YOU CARRY A SEED OF GREATNESS IN YOU.

Did you know that you are a carrier of greatness? When God created the earth, it contained the seeds that brought forth life. When He spoke and commanded the earth to bring forth plants, it did so because the seed was already there (see Genesis 1). God's Word never returns void. According to Isaiah 55:10-12, God's Word is like the rain and snow that cause the seeds to germinate and spring forth into their destiny. When God spoke, the seeds in the earth sprang to life. When God's Word comes to us, His truth waters our heart and causes the seeds of greatness in us to come to life.

When God created you, He placed seeds of greatness in you. Part of the reason that many of us don't realize that we carry seeds of greatness is because we've had so many negative things happen to us. God's plans and purposes (seeds of greatness) for our lives have become buried and/or they are dormant, waiting for the right Words of Life to germinate them into action.
Before a seed can germinate, the conditions must be exactly right. The temperature has to rise to just the right degree and there has to be sufficient light to beckon the seed to come forth. There is also one more ingredient that must be present to cause the seed to spring forth; WATER! You see water softens the shell that the seed is contained in so that the LIFE within the seed can BREAK OUT. Some seeds even have to be soaked in water before they are planted to insure that they will germinate and grow properly.

I believe that many of the seeds of greatness that God placed within us are awaiting the Water of God's Word of truth to come to them. Psalms 1:1-3 says that those who listen to God's Word and allow His way to lead them shall become like TREES planted beside waters and everything they do shall prosper. Your destiny contains greatness. God designed you that way.

Is your life a reflection of His seeds of greatness in you? Are there still more seeds that God wants to germinate in you? Will you allow Him to break up the hardness of your heart and put aside the cares of the world so that those seeds can bring forth new things in you? Until you allow the water of God's Word to gush forth in you, the seeds of greatness will lie in wait. The world is in desperate need of all the good fruit your life was designed to produce.

MY PRAYER TO ME AND TO YOU TOO MY READER

Lord, I ask you to give us a revelation of your plans for us. Awaken the dreams within us. Let the Water of Your Spirit flow within us and water the seeds that still have not come to life. Thank you that you have good things stored up, prepared and ready for us. Teach us to walk in Your Ways so that our lives will be like Trees that bear fruit for others to partake of. Thank you for Your mercy and Your grace and especially for Your patience. Let the seeds of greatness that You placed in us bear an abundance of fruit (John 15) that will bring glory and honor to You in the earth.

In Your Greatness,

Things Extraordinary Bosses Give Employees.

Things Extraordinary Bosses Give Employees.

Good bosses care about getting important things done. Exceptional bosses care about their people.

Good bosses have strong organizational skills. Good bosses have solid decision-making skills. Good bosses get important things done.

Exceptional bosses do all of the above--and more. Sure, they care about their company and customers, their vendors and suppliers. But most importantly, they care to an exceptional degree about the people who work for them.

That's why extraordinary bosses give every employee:

1. Autonomy and independence.

Great organizations are built on optimizing processes and procedures. Still, every task doesn't deserve a best practice or a micro-managed approach. (I'm looking at you, manufacturing.)

Engagement and satisfaction are largely based on autonomy and independence. I care when it's "mine." I care when I'm in charge and feel empowered to do what's right.

Plus, freedom breeds innovation: Even heavily process-oriented positions have room for different approaches. (Still looking at you, manufacturing.)

Whenever possible, give your employees the autonomy and independence to work the way they work best. When you do, they almost always find ways to do their jobs better than you imagined possible.

2. Clear expectations.

While every job should include some degree of independence, every job does also need basic expectations for how specific situations should be handled.

Criticize an employee for offering a discount to an irate customer today even though yesterday that was standard practice and you make that employee's job impossible.  Few things are more stressful than not knowing what is expected from one day to the next.

When an exceptional boss changes a standard or guideline, she communicates those changes first--and when that is not possible, she takes the time to explain why she made the decision she made, and what she expects in the future.

3. Meaningful objectives.

Almost everyone is competitive; often the best employees are extremely competitive--especially with themselves. Meaningful targets can create a sense of purpose and add a little meaning to even the most repetitive tasks.

Plus, goals are fun. Without a meaningful goal to shoot for, work is just work.

No one likes work.

4. A true sense of purpose.

Everyone likes to feel a part of something bigger. Everyone loves to feel that sense of teamwork and esprit de corps that turns a group of individuals into a real team.

The best missions involve making a real impact on the lives of the customers you serve. Let employees know what you want to achieve for your business, for your customers, and even your community. And if you can, let them create a few missions of their own.

Feeling a true purpose starts with knowing what to care about and, more importantly, why to care.

5. Opportunities to provide significant input.

Engaged employees have ideas; take away opportunities for them to make suggestions, or instantly disregard their ideas without consideration, and they immediately disengage.

That's why exceptional bosses make it incredibly easy for employees to offer suggestions. They ask leading questions. They probe gently. They help employees feel comfortable proposing new ways to get things done. When an idea isn't feasible, they always take the time to explain why.

Great bosses know that employees who make suggestions care about the company, so they ensure those employees know their input is valued--and appreciated.

6. A real sense of connection.

Every employee works for a paycheck (otherwise they would do volunteer work), but every employee wants to work for more than a paycheck: They want to work with and for people they respect and admire--and with and for people who respect and admire them.

That's why a kind word, a quick discussion about family, an informal conversation to ask if an employee needs any help--those moments are much more important than group meetings or formal evaluations.

A true sense of connection is personal. That's why exceptional bosses show they see and appreciate the person, not just the worker.

7. Reliable consistency.

Most people don't mind a boss who is strict, demanding, and quick to offer (not always positive) feedback, as long as he or she treats every employee fairly.

(Great bosses treat each employee differently but they also treat every employee fairly. There's a big difference.)

Exceptional bosses know the key to showing employees they are consistent and fair is communication: The more employees understand why a decision was made, the less likely they are to assume unfair treatment or favoritism.

8. Private criticism.

No employee is perfect. Every employee needs constructive feedback. Every employee deserves constructive feedback. Good bosses give that feedback.

Great bosses always do it in private.

9. Public praise.

Every employee--even a relatively poor performer--does something well. Every employee deserves praise and appreciation. It's easy to recognize some of your best employees because they're consistently doing awesome things.  (Maybe consistent recognition is a reason they're your best employees? Something to think about.)

You might have to work hard to find reasons to recognize an employee who simply meets standards, but that's okay: A few words of recognition--especially public recognition--may be the nudge an average performer needs to start becoming a great performer.

10. A chance for a meaningful future.

Every job should have the potential to lead to greater things. Exceptional bosses take the time to develop employees for the job they someday hope to land, even if that job is with another company.

How can you know what an employee hopes to do someday? Ask.

Employees will only care about your business after you first show you care about them. One of the best ways is to show that while you certainly have hopes for your company's future, you also have hopes for your employees' futures.

EDITED BY MOSEE NJORO

PUT THE PRIORITIES RIGHT......

First Things First


If you have difficulty living the Christian life, it’s because your priorities are wrong. If your priorities are right, your life will be right.

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33) If your first priority is God, the rest of your life will fall into place. There is incredible power in having the proper priorities. As a matter of fact, you could sum up the problem of most people’s lives with this one sentence: They fail to put first things first.

Have you substituted busyness for seeking God, and in doing so allowed something other than God to be your first priority?

This is exactly what I saw when I was invited to speak today to the college students of KENYA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT NANYUKI BRANCH.
A group of students whom I learnt today that they leave their tools of study every Thursday afternoon inorder to seek The Lord and His righteousness and believe me all things shall be added unto these group of elites.

How can a Christian make God his or her number one priority? How do I go about seeking the kingdom of God first? I believe Matthew chapter five offers five powerful perspectives on how we can make the Lord our first priority.

1.fellowship before worship
2.spiritual before material
3.Purity before ministry
4.binding before loosing
5.inside before outside.

"learn to put the first things first "

Why Are Young Christians Leaving the Church? It’s Simple Math

Why Are Young Christians Leaving the Church? It’s Simple Math


Last weekend I had the opportunity to speak to an engaging group of Christians in Elgin, Iowa at the First Baptist Church of Elgin. The congregation was a wonderful combination of young families and older members who understand the challenges facing the younger Christians in their midst. I shared the overwhelming statistics chronicling the growing number of young Christians leaving the church during their college years, but many in the audience had already seen the departure firsthand. The dilemma was personal, and they were ready (and eager) to examine the causes (and the possible solutions). Before I shared my T.R.A.I.N. paradigm, I took a minute to describe the causal factors leading to the departure of so many young Christians. This isn’t rocket science; three simple truths combine to create the situation we see today:

Our Christian Teenagers are Inarticulate and Uninformed

Unfortunately, most of the young Christians who graduate from our youth programs and enter college are surprisingly inarticulate about their Christian beliefs. Sociologists Christian Smith and Melinda Denton did an excellent job of reporting the problem in Soul Searching: The Religious Lives of American Teenagers. They discovered Christian teens have the ability to be articulate about a number of issues, but are seldom articulate when it comes to their Christian beliefs. Most could not describe simple principles and claims of Christianity, and even those who could, struggled to provide simple responses to typical skeptical objections they will surely encounter in college. Our students have not been trained with the university battlefield in view.

University Campuses are Generally Hostile to Christianity

And make no mistake about it, the university setting will likely be a battlefield populated with people opposed to Christianity. Sociologists Neil Gross (Harvard University) and Solon Simmons (George Mason University) conducted a study in 2006 revealing 1 in 4 university professors are atheists or agnostics (nearly 5 times the ration in the general population. And according to an Institute for Jewish and Community Research survey of 1,200 college faculty members, only 6% of the professors say the Bible is “the actual word of God,” 51% say the Bible is “an ancient book of fables, legends, history & moral precepts,” and more than half of the professors surveyed have “unfavorable” feelings toward Evangelical Christians.

Young Men and Women Are Eager to Chase Their Desires with Liberty

Most of us, if we’re honest, understand the temptation facing young Christians, because we’ve also experienced such enticements. As fallen humans, we’ve all experienced the temptation of youth. For many of our Christian students, their college years are the first opportunity they’ve ever had to be free of their parent’s consistent oversight. It’s also a place filled with attractive young people, many of whom don’t share their Christian worldview. Consider the strength of the temptation and imagine the selfish value of an alternative worldview allowing young students to chase their passions and desires without restriction, inhibition or guilt. For many, atheistic naturalism, with its alternate creation story, moral code, materialistic values and goals, is an incredibly attractive alternative to Christianity. The fallen inclination to chase our selfish desire is common to all of us, but it’s a critical driving force for many young students.

Adopted from crosswalk and edited by #MosesToday