Yemi's Blog

New Business dooms revealed

2011-04-22T18:17:00.004+01:00

Most new businesses fail. But the good news is mediating on these tips can help you hit the ground running.

Tony Samuel decided three years ago that some precautions were most vital to the survival of a business.

His printing business was struggling with funding and unpaid salaries. He found out that most times he always ran at a loss. He made no profit for himself and yet he was unable to make ends meet. He decided to make a plan every time he got a new job. Tony found out that successful small businesses don't just happen. They are the result of intentional and well-executed business plans. He discovered that many entrepreneurs are so eager to get started that they neglect business planning and jump in headfirst with little more than a dream and an idea.

The lessons Tony learnt about business survival did not stop there. He found out that building a successful business requires more than willpower and determination.

You must realize that just like in making a pot of soup, there are several elements and ingredients that need to be taken into consideration. Unfortunately, many new business ventures could have succeeded if only they had known how to avoid the top ten pitfalls that commonly plague struggling companies.

And for all new business that fail, the pitfalls are usually the same.

1. No business plan: Remember the old saying “If you don’t know where you are going, how will you get there,” and Tony says successful small businesses don't just happen. They are the result of intentional and well-executed business plans.

2. Inadequate funding: Many businesses fail within the first few months, because the owner runs out of money especially during the critical start-up period. Inadequate funding severely limits your capacity and threatens your ability to grow beyond the initial stage of life. If you have done your homework properly, you should know how much money it will take to launch your business. Resist the urge to start until you have obtained all of the funding you know you need to do it right.

3. Bad marketing: It's possible to create a business that sells the best product at the best price and still fail because no one knows it exists. Getting the word out about your product is critical if your business is going to have any chance of becoming the thriving venture you think it can be.

4. Lack of Operating Goals and Objectives: Many business owners create a Business Plan to obtain a loan. Once they receive their funding, they put their plan “on the shelf” and do nothing further with it. While it is important to have a Business Plan, it is also very important to have specific goals and objectives for the first twelve months of operations.

5. Failure to Measure Goals and Objectives: All too often, once a business starts operating, the owner becomes too immersed in the ongoing daily activities to take the necessary time to assess the progress of the business. It is fine to establish operational goals and objectives, but you also have to measure how well your business is performing against those goals and objectives.

6. Unreliable suppliers: You can't sell what you don't have. Your ability to maintain proper levels of inventory is directly proportional to the quality of your relationships with reliable suppliers. Developing effective supply channels can take a little time, but if you are having problems with your current supplier don't cross fingers and hope things will get better. Take action! Seek out new supplier relationships and make the switch as quickly as possible.

7. Staff: Labor is the biggest expense for most small businesses. Therefore, it only makes sense that it's worth your time to make sure that your company employs the right amount of people. Too many employees and you'll be forced to carry around dead weight. Too few employees and performance will suffer. Striking the perfect balance isn't easy, but the rewards are well worth the effort.

8. Failure to Understand the Industry and the Target Customer: Some business owners start their businesses before fully investigating the industry. If you have not taken the time to understand your industry, you could be entering a “sunset industry”. Some business owners open their doors for business without taking the time to understand their target customers (buyer demographics and psychographics, how they buy, what they buy, when they buy, what motivates them to buy and where they buy). Do not expect that just because you are now in business, that customers will flock to your door. If you do not understand your target customer, how do expect to effectively reach them?

9. No Means of Differentiation: Many businesses have failed because they are just another “me too” business. Customers need a reason to come to, or to want to do business with your company. If your products or services are the same quality and prices as your competitor(s), why will people buy from you? They already have an existing supplier. If however, you can offer a different or better product / service (better quality, lower prices, broader selection, faster delivery, better location, extended warranty, etc.), prospective customers will want to do business with your company.

10. Underestimating the Competition: Some business owners underestimate the reaction of the competition when they start their businesses. Any owner of an existing business that perceives that a new entrant to the industry will be taking away some of their customers, will aggressively take steps to defend their customer base. They could do this by lowering prices, offering package / bundle pricing, extending terms, introducing new products, improving product quality, extending warranties, increasing marketing activities, etc.

CELEBRATE ME, AM FIFTY YEARS

2010-10-14T14:51:00.005+01:00

Someone sent this to my box and I though I should share it on this blog.

REFLECTIONS ON NIGERIA`S GOLDEN JUBILEE INDEPENDENCE CELEBRATION

I have enormous tracts of land and vast volumes of water, but cannot feed myself. So I spend $1 billion to import rice and another $2 billion on milk. I produce rice, but don’t eat it. I have millions of cows but no milk. I am 50, please celebrate me.

I drive the best cars in the world but have no roads, so I crush my best brains in the caverns, craters and crevasses they crash into daily. I am in unending mourning, please celebrate me.

My school has no teacher and my classroom has no roof. I take lectures through windows and live with 15 others in one room. All my professors have gone abroad, and the rest are awaiting visas. I am a university graduate, but I am illiterate. I want a future, please celebrate me.

Preventable diseases send me to hospitals without doctors, medicines or power. All the nurses have gone abroad and the rest are waiting to go also. I have the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the world and future generations are dying before me. I am hopeless, hapless and helpless, please celebrate me.

For democracy’s sake I stood all day on Election Day. But before I could ink my thumb, results had been broadcast. When I dared to speak out, silence was enthroned by bullets. My leaders are my oppressors, and my policemen are my terrors. I am ruled by men in mufti, but I am not a democracy. I have no verve, no vote, no voice, please celebrate me.

My youth have no past, present nor future. So my sons in the North have become street urchins and his brothers in the South have become kidnappers. My nephews die of thirst in the Sahara and his cousins drown in the Mediterranean. My daughters walk the streets of Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, while her sisters parade the streets of Rome and Amsterdam. I am grief-stricken, please celebrate me.

Pen-wielding bandits have raided everything in my vaults. They walk the land with haughty strides and fly the skies with private planes. They have looted the future of generations unborn and have money they cannot spend in several lifetimes, but their brothers die of starvation. I want a kit of kindness, please celebrate me.

I can produce anything, but import everything. So my toothpick is made in China; my toothpaste is made in South Africa; my salt is made in Ghana; my butter is made in Ireland; my milk is made in Holland; my shoe is made in Italy; my vegetable oil is made in Malaysia; my biscuit is made in Indonesia; my chocolate is made in Turkey and my table water made in France. My taste is far-flung and foreign, please celebrate me.

My land is dead because all the trees have been cut down; flooding kills thousands yearly because the drainages are clogged; my fishes are dead because the oil companies dump waste in my rivers; my communities are vanishing into the huge yawns of gully erosion, and nothing is being done. My very existence is uncertain and I am in the deepest depths of despondence, please celebrate me.

I have genuine leather but choose to eat it. So I spend billions of dollars to import fake leather. I have four refineries, but prefer to import fuel, so I waste more billions to import petrol. I have no security in my country, but send troops to keep peace in another man’s land. I have hundreds of dams, but no water. So I drink ‘pure’ water that roils my innards. I need a vision, please celebrate me.

I have a million candidates craving to enter universities, but my dungeons can only accommodate a tenth. I have no power, but choose to flare gas, so my people have learnt to see in the dark and stare at the glare of naked flares. I am shrouded by darkness, please celebrate me.

For my golden jubilee, I shall spend 16 billion naira to bash around the bonfires of the banal. So what if the majority gaze at my possessed, frenzied dance, drenched in silent tears, as probity is enslaved in democracy’s empty cellars? I am profligacy personified, please celebrate me.

Why can I not simply reflect and ponder? Does my complexion cloud the colour of my character? Does my location limit the lengths my liberty? Does the spirit of my conviction shackle my soul? Does my mien maim the mine of my mind? And is failure worth celebrating?

I am Nigeria, please celebrate me.

Toby Uche Mbamalu.

MDGs: what stage are we?

2010-01-20T17:26:00.004+01:00

Five years to go before the set aside date of 2015 for the attainment Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and Nigeria is still no where on the rating scale. Mass poverty pervades the land and millions die as a result of lack of health care system. Huge funds is collected year in year out from donor organisation all in the name of MDGs. yet nothing is done. Today in Nigeria, any unit related to the achieving the MDG is simply as a money brewing machine for its owners.

Journalist and animosity

2009-12-09T08:36:00.001+01:00

Should journalists use anonymous sources?

You're working on a huge story, and in a secret meeting with a source. Your source is skeptical of your trustworthiness, and you of the source's ulterior motives. The individual reveals to you, the reporter, information that is in the supreme interest of the public. One caveat: The source demands anonymity.

As a journalist, do you believe anonymous sources should be used? Is there a way to increase credibility and ensure truthfulness when using anonymous sources? Do you think journalism can exist without the use of anonymity?

2009-12-03T11:41:00.002+01:00

22 more days to Christmas

2009-12-03T08:36:00.001+01:00

Consumers Warned About 'The Twelve Scams of Christmas'

As cybercriminals begin to take advantage of the holiday season, McAfee Inc warns consumers about scams to watch this Christmas.

As cybercriminals begin to take advantage of the holiday season, McAfee, Inc. is warning consumers about the "Twelve Scams of Christmas" -- the 12 most dangerous online scams that computer users should be cautious of this holiday season. According to Consumer Reports 2009 State of the Net Survey, cybercriminals have bilked $8 billion from consumers in the past two years, and McAfee warns consumers not to fall victim to the top scams this year.

"Cybercriminals' use their best schemes during the holidays to steal people's money, credit card information, social security number and identity," said Jeff Green, senior vice president of McAfee Labs. "These thieves follow seasonal trends and create holiday-related Web sites, scams and other convincing e-mails that can trick even the most cautious users."

McAfee's Twelve Scams of Christmas

During the holiday season, hackers take advantage of citizens' generosity by sending e-mails that appear to be from legitimate charitable organizations. In reality, they are fake Web sites designed to steal donations, credit card information and the identities of donors.

During the holidays, cybercriminals often send fake invoices and delivery notifications appearing to be from Federal Express, UPS or the Customs Service. They e-mail consumers asking for credit card details to credit back the account, or require users to open an online invoice or customs form to receive the package. Once completed, the person's information is stolen or malware is automatically installed on their computer.

Cybercriminals take advantage of this social time of the year by sending authentic-looking "New Friend Request" e-mails from social networking sites. Internet users should beware that clicking on links in these e-mails can automatically install malware on computers and steal personal information.

Cyber thieves cash in on consumers who send holiday e-cards in an effort to be environmentally conscious. Last holiday season, McAfee Labs discovered a worm masked as Hallmark e-cards and McDonald's and Coca-Cola holiday promotions. Holiday-themed PowerPoint e-mail attachments are also popular among cybercriminals. Be careful what you click on.

McAfee Labs recently uncovered a new holiday campaign that leads shoppers to malware-ridden sites offering "discounted" luxury gifts from Cartier, Gucci, and Tag Heuer. Cybercriminals even use fraudulent logos of the Better Business Bureau to trick shoppers into buying products they never receive.

Forrester Research Inc. predicts online holiday sales will increase this year, as more bargain hunters turn to the Web for deals. While users shop and surf on open hotspots, hackers can spy on their activity in an attempt to steal their personal information. McAfee tells users never to shop online from a public computer or on an open Wi-Fi network.

During the holidays, hackers create fraudulent holiday-related Web sites for people searching for a holiday ringtone or wallpaper, Christmas carol lyrics or a festive screensaver. Downloading holiday-themed files may infect one's computer with spyware, adware or other malware. McAfee found one Christmas carol download site that led searchers to adware, spyware and other potentially unwanted programs.

Scammers are also preying on desperate job-seekers in the poor economy, with the promise of high-paying jobs and work-from-home moneymaking opportunities. Once those interested submit their information and pay their "set-up" fee, hackers steal their money instead of following through on the promised employment opportunity.

Scammers often lurk on auction sites during the holiday season. Buyers should beware of auction deals that appear too good to be true, because often times these purchases never reach their new owner.

Password theft is rampant during the holidays, as thieves use low-cost tools to uncover a person's password and send out malware to record keystrokes, called key logging. Once criminals have access to one or more passwords, they gain vast access to consumers' bank and credit card details and clean out accounts within minutes. They also commonly send out spam from a user's account to their contacts.

Cybercriminals trick consumers into divulging their bank details by sending official-looking e-mails from financial institutions. They ask users to confirm their account information, including a user name and password, with a warning that their account will become invalid if they do not comply. Then they often sell this information through an underground online black market. McAfee Labs believes cybercriminals are more actively scamming consumers with this tactic during the holidays since people are monitoring their purchases closely.

Hackers gain control of people's computers through several of these holiday scams. They then act as virtual kidnappers to hijack computer files and encrypt them, making them unreadable and inaccessible. The scammer holds the user's files ransom by demanding payment in exchange for getting them back.

McAfee advises Internet users to follow these five tips to protect their computers and personal information:

· Never Click on Links in E-Mails: Go directly to a company or charity's Web site by typing in the address or using a search engine. Never click on a link in an e-mail.

· Use Updated Security Software: Protect your computer from malware, spyware, viruses and other threats with updated security suites.

· Shop and Bank on Secure Networks: Only check bank accounts or shop online on secure networks at home or work, wired or wireless. Wi-Fi networks should always be password-protected so hackers cannot gain access to them and spy on online activity.

· Also, remember to shop only on Web sites that begin with https://, instead of http://.

· Use Different Passwords: Never use the same passwords for several online accounts. Diversify passwords and use a complex combination of letters, numbers and symbols.

· Use Common Sense: If you are ever in doubt that an offer or product is not legitimate, do not click on it. Cybercriminals are behind many of the seemingly "good" deals on the Web, so exercise caution when searching and buying.

Source: consumeraffairs.com

2009-12-02T19:09:00.001+01:00

2009-12-02T19:00:00.001+01:00

5 Simple Ways to Increase Your Intelligence

Your brain needs exercise just like a muscle. If you use it often and in the right ways, you will become a more skilled thinker and increase your ability to focus. But if you never use your brain, or abuse it with harmful chemicals, your ability to think and learn will deteriorate.

Here are 5 simple ways anyone can squeeze a bit more productivity out of the old gray matter.

1. Minimize Television Watching - People love vegetating in front of the television, myself included. The problem is watching television doesn’t use your mental capacity or allow it to recharge. It’s like having the energy sapped out of a muscle without the health benefits of exercise. Usually, you feel drained after a couple hours of TV. Your eyes are sore and tired from being focused on the light box for so long. When you feel like relaxing, try reading a book instead. If you’re too tired, listen to some music. When you’re with your friends or family, have a conversation. All these things use your mind more than television and allow you to relax.

2. Exercise - I used to think that I’d learn more by not exercising and using the time to read a book instead. But I realized that time spent exercising always leads to greater learning because it improves productivity during the time afterwards. Using your body clears your head and creates a wave of energy. Afterwards, you feel invigorated and can concentrate more easily.

3. Read Challenging Books - Many people like to read popular suspense fiction, but generally these books aren’t mentally stimulating. If you want to improve your thinking and writing ability you should read books that make you focus. Reading a classic novel can change your view of the world and will make you think in more precise, elegant English. Don’t be afraid to look up a word if you don’t know it, and don’t be afraid of dense passages. Take your time, re-read when necessary, and you’ll soon grow accustomed to the author’s style.

Once you get used to reading challenging books, I think you’ll find that you aren’t tempted to go back to page-turners. The challenge of learning new ideas is far more exciting than any tacky suspense-thriller.

4. Early to Bed, Early to Rise - Nothing makes it harder to concentrate than sleep deprivation. You’ll be most rejuvenated if you go to bed early and don’t sleep more than 8 hours. If you stay up late and compensate by sleeping late, you’ll wake up lethargic and have trouble focusing. In my experience the early morning hours are the most tranquil and productive. Waking up early gives you more productive hours and maximizes your mental acuity all day.

If you have the opportunity, take 10-20 minute naps when you are hit with a wave of drowsiness. Anything longer will make you lethargic, but a short nap will refresh you.

5. Take Time to Reflect - Often our lives get so hectic that we become overwhelmed without even realizing it. It becomes difficult to concentrate because nagging thoughts keep interrupting. Spending some time alone in reflection gives you a chance organize your thoughts and prioritize your responsibilities. Afterwards, you’ll have a better understanding of what’s important and what isn’t. The unimportant stuff won’t bother you anymore and your mind will feel less encumbered.

I’m not saying you need to sit on the floor cross-legged and chant ‘ommm’. Anything that allows a bit of prolonged solitude will do. One of my personal favourites is taking a solitary walk. Someone famous said, “All the best ideas occur while walking.” I think he was on to something. Experiment to find the activity that works best for you.

Conclusion - I hope you aren’t disappointed that none of the techniques I’ve proposed are revolutionary. But simple, unexciting answers are often the most valid. The challenge is having the will to adhere to them. If you succeed in following these 5 tips, you’ll be rewarded with increased mental acuity and retention of knowledge.

Pass it on

2009-09-01T22:25:00.000+01:00

This one is definitely between you and God. Don't disappoint. Read to the end.

GOD:
Angels, do you know what I was just thinking about?

ANGELS:
What were you thinking about?

GOD:
Christians seem to have forgotten what kind of power they have available and the devil keeps on deceiving them!

ANGELS:
God, exactly what are you driving at?

GOD:
I have made my children in such a way that when the people of the world are sitting, they would be standing, when the world is standing, they will stand out, when the world stands out, my children must be outstanding and when the devil dares the world to be outstanding, my people will be the standards to be used!

JESUS CHRIST:
They (Christians) are also forgetting the words in Ephesians 1:3.

GOD:
Please read it out!

ANGEL:
PRAISE BE TO THE GOD AND FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST , WHO HAS BLESSED US IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES WITH EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING IN CHRIST .

ANGEL:
So what do we do now since the end is almost near?

HOLY SPIRIT:
My Presence is still among men and I will teach and remind the Christians of all that we have discussed. I will also make sure that they pass this message on!

JESUS CHRIST:
I will also keep on interceding for them & stand in for them even in their weaknesses.

GOD:
I will also make sure that I give to all those who ask of me, seek me and try to find me . The blessings I have promised them through My Son, Jesus Christ will be delivered to all those who discover that I, Jehovah, am ready to bless them! Not because of any special things that they have done, but just because I LOVE THEM !

JESUS CHRIST:
I will also give all My followers who are willing to pass this conversation on, enough strength to carry on!

ANGELS:
We are all backing THE TRINITY and even the devil cannot stop us! How funny! Christians are finally taking over and ......

DEVIL (eavesdropping behind the gates):
I hope you all heard! I will deploy more troops (demons) and make sure the Christians pray less, read their Bibles less, preach less and make sure this mail does not move anywhere! Also.....

YOU SURE HEARD THAT! THE DEVIL WILL MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT PASS THIS ON BUT PROVE HIM WRONG AND SHOW HIM THE POWER YOU HAVE IN CHRIST JESUS AS A CHRISTIAN. PRAY MORE, STUDY THE WORD MORE AND PREACH THE WORD! DO NOT DISAPPOINT GOD ! PASS IT ON!

Hat of the matter

2009-08-27T00:52:00.009+01:00

I have been fanticising about making hats but I came across these stuning pictures and I am all the more motivated

IS THE ERA OF FREE ONLINE ACCESS TO NEWS CONTENT COMING TO AN END?

2009-08-25T17:22:00.003+01:00

Is the era of free online access to news content coming to an end?

Jeremy Weate of the School of Media and Communications, Pan-African University, Lagos predicted that access to the website of major newspapers like ThisDay, Guardian, among others is not expected to be free by the end next year going by developments in other media markets in developed economies. He said The News International owned by Australian born media mogul, Rupert Murdoch and which has often been in the forefront of trends in the media and has announced its plan to begin charging for its online news stories. Weate says soon media managers in Nigeria will also head in that direction. Already, Punch, one of the nation's leading newspapers has started charging for access to its website. what is you view on this? Please post a comment.

What should the Journalist do in the face of Global Recession

2009-08-03T09:33:00.005+01:00

In the wake of the global recession, many media outlets around the world are scaling back on "extraneous" spending. Trainings, conferences and seminars are being removed from news organizations' budgets, while fewer journalists are seeking outside training for fear of missing work and losing their jobs. Salaries are not paid and quiet a number of organisations are owning two, three months salary. The morale of the journalist is reducing and brown envelops are increasing becoming the order of the day. Yet the journalists is tasked to remain objective in order to sustain a healthy and high-quality journalism environment. At a time of rapid change and dwindling budgets, what do you think the journalist should do.

2009-08-03T09:33:00.004+01:00

Isn't Bill Clinton a good diplomat: North Korea consented to releasing two American journalist during his visit to the country

2009-07-20T19:31:00.000+01:00

SELF-ESTEEM AFFIRMATION

I am resourceful, grateful and blessed.
I see myself through loving and accepting eyes.
I love myself and allow others to love me also.
I am willing to face my fear of failure

I deserve to be treated well with respect.
I accept only acceptable behavior towards me.
I have the courage to teach people to treat me well.
I have the right to set limits and the courage to do so.
I am more loving to myself when I have the courage to set limits.
I create the time to do things which nourish me.
I make a difference.
I do small things with great love.
I have the courage to act even though I feel afraid.
I have the courage to speak up to teach others to honor my personal boundaries and values.

I respond to circumstances in a healthy and helpful manner.
I carefully choose my responses.
I have the courage to think before I act.
I give thanks for my pain and for the lessons I learn from it.
I can accept compliments without apology.

I am powerful and strong.
I bloom even in difficult situations.

I walk in my personal power and purpose with spiritual authority ... not apology. This is my season.

What about you?

2009-07-15T12:00:00.001+01:00

The media is often referred to as the fourth arm of government. Well, because of it constitutional responsibility of holding the government accountable to the people. In other words, the media plays the role of a watch dog in the society. And as often said, who checks the checker. The media, also, in its role of bringning the government to book on issues, have reduced the spot light on some other burning issues in the country which needs urgent attention.

In your opinion what issues do you think gets over reported and what do you think deserves more exposure.

Would be nice to hear from you.

Reminiscence from the past

2009-07-06T16:57:00.001+01:00

It was at the Nigerian Christian Corpers Fellowship, NCCF, corpers lodge in Benin. I was feeling sleepy everyone too were also sleeping except for some very few who gathered around talking. The sun was up and I decided to sleep in the auditorium rather than the room because of the heat. Looking around, and greeting some friends, I felt that the auditorium was a suitable place to sleep. I headed back to the room, picked up a pillow and something told me to pick my bible. I could get a mattress in the auditorium. I found Temi, a fellow corper lying in the auditorium, reading a book. I decided to lie beside her on her mattress. Flies soon came around making it difficult for me to sleep. “These flies are just too much,” I told Temi. “You can get my wrapper, it is just beside my bag,” she said. I grabbed her wrapper and covered myself with it lying on the bed.

In no time, I was soon asleep but not for long. I still strayed between consciousness and unconsciousness. It was like things were happening in dreamland but I knew also that they were real happenings around me. I saw fellow corpers talking and laughing. Then, my friend Bola walked into the auditorium, I could hear her voice. I saw her coming towards where I slept carrying a carton of Biscuit in her hand. I had not opened my eye but I knew this was what was happening. She reached my bedside and called me to wake up. Indeed, I wanted to but found it difficult. I tried opening my eye but I could not. I tried getting up, but could not tear myself away from the bed. I could still hear Bola talking. She was telling me to wake up. She did not touch me though. I began struggling with the force holding me back to the bed and preventing me from opening my eyes. It was a big struggle. Suddenly, I remembered my bible was somewhere on the mattress. I started searching for it frantically in my mind. My hands were not moving but I was looking for the bible with my hands in my spirit mind. I found the bible and in such a rush, I tore myself from the force holding me back to the bed. I sprang from the mattress with a startle.

Glancing around, everything looked normal, Bola was wondering why the rush. Temi was still reading her book, noticing nothing. Instantly, I grabbed my bible and ran to the room. I started praying. Those in the room where concerned. I cared less about them, I continued praying fervently. I took my anointing oil from my bag and anointed my head. I laid on the bed and put the bible on my head, still praying. Bola came in and wondered why all the drama. She waited for me to finish praying. After satisfying my conscience, I decided to answer their questions still shaken from the episode.

I narrated all that happened to them and the struggle. Yetunde, a fellow corper was so relieved. She was already thinking that someone died. “Don’t worry again; you have already rebuked the devil. You are an anointed child nothing can happen to you.” I thanked her and others who also said some reassuring words. I believed them, but what I felt at that moment was to lie on my bed and continue praying silently. And I did.

It not so bad

2009-02-07T22:08:00.001+01:00

Is it so impossible to seal off the past and let it alone? Let it stay in its harmless anachronistic unit so we can dip into it at will and leave it without commitment, without impositions! A man needs that especially when the present, equally futile, distinguishes itself only by a particularly abject lack of courage.

Have you ever had a moment or walked through a valley where you felt like you had nothing to offer? Ever felt empty-handed or even empty-hearted? It is those times when you feel completely mortal and totally limited. A place that makes me keenly aware of my utter dependence on the Father. I have been there a lot lately. My vision can be so finite, bound by the limitations of this world that is not eternal. My perspective caught in the constant battle between fear and faith.

I’ve heard the battle of perspective described like a parade. We are only standing at one designated spot on the parade route. We may be able to see to the end of the block but cannot see around the corners, the twists and turns along the 2 mile route in the middle of city buildings. Fortunately, God has plotted the route, sees it from beginning to end, accounts for closed streets, sharp turns, and weather conditions. He is not surprised. A hard concept to wrap my mind around. So what do we do with our short-sightedness?

Exodus 4 picks up after God has revealed his plan to Moses of saving the Israelites from Egyptian captivity. And He will do it using Moses.

Then Moses said, “What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, “The LORD has not appeared to you.” The LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A staff.” Then He said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. But the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand and grasp it by its tail”–so he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand– ”that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

It seems to me that Moses is feeling empty-handed, sure he has nothing to offer. But it is the first question the Lord asks that hits home with me. “What is that in your hand?” He does not mock Moses in his fear and doubt. He is not incredulous, not thinking “Oh my, I hadn’t thought of that before, you’re right! They probably won’t believe you, whatever shall we do?!” Instead he asks Moses a simple, obvious question. Had I been Moses, I might have been a bit confused. Well, it’s a staff of course, what does that have to do with the crisis at hand??

But the point is that the Lord was reminding Moses that it is the I AM, the Lord God Almighty that is working in and through him. All He asks for is what we have! What is in your hand Don? And I think, what, this old thing? This everyday piece of normal life? YES. That. He wants to use it for His glory. Here comes the perspective again. Our God sees things differently. The humble, the lowly, the “normal” can be extraordinarily miraculous in the hands of our God.

So be encouraged today. He is not surprised by our circumstances. He is asking to use what we already have. He can see the whole parade. Let’s use what He has given us to give back to Him today!

culled from Don Moen's diary