The distance between ordinary & extraordinary is shorter than you think!

By John C Maxwell

Image courtesy of photobucket

What do you think of when I say the word “ordinary?” These are the words that come to my mind: Common. Usual. Normal. Boring. Average. Something you see everyday.

What about “extraordinary?” I think of: Amazing. Incredible. Uncommon. Unusual. Special. Above average. New.

In the English language, only (UPDATED: oops, five) little letters separate “ordinary” from “extraordinary:” extra. And while “extra” can be defined as “outside,” in English it also means “just a little bit more.”

The word we use is not as important as the idea: the distance between ordinary and extraordinary is shorter than you think. For too long, people have thought there was a huge gap between normal and special. They’ve assumed that “above average” was far above “average.” Unfortunately, once you believe that, it’s easy to conclude that since you’re “average,” you’ll never be anything else; that there’s no way to claw your way up to “above average.”

I’m here to tell you that you’ve made the gap too wide. Let me illustrate. If you’re an average reader, you’ve taken 2-3 seconds to read this paragraph so far. Two lines of text = one second. How much more would you be able to read in another second? Another line? Not very much, but really, what difference does a second make?

Well, in some areas of life, a second makes all the difference in the world. Have you heard of Usain Bolt? Often referred to as The Fastest Man in the World, Bolt is the current world-record holder for the 100-meter race in track and field. His record for that race is 9.69 seconds. In the Olympics, he won the gold medal racing against seven other men in the finals. What was the time difference between his time and that of the silver medalist, Richard Thompson? Thompson ran the 100 meters that day in 9.89 seconds. The difference between gold and silver was .2 seconds. The “fastest man in the world,” the winner of that race and world-record holder, ran 100 meters in 2/10 of a second less than his nearest competitor. A second – or even a fraction of a second – CAN make a huge difference.

In life, just as in sports, an extraordinary performance is often separated from an ordinary one by the slightest of margins. What if your ordinary life could become extraordinary with only the smallest of changes? Would it be worth trying?

Here are some “extras” that can help you close the gap between ordinary and extraordinary:

A little extra effort. There is a price to be paid for achievement. Sometimes it’s a large price. But sometimes just a little extra effort can yield significant results. What price are you willing to pay for success?

A little extra time. To give something time, we need something other than perseverance. We need patience with the process of growth. I believe that many of us overestimate events and underestimate the process. But we’ve got it all wrong. As I wrote in the Law of Process in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, leaders develop daily, not in a day.

A little extra help. I love this saying: “If you see a turtle on top of a fence post, you know he had help getting there!” Why do I love it? Because I’m a turtle on a fencepost. I know that I didn’t get to where I am in life on my own. I’m just not that smart, gifted, or fast. The truth is that those who reached “extraordinary” had help getting there. And many types of success can only be achieved with help. If you refuse to ask for – or accept – it, you limit yourself and your work to a lower level of achievement.

Remember that ordinary and extraordinary are not far apart. If you accomplish just one of the above “extras,” your work will begin to be above average in that area.

If Ordinary People …

Gave a Little Extra Effort,

Spent a Little Extra Time,

Sought a Little Extra Help …

They Would Become Extraordinary.

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Prison Ministry

Baviaanspoort Prison Ministry

A few weekends ago a group of Christians held a time of ministry at the Baviaanspoort Prison. The ministry to the inmates at this male prison has been in place for a few years resulting in a church being planted within the prison with active cells, worship and evangelic outreaches within these confines. This church is run entirely by the inmates, but this weekend was a time of ministry to these fellow Christians by a group headed up by Pastor Tertius de Kock.
After much organisation, real opposition but also much effective prayer, the group headed off for the weekend only to discover that there was a problem with their usual camping area. However they were able to give praise to the Lord as they were able to find a more suitable camping area, which was a real blessing.
However the greatest testimony was the way the inmates reacted to the word of God and how their lives were changed. Many grew in their relationship with the Lord and received ministry to the powerful teaching of the Father’s heart.
This prison ministry does not stay within the confines of the bars, but is extending to help those who are released to make an entrance back into their families and communities.
Please continue to pray for this ministry and for the inmates of this prison.

This was written after hearing testimonies from Pastor Tertius de Kock and someone who was an intercessor on the weekend

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Volunteering

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

LAUNCHPAD VOLUNTEER INFORMATION
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Full Name
Age: _____ ____ Male ____ Female Marital Status___________________
Home language
Other languages spoken

Telephone numbers
Home _______________________________________
Work _______________________________________
Cell ________________________________________
E-mail
Physical address

CHURCH/SPIRITUAL LIFE
Are you a member of HCC.
If not, please fill in name of your church.
Name & Tel Number of your Pastor/Minister
Give a brief description of how and when you became a Christian.

Biblical knowledge and understanding Please tick one of the following or insert your own comment:
____ New convert
____ Growing in understanding of basic principles
____ Mature in understanding
Are you in a cell group? Name of Cell Group Leader.
If not in a cell group, please provide the names and telephone numbers of two people at HCC who know you.
If you know what your spiritual giftings are, please list them.

HEALTH
Do you have any health problems or physical limitations?

MINISTRY EXPERIENCE AND AREA OF INTEREST
List previous
ministry/volunteer experience.


List ministry courses attended/completed (LTS, Alpha, etc.)


Is there a particular area of ministry you feel drawn to or passionate about?



If you had unlimited resources and could invent a new ministry ...
• What type of ministry would it be?
• To whom would it minister (youth, aged, etc.)?
• Where would this ministry be located?(country, community, etc.)?
• What role would you play in this ministry?


EDUCATION / EXPERIENCE (If you are applying for a specific ministry, there may be an additional questionnaire attached at the end of this form on specific skills/experience.)
Level of education:
Post-matric qualifications/special courses:



Work experience:


AVAILABLE RESOURCES
How much time are you able to commit to volunteer work? ____ Weekends
____ Evenings
____ Week days
____ Occasional outreaches
____ Home-based work (bookkeeping, etc.)
Do you have reliable transportation? ____ Own car
____ Public transport
____ Rely on family or friends
Financial resources available to ministry: ____ I would like to sponsor others
____ I can sponsor myself
____ I am actually looking for paid work
Please specify other resources or skills you would like to make available to fill a possible ministry need (computer skills, professional skills, areas of expertise, etc.)






GENERAL INFORMATION
If you are under the age of 21, the signature of your parent/guardian is required in order for your application to be considered.
Signature
Date
Relationship

If married, is your spouse supportive of your involvement in volunteer work?
Yes No

Is there anything relevant to serving as a volunteer that we should know about (improper conduct, accused or convicted of a crime, addictions, etc.)? If yes, this will be addressed during a personal interview with you. Please indicate below and be prepared to discuss this during the interview.
Yes No

I declare that the information provided on this application form is correct.

Signed: ___________________________________________

Date: ___________________________________________



Please return to:
Cheryl van den Heever 012 368 2441 e-mail cheryl@hatfield.co.za
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Congratulations.
As a congregation we extend our congratulations to the Botha family.
Pastor Robert has made us all very proud to receive his Masters while holding down 2 jobs.
Pastor Robert and Gail's daughter ,Emma, has been made Head Girl of the Hatfield Christian School for 2011.
We praise God for his hand on the Botha family as they have faithfully served our congregation and their other committments with their whole hearts.
Botha family we are so proud of you all and grateful that you are a very special pastoring family. Well done. Read more!

Hear God in the garden

The kiss of the sun for pardon,
Song of the birds for mirth.
You’re closer to God’s heart in the garden
Than any place else on earth.
Taken from a poem by DF Gurney

My grandmother used to often quote this to us as children and when I read it again in a gardening book, it brought back wonderful memories of my family and the many gardens we have shared. It is certainly very true that working with the soil and being in nature makes a person aware of the creative power of our God.
As spring approaches it is as if nature is bursting with the energy that God created for it to show. David of the Bible was so aware of this as he wrote in the Psalms about the beauty of nature and many others down the ages have enjoyed nature and specifically gardening.
Psalm 8v 3: “When I consider Your heavens,
The work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,”

Psalm 19v1: “The heavens declare the glory of God
And the firmament shows His handiwork.”

African Proverb: Knowledge (spiritual as well) is like a garden; if it is left
uncultivated, it cannot be harvested.”

As the garden grows so does the gardener.

Gardeners are like doctors…they bury their mistakes.

Think small. Planting tiny seeds in the small space given you can change the whole world, or at least, your view of it.

A garden is a great teacher: It teaches patience and careful watchfulness, it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust.
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Everything Has Its Time.. In each season or time we are called to move in the most excellent way of unfailing, all forgiving, all enduring, eternal love.

To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted.
A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down
And a time to build up;
A time to weep
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain,
And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;
A time to tear,
And a time to sew;
A time to keep silent,
And a time to speak.
A time to love,
And a time to hate;
A time of war,
And a time of peace.

Just by reading this there is a rhythm, a sway and a beat to the words that vibrates in one’s soul.
We need to discern and know what beat and rhythm we are swaying to. We need to understand the times we are in.
To realise God’s promises in our lives we must set ourselves to God’s beat. His beat is His rhythm, sequence, order, structure, and timing for our lives. If we miss His timing by moving too fast or too slow we’ll fall out of step, and that will affect everything else.
We are not flowing in His rhythm when we figure we can help God birth His promises with our own reasoning; when we get out of step because we are not listening to His voice; when we move to someone else’s beat or constantly seek other’s advice.
For every problem and situation we are praying about, there is a set time for its answers. When we see others flowing in their giftings, we may have to step back and support them, knowing that the same God who has called their season today will call ours tomorrow.
The writer of Ecclesiastes continues to say that ‘ He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts…I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken from it.”
May our prayer be “ Lord, teach me the timing and sequence You have set for my life so I can dance to Your beat for me. May I know the assurance of your eternal purposes in my life and in the fruit of my service”.




Taken from a talk by Pam Ferreira, Ecclesiastes 3,1 Cor 13 and words by Ginger Lindsay.

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30 Second Speech by Bryan Dyson - Former CEO of Coca Cola


Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air.
They are friends, family, work, health and spirit and you are keeping all of these in the air.
You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls-Family, friends, health and spirit- are made of glass. If you drop one of these they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered.
They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for it.

Work efficiently during office hours and leave on time.
Give the required time to family and friends and have proper rest.

Value has a value only if its value is valued.


Ecclesiastes 3

To everything there is a season.....A time to love...a time for peace.

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