“It is by choice that great people like you with great weaknesses like ours believe, by faith, that we can beat impossible odds and achieve great things with God’s help.”

–From the book Steppin’ Out Of The Darkness

Copyright 2007 by Roderick O. Solomon. All Rights Reserved.

To the humble, courageous, “great” ones among us who exemplify how leadership is a choice, not a position.

– Stephen R. Covey

“We’ve Come This Far By Faith,” was one of the Gospel song selections the church choir sang during my uncle’s homecoming celebration last Friday. The soul-stirring words of this song bolstered my honest belief that getting up and showing up daily to engage all who actively participate in the spiritual chess game of life is an act of faith.

Only God truly knows what tomorrow will bring. Do you? Only God knows when Adversity will strike. Do you? Only God knows what the future will hold. Do you? I don’t. For me, trusting God is not an option. After failing and falling flat on my face, trusting God is an act of faith. Must one be “humbled” before one can be “humble?”

Although God has humbled me, am I humble? Some have accused me of being arrogant to believe that I could pen a book and be successful doing so. Am I arrogant because I choose to believe ordinary, everyday people can achieve great things with God’s help? Am I arrogant for believing in myself when nobody else does?

Do humble people dream big dreams? Do humble people believe they can make big dreams come true and achieve greatness with God’s help? When one dares to dream dreams as big as the ones I’ve dreamed, my mentors helped my humbled soul to realize that it’s not wise to lean upon my own limited understanding. Who, or what, has humbled you?

Watching the leadership of the great men in my life over the years has taught me that leadership is a choice one makes by faith. One can assume a “position” of leadership but if nobody is following you, are you qualified to be referred to as a leader?

“We’ve come this far by faith” is the message that kept resonating deep within my soul while driving back to Atlanta this weekend. These inspiring words also confirmed the following quote from my pending release of my book, Steppin’ Out Of The Darkness.  The Prologue, “Always Expect The Unexpected Parts 1 – 4,”  to this introspective story about personal leadership has been posted

“It is by choice that great people like you with great weaknesses like ours believe, by faith, that we can beat impossible odds and achieve great things with God’s help.”

–Roderick O. Solomon

Yes, it’s true. For those of who noticed, I’ve changed the title of my book from When Least Expected. Doing so was both an act of faith and an act of obedience. I’m trusting God with the consequences of my obedience.

Watching the leadership of my Uncle Bay over the years has taught me that strong men are humble men who understand that meekness is not a sign of weakness. Humility is not a sign of weakness. Strong men cry when we see the people we love hurting. Meekness is “power under control.”

“The joy of the Lord is my strength. When I’m weak, He is strong.”

I don’t know about you but the Scriptures remind me of the reasons why I need Jesus Christ to do what only He can — the impossible. When one dares to beat impossible odds, you realize just how much you need God’s help. It is the example of Christ’s leadership that I choose to follow by faith.

Writing a book is definitely an act of faith. Only God knows what will happen next. Nevertheless, I trust God to do what’s best for me and my family. Do you?

“We’ve come this far by faith…”

Copyright 2007 by Roderick O. Solomon. All Rights Reserved.

Last night, I added the category “Books By And About Women” to The Bookstore. When time permits, let me know what books written by female authors have inspired, encouraged, edified, and empowered you.

Currently, this new category only contains a few books because I want all the critically thinking members of our blended, extended family to actively participate in the initial phases of the construction of our culturally diverse community.

Imagine how empowering it would be to know that we worked together as one for the greater good of all who dwell under the rising and setting sun. Imagine what would happen once we learn how to live without limits, love without conditions, and lead by example like Jesus did.

Today’s post is inspired by something I read in Jesus CEO: Using Ancient Wisdom For Visionary Leadership, by Ms. Laurie Beth Jones. In the chapter, “He Treated Them As Equals,” Ms. Jones writes,

“Jesus declared himself to be related to God yet mingled with prostitutes, thieves, and tax collectors. You can imagine how this upset the religious hierarchy. Not only God’s identity, but their identity (and power base) was being threatened.”

Are you secure enough to mingle with social outcasts, to love the unlovable, to dance to the beat of a different drummer? Do you possess the inner strength to do the right thing even when doing so is unpopular and politically incorrect? If you answered, “No,” to either question, do you know the reasons why you treat people differently?

In the very next paragraph, Ms. Jones continues with,

“Jesus, representing God, treated everyone as his equal. He could move mountains, raise the dead, heal the sick, and make the lame walk and the blind see. Yet he called fishermen and prostitutes his brothers and sisters. He not only accepted these ‘less than pure’ individuals, he radiated so much love for them that people swarmed to him. People felt so good about themselves in his presence.”

Do you treat the less fortunate, those to whom little “appears” to be given, the working class poor differently than the powerful, wealthy, rich, and famous? Why? God doesn’t. According to Acts 10:34 NASB, “God is not one to show partiality.” In other words, God is no respecter of persons.

In a fatally flawed world filled with imperfect people with great weaknesses, how can we clean up, clear out, and level the segregated field of our big dreams? Is it unrealistic to honestly believe that we can achieve the unrealized ideals as stated in “The Pledge Of Allegiance” to the flag of the United States Of America? Do we, as Americans, individually and collectively honor our pledge by treating people equally, justly, and fairly if their personal preferences, religious beliefs, cultural lifestyles, and personal appearances differ from ours?

Studying the law unearthed a legal loophole that hides behind, beneath, and between what differentiates a “policy” from a “practice.” Policies are “written” and are typically documented in a “Policies And Procedures Handbook.” Practices are usually “undocumented,” “unwritten” rules of condoned, socially acceptable behavior. How many times have you heard the words, “don’t rock the boat,” or “when in Rome, do as the Romans do?”

“Politically correct” and socially acceptable practices are frequently established by clandestine cultures that co-exists within corporate business environments, law firms, law enforcement agencies, politicians, religious institutions, houses of worship, institutions of higher learning, and the television, music, fashion industries.

Remember when the word “clique” became popularized and symbolized the culture that’s created whenever “birds of a feather flock together” absent any accountability to anyone except one another? How many cliques have you been denied meaningful access to simply for refusing to “go-along-to-get-along” with unwritten rules of acceptable behavior that you knew were wrong?

Have you ever pondered the possibility that there still exists an “unwritten” U.S. Constitution, or an unwritten “codes of conduct” that condones the clandestine practice of social injustice, misogyny, systemic institutionalized hatred and bigotry?

What unwritten rule is preventing women who get up and go to work from receiving the same salary and wages men receive for performing the same tasks as stated, with specificity, in their job descriptions? Are women any less qualified than men because of their gender? I don’t think so.

Does anybody know when America’s immigrations laws changed? Does anybody know if the “Torch” that is still lifted high in the hand of the Statue of Liberty still symbolizes what its creator intended for it to represent? Can anybody explain the reasons why Haitians who reach the shores of America are still being rejected and returned to their homeland while Cubans are accepted with open arms and allowed to stay?

Who, or what, is currently preventing you from treating all God’s children as your equal? Culture. Ethnicity. Tradition. Peer Pressure. Fear. Ignorance. Hate. Politics. Religion. Imagine a world where all people are inspired by God’s unconditional love to treat one another as equals. Doing so gives me hope and inspires me to get up, show up, and share with each of you a love that’s worth giving and receiving.

If nobody has taken the time to smile at you, look you in the eye, and say, “I love you. I need you to live. I need you to survive,” let me be the first to do so. Now, I challenge each of you to “pay it forward” by loving the unique, culturally diverse people you meet on the street where you live and work today unconditionally.

Imagine how many mountains you could move today, how many of the sick you could heal, how many dead things you could resurrect, how many cast down souls you could inspire to rise to their feet so they, too, can raise their heads and open their spiritually blinded eyes long enough to see the greatness of God’s faithfulness.

As always, the choice to love one another enough to “reach one and teach one,” to “care and share,” to “give and forgive” is yours alone to make. Together, we can “begin something new” and beat impossible odds with God’s help as we strive to make a difference. Matters not how big or small the difference may appear upon first glance.

Imagine how differently you would feel about yourself a year from now knowing that you made a choice today to begin actively participating in the shaping and making of our history. Are you willing to try? I hope so.

Copyright 2007 by Roderick O. Solomon. All Rights Reserved.

As many of you know, I’ve been in the process of birthing my big dream, but it doesn’t want to cooperate. For all the new members to our culturally diverse group of critical thinkers, my big dream is the pending release of my first reality-based novel which bears the same name as this site. It’s no secret that I’ve been carrying around the weight of this ever evolving literary project for over 10 years.

Yes, there have been many days when I’ve felt like giving up and quitting. But my faith in God has brought me too far to turn back now and feelings can be deceiving. Besides, meeting the “greatness of God’s faithfulness” has made it impossible for me to lose hope and abandon my vision and forget my big dream. In the meantime, what do we choose to do while we’re waiting on the Lord to open doors and windows no mortal hand can close? If you’re a writer, keep writing. Do some additional research. The faithful remain hopeful.

Use the extra time to see if there’s a better way, a more cost effective way, an unforeseen way to make your big dream come true. But whatever you do, don’t take your eyes off Jesus like Peter did and start looking at the winds of Adversity when they begin to blow. Isn’t it interesting that as long as Peter stayed focused on Jesus, he managed to do the impossible by “walking on the water.” Quick question. Who or what are you still allowing to distract you, to annoy you, to wear you down, to discourage you, to hinder you, just to keep you from doing what God created you to do with excellence?

Can it be that our “fear of failure” is still keeping many of us from getting out of the boat of what’s giving us a false sense of security? Since the first day of this unpredictable “year of firsts,” how many times have I challenged each of you to keep getting up, showing up, and pushing past the pain? How many times have I tried to encourage and inspire you to believe that we can help each other achieve great things with God’s help? Quit? Never. Give up? It’s not going to happen. I’m too close to finishing the task that my skeptical antagonists alleged was impossible for somebody like me to do.

When our big dreams don’t cooperate, what should we do during those “dark days and lonely nights when all seems lost?” Cry if you must but trust God absent any reservations. Quitting is never an option if you honestly believe that you were born to write or do what you’re doing now. Remember, God’s delay does not always mean that your big dream has been denied. I’ve learned not to argue with God when the answer to a prayer is “no.” Sometimes God’s no is an indication that now is not the time. One never knows how close they came to succeeding until after they give up and quit. Matters not what happens after our big dreams refuse to cooperate, trust God anyway.

Besides, not doing so would also make me a “hypocrite” since the main character of Steppin’ Out Of The Darkness, “When Good People Become Great,” is faced with the same adverse circumstances, unforeseen obstacles, and character building challenges I’m struggling to overcome now. If time permits, you can read a brief excerpt from an earlier version of the “revised” chapter, “Sun Dried Bones, Abandoned Visions, And Forgotten Dreams,” to see how the protagonist responds to what he discovers in this modern day “valley of dried bones.” You’ll have to wait a little longer to see what additional editing can do to make a manuscript worthy of your prospective readers’ time, respect, and hard earned money.

Having a quiet talk with God in my secret place usually puts me at peace whenever the invisible fist of Adversity strikes. Reading the Word of God always works for me when I don’t understand the reasons why now is not the time. According to Ecclesiastes 3:1-22 NIV, “There is a time” and a season for everything that happens on either side of the “Great Spiritual Divide.” Do you mind sharing some of your favorite Scriptures that have inspired you to “keep risin’ after every fall?” For those of you who aren’t “Christians” or faithful followers of the Christ, which means “the Anointed One,” what do you do during your darkest night of the soul?

I can still recall all the days God made me experience whatever I was going to teach during my in home Bible studies to see if my actions spoke louder than my words. As you know, “a faith that cannot be tested is a faith that cannot be trusted.” Is my faith in God being tested and strengthened right now? Most definitely. But God has never let me down. Tonight, I’ll have to search for the poem that talks about what happens when we pray for faith but God gives us more challenges to overcome. If you already have a copy of what I’m seeking, let me know where I can find it. When all else fails, all you can you do is “stand.” Just be careful where you choose to stand.

To illustrate what I mean, here’s a verse from the popular hymn, “The Solid Rock.”

“On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand.”

© Copyright 2007 by Roderick O. Solomon. All Rights Reserved.

Here’s a brief quote from Chapter One of WHEN LEAST EXPECTED™ for you to think about after you leave here today. The father, Jonathan, is talking to his twin sons after the “invisible fist” strikes and sets a series of metaphorical dominoes in motion. Now that the collateral damage is done, their mentor shares some insightful words that challenges these emerging men to trust God as they birth another big dream to replace the one they lost. Before Jonathan closes their conversation, he says,

“Sons, your tomorrows will depend on what you choose to do with your todays. Only God knows how your futures will react to the impact of yesterday’s choices. So choose wisely.”

Watching news footage of the mugger who robbed the 101 year old woman outraged me. I hope they catch him so that he can get what he deserves. I’ve lived long enough to know that great people can make wise choices and still become subjected to the collateral damage of another person’s bad choices. When the dominoes start falling that our unwise decisions set in motion, these metaphorical antagonists don’t care how many actually innocent people their invisible fists hit. The “domino effect” refers to the collateral damage that happens after a great person makes a bad decision.

Have you ever been done dirty or robbed when the money your assailant took without asking was earmarked to pay your rent or house note? Have you ever been falsely arrested for a crime you didn’t commit and spent time in a jail cell instead of a college classroom? Before another person’s unwise choices adversely impacted my life, I often wondered why so many bad things kept happening to great people who had disciplined themselves to develop the good habit of making wise choices. When great people make bad choices, it indirectly affects the rest of our blended, extended family members in ways we may never know about. There’s no such thing as a “victimless” crime.

As you know, crime is once again on the rise. Why? Is it due to poverty, poor leadership, or our generation’s inability to trust God absent any reservations? Do desperate people, who do desperate things, do so because they still don’t honestly believe that nothing is impossible to God? What happened in your life when you lacked the faith to let our Father accept full responsibility for the consequences of our obedience? Did you make wise or unwise choices? In retrospect, why do we make the choices we made after Adversity decided to strike unexpectedly?

Crime is not always committed by the poor. Poverty alone doesn’t persuade poor people to commit crimes. One’s lack of patience and failure to trust that God will find a way to make a way out of no way, to turn the tables on our antagonists, to turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones, to turn lemons into lemonade. What does it mean to keep turning the tables? How does one turn “stumbling blocks” into “stepping stones” during such a season as this? How does one turn lemons into lemonade?

What happens when God makes a way out of no way for you but you were there to walk through the door or window that didn’t exist until God created it just for you? How many times have we missed our blessings because we doubted God, got anxious, became impatient, or listened to the skeptics, cynics, and pundits? What did you do after the collateral damage the domino effect symbolizes adversely impacted your God-given ability to make big dreams come true and achieve great things? Now that violent crime is on the rise again, where do we go from here? Any suggestions?

© Copyright 2007 by Roderick O. Solomon. All Rights Reserved.

While studying THE 8TH HABIT, I discovered today’s quote from the best-selling business book, EXECUTION: The Discipline of Getting Things Done, by Mr. Ram Charan and Mr. Larry Bossidy.  How many of the leaders in our galvanized group still lack what it takes to make our big dreams comes true as we aspire to achieve great things? I’m not ashamed to admit that I do.

It’s my heart’s desire that discovering the “missing link” that helps to bridge the gap between Failure and Success will inspire the great people — who honestly believe we’re destined to achieve greatness — to join our 8TH HABIT study group.

“Leadership without the discipline of execution is incomplete and ineffective.  Without the ability to execute, all other attributes of leadership become hollow. 

No company can deliver on its commitments or adapt well to change unless all leaders practice the discipline of execution at all levels.  Execution has to be part of a company strategy in its goals. It is the missing link between aspirations and results.”

If you’ve already analyzed and synthesized the contents of Mr. Stephen Covey’s book, you’ll notice that our group discussions don’t follow the insightful material in the same order as it’s presented in the book.  Both THE 7 HABITS and THE 8TH HABIT can be ordered through the Book Store link by clicking on the highlighted titles.  As we proceed, the reasons why will become evident.  Please feel to jump in and comment at any time.  I’m just the facilitator who’s always willing to listen and learn all I can while I can.  Your “G-rated” comments will always be respected and deeply appreciated.

If you’ve missed any of the previous posts, I’ll be creating and updating a category for the 8TH HABIT.  God willing, by December 31, 2007, each of our insightful souls will have what we need to complete our thought-provoking, paradigm shifting journey “From Effectiveness To Greatness.”  It makes me smile to know you care enough about our eclectic group to share some link love with the rest of the blended, extended family members of humanity’s culturally diverse global village.

I thank each of you for the gift of your time.

© Copyright 2007 by Roderick O. Solomon. All Rights Reserved.

Quick question. What vision did you abandon in the valley of sun-dried bones during your dark day and lonely night when all appeared lost and you feared the most? Reading the following Scripture verses will inspire you to finish writing the vision that only God and you know about because an entire generation of great people are still patiently waiting on you. So, don’t procrastinate. It’s later than you think.

And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: thought it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

Habakkuk 2:2-4 kjv

Matters not what happens next, just

“keep risin’ to your feet after every fall until your eyes meet the greatness of God’s faithfulness.”

This quote is from Steppin’ Out Of The Darkness, “When Good People Become Great.” Click on the book’s title to read the back cover.

If this cogent message of encouragement was for you, let me know. Delayed, but not denied.

©Copyright 1997-2007 by Roderick O. Solomon. All Rights Reserved.

 As stated in an earlier post, ”The Inspiration For Change,” Pain, not Pleasure, is more times than not responsible for seasons of Change.  Can one safely assume that the Black Plague that hit Europe like a tsunami during the 14th century was the catalyst responsible for birthing the Renaissance?  Let me know what you think.  

The book, HOW TO THINK LIKE LEONARDI DAVINCI, by Michael J. Gelb, is the primary source for both today’s post and this brief excerpt.   

“You can’t help but notice that change is accelerating.  How these changes will affect you personally and professionally, nobody knows.  But, like the thinkers at the end of the cataclysmic change caused by the Black Death, we owe it to ourselves to ask if we can afford to let the authorities of our time — whether church, government, or corporation — think for us.

It is safe to say, however, that accelerating change and increasing complexity multiply the value of intellectual capital.  The individual’s ability to learn, adapt, and think, independently and creatively, is at a premium. …

©Copyright by Michael J. Gelb.  All Rights Reserved.

Why did it take the Black Death to set the forces in motion that released the “surge of intellectual energy,” that was ”dammed for a millennium in ecclesiastical reservoirs, began to flow through the pestilence-inspired breach”?  Imagine how different our lives would be today had this “seminal event” not occurred over 500 years ago.  During 2007, what will it take to release a similar surge of intellectual energy that will begin to flow freely from the untapped brains of great people divinely destined to achieve greatness?  Pain, Pleasure, or Necessity.   

Quick question.  When was the last time you conducted an inventory of your intellectual property?  If you’re a creative person, or the resident idea person, you may be surprised to discover that, intellectually, you’re worth much more than you thought.  For reasons now known, don’t underestimate the power of your own words or the value of the intellectual capital that’s stored inside your brain’s memory banks.

©Copyright 2007 by Roderick O. Solomon.  All Rights Reserved.

Reading the book, Hand Me Another Brick, by Mr. Charles Swindoll, of Insight For Living, enabled me to begin wrapping my brain around the difference between knowledge and insight. Despite the world-wide acceptance and popularity of the phrase, “Knowledge Is Power,” I respectfully disagree. How many of you know that if a lie is communicated often enough, it becomes the truth? How many of you agree that the written word and visual images are the two most powerful forms of communication known to humanity?

It’s undisputed that knowledge has the “potential” to become powerful once great people like you become insightful enough to make your dreams come true as you begin to achieve great things. But when does knowledge truly become powerful? To answer that question, please allow me to share a quote from the pending release of, Steppin’ Out Of The Darkness, “When Good People Become Great.”

Only when the knowledge you possess transforms the mediocre into the excellent can what you know truly become both powerful and insightful.

It’s undisputed that today’s students have acquired the knowledge needed to pass enough multiple guess tests to graduate from high school. But how many students with a lot of book sense lack what’s needed to effectively apply the knowledge they’ve amassed? How many students are properly prepared to step out of the classroom today and successfully design an energy efficient home, engineer a car that runs on anything but fossil fuels, or build cities with highways devoid of traffic jams tomorrow?

How many of today’s students are simply being trained to memorize data facts and information just long enough to store them in their short-term memory banks until they can receive a passing score on a standardized test? If these highly intelligent and extremely talented keepers of knowledge choose not to use it, how powerful is it?

In the mid 1990′s, I created an informal seminar, Talent Alone Is Not Enough™, to serve me while engaging grade school and middle school students during Career Day Activities. Their favorable response to the nuggets of knowledge shared inspired me to develop a more insightful seminar series to compliment the informal class discussions. Out of the many life lessons lived and learned while residing in Los Angeles, California, I birthed the Talent Alone Is Not Enough™ seminar series.

During the humble beginnings of Talent Alone Is Not Enough™, I utilized a unique way to illustrate my belief that knowledge is not power. Standing before students and educators, I’d say, “Imagine if you will that the book in my hands, and its contents, symbolized knowledge.” I would open my hands and let the book fall to the floor thereby creating a loud bang. Dropping the book raised more than a few eyebrows but doing so amply illustrated my point and got my participants’ undivided attention.

Knowledge has no power without the wisdom and understanding to know how to effectively employ what’s taught in the classroom in the real world with “excellence.” Without insight, knowledge has no power. An internship under the leadership of a professionally trained, insightful mentor is frequently required to transform knowledge into a powerful tool that will serve its wise owner well. But be forewarned.

“If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.”

©Copyright 2007 by Roderick O. Solomon. All Rights Reserved.

LOVE was the answer to yesterday’s question. 

On day 44 of 2007, a profound passage from the book, THE 8TH HABIT, by Mr. Stephen R. Covey deserves our undivided attention until we know what to do with it.  Mr. Covey also wrote, THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE.  Hopefully what we read will challenge us all to do what we can to inspire our children to make their biggest dreams come true as we do something today to help the next gifted generation of leaders to achieve “Greatness” tomorrow. 

For reasons now known, I’m challenging each of you who showed up today, especially the educators, to walk through this book with me until God has gifted each of us with the wisdom and understanding we need to “know how to” properly apply the knowledge we seek and collect.  As you read the following passage from THE 8TH HABIT, please do so prayerfully and carefully.

When is the best time to learn the software that enables you to find your voice?  When in one’s lifetime is the best time to get the cultural overlay, the software, to be completely in harmony with our “hardwired” gifts?  I think we would all agree it is in our childhood — primarily, in our early home life.  But what if people have bad early home lives and learn the software of victimism, scarcity, and the metastasizing cancers of competing, complaining, contending, comparing, and criticizing.  Could one’s early home life take place at school?  Could a teacher or a school administrator become a surrogate parent to perhaps compensate for the dysfunctionality of the home when the children are very young and impressionable and innocent and uncorrupted? 

Better still, what if you could get a partnership between home and school so that there is continual reinforcement and alignment from both sides at all times with the child?  Can you imagine the result if the software and the hardware were aligned during those first few years of childhood — the kinds of people it would produce and the kind of achievements that would flow from their characters and competencies?

Think about it.  Only God knows where I’d be today had not my Creator gifted me with the tools I needed to keep overcoming my own dysfunctional, pathological behavior, something I must still do on a daily basis.  But by grace still go I.  I’m not content with just gathering knowledge.  Are you?  Besides, nobody really cares about ”how much somebody knows” until everybody “knows how much somebody cares.” 

 Clicking on THE 7 HABITS or THE 8TH HABIT will direct you to the Book Store that’s been recently added to the Home page of this ever-evolving site for your convenience.  I hope you’re still bringing your dictionaries with you.  As always, may the peace of the Almighty be with each of you today as we struggle to learn how to love, live, and lead like Jesus did — by example.

© Copyright 2007 by Roderick O. Solomon. All Rights Reserved.