Grif.Net

11/30/13 Small Business Saturday Grif.Net – Passion, Purpose and Praise

11/30/13 Small Business Saturday Grif.Net – Passion, Purpose and Praise

“Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Ohonme grew up in Africa in an area of extreme poverty.
One day, missionaries came to his community and taught the boys how to play
a game called basketball. After showing them how to play, they suggested a
competition and offered a prize to the winner – a pair of shoes.

Manny turned out to be a natural. He won the contest that day, becoming the
first person in his family ever to own a pair of shoes. From then on, he
practiced basketball and began to believe in a better future for himself. He
received a scholarship to come to the United States and play college
basketball. He earned a degree in business and led a successful corporate
career, but he knew that he had a greater purpose to fulfill.

The pair of shoes that he won that day had given him hope, and he knew the
pride that he felt when he went from being barefoot to having his own pair
of shoes. He also knew of all the needless injuries and illnesses that
affect children around the world that could be prevented simply by
protective footwear.

His mother always told him, “To those whom much is given, much is expected”
(a paraphrase of Luke 12:48), so Manny knew what was expected of him. His
vision was to provide shoes to over 10 million children in the world as
founder and president of Samaritan’s Feet International.”

What a great story. Small businesses focus on passion, purpose, and praise.
Words like bliss, God-given gifts, integrity, vision and God-given abilities
just keep pouring out. Words like “I did it because I thought I could get
rich doing it” are completely absent from their stories. While money is
certainly a necessary part of the equation, it must be the by-product of
each business owner and not a primary motivator for them.

How do I know this? Twenty years ago my wife stepped out on faith to found
“Preventive Health Resources”, a natural alternative-health clinic designed
to help people who are “sick and tired of being sick and tired” take charge
of their own health. It is her consuming passion for her and a proven
blessing to everyone touched by it.

Today, we salute the Small Businesses that started out on a shoestring in
Africa or with a handful of Chinese herbs in the middle of Wyoming. The full
impact of these people may never be known.

www.phr.net

~~
Dr Bob Griffin
[email protected] www.grif.net
“Jesus Knows Me, This I Love!”