Path to Purpose! How To Identify What God Created You to Do w/ Josefa Benjamin, Founder

Do you know WHY you are here? 

That's a BIG question that deserves a powerful answer - especially as a faith-focused creative. God gave you a special gift and you should embrace the purpose you've born to fulfill. 

The biggest question? How can you actually live in a way that will achieve your God-given purpose? 

To help you discover and embrace your God-given purpose, we're joined by Josefa Benjamin, founder of the Born on Purpose Project. Josefa's journey from a 30-year career in law enforcement to creating a movement dedicated to helping others find their purpose is nothing short of inspiring.

You'll gain powerful insights on:

• Recognizing the difference between a job and a calling
• How to listen for God's guidance in unexpected places
• The courage it takes to step into your purpose, even when it's scary

This conversation is packed with wisdom for any creative questioning their path or feeling stuck in their current situation. Josefa's authenticity and practical advice will help you to take your next step toward living out your purpose, even if the full picture isn't clear yet.

Learn more about Josefa's organization at https://bornonpurposeproject.com

Join us at our South Florida Podcaster Meetup, held at the Born on Purpose HQ April 24th at 6:30pm! 

RSVP Here for the Miami Dade/Broward Podcaster Meetup

Transcript

[00:00:01 - 00:03:52]
Do you really know what your purpose is in life? It's a big question. And I understand that many people hear this and they immediately start to think, wait, that's just one of those cliches that people say, find your purpose, live in your purpose. But if you don't know it, do you really know what you're doing all your creative work for? Is it possible you're just spinning your wheels that you're feeling uninspired because you don't know the answer to that question? Well, in today's episode of the Gotten Gig show, we're going to talk to someone whose whole mission is to help people figure out why they were born, the purpose they were born for, and how to walk in that calling. And she's going to show this to you, but not just with words, but with her story, her testimony, and the actions she took to actually walk this out, even when it was scary and didn't really make sense. My friend, this is going to bless you as we talk to our friend, Josepha Benjamin. But before we do, let me welcome those of you who are new to our show, and then we'll get into this incredibly fascinating and inspiring discussion. Hello, and welcome to our show. Thank you so much for making this podcast a part of your creative day. And if you're new to our show, let me tell you why. You're in the right place at the right time as a musician, artist, creative freelancer, anyone at the intersection of arts, ministry, and entertainment. And you want to have a heart for excellence and be able to thrive in any area of your life. Well, that's where we come in. We help you to do that by helping you to transform your life from the inside out by applying timeless spiritual principles to temporary creative problems. Now, I could not have a better guest on the God and Gig show to talk about how to actually walk this out in a way that shows what your purpose is. Now, we've got a new YouVersion devotional, as I'm even talking about purpose, which literally talks about the Creator's purpose. Now, that creator is a big C, but it's also a little C. So the Creator's purpose is shown to us in Genesis, and he, by giving us that blueprint, shows us our purpose as little case creators. So I hope you'll check that out in our YouVersion app. But there was a perfect, perfect connection between our new devotional and our guest, who has an entire project called Born on Purpose. Now, Josepha Benjamin, who is our guest today, has had over 30 years of public service serving Our community, in law enforcement, in the Broward Sheriff's Office. However, that's not where her service stopped. She's taken on a whole new role, or as you'll hear in this interview, really a role that aligns perfectly with her purpose. But she's had to make some decisions along the way that helped her walk this out. And by listening to this interview, you're going to get a clear indication of what it takes to understand your purpose, to figure it out, and to walk in it, even when things aren't perfectly clear. And she has an incredible, incredible perspective on service and on how to understand the difference between serving others and simply going out to please people. That little section in itself is worth the listen. So I know that listening to this is going to show you the heart of a servant, the heart of a community leader, and the heart of someone who wants to make an impact with their gifts, no matter what it takes or the risks you'll have to incur. So, without any further delay, I'd love for you to listen in to this incredible discussion with the founder of the Born on Purpose Project, Josepha Benjamin.

[00:03:56 - 00:04:00]
Josepha Benjamin, welcome to the God and Gig show. How are you?

[00:04:00 - 00:04:03]
I am doing phenomenal. I couldn't be more excited to be here.

[00:04:03 - 00:04:10]
I am telling you. I know you can't be more excited. I'm more excited. Sorry. I will take that from you. I win the most excited.

[00:04:10 - 00:04:19]
Just kidding. Well, actually, I'm here all the time because this is my space. However, I could be more excited that we're doing this podcast.

[00:04:19 - 00:04:24]
Yes. I do want to kind of put you out there a little bit right away.

[00:04:24 - 00:04:24]
Yes.

[00:04:24 - 00:04:29]
Even though you are the owner of this space, you are the person that founded it and created it.

[00:04:29 - 00:04:29]
Yes.

[00:04:29 - 00:04:41]
You told me earlier that you're not as comfortable always in front of the camera, in front of people. So this is actually a step of faith for you just to do this part.

[00:04:41 - 00:04:55]
It is. It is definitely outside of my comfort zone, believe it or not, even, you know, with all of the. The titles and the positions and my, you know, my previous career, because I am retired, I would prefer. My preference is being in the background.

[00:04:56 - 00:05:10]
Okay, well, we're not gonna let that happen today. The title of the podcast, whatever we call it, is going to have your name in it. So guess what? This is all about you today. But the most important thing, as I mentioned earlier before we turned on the cameras, was we want people to get to know you.

[00:05:10 - 00:05:11]
Yes.

[00:05:11 - 00:05:27]
And then once they know you and understand what you're about, I think they would naturally gravitate to what you can teach them, what you can apply and share with them from as so much you share with this community. I mean, your. Your. Your influence goes beyond, I think, even what you know.

[00:05:27 - 00:05:27]
Wow.

[00:05:28 - 00:05:32]
I mean, because I was hearing about you long before I was able to come into this place and actually meet.

[00:05:32 - 00:05:34]
You, so that's amazing to even hear.

[00:05:34 - 00:05:40]
Yeah, absolutely. So this is the way I usually start my podcast, and this is kind of the awkward part, so I'll try to get out of the way.

[00:05:40 - 00:05:40]
Sure.

[00:05:40 - 00:05:49]
Most people see this, and they'll click on something and they're like, oh, and they see your bio and they read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read. And then they forget 90% of what they read.

[00:05:49 - 00:05:49]
Sure.

[00:05:49 - 00:06:13]
Right. So instead of me going over the bio again, you know, where you were born, all this kind of stuff, I like to ask people, what are the two or three things you would want people to know about you? If they don't get to read the bio, if they don't get to figure out everything, like, what are those two or three things? If someone meets you and you need to know this about who I am, what are those couple of things that you could share just right off the bat if they come off the top of your head.

[00:06:14 - 00:06:37]
Well, who am I? A servant at heart. A servant First. I think my most important role is definitely as a mom. I feel that's a tremendous responsibility that I don't take lightly. So service to the community, service to my family, and I just have a mandate. He's given me a mandate to help others on the journey to their purpose.

[00:06:37 - 00:06:42]
Mm. Okay. So you said one of the key ones. Servant. You said mother. So there's family.

[00:06:42 - 00:06:43]
Yes.

[00:06:43 - 00:06:57]
So that's clearly part of your DNA. Your identity is wrapped up in that. And then you mentioned the purpose and mandate. That's a word that we don't use a lot anymore. But a mandate means something that you don't necessarily had a choice over.

[00:06:57 - 00:06:58]
This is correct.

[00:06:58 - 00:07:17]
Got it. So I do have to ask you, then, there are choices you've made throughout your life. Obviously in your. You mentioned your previous profession that you retired from. So I do want you to go a little bit about that, because that implies a choice. Right. You. Even if it was a mandate or something that, you know, you felt you were being called to, like, you had to choose to. To accept it.

[00:07:17 - 00:07:17]
Yes.

[00:07:17 - 00:07:27]
So tell me a little bit about those first couple of choices you made in your career to move in the direction that you did in law enforcement, stuff like that. Because people might ask, like, okay, why did you choose that?

[00:07:27 - 00:09:10]
Yes, yes. So I actually, 30 years ago, because I just retired after 30 years of service with the Broward Sheriff's Office. I retired as a colonel. I started my career as a dispatcher in 9 1. Initially, I wanted to go to the road, road patrol, but I couldn't swim. But God knows best, right? So I couldn't swim. So I found myself in the communications division, like I said, as a 911 dispatcher. And I honestly say at the time, I didn't identify that that was my purpose or that was my life's calling or that's what I wanted to do. At the time. I just needed a job. I was 23, 24 years old. I had a 2 year old, and I just needed a job. And I found myself at the sheriff's office two years later. After applying and getting hired as a. As a dispatcher, I got certified as a detention deputy. And within a year, I found myself in the boot camp, which was the military training unit at the time, working with offenders that had an option, Right. The judge would give them. I shouldn't say an option, but the judge. Judge would give them another route, a second chance. And I can say that even before I knew what purpose was that, that was that thing that I would do for free. I loved my assignment. I loved being a part of their journey, helping them to get back on track. You know, just listening and identifying with some of their. Their stories and being able to influe them.

[00:09:10 - 00:09:11]
Right.

[00:09:11 - 00:09:20]
And guide them toward, you know, a better way, A better way of living. Yeah. That's when my purpose started to form.

[00:09:20 - 00:09:39]
Wow. Okay. So I've always found this amazing with people who are in that field of law, justice, and having a passion for something where other people look at people, Right. They look at. I don't want to say more than the name. You know, you call them offenders, like, whatever. Like, I don't want to use a label because that's exactly what I feel like you got away from.

[00:09:39 - 00:09:40]
Yes.

[00:09:40 - 00:09:59]
You weren't looking at this as something in society. You were looking at people. And clearly that seemed to, like, spark something in you. So, like, did you see that coming? Was there a spark, like from your childhood? Was there a spark of service that you grew up with? Was or was it just, like, out of nowhere? Like you just realized, oh, my gosh, I love this?

[00:09:59 - 00:10:15]
Yeah, it was really out of nowhere. I didn't. I didn't grow up wanting to, you know, wanting to be in law enforcement or corrections. I Actually thought I was going to be an attorney. My mom thought I, I argued a lot, apparently when I was a little girl.

[00:10:15 - 00:10:16]
You were practicing.

[00:10:16 - 00:10:33]
Right? Right. And maybe I thought I would, you know, go into nursing, you know, follow my mom's footsteps. And, yeah, found myself. I had a relative that was working for the sheriff's office. I was newly relocated from, from New York.

[00:10:33 - 00:10:34]
New York.

[00:10:34 - 00:10:44]
And yeah, applied for, for the position and God placed me. Now, I know I didn't know then at the time, I thought, these are giants.

[00:10:44 - 00:12:01]
What is hindsight is 20 20. That whole thing, you look back and how God took you there. I, I'm, I'm so, again, so inspired. Just because of your spirit and the way you explain things, it's clear that you have had a lot of time or took a lot of time to process, to not just live life right, but to say, okay, this happened. Why did it happen? This happened. What does this mean? Because some people just kind of coast through life and let it happen to them. So it sounds like even as you were like rising through the ranks or figuring out that this was your purpose, that there was always kind of, like you said, like, I don't think you called it purpose, but it feels like there's like a, like an inner thing. You call it the voice of the Holy Spirit, you call it whatever you want, but there's clearly something that was kind of guiding you through this path of discovering what turned out to be your purpose. So have you always heard that voice for some people that are listening? Because we're talking to a lot of people, entrepreneurs, creatives, like all kinds of people all over the spectrum, they might hear that kind of voice. They might say, I love doing this, but it doesn't make any money. I love doing this, but I can't get anybody to fund it. I love this. But. So there are always people that are saying, this sparks something, and then there's the excuse or the not an excuse, the obstacle. So what helped you get past those moments where, you know, some people might question, you know, can you even keep going in this?

[00:12:01 - 00:12:49]
Yeah, I think that we tend to over complicate purpose at its core. It's the thing that God put you on this earth to do, the problem that he put you here to solve. Now, there are times when your purpose may not make the most money. Right. And then you have some decisions to make. If money is a priority, and it could be a season, it could be season. A season where money is a priority. But at its core, the purpose, the, the notion of this Thing that either you feel the most passionate about, it won't leave you.

[00:12:49 - 00:12:50]
Yeah.

[00:12:50 - 00:13:03]
And that's where I believe we over complicate it, because you can go off and make the money, but you won't feel fulfill. So at some point, you're going to have to make the decision, what is my priority?

[00:13:03 - 00:13:03]
Yeah.

[00:13:03 - 00:13:54]
You know what's most important, because we're not. And regardless of where you are in your spiritual. Spiritual journey, we're not here to go to sleep, wake up, go to work, take care of the kids, come back home, rinse and repeat. Yeah, right. So rinse and repeat. That whole, you know, marketing tool that had come out a couple of years ago, you saw it everywhere. You saw it on T shirts, you saw it on coffee mugs. And it's okay for those marketing materials. Okay for the wash cycle. It's not okay for our lives. We should not just be in rinse and repeat mode. Work and repeat, just doing the same thing. We all know we've heard the definition of insanity many times.

[00:13:54 - 00:13:54]
Right?

[00:13:54 - 00:14:04]
Just doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. You will not feel fulfilled if you're not tapping into the thing that you are here for.

[00:14:05 - 00:14:54]
Okay, So I love that you went right for the jugular there. Like, you went for all the people who are like, I mean, no, you did it in a sweet way. But you kind of said, okay, all of y'all just step off, figure it out. This is not the way to live life. Because that's a natural passion you have. Because I think once you realize what, like you said, what you're here for, you start caring less about critics. You start caring less about, oh, well, this person said, I couldn't or whatever. And you're like, yeah, but that is not important. Like, you said the priority one thing. I don't like to go into my own soapbox, but I've heard a lot of people talk about priorities. And just recently I heard a coach talk about this, how the priorities plural is a modern invention. There is only technically one priority, because if it's top, there's no other top. It's not like you can have multiple tops.

[00:14:54 - 00:14:56]
It's like, this is number one.

[00:14:56 - 00:14:59]
Right. So I love how you said, like, this is the priority.

[00:14:59 - 00:14:59]
Yes.

[00:14:59 - 00:15:09]
Anything else? Obviously they fit, right? You got to fit them into your life. But this one thing, you know, I think of Paul, can't help but go to Scripture. This one thing I do, forgetting those things are about like, this one thing.

[00:15:09 - 00:15:10]
Right, right.

[00:15:10 - 00:15:16]
You know, so it's like one thing that Calls you out and makes you feel like you said that I can't say no, that I have to go forward. This.

[00:15:16 - 00:15:21]
Yeah. When you, when you mentioned that we don't use the word mandate.

[00:15:21 - 00:15:23]
Okay, talk about that.

[00:15:23 - 00:15:47]
It's. It's almost as if you, you feel that you don't have a choice. You will okay the scenario with going off to, to make the money. If that's your priority. Right. You will constantly be chasing that feeling or the notion that you. That the money, let's say.

[00:15:47 - 00:15:47]
Yeah.

[00:15:47 - 00:16:02]
Will fulfill you. And that's why we see, you know, folks that they shouldn't have a care in the world because they have all the money in the world, but yet they're still not happy.

[00:16:02 - 00:17:02]
Isn't that interesting that we always end up searching for and acting like we need the next thing instead of saying what we have is the thing. Like I've said that in my life in terms of. My friends are all musicians, as you know, and a lot of them have done amazing things with other artists. And I'm not saying they're not fulfilled. They are fulfilled. Like a lot of them are. They're the reason they're in the God and gigs community because they do care about God. They do focus on family. They don't throw it away for fame and stuff. Right. But my personal choice was to stay as a local musician. Like I toured maybe once, if one, one particular, like travel, you know, twice, maybe in 20. And I know that my priority was my family and that's why I stay put. Because I was not trying to be on anybody's tour bus. It just wasn't for me. And I think that I love what you're saying is that I chased the thing that I knew would keep me and I could chase it, I could catch it and I could keep it. And what you're saying is people are chasing something that they can't even.

[00:17:02 - 00:17:03]
They're constantly chasing.

[00:17:03 - 00:17:06]
Yeah, you're still in the chase, like the hustle or whatever you want to call it.

[00:17:06 - 00:17:17]
Right. And they look up and it's 10, 15, 20, 30 years later and they're still chasing some form of happiness. And for those, you know, again, I'm out of my comfort zone. So the whole.

[00:17:18 - 00:17:19]
You're doing amazing.

[00:17:19 - 00:17:54]
So the, the, you know, just again, just the notion that you're, you know, constantly chasing. Are you going to be fulfilled by what you're chasing? Is the million dollar question. But for, for the audience and those that may be listening, I don't know how the feedback comes in, but I Don't want anyone to hear me say that. That money's not important. You know, it's. It's what we need to, you know, take care of our families and sustain us and so on and so forth. But when you place that as the thing, the goal.

[00:17:54 - 00:17:55]
Right.

[00:17:55 - 00:17:58]
That will make you happy, you're going to be disappointed.

[00:17:58 - 00:18:20]
And see, I love that this is a perfect pivot to. You are serving in a place where you are clearly making a difference. A place where I'm sure, I mean, this is a whole nother podcast where as an African American woman, you're clearly making, like, you know, inroads in power, you know, and gaining not authority. What's. Influence? That's the word I'm looking for. Influence in a place where it is desperately needed. Right.

[00:18:20 - 00:18:21]
Yes.

[00:18:21 - 00:18:44]
Now you come to this next season where, again, it's like, how do you have the courage and the ability to take the risk, to take the mandate to start something like Born on Purpose Project? So first, for those who have no idea what Born on Purpose Project is, you do have to give them the 32nd elevated speech.

[00:18:44 - 00:18:44]
I will.

[00:18:44 - 00:18:49]
And tell them where we are and what you started. But then I want to know, like, what was the mindset of starting it?

[00:18:49 - 00:19:08]
So I answer that first, and I'll tell the people about Born on Purpose. He don't let me sleep anyway. So it's like, if I don't do the thing, that voice and that, that nagging, that nudge, that thing that he wants me to do next. And of course, you have to invite him to order your steps. And by the hymn, I'm meaning Our Heavenly Father.

[00:19:08 - 00:19:09]
Yes.

[00:19:09 - 00:19:32]
You have to invite him to order your steps and, and, you know, full surrender and. And consider him not just Lord, but Lord of your life. So when he says go, you hear it and. And you go. It's not that. It's not scary. It's not that you're, you know, you may not be afraid, but you do it anyway.

[00:19:33 - 00:19:33]
Yeah.

[00:19:34 - 00:19:36]
And you sit back and you watch him. You watch him work.

[00:19:36 - 00:19:48]
See, and that. That confidence right there is what I'm talking about because. And now I want you to talk about what the actual project was. That kind of got Cause again, like, we're talking about being. Having a mandate. We talk about, like, finding that spark of doing it anyway.

[00:19:49 - 00:19:49]
Yes.

[00:19:49 - 00:19:56]
But I always like to get to the, to the practical, too, because doing it anyway means doing it and having to figure out how to do it.

[00:19:56 - 00:19:57]
Yeah. It's work.

[00:19:57 - 00:20:02]
So talk a little bit about, like, what that actual process Was like stepping in and saying, okay, I'm going to start this.

[00:20:02 - 00:20:11]
So if I didn't mention it, the Born on Purpose Project is the actual nonprofit. It's a 9,501C3.

[00:20:11 - 00:20:11]
Okay.

[00:20:12 - 00:21:34]
Started on paper in 2014. So he gave me the vision back in 2014. I went ahead and registered the OR the corporation. I applied and was approved for the 501C3. I set everything up on paper. We were good to go. The only problem was that BSO kept me just a little busy so I couldn't, you know, I did things here and there, but I never fully focused on the mission of the Born on Purpose Project, which is to guide others on the journey to discover their own God given purpose. So that is our mission and we do so through mentorship, community engagement workshops, trainings, this headquarters, so on and so forth. So having it on paper since 2014 and always wanting to get to the, the, the actual mission and you know, the impact, the community impact you. As you can imagine, now being fully retired, I can fully focus on it. Right. So I retired in January of 24, in July of 24. Right. Got the key. Got the key to the headquarters.

[00:21:34 - 00:21:35]
Wow.

[00:21:35 - 00:21:36]
Yeah, wow.

[00:21:36 - 00:21:47]
So seven months and what did that feel like to go from again, a passion, a purpose. And here's where I'm really okay again. Forgive me, because ADD clicks in.

[00:21:47 - 00:21:48]
You saw the Add Go lunch.

[00:21:49 - 00:22:20]
Like six different things popped up in my head at the same time. Like, which one do I catch? So I have had a lot of conversations on the God and Gig show and my community knows this, that we oftentimes talk about how that word calling can be a little bit tricky. So you go from this calling of doing one thing and then like you said, you had the vision back in 2014, but then you actually start to step into it in this season. I kind of want to get into the weeds a little bit about your identity.

[00:22:20 - 00:22:21]
Okay.

[00:22:21 - 00:22:52]
In terms of what you said at the beginning, your servant, your mom, you have a mandate when you're stepping into this new project, does it actually affect the way you see yourself before you get the keys? Because that's where I think a lot of people are. They're at that point where they're like, I'm stepping into this new thing, but it hasn't happened yet. So am I. You see what I'm saying? So I'm just curious about that transition period. Was there a transition period for you? Were you kind of, or were you strong? All, all the way confident? This is what God called me to do. However long it takes, I'm going to stick with it.

[00:22:52 - 00:22:55]
So make sure I answer the question correctly.

[00:22:55 - 00:22:55]
Yeah.

[00:22:55 - 00:23:04]
The transition was relatively easy. And the step that I missed, the part that I did not mention until now. Clarify, you know, clarify. Until now.

[00:23:04 - 00:23:05]
Sure.

[00:23:05 - 00:23:12]
Is that although I was focused on my assignment.

[00:23:12 - 00:23:13]
Yeah.

[00:23:13 - 00:23:26]
At the Sheriff's Office, regardless of what level I was on. Right. I considered all of it my assignment, my training ground. Although I was focused on bso, on the Broward Sheriff's Office, I was still serving in the community.

[00:23:26 - 00:23:27]
Okay.

[00:23:27 - 00:23:47]
Right. So I would have my. And it was such a blessing because I was able to serve in the community representing my agency that I loved. Right. Representing the agency, representing law enforcement, corrections in uniform. But I was still serving.

[00:23:48 - 00:23:48]
Got it.

[00:23:48 - 00:23:50]
So I was able. It was a win. Win.

[00:23:50 - 00:23:50]
Yeah.

[00:23:50 - 00:24:07]
You know, representing my agency and still being a servant in the community. So being retired, I'm now representing the Born on Purpose project. So the transition wasn't that difficult as far as serving.

[00:24:07 - 00:24:08]
Got it.

[00:24:08 - 00:24:12]
You know, and as far as being in the community, I love that. What was difficult.

[00:24:12 - 00:24:13]
Okay. All right.

[00:24:13 - 00:24:14]
Was difficult.

[00:24:14 - 00:24:15]
You're ready.

[00:24:15 - 00:24:30]
I had no experience in events, event planning, ownership of a business, of a headquarters. I had zero, zero experience.

[00:24:30 - 00:24:35]
So the identity as a servant. No problem. The identity as a business owner.

[00:24:35 - 00:24:36]
That.

[00:24:36 - 00:24:52]
Got it. This is what I was trying to get. Thank you for helping clarify that. Because literally, what I was talking about, because there's so many nuances that we really can't get into until you kind of just sit down and like, exactly why this medium is so important to me. Because these conversations bring things that I've struggled with. And I was like, that's right. Like musician.

[00:24:52 - 00:24:53]
Check.

[00:24:53 - 00:25:30]
Servant, minister, check. Running a creative project. And like, not my. Didn't go to school for that. Right. So that's exactly what I wanted to ask you. Because obviously God equips you. Right. Equips to what? We say. He doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies to call. But, like, actually looking at that, like, yeah, you've had to learn by doing, by creating this space, by actually buying things and doing things. And so just talk a little bit about that. That process of, like, okay, you opened a space and you'd never done this before. So what were some of the low points and high points that, like, you saw when you were doing it?

[00:25:30 - 00:25:32]
I learned something on Saturday.

[00:25:32 - 00:25:33]
Okay. All right.

[00:25:33 - 00:25:34]
As we're recording.

[00:25:34 - 00:25:36]
All right, this is News Flash.

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I'm still learning. I'm still learning. But I literally. I knew this is. This is the. The the confirmation.

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Okay.

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Right. This is the. The, you know that you're called to do a thing again because he won't let you sleep about it anyway. Okay, right.

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Yeah.

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So not having any experience on ownership, on a space, I knew what I needed, what I want, what he wanted me to do in the direction that he was ordering my steps is I needed a place, a safe space for the community to bring families together, to help others on their journey. I knew I needed a building.

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Yeah.

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A safe space. A place, a brick and mortar. I didn't know where it was going to be. I did feel called to Lauderdale Lakes, Lauder Hill. Right, Right. I lived in. I guess having the mic in front of you just start talking. Right.

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We talked about this isn't a wonderful thing, though. You're a safe place right now.

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Yes, for sure. So a few years ago, I bought a home in. In Palm beach, preparing for retirement.

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Right.

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That's what I was gonna do. That's what people do. You get settled in the area. You get settled in the area where you're going to be. Right, right. Well, God had different plans, so he called me back down to Broward. So I sold my home and moved back down because I was serving here anyway.

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Yeah.

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And. And the commute, it wasn't making common sense. So I relocated back down to Broward and started getting plugged in again in preparation for. For retirement. Started getting plugged in with different organizations. I happen to be serving on the board of Childnet, and three months after retirement, was asked to be the board chair. So this. This is. These are the things that happen when you just say yes. Right. Just starts lining things up.

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Absolutely.

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So retirement happens. And I mentioned to a friend of mine my desire to create this safe space. And he says to me, I know a plaza that has a sign and has had the sign on the window for a good while. I said, really? I said, okay, let's go check it out. So we check it out. We call the number, and I'm thinking to myself, there is no way, as huge as this place is, that I'm going to be able to. To afford it. But, Lord, let's go.

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Yeah. Say yes.

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Yeah. So we call the landlord, and he shows me around, and I'm still thinking. Right. I'm doing. I'm. I'm following the steps. But in my mind, if I could just be transparent, I'm thinking, there's no way. Long story short, the place has. Was empty for a little. For. For a good little while. The owner was anxious to make a deal and we made a deal, and I just looked up and I just said, thank you, Lord. Like, is this really happening? So I had to. So I went to the city and collected the packet. Because you. You have to take the steps.

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Exactly. That this is. No, you're. You're literally. You're doing. You're helping me and you're helping so many people right now who are saying the. Okay, here's the impossible thing. And they can't get from A to Z, even by faith, because they can't get the faith from A to B.

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Right.

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Like, I'm being real. I'm being real. Like that first step, like you said, call the landlord, do the thing. And it's like, if I can get the faith to go there.

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Right.

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Ain't no way I'm gonna get the faith to.

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Exactly.

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Yeah.

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So I go to the city, had never filled out a. Wasn't sure what zoning application. And this. I just asked. And you know, you Google and you ask questions and. And you find other people that may have experience with, you know, business ownership. And you. You cannot be afraid to ask the questions. And when you do certain steps, you realize it's not even as intimidating as you thought. But you have to take those first steps, and you have to be okay with failing.

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Mm.

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You have to be okay with failing.

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I'm so glad you said it. Cause I was like, I always feel like I'm in the seat of the listener and saying. And asking the question that nobody wants to ask.

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Right.

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Which is, what if it fails?

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I mean, we're here a few months now, and business is good. Right. But we still. It's a journey. It's a process.

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Yeah.

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And you have to be. Put it this way, at the end of the day, with Kingdom business, do it with excellence. There's not anyone that walks through the doors of the Born On Purpose headquarters that I personally do not. Make them feel that they. They belong, that they're home. And even. Even if they are on a tour for a potential event, training workshop, or whatever the case may be, even if they decide to go elsewhere for whatever reason I would have made establish some type of relationship.

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Yeah. Oh, see, now that's the Bible talks about, he who would be once a friend must be first be found friendly. Right. Like, to me, that whole establishment of this. This place being. You are more about serving than being served. You're more about giving than receiving.

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Right.

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So if that is the mentality from the get go, I mean, I'm just gonna go ahead and say it because we're here, and we're people of faith. Like, I don't think God allows that to fail. I just don't, I just don't think God says to someone who's a giver and says, yeah, you're gonna watch this fall apart because you're giving too much.

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No such thing.

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So I just want to quickly go to this because it immediately popped up in my head as you were saying it. You're establishing a place, you're establishing the culture of it, and there's clearly something in your, Again, I keep saying DNA, but it's really in your spirit, right, that God put in your spirit that says it is so important to you to see people blessed. Now, some people look for blessings, right? But I don't know if it's in, I don't know if you have it like, in a, in a, in a, in a book yet. I don't know if it's going to become like, you know, like, your TED Talk or whatever, but there's something in it. Like, do you have, like, a list in your head of, like, no matter what? Like, I want to serve people no matter what I want. Like, if there was, like, a mission statement, like, on the wall.

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Yes.

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Like, I feel like there is one. I don't know where, but is that what it, like, is that one of the ones that, like, you would lead with, like, serving?

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Yeah, I'm, I'm wired to serve. I'm wired to serve. I posted something on, on Facebook a little bit ago on social media, I believe was Facebook. I was on an interview at SFL 39.

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Okay.

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Yeah, that Wednesday, I think it was, and Thursday I was prepping for an event, and I didn't have the help that I usually have, and I was cleaning and mopping and so on and so forth, and I posted the mop bucket.

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All right now.

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And I said, young people, pay attention. You're on television one day and you're mopping up the next. Be humble. Be humble. Be a servant. Be about kingdom business. Be about your father's business. And like you said, how do you fail? How do you feel?

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That's so powerful.

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So, yeah, serving, that's my joy. I, I, I don't know how else to put it. I just, I love, I love serving others. And people sometimes get it confused with people pleasing. Huge difference.

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Okay. Wow. Okay, you're gonna, I'm sorry, we're gonna have to link in this podcast. We're gonna have to link in this podcast now because you cannot hit that.

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Okay.

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And not like Go into, like, let's. We have to unpack that.

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Okay.

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Because I'm talking again, we're talking to people who, by nature, I'll put myself on the chopping block first as a musician, as a creative, as someone that has to perform or minister. And I know it sounds weird to put those both in the same, but to serve people, you've sometimes served people by performing. I can minister to people by performing.

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Right.

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So whether I'm ministering, performing, whatever you want to call it, I'm literally doing everything I can to make them happy. Like, that's why I'm there. Right. Whether it's to sing, Praise God, whatever. The audience of one. But I'm also hoping you sing back. Like, I don't want to sing to people looking at me crazy.

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Right.

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So there's all this. So at the same time, there's part of me that's like, I just want to do this for me or for God, but I don't want to be. So, like you said, kind of stuck on what their opinion is and making them happy.

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Right.

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So how do you balance that? Because that is a huge thing you just said. Between people pleasing and serving, but not getting the two confused.

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Right. You could. You could serve someone or you can be. Because I see people, not only my relationship, how I relate to them, but also how they relate to me.

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Okay.

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As. As an assignment, there's nothing arbitrary about us connecting. There's nothing arbitrary about who walks through the doors of the Born on Purpose headquarters. Nothing arbitrary. It's all by God's divine design. So there are folks that I'm assigned to, and there are folks that's. That I'm their assignment and vice versa.

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Yeah.

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Makes sense.

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Yeah.

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So you can be in position to serve someone, but it doesn't mean that they always get a yes because you may have to serve them. It could be. It could be a friendly relationship. But you, you, you. You can still serve them and be honest with them. They may not be pleased by your. By your honesty, but it's coming from a place of love. But you're not just going to be a yes person.

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Yeah.

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Oh, just pleasing and pleasing and pleasing. But you can still serve them.

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You're setting some people free right now. Like, literally, I felt like that. This, that I just like, okay, that is a mind shift, a perspective shift. And again, that's what God kind of put in you. Where, like I said, you said, and I was teasing you, but you say it with authority. It's not the authority of trying to beat Someone over the head. It's the authority of truth. You just say it and you let the truth sit where it is, and then you can pick it up or you can, like, leave it. But what you said is so true, that saying. Yeah. I mean, literally, I was like, okay, Jesus went in to a temple and where he's serving, and his way of serving was. Was. Was tearing up the place because he's like, you're doing it wrong.

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Right.

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I am doing you a favor. I am blessing you by eliminating some things. You know, and so many times God does that in our lives where he takes things away. And it's like we're saying, no, God, that's a punishment. It's like, no, I'm actually helping you. So for you to be in a position again of a leader, of a servant and have that kind of. Yeah, I. I could go into this forever again because just. I think I got. I'll say this part. And now we gotta. Because I could love. I would love to stick on this. It clearly says something about you. I don't know if it was something that you had to learn to be able to say that or whether you went through some stuff. You know what I mean? Or whatever, but to be able to say that takes a lot of emotional maturity. I'm just gonna say it.

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Yeah. Because I was. I was once a people pleaser.

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Okay.

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And it's exhausting. It's exhausting because you would. What's the saying? You give someone an inch and they'll. They'll take them out. They won't be happy. Yeah, they won't be happy. So, yeah, you definitely. Maturity. You go through things, you learn. You know, I said the other day, you know, the. The travesty in going through life's journey is not learning from the lessons and the mistakes. You're destined to keep repeating them if you don't.

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Right, right.

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If you don't learn from the test, you'll just continue to be tested by the same thing.

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By the same thing.

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Right, Right.

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Yeah. If you don't take the lesson, and then the lesson usually either comes in circumstance or a person.

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Right, right.

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And the person, a lot of times are people, like you said, who don't tell. Who tell you the truth, and you don't want to hear it, so you go on. And then the circumstance comes along and tries to teach you the same lesson that the person tried to tell you. And now you're not like, why did I have to learn from the circumstance?

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Because you didn't listen to the person. Exactly.

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You know, God sent you a person and then said, okay, oh, no person. Not going to work. I'll send you a whale. Like, how's that going to work? All right.

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Exactly.

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So, I'm sorry, Jonah, step up. Right? So I love this because, again, this. This is why I think even as we talk, I love people left behind. The. Because even as we're talking about what to talk about, you have so many things in your background, in the way you're serving people. You're literally talking about service. And yet what's more impactful are the things that just come out of you, out of your spirit, out of your experience as you serve. So it's not like you gotta have, like, the book, right. 10 Steps to a Better Life. 10 Steps to Being born on. Being born on purpose. You just live it.

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That's it.

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And exhibit it. And then as people follow you, as you follow Christ, it's like, oh, I see that service is important. I see that this is important. Oh, I see that serving God is important. I see this, I see that, I see that, I see that. And all of a sudden, they have a pathway.

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Yes.

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Because they're following, but they're not following you because you said it. They're following you because you're living it. Living it.

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Yeah. It is so important for me to be an example and. And for those of us that intend to, you know, impact the community and. And walk in our purpose, we have to be an example. You cannot. You have to earn the trust.

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Yeah.

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Of those that. That you're assigned to. And it can't just be verbal and with words, and it certainly can. Cannot be inauthentic where you are. Is that a word? Yeah. Where. Put it this way. You can. You can present a certain way, and behind closed doors, you're a different person. You're not. There's no deliverance. You're not. You can do it. You can get away with it. Don't get me wrong for a while. Right?

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You can get away with it.

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You can get away with it, but there's no. You're not. You're not impacting anyone. So what. What are you. What are you really doing?

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Yeah, who's winning? Right? You think you're winning, but you're not. And definitely not the people in your life. Man, this is so good. I. Okay, so we're gonna have to do a part two. Y'all that are watching and listening. This is clearly not the last time you're going to hear from Josepha. From the. Just the wealth of knowledge you have, like, I hope you eventually will go ahead and start the Born on Purpose podcast. Go ahead and let me know whenever you're ready because we will be right here. And you will be hosting.

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Only if you lead it. Only if you.

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Well, I will be. Okay. I'm honored to be a part. Yes. If you let me in, I will fix the mic, I will do the cables, whatever you need. But the reason is, and I say this sincerely, I say this sincerely because a lot of times I do what I do, and I realize that I, without realizing it, was also walking out my purpose. I did it so many times by. Again, it sounds like happenstance or coincidence. And like you said, you look back and you're like, oh, no, God was preparing me. God was leading me. God was even my favorite theme scripture. And this will be the only time I throw my own little thing in here. My theme scripture is 25 Psalm 25:10. All the paths of the Lord are full of mercy and truth to such that keep his commandments. Key word paths. All the paths plural.

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How is that possible?

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Well, it's because of what you said. Because at every turn, you didn't know it was purpose, but God was leading you. So I do want you to say this last little piece to anyone who is struggling to believe that they were born on purpose, that they are seeing all these little twists and turns of their life. Taking this job because you need the money, right? Seeing the promotion, but not being sure, you know, seeing God call you to this, even though it makes no sense because you already were planning to retire up here so they could be at the beginning of their life or the midlife or whatever section of life, but just what would you share to someone now that you know what you know, what would you share with someone who is at one of those crossroads that you just went through?

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You first have to. You have to reconcile that you're here for a reason. And once you identify that, yes, you have a purpose and you. You start pursuing what that purpose is, it's. It's. It's a game changer, right? And I know that doesn't really. And I'll just, you know, that doesn't really answer because even after I said that, they still may be someone out there saying, well, I don't. I don't know. I don't know what my purpose is. And, you know, and they're still not. They're still not sure. It's just that reconciliation. That. Yes, that. Yes. Just trust me. You are here for a reason. The life's Your life circumstances, there's no coincidence. And if they take a moment just to look back, like if you, if you still have breath, you still have an opportunity, there's still something for you to do. There's a reason that you're here. So just, you know, let that, that resonate that it's not just about the rinse and repeat and the daily routine. You're bigger than that. There's a reason that you're here. Let that resonate with you and then start pursuing. Don't overcomplicate it. Not everyone is called to be the pastor, the CEO, not every right where you are. You can be impactful. So that, that voice, that, that thing that, that nags you, that you may not even want to share with anyone because you think, ah, it's too small, you know, that's insignificant. Or quite the contrary, you may think that's huge, it's too big, right? Just take those steps. Take step by step. Might be scared. Do it anyway. You may not have the resources. Start anyway. You may not be in your mind, educated enough. Do it anyway, experienced enough. Do it anyway. And watch him provide.

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Okay, that was a mic drop right there. If you, if you're not, if you're new to the game, that's what we call a mic drop. Okay. This was such a blessing saying I am honored again to be in this space. I'm so glad that we got to perform in this space that you have opened, had open arms, you exhibited again. All you're saying, I've already experienced as a client, as a community member, as someone who really believes in this project. Because I know that God and Giggs was born on purpose, was created on purpose, that we were created on a purpose. And so now that we're connecting with you, I know that the half has not been told. Thank you so much and hopefully my pleasure. Not the last time, no. Being on the guiding gig show, not at all.

[00:46:23 - 00:46:25]
My pleasure. Truly.

[00:46:31 - 00:48:53]
My friend, I know you were tremendously blessed by that interview, just like I was. Because now you've heard an example of someone who has walked out, living in their purpose. And it wasn't based on some audible voice from God, some big thunderous angel that came and gave her all of the blueprint and all of the path. It was really just her following that still small voice. And now she has an entire project that's based on helping other people like us to find our purpose and to walk in it. I am so grateful that I get to partner with Josepha and so many other things that are going to be coming in the next few months and years, including a podcaster meetup that you can check right here in the Show Notes. If you're listening at the time of recording, you can go and check that out. And I would love to meet more podcasters in our South Florida area right there at the Born on Purpose headquarters. But even if you do not live in South Florida, I know that this type of project will impact you, and connecting with Josepha with all of her social media links that you'll find in the Show Notes will help you to do just that. Also remember that we're talking about Purpose on youversion, that our new Bible reading plan, the Creator's Purpose a Model for Creative Work, is now available for all of you to listen to. You can use it as an audio Guide because the YouVersion app does allow you to play an audio version of the devotional, so it's super cool. You can actually do this in your car or wherever you are, or you can read along with us, but just find it by going to Godingigs.compurpose Godingigs.compurpose will take you to the Bible app and to that plan so you can check it out whenever you would like to get this five day plan on understanding God's creative purpose and how that will help you discover yours. Well my friend, that's been all the episode we can give for you today, but I hope you've been tremendously blessed and inspired to walk into your calling. So until next time, continue to become the creative that you were created to be. God bless you and we'll see you next.