My Green 2013: The Third Season A Book By Ifeoma Akobi (Iddiva)

MY GREEN 2013: The Third Season By Ifeoma Akobi (Iddiva)

MY GREEN 2013 The Third Collection of 13 Lush & Inspiring Notes From a Series of 52 Notes in 4 Collections By Ifeoma Akobi (Iddiva) Published by Iddiva Impressions An Iddiva Company iddivapress@live.com VOLUME 3 All rights reserved in accordance with international copyright laws. Reproduction in any form without the permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. Ifeoma Akobi reserves the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. 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 Foundation for Faith 2 Foundation for Faith 3 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 Joseph and his interaction with his family particularly his brothers. Let me share a few verses from the New King James Version,
Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the 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 than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him. Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. So he said to them, Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf. And his brothers said to him, Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us? So they hated him 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 11 stars bowing down to him and this only led to more hatred from his brothers; a situation which resulted in his abduction and sale into slavery. It would take about 25 to 26 years before Joseph would see his birth family again and the fulfillment of his dreams.

Why am I sharing this? Because the most common ideas we have about dreams and their fulfillment are fantasies at best and tragic at worst. We are being told to attract and manifest our desired realities through laws and secrets. And while these things are not wrong in themselves they miss out on one essential point which is purpose. I do not think that Joseph was meditating on slavery, imprisonment or any of the other negative experiences that came his way but he still went through them. The lesson here is that a dream; a real dream often costs much more than we bargain for yet rewards us beyond expectation. Joseph saw sheaves in his first dream and in the second dream he saw the sun, moon and stars. However the reality of the fulfilled dream was nations bowing to him as he navigated the Egypt and the world through a 7 year famine. So like the guy in a movie I saw a while ago I would ask Whats your dream? Then I would also ask Are you willing to go where your dream takes 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 faith but when the storms come (and they will) dont doubt yourself, dont doubt God and dont doubt your dreams. Doubt your doubts instead and keep 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 be easy but if you persist you will discover that it is very rewarding indeed! Its a Big Welcome from me, Happy Green 2013! Ifeoma Akobi (Iddiva)

2 MORNINGS AND MORE Have you ever watched a sunrise? I think it is just amazing to see the darkness give way to reddish streaks against a midnight blue sky and then brighten until the fullness of day appears. What beauty! What creativity! What grandeur! Do you know that our lives are meant to be like that? Life was never meant to static or linear. Indeed life was created to be a series in exponential increase. It was crafted by the essence of Life Himself to be an expansive expression of limitless potential! Lets read more in Proverbs 4:18
But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shines more and 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 be bought with money, earned through good works or achieved by any other means except belief in Him. And that is it! Now belief is a very interesting thing because it is a journey. Some days you feel energized to move mountains and some other days you feel like hiding behind a molehill. But belief is founded in faith not feelings so even on days when you do not feel spiritual, you can count on Gods presence because He has promised never to leave us or forget us. So with this in place we are assured of consistent daily increase; the more and more that Proverbs 4:18 talks about. Each morning when you wake up is another installment of more. More light, more power, more grace, more help, more peace, more strength, more joy and more of everything good. And even when tough times come, there will be more than enough capacity to contain or confront the situation. Welcome to your season of more! Happy Green 2013, Ifeoma Akobi (Iddiva)

3 LET IT BURN! Ok I will not begin this note with the first thought that jumped into my head when I typed the title :) Let me just share from my heart beginning with a story an ex-tax collector called Matthew graciously shared with me, so grab your favorite drink and lets listen The kingdom of heaven is like a man who planted good seed in his field but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went his way. When the grain had sprouted and produced a crop then the weeds also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, Sir did you not plant good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds? An enemy did this! was the owners reply. When the farmhands asked if they should pull up the weeds, the owner told them not to do so. Uprooting the weeds at such a tender stage would endanger the wheat as their tender roots could be pulled up as well. The preferred solution was to allow both wheat and weeds to grow together until harvest time. Then at harvest, the weeds would be gathered first and burnt after 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 the constant struggle between good and evil, progress and retreat, diligence

and laziness etc This means that some of the things we struggle with remain with us until we attain maturity. This also means that we need to be stronger than our issues in order to survive. Our resources are limited and cannot be shared equally between weeds and wheat. We need to give the best of our time, attention, energy and money to those things that really 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 allow any weeds to overcome our crop. As we step into harvest time, let us get ready to ruthlessly deal with any weeds. As I write this I pause to think about the weeds in my field and what they are or could be. I think about some habits, attitudes, relationships, perceptions, traditions etc and I pray for grace: grace to do what I have to do, grace to take the leap from who I am to who I could be come, grace to 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, Ifeoma Akobi (Iddiva)

4 FOUNDATION FOR FAITH 1 In recent times I have been thinking of and meditating on faith and its results. What is faith? Where does one get faith? What can one do to maintain faith? These questions and more like them led me to begin a study on the subject. 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 that something is real even if we do not see it. The question then is how do we have faith or believe in something we do not see? Faith does not come easily especially when we try to rationalize and analyze it. It is like the wind or oil. Who can grasp the wind? Who can clutch oil? Faith begins with an understanding of its origin. And the origin of faith is God. If you walked into a hotel room and saw everything neatly arranged and in their place. You would not think for a second that everything moved into its place without someone placing it there. And if you went to a restaurant and a waiter placed a well prepared meal in front of you, you

wouldnt think that all those yummy ingredients came together by themselves. 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 God exist, 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 and sun set, the seasons and so much more. Then look at your body; consider the various body systems working together in harmony. You are not here by chance or happenstance. You are here because Someone special created you for a time like this. I celebrate you and the God who made you. Happy Green 2013, Ifeoma Akobi (Iddiva)

5 FOUNDATION FOR FAITH 2 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. Hmmm Heres 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. And Mary is a lawyer because she studied or practices law. We do not expect an orange tree to produce apples and we do not expect lawyers with no medical training to perform surgeries. Also, if an orange tree produced fruit last season we can be sure that it will produce fruit again this season and for many more to come through out its lifespan. I am reminded of the quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson, All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator 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 good things they will come and the same goes for bad things. Now this does not mean that ones faith or fear is wholly responsible for everything that goes on in ones life but it does mean that we are 100% responsible for our expectations and our reactions in life. An attitude of faith always ensures the best outcome in any and every situation whether good or bad. Why do people work hard every week or every month? One major motivation is because they expect a pay check. Why do they expect that check? A chief reason is because they have faith in a signed agreement with their employers. And if their employers failed to pay then they had the right or legal ground to protest based on the signed agreement. Now do you know that God has given us a written and signed agreement of his undeniable 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, your employers may disappoint you, your friend may betray you and there are times when you will doubt yourself. But think of God and remember His Word. Invest time in studying history to see the millions of people who lived and died for their faith in Him. Trust me, no, trust Him and His Word. 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 in yourself. He is aware of your humanity and knows that sometimes your faith will fail so He wants to hold you, to sustain you by His own faith and bring you to a point of belief in Him and in His faith in you. With men it is impossible but with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). Only believe. Happy Green 2013, Ifeoma Akobi (Iddiva)

6 FOUNDATION FOR FAITH 3 This is the third part of this series and I am excited to share these truths with you. So lets dig in! Now some of you may be wondering why there is so much evil in this world if there is a God. I used to think like that but now I know better. I was walking through an office corridor some years ago and noticed a shiny red fire extinguisher on the wall. Beside the extinguisher was a plaque with some instructions on what to do in case there was a fire. Now imagine there was a fire, would the extinguisher work automatically? Imagine another scenario. Lets say I gave you a BMW or any car of your choice as a gift and you wrecked it while speeding on the highway the next day. Who would you blame? To understand Gods relationship to us and the earth we need to travel through time to the book of Genesis. In Genesis 1 God made his intentions for creating man (both male and female) clear. It was a five point mandate of being fruitful, multiplying, filling the earth, subduing it and 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 Lords: but the earth has he given to the children of men.

It is high time humanity stopped blaming God for their poor handling of the earth. People steal, people cheat, people lie, people abuse, people hurt themselves and those around them. God does not do any of these things! People flare gases, people dump waste indiscriminately, people design weapons of destruction, people cut down trees, people poach wildlife and people do things that adversely affect the environment. God does not do these things! Even worse is the fact that some nations have shut out God from their lives, education, constitution and public life. Let me be Gods advocate and state here that God is a gentleman. He will not go where He is not welcome. He will not manifest or show Himself to those who deny His presence or His power. Does this mean that we are on our own? The answer is yes and no. God is near to everyone who trusts Him. He is ever faithful to His own. Beyond the general gifts of sunshine, the breath of life, air, intelligence, health and so on. God has specific gifts reserved for those who love Him and trust Him. It is like a parent and children. You may love all the children in the world but you will usually reserve the best of your love, care and nurture for 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 own children (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 our situations on more occasions than we even realize. But wouldnt life be more 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 His kingdom on it. Everything we need is written in the Word (the Bible) and His Spirit is ever willing to teach us all things. Do not be among those who live aimlessly or for the moment. Discover your purpose in God, have faith in Him and have a Happy, Green 2013! Ifeoma Akobi (Iddiva)

7 MEN MATTERS WORTH MENTIONING On Fathers Day I had the opportunity to reflect on how precious good fathers are. I captured my thoughts on this in a poem titled What Good Fathers Do in my book, Scent of Water thoughts like this make me smile. In todays note I want to talk about health and wellness as it relates to men. I write as a pharmacist and wellness specialist with several years of experience as well as a woman privileged to have some of the best men in the world in her life. This is for the men I love Men today are under more stress than at any time in history. Stress often results 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 in activities that do more harm than good. They eat foods high in carbohydrates and fats but low in proteins and even lower in vitamins and multi minerals. A busy lifestyle also makes it difficult to make regular rest and exercise top priorities. This makes men prone to heart issues, cancer, road accidents, stroke, lung and liver issues, diabetes, and kidney problems. In addition men are more prone to depression and suicide because 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 at nutrition. Take prostate health for instance, six nutrients are needed to nourish it and prevent prostate cancer in men over 35. The easiest nutrient 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 and antioxidants 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 red meat can positively impact on heart health. Daily consumption of omega 3 fish oil in food (salmon fish) or supplement form helps to clear cholesterol in the blood vessels. Light exercising like walking rapidly for an hour 3 to 5 days a week also strengthens the heart. This can be broken into 20 or 30 minute blocks to make it easier to achieve. It is also important for men to learn to communicate more and share issues. Seeking help helps. Mediation on Gods word, prayer, worship puts the cares and burdens of this life on Gods able shoulders. He has promised to be our burden bearer and helper so that is an unfair advantage for men who believe.

It is common knowledge that many people especially men do not go for regular health or lifestyle consultations or check-ups. This makes it difficult to identify health risks and threats while they are still a long way off. A wise man will take advantage of the wealth of wellness information, products and services available and seek counseling rather than self medication. The lives of more men can be saved by implementing these measures in a timely and consistent manner. Feel free to contact my team and me via ibispecialties@gmail.com for more information. You are blessed beyond measure, Happy Green 2013! Ifeoma Akobi (Iddiva)

8 WORKING YOUR WORK OUTS I am still emotional about Fathers Day I must confess and I am grateful to God for all the lives I was able to touch. I will continue the focus on health in todays note with a subject that most people are familiar with; exercise, workouts, training or whatever you want to call it. And you do not have to be obese to be interested in exercise. With that in mind, here are some tips to ensure that you get the most of your workouts: 1. Be consistent: It is important to exercise consistently. I have a friend who does three hour workouts every two months. This is simply not the best. It is better to be consistent with a 20 minute walk 3 to 5 times a week than to be like my friend 2. Drink water: The human body is made up of 70% water. While working out exercises the heart and muscles. It also leads to dehydration or loss of water, electrolytes and trace amounts of toxins in sweat. Drinking water helps to flush out these toxins and restore the bodys internal balance. 3. Dont neglect Antioxidants: Exercise releases free radicals into the body system. The good news is that these free radicals can now be

taken out easily by using antioxidants. Free radicals have been implicated in cancer, loss of vitality and rapid aging. Taking antioxidants helps to mop up these free radicals and ensure that these scavengers are not left to themselves. Get more information on this via ibispecialties@gmail.com. 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 your desired targets. There is greater discipline and commitment when you have someone to whom you are accountable. 5. Listen to music: This is one of my favorite tips. Listening to music makes time pass faster and makes your work out sessions more pleasurable. Get songs with uplifting, high energy lyrics and beats and have fun. 6. Rest: Rest periods are very important after exercise. The body repairs itself during rest. Long periods of exercise should be alternated with rest so that the maximum benefits of exercise can be achieved. Without adequate rest, the body would suffer from undue exertion due to a lack of balance.

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

Enjoy Exercising and of course, Happy Green 2013 Ifeoma Akobi (Iddiva)

9 DO YOU LOVE YOUR HEART? People often ask me about the best supplement for their health. I tell them the truth; that there's no 1 single supplement that can deliver everything they need just as there's no 1 food group that can meet all the body's requirements. The key to effective supplementing and diet is balance.

Yet if I could pick 1, 2 or 3 'essential of essentials', I would recommend supplements that directly impact the heart. This is because unlike all other muscles in the body, the heart never stops beating and never rests. Its work begins in the womb and ends in the tomb. And the quality of its work 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 above mentioned factors through healthy diet and supplements. Antioxidants help to setback the aging process, regular detox can help to clean out pollutants and toxins from the environment and bad lifestyle habits can be managed through proper nutrition (diet and supplements). Food rich in omegas like certain deep sea fish, antioxidants like berries and some pungent spices are very heart friendly.

So before you go just know that your hearts deserves to pump blood freely through supple, plaque-free arteries. It deserves to beat rhythmically most 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 Specialties Your Friend & Pharmacist

10 WHAT DO YOU SEE? 1 Todays note will be a very interesting one so get your thinking caps on and 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! Ifeoma Akobi (Iddiva)

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 minutes and your time starts now! Done? Great! So the first question was a sentence and there are two answers depending on 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 two answers 1. Good 2. Evil

Did you see both? The third question is my favorite because there are several things to see. 1. The faces of an elderly couple 2. The vase in between 3. The lady carrying a clay beehive or its look alike 4. 5. 6. 7. The man with a wide brimmed hat playing a guitar A distant figure that looks like a woman in a doorway A glass bottle like object at the ladys feet A small bush by the arched wall

Did you see these things? We might even find more if we kept looking So whats 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 is something special in store for this group.

If you are on the side of those who recognize and respond to opportunities then send an email to iassociates@live.com for a free introduction to a wealth creation opportunity near you. Lets Work Wealth in our Green 2013, Ifeoma Akobi (Iddiva)

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 the fourth book in the series. For now I want to encourage you. I want to encourage you to believe, to have faith that things will get better. You have sown seeds all through the year and you may have gotten some results but I want you to know that there is so much more in store for you. You will gather your sheaves and not only will you gather them but they will also be recognized as the cream of the crop! Be encouraged to fight for your dreams. Do not despair and do not let go. Life will often challenge you to know what you are made of. Success will try you to know 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 Green 2013! Ifeoma Akobi (Iddiva)

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 a beautiful, stylish woman of industrious spirit, intelligent mind and incredible heart. She is a pharmacist by training and a poet by talent. She is a professional and creative business woman with interests in wealth creation, health, beauty and wellness products and services. She is also a business consultant, published author, speaker and singer-songwriter. She possesses a great work ethic, a delightful sense of humor and a rich store of wit. She is passionate about life, economic empowerment, and building healthy families and societies.

Get more information on her resources, events, training and speaking schedule as well as information on Iddiva Group from iassociates@live.com Also connect on facebook at www.facebook.com/ifeoma.divinediva And twitter @IfeomaAkobi Published by Iddiva Impressions An Iddiva Company