C O B H A M S O N B L I N D N E S SF R A N C I S E . M A D O J E M U

I N T R O D U C T I O N C O B H A M S A S U Q U O

• Cobhams Emanuel Asuquo is a song writer/music producer per excellence who started his professional training as a lawyer, but later branched into music full-time to fulfill a lifelong desire he had though unadmittedly but silently nurtured.

I N T R O D U C T I O N C O B H A M S A S U Q U O

• His style comprises a wide spectrum of genres based on his careful understudy of such classical, jazz and traditional music greats as Tchaikovsky, Dave Grusin and Haruna Isola respectively. He is currently signed onto Sony ATV (Sony Publishing) London as a songwriter and has won awards in music as well as his other fields of interest.

I N T R O D U C T I O N C O B H A M S A S U Q U O

• Cobhams Asuquo likes to say that his music career started when as a child he used to puff his cheeks to play the 12-bar blues.

• Today, he is known for producing some of the finest artistes in Nigeria. Noteworthy among these artistes is the Nigerian soul-singing sensation, Asa, whose 2007 debut album became an international hit.

I N T R O D U C T I O N C O B H A M S A S U Q U O

• In addition to producing the album, Cobhams wrote and co-wrote several of its hits songs.

• In 2005, Cobhams signed on to Sony ATV London as a songwriter. After working as Head of Audio Productions at a local label, Questionmark Entertainment, he set up his own recording facility in 2006.

I N T R O D U C T I O N C O B H A M S A S U Q U O

• He is CEO/ Head of Productions of CAMP (Cobhams Asuquo Music Productions), an all-encompassing entertainment company that discovers, nurtures and exposes great talents.

• Cobhams has won multiple local and international awards for his creative and entrepreneurial contributions to the Nigerian music industry.

T H E G I F T O F B L I N D N E S S

• In the talk, which he titled “The Gift of Blindness,” Cobhams mentioned three lessons that blindness has taught him:

• 1. Do not excuse failure for any reason on any account.

• 2. Trust, even when there’s no reason to.

• 3. Be blind to be focused.

1 . E X C U S I N G FA I L U R EC O B H A M S

C O B H A M S

• What I’m saying is this. That failure will come. But the same way that it comes that we should see to it that goes.

• Instead, what I’ve observed is that whenever there’s a larger than life seemingly insurmountable flaw, in a system, in our cities, in our leaders, even in our own character, we tend to excuse the failure. We overlook it. We pardon it. We indulge it. And become even comfortable with it.

C O B H A M S

• Sometimes, we even find different terms for the failure. In my country, we sometimes call it the Nigerian Factor. So, if something isn’t working the way it should, we shake our heads, and we automatically blame it on the Nigeria Factor. And then we move on with our lives.

• But see by excusing failure, and blaming it on some systematic flaw, we miss the opportunity to scale through those seemingly insurmountable obstacles. To elevate ourselves and elevate others.

1 . E X C U S I N G FA I L U R E

• Proverbs 26:13-16 ESV

• The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!” As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth. The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly.

E X C U S I N G FA I L U R E

• Matthew 25:26-30 ESV

• But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.

E X C U S I N G FA I L U R E

• Matthew 25:26-30 ESV

• So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

A N D R E F O R D , M A R C H 2 3 , 2 0 1 2

• We use desire to justify failure because we want to be remembered as "at least you tried, don't worry, no one is perfect" The mother's hand on our backs leading us to cookies and milk to help our bruised knee.

• And it is in that moment we justify who we are and embrace our true selves, the selves that never really wanted that desire but wanted the fame for trying only to nurture who we really are because if we embraced our true selves and showed it to the world, we would not be seen as how we want.

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• Laziness is an active poison and it cloaks itself in so many ways and will go as far as faking effort just to continue to exist without being shunned.

• Accepting who you are is hard, accepting that you can be a better person is even harder and enduring the pains and lengths needed to go to actually stand inside a desire made real, is even harder.

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• Wanting something and making a few attempts to get it and then getting praised for failing at it is one thing ( I will not do that here in this team).

• Wanting something, accepting what needs to be done to get it AND doing everything possible to get it, not accepting failure and then achieving it is a whole other side, this I will nurture.

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• Fear is laziness's whip that drives you away from your desires. Fear of disappointing others, fear of losing certain indulgences, fear of being alone, fear of being seen negatively.

• How many people have ever downsized their home or car to get out of a monthly payment, given up their smart phone for a regular phone, ended a relationship, moved back home, whatever else you can think of, to bring it all back to you so you can start over your life, safer, better organized, healthier, saner, financially and emotionally free.

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• Not many, why? Because of fear. Caring too much about image, or what other people will say or even fear of disappointing our own internal pride or self image, fear of being alone.

• So fear keeps that desire facade alive, some so subconscious that we don't even realize it. Brainwashed into thinking things will always be hard or too busy or too complicated to fix. So we live a life, never asking ourselves for more while acting like we're stretching ourselves thin and there is nothing else we can do.

E X C U S I N G FA I L U R E

• Proverbs 13:4-14 (New Living Translation)

• 4 Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper and be satisfied. 5 Those who are godly hate lies; the wicked come to shame and disgrace. 6 Godliness helps people all through life, while the evil are destroyed by their wickedness. 7 Some who are poor pretend to be rich; others who are rich pretend to be poor. 8 The rich can pay a ransom, but the poor won't even get threatened.

E X C U S I N G FA I L U R E

• Proverbs 13:4-14 (New Living Translation)

• 9 The life of the godly is full of light and joy, but the sinner's light is snuffed out. 10 Pride leads to arguments; those who take advice are wise. 11 Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows. 12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when dreams come true, there is life and joy. 13 People who despise advice will find themselves in trouble; those who respect it will succeed. 14 The advice of the wise is like a life-giving fountain; those who accept it avoid the snares of death.

2 . T R U S T, E V E N W H E N T H E R E ’ S N O R E A S O N T O

C O B H A M S

T R U S T I N G G O D S H O U L D B E A L I F E S T Y L E

• We should not trust God when things are going wrong and then rely on ourselves when things are going right.

• We need to be fit, when it comes to trusting God. The way in which we can stay fit is to keep exercising our trust in God.

• Keep on trusting God.

T R U S T I N G G O D S H O U L D B E A L I F E S T Y L E

• Psalm 131:3

• O Israel, you too should quietly trust in the Lord—now, and always.

• In the place of the name Israel, put your own name. God is calling us to trust Him today. Trust Him for the future. Trust Him for the moment. Trust Him every step of the way.

S E E S A W R E L AT I O N S H I P W I T H G O D

• Proverbs 3:5-6

• "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."

T R U S T I N G G O D S H O U L D B E A L I F E S T Y L E

• The wisdom found in Proverbs 3:5-6 is so simple that it can often be missed.

• Our society seems to thrive on figuring things out for ourselves.

• We celebrate good planning, strategies, and establishing goals.

• What we miss is a lifestyle of trust.

3 . B E B L I N D T O B E F O C U S E D .C O B H A M S

I M D O N G - H Y U N• On 27 July 2012 at the 2012 Summer Olympics

in London a new world record score of 699 in archery was set.

• World records are broken all the time at the Olympics.

• But what makes this world record unique is that it was set by someone who is legally blind – Im Dong-Hyun from South Korea.

I M D O N G - H Y U N

• He has only 10 percent of normal vision in his left eye and slightly more at 20 percent in his right which makes him legally blind.

• In competition, he refuses to wear corrective lenses while shooting, because they make him uncomfortable. Instead he relies on his muscle memory and a slight difference in color in his blurred vision.

I M D O N G - H Y U N• At 70 meters, he sees only a blurred yellow blob,

but says he has grown used to seeing the target that way.

• Dong-Hyun describes what he sees as being similar to different colored paints being dropped in water.

• The colors are not very distinct and the boundaries between them are blurred.

I M D O N G - H Y U N

B L I N D F O C U S

• Dong-Hyun’s sight may be impaired, but his vision is crystal clear – to win the gold at the Olympics.

• In spite of his less than perfect vision, he more than proved his ability to hit his target.

B L I N D F O C U S

• The great men of faith in the Bible didn’t have perfect vision either; far from it.

• They were blinded and misled by lust, fear, greed, pride and jealousy.

• They were murderers, thieves, liars, adulterers, vengeful and power-hungry.

B L I N D F O C U S

• They were pretty much as bad as the next person. Interestingly, the word “Sin” is actually a term from archery.

• When it says in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” it means to “miss the mark,” to miss the target.

B L I N D F O C U S

• Like these great men of faith, we were given one shot and we all missed by a mile. We fell short of God’s plan for our lives, we missed the target, we sinned.

• But can draw inspiration from Dong-Hyun who overcame his physical imperfection to win his prize. He was blind but he didn’t let his condition control his destiny.

B L I N D F O C U S

• Though it certainly took courage and perseverance, what I believe are two keys to his success are:

• 1. Focus – He doesn’t focus on his limitations, but on his target.

• 2. Reliance – he relies on the feel of the bow, a steady hand, and past experience.

B L I N D F O C U S

• Phil 3:13-14 (NIV)

• “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

F O C U S

• Like Dong-Hyun, we can choose to overcome our spiritual imperfection. As Paul said in Philippians 3:13-14, to forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead.

• If we want to lay hold of all that God as in store for us, we need to shift our focus away from our sinful “disability” and focus on God’s supernatural ability.

F O C U S• But what made these men of faith great, what

set them apart from the rest was their focus on God.

• Their sights were set on Him.

• Like them we must keep focused on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith and act, trusting that God will guide us to His intended target for our lives

R E L I A N C E• In our attempt to live godly lives, we often depend on

our own strength.

• We tend to rationalize, depend on conventional wisdom, try it on our own for a while and when everything falls apart, God becomes our “Plan B”. Dong-Hyun could have used corrective lenses.

• That would have been the logical, smart thing to do to overcome his “disability”. He might even have done better.

R E L I A N C E

• But would his life have been as much of an inspiration if he did?

• We often wonder why God places limitations on us.

• Why do we still have to deal with sin even though Christ won us the ultimate victory, why do we still struggle with it?

R E L I A N C E• God certainly isn’t a fan of doing things the

conventional way. If He did, none of us would ever make the cut.

• We’re not perfect, we’re not the best of the best of the best.

• The irony is God very often chooses the weak, humble, and foolish things to show His glory through them.

R E L I A N C E

• After all, if God always chose the “perfect people,” others would just as easily attribute their successes to their natural ability; nothing to do with what God has done.

• So even though these men of faith led seriously messed up lives, once they trusted God enough to make Him the center, the bulls-eye of their lives, they accomplished amazing things

R E L I A N C E

• 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV)

• “However, as it is written: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him’”