Little by Little

 

It has been a while since my last post. I have been focused on getting a group off the ground. I started a Facebook group called the GOD-Centered Business: People of All Colors. It went from 1 to 2 over two weeks. It then went to a whopping 3 after 3 weeks. I thought the name was going to attract people. I was wrong. 

I prayed about this. Was my motive to get a bunch of people together to have fellowship in CHRIST or was it to simply get numbers. I had to run that past GOD to make sure my motives were still aligned with HIS. I met with a few people and asked for help. The LORD showed me I could not do "this" alone. Whatever "this" is. After prayer, we invited people. Perhaps I invited you. 10 people joined then 20 then 30. Wow! 

We hit 33! I was excited. Then others started joining. We were up to 40 then 50. Over the next two weeks, we went from 3 to 55. This was nice but it did not stop there. another 26 people joined and suddenly we were at 81.  And today we are at 85.

People are staring to post and interact in the group. This is what is more important than numbers. I am asking people to add a video, explaining their business. Meanwhile, I am on week 2 of 7, walking everyone through the GOD-Centered Business Framework. This is the part that focuses on leadership. The fruit of the Spirit is the focus.

The webinar that shamed me

 

So I was asked by the Small Business Administration to do a webinar on CRMs. I said "Of course!" I mean, that was a natural response. As I started developing the webinar, I realized, I was not practicing what I was about to preach. I had gotten so caught up in building my product and service offerings, that I forgot to reach out to people.

Mistake number 1 - Losing Track

Life happened for two solid years. I mean family seemed like they were each taking many turns being in hospitals, dealing with all kinds of ailments. But when they were out and on the mend, I did not return to keeping in touch. Let's face it, life happens. But it's not too late to reconnect.

Mistake number 2 - Old Contact Information

I looked at my list of contact and noticed email addresses from the 90's. Yeah, I said the 90's you AOL users. I needed to update my contact information to keep my list relevant.

Mistake number 3 - Stopped asking about them

I lost track of so many people that I did not know where anyone worked or what was happening to them in life. Where was my head? It was full of the worries of life. GOD wants me to have an abundant life and that means communicating with HIS people.

Yet Another Submission

 

Writing a book was easy. Editing, validating, illustrating and making the information relevant seemed impossible! Saturday February 22, 2020 was the date GOD called me into the ministry. I began writing the following Monday. I had a rough book written by March 1st and figured I would have the book published and in bookstores around the world by August! 

After 7 revisions and numerous submissions to publishers, the book sits on my computer waiting to be read. It is a framework, not a novel. That is a difficult message to convey. People want interesting characters and a happy ending, but this is training material for the underserved. Many people do not have resources and cannot get venture capital funding.

They search the internet and find free resources which are sometimes not truthful or are so full of gloss, they easily become fooled.  I hope to provide good solid foundational resources to those who cannot afford business school, college or bus fare to get to work.

I was about to concede to self-publishing when another person said "Wait." Try (this publisher). I gave it another try and may do so this weekend. Please pray for a publisher.

Thanks!

Had to Focus (Sorry I have been missing)

 

It has been a while since my las post. I had to do quite a bit to get things ready for the launch! I spoke to clients, friends and family to identify people who would share their GOD-Centered story. Many people were not willing to get in front of the camera. 

Understandable. I had to create a video of myself and it was a task for me. I am better in person than camera. But I had to fight through it and get it done. 

Here is the video of me:

I ten had to make a video from the customer's perspective. Thanks to Jazmyn, who is a phenomenal speaker, shed light on what a true GOD-Centered business should be.

Here is her video from a customer's perspective.

I then had to create two more videos of business people who follow the GOD-Centered principles. Thanks to Coral Lahaini and Lisa Marsh for sending in their video's early.

Here are their videos.

What I've learned is video take a huge amount of time, but it is worth it!

Please pray for continued progress!

 

Something Brewing Inside

 

Over the years, the LORD has called me to speak about CHRIST around the world. Impressive? No. While I had mountain top experiences, I returned to my old ways, hiding lustful views of porn and being easily enraged at family and friends. Yet, somehow GOD still was able to use a sinner like me. He tells me that it is not about my power to pretend to be clean when JESUS did not pretend. HE was clean and he died for my hidden and overt sins. 

I guess that is why it may be shocking to some that I put my full trust in GOD for once. It was easy to say "I believe in GOD" when I could hide my relationship with HIM at my convenience. I could also use this relationship to feel better about my sins. Over the years, I have seen GOD move HIS mighty hand around the world and people believe in HIS SON. Looking back over my notes to create the picture shown, I saw a young Stan, full of judgment and confusion about who JESUS is.

HE is my Savior for whom I owe everything. HE wants my full reliance in HIM and HE wants me to surrender my will to HIM. MY thoughts about HIS people cannot even come close to the thoughts HE has for them. 

Each trip brought me closer to maturity. Notice I said closer, because I am still waiting to mature. I marvel at HIS decisions to save me and use me even when I am a sinner who does not deserve to mention HIS name in the same sentence as mine. 

Do you have something brewing inside you? I mean you know it's GOD asking you to do something daring, but you have not taken the leap of faith HE needs you to. Don't worry is my response. HE will keep knocking on your heart until you open it to HIS wonderful plan for you. I know, I avoided HIM up to this point.

When HE called me to serve HIM, I could feel I was fighting HIM and losing. HE wore me down and is still doing so. It is not my strength that I continue, but HIS. I look forward to what HE is doing with the business ministry. I desire to create small communities of business people, who can speak to each other about business issues while supporting each other with CHRIST. 

If you are willing, please provide your best ideas to make this happen.

thanks

https://www.honorservicesoffice.com

Prayers of a Scared but Obedient Leader

GOD called me to do ministry with business owners, now what? As I stared at a blank page and a sense of excitement mixed with fear, I quieted down and prayed.

Dear LORD, let the pen go at the pace YOU want it to. Please guide every word to bring the right people to YOU. (amen)

As I wrote this prayer out, I felt relieved. I was able to take the experiences I had over the years and ask GOD, "How would YOU do it?" Just as I would at major companies, I started at the beginning. GOD provided the challenges I needed to overcome.

Who really owns the business?

What is the real motive for going into business?

Where do ideas come from?

Do we really give GOD credit or do we take credit when things go well and blame GOD when things go wrong?

It was clear that GOD wanted me to address leadership as well as helping people who did not have a clue as far as starting a business. I had to address apprehensions, while enabling creativity and innovation. GOD immediately answered the prayer and that led me to write the outline of the first chapter "Dream Bigger" which addresses the vision that comes from GOD. It also addresses the leadership needed to run a business.

Dear LORD, please guide my thoughts to be YOUR thoughts. Open my mind to the truths You want me to share with the multitude YOU have planned. (amen)

As I wrote this prayer, I was able to complete the first chapter and dive into the second.

As many of you know, I like to use my own sins as the example. I started with my fear and doubt as things I needed to remove before I got serious about writing advice to business owners. Then I realized, I have a ton of sins to remove. How could I address every sin an entrepreneur could face? Oh, yeah! JESUS! "Of course" you may say, but realize I had been raised to have a job and get a paycheck every two weeks. 

I still had not surrendered the idea totally over to GOD. HE was gracious and I brought to mind the simple A-B-C's of salvation. 

When I admitted I had fear, doubt and greed, HE gave me the "Remove the Trash" chapter. HE filled it to overflowing and I was able to use past experiences with clients and jobs as well as my own circumstances to bring answers to those who are experiencing difficulty and seem to have nowhere to turn. 

Fifty one definitions came to mind as barriers entrepreneurs face. Where did the number fifty one come from? I had a glossary from the old software CRM and it had terms from A-Z. I wanted to cover a sin from A-Z. That would be fifty two, if I came up with two words for each letter. Well it did not quite turn out as I planned. Some letters had more words, that described negative qualities, than others. Then I wanted 3 columns to put these words in. Fifty one divides across three columns by seventeen.

The answer to removing the trash was filling it with something. GOD provided that answer. 

This made me excited! 

Called to do What GOD Said

 2019 was a decent year financially. 

I had begun the year with a gathering of business owners at a yacht club and was planning to do the same in 2020. Did I mention it was at a "yacht" club? I hope so, because I wanted to cater to those who lusted over wealth.

Meanwhile a software client of mine, I will call her Jane to protect her true identity, contacted me with a business idea.  (Thanks to my sister for suggesting I protect the true identity). She wanted to make people smile. My first thought was, while this could be a good desire, it lacked a "money making" purpose. That was the final straw. I wanted to teach people about solid business principles that would make money. I started to write a "wealth" driven methodology as seen here. 

But GOD had a different plan. that night I went to bed.  I fought for sleep. “Whose business is this?” I felt the inquiry in my spirit.

“YOURS,” I said in response to GOD. I mean, the answer had to be “YOURS” when the voice I heard came from GOD. Unlike the encounter Peter had when he denied CHRIST three times and was questioned three times by JESUS for restoration, I was questioned several times. Exhausted, I answered, “YOURS,” this time with humility, not knowing what was to come.

GOD then said, “Then give ME 100% of the company.”

“What does that mean?” I asked.

HIS reply did not feel good. “Let go of the customers who have been paying but not using the service.” That was a scary statement.

HE then said, “Change the method in which you do business. Write this method down and help people see ME.”

After taking a deep breath, I realized HE was serious. I sent messages to all the customers HE told me to, and stopped writing the wealth-driven methodology I had started. I quieted down to listen to GOD. “Now what?” I asked.

“Feed MY sheep,” HE answered.

“What? Am I supposed to become a pastor or something?”

“No,” HE answered. “Just show them how to make ME the center of their lives and businesses. Let ME provide the increase to those who are truly seeking ME.”

I sighed and obeyed. The next morning I prayed and asked for GOD to open my eyes to what HE told me to do. 

Here is what HE gave me.

As you can tell, I like to see things in pictures. 

I wrote and wrote what GOD said to write. How do I know it was GOD versus me? As I said before, I wanted to write a wealth driven methodology, not a GOD centered methodology. I obeyed, knowing this would limit the audience.  But so be it. I'd rather obey than to be rich in disobedience.

He I am, one year later, asking for a publisher for the written methodology named "GOD-Centered Business: A Foundational Framework to Grow with Resilience". I applied for the copyright and received it in July.

Excited? Pray

Skeptical? Pray

Curious? Ask and pray.

Thank you! Your comments are welcome.

Kunaka means "Tasteful" in Shona. I learned this on my first missions trip to Zimbabwe.