Thanks a Million – It Really Worked!!!!!!

What a difference a year makes. It is so important to take time to reflect and yesterday was that kind of day. There was plenty of reflecting on my part.

One year ago I was 4 months on Employment Insurance and struggling. I was also ¾ of the way through my first month on the O.S.E.B. (Ontario Self Employed Benefits) where I had been working through the month of October 2008 at the Northumberland Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC).

Each day I had been in school and trying desperately to get a handle on the idea of building/writing a Business Plan.

It was at this point that I was invited along with the other SEB students to attend the “OSEB Fair” held at the Evinrude Centre.

I toured the displays put on by different, new, SEB companies that were now conducting business in the community. These people each were successful in their own way.

I confess that I had a lot of questions about the process that I was involved in. Not so much about the program or process that the Northumberland Group had run – but rather about me and my process. I saw what these folk were doing and then thought of what I might do with my new “Misty Hollow Carving” business that I was setting up – and about to launch in about one week’s time.

The Business Plan was almost done… but the confidence was not yet written into my heart. I had about a billion questions as to whether this adventure I was launching would work or not. Insecurity yep… lots of it! Frightened to death – you betcha! Not certain of what might happen – all the way! I was very new to a world that might accept me or might reject me.

Stepping back and looking at what had happened in the prior six months to last year’s October 2008 – I had been almost leveled in my ability to do much of anything.

The church that I was pastoring had to “let me go” – and I headed into E.I. for the very first time in my life. In all my working years – 44 of them I had never, ever been unemployed. It was a scary time.

Another person that I had trusted, promoted and worked hard for raising quite a bit of money – with a hope someday of my working for a salary in “his organization/ministry”… simply discontinued the “arrangement” with me. He informed me one dazzling morning that it wasn’t going to work in his eyes and “Poof” that was over. I was fired from a job that I almost got… sheesh!

But that little diversion in life, as hard as it was to take, was perhaps one of those best things that ever happened in the year. I was free to do what I felt my own heart was telling me to do. Within a very few days a completely new organization/ministry came to life – one where I could see the vision and opportunity grow as God led me.

I was not only free from long and hard board meetings at the church, but now was also free from someone else’s ideas of what should be done in my life – that made no sense at all.

¾ of the way through October 2008 it seemed that I had been hammered by two Christian ministries… left to hang out and to dry by myself. Both had their reason for doing what they did… but at the time it made no sense at all to me!

But that is where the wonder of it all is. God was in charge of my life as never before. It was not a committee, or a foreign body that knew nothing of what was happening here, or some miserable financial practice or policy that controlled me any longer… it was the same “Old Boss” – God – that had led me into each of the other areas… leading me away from the “old way” of doing things.

My failure had been that I trusted men rather than God. I believed what was promised and what was supposed to have happened would happen. And it didn’t. Crash Bang Boom it had been over. And through it all God had rapped my knuckles in a gentle way and said “Follow me I show you a much better way”.

Today one year later I can testify that this is exactly what has happened in every way.

Misty Hollow Carving was launched at the beginning of November 2008 and it took off. Yesterday as I took part as one of the New Businesses being showcased I was so blessed to be there! The folk that came by the table that we had were very impressed. New orders were given and great interest expressed in future possibilities of working together. I met dozens of new people that I would never ever have met sitting in the church office or working as a pastor…. as I had done over the previous 10 years in Peterborough and 24 years in other places.

And guess what! I had witnessed the miracle of Misty Hollow Carving making money and fulfilling goals. Misty Hollow Carving is a reality and is growing quickly in opportunity and blessing. The Business Paln worked even through a recession!!!!

Oh… and the other completely new organization/ministry came to life days after the other involvement dropped me…. has blossomed to become an Ontario answer for the need that is here. It is difficult to explain all the possibilities of this ministry in this posting.

This new ministry that grew in parallel to the growth of Misty Hollow Carving is entitled “Ontario Provincial Chaplaincy” and as I serve in this voluntary ministry role as the Chaplain. It has been amazing what has happened.

As the Chaplain in this new organization I reach out to, I pray for and I support the Provincial Members of Parliament at Queens Park in Toronto. The MPPs are key people in our provinces as our elected leaders. It is my privilege to be there for them.

I cannot tell you all the stories of what has happened between myself and the MPPs. But I can tell you that it has been excellent and the work and support and encouragement that has come about has developed a deep respect in our relationships.

Unlike other similar ministries where much publicity is made out of the contacts that are happening – Ontario Provincial Chaplaincy doesn’t need that mode of work. What a difference it has been from the old way of doing the ‘business’. And what a relief I feel inside of me.

One Pastor that brought me to his church to share with his congregation openly admitted that he had… “never had a fellow minister come and say that he didn’t need our money!” Oddly enough they kindly gave us a “gift” to support the traveling that I do now.

Yesterday…
As I attended my Misty Hollow Caring Table many people came by to talk. They didn’t need me to talk about what I was able to do – how many amazing things that I have accomplished this past 12 months… they needed to hear and feel that someone was listening to their story.

One man lost everything in a disastrous loss of his job. He was well paid and had a good history of working at a real good job in a certain company locally. Another company bought this smaller firm that he had worked faithfully for. They then ran the company into the ground – destroying everything they had worked for… waited just the right amount of time… then declared bankruptcy… AND NO ONE GOT ANY SEVERANCE PAY. They all got NOTHING.

He was ¾ of his way through his SEB program and was about to launch his new business. In his working life at the small company he had bought a small apartment of some sort… and in doing the job of the landlord he fixed all the things that would break, took care of the grounds and the buildings inside and out. Guess what? His new business is all about Property Management!

He was only one of many that I talked to about their new businesses. All were a little shaky and somewhat unsure. I listened with new ears.

365 days ago I was the same. What a difference one year has made… what a huge difference!

Finally I thank Winston, Brenda, Terry, Marion, Ron, Tim, Norma, Jack, Vivian, Alberta, Pat, Susan, Marilyn, Wendy, Dana, Bruce, Anda, Bill and about one million more that believed in us when I stopped believing. What you folks did was give me HOPE. It worked – it really did!

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/

The Mayor of Peterborough - Paul Ayotte, along with the MP and MPP came by to thank us all for what we had done for our community - GO FIGURE!