The Monday Message

There is a time to lead and there is a time to follow

Posted by on Aug 10, 2011 in Living The Wealthy Life | 0 comments

Where there is no leadership the people fall, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety. (Proverbs 11:14)

Living the Wealthy LifeThere is a time to lead and there is a time to follow. Part of living the wealthy life is having the confidence, courage, and strength to recognize those times when we are called to lead, and having the resolve and ability to answer that call.
Every person reading these words right now will, at some point, hear that call to leadership. When this happens, we must not be afraid. We must not be fearful. It is time to be bold and steadfast, no matter what challenges we face or obstacles we encounter.
That is what is required, when we in learn to lead by following the steps of Harriet Tubman, of Shirley Chisolm, of Zora Neale Hurston. We may change society, we may change law, we may change the art that reflects and shapes our culture – but only if we can stand as these black women stood and say, “I am going to make a difference!”

Leadership takes many roles. You can effect change in countless ways. Over the years, we have spoken and written and marched – and we have cooked the food, raised the children, and taught the next generation that they too must not settle for the status quo, must not accept ‘whatever’ but always strive for more, to ensure that every person is treated with dignity and respect. We have done these things, and we must keep on doing them.

Now is the time to step forward! Now is the time to change the world!

Living The Wealthy Life Means Being Inspired by Other’s Accomplishments

Posted by on Aug 1, 2011 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

Living The Wealthy Life bookSince we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Galatians 5:25-6

Living the Wealthy Life means being inspired by other’s accomplishments, not jealous of what they’ve achieved. We must always remember that we have a choice: when we encounter people who are doing well, who have accomplished great things, who are making a difference in the world, we can look at them with envy in our hearts, or we can choose to embrace them as a gift from God and see what we can learn from them.

The second choice is the wiser option. It may be hard to put aside envy, to choose to not indulge in jealousy, but that is what we must do.

Instead, we must realize that the people who are living wealthy lives are our examples. Their lives can serve as guideposts to us, when we want to make a similar journey ourselves. We can emulate the positive things they do. More importantly, we can avoid the mistakes that they made along the way. This type of example is really a gift, enabling us to save time and achieve our wealthy lives with less stress, pain and turmoil.

Are you open to learning from others? Can you recognize the examples of greatness that surround you? Everyone has a bit of wisdom to share with the world: as we move toward our wealthy life, we must be able to receive these precious pieces of wisdom with an open and loving heart, secure in the knowledge that we can use these gifts to transform our own lives.

We Can Live a Wealthy Life, Starting Today

Posted by on Jul 27, 2011 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there” and it will move.
Matthew 17: 20

Living the Wealthy LifeHere we are, at the beginning of another week. Who knows what we are facing? It may be a week full of challenges. It may be a week full of opportunities. It may be a week full of opportunities that look an awful lot like challenges — which leaves us feeling daunted and inadequate.
But it’s also a week where we can live a wealthy life, starting today!
To do this, we have to have faith. We have to believe. Both in the Lord, because we can’t do anything without Him, and in ourselves. That can be hard, but I’m here with some good news for you. You don’t have to have a ton of faith in yourself. You don’t need a boatload of confidence, or to be absolutely positively sure of your own abilities to live a wealthy life. Very few people have that — I don’t, not every single minute of every single day.
You just need a tiny bit of faith. Inside you, if you look really deep, do you believe that you can do this? Do you know that you can have a life full of abundance and blessings? Do you understand that you are so full of gifts and abilities and drive just waiting to be harnessed and put to work so you can live your wealthy life and create a wealthy life for the people you love? Do you believe that, just a little?
Christ told us that we needed only to have faith the size of a mustard seed. Now, on the off chance you don’t know what a mustard seed looks like (I don’t have mustard seeds just laying around and I’m guessing you don’t either!) I’ve put a picture of one here. Look how small that is. It’s practically invisible! It’s no more than a speck, something we’d brush off of our clothes without even noticing it was there.
But that’s enough. Enough to move mountains. Enough to change your life. Can you believe in yourself that much? That’s the first step. Today, give yourself permission to believe in yourself; to have faith in your abilities and confidence that you will live a wealthy life. One mustard seed’s worth, if that’s all you can do — because that’s enough. Enough to change everything.