Honouring Your Dream: Organic Is Still The Way To Go

courtesy 4globaldiversity.blogspot

Hello people, I am excited to be able to relate with you today, yes I am!  Every time I go to the NeverTheLess page and check the traffic as brought to me by Feedjit, I am so honoured and grateful that you will stop by to read my thoughts.  That is why my Monday mornings have become more exciting than usual, because I cannot wait to bring you my thoughts on how my dream is unfolding, hoping you will find them useful.  So this beautiful Monday morning, I want to say to all of you who stop by, thank you for honouring me with your presence on this blog, you are loved and appreciated.

Moving on to today’s post; I am a thinker which is why I always find something to write from my personal experiences, and so I hope you are not tired of reading yet another post based on my experience in South Africa.  Well, if you are, please bear with me one more time.

Here is the thing, while we were in South Africa I saw honour modeled by Coach Anna McCoy and Mama Linda Wallace, so much that I have not been able to get the word out of my mind.  I came back with my mind made up to do my best honouring everyone and everything God allows me to come in contact with going forward, especially as Coach told us that honour is a Culture in the Kingdom.

As child of God, I decided to research what God had to say about honour and I stumbled upon Mark 6:1-6, when Jesus went into His home country to teach in the synagogues and rather than be inspired by Him, the people were offended by Him; consequently ‘he could do no mighty work there.’  But before the declaration that He could do no mighty work there was made, Jesus told them, ‘a prophet is not without honour except in His country.’ 

I kept thinking, why is it that a prophet does not have honour in his own town? And it occurred to me that familiarity can usually breed contempt which is what had happened here.  They were too used to Jesus, they saw him grow up as a little boy; they saw him learn carpentry and maybe even work for some of them, and they could not reconcile those facts with the truth that they now heard and saw him display.

I quickly went to my life to check how I have dishonoured so many people especially those closest to me, because I was overly familiar with them.  Then I look at the dreams I have been pushing to give God glory and remember how I have the tendency to think that my gift is too ordinary to matter.  I mean anybody can write and anybody can speak if they set their heart to it, I used to say.

It dawned on me that I wasted so much time agonizing over the ‘ordinariness’ of my gifts that I never stepped out to put them to use, and therefore,  might have missed some opportunities in the past.  As I thought about it,  I realized that at the root of it all, was the fact that I didn’t think my dream was ‘shiny’ and big enough to make a difference and this was dishonour for what God had so graciously endowed me with.

You may be sitting on a gold mine today, but because it looks like a pile of dirt, you refuse to dig in. You are not sure that such a pile of dirt can hold any treasure, yet you are running around sending out CVs and attending interviews for jobs that make you miserable when you eventually get them.  This is the same thing as dishonouring what God has put in you to give you greatness.

Dreaming is a great thing but any dream for which you will need to look outside of you for the raw material to walk/work in is not organic. It may work, but will most definitely not yield as much as that which comes from your organic self (Gifts and Talents).

I guess what I am trying to say today is that maybe, just maybe, the reason most of us are still so unfulfilled is because we have chosen not to honour the gifts that God has put within us, thereby hindering Him from blessing us and making us blessings.

Whatever your gift is, please do yourself a favour today and begin to treat it special and with honour and you will be amazed how far it will take you.  So yes, everything else is great, but when it comes to living your dream, begin to treat your gifts with honour and you will be amazed at how enhancement will come to it.

You will make it NeverTheless.

Hugs

Sistar B

TODAY YOU ARE RICH!

Welcome, it is great to be back home. Troubled as Nigeria is right now, for me, it still is the best place to call home.  It was a really great time we had in South Africa as you may have gathered from previous posts. It was also a time in which some of the principles l had proposed here on this page in the past were tested and proven for me.

The title of today’s post is an adaptation of Tim Sanders book, 'Today We Are Rich.'  It was one of the books I read in 2011, and it made some major impact on me especially when I needed perspective as to why some things happen and as regards my attitude even when I cannot control my circumstances.

While we were in South Africa, we had the opportunity of ministering to women who ran small businesses mostly out of their homes. We went to the 'townships' starting from Springs and we spoke to different women about their dreams and why they did what they did.  

One story stood out for me as a wonderful expression of today's post while we were speaking with Joanna, a master quilter and soft furnishing guru.  When we got into her medium spaced living room, we couldn't help taking another look, because lying smack in the middle of her living room, taking up all the space, was a giant quilting machine.

I remember that while I was still staring at the machine in amazement, wondering how it got there and why, Coach Anna took the words out of my mouth and asked Joanna what the machine was for and how it got into her living room!  In answering this question Joanna told one of the most interesting stories I ever heard, not because I had never heard one like it before, but because right in front of me, I could see evidential living of the principle.  It turned out she lost her job eight years ago, and was distraught about how to make a living and continue to contribute to her family.

She said she felt God ask her "what do you have in your hands?" Since she had learnt how to make quilts and soft furnishings from her mother, it was naturally what she had in her hand.  She didn't have any money, nor did she have any business plan, but she had in her hands the ability to create lovely bedding and furnishing, so she set out to start a business called Heaven Sent.

Joanna took charge of the direction that her life was going upon realizing that with what she had in her hands she was rich that day!  It’s only a skill, some other person would have said, but Joanna was rich that day! She had no clients lined up asking her to make furnishings for them, but Joanna was rich that day!

Wealth is not about the money we have in bank accounts or under our beds as the case maybe, true wealth is an ability to recognize the raw material that we have in our hands by which we can begin to express our dream to become rich and maybe even famous!  Wealth becomes us the day we recognize that we are rich just knowing what it is we possess.

Since that day eight years ago, I can assure you that Joanna has had many ups and downs, but nothing compares to the surprises along the way.  She told us of how she couldn't afford the machines she required, including the one in her living room, and how people eventually offered them to her at ridiculously cheap costs and very convenient payment terms.

This would never have happened had she not stepped up to the plate with the understanding that all that it takes is what she already had in her hands!  Maybe you didn't lose a job, just that you have not been able to keep one for years; it is time to realize that today you are rich. Others are counting on you to step out and offer what you have in your hands, and as you begin to push a dream that stems from what you already have in your hands, your wealth will begin to rub off on others.

Joanna now employs two people, and her dream now contains within it the prospect of a training centre!  Still in the future, yes! But very achievable because today she knows she is rich already!  Friends, today you are rich, because right in your hand is the seed for the wealth that you seek.

Joanna had not considered the impact that the internet could have on her business, but we were able to point that out to her and the day we were leaving she could not come to say goodbye because she went shopping for her own computer!

 Illumination and light comes to your life if you recognize that your dream is not alien to you!  The best dreams are usually those that start up from what you already have.

Folks, today you are rich!  Tomorrow is not promised but today, yes today, you can begin to live the rich life if you know what you have in your hands.  It can only make an impact and a difference if you recognize that you have got it already. This is why I am confident even in my dear nation Nigeria, I know we are rich, and once we recognize it and realize that we don't need to harm others or steal from them, we will begin to arise and take our place again.

There is no mistake about it people, Today You Are Rich!  You just need to recognize that you are and you will make it NeverTheLess!  Joanna received wings to fly with her dream, but that is because she always knew that she was rich!

May God preserve you; especially if you live in places where it seems evil is taking over. Light always prevails over darkness and even for Nigeria light will prevail, NeverTheLess!  

Hugs 

Sistar B

BRIDGES OF FULFILLMENT

Welcome to a new week!  How is it going in your part of the earth? My earth is fabulous, thanks for asking.  As you may have read from my last post we are still away in South Africa, building bridges for each others destiny as well as powering up brand new Kingdom Mandates, I truly wish I could explain what I mean to you, but I doubt that I really can, because there are no words to describe the magic of the moments we have had!

In all these I miss my family so bad, and I want to thank them all, but especially Mark, my husband for being so gracious this past week. To my brothers and sisters, Nigerians who have stood up to demand for justice, well done! We all are building bridges and one day it will all come together, I promise... You will not labour in vain.

Today's post is to salute the courage of everyone who steps out, stands up or simply remain in their ordained place so other destinies will emerge.  I had always known that I was called to the nations, I had always known that Southern Africa held a special place in my destiny and somehow since the year 2006 I have come here practically every year hoping that God will unveil and release the locks to the gates of South Africa so I could go into my destiny within this nation, I have been faithful in coming and I never lost hope that the city will receive me...

But I had a bridge to destiny for this nation and I was yet to recognize or align myself with this bridge.  Until 2011 and I met Coach Anna McCoy and this year she brought me to my bridge Linda Wallace, and today the gates have lifted and I can begin to see my destiny unfold within South

Africa!

For every dream, vision and destiny, there are bridges you must walk through to get the gates to lift so you can step into the prosperity of your dream, however that will unfold!  There are a few principles you must be able to submit to however, and even though I didn't know it then, I have kept living these principles and when it was time my bridges came and today the gates opened up to what I carry.  Here are a few:

1.  Persistence- I never considered giving up on the dream within my heart for this nation, everytime I had the opportunity to visit I spoke to the dream, even when I had no idea what the process will be.  I kept working at the stuff I could work on, while waiting for God to work out what I couldn't.  It is no different for your dream, you need to persist and keep working out what you can, while trusting God to do that which you couldn't.

2.  Be Open and love your place of assignment - I loved and love even more now the nation of South Africa, even when people had negative things to say, I still loved SA, in my space, this was a special nation.  What this did for me was it allowed me keep myself open to be able to walk through her gates.  You cannot have a dream in your Heart and not love your presumed place of assignment lock, stock and barrel!  The gates of prosperity will open to you if you truly love your dream and place of assignment!

3.  Be willing to make the sacrifice that is required.  In my case this time it was to be willing to pay my way even though I had no concrete reason step out, other than that my Coach wants me to come with her.  What this means is that as you pursue and live your dream,  some sacrifices will not have a clear reward pattern but if you trust the dream in your heart then you must be willing to pay the price.

4.  Recognize your bridge builder!  When I began this journey with Coach Anna, I could not have envisaged how far we have come, neither did I see a Linda Wallace in the picture!  But that morning when I got out of the taxi at the Guest House and Linda wrapped her hands around me, I could tell that she was relevant to my destiny (hugs to you Mama Linda).  It will be no different to your dream, yes you will have your own Coach Anna, but there will always be a Linda Wallace around your Coach Anna, and you MUST make room for her.

5.  Love  People Regardless - Of all these principles, something stands out and that is the fact that to find and align yourself with your bridges, you need a great resource in love! Love yourself, love your dream and love the people you will come in contact with especially those who it may seem like are invading your space.  The key may just be in their hands. Not that you love to get to the key, but that you love them genuinely enough for them to release them to you.  Remember, love makes the world go round, and it certainly accelerates the pace of your dream.

While these points are not exhaustive by any means, maybe I will go back to this subject in the future, but the point of a bridge to destiny is you must have faith in the NOW and all that God will surround you with!  Resources will flow and out of your life even as you struggle to leave your dream and destiny and you must keep your eyes open while trusting the process. You have need for discernment, I know, but you must also keep your hope unbroken.

Finally, on this post, I must give a shout out to my sister, friend and fellow traveller Audrey Joe-Ezigbo, even as unclear as this journey is right now, as regards its usefulness to you, I am glad you are God's gift to me so I will remain confident in who I am. (thank you).

Also, to Bokang, a tremendous bridge (even though she may not quite know it yet), thank you for giving of yourself.  You intimidate me!

Ok people, that's it, another phase of my journey to live my dream unfolding... Not sure where this will lead, but very sure that I will make it NeverTheLess, and so will you too!

Hugs

SistarB

THE GAP BETWEEN

THE GAP BETWEEN

Hello, how are you?  Trust life is treating you well.  How have you fared in 2012 and what have you done to ensure that you have a fantastic year ahead of you?

Sorry this post is two days late. It is definitely not how I want to deal in 2012, I promise.  I have been travelling and this put a bit of a lull on the pace at which I would have loved to move this week.  As I type I am still jetlagged but I have an obligation to you, and that is why I am seated here in front of my computer.  I do hope you will find today’s post useful.

Last Sunday in church, my Pastor pointed out that the hardest part in a bid to dream lofty dreams and create great value is not in conceiving the idea, nor is it a lack of certainty of what it will look like when it eventually manifests.  The hardest part of living a dream is the gap between the idea or vision and the manifestation of the same.

Like I mentioned this post didn’t go up on Monday because I and one of my sisters had to travel, to meet my Coach and friend in South Africa.  We knew that the at end of our time together in South Africa with Coach Anna McCoy we will return with clearer insight and ways to live our dreams and make impact for God, in 2012.

However, with the “Occupy Nigeria” issues at home and all the other emotional hang-ups that a woman can have, by Sunday I had become apprehensive of making the trip.  Apprehension set in because I had to leave my entire family behind with no woman at home to even cook for them; half of me felt irresponsible.

I was apprehensive because Labor and Pressure groups had ordered that a strike be embarked upon through out the Federation.  Rumours of all kinds were flying and at some point I started to wonder if it was safe to leave my family at this crucial time.   There was also the case of how will I get to the airport, and what if the airports are shut down?

Between when I had agreed to go on the trip and the time I boarded the plane I kept wondering if I shouldn’t just stay back at home.  Too many questions and no answers!  In my apprehension I forgot some important items I was supposed to take with me on the trip.

Please remember that I was convinced that this trip was God ordained, and will be of immense value to me.  But it didn’t stop me from wondering about the process.

If you have a dream in your heart or are living a dream, I am sure you can identify with my feelings.  Not knowing for sure how the process will unfold can be the reason you refuse to step out or forget to pack the right tools you need for the trip.

Fast forward, finally getting out of the house and after enduring an over six hour flight, and bam!  I meet with Coach. In that moment I realized that all the hassle to be able to travel, and all the apprehension was always meant to lead me to such a loving and honoring presence again, not to mention the new alliances for Kingdom expansion that this was yielding!

In the words of my husband Mark, as I contemplated to the trip; “it is a done deal”. Your dream even though you are filled with uncertainties and apprehension, is a done deal in God.  It will come together. What you require and you must and should do, is step out and the hindrances will give way and life will begin to make room for you.

The world needs what you carry, and if you will just step out in faith, you will make it NeverTheLess.

I feel we must pray today; Father please collapse the gap between our ideas and their manifestations in Jesus name.

Hugs

Sistar B

BEYOND HOPE AND INTENTIONS

Congratulations people!

We made it into another year, according to the calendar of man.  For most of us this is a significant time as we set out to make all those resolutions in the hope that something will turn out better and differently this year.  I share your enthusiasm and pray that it works out just the way we have hoped.   

Someone sent me an email on New Year’s eve and part of it read

"I hope 2012 is your best year ever, although of course we both know that hope is not a strategy, and it is kind of an empty gift box". 

  

Hmm, okay do I agree that hope is not a strategy?   No! I do not agree, hope really is a strategy, and it is not an empty gift box either?   Hope is the strategy for those who are relying on someone greater than themselves to see them through, hope is an ability to have an expectation even when we don’t know how we will proceed.  Hope is a friend of dreamers, it is hope that gets us going when we are yet to see a manifestation of what we dream. Within hope there is a lot to be discovered and there is a lot that can be achieved!

My take is that hope is the reason why that box will be filled, it is the reason why you have put your pen to paper and made your list of New Year resolutions, but most importantly hope is the reason why you will not be ashamed at the end of this year.

What I am trying to say is that the New Year brings with it the OPPORTUNITY for a do over.  And for me a do over is hope that makes not ashamed.  The issue will be what are we willing to do with this opportunity?  where your dreams are concerned, today is an opportunity to push a little harder than you did last year, it is an opportunity to hope harder than you did last year.

Your dreams can come true, but we all need to wake up already! Go beyond the intentions of all the stuff that you want to do, and just do the very first one.  I will use this opportunity to remind us that until you do it is still just an idea in your head and you can never take credit for it!

Take a look at your list today and commit to doing just one of those things and you will be amazed how good it feels to accomplish a task.  I also will recommend that we each have someone to whom we will be accountable.  Someone who reminds us of what we had intended to do, and demands that we do it!

I picked someone I will rather not let down and she has helped me accomplish most of my goals!  Just thinking that she will be asking me in a few days about my book, I am sitting in front of my computer writing the final chapter, as soon as this blog post goes up!

                                                                            

 So yes, maybe hoping is not the be all end all of living your dream this year, but hope plus action, plus accountability can take you far beyond your intentions.

So rather than allow your list of resolutions and to do to get you, start and be accountable to someone you respect and appreciate their input and no matter what happens remember hope is not an empty gift box, it is filled with whatever you hope to fill it with!

You will make it NeverTheLess.  I promise.

Hugs

Sistar B