Watch a snippit of Patricia's interview with Edmore

Watch a snippit of Patricia's interview with Edmore
It's FREE! And very inspiring!

Friday, February 29, 2008

15 Years from Now...


Imagine its February 29, 2023. You're coming from your morning jog and just as you take the bend into your driveway you bump into the paper boy.  He greets you, hands you a copy of the daily press and scuttles away so quickly that you wonder where he's gone.  

You decide to flip through the paper as you walk down your driveway.  You unfold the newspaper, and, to your surprise, the subject of the leading story is your life. Photographs of you at various places are also all over the front page. What do you think the article will say about you and about your life?  

These are the questions that I want us to answer throughout the month of March, starting in this week's issue of Inspiration Online.  In fact, we are going to try to write the article that you are going to read in the newspaper 15 years from now. No, you need not get worked out at the thought of it. I'll walk you through the process.

First things first, let's look at the title of the article. What should it read? Who should it depict you to be?  What aspect of your life should it portray as newsworthy? Is it going to be a success story or a story of desperation? What do you suggest?

In my view, it has got to be a success story – – I doubt a life of quiet desperation would make for a good leading story in any newspaper anyway. So, what's going to be the most newsworthy aspect of your life?  Let's look at the options:

·        Your Job
What work do you want to be doing?  What do you want to be the outcome of your work? Who do you want to benefit from your work?  Do you think that in whatever you'll be doing you want to be known as a person on the job [the money driven person] or as the person for the job [the purpose driven person]?

·        Your Money
Do you want to be rich [and famous]?  Do you want to be known for living an expensive lifestyle? What do you want your money to be doing for you? What do you want your money to be invested in? Multinationals? People's lives? Missionary work? What?

·        Your Character
Do you suppose that there's some aspects of your character that can be newsworthy 15 years from now?  Will it be your determination?  Your focus? Your persistence? Your do or die attitude? What could it be?

·        Your Faith
Faith without works is dead.  Work without results is a waste of time.  What results do you expect from your work of faith? Will there be there any success in your life that will be directly attributed to your faith in God? Will there be something in your life that people will be able to look at and say It can only be God?

The list is endless but I've jotted down these few just to give you an idea of the things that can make you the talk of the day 15 years from now – – if not sooner.

As you come to the end of this email I am sure you're already thinking about the one thing that you'd like to be known for 15 years from now?  If you come up with anything interesting please feel free to write letting me know about it.  You can either write me an email or post it as a comment on my blog at the end of this article.

Be Inspired.


Enough is Enough

On Saturday evening I took part in the Jazz and
Poetry night that was hosted by the young
adults’ ministry of the church that I go to. I
recited one of my poems and the audience loved
it. The poem that I recited was titled ‘Enough is
enough’ and it went like this:

Enough is enough
I say
How long shall this be?
Slaves riding on horseback
Princes trading on foot

Enough is enough
I say
How much longer am I supposed to live this life?
Always a dollar short
Always a day behind

Enough is enough
I say
Now’s the time to put my act together
Walk tall
Lift my head high

Enough is enough
I say
Now’s the time to pull up my socks
Pursue my dreams
Live the life I want

Enough is enough!
Enough is enough!

Be Inspired.

Friday, February 15, 2008

3 Obstacles That You Have To Overcome For You to Successfully Pursue Your God-Given Dream


Yes, pursuing your God-given dream is going to be no mere a stroll down the park. Somewhere along the journey you’re going to encounter some obstacles that will make you a little anxious, you know that feeling in the pit of your stomach; that take your breath away the first time you think about them; and that will cause your head to ache the more you think about them — you’re going to come face to face with a troubled conscience, strong opposition from those closest to you and hostile circumstances (that came upon you without your consent).

A troubled Conscience
This is the first obstacle that you will encounter as you pursue your God-given dream. Because your God-given dream is something that is new to it, it is going to try everything that it can to make you abandon your dream. It will also try to give you another dream – one that is small, normal and “your size.”

When this happens, all you can do is to ignore your conscience and pursue your dream. After sometime your conscience will settle and let you pursue your dream in peace.

People who are Close to You
They know you best – or should I say that they think they do. Whichever the case, these people will rarely leave you to pursue your dream without first showing you some resistance. The major cause of their resistance is that they have a clear vision of who you are right now, but not of the person who are becoming (and when God gives you your dream He has looked at who you are becoming, not who you are right now.) That’s where the misunderstanding comes from.

When this happens, strive to maintain your relations with them and, at the same time, be stubborn enough to forge ahead in pursuing your dream.

Circumstances that came upon you without your consent
What better thing is there to stop you from pursuing your dream than a circumstance that you have no control over – or should I say that makes you believe so. The bottom line is that there are circumstances that may come upon you without your consent and distract you as you pursue your dream.

When this happens, try your best to stay on top of the situation. Do your best to control the events that are happening in your life. Most importantly, keep pursuing your dream in whatever little way you can.

Be Inspired.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

7 Facts about a God-given Dream


Thought to send you a quick checklist that you can use to determine whether your dream is God-given or not.

1. A God-given dream must be born, not borrowed
It cannot come from another person; it must come from God, otherwise it cannot be said to be God-given. A God-given dream is something that comes to you supernaturally. You might have asked God for it or expected it but you will have no idea what it is until God gives it to you.

2. A God-given dream must overwhelm you
Wow! That should be your reaction each time you think about it. Your dream must be bigger than you. You should ask yourself where on earth did you get such a dream. At the end of the day, you should come to the conclusion that the dream that you have and want to pursue can only be from God.

3. A God-given dream must outlast you
God is a trans-generational God. He wants to bless you and the generations that will come after you. One way He can do that is by giving you a dream that will live on long after you die. Its fruit will be a blessing to you and the generations that will come after you.

4. A God-given dream will be misunderstood by those close to you
If your dream will overwhelm you, what do you think will be the reaction ofs those close to you when you share it with them? Of course it depends on the kind of person that they know you to be, but no doubt they will most likely interpret your dream wrongly. They will think that your dream means something that it is not. For example, being called into full-time ministry has always been misinterpreted to mean being condemned to poverty fo the rest of one’s life.

5. A God-given dream will attract the things that you need
When God gives you a dream He also ensures that you have access to everything that you need to pursue that dream until it is accomplished. Everything means all the resources, skills and people that you need in order to pursue your dream. Whats more appaling is that all these things will come to you at the very time that you need them.

6. A God-given dream will require total focus
Total focus means commiting oneself fully to the dream. Your dream becomes you number on priority and everything that you do ensures that your dream stays alive.

7. A God-given dream will enable you to make a difference
The world is looking for someone who will make a difference in their lives. Our every effort to do this out of our own cleverness may bring about something but the effectiveness of having a God-given dream is unparalled.


Be inspired.

Redeem Us, O God

I want to begin by apologizing for not sending this on Friday. I have just started my Masters studies and I had to make a PowerPoint presentation and write exams on Friday.

Today, I thought I’d deviate from the norm just a little bit. I am sending you a poem; but not just a poem, a poem that echoes the silent cries of those that have lost their sons and daughters to the socio economic challenges of society. Agreeably, more could have been said but this is just a start.

A stench of death covers the land
The villagers all come together to bemoan the widow’s only son
Weakened by hunger
Gorged by thirst
The cute infant died at his mother’s breast
The stench of death covers the land

Redeem us, O God
Break our curse,
Gather us in your mercy
Redeem us, O God
Heal our wound,
Gather us in your love

A stench of death covers the land
The congregation all come together to bemoan the minister’s only son
Given to vein passions
Consumed by lust
The brass lad died at his lover’s breast
The stench of death covers the land

Redeem us, O God
Break our curse,
Gather us in your mercy
Redeem us, O God
Heal our wound,
Gather us in your love

Redeem Us, O God

If this poem has moved you in any way, please let me know. Otherwise, that’s all for today.

Be Inspired.