My Green 2013 Book 3 Iddiva Press

My Green 2013: The Third Season

A Book By

Ifeoma Akobi

(Iddiva)

MY GREEN 2013: The Third Season

By Ifeoma Akobi (Iddiva)

MY GREEN 2013The Third Collection of 13 Lush & Inspiring NotesFrom a Series of 52 Notes in 4 CollectionsBy Ifeoma Akobi (Iddiva)

Published by Iddiva Impressions

An Iddiva Company

[email protected]

VOLUME 3

All rights reserved in accordance with international copyright laws.Reproduction in any form without the permission of the publisher isstrictly prohibited.

Ifeoma Akobi reserves the moral right to be identified as the author of thiswork.

©2013 Ifeoma C. Akobi

Dedication in short verse

This book is lovingly dedicated to my family.

God bless you all, abundantly!

CONTENTS: The Cost of a Dream

Mornings and More

Let It Burn

Foundation for Faith 1



Men Matters worth Mentioning

Working Your Workouts

Do You Love Your Heart?

What Do You See? 1

What Do You See? 2

Song of the Standing Sheaves

Lord of the Harvest

Also by Ifeoma Akobi

About the Author

1

THE COST OF A DREAM

In Genesis 37 of the Holy Bible we read about a young man called Josephand his interaction with his family particularly his brothers. Let me share afew verses from the New King James Version,

Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he wasthe son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors.But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more thanall his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably tohim.

Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and theyhated him even more. So he said to them, “Please hear this dreamwhich I have dreamed: There we were, binding sheaves in thefield. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; andindeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to mysheaf.” And his brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign overus? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?” So they hatedhim even more for his dreams and more for his words.

-Genesis 37: 3-8

Reading further would reveal another dream of the sun, moon and 11stars bowing down to him and this only led to more hatred from hisbrothers; a situation which resulted in his abduction and sale into slavery.It would take about 25 to 26 years before Joseph would see his birthfamily again and the fulfillment of his dreams.

Why am I sharing this?

Because the most common ideas we have about dreams and theirfulfillment are fantasies at best and tragic at worst.

We are being told to attract and manifest our desired realities through lawsand secrets. And while these things are not wrong in themselves they missout on one essential point which is purpose. I do not think that Josephwas meditating on slavery, imprisonment or any of the other negativeexperiences that came his way but he still went through them. The lessonhere is that a dream; a real dream often costs much more than we bargainfor yet rewards us beyond expectation.

Joseph saw sheaves in his first dream and in the second dream he saw thesun, moon and stars. However the reality of the fulfilled dream wasnations bowing to him as he navigated the Egypt and the world through a7 year famine.

So like the guy in a movie I saw a while ago I would ask “What’s yourdream?” Then I would also ask “Are you willing to go where your dreamtakes you?” “Are you ready to trust faith to move forward into destiny?”

Yes, you will have a positive attitude, yes you will speak words of faithbut when the storms come (and they will) don’t doubt yourself, don’tdoubt God and don’t doubt your dreams. Doubt your doubts instead andkeep on believing because regardless of the season some trees do not stop

growing. Let your sheaf stand upright. The path to your dream will not beeasy but if you persist you will discover that it is very rewarding indeed!

It’s a Big Welcome from me,

Happy Green 2013!

Ifeoma Akobi (Iddiva)

2MORNINGS AND MORE

Have you ever watched a sunrise?I think it is just amazing to see the darkness give way to reddish streaksagainst a midnight blue sky and then brighten until the fullness of dayappears.

What beauty! What creativity! What grandeur!

Do you know that our lives are meant to be like that? Life was nevermeant to static or linear. Indeed life was created to be a series inexponential increase. It was crafted by the essence of Life Himself to be anexpansive expression of limitless potential!

Let’s read more in Proverbs 4:18

But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shines moreand more unto the perfect day.

So the question then becomes: Who are the just?What is required to be just?How does one become just?All these questions are answered in one name.JESUS!Just Jesus… (Pun intended)

He came to die in our place and give us righteousness that cannot bebought with money, earned through good works or achieved by anyother means except belief in Him. And that is it!

Now belief is a very interesting thing because it is a journey. Some daysyou feel energized to move mountains and some other days you feel likehiding behind a molehill. But belief is founded in faith not feelings soeven on days when you do not feel “spiritual”, you can count on God’spresence because He has promised never to leave us or forget us.

So with this in place we are assured of consistent daily increase; the moreand more that Proverbs 4:18 talks about. Each morning when you wakeup is another installment of more. More light, more power, more grace,more help, more peace, more strength, more joy and more of everythinggood. And even when tough times come, there will be more than enoughcapacity to contain or confront the situation.

Welcome to your season of more!

Happy Green 2013,


3LET IT BURN!

Ok I will not begin this note with the first thought that jumped into myhead when I typed the title :)

Let me just share from my heart beginning with a story an ex-tax collectorcalled Matthew graciously shared with me, so grab your favorite drink andlet’s listen…

The kingdom of heaven is like a man who planted good seed in his fieldbut while men slept, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheatand went his way. When the grain had sprouted and produced a crop thenthe weeds also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said tohim, ‘Sir did you not plant good seed in your field? How then does ithave weeds?’ ‘An enemy did this!’ was the owner’s reply. When thefarmhands asked if they should pull up the weeds, the owner told themnot to do so. Uprooting the weeds at such a tender stage would endangerthe wheat as their tender roots could be pulled up as well. The preferredsolution was to allow both wheat and weeds to grow together untilharvest time. Then at harvest, the weeds would be gathered first and burntafter which the wheat would be harvested.

You can get the full story in Matthew 13:24-30 and 37-43.

This story made me think about the world we live in today and theconstant struggle between good and evil, progress and retreat, diligence

and laziness etc This means that some of the things we struggle withremain with us until we attain maturity. This also means that we need tobe stronger than our issues in order to survive. Our resources are limitedand cannot be shared equally between weeds and wheat. We need to givethe best of our time, attention, energy and money to those things thatreally matter or we may find ourselves with a weak wheat crop.

As this is the season of the standing sheaves, we cannot and will not allowany weeds to overcome our crop. As we step into harvest time, let us getready to ruthlessly deal with any weeds.

As I write this I pause to think about the weeds in my field and what theyare or could be. I think about some habits, attitudes, relationships,perceptions, traditions etc and I pray for grace: grace to do what I have todo, grace to take the leap from who I am to who I could be come, graceto pull up the weeds and let them burn…

…And grace to gather my harvest into my barn.It is harvest time.It is time to bring in our sheaves with songs of rejoicing.

Happy Green 2013,


4FOUNDATION FOR FAITH 1

In recent times I have been thinking of and meditating on faith and itsresults. What is faith? Where does one get faith? What can one do tomaintain faith?

These questions and more like them led me to begin a study on thesubject. Here are some of the things I found:

Faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen.

Faith is complete trust or confidence in someone or something.

Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing thatsomething is real even if we do not see it.

The question then is how do we have faith or believe in something we donot see? Faith does not come easily especially when we try to rationalizeand analyze it. It is like the wind or oil. Who can grasp the wind? Whocan clutch oil?

Faith begins with an understanding of its origin. And the origin of faith isGod. If you walked into a hotel room and saw everything neatly arrangedand in their place. You would not think for a second that everythingmoved into its place without someone placing it there. And if you went toa restaurant and a waiter placed a well prepared meal in front of you, you

wouldn’t think that all those yummy ingredients came together bythemselves. So faith in God makes itself evident by what God has done.

For every suite there is a housekeeper.For every meal there is a chef.And for the universe there is a God.

Faith begins with a recognition that God exists. And not only does Godexist, He responds to and rewards everyone who seeks and trusts Him.

So take some moments to look at the world, the stars, the sun, the planets,the plants, the animals. Look at all the patterns in nature, the sun rise andsun set, the seasons and so much more. Then look at your body; considerthe various body systems working together in harmony. You are not hereby chance or happenstance. You are here because Someone specialcreated you for a time like this.

I celebrate you and the God who made you.

Happy Green 2013,



What do the following sentences have in common?

It is an orange tree.He is a builder.Is Mary a lawyer? Yes she is.You get olive oil from olive trees.

HmmmHere’s a clue.We tell a tree by its fruit and we often identify people by their professions.

So an orange tree is an orange tree because it produces orange fruit. AndMary is a lawyer because she studied or practices law. We do not expectan orange tree to produce apples and we do not expect lawyers with nomedical training to perform surgeries. Also, if an orange tree producedfruit last season we can be sure that it will produce fruit again this seasonand for many more to come through out its lifespan. I am reminded of thequote by Ralph Waldo Emerson, “All I have seen teaches me to trust theCreator for all I have not seen.”

So the question then is; what do you see?Do you see miracles or do you see coincidences?Do you see life or do you see death?Do you see expansion or do you see extinction?

Faith is positive belief and fear is negative belief. If you have faith for goodthings they will come and the same goes for bad things. Now this does notmean that one’s faith or fear is wholly responsible for everything that goeson in one’s life but it does mean that we are 100% responsible for ourexpectations and our reactions in life. An attitude of faith always ensuresthe best outcome in any and every situation whether good or bad.

Why do people work hard every week or every month? One majormotivation is because they expect a pay check. Why do they expect thatcheck? A chief reason is because they have faith in a signed agreementwith their employers. And if their employers failed to pay then they hadthe right or legal ground to protest based on the signed agreement. Nowdo you know that God has given us a written and signed agreement of hisundeniable and unchanging faithfulness?

It is called the Bible.

The Bible is filled with hundreds of promises from God.These are a few:

I will never leave you or abandon you.I will be with you in trouble.I am the God that heals you.I am the way, the truth and the life.I have loved you with an everlasting love.

And belief in these promises makes them real. The economy can fail, youremployers may disappoint you, your friend may betray you and there aretimes when you will doubt yourself. But think of God and remember HisWord. Invest time in studying history to see the millions of people wholived and died for their faith in Him. Trust me, no, trust Him and HisWord. He will never fail you, disappoint you, betray you or doubt you.The truth is He believes in you more than you can ever believe inyourself. He is aware of your humanity and knows that sometimes yourfaith will fail so He wants to hold you, to sustain you by His own faith andbring you to a point of belief in Him and in His faith in you. With men itis impossible but with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

Only believe.

Happy Green 2013,



This is the third part of this series and I am excited to share these truthswith you. So let’s dig in!

Now some of you may be wondering why there is so much evil in thisworld if there is a God. I used to think like that but now I know better. Iwas walking through an office corridor some years ago and noticed a shinyred fire extinguisher on the wall. Beside the extinguisher was a plaquewith some instructions on what to do in case there was a fire. Nowimagine there was a fire, would the extinguisher work automatically?

Imagine another scenario. Let’s say I gave you a BMW or any car of yourchoice as a gift and you wrecked it while speeding on the highway thenext day. Who would you blame?

To understand God’s relationship to us and the earth we need to travelthrough time to the book of Genesis. In Genesis 1 God made hisintentions for creating man (both male and female) clear. It was a fivepoint mandate of being fruitful, multiplying, filling the earth, subduing itand having dominion. And in Psalm 115:15 & 16 it is clearly written,

You are blessed of the Lord who made heaven and earth.

The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s: but the earth has hegiven to the children of men.

It is high time humanity stopped blaming God for their poor handling ofthe earth. People steal, people cheat, people lie, people abuse, people hurtthemselves and those around them. God does not do any of these things!People flare gases, people dump waste indiscriminately, people designweapons of destruction, people cut down trees, people poach wildlife andpeople do things that adversely affect the environment. God does not dothese things!

Even worse is the fact that some nations have shut out God from theirlives, education, constitution and public life. Let me be God’s advocateand state here that God is a gentleman. He will not go where He is notwelcome. He will not manifest or show Himself to those who deny Hispresence or His power.

Does this mean that we are on our own? The answer is yes and no. God isnear to everyone who trusts Him. He is ever faithful to His own. Beyondthe general gifts of sunshine, the breath of life, air, intelligence, health andso on. God has specific gifts reserved for those who love Him and trustHim. It is like a parent and children. You may love all the children in theworld but you will usually reserve the best of your love, care and nurturefor your own children. If we as humans can give our children the best,then how much more will our Father give the very best to His ownchildren (Matthew 7:11, Luke 11:13). And even when bad things happen

to them they are assured of all things working together for their good(Romans 8:28).

Even so, God is sovereign and He is merciful. He intervenes in oursituations on more occasions than we even realize. But wouldn’t life bemore amazing if we learnt to totally trust Him, thank Him and love Him?Only then can we redeem this earth from all its troubles and establish Hiskingdom on it.

Everything we need is written in the Word (the Bible) and His Spirit isever willing to teach us all things. Do not be among those who liveaimlessly or for the moment. Discover your purpose in God, have faith inHim and have a Happy, Green 2013!


7

MEN MATTERS WORTH MENTIONING

On Father’s Day I had the opportunity to reflect on how precious goodfathers are. I captured my thoughts on this in a poem titled What GoodFathers Do in my book, Scent of Water… thoughts like this make mesmile.

In today’s note I want to talk about health and wellness as it relates tomen. I write as a pharmacist and wellness specialist with several years ofexperience as well as a woman privileged to have some of the best men inthe world in her life. This is for the men I love…

Men today are under more stress than at any time in history. Stress oftenresults from work pressures, domestic demands, age, poor nutrition,insufficient sleep, unhealthy lifestyle, genetic history or the environment.To cope with this stress a large number of men habitually engage inactivities that do more harm than good. They eat foods high incarbohydrates and fats but low in proteins and even lower in vitamins andmulti minerals. A busy lifestyle also makes it difficult to make regular restand exercise top priorities. This makes men prone to heart issues, cancer,road accidents, stroke, lung and liver issues, diabetes, and kidneyproblems. In addition men are more prone to depression and suicidebecause of their generally more rigid, introverted and inflexible nature

which makes it hard for them to stand loneliness, matrimonial separation,betrayal, disappointment and financial setbacks.

Most of these issues can be handled by a more conscious effort atnutrition. Take prostate health for instance, six nutrients are needed tonourish it and prevent prostate cancer in men over 35. The easiestnutrient to access is lycopene which is found in fresh, raw tomatoes.Other prostate gland essentials include Saw Palmetto, Pygeum extract,Beta-sitosterol, Selenium and Vitamin E. These important extracts andantioxidants are available in a well formulated supplement preparation.Simple changes in diet like replacing saturated fats in pork, dairy products,sausages, processed foods with vegetables, greens, fruits, fish and lean redmeat can positively impact on heart health. Daily consumption of omega3 fish oil in food (salmon fish) or supplement form helps to clearcholesterol in the blood vessels. Light exercising like walking rapidly foran hour 3 to 5 days a week also strengthens the heart. This can be brokeninto 20 or 30 minute blocks to make it easier to achieve.

It is also important for men to learn to communicate more and shareissues. Seeking help helps. Mediation on God’s word, prayer, worshipputs the cares and burdens of this life on God’s able shoulders. He haspromised to be our burden bearer and helper so that is an unfair advantagefor men who believe.

It is common knowledge that many people especially men do not go forregular health or lifestyle consultations or check-ups. This makes itdifficult to identify health risks and threats while they are still a long wayoff. A wise man will take advantage of the wealth of wellnessinformation, products and services available and seek counseling ratherthan self medication.

The lives of more men can be saved by implementing these measures in atimely and consistent manner. Feel free to contact my team and me [email protected] for more information.

You are blessed beyond measure,

Happy Green 2013!


8

WORKING YOUR WORK OUTS

I am still emotional about Father’s Day I must confess and I am grateful toGod for all the lives I was able to touch. I will continue the focus onhealth in today’s note with a subject that most people are familiar with;exercise, workouts, training or whatever you want to call it. And you donot have to be obese to be interested in exercise.

With that in mind, here are some tips to ensure that you get the most ofyour workouts:

1. Be consistent: It is important to exercise consistently. I have a friendwho does three hour workouts every two months. This is simplynot the best. It is better to be consistent with a 20 minute walk 3 to5 times a week than to be like my friend

2. Drink water: The human body is made up of 70% water. Whileworking out exercises the heart and muscles. It also leads todehydration or loss of water, electrolytes and trace amounts of toxinsin sweat. Drinking water helps to flush out these toxins and restorethe body’s internal balance.

3. Don’t neglect Antioxidants: Exercise releases free radicals into thebody system. The good news is that these free radicals can now be

taken out easily by using antioxidants. Free radicals have beenimplicated in cancer, loss of vitality and rapid aging. Takingantioxidants helps to mop up these free radicals and ensure that thesescavengers are not left to themselves. Get more information on thisvia [email protected].

4. Get a partner: Getting a buddy often puts the fun factor in exercise.You can encourage each other and help one another to stick to yourdesired targets. There is greater discipline and commitment whenyou have someone to whom you are accountable.

5. Listen to music: This is one of my favorite tips. Listening to musicmakes time pass faster and makes your work out sessions morepleasurable. Get songs with uplifting, high energy lyrics and beatsand have fun.

6. Rest: Rest periods are very important after exercise. The bodyrepairs itself during rest. Long periods of exercise should bealternated with rest so that the maximum benefits of exercise can beachieved. Without adequate rest, the body would suffer from undueexertion due to a lack of balance.

7. Nutrition: Proper nutrition ensures that the right fuel is providedfor body building and body healing. A diet rich in lean proteins (fishand poultry), vegetables, and fruits helps provide the support for aphysically active lifestyle.

Enjoy Exercising and of course, Happy Green 2013


9

DO YOU LOVE YOUR HEART?

People often ask me about the best supplement for their health. I tell themthe truth; that there's no 1 single supplement that can deliver everythingthey need just as there's no 1 food group that can meet all the body'srequirements. The key to effective supplementing and diet is balance.

Yet if I could pick 1, 2 or 3 'essential of essentials', I would recommendsupplements that directly impact the heart. This is because unlike all othermuscles in the body, the heart never stops beating and never rests. Itswork begins in the womb and ends in the tomb. And the quality of itswork is dependent on some factors which include age, environment,lifestyle habits, diet and supplements.

The good news is that we can directly influence most of the abovementioned factors through healthy diet and supplements. Antioxidantshelp to setback the aging process, regular detox can help to clean outpollutants and toxins from the environment and bad lifestyle habits can bemanaged through proper nutrition (diet and supplements).

Food rich in omegas like certain deep sea fish, antioxidants like berries andsome pungent spices are very heart friendly.

So before you go just know that your hearts deserves to pump bloodfreely through supple, plaque-free arteries. It deserves to beat rhythmicallymost of the time. It deserves sufficient oxygen supply.

Do you really love your heart?Are you giving it what it needs?

Call +2348106004056 and +2348092832362 for your heart,

Happy Green 2013,Ifeoma Akobi at IBI SpecialtiesYour Friend & Pharmacist

10

WHAT DO YOU SEE? 1

Today’s note will be a very interesting one so get your thinking caps onand enjoy!

Here are three points to ponder:

1. OPPORTUNITYISNOWHERE.

What do you think about this statement?

2.

What do you see?

What do you see?

I will put up my thoughts on these questions in the next post.

Happy thinking through and of course,

Happy Green 2013!


11

WHAT DO YOU SEE? 2

LOL!

Hi all, I am laughing at the varied responses I got to the previous note.

In case you have not read it, please do so now. You only have 5 minutesand your time starts now!

Done? Great!

So the first question was a sentence and there are two answers dependingon how one looks at it. Here they are:

1. OPPORTUNITY IS NOW HERE.2. OPPORTUNITY IS NOWHERE.

What did you see?

The next question was a black and white image and again there are twoanswers

1. Good2. Evil

Did you see both?

The third question is my favorite because there are several things to see.

1. The faces of an elderly couple2. The vase in between3. The lady carrying a clay beehive or its look alike4. The man with a wide brimmed hat playing a guitar5. A distant figure that looks like a woman in a doorway6. A glass bottle like object at the lady’s feet7. A small bush by the arched wall

Did you see these things?

We might even find more if we kept looking…

So what’s the big idea?

Life and how we respond to it is a function of perspective.

Where some see an opportunity, some others see nothing.

Which side are you on?

Which side would you rather be?

I hope you are on the side of those who see opportunity because there issomething special in store for this group.

If you are on the side of those who recognize and respond toopportunities then send an email to [email protected] for a freeintroduction to a wealth creation opportunity near you.

Let’s Work Wealth in our Green 2013,


12

SONG OF THE STANDING SHEAVES

The leaves rustle in the breeze

Little bits of grass dance in the wind

The seeds tingle to a silent sound

And the stars and seas feel the beat

Man may hear if he listens

Man may see if he searches

But man may hurry by

In his quest to survive

And miss the song and the dance

And dismiss the dream and the chance

The chance of a lifetime

The dance of the Divine

The dream of Ruler ship

The song of standing sheaves…

By Ifeoma Akobi (Iddiva)

13

LORD OF THE HARVEST

I am so tempted to share another poem but I think I will save it for thefourth book in the series.

For now I want to encourage you. I want to encourage you to believe, tohave faith that things will get better. You have sown seeds all through theyear and you may have gotten some results but I want you to know thatthere is so much more in store for you.

You will gather your sheaves and not only will you gather them but theywill also be recognized as the cream of the crop! Be encouraged to fightfor your dreams. Do not despair and do not let go. Life will oftenchallenge you to know what you are made of. Success will try you toknow if you have what it takes to reap its rewards.

Be strong! Be wise! Believe!

Welcome to harvest season and see you in the fourth part of our Green2013!


ALSO BY IFEOMA AKOBI

My Green 2013 Volumes 1 and 2

Scent of Water: The Trilogy (Reflections, Revelations and Relationships)

Wealth Begins With You! (Coming Soon)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ifeoma Akobi (Iddiva) is the maven and owner at Iddiva Group. She is abeautiful, stylish woman of industrious spirit, intelligent mind andincredible heart. She is a pharmacist by training and a poet by talent. She isa professional and creative business woman with interests in wealthcreation, health, beauty and wellness products and services. She is also abusiness consultant, published author, speaker and singer-songwriter. Shepossesses a great work ethic, a delightful sense of humor and a rich store ofwit. She is passionate about life, economic empowerment, and buildinghealthy families and societies.

Get more information on her resources, events, training and speakingschedule as well as information on Iddiva Group [email protected]

Also connect on facebook at www.facebook.com/ifeoma.divinediva

And twitter @IfeomaAkobi

Published by Iddiva Impressions

An Iddiva Company

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My Green 2013 Book 3 Iddiva Press