August is the month of honouring women, and a woman worth celebrating is the loved and respected Gospel artist Sinach. Heralded by many as the “Quarantine Anthem”, hit song Way Maker continues to fill hearts and instil hope in a season of global hopelessness. Many people know this powerful song that declares God as the Way Maker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, and Light in the darkness, but do not know the powerful story behind the Gospel sensation who originally sang it.

Born and raised in Nigeria, Osinachi Okoro-Joseph – better known as Sinach – is a God-fearing, faith-filled, incredibly talented pastor’s wife. Osinachi is an Igbo name meaning: “Comes from God”. Once speaking on how she came by her stage name Sinach, she said: “I chose that from my name Osinachi because it is easy to pronounce and catchy,” just like her songs. 

…for the full article, pick up a copy of the latest issue of JOY, which is now on sale nationwide in all leading supermarkets!

Fear imprisons, disheartens, and puts hopelessness at the heart of life. Fear can creep into our lives gradually or arrives without warning – a phone call or an unexpected medical result – and suddenly, fear can strike us like a physical blow. We fear COVID-19 and the future. And if that’s not enough, we worry about being poisoned by genetically modified organisms, spied on by computers, or listened to by Alexa and Siri. Science may have added more healthy years, but it has also added to our fears!

Fear can be so powerful that it can overwhelm everything that normally rules our life. Under fear, people can throw away their hopes and dreams. Fear encourages a defensive mode of life: it builds walls rather than bridges and breeds suspicion. Fear may make us avoid doing what is right; we may shy away from challenges or opportunities.

…for the full article, pick up a copy of the latest issue of JOY, which is now on sale nationwide in all leading supermarkets!

As Christians, we are called to be salt and light in society. We are called to be history-makers and world changers. We are called to be fruitful in our lives, to achieve much for the Kingdom of God. Our mandate on this earth is to go out into all nations and share the Gospel. We live with eternity in mind, all desiring to hear the wonderful words of our King, “Well done, good and faithful servant…” 

One such man who is living out this calling is Pastor Raymond Lombard. From missionary work in nations around Africa, to training house church leaders in China, Raymond’s footsteps are directed fully by Jesus, and his life’s work is a testament to this humble submission. 

…for the full article, pick up a copy of the latest issue of JOY, which is now on sale nationwide in all leading supermarkets!

In 1999 Pastor Cheryl Allen and her congregation, comprising mostly African Immigrants, were praying about how they could be a light for Jesus in the dark streets of the inner-city. They discovered that scores of babies were being abandoned every month in Johannesburg. Many helpless infants were discarded in close proximity to their building. Jesus’ words came to mind: ‘Not even a sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it… And you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows’. 

Cheryl knew if God was concerned about a sparrow, how much more concerned would He be about a baby that is gasping away its life in a plastic bag in a dustbin. Every child is precious to God. Jesus wanted them to do something. But what?

…for the full article, pick up a copy of the latest issue of JOY, which is now on sale nationwide in all leading supermarkets!