you have received Jesus.Don't stop at the entrance .Enter in!! Please go to a church where the word of God is preached and your spirit is fed .Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Even as we exercise to keep our body fit, we need to spiritually exercise.We need to feed ourselves with his word so that we might know him and be able to  "put on the shield of the faith that we might withstand the fiery darts of the enemy .It is important that we do know him,grow deeper in the knowledge of his love for us and it is this love that compels us to want to do things that please him and honour him.He says if you seek him with your whole heart you will find him.We therefore need to "seek"  in order to find him.To seek is to make an attempt to find something.Therefore don't stop at the entrance ,enter in.

We are  so thrilled.Welcome, Welcome ,Welcome  to the Body of Christ and the FV family. We are Super Excited!!!!

We share write ups,songs,videos,interviews and more .Our Hope and mission is to share the love and grace that has saved us and  continues to save and our hope is we all experience him and continually experience him more and more and more and more and more.

The Two Fold Piece Part 1; WHO ARE WE TO JUDGE????

I was in tears after this .A couple of scriptures just flooded my mind.Judge not that you might not be judged. You should remove the Log in your own eye before you remove the speck in other people's eyes.This inspired the Judge not that you might not be judged topic.I'm really sorry and I sincerely apologise to everyone who had ever felt neglected by the church or by me,or felt looked down upon.You truly don't know how much help you can be to someone or how much harm you can cause just by acting more sanctimonious to the next person.

There are two segments to this write up First one  is "Who are We to Judge",This Is for People who are already believers and the second part "Don't Deny Yourself The Gift Of Jesus Christ" is for people who are trying to find their way home.The Second part is on the next post however please watch the video and read this post as well before proceeding to the next post.

Who Are We To Judge !!!!!

Jesus has called us to show his love to people .We should never ever forget that we were saved by grace and we continue to live by that grace.Who are we to judge others or look down on others because of the wrong they have done or they do.When Jesus forgives us ,loves us and died for the redemption of OUR sin.

Jesus,In spite of the fact that his own disciple Peter denied him three times, the people he came to save chose a murderer to be released instead of him , he still died on the cross.He never pushed the prostitute away who had tears in her ears and wiped his feet with her hair,he stopped in the midst of a crowd to pay attention and invite himself to the house of a tax collector(zacchaeus) who at that time was considered to be notorious in that he stole money and cheated people of what was theirs. 

Zacchaeus the Tax Collector
1 He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich. 3 Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” 6 And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly. 7 When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” They were being judgemental.However,because of what Jesus did,
8 Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.

In the story of the prostitute the people had reacted the same way by looking down on her and were making side comments that if Jesus knew who she was, he would have not dined with her .Some of us see ourselves on that high table judging others forgetting that we may have gotten to a certain stage but the lives we live no matter how long we have been saved is still dependent on God's grace.Have we so easily forgotten the love that saved us and continues to save us.The love that sees and knows the depth of our hearts and loves us the same.How then should we deprive others of what we freely received. The truth is the bible says pride comes before a fall. We tend to feel too cool and comfortable as 'better christians' that we gradually slip into pride and become judgemental towards others. The bible says after you have done all to stand still stand therefore.

 We have pushed people in one way or the other by the way we treated, spoke, looked and even talked to them. Sometimes even the act of not talking to some people was an act of 'Christian pride' I know how easy it is to slip into this mindset but never ever again.We have been called to be ambassadors of christ,representatives of his Kingdom,his love, his grace and his mercy. John 3:17 He came to seek and to save the lost so that the world through him might be saved, not that they should be condemned.We have to constantly remind ourselves of this and receive the grace to show the love which we have received to others.

We might not know how to but Jesus,although was not of this world was able to influence and impact people lives with his love.The Bible says as he was so are we.If he could do it, it is possible we can too.Please say this prayer of forgiveness and receive fresh grace to show love to others.

Prayer of Forgiveness

Lord I ask for your mercy and Forgiveness .Father I receive fresh grace to show your love and walk in that love towards others.

Video Credit : Youtube

Our Song For The Week IS...............

More by Acappella. It's all about how amazing God's love is this week.It's bigger, deeper and wider than our minds could ever fathom.We love this song and we hope you love it too.

P.s Have a great week ahead and do remember to check in later in the week on our post called "The TwoFold Piece".


chorus:
Your love is more than my mind can fathom
More than I know
Your love is more than the highest heavens
More than forever

Before creation you knew my name
You formed my life in your hand
You breathed in me and I came to life
You heard my voice when I cried

You put the touch in my fingertips
You put a song on my lips
You touched my eyes and I see the world
My ears to hear Your words

Repeat Chorus

Before you knew me, you loved me so
When I had no place to go
You came to me when my way was lost
Your love flowed from a cross

You put warmth in a heart so cold
Made me a lamb in your fold
Gave me a purpose, a destiny
Lord you set me free

Repeat Chorus

Sometimes the future seems so unsure
Sometimes my heart is afraid
I draw my comfort from knowing you
Lord you are my friend

Repeat Chorus

More than my mind can fathom
More than I know
Your love is more than the highest heavens
More than forever
More

Scriptural Reference:

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." Romans 8:37

Lyrics Credit : Release Lyrics.com