Wednesday Author Spotlight ~Bola “Salt” Essien- Nelson

In my book she is one of the best sisterpillars I know. I just recently got to know her although I’ve heard about her for a long time. She is author of the popular Desperate Naija Woman series where she chronicles her efforts to desperately seek God. That phase is over… through rebirth she is now known as Salt…read more and find out.

I am Salt and I thank God for giving me this new name at the onset of 2012. However, the truth is we, children of God, reborn in Christ, vessels of the spirit of God, are ALL called to be Salt and Light. A while ago, I was in a video conference and a few colleagues who had recently attended an HR conference were giving feedback on all that they had learnt from all the respected Conference Presenters at the event. The famous James Robbins  was one of them and he shared his ‘9 minutes on Monday‘ theory which states that being a great leader is about taking nine minutes of one day ( Monday) to figure out what you were going to do in that week to groom a better, more productive team. But not just what you were going to do, but what you were going to do consistently.

I promise you, I am not sure at which point my mind drifted to my walk as a Christian and how all that I was hearing about leadership in the work place mirrored almost perfectly what I believe being a ‘salty’ Christian looked like. So, I took James Robbins’ 9 Minutes and converted them into my own personal ‘9 minutes on Monday’ for a Christian who wants to sprinkle godly flavour or shine godly light consistently on that patch of the world God has placed him/her.

If, like me, this is one of your chief desires, then join me in taking nine minutes every Sunday or Monday and decide the following for your coming week:

1. 1.      Whom will I show a genuine interest in this week by calling, e-mailing, sms-ing, visiting?
2. Whom will I give feedback to on how he/she has blessed my life?
3. Whom will I recognise for how they have helped my life and my walk as a Christian?
4. How will I link my purpose to someone by sowing financially or otherwise into his/her life?
5. Whom will I help grow in their Christian walk this week (by sending a scripture for instance?)
6. Whom will I help feel ’empowered’ as a brother or sister in Christ?
7. What can I do to foster unity in my church, fellowship, prayer/blog/FB/Google group?
8. Where can I inject the love of God in a fun way this week?
9. What can I do this week to model Christ to those who will be contact with me?

You see, I can be ‘Salt’ all I want but salt that stays in the salt shaker is of no use to anyone. To be useful, I must be sprinkled out. Our love of and for God cannot be passive, it has to act. God is a verb. He is always ‘doing’ great and mighty things and so must we. I honestly cannot say I have done my 9 minutes every single Monday since then but I promise you, the days that I have? I felt really fulfilled and in sync with God. Those were the days I felt God’s DNA coursing through me the most.
My name is Salt and though all of the above is sometimes hard, by God’s grace I choose to live up to my name. Truth is, so can you. No, scratch that, so must you.

Be Salt. Sprinkle Love.

Be Light. Shine Love.

©Salt 2013

Her latest book called True Confessions is available now. Click Here to buy in paperback or Kindle.