Brent's Journey

Archive for the ‘"QUOTES"’ Category

I just loved this poem when i heard it and It really blessed my heart and made me really just want to be  a God Gazer.Check it out:

God-Gazer

I want to be a God-gazer,

captured by the brilliance

that springs from the radiance

of You.

I want to be a God-gazer!

Not a cheap food grazer

or an easy option lazer.

I want to be a trail-blazer

for the ordinary, everyday life.

I want to be a God-gazer -

not just copying the halcyon ways

that shimmer brighter in the haze

of by-gone rays and the good old days.

I want to be a God-gazer!

Looking beyond the trappings of success,

cutting through the stucco of respectability

like a laser piercing darkness.

I want to be a God-gazer!

Reaching for the stars and

seeing beauty in the moment by

becoming fluent in the language

of the God Who is here, Who is now.

I want to be a God-gazer

until my imagination is saturated;

until my thirst is sated;

until my passion is stirred;

until my intellect is stretched

as far as it can be;

until my yearning yearns

for others to be free.

I want to be a God-gazer -

not a meetings manager

or a people pleaser

or a ‘tea and sympathy’ vicar -

not a leadership trainer,

not just a speaker

but a seeker.

I want to be a God-gazer…

and for a moment I want God

to gaze through me.

I want others to see

His eyes

Heart

Mind

and Love

above everything else in me.

I want to be a God-gazer

captured by the brilliance

that springs from the radiance

of You.

Life-giver!

I want to be a Life-giver

not a life-sucker.

I want my life to be releasing

not appeasing or placating.

I want to be a Life-giver,

A drainpipe without blockages,

A circuit without stoppages,

A connector without breakages.

I want to be a Life-giver!

A ‘you can do it’ releaser,

A ‘have a go’ preacher,

A ‘you were born to do this’ pastor.

I want to be a Life-giver -

Seeing rivers flow, not die,

Seeing others rise and fly,

Helping friends reach for the stars

even if they sometimes miss.

At least they can say they tried.

I want to be a Life-giver,

Generous in spirit and in heart,

Letting the forgotten make a start

at being Life-givers, too.

I want to be a Life-giver

because I am a God-gazer

not because it’s about me

but because it’s about Him

because life can’t spring

from any other ‘thing’.

I want to be a Life-giver

connected to the Source

and pointing to the Son -

standing in the shadow of the Light

celebrating Him.

World-changer.

I want to be a World-changer

not just a furniture re-arranger

or an ‘it could be better’ winger

or a ‘have the left overs’ stinger.

I want to be a World-changer!

A doer, not just a talker.

I want to spread the clothes of heaven,

No more or less than a poor man’s dreams,

beneath the feet of Jesus.

I want to be a World-changer -

‘Cos on a morning many winters ago

the tomb was open

and the curse was broken.

Death had to let go

and re-creation burst out

of an old wineskin

like water from a geyser,

Like the cry of a child

pushed into the world

and nothing

would shut Him up.

I want to be a World-changer

because it’s started…

because the vanguards on the move…

and love is pushing out hate

and light is shining out

and darkness can’t understand it

beat it

change it

hide it

kill it

stop it

win.

I want to be a World-changer

because there’s safety in this danger.

There’s meaning in this purpose.

There’s joy in this mission

and too many others are missing

the power of life in all its fullness.

World-changer? Life-giver? God-gazer.

God, break in – then break out

Fill – then make me leak.

Plug me in and push me out.

In me, through me, around me.

Make me a Patrick.

Make me a Brendan.

God-gazing, life-giving, world-changing.

Captured by the brilliance

that springs from the radiance

of You.

Malcolm Duncan

January 2010

(c) Malcolm Duncan

For more info, please contact malcolm@churchandcommunity.org

Reagen Allen is the MC at today’s Business Conference. Reagen just brings a whole new dynamic when it comes to MC-ing .He had the audience captivated with his sharp sense of humour. Once this young man starts talking you can’t get enough.

During breakfast break I actually asked him if he is willing to come and give the RLABS staff a work shop on how to MC. This however is his gifting and I don’t think no one will be able to MC like he does. He has really brought a lively twist to this conference. Thank you brother for your awesomeness. You are a real encouragement to the rest of us.

*NB- I AM BLOGGING LIVE FROM THE BUSSINESS CONFERENCE

Over the weekend the guys from RLABS and me went on crayfishing expedition. This was our way of unwinding and taking a break from our hectic weekly schedule. We Saturday morning at the crack of dawn we hit the road and everyone was in high spirits.

The place where we go and catch crayfish and were we throw in our nets is very rocky and not for the faint hearted at all. But we have got to love this place and always seem to come back for more.

The catch for the day was good and we even got to eat some of the crayfish on the beach.This was a day well spent with the guys and am looking at doing it real soon again. Thank you guys for an awesome day. God bless you my brothers.

On Thursday we launched our pilot project called MoCo (Mobile Counselling) services and all the NGO,s involved came together at The Impact Centre for the launch.All of the various representatives from the different organisations first met met for some nibbles and something to drink before MoCo went live.

After filling out tummies  and quenching our thirst, it was time get down to some serious  work.We had each organisation set up at their own station as they got ready to counsel young people out their on their mobile phones that is facing problems with substance abuse and other issues.

I am so proud to be part of the fisrt ever mobile counselling service in the world.And to be playing an intrical part in all of this.

Here are some stats as to how the first day of counselling session went:

During the first two hour session of the pilot, 103 subscribers made contact with us and 2034 messages were sent to people in need of support in the area of drug addiction.

I want to first of all give God all the glory and praise for what He is doing in my life.It is only because of His Grace that I have the ability to do what I am doing.

RLABS hosted and facilitated the 1^st SUBSTANCE ABUSE MOBILE COUNSELING TRAINING in the world.I am so honored to say that I was one of the facilitators on this particular pilot project.We as RLABS will be training and equipping up five organizations in the Western Cape as  how to use and administrate the system we are currently using to do the mobile counseling from.The day started off with registration, coffee and tea.Michael Abrahams (one of the facilitators) did the introduction and welcome.

 

Then it was my time do my presentation which was: “Social Media For Social Good”. In this presentation I basically painted the picture as to why we will be using mobile phones to counsel people and the potential thereof .One of the slides in my presentation read as follows:”4 Billion mobile phones are being used worldwide and it is the largest

distribution channel platform”-World Bank 2008..This was to show people how many people we could possibly reach out there.

Craig Ross was up next and he did:”The Art Of Mobile Counseling”.He basically told them the difference of one- on- one counseling and mobile counseling.Up next was Clinton his presentation was:”The Confessions Of Mobile Counselor”.In this presentation he engaged the participants as to what is required from a counselor when they go on-line etc.Clinton also had some homework for the participants.They had to go out and get 10 chat lingo acronyms and share it with the class th following day

By the end of the day all the participants was registered onto our system.On day 2 they all were going to do role-play and get a chance to work on the system as counselors.

Will fill you in on Day 2 as things progress.

Today’s blog post will be about an online  interview that a very special women did with me.She is none other than Joy-Anne Goodenough (also known on twitter as @joyanne ),the editor of The Portfolio Travel Blog that won the best traveling blog in this years SA Blog Awards.When she initially asked me if i wanted to do this interview i was naturally  over the moon.How could i refuse.

I just love Social Media and it is a great way to conect with people and to share your story etc. I want to take this opportunity to thank her for the opportunity for giving me the opportunity to share my story with others out there.“Thank you Joy-Anne for considering me to write about on your blog.I really appreciate it and may God bless everything that you do.”

Here is the link to that particular blog post: http://ow.ly/rAiE

Hope you guys enjoy it  and God bless:-)

This has been an eye opening week for me. I’ve been to many meetings and workshops, far more than usual within just one week. One of the workshops that really stands out for me is the Foundation for Alcohol Related Research (FARR) workshop. It was quite enlightening. Since I’m currently working in the Kewtown Primary School where the results of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is so evident, this workshop is one that is of particular importance.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a disorder that can occur to an embryo when a pregnant woman ingests alcohol during pregnancy. While ingesting alcohol during pregnancy does not always result in FAS the possibility is great. The current recommendation of the US Surgeon General is to abstain from the use of all alcohol during a pregnancy.

There is no known safe amount of alcohol that can be used while pregnant. Additionally, there are no safe times during pregnancy to drink alcohol and no safe type of alcohol. For this reason the US Center for Disease Control encourages women not to drink alcohol at any time, in any amount, during pregnancy.

There is another great concern. It is common for a woman to be pregnant for several weeks or even months without being aware of it. It is therefore urged that if a woman is sexually active without the aid of birth control she abstain from drinking. Certainly if any woman is planning on or expecting a pregnancy she should give up all alcohol until after the baby arrives. How to be sure…if a woman does not use alcohol at all during pregnancy, it is not possible that her child would be born with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs)…

If a pregnant woman does drink alcohol, it is in her blood and it passes through the placenta to the baby. The use of alcohol during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, and a many lifelong disorders for the child. Children with FASDs are likely to display some, if not all of the following behaviors and characteristics:

*Abnormal facial features, such as a smooth ridge between the nose and upper lip (this ridge is called the philtrum)

*Low body weight

*Small head size

*Shorter-than-average height

*Hyperactive behavior

*Poor coordination

*Inability to maintain focus

*Inability to reason

*Difficulty paying attention

*Deficiency in mathematics

*Difficulty learning

*Slurred or delayed speech

*Low IQ

*Poor judgment

*Sleep problems

*Sucking problems

*Poor vision

*Hearing problems

*Problems with the heart, kidney, and/or bones

It’s obvious in looking at the above list that this insidious affliction can result in a host of problems for the precious little one afflicted with FASDs and there is no cure. Let me say that again…THERE IS NO CURE!

Some of my concerns are that there are so many children enrolled in Kewtown Primary School that we have identified as possibly having FASDs. Since it’s a known fact that Children with FASDs have learning difficulties, and this is evident in Kewtown Primary it presents a huge problem for us. These children could be easily misunderstood and could be classified as “stupid” and/or could be shouted at in class by an educator who doesn’t understand the problem and just isn’t able to cope with them. It is our responsibility to love these youngsters and have patience with them. Their conditions are through no fault of their own and what they need now is help, love and understanding. We are there to see that they receive what they need. My heart goes out to each of them especially as there is no cure for this disease. The other thing that I also know is that these children need our prayers…there is nothing impossible for God.

We will continue to pray for these little ones and ask God to give us the wisdom we need to work with them. I will not give up on them. I will be committing myself to them and in addition to prayer do everything I can to accommodate these precious little children.

I ASK THAT YOU JOIN US IN PRAYER AS WE PRAY FOR THESE CHILDREN AND ALL THE CHILDREN ACROSS THE WORLD WHO SUFFER THIS DREADED DISEASE THROUGH NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN.

But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Luke 18:16 NIV

Life is all at once complicated and simplistic. It’s simplistic because that’s just how it is. It’s complicated because as humans we seem to need to make it complicated. If we just followed our hearts and met our calling…our purpose in life, everything would be so much easier.

That, however, just doesn’t seem to be the way it works for most people. We all have an inner guide. We know instinctively what we are meant to do with our lives and yet we struggle. That seems to be the chosen fate of mankind, struggle. That’s not the way it’s meant to be.

Each of us comes to this planet with a job to do. All the aptitude tests, books and courses in the world cannot tell you what you need to be doing with your life. The thing you most love to do is your calling. How easy is that? Just think about it, the thing you most love doing is the thing that will bring you your greatest rewards. It has been said down through the ages that if we do the thing we most love, we will be successful and will never work another day in our lives.

Something happens to us as children, however, that can throw us off that track. Even in the best households children are instructed by parents who have not yet caught on to what success is all about. In the households where there is physical or emotional abuse…or even substance abuse, it becomes all the more difficult for the child growing up there.

Such situations can easily cause a young mind to decide he or she is worthless and once that decision is made, the child will do all things possible to live up to that horrible image. When we feel worthless, we’re more inclined to do destructive things to ourselves and others. In these cases our self esteem can become nonexistent and we proceed to act on erroneous opinions we have developed of ourselves.

I had an interesting conversation with Brent concerning the writing of his blog post for this week. I read it and thought it was quite good. I knew it had the potential to serve a purpose in the lives of many. As I read it I shuttered at some of the things he endured as a drug pusher/addict and gang member. He wrote about one particular incident that I found horrifying. He went from that horrifying experience to telling about having given his testimony at a prayer service. I suggested that he add words to the effect that it was a powerful testimony. He was reluctant to do so because he didn’t want anyone to think he was bragging.

Brent is a young man who has given his life to the Lord and fully realizes that his salvation and all he is, is because he’s led. He realizes that all he does comes through him and not from him. He gives all glory to God and uses his horrifying past to make a powerful difference in the lives of all who come in contact with him. I can tell you that Brent Williams has make a powerful difference in my life. I am grateful to have the opportunity to work with such a brave and selfless young man.

You’ll be as astonished as I was when you read A LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE –continued – Part V of Brent’s Journey http://tinyurl.com/qruyoo

If you’ve read Brent’s Journey, Part IV perhaps you found it a bit unsettling… maybe even a bit frightening. He was just seconds away from pulling the trigger of the gun he had pressed against the head of an innocent and unsuspecting woman. Someone stopped him just in time to save the woman’s life. Does that make Brent a potential murderer?

The Brent who committed that act was not the Brent Williams who today saves lives daily by helping others escape from and/or avoid the situation in which he found himself. Brent was on heavy drugs and seriously addicted. I shouldn’t have to tell you that when you don’t take charge of your own mind, whomever or whatever is in charge is not capable of operating in your best interest. Only you can do that by conscious and deliberate choice.

While you’ve probably never found yourself in such a horrid situation as Brent describes in this week’s blog post, there are other situations that you may create for yourself that do harm to you and keep you from being, doing and having everything of which you dream.

Abundance is your birthright. The catch is, however, that you cannot have it at the expense of others. Whether we are speaking of wisdom, love, happiness or financial gain, we must all achieve our hopes and dreams by serving mankind.

We must believe that we were placed on this earth for a purpose and when we find that purpose and pursue it with passion we will then…and only then… know success. If you’re still searching to find your mission, your life’s purpose, I can tell you without a doubt that you’ll find it in the thing you most love doing.

No matter what you’ve done in the past, know that the past does not equal the present or the future. Today is a new day and it is filled with new and great possibilities for you life.

Use the possibilities of this new day to open your eyes to all the possibilities there are before you and then take positive action to make your life a masterpiece.

Read Part IV of Brent’s incredible journey at http://tinyurl.com/p7uwzo

As both a Life and Business Development Coach I have, over the years, observed an interesting phenomenon. This is something that has always been with us but has been greatly magnified by the rapid growth of the Internet, social networks and myriad new applications that show up each day.

I call this phenomenon 21st Century Confusion and it is a situation in which many are finding themselves. What am I referring to? It all boils down to the fact that we do not really know who we are. We don’t really look within to get to know our inner selves.

Hundreds of thousands are flocking to the Internet in the hope of finally finding fame and fortune. They are rushing in droves to follow the latest and greatest 2.0 media guru. Those who understand and speak this language have something to sell and each week (at least each month) they have a new program to offer for sale. They are the ones finding the so-called fame and fortune.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not knocking those who offer their knowledge for sale. They have every right to do that. Actually, I do that myself. We all know that we can expect to pay for the answers we can’t find on our own. Those who sell information are no more responsible for whether or not you succeed or ever even use it than an automobile dealership is for how well or if you ever even drive the car they sell you.

Life is all about taking personal responsibility, taking responsibility for ourselves and our actions. We and we alone are responsible for the success or lack of success in our lives. We are all born with a God given talent, a purpose, and it is our job to discover that purpose and pursue it. What you are meant to do is the thing you most love doing. What seems to happen, however, is that we have been conditioned to believe that our true happiness lies only in financial wealth. It does not.

Hey, I’m not knocking money. Money can accomplish great things in the hands of someone who understands it and knows what to do with it. To be truly successful in life, however, we must look first within ourselves. The answers are all there. Your creator would not have put you on this vast planet without your own GPS (God’s Positioning System). It’s your job to turn it on and use it.

Stop following the latest and greatest new thing that comes along before you first look inside yourself, turn on your GPS and see where it has been programmed to take you.