Diary of My Sheepy Adventures – Just released!

Posted on by Financial Freedom Planner

Psalm 23 & Other Stories

Bless the little hearts this Christmas!

I am happy to announce about the release of my new book “Diary of My Sheepy Adventures”.

It is now available in 500 Independent bookstores in the United States. If you are living in the US, look out for it. For international readers, check out the online stores listed below.

Bless the little hearts!

Louise Lee, author of Diary of My Sheepy Adventures

***

I love adventures. I love time travel. I love fun and cute animals. I love Biblical truth. I love teaching children using stories.

I got to do all these through publishing “Diary of My Sheepy Adventures”.

“Psalm 23 for Kids” was first published in 2105. It was my first experience of self-publishing. The experience itself was rewarding. From conceptualisation, to working with illustrator, to publishing, to sales, I was like a first-time mom delivering my first child. I had a mixed feeling then, just like a first-time mom, feeling excited yet apprehensive.

“A Sheepy Adventure” was later released beginning of 2022. It was a revised edition published under Our Daily Bread Ministries.

Enjoy!

I have shared my testimony in the link below:

Living God’s Story, Re-telling His Stories | Our Daily Bread Singapore (odb.sg)

Subsequently, I wrote two more adventures: David had become sheep again two more times.

This time he was in Noah’s Ark, escaping the Flood with Noah and his animal friends in the Ark.

Yet another time, David got to witness the birth of Jesus. 

“Diary of My Sheepy Adventures” is written in a first-person narration – an eye-witness account of two significant events happened in world history.

I am privileged to be in sheep’s skin.

****

Here are the ISBN numbers for “Diary of My Sheepy Adventures” – English

Paperback: 9781638124900

Hardback: 9781638125259

E-book: 9781638124917

You may get them online as well:

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1638124906

Kinokuniya Japan

https://www.kinokuniya.co.jp/f/dsg-02-9781638124900

Miscellaneous online bookstores for e-book.

Rakuten Kobo

https://www.kobo.com/…/ebook/diary-of-my-sheepy-adventure

Scribd.com

https://www.scribd.com/…/Diary-of-My-Sheepy-Adventures

Fanc.com (France)

https://www.fnac.com/…/Louise-Lee-Diary-of-My-Sheepy…

Rakuten (Japan)

https://books.rakuten.co.jp/…/689e42e96413399ea076a6f7…/

****

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[8 of 8] Ancient Principles for the 21st Century Entrepreneur – Reaching Your Financial Destiny

Posted on by Financial Freedom Planner

“When we were at Mount Sinai, the LORD our God said to us, ‘You have stayed at this mountain long enough…

Break camp and advance into the hill country…

See I have given you the land, go in and take possession of the land that the LORD swore he would give it to your fathers-and to their descendants after them.”Deuteronomy 1:6-8, The Holy Bible

At this point in history, the Children of Israel has wandered in the wilderness for over forty years. Their hearts were well tested and they had experienced the miraculous supply of ‘manna’, never-worn-out shoes and clothes, pillar of clouds by day and pillar of fire by night. They have accustomed to this miraculous way of life in the wilderness for the past forty years.

But, wilderness was not their destiny.

Wilderness was just the learning ground of how to worship their God in His terms. Once they got these right, they needed to move on. Their God was leading them forward, out of the wilderness just like the manner they were led to go out of Egypt.

Where were they heading? The Promised Land was where they were heading. They were brought out from Egypt to enter and possess “the land”.

Now the early generation has gone, new generation has grown up, they were ready to enter the land their fathers were set out for. They were entering a land that was fertile where they could settle in. They could own a portion of the land, where they could plant seeds and reap their harvest in due seasons. It was the land filled with milk and honey – a good land that yields good things – a totally different place as compared to the wilderness.

The Bible describes it this way: ” … a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.” Deuternomy 8:7-9, The Holy Bible 

The Promised Land for the Entrepreneurs

With this context in mind, what now is the Promised Land for the entrepreneurs?

It is the place where entrepreneurs find the business model that works with the right products. It is like when Jack Ma discovered the online platform, Steve Jobs founded Apple Inc., Asa Griggs Candler devised the Coca Cola formula, Richard McDonald pioneered the fast food chain business model, … the list goes on.

Now, the effort they put in building their business is no longer futile, but it produces much. They are in the place where the business environment is favourable and the success is sustainable. “Harvesting” will soon become a regular activity in their business.

Wilderness experience is a teacher for the entrepreneur. You have adopted a disciplined life. You knew there were unpredictable and divine opportunity along the way. You have learned and known about yourselves much better now. You have learned how to ride on the wave of opposition. You have learned how to manage risks. Unknowingly, wilderness experience has made you, the entrepreneur, a ready candidate for success.

The next course of action for you (the entrepreneur) is to break camp and advance into your destiny.

Break Camp

Break camp means to break away from the inhibition. It means also to roll away the negative effect of the prolonged living in the wilderness.

Weariness, apprehension, insecurity, reservation, discouragement could well be the side effect of wandering in the wilderness. The longer you stay in the same environment, the more you might feel disheartened.

Likewise, while trying on various products and models, you may be staying too long in the testing mode, subtly you might be beginning to lose sight of the purpose of why you left you 9 to 5 job in the first place.

Why did you choose to pursue the life of an entrepreneur?

Consider again: isn’t it for financial freedom? Isn’t for satisfaction? Isn’t for a more purposeful work-life balance? Whatever your reason is, it is time to break away from all the inhibitions and realign your path with your purpose. Get ready to advance into your success.

Timing is everything in an entrepreneur’s journey. A time to wander and a time to settle; a time to plant, a time for the seeds to grow; a time to sow and a time to harvest.

When it is time to move, do not stay at where you are. You have stayed at the same place for too long. It is time to move on.

The next question: how to make a move?

Advancing in the Right Direction

Advancing is the next course of action. Advancing means to have a breakthrough. Breakthrough involves breaking away from inhibition, advancing brings you to the next level of competence and success.

But, it does not mean that there will be no more obstacles and no more hard work required.

In fact, the next step towards the higher calling means there will be more heights to reach, more rivers to go through and even giants to fight with. Taking possession of a land of good things is no easy task. Before you can take possession of the land, you need to drive out the giants (the inhabitants) in the land.

What giants likely are there? Power, sex, money is all by nature neutral things but if you could not manage them with integrity, they will become the giants that hinder your success. In the “land of good things”, these giants can still cause you to walk away from your purpose. When this happens, your success will not be sustainable. Your position is the land is not secured.

Time in the wilderness is the trying times you had, if you endure and overcome the dry spell with integrity, you will reach your goals: be it a financial one or spiritual one, your wilderness experience is the foundation for your success.

So, it is important to have a strong sense of calling and missions before you get to the Promised Land or the success you hope for.

Now, you understand why wilderness must happen before the Promised Land. You need to be certain that you can handle riches, power and success while you spent time going through the wilderness.

Settling for the Best

We should only be settled for the best – the best is settled in our memory with the engrained experience in the wilderness, where marked the faithfulness of God.

As a believer, we learnt that “it is God who gives you the ability to produce wealth….”, remember not to forget all His benefits, and be very careful to obey His commandments in all your business dealings.

Do not worship other gods in the Promised Land – do not be led by the love of money, pleasure and immediate gratification. Then you will do well and continue to do well, your place in your success is then secured. This is to ensure that you will not be destroyed in your success.

Conclusion

In conclusion, as we have come to the eighth ancient principles gleaning from the experience of the Children of Israel in the wilderness, we can see that divine wisdom is always applicable despite today’s ever-changing world.

Business models, products and people’s needs may change, but Biblical wisdom is always relevant and timeless. We ought to pay attention and keep coming back to them to regulate our business’ directions.

Above all is the omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent God who is worthy to be worshipped and praised. As we commit our business to Him, we are in His safe hands.

May all glory to God, our Heavenly Father in all our past, present and future success. Amen and amen!

 

[7 of 8] Ancient Principles for the 21st Century Entrepreneur – Internal Risk Management for Start-up

Posted on by Financial Freedom Planner

Into the Wilder{ness}with the children of Israel VIII

By Louise Lee

“By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.” Exodus 13:21, The Holy Bible

‘Pillar of Fire’ was the provision of God for the Children of Israel to go through wilderness by night, the purpose was to protect them from risk (potential danger), so that they could continue their journey onto the Promised Land (success).

We have established in the previous article that ‘pillar of fire’ principle represents ‘risk management’ for the start-up. And so far, we have covered the external risks that start-up may face. In this article, I am applying the ‘pillar of fire’ principle to the ‘internal risk management’.

What is ‘the internal risk’ for entrepreneurs?

I would like to define internal risk as anything that is potentially hindering YOU as a person.

Internal risk is anything that is potentially hindering YOU as a person.

Let’s look at it from a different perspective; internal risk can be interpreted as ‘personal crisis’.

Personal crisis if not managed properly will result in failure or collapse of anything you built, that include your family, relationships and business. It is especially critical in the start-up stage when ‘YOU’ are the key person. The logic is simple, when the key person is in crisis, your start-up is shaken, the impact is great.

When personal crisis hits you as a person, it can escalate quickly to become a risk for your start-up, which in turn risking your success. When the driving force behind your organisation is at risk, how can it move forward? The next question is: how to ensure this engine (YOU) is not overrun or is not getting into crisis mode?

Let’s look at some of the potential areas or indicator of internal crisis/risk. Personal crisis often appears in the form of ‘lack’: Lack of knowledge, lack of discernment, lack of confidence, lack of vision and lack of resilience; these are the hollow points in YOU.

Personal crisis often appears in the form of ‘lack’: Lack of knowledge, lack of discernment, lack of confidence, lack of vision and lack of resilience; these are the hollow points in YOU.

Do not let them hinder you but manage them before they hurt.

Manage Your Lack

How to manage your lack? These ‘lack’ are hollow points, the best way to manage it is to fill them with the right material and right actions.

What to do when you lack knowledge? You need not to be very knowledgeable before you can get your start-up on track, but you need to have some basic knowledge of many things. They are your trade or industry, accounts, law, finances, marketing methods, technology… etc. Acknowledge your lack is the first step, fill the lack with “know-how” is important.Be an all-rounded person, this can help you along the path to success. If not, engage the help of experts or more experienced individual if you can afford. If you can’t afford, just learn the bare minimal of everything essential to your business. Read up, take up courses are some low-cost way of becoming knowledgeable.

The most effective way could be finding yourself a mentor or join a community of like-minded people.

“In a company of three, you will find a teacher you can learn from.”A Chinese Proverb

What to do when you lack discernment? You may want to listen to your wife/husband or counsels you tend to ignore. For believers, listen to the inward witness and the voice of the Holy Spirit and ask for discernment.

The ability to discern about timing and what action to take is critical for start-up. Missed opportunity is one of the results of lack of discernment. If you lack discernment, surround yourself with mature and reliable counsels. For believers, ask your Heavenly Father for wisdom. Do know that discernment is one area that you need to work on and pay close attention to.

What to do when you lack confidence? Acknowledge your lack and check for its root. Don’t be surprised that even into your adulthood you may still be seeking approval from authorities that you did not get while growing up.

So, be very careful to check your motive: why you are doing what you are doing. Are you doing these out of fear, insecurity or approval seeking? Try your best to uproot them before they get into your way of success.

Beware! Do not ignore the sign of lack in confidence. The collapse can be great if its roots are to discover later than now.

What to do when you lack vision? You may ask if it is important to have vision. The answer is a definite yes! You need to see at least 2 to 3 years down the road where you see yourself and your start-up, you will then know the next series of action to take.

Once you’ve established your vision, write it down, draw it out, make it bold, hang it somewhere at your work area and look at it constantly. If you can, look a little further about 5 to 10 years ahead, adjust whenever it is necessary.

“Without vision, people perish.” Proverbs 29:18, The Holy Bible

 What to do when you lack resilience? Are you the type that is easily discouraged? Do you find yourself always like a punctured balloon?

Watch your self-talk. Perhaps you are talking to yourself too harshly or you are allowing other people’s words to discourage you.

Be in the accompany of encouragers. Stay away from the negative people.

Refine your purpose and tighten the loose ends. Affirm yourself the purpose and tell yourself you can overcome. Practise your self-talk that affirms and be flexible.

A nugget for the lack of resilience: Be flexible otherwise you will break.

Next time when crisis hits, you can bounce back easily.

Turn your ‘lack’ into arches

Managing these ‘lack’ is critical during start-up especially you can’t see results immediately.

Imagine if you build a structure on top of a hollow ground, when pressure comes, the collapse is great.

Managing your lack is like turning the hollow space into an arch, which allows it to support the pressure from on top.

Bridges are built on arches joint below, which can sustain great pressure above with thousands of cars coming through daily.

You are the architect of your start-up, spare a little thought over your ‘lack’, turn them into arches by applying the principle of “Pillar of Fire”.

In application to entrepreneur’s start-up journey, identify your ‘internal risk’ or ‘lack’ before you build anything on top. This step is important, remember the ‘pillar of fire’ lights the way in dark, this allows the Children of Israel to identify the potential danger, this safeguard their journey towards the Promised Land.

Last but not the least, be well-versed of your own lack, work hard to turn them into strength, you will see success rather than unexpected collapse along the way.

Stay tuned for the next and final article in the series:

Ancient Secrets for the 21st Century Entrepreneur: “NO TURNING BACK”!