God's recycle material!

I love taking care of trash and getting it out of the house to the dumpster. I am slowly learning that some materials are recyclable while others are not. The recyclable ones go in the blue bin while the other trash goes in the black bin. I know recyclable things are re-used. Compost turns into manure that provides a fertile ground for farming.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if we looked at every human being as God's recycle material? God is in the business of making us new every day. His Grace cleanses our past. Nothing that we go through is a waste of time. Our disappointments may be God’s way of refining us for our next appointments. All our losses turn into wins in the hands of a redeemer. Our strength may fail us halfway to our destination but God is here to sail us through to the end. We are all a work in progress. We all must avail ourselves as His vessels.

God can use whomever he wants in ways that only Him can. God can use even those whom we think are weirdos. Even those that we do not like are God’s beloved. Trash can be a treasure in the hands of the greatest potter and artist ever lived. He is the only hope even when all the other hope is gone.

Friend, no matter what you are going through today, trust in Him. Others may be calling you a ‘trash’. Do not dwell on those negative utterances. Focus onto what the one with a perfect will has in store for you. Enjoy the rest of the week. #trashintotreasure #recycle #reuse #beavessel

Learn and Serve!

Today it is easy for one to claim that he or she is a servant leader. We love to assume that we know it all. We lead from the place of our knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. So often we forget that we ought to comprehend our limitations. Friends, we may not have it all together yet but every day is an opportunity for us to be better.

It takes a great level of humility for one to embrace the desire to learn daily. A few weeks ago, I signed up to serve at a church picnic in Washington. I thought I had all that it could take for me to serve that day. I then found myself in front of a Snow Cone Machine. To be honest with you, I was ready to serve but did not know how to operate the machine. I had to learn how to operate the machine if I was to serve better. My friend Larry was gracious enough to teach me how to operate a snow cone machine. I learned and served that day. We served over 200 snow cones.

I have realized that if I am to be a better servant leader, I have to remain with a teachable spirit. I have to emulate those with the needed expertise that might make me a better servant. I need to model the greatest servant leader of all time-Jesus Christ. I love Jesus’ words “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me”(John 12:26).

To the reader of this post, allow me to request you to share some of the ways that you like to serve. You can also share the possible intended ways of serving God and others this weekend.

God bless.

#bedifferentasyoumakeadifference #haveablessedweekend #snowcones #summer #cooldown #serve #emulate #learn #faithintoaction

What is your response to adversity?

I listen, read biographies and talk to successful people and the more I do that, the more I hear mistakes, screw-up’s, fears and failures. I also hear that those downers and adversities were blessings in disguise. They paved the way for the success they later enjoyed.

I do not know about you but it seems like I am naturally allergic to screw-up’s, mistakes, fears, and failures. As a student of life, if there is anything that I hate, it is hearing my 'professor' tell me that I am not smart enough simply because I did not get to excel in an assignment. Why should smartness be limited to the grade that one gets from an assignment? I know that getting 100%, as a grade for my paper does not guarantee 100% of my future.

Some of the people around us do not do any justice to our souls once we face failures yet failures are inevitable. I remember, in the genesis of my life, some elders in my community would tell me that I would never amount to anything and I believed it. Such messages made me more scared of my future even when the word of God would tell me that the Lord had great plans for me. I have been an employee before working for a boss that did not want anybody to question whatever he did. I cannot forget the day this particular man told me “Your comment questioning my integrity is way beyond your age and position. I think we should part ways”. I knew that the comment that I shared with him was genuine and true but I was not prepared to lose my job at that time. Too much fear dawned on me. I had to apologize or even take back my comment if I was to remain working for him. I resigned a few months later. Is it right for employers to fire their employees simply because of a minor pre-assumed weakness that can be resolved with better communication and a teachable spirit?

I hate insensitive comments with no empathy when I face failures or make mistakes but I know I grow and learn by making mistakes. I have lost privileges before simply because I did not perform to other’s expectations. I have no regrets about the privileges lost because they shaped my attitude and perspective about life. I have no entitlement in this life.

What happened to graceful responses? I think we need to be mindful of the way we communicate especially when interacting with individuals that we assume are weaker than they may even be. If individuals are going through adversities, we should encourage them to stand taller than them instead of causing them to sink deeper into those adversities. Do we still value people even with their weaknesses? On the other hand, is there anyone immune to weaknesses?

I have learned that setbacks, failures, and mistakes do not need me to turn back, or give up or quit. Well, I might have given up on a few things in my life but I call them learning experiences. I know that for me to succeed I may try so many times but my resolve is to confidently face my fears repeatedly. I sometimes wonder what I got myself into but I have to keep moving in order to increase my chances of success and happiness.

Key Lesson for you and me today: Life continues whether we lose, win or even draw. Therefore, let us stay focused even when nobody else believes in our end goal. Sometime in the near future, our grit and determination will pay off and we will make the world a better place. Have a fruitful day. #bedifferentasyoumakeadifference

What is the right pace of life’s journey?

We all love to think that life is a Journey. Oliver Goldsmith is quoted asserting “Life is a journey that has to be traveled no matter how bad the roads and accommodation”. We may like or dislike our current pace but we need to keep moving. We may fly, run, walk or crawl but we have to keep going. If you have ever set off for a road trip, you would love to check how long it takes to get to your destination and then find or set the right pace.

A pace can mean an established rate of locomotion. Webster dictionary defines pace as “the rate of movement or rate of progress”. We may measure the rate of movement in terms of miles per hour as the case may be in America or Kilometers per hour for countries that use a different metric system like my motherland Uganda. For those that drive, driving on a highway may be preferred to driving on a parkway because the speed limit may be higher. Highway driving may get us to our intended destination in the shortest time possible. On the journey of life, we may not have any speed limit posted anywhere. So how can we know how fast we can move?

Just like speed bumps on the road, life has so many speed bumps. Life has so many setbacks that we might have to overcome if we are to be successful. If we get so focused on the future, we may hit the speed bumps of today so hard that we may end up being depressed. If on our own life’s journeys, we desire to self-drive, the journey may be rougher than it is supposed to be. However, if we allow God to journey life with us, he will help us figure out the right pace to move on. God is the best pacesetter that we can ever have. With the pacesetter, not even the sky is the speed limit.

The good news is that God even knows the end from the beginning. Our frustrations of today do not change God’s intended plan for us. It is my desire that we fix our eyes onto God throughout our life’s Journey. God’s pace will get us out of the bumpy roads. His perfect plan will help us to stay in our lanes if when life gets so bumpy. Even when we get to drive our physical bodies through the tunnels of the shadow of death, his presence will be right there with us. Our right pace for you and me is one set by the pacesetter himself. Let us be in tune with his pace for our lives. #HappyValentine’s #day

What are your personal priorities for 2019?

Today is officially the 15th day of 2019. So much has already happened. My New Year resolutions and goals are already set. I guess your goals are all set as well. As I reflect on the past 15 days, I realize that it is easier to set goals and resolutions than to follow through with them. I need to be intentional at pursuing my goals rest I will fall behind on some of them. I need to continuously shape my resolutions and ensure that they align with the Lord’s will for my life. This means that I have to learn how to silence the noise around me and perhaps the noise that is inside my mind.

There are so many things out there that I should be seeking for. As I searched and sought for what is in 2019 for me, God brought to mind Mathew 6:33 as my 2019 verse of the year. The word of the Lord says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Mathew 6:33). Seeking God’s Kingdom and his righteousness should be my daily longing yet at times, my personal drive seems to want to take control. Lord, I want you to be my one desire.

This year I would like to grow in my personal walk with Jesus. I want righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit to be my daily portion. I desire to let go of enslavement by my own goals and vision. I want to conform to the image of God and follow his perfect will.

Friends, when I do something that you do not like, please let me know about it in a gracefully way. I promise to manage my responses. I will continue to learn to communicate with love and listen with grace as well. I need to access more of God’s grace and Joy on a daily basis. #Happy2019

How can you and I be agents of Love in a world full of hate?

We live in a world that sometimes looks like having much hate than love. There is hate in our families, organizations, communities and individual nations. Yesterday I read an article shared by a local radio station from my hometown in Uganda that talked of how a 15-year-old boy killed his 17-year-old brother because of a simple misunderstanding. I do not think this 15-year-old boy intended to kill his brother; he just could not control his anger. How many times do you and I act out of anger? For people in authority, one act of anger can be a big toll to handle. You see, anger can make you do something that you might live to regret the rest of your life if Jesus does not help you to be over it. This 15-year old is still on the run. The police and family members are still searching for him. Meanwhile, the burial of his 17-year old brother was yesterday.

The media tends to fill our minds with hateful information all over the world. People end up living lives that are different from whom they truly are for fear of dislike from those around them. Selfishness and egocentrism seem to be the engine that drives the world today. Many people have written about leadership and every leader can point on who a bad leader is. Not even the world’s best toxic leaders think they are toxic. They still think of themselves as the greatest leaders. So often, we do not create time to reflect on our leadership. Do we ever realize that we may not be walking our talk? As an immigrant on the American soil, I feel like the immigration policies can be better. I do not think that separating children from their parents in a bid of making America great again is a good idea. Do not get me wrong, it is okay to apprehend illegal people. Certainly, not all immigrants are bad. I assume, some can be good people and can have a contribution to make towards making America great again. I bet I could be wrong on this since I am not an immigration expert!

Competition does not do any justice to Love either. What ought to be a common purpose becomes a point of driving tense relationships. Should people that are in the same business of fighting a similar social issue like hunger have time to blame each other for what the other is doing wrong? Why should one’s advert be all about the wrong things that the other company does with a justification that their company is the only legit one in the field? Why don’t we conduct benchmarks or our individual and organization’s performance? I think that an advert just for your unique products and services with value propositions well stipulated serves the purpose. My marketing experience tells me that one can still make a sale without tarnishing the name of his/her competitors. It pains my heart when I see fundraising appeals from organizations claiming to do God’s work painting the name of similar organizations dark.

You and I may not have the capacity of preventing others to commit acts of hate but we can love in a way that makes love outweigh hate. The different factions in which we were born should not be a divisive factor. It should instead be a reason to celebrate diversity. Somehow, someway, we should not let hate continue to drive away the love that we share as humans.

Here are four ways of being agents of love in a world full of hate.

1. Value the opinions of others and respect them as individuals. Maybe you think you are right all the time and do not like it when people tell you that you go wrong sometimes. Maybe you need to be a little more empathetic in your code of conduct.

2. Be generous by sharing what you have. You and I might be having different beliefs but what is common to us is that we all have what to share. I am a firm believer in sharing the little that I have right here, right now. You and I can be intentional at giving back to the world irrespective of whether we believe in God or good luck or karma.

3. As the need arises, compliment others. Good should be good no matter the person who does it. We can all begin from the point of appreciating the contributions that others’ make before discrediting their intentions.

4. Aim at the big picture. If you and I are in the business of feeding people, we should realize that any child fed is a reduction on the 10 billion children that are dying of hunger in the world today.

At least every key player in the world wants to make the world a better place. Does making the world a better place necessitate us to build our own kingdoms at the expense of destroying other people’s kingdoms? As humanity, making the world a better place should be what makes you and I out of bed every day. Making self-centered decisions can lead to poor implementation strategies if our decisions are not checked. I love to think that I am not in the business of building my own kingdom but in the business of building God’s kingdom. Therefore, friends, be different as you make a difference today. Have a blessed day. #love #fruitsofthespirit

Collecting firewood as a home chore!

One of the domestic chores that I had to do, as a young boy growing up from deep in the village in South Western Uganda was to collect firewood. I had to look at every dead branch of a tree with a keen eye. Firewood was, and still is a great resource in my community. During those days, I considered a dead tree as a big catch. Using firewood was the only way of cooking that I knew how to use. I did not even know that gas cookers existed. If you told me that you cooked on a gas stove or oven, I would not help it. I would have called you a liar. How could I fathom that one can cook using electricity yet we did not have electricity in our house? The closest I ever came to a modern way of cooking was by use of a charcoal stove. My Elder brother Edward made donuts and bread using a charcoal stove. My brother used a charcoal stove for business purposes only. This was because; we would have to buy charcoal. As for firewood, all that we needed to do was to walk in the hunt for dead trees and dead branches. If they were dead and dry, that was a lucky day. If they fell down before drying up, we would still take them home and give them an opportunity to dry. My brother Edward allowed me to be his salesperson for the bread and donuts whenever I had some free time. I loved it. I can credit the little sales knowledge that I have today to my brother who gave me a firm foundation. My brother also taught me how to do local baking. Perhaps, I need to start baking with an oven since I am staying in a house with an oven for this season.

As I write this post, I cannot stop thinking about the amount of firewood put to waste here in America. In fact, I picked a few dead branches this morning. For some reason, every time I walk by a dead branch of a tree, I am tempted to pick it up for firewood. Then a little voice whispers to me, reminding me that I am not staying in a village. Maybe I should start thinking of ways of channeling this firewood to places that could use it. I know a friend who could let me pick the firewood in their yard, free of charge. I perhaps need to look into transport logistics and export/import tariffs. So many schools including my very own Love Restoration School and many families could use the firewood that is redundant here. Besides, I have some experience in selling firewood from my high school vacation. So how best can we utilize the firewood around us? Perhaps, you can help my creative juice to flow farther. #Memories #business #thinkingalound #villagelife #townlife