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Encourage • Equip • Inspire • Ignite
It's a NEW ERA for Kingdom
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2013 ISSUE 21
Business
FOMO
blurring your focus?
Are you Staying Engaged on your Journey? Balancing FAITH & CERTAINTY
CONTENTS is available at the following locations: Amanzimtoti Sweetwaters Full Gospel Church Kingsway Church, Life Church Durban North Living Waters Church KingsNet Ministries King Shaka Airport, Mugg and Bean Empangeni Christian Family Church Hillcrest GraceHill Church Focus On The Family Bookshop Christ Church Hillcrest Kloof/Gillitts Kloof Harvest Church, Sarepta Church, Kloof Baptist Church, St. Agnes Church Kloof Methodist, Jooma, Piggly Wiggly, Church on the Way Morningside The Olive Tree Musgrave/Glenwood Full Gospel Tabernacle Scripture Union St Olav’s Church His People Church Pinetown/Westmead Highway Christian Community Pinetown Baptist Church Doxa Deo, NG Kerk Fourways Spar, The Rock Ministries Pietermaritzburg African Enterprise The Coffeeberry Cafe All Saints Church Bible Centre Umhlanga The Rock, Umhlanga Harvest Umhlanga Christ Church Waterfall Waterfall Baptist Church Westville Church on Route 5 St. Elizabeths Church Westville Methodist Church Westville Baptist Church Westville Presbyterian Church Please let us know if you wish to distribute CONNECT magazine in your church or business.
A new era for Kingdom Business
6
VOICE OF THE PROPHET
Balancing faith and certainty Where to from here? Staying engaged in the journey
HEART OF THE PASTOR FOMO blurring your focus?
18
HAND OF THE HARVESTER
Staying the course Staying engaged in the prison cell
20 22
THE REST IS HISTORY The Robyndale story
28
IN EVERY ISSUE
Where to find CONNECT Letter from the editor Notice board
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
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Printing services Copy writing, graphic designer Business strategies IT solutions, master jeweller, soy candles, building contractor, staff development Business insurance ,travel agent, colour changing candles, financial services, chiropractor, estate agent, cleaning services Financial planner, events management, family church, short term insurance, electrical contractor, business services, health consultant, civil & structural engineering, labour consulting, social networker, Corporate gifts, jeweller, security products, financial planner, estate agent, networking systems, Bible study classes Conference and lifestyle centre Advertising in KB Connect Funeral services
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KB Connect magazine is produced by: Tracey Olivier - Editor tracey@connectmagazine.co.za Belinda Peck - KBN Director of Operations info@connectmagazine.co.za Elaine Young - Sub-Editor elaine@copyeditpaste.co.za Ruth Brophy - Art Director ruth@housebrophy.co.za Advertising Sales - 084 548 4720 sales@connectmagazine.co.za and printed by: DNA Print (Pty) Ltd. www.kbnconnect.co.za | 3
Editor's Welcome NEUTRAL TAKES YOU NOWHERE
There is a journey each one of us is destined to take. It is called Life. There is a definite beginning and an ultimate end. The stuff in between is what makes up our story. For many of us, there comes a day on this journey when there is an interruption – a comma, a pause, sometimes even a full stop. It makes us stop and relook at the path we’re on. Sometimes we change the path, sometimes we change the destination; either way, when we get going again, we have a fresh new vision for the future. Now we all know that between that moment and the destination you’re aiming for, there is the land in between. Land that needs to be crossed, territory that has to be taken before you fulfill your dream. Habakkuk 2:3 encourages us with these words: “For the vision is yet for an appointed time and it hastens to the end [fulfillment]; it will not deceive or disappoint. Though it tarry, wait [earnestly] for it, because it will surely come; it will not be behindhand on its appointed day”. In this “land in between” there is much opportunity for discouragement, grumbling and heartache. This is the place where our faith is tested and refined. This is where our image of God is formed, refined and clarified. Who we think God is during this time will greatly influence our journey for better or for worse. If we feel as if God is punishing us when life has some unexpected and unwelcomed twists and turns, we have a very skew view of God. I am reminded of Deuteronomy 8:16 when Moses refers to the Israelites being sustained in the wilderness by God, “who fed you in the wilderness with manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end.” I always used to read that scripture and think that, when I was in the wilderness, God was humbling me and testing me. I missed the “who fed you” and “to do you good” parts! 4 | www.kbnconnect.co.za
We need to understand that life is sometimes hard, and there are unpleasant processes we may face as a consequence of our own or someone else’s decisions. God doesn’t bring trouble on us – we live in a fallen world! – but He is at our side during the storm and can turn the direst situation around. We must continually remind ourselves that God’s heart towards us is for Good and not Evil. Romans 8:28 (NIV) says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
STAY ENGAGED
I would like to encourage you never to lose sight of the vision God has placed on your heart, no matter how dry the wilderness looks to you right now. Continue with hope and know that your Heavenly Father goes with you. He nourishes and waters you, He safeguards you and leads you every step of the way. All you need to do is stay engaged! Lock your eyes into his and allow His rest and peace to flood your heart…receive His love and know that He is more committed to your future and destiny than you are. This edition of CONNECT is a special one because it is the fruit of our journey as a team towards an even more influential, peopleinspiring, God-glorifying vision. As I have obeyed God’s word to stay the course and press onwards towards the vision He has given me for Kingdom Business, I have felt more convicted than ever that I am in the centre of His will and purpose for my life. Read about the Kingdom Business journey on page 6 and have a look at our exciting new branding – we’re going places, guys! This issue is literally oozing with insights and practical tools you can use to stay engaged when the going gets tough, and I encourage you to ‘engage’ with each one of the articles in it. Lessons learned in prison…life after an all-consuming 300km kayak challenge…
being mesmerised by the Master Illusionist… dealing with FOMO…these are just some of the profound images that remain on my mind after reading the issue from cover to cover. Together with our feature in The Rest is HIStory, each is a powerful testimony of ‘hanging in there’ in faith and hope – while our Daddy steers the boat towards the harbour. Enjoy the journey.
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Kingdom Business Networking, Equip and Connect are:
THIS MONTH'S CONTRIBUTORS Adam Bright Durban, South Africa Adam has been involved in organisational development for fifteen years. He is a Strategic Interventionist, Coach Trainer and active public speaker. He also coaches at an individual and organisational level, both nationally and internationally. Since his return to South Africa from the United States, he has started a key company around strength development, evaluating and re- establishing culture within companies. He is HR director of the Juiced Group and founded Juiced Strategies (Pty) Ltd, which he also directs. Mark van Staaden Durban, South Africa Senior Pastor of Grace Family Church in Umhlanga. Married to Christine since 1979. Have 3 daughters, a son-in-law and the most awesome grandson. I am passionate about doing things as best as you can with the resources you have. I have sought to know how to do things my whole life and therefore I have a hunger for wisdom.
Trish Jenkins Brisbane, Australia Trish is an inspirational speaker and the author of three books. She lives in Brisbane, Australia with her husband Justin and their children. Kim White, Auckland, New Zealand Kim White comes from a Financial Services background and has run his own business consultancy focusing on strategic planning, project and change management. He is passionate about restoring the business people in God's church and helping churches to release the potential within their business people. Johanna Oliver Western Cape, South Africa Johanna is married to Andrew, owner and creator of ICE Jewellers, and mother to Daxdon and Ieremia. She is passionate about family and community and loves to see people reach their fullest potential. She is also passionate about Jesus and fulfilling the purpose He has for her life and the lives of those around her. www.kbnconnect.co.za | 5
KINGDOM BUSINESS LAUNCH
A new era for Kingdom
Business
Read the full story on our website
S
word, Crown, Sickle. What are these words to you? For Tracey Olivier, founder of what’s now known as Kingdom Business, they are more than symbols. They are emblems of a journey that started in 2008 and wound its way through many highs and lows to where she stands today – fully confident of God’s unique purpose for her, and ‘ready to suck the marrow out of life’. But the story is not just Tracey’s story – it’s all of ours. (All of us who, in one way or another, gain inspiration and contacts from this magazine we’re holding…who network monthly with other marketplace Christians… who refer each other through the amazing ‘coffee connections’ that KBN encourages…who have skills to learn as business owners… who want to glorify and trust God in every job we do.) Why? Because we are the people privileged to be served by Tracey and her organisation, and together we are called to serve the world. Have I got you curious enough yet? Good. Now picture this, if you weren’t there… Monday 26th August. Stunning evening. A beautiful garden lit with candles. Office stuffed full of gifts. Double doors opening into the garden where guests mill about chatting. A table groaning with delicious snacks. And a data projector for the unveiling of Kingdom Business’s new corporate identity. 6 | www.kbnconnect.co.za
A NEW IDENTITY FOR KINGDOM BUSINESS
Tracey explains that the need for a new logo arose out of the way the business had grown. “We had three separate businesses – the magazine, the networking meetings and our training – and they all shared the same mission: to encourage, inspire, ignite and equip marketplace Christians. Yes, Christians. I now knew who I was called to serve, and I realised that it wasn’t important for me to impress the corporates, even though I believe we have huge value to offer them. As a result it was easy to name the company: KINGDOM BUSINESS.” Kingdom Business has three divisions: • KINGDOM BUSINESS NETWORKING • KINGDOM BUSINESS EQUIP and • KINGDOM BUSINESS CONNECT. “We’re not changing what we do, just packaging it clearly in line with our overall mission,” says Tracey. “The designer of this amazing logo is Ruth Brophy and I think it is because of the journey she and I have been on – separately and together – that she was able to so beautifully and powerfully
encapsulate our identity the message behind what we do.”
INTRODUCING THE KINGDOM BUSINESS 'TRINITY'
Our composite logo is a 3-inone logo which represents each aspect of the business in one beautiful whole.
KBN: Kingdom Business Networking
Our KBN logo remains green, a colour which speaks of growth and nurturing. The sickle represents the harvest. “As a network we don’t do networking with a ‘hunter’ mindset but rather with a ‘farmer’ mindset, taking the time to build relationships,” Tracey explains.
KBE: Kingdom Business Equip
Our latest addition to the KB stable, KBE is represented by a sword. A sword is an advancing weapon and it is for taking ground – just as we do when we equip ourselves to do business well and for God’s glory. The red is the colour of passion and the blood of Jesus which covers us all. KBE offers workshops, seminars, courses and individual coaching to equip, ignite and release Christians into the business world who will trade with honour and integrity. Some KBE seminars and courses have already taken plane. Workshops will be 3 hours long, led by an expert in a field – such as financial management, marketing, etc. We also run 1-day seminars like the recent Kingdom Business Seminar with Patrick Kuwana. We plan to run Biblical Entrepreneurship 1 & 2 every quarter. We are also piloting a ‘mastermind’ group called
Focus. The Focus groups will be small groups of business owners who hold each other accountable.
KBC: Kingdom Business Connect
“Blue speaks of royalty, as does the crown,” says Tracey. “Our hope is that the articles in CONNECT Magazine would encourage people to understand their royal identity as sons and daughters of the Most High. That it would also ignite them to respond wherever they are called, and that they would be inspired and equipped to move to action.” As CONNECT heads towards its fifth year, I can say with all confidence that it has done just that. Testimonies abound about the way the articles in this magazine have touched readers’ lives, and advertisers have benefited from wide exposure across Durban and surrounds. As the KINGDOM BUSINESS team we are excited to see what God has in store – and we are privileged to have you on the journey with us. Please join the conversation on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/kingdom-Business or join us at a KBN meeting in your area. Contact info@connectmagazine.co.za to find out more. !
www.kbnconnect.co.za | 7
Notice Board For more information contact Belinda on info@connectmagazine.co.za
as follows: The dates are
t Durban: 02 Oc ct Westville: 08 O ct Hillcrest: 10 O North: 15 Oct kfast: 28 Nov Year-end Brea
RSVP: Belinda agazine.co.za fo@connectm
in
graphic design brand development (logos & stationery)
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A passion to creat e Ruth Brophy DESIGNER
084 88 22 110
info@housebrophy.co.za
Biblical Entrepreneurship 2 (BE2): 24, 25, 26 October Biblical Entrepreneurship 1 (BE1): 08 and 09 November Venue: Robyndale Centre, Kloof Time: 8:30am – 4:30pm For more information email info@connectmagazine.co.za
VOICE OF THE PROPHET
Balancing Faith and Certainty When people become disengaged it is often because one of two things have happened in their lives. The first is that things have become too stable and the mystery of life and faith have disappeared.
It is in the mystery that we move forward in life. When we explain things in so much detail that all mystery is removed, why should we stay engaged and moving forward? “Without faith it is impossible to please God”, says Hebrews 11:16. Faith is the element of belief in mystery. God has given us the ability to have faith (a belief in the mystery) in order to please Him. We have the ability to believe in the unseen. Our minds are wired to explore.
Even the most “certainty oriented” of us need mystery to entice us to grow and stay engaged with life and faith. It is the tension of the Kingdom – “now but not yet”. All of us are intrigued when an illusionist performs some seeming impossibility in front of our focused gaze.
www.kbnconnect.co.za | 9
We immediately have a desire to is about the end point of experiencing “know” how it is done. Our minds race the fullness of the dream. If we stay as we discuss the possible solutions. focused on the journey itself, we will We are fully engaged at that moment. tend to stay more engaged. We will It is the mystery that attracts us. How also tend to find multiple ways to much more should the mystery of fulfill the dream instead of just one Christ and His Kingdom attract us into avenue. Multiple ways to the dream a vibrant and full life? brings back the sense of…. yet again, Even in business, it is the mystery. unknown that keeps us The second half of engaged in pursuing Proverbs 13:12 says, When we the next dream. As “a longing fulfilled believers, our lives is a tree of life”. dream, it is more should be full of Yes, we do expect about the journey to the mystery; full of to see our dreams unfathomables fulfilled in order completion of that dream, which, like the to see a “tree of than it is about the end illusionists, keep us life” effect on our and those around spirits. But we point of experiencing us fully engaged serve a King who the fullness of in this drama we values obedience. He the dream. call life. has greater plans for us than our own desires can even know. This dynamic The second thing tension, this effervescent dance that disengages us from of the certainty of achieving our life and faith is unmet dreams and the mystery of trusting His plan, is the ultimate engagement dreams and expectations. fuel. Sometimes we live our lives “Hope deferred makes the heart sick”, embracing certainty, other times we says Proverbs 13:12. It is the idea live by faith. But even in the certainty that we have been cut off from our our faith in The Mystery must remain, dream or an expectation that causes for this is what keeps us engaged the heart to disengage. When we with life, family, friends, work, church, can see no way around the blockage hobbies and… our Faith itself. to our dream or expectation, So, enjoy the Master Illusionist. we immediately move into a His show is for real! There’s nothing disempowering, disengaging state. up His sleeve except love. ! In order to stay engaged we must find and hold fast to the mystery of Adam Bright the “now and not yet” aspect of the Durban, South Africa Kingdom. Yes… the mystery. adam@juiced.co.za Some dreams are simply there to get us to move forward in life. We may never fully realise the completion of a particular dream. The truth that helps us hold onto the mystery and stay engaged is simply this: When we dream, it is more about the journey to the completion of that dream, than it 10 | www.kbnconnect.co.za
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You've heard it before: busyness means nothing, results mean everything. I’d like to add a second part to that: Results in line with your goal mean everything. Many of us have results-driven activities in our diaries, but these results are often not aligned with our goals. The ultimate in productivity is when all the results that you produce in a day line up with your goals. You’ll reach that goal far more quickly if you're not just busy, but you’re producing results that take you closer to the point you’re aiming at – not other people’s goals or priorities. I challenge you to look afresh at each activity in your diary today and ask where – if anywhere - it is taking you.
Staying Engaged in the Journey
VOICE OF THE PROPHET
WHERE TO FROM HERE?
S
All successful
everal months ago I struggle to find a new rhythm people set goals. completed a charity back in the “real world”. kayak challenge, I’m sure that all conquerors, Goals are vital to paddling over 300km in 9 days explorers, innovators and making progress to raise funds for some local performers experience this and keeping us charities I had been supporting to some extent when they focused. But our with my business skills. For a achieve their goals. I went few months after the challenge goals are not our through this too – as will I just could not get engaged every business person, every identity; they are in my life again. Work seemed dreamer, every individual a reflection of uninspiring and personally I felt with a passion to help others. our identity. a bit flat. For some it’s even a regular I was going through occurrence. “missionary withdrawal”, a What helped me come syndrome missionaries go through when through the experience was a chat I had with they return to “normal life” after a period in one of my friends about his life. I realised that the mission field. Their lives are so tied up in to stay focused and engaged in our lives, we their mission work that when that ends they need to understand the need for goals AND 14 | www.kbnconnect.co.za
In a nutshell, then: • T o stay engaged, I do focus on goals but recognise they are a means to an end only. I am not defined by them, nor is my daily life dictated by them.
to keep them in front of us. In other words, as soon as we reach a goal, we must update it with a new challenge.
IDENTITY: The root
But our identity never changes. I am not defined by my goals – my goals are simply a reflection of who I am. For me my charity paddle was a reflection of who I am – a dreamer, a visionary, someone • If we only focus on achieving who likes to take risks, a goals we will end up being leader who likes to take disappointed and frustrated others on a journey of fun when they are not achieved or and growth. My business there is no new challenge. consultancy, Dreaming with Purpose, is a similar • It is easy to stay engaged in life expression of my desire when we know our identity to see people come alive and we focus on the big and live out their passions journey our Daddy is taking us and dreams. It IS me, it’s on – not the little milestones not what I do. From time we pass by on the trip. to time the focus of my goals will change from work to being a father to my daughter, to being a husband, to sport be certain of our identity. and health, to church leadership, and back to GOALS: The route supporting others. That is my identity - and no matter which goal or area of my life I’m focused All successful people set goals. Goals are vital on at any time, I am able to stay engaged to making progress and keeping us focused. because I realise that it is an all-important But our goals are not our identity; they are a part of how God made me. reflection of our identity. • If a goal has just been achieved in one part of your life, look for another area to be highlighted and live that out fully. Seasonally, God will focus on different areas of our lives and we have to be comfortable with that.
When discussing this with my friend I identified that his identity was tied up in what he did in ministry rather than the ‘whole person’ God saw in him. As business people we are often tied up in our roles, goals and success. When these are achieved we tend to go through flat patches when it is difficult to stay motivated and focused, and our business or personal life suffers as a result. Goals are ‘handles’ that help us maintain momentum and need to be regularly updated
GOD’S GLORY, MY FULFILLMENT: The fruit
I am not limiting myself to being a business person or a pastor – I am just my Daddy’s kid living out a series of activities and goals that bring glory to HIM and fun for me! What greater fun and life is there than achieving what your Daddy intended for you? ! Kim White Auckland, New Zealand www.dreamingwithpurpose.co.nz www.kbnconnect.co.za | 15
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HEART OF THE PASTOR
FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)
blurring your focus?
M
y wife Christine once read that when you want to engage with preschoolers, you need to go down to their level, tell them to look in your eyes and then say what you have to say. Of course, anyone with preschoolers knows that unless you get their attention, they won’t focus – and although they may hear you, they won’t necessarily listen to you. I can hear some of you saying, “Why does this only apply to preschoolers? My teenagers are exactly the same!” Still others are saying, “It’s no different when I speak to my husband. I always have to tell him to ‘Look in my eyes, darling!’” Staying engaged with the important things in life is vital if we are going to get the right messages, do the right things and live life fully. I often feel like I am being bombarded with thousands of (good) things, and my engagement with the really important things starts to ‘drift’. The problem many of us face is a 21st century condition called “FOMO”. Yes, we all know FOMO – Fear Of Missing Out. We land up multi-tasking, over-scheduling, waiting to the last minute to commit to something in case something better comes along…and at the end of the proverbial day, we’re disengaged, dissatisfied and perpetually exhausted. In his book Your Brain at Work, David Rock says that when you multitask, you will experience a drop-off in accuracy and/or performance. Have you ever seen someone texting and driving? According to the AA, you increase the risk of having an accident at least four fold. According to Rock, multi-tasking is really a myth; when you ‘multi-task’ your brain 18 | www.kbnconnect.co.za
actually checks out of one thing and then connects to another thing. He maintains that you can only multi-task when one of the tasks is embedded in automatic routines. For example, you can eat and have a business meeting at the same time because eating is an ‘embedded routine’. But try to do two or more things that require proper attention, and the outcome invariably suffers. Being and staying fully engaged is not always easy, but it is invariably rewarding. So how do we stay engaged in things that are rewarding? Here are some thoughts that may help you:
• Learn to say NO. The people pleaser in us wants to say
‘yes’ to everything. I heard John Ortberg once say that “Leadership is disappointing people at a pace they can handle”. We simply cannot do, and be at, everything. It may be difficult to say NO, but it is vital if we are going to stay engaged in the things that count.
• Learn to say YES to the important things. Andy
Stanley suggests that you make a list of ‘yes’ people in your life. Getting the ‘no’ and the ‘yes’ list right is the fastest way to create boundaries, which help keep you engaged.
• Reflect. There is an ancient Jesuit meditation practice called the
“Examen of Consciousness”. At the end of the day, take a few minutes to ask yourself, “Where was God at work today?” “Where was God absent?” “What are the blessings I can thank God for?” “What are my responses I need to say sorry for?” This prayer will help you to see where you are simply rushing through the day, looking for the next thing, and where you were engaged, conscious of God’s presence.
•
Try to arrange your tasks so that you can finish one task before moving onto another one. In other words, avoid multi-tasking. Some say you should do the unpleasant things first. I am not sure I agree. Do the things that energise you first - this will give you energy for the less pleasant tasks.
•
When interacting with people, take a deep breath, look them in the eye and whisper to God, “Lord, this person is your creation. Help me to be fully present in their company.” Jesus leveraged time alone with God in order to engage fully with the people. He also used meals as a way of engaging with people and conveying spiritual truths to them.
•
If you are always rushing and looking for the ‘next thing’, your disengagement with the present will surely rob you of a satisfied life. The opposite is also true. I believe that when you are fully engaged in the right activity, your quality of life will increase – and you will also increase the engagement of those you are leading. ! Mark van Staaden mark@grace.za.org www.kbnconnect.co.za | 19
HAND OF THE HARVESTER
I
Staying the Course
am so excited about the theme of this issue because it’s both challenging and applicable to every aspect of life. It’s the difference between failure and success and can see you achieving the impossible. In a world of constant stress, disappointments and set-backs, it’s important – no, crucial – that we learn how to stay engaged so that we may experience a life of progress and success. If you ever thought that success was meant for others and not for you, then I hope you find some encouragement and tools to help you get on the road to achieving much more than you ever thought you could. So what does ‘staying engaged’ mean? Wikipedia describes it as ‘staying the course’, a phrase used in the context of a war or battle, meaning “to pursue a goal regardless of any obstacles or criticism”. The poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow put it like this: “The heights by great men reached and kept/ Were not attained by sudden flight,/ But they, while their companions slept,/ Were toiling upward in the night.” One thing both the definition and the poem have in common is NOT GIVING UP, better known as PERSISTENCE. Being persistent is a fundamental key to achieving the life God designed for us, a life of fullness and abundance. 20 | www.kbnconnect.co.za
Success and progress are not for a select few but for all of us if we would only persist and stay engaged. Regardless of the dreams/goals or vision we have, only one thing will guarantee success: our attitude. We live in a world that is full of stress, disappointment and change. But if we find a way to rise above our emotions and adjust our attitude, we will come through the valley of trials to stand atop the mountain and survey all we have achieved. I encourage you to make it your mission to persist daily. Here are some practical tips to help get you started:
1 GET A VISION
Before any plans/strategies can be carried out, you need to know what you are working towards. Write it down and review it regulary. Visualise yourself accomplishing your goals. A powerful vision will be the foundation for staying engaged.
2 BE FLEXIBLE
Sometimes your goals and visions will change as you change. Don’t give up, just make the necessary changes and keep going. Every day that you remain engaged is another step closer to achieving your goals.
3 BE ACTIVE
7 BE PREPARED
4 REGROUP
8 COMMUNICATION
Do something every day that will move you in the direction of your goal. This will bring about progress, which will keep you excited and motivated. Remember that this is a daily walk, so you focus on one day at a time. At some point you will find yourself straying off course (we all do and it’s nothing to worry about) and when you do, stop and analyse what is going on. It may be time to change course, shift direction, or that the goal is not the right goal for you anymore. Do the analysis, just don’t stop. Don’t accept failure.
5 ACCOUNTABILITY AND SUPPORT
Involve a friend, pastor or network in helping you achieve your goals. Having people to cheer you on, pray for and with you, and provide perspective and advice will help ensure you stay on track.
6 SETBACKS / FAILURE
Failure is something we all experience; but the way in which we deal with failure or setbacks differs hugely. When you experience a setback or failure, pick yourself up (gently) and get back on track. Don’t waste precious time beating yourself up or dwelling on what was.
Just as you check your car when you get ready to embark on a long journey, make sure that you spend time on preparation. Making time to prepare means you will avoid setbacks and diversions. Communicate your expectations/values/ vision clearly. Have a clear plan (you can always adjust and enlarge that vision as you go along). We cannot change circumstances and situations but we can control how we deal with them. Staying engaged is a journey and not a destination, and the process starts afresh every single morning. I know it sounds like a lot of work and a bit overwhelming, but just like we have to exercise our bodies to ensure wellness and fitness, so too we have to exercise our mental attitude towards life and the goals we set. Success doesn’t just ‘happen’, it takes courage to realise your dreams and visions. Remember to make notes of all your achievements and celebrate every milestone and every success, no matter how big or small. One step (even half a step) closer to your goal is closer than you were yesterday, so keep going! ! Johanna Oliver info@icejewellers.com
www.kbnconnect.co.za | 21
HAND OF THE HARVESTER
Staying engaged
IN THE PRISON CELL
D
o you ever feel like your workplace has become your prison? Have you felt trapped in a dead-end job or marriage or business? What started as something meaningful may now feel like a chain around your ankles. Allow me to share some keys from a real prison experience that will help you regain your spark. In 2009 I served eight months in prison for a breach of the Corporations Act. I hadn’t stolen any money, but I had had business dealings with a fellow who turned out to be a con artist. When I tried to fix what I thought was a temporary cash flow problem in the business, I created a bigger problem for myself. I was prosecuted for the breach. What I got was eight months away from my husband and three little girls. Pretty discouraging for a sincere Christian who loved God and was active in church leadership! My shame and humiliation were immeasurable. How had I missed God when I thought the investment was His reward for years of sowing into His Kingdom? Do you ever feel like your calling was supposed to be somewhere else? Are you fed up with your staff? Is your church not at the place you thought it would be by now, after all your effort? Are you ever tempted to wonder if 22 | www.kbnconnect.co.za
perhaps...you married the wrong one? Whatever your path, self-pity will not get you off it! After queuing behind fifteen women for my turn at a ten-minute phone call, I rang my husband from prison and said, “We are going to go through this anyway, so we must go through it the way we believe the Lord would have us go through it. Otherwise it will be wasted, and I couldn’t bear that!” Living with murderers, drug dealers and prostitutes, I could have succumbed to despair. However, I chose to trust God, because the alternative was not an option in that dangerous place. The Lord began to show me those awful people through His eyes, and a strange thing happened. I got to know them and even love them. I was engaged in my calling. When I cared enough about them, sharing Christ was easy and natural. Seeing the Holy Spirit work on their hearts invigorated mine! I was walking in God’s purpose for my life. Romans 8:28 states: “And we know all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” It doesn’t say all things ARE good. Wherever you are, that purpose is in front of you. Don’t waste it. Engage in it. Choose to trust God and see Jesus in the person and purpose in front of
you – be it your employee, another business owner, your spouse or the member of your congregation who doesn’t give but has plenty of opinions. Ask the Lord to show them to you as He sees them. Doing so will freshen your heart and drain away unforgiveness. You will be fully engaged and begin to see the little miracles that make life delightful. To illustrate the point, the following is an extract from one of my letters from prison and part of my book Treasures of Darkness: A Prison Journey. It’s available on Amazon. The women here are fascinating. I can’t help asking questions about their scars, veins, their history, and what makes them choose the drugs they do. Fortunately they indulge me. They think I’m a bit odd; but harmless and nice. They accept me being ‘overly religious’ because I care about them. They are happy to educate me. Sometimes I surprise them because they can have wrong assumptions about Christians. For example, Karen is a gentle soul who had been pack-raped on her first date. It happened to all her friends, so she thought it was ‘just what young ones do’ in her town. She is in for breaching her parole by shop-lifting. She can’t help stealing and is actually banned from her local shopping centre. Christians were a strange lot to her. I made a joke and Karen exclaimed, “Trish, I am disgraced at you!” Her phrase was funnier than my joke. So sweet. Well, Sam, the woman who snapped at me yesterday after I told her I wasn’t going to help her bear a grudge, just apologised; so I made her promise to be nicer to someone she had been tormenting. I had to press home my advantage, while I had it. She asked me to let the others know of her apology as they had given her a hard time over it. Forgiveness is a touchy subject in here. Loving your enemies is a hard sell in church, let alone in here. The lovely thing to see is how quickly the Holy Spirit moves when one of the women does pray for her ‘enemy’.
5 Keys to Staying Engaged • • • • •
Pray to see through Jesus’ eyes – people, work, circumstances Care! – Passion without compassion is just ambition Take your eyes off yourself – self-pity will kill you. Keep your heart free and forgiving Pray God’s blessing over every area of your activities and the people you lack interest in. You will quickly see results and it will be exciting!
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9). Trish didn’t give up and as a result, the Lord has since opened doors for her to minister to both secular business and Christian groups. ! Trish Jenkins trish@trishjenkins.com.au www.kbnconnect.co.za | 23
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HISTORY Conceiving, believing & receiving:
The Robyndale story
Garden Centre, Conference Centre, Coffee Shop and now office park... Robyndale Centre has a story as colourful as a coral tree flower, with a plot woven by the Creator himself. Join me as I chat to owner Robin Sandy about his journey so far.
G
ardening is in Rob’s veins, and even while Robyndale no longer sells plants, you can see the touch of a man passionate about indigenous planting in the newly established gardens beneath the office where we meet. I am eager to know the story of the first franchised Piggly Wiggly restaurant, and I launch straight in with a question about it. “Funny you should mention Piggly Wiggly,” Rob smiles. “Most people do, not realising that Robyndale came long before that.” And so begins an entertaining and humbling hour-long story about how the Robyndale nursery-cumcoffee shop (which we all now associate with the much-loved Piggly Wiggly brand) came into being. It’s a great story of God at work in small decisions and large, and in forks in the road where many of us would have abandoned our dreams. As it turns out, Rob actually started out as a journalist for the Mercury, and kept bees on 28 | www.kbnconnect.co.za
the side for extra money. He married his wife Robyn and in time realised he had a passion for horticulture and indigenous landscaping. After completing a diploma in horticulture, he went into his own landscaping business and opened a wholesale nursery from their home in Drummond. The next step was to expand into the retail market, and in 1994 – at a time when many large corporations were offloading properties for fear of civil war – he bought the old Kloof postmaster’s house from Telkom. This he let out until 2000 when he opened Robyndale Nature Centre. “We ran the nursery business for a while and became well known as an indigenous nursery when the concept was still new,” says Rob. “I studied trends overseas and felt a garden centre – which combines the nursery element with a lifestyle element in the form of a coffee shop and kids’ play area – was the way to go. My sister ran the tea garden alongside the garden centre for a few years, followed by three tea garden tenants.
“By the late 2000s, trends had changed congregation, Church On The Way, met in and the nursery industry all but collapsed. the nursery on one memorable occasion People no longer garden as they used to. before we moved up to Highbury school. Middle- to high-income families tend to use In due course the church relocated their money to go out and go overseas, not permanently to our conference centre. to buy plants. It’s not an economic thing, This was ideal as the coffee shop was it’s a lifestyle thing,” Rob explains. (After I closed on Sundays. get over my shock, I can see what he means. “Closing the coffee shop on Sundays Interestingly, nurseries in lower-income was a strange thing to do business-wise – areas tend to do better because people and we got lots of abuse over that. What spend more time at home and gardening is led us to this decision was a course I did still unbeatably therapeutic. And it’s not all with the leadership of Chick-fil-A, the doom and gloom for those largest individually-owned still in the industry – there’s franchise in America. The The experience still enough demand to keep owner has a huge respect them going, says Rob.) for God and family, and the showed me how “So where to from there?” entire franchise is closed on when we put I wonder. “How does the Sundays. I felt it was God’s our trust in God, owner of a nursery turn it will that we do the same. (Of we must rest in into something else when the course it was difficult for me market collapses?” Slowly, it to break this to my franchisor! it; taking the turns out, and with a good That the journey with him has situation back dose of faith and innovation. been so smooth is truly the is taking a miracle grace of God.) out of His hands. NEW DIRECTIONS “For four years the coffee “We turned the garden shop was closed on Sundays centre shop into a conference and we eventually started centre and let out the nursery side out to meeting in the coffee shop itself, which people two successive tenants,” Rob explains. “The loved because of the informal atmosphere. nursery side proved unviable for them too, Then things changed again. I’ve learned that and in 2013 we opened a putt-putt course God often leads us for a season in something in the former nursery section. It works well before shifting us in another direction. From alongside the tea garden.” June 16 this year the church moved back into In the meantime, Rob knew he had to do the conference centre and the coffee shop is something different with the tea garden too. open on Sundays again. Personally I don’t work He started negotiations with Rudi Kassier, on Sundays, and I have seen the benefit of it for owner of the Piggly Wiggly farm stall and my family and I.” restaurant near Lion’s River, and at the end While I am absorbing this paradoxical of 2008 he opened the first and only Piggly ability to shift direction and stay on course, Wiggly franchise. That the entire property Rob moves onto the story of property two has since become conflated with the Piggly and three. “I have always been a dreamer Wiggly brand is testimony to the coffee and a pioneer,” he begins. “When we bought shop’s enormous success as a homely yet the first property, I looked over the fence upmarket venue for all tastes and ages. and thought it would be nice to get the next one so that we could expand the kids’ SUNDAYS AT ROBYNDALE play area (we were very child-focussed at But there’s another thread in the story, the time). A lady prophesied that she didn’t and Rob comes to it now. “Our home see a kids’ area there, and as it turned out, www.kbnconnect.co.za | 29
the idea went no further. A member of the congregation bought the property and it became our church office. Then he left the church and I was able to buy it and continue leasing it to the church.”
FAITH – THE KEY TO SUCCESS
“Then the third property in the row came up for sale. And this is where we have seen God’s hand move most powerfully,” Rob reflects. “I was sharing with my men’s group that it ‘would be nice’ to get hold of the next door property if I had the money – when suddenly I was convicted that what a person can conceive and believe, he can receive. “In that moment, I decided to rely on God and go about making plans in faith to buy the property. Then I got the clear conviction that I would buy the property,” he says. “I discussed it with the elders, decided on a price, found that others came up with the same price, and made the offer. I rested in that, and when another offer was made by someone else, I still had the conviction that it would be mine
in the end. We went on holiday as a family and when we came back, we found that the other offer had fallen though and the owner was willing to accept mine! The experience showed me how when we put our trust in God, we must rest in it; taking the situation back is taking a miracle out of His hands. It’s a great example of how God delivers when he has promised you something – and when we don’t take him at His word, we often waste time and energy.”
LEAKY HOPE
Not surprisingly, God’s hand is evident in the new office section of the Robyndale campus. Many of the new tenants are Christian – and where they aren’t, Rob wants God’s peace and hope to ‘leak through’ to them. “As with the coffee shop, where our primary objective is for people to be impacted by the spirit of God when they sit down, we want our business people to sense something ‘different’ about us,” said Rob. That’s Robyndale’s HiStory, and the rest is indeed His story! !
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10 Msenga Road, Kloof, 3610 • Tel: 031 764 6694 • Email: robyndale@cinet.co.za
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