Eden Myrrh Toohey, Author at 1Africa

Taking a little time for ‘quiet’

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August 19, 2016

“Declare and affirm your lack of sufficiency today by praying.” – Joseph Solomon

I remember when I started trying to read Christian devotional books. It was so hard for me. I grew up on a diet of fantasy and mystery and action and so this new one was a shock to my system. I also struggled to find the practicality in a lot of the books that I was reading – don’t tell me to get closer to God, show me how.

That’s why I was so thankful for being introduced to the Ron Edmondson book How To Begin A Daily Quiet Time In 5 Easy Steps.

Why is it important to have a daily quiet time (devotional time, prayer time, meditation… the right kind)?

One of the most important things in a relationship with Jesus Christ is to include daily time with him into your schedule – this helps to build a solid foundation in one’s life, helping to keep you solid and fruitful.

Do you battle to incorporate time with God into your daily life –more time than just the ten minutes before you go to sleep? Well, here are Ron Edmondson’s steps for you:

Pick a place: Pick a definite place where you’ll be every day for your quiet time. Obviously, if you travel frequently this is more difficult, but the more routine you can make this, the better. It should be as free of distractions as possible. This place will soon become very comfortable to you.

Schedule a time: Pick a reasonable amount of time and put it on your schedule. If you use an electronic calendar on your phone or computer, you can set it to repeat the appointment every day. Start with 15 minutes, maybe even 10. The key is consistency, so make sure you don’t burden yourself with something you will not do. It may seem like a sacrifice at first, but keep the objective in mind. You need this. As you accomplish discipline in a little time it will be easier to increase the time you spend.

Format: Decide basically how you will structure your quiet time. If developing intimacy with God in prayer is your goal, then certainly choose to spend more time in prayer. If Bible knowledge is your goal, then you may want to choose to do a Bible study. You can change the format over time and do combinations of each of these.

Activities: Decide what you will specifically do in your time. Will you do a Bible study or simply read Scripture and pray? If your time is 15 minutes, for example, you could spend six minutes reading the Bible, three minutes talking to God, two minutes in silence, asking God to speak to you, and four minutes writing your thoughts at the time. If you choose the structure of a Bible study, you may need to allow more time, but again, the key is that you decide before you start what you are going to do during this time. The goal is not to be mechanical or punch a clock here, but rather to provide structure, which will lead to productivity in building your God relationship. Don’t worry as much about what activities you are doing at this point – just do something.

Discipline: Commit to doing something consistently for at least 30 days. Every day, without exception… do it… whether you “feel” like it or not. If you miss the exact time, make it up later in the day. Again, it will require sacrifice. Habits and lifestyles form this way and you’ll need this discipline, because as soon as you attempt this dozens of obstacles will stand in your way. Over time, it becomes a habit that is easily repeated. Even better, it will soon become the best and most productive part of your day.

The Bible gives some awesome keys to successful prayer:

Remain in God, in His Word and ask! (John 15:7)
Ask in the name of Jesus (John 16:23b)
Do not doubt, believe, and forgive others beforehand (Mark 11:24-25)
Ask according to His will (1 John 5:14)
Pray consistently about everything (Eph 6:18)
Humility, repentance, godliness – that’s what you’re after (2 Chron 7:14)

What are the results of prayer?

It destroys Satan’s work (2 Chronicles 10:3-6)
Enables and gifts us (1 Timothy 4:14-15)
Mental and physical good health and…. wait for it…. peace! (Philippians 4:6-7)

If you feel like you need help in having a personal relationship with Jesus, and are wondering how to even make the first step, why don’t you click on the banner below?

Learning to be loyal

Eden Myrrh Toohey

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August 12, 2016

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What is loyalty?

The dictionary says the following:

1. The act of binding yourself (intellectually or emotionally) to a course of action. 2. The quality of being loyal – unwavering devotion to a friend, or a vow or cause. Steadfast in allegiance or duty, and inspired by love for constant support.

Worldwide, there are countless criminals and “problematic people” with intense family issues, and many of them are rooted in disloyalty.

In the introduction to their impressively named Comparison of Family Functioning and Content in Families Faced with Disloyalty and Normal Families, Ladan Hashemi and Tahereh Didgah argue the following:

“In recent years, the family organisation due to cultural, social, industrial, scientific, and belief changes have been faced with many problems. The precariousness of many traditions, ethics, customs, ceremonial and beliefs that were the agent for the strength and stability and balance of the family have now threatened family functioning and context seriously. During these years, several theories and models have been introduced in the field of family functioning and dynamism and challenges and ways to deal with multiple problems and issues. Some of them being spouse disloyalty… Although marriage and relations with a spouse are one of the most healthy and satisfying relations, there are many damages that can cause harm to these relations. One of these damages is disloyalty from each or any of the spouses. These types of damages or relationships outside of the family leads to deep conflict, separation, divorce, other trauma and social damages.”

Now, say what you want, but I’m of the opinion that all of us (even if we aren’t acting up as much as those criminals) have been affected by disloyalty of some kind. Some of us, on the other side, are incapable of commitment and in turn are constantly disloyal because of stuff that we haven’t dealt with within ourselves.

Like the script said before, the change in social culture has had a lot to do with the inability of people (young and old alike) to be loyal. The same, however, applied in the times of the Bible.

Look at King David… who was also a murderous adulterer:
His son Amnon, raped Tamar (his-half sister), sister of Absalom (2 Samuel 13:22), and so Tamar became a depressive recluse living in Absalom’s house. Absalom couldn’t deal with it and so he invited his half brother over to his house for a drinking party and killed him – talk about dysfunction?

Absalom was upset with his dad for not doing anything about the issue, and eventually kicked him off of the throne, after which he went and raped 10 of his dad’s concubines on the roof of his house in front of the whole nation, Israel.

Yep. Disloyalty very obviously creates deep, horrible cycles of pain, and hell on earth – for example, girls having babies with people who never ever intended to be loyal to them.

The perfect model

I have a designer friend who makes sample pieces of her new ranges before letting it go into production. Jesus, God’s son, was sent to earth to model all kinds of good and true things – including loyalty. The perfect sample piece!

Are you finding it hard to be loyal to your friends; in a relationship; at work?

Here are a few solutions for those of us who may be battling with this:

1. Stop playing the blame game

Stop blaming others, fess up, and practice true repentance. Hard! Each one of us needs to accept responsibility for our rebellion, disloyalty, and undermining of authority. We should be careful of being passive aggressive, which is a defence mechanism that allows people who aren’t comfortable with being openly aggressive, to get what they want under the guise of still trying to please others. Basically, you want your way, but you also still want people to like you.

2. Make it right

“If a man steals an ox or a sheep and kills it or steals it, he must pay back five head of cattle for the ox, and four sheep for the one sheep…” – Exodus 22:1

Disloyalty (even in the form of talking about people that you’re working with behind their backs), can really set a good work back. So if you’ve done wrong, make it right!

3. Decide that you are going to be loyal through thick and thin, in sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer

Making a resolve to commit though “thick and thin” to one’s friends, family, or church is so crucial for one to see the blessing of God in their lives. Look at this example of loyalty to the word of God and what it tells us…

Whatever it takes to gain Wisdom, do it! To gain understanding, do it! Never forget this! Never stray from what I am telling you. You don’t forsake Lady Wisdom, and she will protect you. Love her, and she will faithfully take care of you – cherish her, and she will help you rise above the confusion of life – your possibilities will open before you. Embrace her, and she will raise you to a place of honour in return. – Proverbs 4:5-8

Basically, if you’ve already decided that you’re going to be loyal in a situation, no matter how opulent the offer, the decision will be a no-brainier. No confusion.

4. Don’t live life with half-hearted commitment; being and giving nominal wont do

I’ve just walked into a new life situation and from the start, I made the decision that I won’t just be “another number to be counted on,” giving a nominal effort, or never going the extra mile. It helps to go the extra mile instead of always giving the minimum.

It’s so important that we work to get out of the insane cycle of disloyalty that perpetuates itself all around the world. But only by receiving Jesus Christ, God’s perfect model, can we actually find the grace to break from this.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people. It trains us to renounce ungoldly living and worldly passions so that we might live sensible, honest, and godly lives in the present age. – Titus 2:11

If you’re interested to know more about this, why don’t you click on the banner below?

Protection vs judgement

Eden Myrrh Toohey

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August 10, 2016

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I remember doing a theatre exercise where the director was trying to get the cast to focus on the roles that we were all going to be embodying by asking us serious questions about our lives and life experiences.

The production itself told the stories of four women who all found themselves around a fire one cold night. They’d all been forced to the streets because of stuff they’d been through and subsequently found healing by telling their stories.

The director went around the circle that the cast was standing in, asking a whole lot of questions – none of which I can remember, except this one: How many people do you know that have been raped?

“I don’t know anyone.”

“None.”

“One.”

“Two.”

“One.”

“Wow, I’d say I know too many to count,” I said, and there were obvious gasps of shock around the circle. Working on camps that have initiated the process of inner healing and forgiveness to many, many, many young women, girls, men, and boys over the last few years has made me aware of the very real epidemic that we face in the way of sexual abuse and rape (not only in South Africa, but around the world).

That’s why I was less than shocked when I heard the following:

“You sold us out! This can’t be! You sold us out!” words from Mapisa-Nqakula, one of three of the outraged female ministers at Saturday evening’s protest during president Jacob Zuma’s election results announcement speech in South Africa.

These women represent all of the mothers that told their daughters to keep quiet, or ignored them when they went to tell them that their daddy, uncle – that “nice” man on the corner – raped them or touched them inappropriately, all because they wanted to protect the men in their lives… There’s a name for this: “accomplice.”

While we’re addressing men violating and abusing women, let’s also address the women who’ve been brainwashed into thinking that this is okay because they’ve been oppressed for so long.

We’ve made a bit of progress though: ten years ago, nine in 10 women were raped. Today, the same is true for three in 10 women – we’ve still got a lot of work to do.

Forgive me if I’m about to interpret out of context, but I love the story of Jesus and the woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. The Pharisees were about to kill the woman by stoning her, and then they brought her to Jesus to find out what he thought about the matter… He wasn’t perturbed and started writing in the sand, saying that whomever hasn’t sinned must throw the first stone. Jesus then went back down to writing and carried on writing until everyone had left him and her alone there.

“Jesus: Dear woman, where is everyone? Are we alone? Did no one step forward to condemn you?

Woman Caught in Adultery: Lord, no one has condemned me.

Jesus: Well, I do not condemn you either; all I ask is that you go and from now on avoid the sins that plague you.

– John 8:10-11

The men in her life were quick to judge her and were on their way to kill her (the Bible says nothing about the man that she was caught in the act of adultery with), but Jesus stopped them, and in the end, gave the woman an opportunity to receive forgiveness and start on a clean slate.

He protected her.

I’m not saying that women must be protected rather than judged for very real crimes that they may commit (consequences are very real), but I am saying that Jesus showed an alternate path of redemption where the predisposition of the judges was to respond in violence. Gender-based violence.

A little later on Jesus says the following (verse 12):

“Jesus: I am the light that shines through the cosmos; if you walk with Me, you will thrive in the nourishing light that gives life and will not know darkness.”

– John 8:10-12

I’m hoping that this is the same light that our country will decide to walk in. It’s our acceptance of sin and the sinful nature that is the reason for all of the injustice that we experience today. I’m also hoping that people who know the truth would walk in that truth and do very real things towards the alleviation of the pain of all of the injustice that we experience daily.

If you are interested to know more about what I’ve started to talk about, would you please click on the banner below.

My Success, Your Success

Eden Myrrh Toohey

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August 8, 2016

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One of my oldest and fondest childhood memories is of my dad taking my younger sister and myself to the library. Even as early as three years old my dad tried to teach us a love and appreciation for reading and books in general.

I read through nearly every lesson in my school career, and then left school, got crazy into technology, and gradually found my concentration levels shrinking.

I recently decided to get myself back on track and force myself to read again. Well, read more than one book and ten blogs and twenty news articles and hundreds of tweets per term.

I started my journey with an awesome book by Kirsten Fischer called Talent Isn’t Enough, and then moved onto My Success, Your Success by Jane Notten (foreword by Pam Golding, South Africa’s own property guru). The book tells the stories of 27 women entrepreneurs in South Africa ranging through three stages: the beginners or start-ups (three to five years), the established entrepreneurs (five to eight years), the veteran entrepreneurs (eight or more years).

The African backdrop of each of these stories and subsequently the lessons that came with them (in brilliant point form), resonated with me so deeply – much deeper than any other European or American authored book that I’ve read recently – because it felt as if these women identified with my circumstances. It also brought their achievements closer to home.

Notten’s ability to speak to all of one’s insecurities as a woman in the business world through a simple sentence does wonders for the soul in need of encouragement. Therefore, I highly recommend that you take some time out to read this book, especially if you:

want to start your “own thing” (your own business or practice);
want fresh encouragement for the “own thing” that you’ve already started;
are a female and are finding it difficult to push through in a sphere of business or work that’s dominated by males;
are a female and don’t know how you’re going to fit being a wife and mother into being a powerful and determined businesswoman…

There are a few golden threads throughout the book, but here are three of my favourites:

Never let people’s perceptions of who you are determine your destiny or define who you are

This seems simple enough, but yesterday I sat with a close friend talking to her about the first three weeks of a new job that I’m in, working with people I’ve always dreamt of working with.

It took a lot to take the plunge to apply for this job because of the fact that it was the opposite of “everything” that I’d been building for the last four years, even thought it was still one of my oldest dreams! The reason why this hadn’t been on my radar for so long was because I allowed the opinions of an old boyfriend (without even realising it) to set me off of my course. I was so convinced what he was saying was the right thing because of how much I loved him and looked up to him at the time, and I didn’t realise that I didn’t have to take anything that he was saying as the truth about my life and who I was.

Don’t ever sacrifice the quality of your life just because you are running a business – it takes hard work and focus, but if you don’t do it (enjoy your life), you’ve missed out

The Bible says there’s a specific time for everything in our lives (Ecclesiastics 3:1-8): a time to go to school, to be a kid, to be a young person with dreams and aspirations, to go to university, to get married.

But, let’s be real, no one’s life is perfect and the lines are sometimes blurry. It’s important to remember to invest in your quality of life when this happens (invest in family, friendship, in developing hobbies) before you realise that it’s too late.

Never let your self-esteem be too closely bound to your business, so that you don’t lose perspective of your real value rather than standing firm in who you are, whether your business is doing well or not!

Your self-esteem must give life to your business; your business must not give you self-esteem. Otherwise, if it fails, you will think that you are a failure and that you are only a success when your business is successful! This same principle applies to anything else that you may pursue in your life.

There are many other more “business-y” tips that are given (tons of them – but you’ll have to actually read it yourself to get them), but I chose to share only these three because going forward to achieve your dreams has a lot to do with what you believe about yourself and who and what you put your faith in!

Never before in my life have I felt so free to truly explore all of the gifting and dreams that God has put within me, believing that anything and everything that I want to achieve is possible.

This is possibly because of the fact that I’ve realised that no matter what I do, eternity is more important – that what we have and do here is not the be-all and end-all:

“What good comes to anyone who works so hard, all to gain a few possessions? I have seen the kinds of tasks God has given each of us to do to keep one busy, and I know God has made everything beautiful for its time. God has also placed in our minds a sense of eternity; we look back on the past and ponder over the future, yet we cannot understand the doings of God. I know there is nothing better for us than to be joyful and to do good throughout our lives; to eat and drink and see the good in all of our hard work is a gift from God. I know everything God does endures for all time. Nothing can be added to it; nothing can be taken away from it. We humans can only stand in awe of all God has done. What has been and what is to be—already is. And God holds accountable all the pursuits of humanity.”

– Ecclesiastes 3:9-15

If you are a interested in knowing a little bit more of what I’ve begun to talk about here, why don’t you click on the banner below?

Soul Food 2.0

Eden Myrrh Toohey

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July 29, 2016

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Virtual reality – the habit of projecting an ideal image of your life on social networks – has imprisoned a lot of people with lies that feel as if they are true. So true in fact, that we build our lives around them.

At the same time superficial spirituality – or rather, the focus on being spiritual rather than real, and adopting other worldviews rather than the biblical one – is probably one of the biggest sicknesses of our age.

I started a journey after I ended up being appalled at the sometimes-pretentious state of my relationship with Jesus. I have had to repent over and over again, because in adopting thoughts that didn’t align with what Jesus says in the Bible, I allowed myself to get offended and affected by things that wouldn’t have affected me otherwise.

There’s a particular podcast by Kris Valloton’s (of Bethel Church in Redding, California), titled Managing Your Inner World, that really helped me through this. Valloton talks about “living in wholeness” and managing the needs of your spirit, soul and body. Why is this even important?

Let me explain it this way… The Bible (in the book of 3 John 1:2) says the following:

”My beloved, I pray that everything is going well for you and that your body is as healthy as your soul is prosperous…”

So get this: wealth and prosperity relates to how well your soul is! Learning to take care of your soul means learning to manage the “appetites” of your soul – your endless need for affection, significance, or attention. The way to manage these appetites is not to ignore them – the Bible says the following:

“If it were up to me, I’d rather not have to be so bold when I’m with you, especially with the kind of forceful confidence I can work up when I confront those who have accused us of walking in a worldly way. For though we walk in the world, we do not fight according to this world’s rules of warfare. The weapons of the war we’re fighting are not of this world but are powered by God and effective at tearing down the strongholds erected against His truth. We are demolishing arguments and ideas, every high-and-mighty philosophy that pits itself against the knowledge of the one true God. We are taking prisoners of every thought, every emotion, and subduing them into obedience to the Anointed One.”

– 2 Corinthians 10:2-6

Jesus was and is still super (my favourite word these days) serious about us taking control of what we think – managing the way we think, instead of letting our thoughts control and lead us… subjecting our thoughts and feelings into obedience to Christ.

Knowing and understanding the truth is a process – freedom is a process. But if you really seek what’s real, it will be revealed to you, and it will make you free.

Free from conforming to any aesthetic, movement, mob think, or social cultural pressure.

If you would like to know more about what I’ve just spoken about, why don’t you click on the banner below?

I propose!

Eden Myrrh Toohey

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July 26, 2016

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This one’s for all of you freelancing creatives and aspiring entrepreneurs:

I’ve never been one who likes asking for help, and more especially for money or things, and I feel that that may be part of the reason why I may have had to go through certain things along my journey (even though there is nothing that I regret) – certain things that could have been avoided if I knew how to ask properly.

Learning how to write proposals changed my life! When I wrote my first proposal, I was shaking – scared that the potential client was going to say “No!” outright…

They, didn’t… They responded with a resounding yes, and it was the start of a happy, interesting relationship.

Proposals are more than just a “financial estimate” for your client; it contains all of the specifics on how you are going to approach a job, as well as the scope of the work entailed.

I got a lot of help from Kristen Fischer, author of When Talent Isn’t Enough, which I’d like to share. She set out the following guide for your next proposal to that dream client:

The four types of proposals

One-page agreement
- Write out short scope of work
- Put it on a letterhead!
- Time: 15 minutes or less

Short proposal (1 – 3 pages)
- Similar to one-pager, almost minimal
- For new prospect who wants to know details, outlines basics of project
- Time: one hour or less

Medium proposal (4 – 10 pages)
- Ideal for medium to large projects (for existing client who’s selling you up the chain to others who don’t know you – client has higher expectations)
- Create a template, and then it’s plug and play
- Time: No more than four hours

Long proposal (10 – 20 + Pages)
- Important marketing tool (the higher your fee, the more pages your proposal will need to have. Longer document means more thought…)
- Include relevant examples and figures that reflect you as an expert – this displays your knowledge and experience
- Time: 1-2 days

Writing a project-winning proposal

Ready to write a winning proposal? Here are some key elements you need to consider.

What are the big-picture goals of this project?
What is the specific objective you need to achieve?
How will you measure the success of this project?
What or who is the market for this project or service?
What models are you using for this project?
Where is the source content coming from?
How much research will be necessary?
Are there specific technologies you do or do not want used?
How does this project fit into your big picture?
Have you ever done something like this before? If so, what?

Also, for some extra resources, why don’t you check out the following?

The Proposal Bundle: www.proposalbundle.com and www.marketing-mentor-toolbox.com

Why did I think that a post on proposals was necessary? Well, mostly because I know that sometimes, we know where we want to be, we have a slight idea of where we’re going, but we lack the necessary skills or tools to get there – you know, the practical means…

“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.”

– 2 Corinthians 1:20 (NIV)

Jesus has spoken so many promises to us in His Word – many of which we read daily and then wonder why they aren’t being fulfilled in our lives. My uncle says that it’s probably because we haven’t said the “Amen” (So be it!) to that promise in our own life.

Other than declaring the words that Jesus has spoken to us, there are practical ways to steward everything that He has given to us so that it can grow into something more! For me, as an aspiring entrepreneur, a tiny proposal is one of those means…

If you are interested to know a little more about what I’m talking about, why don’t you click on the banner below?

How to deal with criticism

Eden Myrrh Toohey

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July 25, 2016

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A few years ago, I had a Skype meeting that changed my life as a creatively inclined freelancer forever.

Part of my job description is that I do vocal arrangements, features, coaching, and backing vocals for other people’s studio work – this is aside from me doing my own musical works.

Someone that I really looked up to from New York, found my Soundcloud page randomly and liked my work so much that he contacted me to do work with him. I was excited – I mean, what were the chances, right?

We got talking about what he wanted for the specific song he wanted to me to sing on, as well as talking about our various backgrounds (it’s nice to have some sort of relationship with someone before you feature on their work). I then went away to do my work. Like normal, I was able to write the song very quickly, and afterwards I found my way into a studio to send it to him. I was super happy with the end product when I sent it.

The client replied to me saying that he loved it but that he was going to write some notes on it, and that he thinks that we should discuss this over another Skype meeting because there is someone that he would like me to meet. Someone who would give me some coaching in this area in our next meeting. I was temporarily shattered.

“So many creatives are wrapped up in their artistic ability and the way they think a project should go, and do not partner with clients. Upon the first inkling of criticism, they insist their artwork is best and refuse to compromise.”

– Kristen Fischer, When Talent Isn’t Enough

I was really, temporarily, shattered. I’d been doing this since I was 14, and no one had ever come back to me with notes on what I should change. But I was keen to hear what this mystery coach had to say. I didn’t think that there was too much that they could give critique me on.

Just before the meeting I worked up a lot of courage and I decided to take whatever came. I knew that I couldn’t afford to be proud, but at the same time I am naturally always on the “opposition” (Very bad! I’ve had to work on that!) and so, when the other artist came on to mentor me, even though he was someone that I looked up to big time, it really hurt to take on board all of the criticism that he gave me.

Look, everything he said was positive. But at the time, them asking me to chop and change stuff didn’t seem a positive. It was embarrassing. I felt like they were criticising who I was. I didn’t know that that’s what clients do. All. The. Time.

“I tend to see younger and less-experienced creatives get tangled in ego issues. This manifests itself in an unhealthy ‘us vs. them’ mentality. To a degree most creative have some level of ego, but it’s about keeping things in check while still remaining confident. At the end of the day, people don’t want to hire and work with jerks no matter how talented they are. Make the interaction about building a partnership and not battling an adversary.”

– Jay Rogers, designer/illustrator

I, very obviously, was that younger, less experienced creative artist that got entangled in ego issues.

I thank Father God that I sorted myself out, changed what they asked to be changed, and everything ended up well. Plus, we’re still good friends today, and I consider them both mentors of mine.

I keep on thinking about what could have happened had I told them that I thought that my work was perfect and that I was the authority on what should have or should not have been changed… oh, no! It would have been a disaster.

Now, I know you might be thinking, “How on earth could she have even thought of blowing up such a great opportunity by not wanting to take advice or criticism well?”

Well, let me tell you, we do this sort of thing to God all the time.

He’s the authority on all of the stuff that we do in our lives – because, uhm, He made us. But we allow ourselves to get frustrated when there needs to be correction in our lives – whether its from Him, or the people that He put in place to guide us through life.

Learning to take criticism, and then apologising quickly – changing my behaviour, and not sulking or getting offended – is something that I am constantly learning in every area of my life.

It’s key to remember that positive criticism is only given to help each of us get better. No matter how talented and clever you think you are, there is always room to listen and learn.

“Because the Eternal proves His love by caring enough to discipline you, just as a father does his child, his pride and joy” – Proverbs 3:12

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Want to grow? Be diligent

Eden Myrrh Toohey

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July 18, 2016

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Diligence – Definition: careful and persistent work or effort; constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken.

It is increasingly interesting to watch the lives of the people who were on the South African singing reality show The Voice SA with me recently.

Throughout the show, we continuously spoke about the fact that our eventual placement and even first year following the show didn’t really matter in the end. What mattered most when we left was consistency, in other words, working hard, and not riding on the “success” of the show because we were all going into the same industry. Therefore, the people who constantly put in the work were going to be fine, no matter what.

We are all in our own lanes, hoping to do best with what God has given each of us. But in order to finish our lives having multiplied whatever gifts we have, we have to have been diligent.

Here are four keys to being diligent, and finishing this year well. I have decided to use the life story of the Bible character Joseph to demonstrate them:

Realise that diligence easily decreases with increasing age and disappointing experiences. Therefore, we need to consciously counteract this tendency to slow down. Joseph remained diligent even when it seemed that his hard work and dedication were taking him backwards.

Realise that the challenges and failures of being a leader (which I expect that anyone who is pursuing something that will make a large scale difference, is), that everyone experiences, can make a person sluggish and lazy. Hebrews 10:38 says it like this: “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.”

Don’t be intimidated, but rather, inspired by those who’ve done better and try to imitate them. 1 Corinthians 4:16 says the following: “Therefore, I urge you to imitate me…”

Diligence will cause you to rise to the top wherever you find yourself. Remember Joseph? His brothers were really irritated by him – but he got sold into slavery because of how trustworthy he was to his father, Jacob, and because of his excellence he over-achieved wherever he went.

It can be frustrating to feel that you are not seeing the results of all of your hard work into your career, school work, hobby, or body (LOL). But patience and consistency always pay off in the end.

“We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realised. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience, inherits what has been promised.” – Hebrews 6:11-12

Not perfection, but excellence

We all know that striving for perfection can be extremely draining, and that’s why we aim for excellence (Definition: the quality of excelling, an outstanding feature). Jesus Christ was the only person on earth who was perfect, and the sacrifice he made for us allows us not only to enjoy life, but to explore and experiment without being scared of failure!

Faith when terror strikes

Eden Myrrh Toohey

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July 18, 2016

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Along with many others, my heart broke when I learned about the recent attack in Nice, France, when a man in a truck drove into crowds of people during Bastille Day celebrations, resulting in the death of 84 people. The incident, labeled a terror attack by president Francois Hollande, was perpetrated by a Nice local of Tunisian descent who was known to the police – but not to intelligence services – for common law crimes.

Many of the victims were children and many more children are undergoing serious operations, a worker at the nearby Lenval Pediatric Hospital said.

“Investigations are ongoing as to if the attacker had any accomplices or not… and results are to be shared by the public prosecutor,” said interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve. Cazeneuve also mentioned that authorities had been extremely vigilant about the possibility of a terrorist attack following the Euro 2016 tournament.

“It was hardly over,” he said, “that I recall myself… telling my staff at Place Beauvau (Interior Ministry) that the vigilance level had to remain absolute, because we are at war with terrorists who want to hurt us at any costs, and as brutally as they can.” (Read more here.)

These events took me back to a passage that I once read in the book of Isaiah in the Bible:

“God shall decide what’s fair amongst the nations and settle disputes among all sorts of people. Meanwhile, they will hammer their swords into their sickles, reshape their spears into pruning hooks. One nation will not attack another. They will not practice war anymore.” – Isaiah 2:4

Here, Israel was given a beautiful picture of their future, one that only God can create! In this vision, Jerusalem and the temple of God will sit at the centre of the world. “In that day,” says a footnote in the Voice translation, “all nations of the world will stream to the Holy City and seek God’s guidance and instruction. God will sit as King and Judge, dispensing real justice – not some man-made counterfeit – not only in international, but also in local matters.”

The footnote also says the following in closing: “Perhaps, most amazingly for a world weary of war, this will be a time when war is the thing of the past and its lethal instruments are turned into tools for life and peace!” Yes, that’s what it means when the Bible says that swords are turned into sickles!

Not too many days ago, there was great rejoicing in Zimbabwe as a pastor was set free after being unfairly imprisoned for speaking out against the country’s rulership. It was amazing to see that every one of the country’s human rights lawyers (more than 100) stood for him in court! What an amazing story of potential swords that were turned into sickles.

Our world desperately needs “the house of the Lord” to rise up; to be at the centre again! The Bible says that from there, God’s justice will be given out – real justice that sets people free.

“He strikes down people as if they were wicked – front and centre – a display for all to see. Simply because they turned from following Him, because they no longer considered His ways. As a result of their injustice, the poor cried out to Him, and as you ought to know well, He always hears the cries of the needy, of the oppressed peoples. – Job 34:28-29

If anything, the events that are now taking place in the world are calling people to turn their faces to Jesus once again… Do you want to know more about this Jesus? Why don’t you click on the banner below!

The power of sowing the right seed

Eden Myrrh Toohey

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July 11, 2016

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Long car trips with my family on the way to a holiday or conference or whatever else will always be one of my favourite things ever. Food (but never too much of it) is coupled with loud singing; my sister reading a book to us (subject matter ranges from old South African stories to finance to psychology); solving the world’s problems, singing very loud to our favourite songs (if that includes anything hip-hop, then each of my sisters and I get a chance to recite a verse over the artist); or listening to sermons my dad likes and then discussing them at length.

The following is an adaptation of a favourite sermon that I heard by my dad, Russell Toohey, recently:

Last week the family drove back home from a well-enjoyed holiday in the Eastern Cape. Along the way we listened to one of our favourite speakers, Ravi Zacharias. Ravi is one of Christianity’s foremost apologists (defending Christianity and answering the hardest questions in the light of the Bible). He has six honorary doctorates, speaks to many, many governments, wrote over twenty books, is on numerous radio programs, and lots more. But it hasn’t always been peaches and berries.

When he was just 17, his dad had lost patience with him and after yet another severe beating told him strongly that he would amount to nothing and would just disgrace the family. He was so damaged after years of being battered by his dad, that he poisoned himself. A Christian worker met him in hospital, struggling to recover from the suicide attempt, gave him a Bible, and pointed him to John 14. This prompted Ravi to give his life to God. After immigrating to Canada from India, he studied for the ministry and was eventually led to start his apologetics project, which took off amazingly.

If anything, Ravi’s story is a tribute to God’s amazing transforming power.

I mean, it’s no wonder Jesus’ neighbours couldn’t accept him when He came back to their village full of the power of God. They could not believe how God had turned so little into so much. The book of Matthew in the Bible (13:55-57) explains it this way:

Then they scoffed, “He’s just the carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers—James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. All his sisters live right here among us. Where did he learn all these things?” And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honoured everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.”

But there were seeds at work in Jesus’ destiny that had germinated and totally transformed Him. God is like that: he is at work when it comes to planting the seed, and when the time comes to harvest. He is about small beginnings and amazing endings. Just think about the biblical story of Jesus, who multiplied five loaves and two fishes to the point where it was enough to feed thousands.

Genesis, the first book of the Bible, says the following (8:22):

While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”

Consider maize as an example. If you plant one seed, the resulting ear commonly holds 400 to 600 kernels. That’s hectic power!

IF WE APPLY THE SEED PRINCIPLE WE CAN MOVE MOUNTAINS

The book of Matthew (17:20) says the following:

He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

However, in the same way that sowing good seed into your life can transform you, sowing bad seed into your life will deform you. Wayde van Niekerk took the seed of a God-given running ability and combined it with seeds of training and opportunity, and now he is one of South Africa’s best-known sportsmen. He is reaping a harvest of fame and wealth. At the same time there are people who are reaping the harvest of bad company, bad decisions, and bad circumstances.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KING DAVID AND KING SAUL

Think of the example of King David and King Saul in the Bible: Both received the “seed” of kingship. Both had families. Saul had a most dramatic and supernatural introduction into kingship. Both had the Philistines as their enemies and a problematic Israelite people to unite and to work with. Both made terrible mistakes as kings and had serious character flaws – but one was cursed and the other was blessed, all because of life seeds they sowed and reaped.

King Saul gave in to the fear of man, told lies, disobeyed, and rebelled against God. These bad seeds started him down a slippery slope of anger and jealousy and self-destruction. Like King Saul, David began with positive and negative seeds, strengths and weaknesses, pros and cons. He killed Goliath at a young age. He became a renowned musician and general quite early as well. But after that he went into extreme tests and trials, running from Saul, being rejected by the nation and having to go into exile. He also made massive errors as a king – the adultery with Bathsheba and failing to correct his sons.

WHAT SEEDS PULLED DAVID THROUGH?

His high regard for God’s men: Where Saul lied to Samuel and compromised the instructions Samuel gave him; David repented when the prophet Nathan confronted his adultery. Saul went on to kill an entire village of priests because they supposedly sheltered his alleged enemy David.
His soft-hearted, humble capacity to repent.
His high commitment to a lifestyle of worship, devotion, and intimacy with God.

CONCLUSION

In the next few months, we’re in a position to make the choice to sow positive seeds that draw us towards God. The Bible book 2 Peter (1:3) says it like this:

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,

We also need to realise that our enemy the devil is real and that he is out to deform us, instead of us being transformed by God. The devil wants us sowing bad seed.

You don’t have to wait until it’s easy to sow good seed. God will honour that you sowed good seed in hard times. Psalm 126:6 says:

He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.

If you are thinking about giving it all over to Jesus, consider 1 John 3:9:

No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.

If you would like to know more about what I just spoke about, please click on the banner below!

Eden Myrrh Toohey

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