RHEMA's HOMECOMING was all about "LOOKS"

"I don't do well with big crowds"; "I need to stay home and work", "I'm just not in the mood".

These were just a few of the excuses I came up with to try and avoid going to the "Homecoming Celebration" organised for Rhema Varrie in Eden Park this past Saturday.  My Bestie - Glisson was part of the organising team and naturally that means he could find a task for me at the drop of a hat.  In fact he tried to persuade me to MC earlier on in the day and I wormed my way out of that one too.

Nevertheless, there I was eventually. I arrived late enough to not be roped into anything and blended into the crowd right at the back so that I didn't seem like a groupie.

For those who don't know; Rhema Varrie recently came third in SA IDOLS after being eliminated when he didn't make the final 2 - even though he had over 4 million votes and (in my opinion) has one of the richest voices I have heard in the competition in years.

Back to the "Homecoming Celebration"...

SO there I was in the back of the crowd; trying to blend in, taking a few pics on my phone and even offering up the occasional cheer.  But throughout the entire celebration while all the festivities were happening and the singing continued on stage, I was completely distracted, and so Rhema's program on stage constantly had to compete with my two main distractions:
1. My own emotions, and
2. The many people who caught my attention.

For purposes of where this post is going, I would like to focus on the latter.

Standing in one of the school corridors slightly behind me, she unintentionally caught my attention.  She just stood their amidst all the shouting, cheering and dancing.  The ordinary lady.  She stood there looking straight ahead and not saying a single word - not even to the lady next to her.  There was a slight smile on her face but what caught my attention more was the look in her eyes.

I was jolted back to reality by the announcement that Rhema's dad was about to take the stage and say a few words, and then it happened again...

Standing with her hand in the air throughout Mr Varrie's speech, was my next distraction.  The random mother in the "Vote for Rhema T-Shirt" who I can tell must have spent hundreds of rands on airtime to vote via sms.  Her reactions were boisterous and passionate as she tried to identify with the pride expressed by Rhema's dad but the look in her eyes was the exact same one I noticed only seconds before in the other lady's.

And so these distractions just kept popping up.  And then I realised that every person who had grabbed my attention had that same look.  The teenage mother with the toddler on her hip as well as the old man raising his can of black label as he sang all his own words because the contents of his can gave him all the confidence he needed to completely let go of all his inhibitions and just enjoy the moment.

The primary school kid trying to worm his way closer to the front to get a better view of the stage and the high school learner who didn't care about being cool for just those few minutes; - they had that look too.

The old lady with the swollen feet sitting on a specially arranged chair had the same look as the visibly drug intoxicated 20-something year old guy who probably hadn't even watched a single episode of Idols.

I had to force myself to stop staring at all theses people and so I took Arlene by the hand and we worked our way to a spot right by the stage.  We got there just as Rhema started singing his last song.  The song was "I Love You Daddy" by Ricardo who had just passed on 2 days earlier and so there was no way this entire community wasn't going to sing along.  I was the only one not singing because at that point I just couldn't ignore "Distraction number 1 " anymore, and so I just completely lost it and sobbed.

I sobbed, not because of the song, but because with a better view of the crowd from where I was now standing, I realised now what that look was. 

The look I kept noticing was actually in the eyes of every person there.
It was a look that was the same yet it was different.

 For some the look was one of hope for a better future for their own children while for others it was one of pride that they could share in the success of an ordinary boy from down the road.  For some the look was a longing that one day they too could be on a stage like this or have the chance to walk where Rhema has walked recently, while for others it was a look filled with regret for the talent they had wasted or the opportunities they have missed.

But the look was created by the same thing. . . and then I realised why it had grabbed my attention.  The look in all of those eyes was created by A DREAM. 

Perhaps a future dream, or perhaps a dying one. Perhaps a dead dream, or perhaps one buried under fear.  Perhaps a dream ignored because of overwhelming circumstances and internal voices shouting that it is too late. Every person who had shown up for a what they thought was a celebration for Rhema, was actually there because of the dream inside of each of them. 

And then I realised how our lives and our dreams are so much more about other people and not ourselves.  Rhema had to chase his dream and even face the disappointment of being eliminated and now having to take a detour to the final destination of his own dream, in order to show an entire community that they too CAN DREAM AGAIN. 

I realised how he may not even be aware of the magnitude of the responsibility he has.  So many people's destinies are now locked up in where he ends up and that is such an overwhelming responsibility, but as he improvised and changed the vocal arrangement of the song to suit his own range and to customise the message he wanted to bring across in the song, I realised that like him, every one of us already has everything we need inside of us to achieve our dreams.  We simply need to wake up to it and then chase after it with all of our hearts. 

I left sad, but I left happy.  I left helpless, but I left hopeful.  But above all, I left grateful.
I am grateful that I know without a doubt what it is that I am meant to do in this world and I am even more grateful for the opportunity to help others discover this for themselves too.

Thank you Rhema Varrie for chasing your dream.  Your dream is my dream, and the dream of so many others.

Be inspired.

Darren

An OPEN LETTER to AUTOPAGE - YOU SUCK!!!!!!

Dear Autopage... The worst service organisation in SA.

 

You are so lucky that I can’t afford to erect a billboard on a main road to let everyone know just how much YOU SUCK!

 

I feel stupid to even admit that I have been with you for approximately 14 years and have given you over R150’k in monthly payments to date.  Unfortunately I refuse to stick around any longer and thought I would let you and anyone else who reads this letter know why I am leaving and won’t EVER be back.

 

Here are my reasons why I HATE your organisation, why I will not give you another cent of my hard earned money, why I will tell everyone I know just how badly you have treated me, and why I am just so mad!!!

 

1.       YOUR MANAGERS DON’T SPEAK TO CUSTOMERS:

Yes, that’s exactly what your agents have told me time and time again when I call.  Last week I cancelled two appointments and even drove to your offices and was told that the managers were at a braai and none of them would come and speak to me. The braai was at the office park…The best I could get was a call centre team leader who again confirmed that none of the more senior people would speak to me in person or even give me a call.  After convincing Zaheer Vallee (the call centre team leader) that I cannot accept that, he assured me that HEMMA RAJKUMAR (Head of retentions) would call me back on Monday morning.  By Wednesday afternoon after a few more calls from my side, I was contacted by Lucretia Khan (who introduced herself as Hemma’s PA) and was told that Hemma asked her to contact me.  I then had to spend another 10 minutes convincing Lucretia that I couldn’t settle for the explanation that Hemma does not speak to customers directly.  Hemma eventually left a voice message for me and sent me an email asking when she could call me back.  I replied and have still not heard back from her… AND OF COURSE SHE WOULDN’T GIVE ME A NUMBER TO CALL HER BACK.

 

2.       YOUR CALL CENTRE AGENTS SIMPLY DON’T CARE, AND DON’T LISTEN

My average call to your call centre is approximately 15 minutes.  And It takes me an average of 3 calls to get through to a person.  when I eventually get to speak to an agent, the first thing they do is put me on hold and then eventually drop me back into the IVR and I get to another person and then have to explain myself again.  When I beg and plead for them to call a supervisor, they give me the standard response that “They are in a meeting, or they will not speak to me.”  It eventually takes me having to scream and shout and threaten them before I get a team leader.

The last team leader ZAHEER, gave me his email address and a direct number for himself, and promised to resolve my query.  I haven’t been able to get hold of him on the number he provided for over a week now, and he read my email on Tuesday last week but has still not replied.

 

3.       YOU CAN’T DELIVER ON YOUR BASIC OFFERINGS

I haven’t been trying to get you to provide me with electricity in a bottle… all I asked for was an upgrade. A SIMPLE UPGRADE.  And surely this was your opportunity to serve me well and RETAIN me as a customer. 

Instead, GIRLY didn’t process my request correctly.  That was on the 6^th of March.  I only discovered this when I called to follow up after my phone had still not been delivered a week later (14 March).

I then gave the next agent a chance to correct this , but after another week (now by the 19^th of March) , Lerato Mongwe then confirmed that my upgrade was still not even processed on the system.  Hours on the phone then resulted in Zaheer taking over the call and assuring me that everything was processed and I could come and pick up a phone on Friday 20 March. When I got there, the showroom consultant could not trace an order on the system because VISHEN had not processed the request correctly and I ended up spending 2 hours there waiting while everyone tried to cover up their tracks and prevent me from speaking to a manager.  I left there under the impression that everything was sorted but as soon as Monday came, all the wheel came off again. No PORT, no confirmation of the resolution of my query, and then this past weekend, no SMS’s , No DATA and then confirmation again from a call centre agent that the package I requested was not activated correctly.

 

It will take too much of my time to go into all the detail of the impact this service failure has had on me and my business over the last week especially.

 

So here I am, at work, on my only day off this month, trying to get some sort of help from someone at Autopage, and once again, all I get is the run around. 

 

I have spent 2 weeks just asking for GAVIN WEANIE (head of Customer Service) or HEMMA RAJKUMAR(head of Retentions) to contact me so that I could simply explain to them how I have been traumatised by the service I have received.  All I wanted was for one of them to listen to me and then get someone to sort out my request. And then for a sincere expression of understanding that I am frustrated and perhaps a simple apology for dropping the ball so many times.  I really didn’t expect any special treatment.  But by asking for this, it seems that my request is unreasonable, so I am left with no option but to leave. 

 

Please cancel my contract with immediate effect, give me back my number and let be on my way.  I will spend my hard earned money on airtime until I find another SERVICE PROVIDER who deserves me. I will no longer be bullied by you AUTOPAGE. 

 

 

 

Yours truly

Darren August

A customer who knows what real service is...

FINDING THE WIFE...

"He who finds a wife, finds a good thing... and obtains favour with the Lord."

Many of us know that scripture backwards and have probably heard hundreds of different sermons around it.  This weekend, I had one of my own revelations, and I thought I'd share it in the hope that it helps somebody out there.

During a conversation a few months before I got married, a friend who was preparing for marriage too, shared with me that he had heard it said that "FINDING A WIFE DOESN'T END" one you get married.  It is an on-going process as you need to "Find the wife inside your partner" everyday.

I realised then that it would be my responsibility as a husband to do my best to constantly be mining the hidden treasure inside my wife and bringing it to the surface. This was never going to be easy, and I immediately enlisted the help of the Holy Spirit to teach me how to do that.  I'm learning all the time how to do it more and more.

This weekend I had a light bulb moment as my wife stood on a platform in front of a couple of hundred women at a ladies conference to share her testimony. (#Beautiful2014)

It was another first for her, but as usual, she rose to the occasion and soared.  Jesus was glorified, lives were impacted and once again we were reminded that God always has a perfect plan.

This opportunity was the fulfilment of a vision Arlene had before we were even engaged.  She had seen in her mind, a picture of herself on a stage with a microphone in her hand and wasn't sure what it meant.  When she had the experience, she immediately enrolled for singing lessons because she thought that she would sing one day.  I however, told her at the time that she shouldn't be surprised if the vision wasn't referring to singing but rather speaking. She laughed it off and didn't really believe that it could possible be true.

Here's the lesson:

So as everyone celebrated her and received her talk so openly. A still, small voice inside me said "well done husband". 
And then a question popped up in my mind.  "How would I react in this moment if I hadn't believed that she was capable of this?"
From the question, I moved to an emotion best described as "Shew... thank God I saw it first".  I was extremely grateful. I had seen the potential in her before so many others.  I had spoken it over her and affirmed her before she even dreamed it possible. 
Actually, GOD SAW IT FIRST... but because my prayer is always that He would lead her through me, He allowed me to see what He saw, and allowed me to verbalise it.  Now that is absolutely amazing.  He allowed me to speak it over her and see it come to past.  I have now become so much more mindful of the words I speak over my wife.

As a husband,  I would have had to hang my head in shame if I didn't believe in her before it all happened.  Nothing is more rewarding than being able to say "I told you so - because God said so."

Arlene really didn't need my approval to do what God has called her to do, but I thank God for allowing me to see His plan for her.  It was absolutely amazing to see her step into an anointing which was ordained specifically for her. 

So as a husband, I am more determined now to keep finding the wife within her.  Every time another milestone is reached, a new treasure is discovered.  I know there is still so much more undiscovered treasure, untapped potential.  Help me Lord to be your miner.  Help me to find the wife inside her all the time.


Be encouraged,
D

Broken headphones can SPEAK! A simple little lesson.

As many of you know, I host the morning breakfast show on RainbowFM 90.7 daily from 6-9am.  I enjoy every minute on air with my two crazy co-hosts but it doesn't come without some challenges. 
Waking up early is still the hardest part for me and most mornings I am thankful that it is radio and not TV.

 



A Real challenge we experienced recently was one that affected our show more than we realised.  One of the knobs that controls the headphone volume at one of the seats was broken and resulted in one of us not being able to hear when we were 'On AIR'.  It was extremely frustrating for whoever ended up at that seat because that person was expected to just "make do without it".  We tried to turn the knob differently, or increase the in studio volume in attempt to have some of the sound bleed through but it was more trouble than it was worth and we eventually just resorted to getting by without it until it was fixed.  Technicians would come and have a look at it whenever they could. There was no urgency from their side.

I would occasionally pick the phones up and hope for a miracle but it just wasn't happening and so I made peace with it and forgot about using it too. And so for about a week or two they just lay there on the counter and we all just pretended that those headphones were not even there.

But then last week, something amazing happened... I tried the phones again and ... IT WORKED.  I could hear clearly. And I could turn the knob again to control my volume. 
I was so excited and couldn't wait to announce to the rest of the team that it had been fixed, but they were hardly even moved by my emotion.  Thato's response was "Oh ja, it's been working for like two days already... it's been fixed."

AND THEN THE LESSON HAPPENED. . .

I had just missed out on about 2 days worth of good quality sound because I had become so used to a certain other "noise".  I had settled for the mediocre "sound" and had started accepting the negative report the situation had presented us with.  I had given up on checking the progress of the repairs, or checking for an improvement and had stopped expecting a change. 

How often don't we do that in life?  We stop putting on our "LIFE HEADPHONES" to hear more.  We become so used to all the noise and voices coming at us.  We used to be able to filter the good ones from the bad ones in order to hear what we needed to, but after a while everything just sounds so overwhelming that we just STOP LISTENING ALTOGETHER.  And that's the dangerous part...

By being apathetic we miss out on some important things we need to hear.  We don't hear reminders of some of the promises we'd already received.  We don't hear the alarms signalling time to take action for some important things we need to do.  We don't hear the cries for help from those who may be standing right in front of us screaming at the top of their lungs; and we even stop hearing the still small voice that gives direction, peace and instruction. 

I have found myself having to put my headphones back on recently.  I have had to do that in order to drown out some wrong background noise again in order to focus on hearing correctly so that I can be 'On Cue' all the time and bring my 'A-Game'.  I have needed to turn up the volume when I replayed some of those previous promises.  I've had to hear them LOUD & CLEAR again in case I had forgotten.

Although some of the sounds are the same as before, you'd be surprised at how you might just hear some new details for the first time...

TAKE THE TIME TO LISTEN AGAIN...

Be Encouraged.
D

Something I can NEVER be.

She walked through the door yesterday and immediately commented on the lovely smell of food that dominated the whole house. It was one of my first attempts at making a meal that required some real cooking skills, and when she complimented me, I attributed the ability to make a good cabbage stew to my dad who had made it so often while I was growing up. As usual, I was sensitive to the fact that she no longer has a dad.

The conversation swiftly moved to something she was burning to share with me all day. Her eyes lit up (as they always do when she is passionate about something) as she literally preached a mini sermon to me about being "pregnant with purpose".  Every word she spoke resonated deep within me but I continuously found myself having to fight the distracting thoughts and questions that flooded my mind while I was trying to stay engaged in the conversation. Her beauty still captures me and my appreciation for her depth grows daily but a quick little chat like the one from last night leaves me in such awe of the helper God has chosen for me. 

Hours after I have meditated on her words which re-ignited purpose, I find myself pondering about the one question that often leaves me feeling a very familiar and insatiable emotion.
WHAT WOULD HER PARENTS THINK IF THEY SAW HER NOW? I ask myself this question so often and although I can never give a convincing answer that will put it to rest forever, I manage to gather up enough faith to know beyond the shadow of a doubt they would have no choice but to be nothing but exceptionally proud of the woman she is today. 

I am almost able to move on from that question quite easily but the sequel question keeps me meditative for a much longer period. WHAT WOULD THEY THINK OF ME?

She raises that discussion on numerous occasions when she misses them, and often our conclusions match whatever the mood is when we talk about it, but this time a new reality dawned on me.  I realise for the first time that there is a role in my life I will NEVER experience.  I will never be a "SON-IN-LAW".  That feeling leaves me feeling a bit incomplete.

I can't help but wonder what kind of Son-in-Law I would have been to her parents.  Would I have won her mom's heart? Would I have earned her dad's respect?  Would I behave differently in certain situations if the daily mom and daughter chats or weekend trips to her folks was commonplace? Would I work harder to prove myself worthy of the honour of loving her (my wife) as Christ loves the church? Would I be intimidated by the knowledge that daddy is watching to see how I treat his little girl and would I be working endlessly at preventing her mom from uttering words of disapproval in her choice of a husband?

While I do live with an awareness that she is God's daughter first, and He is always watching; a part of me still feels a bit robbed of an opportunity to make my mark in an area so many strive to please in.  Though it seems at times that the eyes of the world are watching to see how I fair as a husband, I will never experience the affirmation I have worked to attain since I was still just a boy.  The lovely remarks from moms with available daughters and the invites to braais from dads who wanted to check me out as a potential candidate for their princesses was but only a foretaste of the accolades I was determined to earn. 

I am a great brother, a model son, a selfless friend... and tons of other ego-inflating titles have been bestowed upon me as a result of my interaction with people, but I will never wear the feather in my "son-in-law cap".  And when I see that she has no real parental connection with any of her other family members, the reality sets in and my awesome responsibility becomes reiterated. 

My only - and I mean ONLY obligation is to God! My love for my wife is my worship and service to Him.  It encompasses all of what He has created me to be, all of what He has called me to do, and all of what He has equipped me with in order to be the man He has needs me to be. 

I will never be a SON-IN-LAW; but I will always be a SON-IN-GRACE.  Amazing Grace!  The kind of Grace that empowers me with all it takes to be all I am meant to be... And without the pressure of having to be a son-in-law; I have no excuse. I have to be the best Son-in-Grace I could possibly be.

Today I have a new goal to add to my list of life goals. Help me Jesus!

 Be inspired;
D

KEEP WRITING - and let the pen be your teacher.

Yesterday, a good friend challenged me to get moving and get another blog post out. The words she used was "Keep Writing". I immediately started thinking about what to "write about" and started looking around for something to inspire me and within a few minutes, I found myself sitting and playing with the PEN that was on my desk. And then the inspiration came. The Pen taught me some lessons - well, TWO PENS actually.

Pen number 1 is my "everyday pen". It is cheap and as you can see by the refill, the ink level is dropping all the time. It can't hide what is inside it. A simple look at this pen can tell us exactly what condition it is in. "We can see right THROUGH it." And we'll be able to tell when it's time to let it go or when it will no longer be able to serve a purpose.

 

Something great about this pen though, is that it will be pretty easy to simply replace the refill and continue using it for a long time.

 

 

Then there is pen number 2. I honestly don't even know how this pen got to my desk, or if it even belongs to me. I literally just grabbed it out of the holder on the desk to take down a message because there wasn't another pen close by.

 

This pen is very "good looking", has a lovely pattern all around and even has five little diamante to give it a nice finish. It looks expensive and would obviously have been given as a gift.

 

 

The problem though, is that this pen is not really practical for everyday use. There is also no way of changing the refill once the ink runs out. So it's life span is completely dependant on how long the refill lasts. we obviously don't know just how long that will be and can only hope that the manufacturer has used a refill that will last for a long time.

 

 

Which of the two pens best reflects you?

 

As we already know, each of these pens obviously appeal to different writers. Each of them are comfortable with who they are and simply serve the purpose they were created for.

 

By simply looking at the two of them next to each other, we can't necessarily tell which one has more to give and which one will ultimately be most effective. But we know that while one has the assurance of being able to constantly be refilled, the other only has one load of ink. For pen number 1, there is also no guarantees that refills will always be available.

 

When you consider your life today, think about this:

There are no guarantees. What is inside of you needs to be used up in the lifespan allocated to it. The outside doesn't really matter. What matters most is being the pen that is needed in the defining moment when something needs to be "written". .. Written in black ink, or perhaps in blue. Your ink may be a special talent, a great idea, a dream or certain acts.

 

It is important to be the pen you were designed to be. Be effective in your role and help deliver the message you were placed here to deliver. There is no guarantee that you will be needed forever, or be able to be used forever. All you have is the time in the writer's hand which is allocated to you as the writer sees fit. MAKE IT COUNT.

 

Be encouraged,

D

 

 

 



The solution to smelly armpits.

November has been quite an interesting month for me. A lot has happened and I have spent a whole lot of time reflecting on so many things. One of the thoughts I'd like to share was inspired by these and other perfume bottles:

It's so interesting to see how much value is placed on fragrances. My best friend had a fragrance themed birthday party a few years ago and needed various fragrances for décor. Some of his closest friends simply refused to even bring theirs along to the party because they were simply not prepared to take the risk of the bottles falling and breaking, or too many people being keen to "test" their fragrance and that resulting in wasting their expensive fragrances. Others were not prepared to share their best kept secrets by revealing the fragrance they use to create that scent that has become their trademark.

I've been thinking of how much a perfume, or fragrance can be quite symbolic of our lives.

Think about how valuable we are as people. How expensive we are. How much was paid for our salvation. How much time was spent in the process of forming us, and what creativity and skill had to be employed to make each of us unique. Our looks, our characteristics, special talents and abilities all culminate to make us who we are and results in us having a special fragrance to bring to the world.

And of course, like most fragrances, we wont appeal to everyone. To some we will be a cheap daily fragrance, while to others we will be that unique fragrance that is saved for special occasions. Some of us might be a more easily accessible fragrance while others might be that rare fragrance that needs to be sought out and discovered after tons of others have been tested prior to us.
And the sad truth is that to some, we might really end up being that fragrance that causes an uncomfortable rash on the skin. hahaha...

Most interesting to me about fragrances is that almost all fragrances have something in common. Every fragrance goes through almost the same process in order to be most effective and produce their specific smell.

Irrespective of the bottle - the outer presentation, or the value of the fragrance. The actual fragrance is only released when some pressure is applied to the nozzle. And before this can happen, sometimes the bottle needs to be stripped of its lid". Depending on the design of the bottle, and the desired amount of fragrance you would like to release, more or less pressure may required. This reminds me of a scripture - "To whom much is given, Much is required".

What is the fragrance inside of you? Have you realised your worth? Do you realise the people you need to serve. Have you identified the people around you who need you and see you as irreplaceable? Has it dawned on you that there are certain spheres where you add a unique fragrance?

Or have you become too focussed on the "pressure"?

Your story, your experiences, all you've been through and all you've learnt has happened for a reason. it is so that what is inside of you can come out and be effective in your world. Your fragrance is needed. Inside of you is the solution to the "Smelly Armpits" around you.

You are valuable, you are precious and you are needed. Allow the pressure to release your fragrance.

Be encouraged,
D