INTRODUCTION
Ooh la la, my people I
did tell you that I would be around because I had to write this Blog and then
some more and then the objectives for my life have been projected into the year
2025. Looks like we are going to be together for a long time if the Lord
tarries.
You are all so serious
I have to ensure that you release some feel-good hormones all those endorphins
by giving you an amusing script from my life. I am excited my Spirit is ignited
I walk in favour with God and man. The
ancients have a saying necessity is the mother of invention and as I have
already told you man who have raw meat seek fire.
It is like this ever
since I return to Canada everywhere I go people have been branding me as
Mistress, all my correspondence has MRS. on them. In addition to that I have
been having a number of experiences with the fellows. When I used to go to the
library met this gentleman we spoke. Found out he was divorced I immediately
volunteered to pray that he and his wife would get back together. Self-preservation people, self-preservation. He said it was irreconcilable differences. In continuing to talk I advised the gentleman ‘Je ne
cuisine pas du riz, du Poulet et les haricots rouges dans la Dimanche. Je lire
et chante dans le lit et mange des légumes.’ The
gentleman would come and sit two (2) chairs away from me in the library and we
would exchange sporadic conversation like an old married couple. I only pass
through the library these days. However, he makes it a point of duty to call to
me whenever he sees me. He is a lovely gentleman.
Then one day I went
into the Bus Stop singing my head off. There was this gentleman there, he said
you are a Jamaican with his Hispanic accent. I automatically became a French
Madame. I said oui, oui. We started talking he told me the number of years he was
in Canada and that he was from the Dominican Republic etc (what can I say
people I am easy to talk to). Of course I told him the Dominican Republic is
beautiful but, it pales in comparison to Jamaica ( I should be paid for all
this affiliate marketing I am doing). The gentleman then said ‘Yo quiero mucho’,
I said oui, oui. He looked at me and said
‘Comprende?’ I said Oui, oui. He looked
at me and said smiling ‘You are special’. I said oui, oui. We both laughed and
the bus came.
I have had offers of marriage
of convenience. I said thank you but no thank you. I love my life.
One day I got a letter
and it had MRS. on it. I sat on the bed and said okay Lord you want me married
then I am married. That was the prayer
point. Lord help my Holy Ghost what did I do?
I have started walking
more too many encounters at the bus stop. I was at a bus stop one gentleman saw
me. First time I am seeing this
gentleman in my life, he asked Where are you coming from? I said church! He
said Mi like yuh enuh! I said I like me too!! The bus came.
These encounters I call
Evangelism 101. Single ladies I would
not recommend you try this if you are not firmly grounded. The evangelism
strategy is this, I meet a gentleman we talk and then the gentleman ask for an
exchange of telephone number. I give it. (for I know their thoughts said the
Lord). Then a few days later I get a call: It is the gentleman we exchange
pleasantries. Then inevitable the next question is Can we meet? Me, certainly I
go to so and so church and I am there between the hours of whatever. Do you go
to church? Here it comes now people Well, I used to but I don’t anymore too
much hypocrites in the church or whatever excuse. The punch line: My brother
you can’t say that you are not there. So, you can’t say that! The conversation peters
out and I never get a call back.
Then I have the
gentleman that invited me to dinner. He
will buy the oxtail and I cook it. We will enjoy this encounter I was invited
to lunch by a gentleman (this is Canada people you have to be specific). I
allowed him to choose the restaurant (first mistake). He said he knew a nice place. He took me to a
Jamaican restaurant. If you know me I don’t
particularly like Jamaican restaurants, that is what I cook at least twice per
week. I want to experience the cuisine
of the other ethnicities. I would want to branch here and tell you about my
experience with the Sushi and wasabi but this introduction is a bit long. Suffice it to say I don’t like Sushi. This
was a restaurant that did not serve a complete meal, you had to purchase a
little of everything. So I began to order I wanted a little of this and that I ordered
about four (4) things, my protein, my carbohydrates, my vegetables, my plantains
so by the time I was about to order my desert a piece of potato pudding I heard
a grunt and the gentleman decided that he wanted to order. He ordered two (2) items. When the cashier
gave the bill, I realized what was happening the gentleman was working within a
budget of Twenty Dollars ($20). The bill
was in excess and he had to go to the car and get the excess and the cashier
had to write off the pennies. I am saying to myself I would have worked within
the gentleman’s budget if he had told me. We could have gone to the supermarket
and bought some Excelsior water crackers, cheese and some juice or Grace
Coconut water. My father swore by the Excelsior water crackers. He would eat them and drink some milk and
belch and say ‘gas’. Then say: ‘The
crackers good fi deh gas yuh si’. We
could have sat outside and ate the crackers and cheese and drink the juice al
fresco. That is what most people call a
picnic. The gentleman is Jamaican you have to understand the thinking.
Suffice it to say when
the fellow has any challenges I am one of the first person he can call. He is
having some legal challenges, so he called me wanting to find out the name of
the organization that regulates the legal profession in Canada and told me what
was happening. I said what? Is there not a cause people? I gave him the name
and the telephone number and say keep me posted. We went to download the forms.
He knows I am as straight as an arrow.
There is no variableness. That is
why I went through so I can help others not to go through. Don’t want this country
to try and gobble up the destiny of the unwary.
This matter came to a
head when I went into the supermarket and felt something boring into my back.
When I turned around there was an elderly gentleman standing there just staring
at me, I opened my eyes and almost said boo! I had to laugh. I came home that evening and said God that
prayer was too general let us rewrite that prayer. I just wrote the prayer I had
prayed a number of years ago that was stolen in my Thomson Chain Reference Bible
which I had forgotten about. I just refined it.
It was very effective then, God is the same yesterday today and forever.
However, as I have been
saying one must be intentional about the things they do, so I have to take the
prayer and dust it off. Necessity is the
mother of invention. I need a permanent
prayer partner. As Dr. Cindy Trimm would say the man don’t have to be a prayer
warrior one prayer warrior in the family is enough. In addition, you get with
five (5) single ladies to pray and your prayer is answered and everyone is
vexed with you. Plus, everywhere I go and start praying people suddenly become ‘Prayer
Analysts’ or develop ‘Pinocchio ears’ acting as if they are God. I don’t mind
being a Anna go to the temple and pray and wait for the Messiah but
everywhere I go and try this people suddenly develop the Martha spirit the
chairs or the decoration needs fixing and disturbing my quiet time. I will give up my freedom. I will give up coming home on a Sunday and
lying in the bed and listening to sermons for five (5) to eight (8) hours in my
bed covered with my blanket that says, “My Heart Will Go On”. We will work out the logistics of the
domestic matters très importante. Je n’aime pas tâches de domestiques.
I know you will all be
praying Father, give her a husband, give her a husband, s’il vous plait (for
one reason or another). Just remember I have my criteria. I prefer a few years of heaven on earth as
Pastor E.A. Adeboye would say, à beaucoup ans des
trémolos. My mantra is be anxious for nothing, God is the same yesterday, today
and forever. Ninety-Year-old women can still have children, blind eyes are
still opening and dead people are still being raised.
I hope you enjoy
reading this as much as I enjoy writing it.
REFLECTIONS
If I had the power
there are four books I would get every high school and University to introduce
as part of their curriculum. I my days
of University as a Science student there are some basic courses that you had to
do before you can be promoted from one level to the next. In the Natural
Sciences programme one of them was Development of Civilization. I would make
these books a required course. They are as follows:
·
Rich Dad Poor Dad by
Robert Kiyosaki
·
Cashflow Quadrant by
Robert Kiyosaki
·
The Automatic
Millionaire by David Bach
·
The Success
Principles by Jack Canfield
I firmly believe that
anyone who reads these books have a head start in life.
That now brings me to
my Blog topic as per usual (habituallement) people I like to give you an
insight into the reason why I have chosen the topic. I was introduced to The Success Principles by
Jack Canfield. I read the book in late April early May. I had to wait my turn at the library. As I
was reading I kept saying to myself I have heard these things before. However,
I had a chairos moment after I read Principles 46 and 49, Mastermind Your Way
to Success and Have a Heart Talk.
I sat at the bus stop
and held my head and groaned and groaned and groaned and then some more. I then said to myself, Daddy your partners
are waiting on tables when they should be giving themselves continually to prayer
and the word Act 6 verses 3 – 4.
Every decade has its
buzz words as the late Dr. Myles Munroe said there is no new knowledge only
repackaged information. The first cartoon in ‘The Success Principles’ almost
brings out this point. The cartoon shows
a shelf with Self Improvement books and then below there are two bigger shelves
with New and Improved Self Improvement books. The buzz words these days seem to
be mastermind, mind set change and coaching.
In the nineties when the Japanese came and blew away manufacturing as
the world knew it, the words were paradigm shift, quality circles, quality
management and re-engineering. I remember a Human Resources Consultant who was
conducting a Training Seminar at the Jamaica Mutual Life Assurance Company in
the Jamaica Mutual Life Auditorium (people you have never seen auditorium like
that we had a grand piano, panoramic view of Kingston etc fantastic), the trainers
name was Nsombi Jaja. She just sat there looking regal in her African outfit. She
is a fantastic trainer. Introduced me to the teachings of Les Brown- Another man’s
opinion of me is not my reality – Les Brown 1989. Now you see why I don’t pay
you any mind. The topic was interesting but I was more interested in the
outfit. I got the name of the seamstress
the rest as they would say is history.
Nature abhors a vacuum,
I am amazed at how persons who do not call themselves children of the Most High
God (we have to be careful here because there are many gods out there and
people want to equate them all, so you have sayings like whatever god is to you
and a lot of love, having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof)
are using the universal principles of the Bible while we church goers are
arguing about them. I mean people are paying crazy money to be part of one
mastermind group or another just to be in the company of successful and
like-minded individuals who can speak a word (as Pastor E.A. Adeboye would say).
At present these people to a large extent are fulfilling the mandate of the
church.
I decided to look at
where the principle emanated from originally which is really not Napoleon Hill
he just got a direct download. King Solomon says there is nothing new under the
sun. Moses had his inner circle and they violated the principles and God
himself dealt with the transgressors Aaron and Miriam. Joshua didn’t think he
needed one, his first error resulted in devastation for the children of
Israel. However, we want to go to the
Mastermind of all masterminds and see the principles. I am reminded of a time a lady told me the
ministers in North America are tired, so tired that Men of God were being
placed in seats to preach. I am sure the
only question the Master will have for those men is ‘I have trained twelve (12)
in three and a half (31/2) years, and they changed the known world then. How
many have you trained in forty (40)?
We will look at the
definition of a mastermind group as laid out in The Principles of Success and
look at the principles of Jesus who is the perfect example.
CRITICAL DEFINITIONS
Mastermind Group
– Mastermind groups are relatively new to most people, even though
Napoleon Hill created the concept around 80 years ago with his book, Think and
Grow Rich. A mastermind group is designed to help you navigate through
challenges using the collective intelligence of others.
Inner
Circle- (as per google) an exclusive group close to the
center of power of an organization or movement, regarded as elitist and
secretive.
We will listen to the
video by Napoleon Hill the author of ‘Think and Grow Rich’.
THE BASIC
REASONS FOR FORMING A MASTERMIND GROUP
The principles as laid out in The
Principles of Success
1. Acceleration
of growth – the concept of more working together as a team achieving more.
2. The infusion of new thoughts, new people and new
resources – the ability to leverage the disciplines, abilities and resources of
the members of the group.
3. The Composition of a Mastermind Group – Should be made up
of people who wants to take you where you are going.
4. The size of the group – The recommended size is three (3)
to twelve (12) it is not recommended that the group become too large and
unwieldy and loose its purpose.
5. Conducting a Mastermind Meeting – Meetings should be done
in an orderly manner and everyone given an opportunity to share.
LET
US LOOK AT THE MASTER JESUS HIMSELF
Luke 6:13-16King James Version (KJV)
Luke 6:13-16King James Version (KJV)
13 And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;
14 Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,
15 Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes,
16 And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.
1. The
composition of Jesus’ Mastermind Group- He had many disciples but he chose
twelve (12) and called them Apostles St. Luke 6 vs 13. Let us look at the
characteristics of these men. They were
ordinary men most of them fishermen, a tax collector and even a revolutionary.
Jesus is also showing that people have to transition from being a mere
discipleship mere followers to become leaders themselves.
While these worldly mastermind
groups are seeking to find the best Jesus is showing that with the right
guidance any life can be transformed.
2. The
infusion of new thoughts, new people and new resources – The Jesus model come
as you are, you might not have anything but I have all, if you are willing to submit
to my principles and instructions. In the case of Matthew, he realized that
money was secondary compared to what Jesus had to offer. The Zebedee fishing
business was floundering anyway but the solution turned up. Peter partnered and
his business had a new infusion of capital resources which caused his business
to explode and be in the pink.
3.
The composition of a mastermind group –
The mastermind group might not have started out in the most inauspicious way,
one cannot forget the beginning of King David he started out with four hundred
(400) discontented people I Samuel 22 verse 2 and in David's Mighty Warriors ended
up with thirty-seven in all and three of them were the inner circle. They were
called David’s mighty men. The three from the inner circle took on an army just
to get a glass of water for the leader.
Talk about loyalty. Jesus shows
that you can transform any life if it is done the right way. All the apostles
became so sold out that they all went on to achieve great things and die for
the vision. I keep telling you people some of us might be called to die on
the cross, boiled in oil or lose our head. It is not all about money and fame.
4.
The size of the group - Jesus himself had
of group of twelve (12). Since, He is the perfect example and twelve (12) is
the number of government then I would suggest that the size of the group don’t exceed
this and of course the inner circle of three (3) Peter, James and John. The men
on the Mount of Transfiguration and in the Garden of Gethsemane St. Matthew 17 verses 1 - 8 and St. Mark 14 verses 32 - 50. If we remember the model the Apostle
used to grow the New Testament Church Acts 2 verses 44 - 47. The basic and fundamental strategies don’t change
we just have new and improved tools to reach more people. Jesus preached to thousands without
amplification. People sought Him out. With
the modes of transportation that we have today Apostle Paul would have
navigated the world quite a few times. People are paying crazy money to be a
part of these Mastermind Groups. It just
says if you have the goods people will come and we have already determined the
money follow the anointing. The Apostles never raised an offering. People threw money at their feet.
5.
The format of the meeting –
Jesus had a unique teaching style called parables. Parables taught many disciplines. Finances -The The Financially Challenged Steward, The Kingdom of God -The Lost Coin St. Luke 15 verses 8 - 10; Wisdom/The Second Coming – The Wise and Foolish
Virgins St. Matthew 25 verses 1 -13 etc. Every moment was a teaching moment for Jesus. He taught in public
and private. These latter-day Mastermind groups which meets regularly while not
as extensive are having results because they are consistent and focus. We church folks could learn about focus and consistency.
PRINCIPLE 49 – HAVE A HEART TALK
People I will not go into this
principle. It is pure and simple
straight out of the Sermon on the Mount.
Practical applications of the principles. We will not go around that mountain again in this post. We will continue to have our monthly Sermon
on the Mount checkup.
CONCLUSION
In concluding, as I have said people I am pure and
simply a sheep and you know us sheep. Thank God that that he cares for us so
that He will leave the Ninety and Nine (99) and go after the one (1). There is
no one that is beyond SALVATION, Paid in full.
However, in writing there are a number of themes that
need further exploring discipleship, leadership vision to name a few. My
upcoming posts will be addressing these themes in unique ways. One thing is apparent the CHURCH IS WIRED FOR
SUCCESS we lack nothing but leadership. We also need to be reminded that it is
the GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JESUS CHRIST not North America. As it is in the
spiritual so it is in the natural.
I was at a seminar and the
gentleman who was a Jew was speaking about the techniques of communications. He was highlighting the fact that most
persons even when given a direct question will revert to the ambiguous you or
other people instead of answering the question directly by saying I. He advised that the grammatical structure is ‘I
speak to you’. However, this is what got
me he said especially you Christians even ‘Jesus never said you’ He always said,
‘I am’.
Let us start confessing who
we are and walking in our dominion mandate. If you don’t know who you are you can’t
tell another who they are.
Go out and buy the books
people they are worth the read or go to your library and borrow them.
Once again, this is me Lillene’s baby girl coming to
you from up here in the true north.
