Daniel 12:3

http://pinterest.com/pin/158540849354850515/

I believe in Daniel 12:3

This is one of the scriptures that I always hold dear to my heart. It reminds me that it’s worth the effort. It says:

“Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”

Wisdom is precious and rare. Some believe in gaining it from experience. This, to me, is not entirely true. We have a lot of people who go through experiences and still come out the same way. Just experiencing something alone means nothing to you unless you become very intentional about it and learn from it. That way, it makes you wiser. They say failure is only beneficial if it helps you learn how not to make the same errors that could have yielded to failure.

I’m of the school of thought that wisdom comes from following the teachings and precepts of Jesus. The teachings of Jesus if followed diligently leads to a stream of wisdom that goes beyond explanation. With such wisdom, we are able to influence those around us to good living, righteous life, and themselves to have their own journey of following Jesus. If you do this, lead many to righteousness as the scripture highlights, you will shine like stars forever and ever. If you live a life of love, service with humility, forgiveness, and on and on, you will shine like a star. People will gravitate towards you as insects go for light. And since it’s not about you, you will lead them to the source of light and help build many stars.

http://farmersalmanac.com/home-garden/2015/08/31/why-are-bugs-attracted-to-light/

A colleague recently said something that kept me thinking. Her statement went something like, “there can be no maturity unless you attain spiritual maturity." I might have paraphrased it, but you get the point. Spiritual maturity is essential to operate from a point where you live out the teaching of Jesus no matter what. A point where I would like to use the following statements:

Think Like Jesus

Talk Like Jesus

Act Like Jesus

Love Like Jesus

This is the highest level of maturity because you will find it as the order of the day; to see the invisible, believe the incredible and do the impossible. This is not something you attain by any other maturity other than spiritual maturity. 

Love is a key element when you think of spiritual maturity. It’s the essence of it. Every teaching of Jesus and His life was about love. He came so that whosever believe in Him will have eternal life. He was a star; He came to build stars and showed how to build stars. He provided a platform, a way to do it. This is Love. He demonstrated love in the most sacrificial way that is beyond our comprehension as human beings. What he did many years back is still being experienced to date. He influenced eternally.

It’s very easy to talk about this love or the teachings of Jesus, but the game-changer is in living the love and the teachings. It’s in moving from awareness to personal experience, to personal action. The world does not need more love; it needs more lovers. The world needs more spiritually, mature people. It needs more stars; those who are leading others to righteousness, those multiplying more stars, those build more stars.

https://studentwire.co.uk/do-you-dream-of-becoming-a-star/

The whole purpose of life, I believe, is to become a star, build others stars and bring in a culture or environment where other stars can be developed. A platform or environment where everyone can experience the star and choose to become a star. This, I believe, is the whole duty of man.

In my feeble efforts as a human being, wholly motivated by the above verse and my understanding of it, I have continued to work on myself. I believe in my journey of a continued effort to shine like a star; many have in their own ways committed in their won journeys to become stars. I have seen a lot of young people who want to be something bigger than themselves. Who are passionate and are daring enough to dream. Whether I have inspired them in any way or not, that’s a different issue. I believe the AYLF platform has given them that opportunity to discover their own epic meaning, feel empowered for creativity, and be able to experience some level of growth and accomplishment. This has been what we try to provide in AYLF. This has made some of them commit on their journey of leading others to a more meaningful life, to be better, to righteousness as you may call it. A commitment to love on others; to fight for the highest possible good of those they believe they want to influence their circumstances. Be it in government, corporate, religious, NGO, family, etc.

I believe this is the real meaning of life.

If this resonates with you, go ahead to evaluate your way of life. Look for a small community of friends who you can do this together with. Being accountable to a few and practicing with a few. It’s about building a community of friends to share each other’s journeys of becoming a star, building other stars and creating space where others can be stars. You have to be deeply committed to each other and desire to see each other grow in this journey. You have to create a support, encouragement, and accountability platform for each other. The community has to be as small as possible so that there is active engagement by all involved.

Find a community around you and see if these conversations make sense to you…

https://pixabay.com/en/african-asian-black-brown-cartoon-2029984/

Servant Leader

https://zachonleadership.com/servant-leadership-for-the-technology-leader/

I believe the phrase “Servant Leadership” is overrated.

Who is a servant leader?

It usually feels politically correct to talk about servant leadership. People throw this statement all over, we are developing servant leaders, or some even refer to themselves as servant leaders. We have also referred to others around us, servant leaders. What exactly do we mean by this? Do we say it because it's a good statement or do we give it some thought?

Forgive me for this, but it doesn't make sense, and it's overrated. Indulge me a little bit, and hopefully, you will be influenced to think like me a little bit.

There can be no leadership without service. Anyone calling themselves a leader and but doesn’t serve those they are leading doesn’t understand what it means to be a leader. They are not worthy of being called a leader. They are simply power players or position holders or as someone may call it, “place holders.” Such a person can simply be replaced, and life will move on. But someone who offers a service will be missed. A leader who serves will be missed should they be absent. Every aspect of leadership has to be demonstrated through service. Any form of leadership that adds value and transforms lives is by serving. So referring to yourself, “a servant leader” basically means you don’t understand what it means to be a leader. The only way to lead is through service. When a leader serves he simply being a genuine leader. Instead of referring to someone as a servant leader, just refer to them as a genuine leader or a leader.

https://blog.kevineikenberry.com/leadership-supervisory-skills/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-genuine-leader/

It's also important to note that, not everyone who serves is a leader, but for every genuine leadership to be evident, there has to be service. Leadership is an intentional service offered with a desire to transform, add value, define culture in self, family, a team, a group of people, organization, and community. Leadership is a mature use of power. Power, on the other hand, is the basic energy needed to initiate and sustain action or, to put it in another way, the capacity to translate intentions into reality and sustain it. In other words, Power is the ability to serve. There are all forms of power, and this provides different ways through which we can serve. When you use the power you have to fight for the highest possible good in the lives of those you lead, that's a wise or mature use of power. The same applies to your own personal power. The power inside you that you can use to fight for your highest possible good, including those around you. 

As a husband and a father, the only way I can lead my family is to serve them. When I offer myself to serve my wife and my two boys, my leadership is experienced more, and I gain more meaning even in my life as a man. Serving in this context doesn't simply mean doing the routinely menial duties in the home, which I love to do when. It is in realizing that as the man in the house, I have more to offer as a service to my family. I don’t have to wait for things to be handed over to me or push people around me to get things done. Being part of the process and getting my hands dirty for the highest possible good of all. In my experience walking the Africa Youth Leadership Forum, AYLF, journey in Kenya, it has become very clear to me that the only way to inspire and influence is to serve. I have met a lot of young budding leaders with energy and wanting to take over the world for good, but unless they decide to serve, all these are just like building castles in the air. The most significant question we engage everyone to learn to ask more and more is “How can I be of service to you?”, “How can I help?” This can be a counterintuitive question depending on the matter at hand.

http://newcityomaha.org/next-steps/serve/

Asking the question properly in the right context can open a huge opportunity to influence. Opportunity to use the power you have for the good of all. To serve. The greatest leaders we can think of got there by serving people around them.

Next time you use the word Servant Leader, think twice what you mean. There is nothing like a servant leader; there is only a genuine leader. Also, be careful to distinguish between a leader and a power player.

If this resonates with you, ask yourself if you are a power player or a leader. Look for a small community of friends who you can learn to do this together with. Being accountable to a few and practising with a few. It's about building a community of friends to share each other's journey of genuine leaders who serve and have learned the art of using their power wisely.  You have to be deeply committed to each other and desire to see each other grow in this journey. You have to create a support, encouragement, and accountability platform for each other. The community has to be as small as possible so that there is active engagement by all involved.

Find a community around you and see if these conversations make sense to you.

Image Credits: http://www.businessmalawi.com

By Gabriel Achayo

Life of Faith

https://lifehopeandtruth.com/change/faith/

I believe faith in God is making the first step in the moment of uncertainty.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, things not yet seen. It’s a risk that we take to move on when every sign and circumstance around us suggest otherwise. It’s the opposite of doubt and fear of the unknown future. Making the first step might, in many occasions look ridiculous, and careless. It might show a lack of wisdom. But I believe living by faith is the wisest thing or choice you can ever make. It launches you into a world of possibilities. It makes God work for you. God comes in if you make the first step by faith. A life driven by faith is worth living. It's beautiful, full of joy, satisfaction, and significance. On the other hand, a faithless life is terrible, full of frustration, and nothing to celebrate. 

We are told that without faith, it's impossible to please God. This is true. We all live our lives by faith, whether we acknowledge it or not. You sleep with no certainty that you will wake up, but you make plans to wake up. No one sleeps, hoping not to wake up. We invest our resources; be it time and money with the hope that we will get better outcomes. Nothing is always certain for a parent that their young ones will turn out great, but they hope they do. As a parent, you give your best hoping that your best will work out for the best. Think of everything you do, as simple as walking in a restaurant to ask for a glass of water. You hope the water will quench your thirst and give you the strength to move on. You don’t start ascertaining where the water came from, what’s the content of the water, questioning its ability to do what it will do. But you faithfully drink it with the hope that it will refresh you. Our body organs; a clear example of faith. Your heart beats, the kidney does what it does, the liver does its role, and all the others do. You breathe air in and out with no care, whether it will end up in the wrong place. No one sees or cares to confirm if the organs missed performing its duty. All these to make you move so you can be whole and live your life. I acknowledge that there are those who are struggling with their body organs, but it in all these we still hope that it will be well and for such, we wake up and do what we can to make things right. Our life is driven by faith, whether it's directly or indirectly. Whether we embrace it or not.

https://dfaison.org/faison-family-of-faith

The beauty and joy of life is in acknowledging this faith. It's in letting your life be directly driven by faith. In embracing faith and living a life of faith. A life full of miracles. Our life without faith is meaningless. The waking up and going to bed without faith is all in vain. Faith gives you the intangible benefit that is eternal. That is beyond the world's comprehension. It gives purpose to everything you do.

If someone told me when I was a teenager that I would be involved in the things I'm involved in now, that would be living the life I live now; I would laugh at them and quickly dismiss them. I look back to me when I finished my form four having gotten (A-) grade, something I really prayed to God for, all I wanted was to be a Mechanical engineer. I had my plans on how that journey was going to be. But God had a different idea for my simple life. I don't have everything I wish I could, but I believe I'm much better. I believe the intangible journey and blessings God has led me through is worth more than anything this world could have offered me. This is not easy. However, I continue to acknowledge that my life without faith is in vain. So I need to continuously ask God to increase my faith in Him. I don’t know about you.

If this resonates with you, how’s your faith journey like? Look for a small community of friends who you can think through this together with. Being accountable to a few and practising with a few. It's about building a community of friends to share each other's journey of living a life of faith.  You have to be deeply committed to each other and desire to see each other grow in this journey. You have to create support, encouragement, and accountability platform for each other. The community has to be as small as possible so that there is active engagement by all involved.

Find a community around you and see if these conversations make sense to you.

Image Credits: http://www.businessmalawi.com

By Gabriel Achayo