Don’t Take Over the Gift Wrapping

Why is it that we do not feel worthy enough of God's patience, love and due diligence to give us something wonderful - something we've fervently prayed for? Instead, we pray, then rush to get what it is we prayed for or try to take care of it ourselves.

God shows us his love - the magnitude of it - by presenting it to us with all splendor, not in a bag filled with rotten trash or in a rusty old can. Oh no! It is laced in beauty and wrapped in gold - at least that's what it would have looked like if we had not interfered.

Let God answer your prayers. Don't take over the gift wrapping. He wants to surprise you; Let Him!

How now, this Faith?

"...count it all joy when you fall into various trials..knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience...If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God...But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."

James 1:2-8

~Copyright © 2008 Rebekah L. Pierce

I am being haunted or rather stalked by this verse: “You pray for me. I’ll pray for you, and watch God change things.”

            It has not only been playing over and over in my head like a broken record, but it seems like every time I turn on the radio, it’s there – playing in supersonic mode.

            You see, I’ve been praying for wisdom lately and here it is written down and made plain. We are not praying for one another…truly. We are so caught up in what’s happening in our little soap opera worlds that we have forgotten that prayer is a two-way street and that Grace is a prayer away.

            Today, I saw a man so drunk that he could hardly cross the street without being hit by oncoming cars. In fact, they slowed to let him cross...in both directions.  Now, how many of you have seen this same man or his sister and immediately shook your head in disgust? You said out loud or to yourself, “He/she should be ashamed.”

            Guess what? So should you! You see, when I saw that man, my soul and spirit cried out to him, not for him. And my spirit and soul sent a prayer to God that he’d get to his destination safely wherever it may be. Remember the old saying that God gives us what does not kill us, but what makes us stronger? I realized today what that really meant as I watched that man stumble across the street. God didn’t give me his affliction because I could not have handled it. It would have killed me.

            Wisdom is teaching me that I can no longer lament my troubles because they were made for me. Instead, I will pray for you and ask that you pray for me because I want to see God change things…for you. Grace is the end result of someone’s prayer for you. Grace is also when you recognize this and offer a prayer back in supplication.

            I am praying for your womb, your business, your marriage, your health. I am praying that we pass one another on that two-way street…called Grace.

~Rebekah L. Pierce

Do you dread going to work? Feel like you were made to something else with your life other than working for “the man?” Or is your hobby starting to pay you more than your day job? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then it’s time to move on and follow your purpose. But first, we must identify the risks and rewards of quitting your day job and becoming an entrepreneur. Finally, we will learn 10 key strategies for implementing your purpose because although entrepreneurship may be calling you, are you really ready for it?

            Okay! Let’s be real, here. There are risks to quitting one’s job, but many are just plain myths that need debunking because they are preventing you from following your purpose. Here are the top five myths to reasons why not to quit your day job:

·        I will have no Health Insurance

·        I will lose or not have Retirement Funds

·        I will be homeless

·        I need thousands of dollars to start my business and to survive

·        There is no security in entrepreneurship

Now here is reality. First, you can purchase private health insurance that may cost more, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Google health insurance options online such as www.ehealthinsurance.com or call your local insurance agency such as Nationwide Insurance or State Farm. Second, you can rollover your 401(k) plans or others into a ROTH IRA. Talk to your financial advisor/planner for more information as they are a resource that everyone should use to help make sound financial decisions like quitting one’s job. Third, your home can be protected through insurance and other special programs. Again, speak with your financial advisor/planner to learn about your options.    Fourth and most pivotal to your success, is plan, plan, plan, budget, budget and here, again, is where your financial advisor/planner will come in handy. Are you beginning to see a pattern here? Visit your local Small Business Administration technology center or go to their website at www.sba.gov. They can provide you with a plethora of information on funding options and more. Finally, tomorrow is not promised to anyone. If you plan smartly and be clear about your objectives, quitting your job will not lead you to the unemployment line.

            Now, as previously stated, you must plan smartly and be clear about your objectives. Quitting your day job is a big step, and one must not become caught up in the myths about the rewards of being your own boss. So, here are some myths about the rewards of quitting your day job.

·        I don’t have to answer to anyone

·        I can set my own hours and work when I want

·        I have an idea that is going to make millions

·        I can go on vacation when I want to

Stop right there! If these are the reasons you want to quit your day job, you and your family are in trouble. The reality to entrepreneurship is that you do have to answer to someone – YOUR CUSTOMERS/CLIENTS. Entrepreneurship is not an 8 hour job, but a 24 hour job. Most businesses, depending on the industry, do not see a profit for the first 2-5 years. And can you say TAXES, EMPLOYEES, MARKETING and RENT/LEASE FEES? Finally, who’s going to cover the shop when you are on vacation? Many entrepreneurs have not made that leap to business owner where the company can now function without the owner/founder’s presence. You are the sales clerk, janitor, cashier, secretary and CEO until the business has “arrived.”

            The bottom line is that the decision to quit one’s job is very personal and subjective. It is not something that can necessarily be predicted as being the right thing or the wrong thing to do at the time of the decision-making process. But is something that can work to you and your family’s advantage if it fits in line with your purpose and with careful planning.

So, are you ready to turn in your resignation? Wait! I want to leave you with 10 key strategies for implementing your purpose before you take that leap of faith into entrepreneurship.

10 Key Strategies to Implementing Your Purpose

1. Create a list of the things you are good at and enjoy doing: What is your calling?  Write down your vision

2. Create a list of pros and cons about your current job: Be real and not just make up excuses here. Perhaps you will find that you might not need to leave the job just yet, but can leverage a raise or a newly created position tailor-made for you.

3. Plan a long-term and short-term list of goals that relate to 1 & 2: Speak with a counselor at a local women’s business center to help with this.

4. Tell your Crying Angel Network or your business consultant/coach your ideas and goals: Get a fresh perspective from someone who is not your family or circle.

5. Before quit job, see if you can negotiate a part-time deal: Don’t leave until all avenues have been exhausted – keep a part-time job until income from purpose super cedes or matches income from job.

6. Research access to capital: Capital can come in many different forms such as friends, family, loans, and savings. Bottom line:  you must have a money plan.

7. Live within your means: You should start a budget and have been living by it at least 3 months before quit your job, if possible. If not, call your financial advisor/planner immediately.

8. Network, Network, Network: You can use the traditional (i.e., BNI groups, workshops & seminars) and/or non-traditional (i.e., post office, birthday parties, grocery store), but you must learn how to network and use your net to work for you.

9. Talk to your spouse before you jump into the water: Get their support or understanding, if not both, because this decision will impact them for a long time to come. They need to know where they stand in all of this because they will be making sacrifices with you. This is not about just you.

10. Keep a sense of humor because you are going to need it: That’s right! Laughter is the remedy for insanity and depression, so keep laughing and enjoy the journey.

One of my favorite inspirational quotes says, “Ambition knows no obstacles” (Chinese Proverb). I want to add to that that ambition is a curse without careful planning. That is not to say that you will be able to plan everything out, but when the bumps come up - and they will - you, your company and your family will be better equipped to handle them.

~Copyright © 2008 Rebekah L. Pierce. Mrs. Pierce is the CEO/Editor in Chief of Average Girl Magazine LLC, a motivational and inspirational magazine for women in search of change, purpose and prosperity. She is also a playwright, former radio talk show host, motivational speaker, teacher, wife and mother. Visit www.averagegirlmagazine.com for more information.

Proverbs 14:1 says, "The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands."

Are you the wise woman who is building her home with the knowledge and information gathered throughout 2007? Have you built your Crying Angel Network and used it to help you move through the valley?

Or are you the foolish woman who has ignored sound advice and shut out the Network because you feel that God has not answered any of your prayers so why bother?

I learned in 2007 that the "Superwoman" attitude nearly destroyed not only my joy, but my home. I cannot do everything and be everything to all people.

This was to be my year of completion and it was. I learned that I am a complete fool to try to do it all. I learned that giving it all completely to the Lord is a much wiser and safer thing to do because when I try to take over God's purpose for me, I completely mess it all up.

So, ladies, for 2008, take all that you have learned about yourself and life in 2007 and be a wise woman who builds her home. The devil is after us because if the woman is broken, then the home and all in it is destroyed. Don't let it happen! Don't pull down your home in 2008.

2008 is the year of WISDOM!

Rebekah L. Pierce, Editor in Chief, Average Girl Magazine

I am Joy

By Rebekah L. Pierce

God called me today, although I thought I was calling Him. I was pulled to my knees to pray – a tug on my heart and womanly intuition called me to Him. He directed me to James 1-2. I read it. I needed it. Something had been waiting there for me and it was this: “faith without works is dead.” I had long since come to believe and know that God won’t bless you until you show Him your Faith in action. It is about action.

So, I followed my reading with meditation and in my meditation, I saw myself swinging on a swing and I immediately felt the love of joy in action. You see, God was pushing me on that swing with His Joy, His love. I love to swing because it’s the only time one can fly without wings; it’s just your own sheer momentum and laughter. Laughter! I remembered that feeling as I watched God push me. I felt that feeling as God pushed me and I began to cry as I do now while writing this. God stopped the swing – just for a second – and he whispered in my ear, “I am Joy.”

“I am Joy!” That’s the message for you and me today. I cried – and cry – because my spirit has gotten the message and my heart has embraced it like love lost and then returned. They – Spirit and Heart – had been “counting all joy,” and I had almost forgotten. I – me – Him – we – are Joy. If you and I can hold onto that today and forever, when the world has taken its fill of us – when it has told us we are nothing – we have nothing – when it deceives us into lamenting what was not ours in the first place – God says, “I am Joy!” Repeat it to yourself, write it down on an index card – carry it in your purse, or keep it in that most sacred place – your Spirit. “I am Joy!” This is your Faith…this is your works. I am Joy!

~ Copyright © 2007 Rebekah L. Pierce