The objective of these lessons is to help change the culture of nations to understand that God wants prosperity for all. By Gary Shotton #000387

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New Culture

By Gary Shotton

Hello I’m Gary Shotton and today I’m going to talk about new culture, you know my dad was an amazing man and I look back in my life and thank GOD for the involvement and the ability to look back on his life. I see some things now that I’m older more than his age, when he passed that he did that were just very educational to me. And one of those things was when I was in my senior year of high school we had lived for all of our life in southeastern Colorado. But dad took a leap of faith or a calculated risk and decided he would go back to his home area in Kansas and be a part owner in a feedlot, that’s cattle feeding facility we were in the cattle business. Dad knew that from one part but this would be a commercial feedlot and i don’t know all the details but this was a huge culture change for dad because that had been looking back on it that had been a one-man show had been his own boss not reporting to anybody no committees no huge process deciding.

 He decided to go back and I think was with his brothers or a team to be part owners in this large feedlot, well again I don’t know all the details but it didn’t work out so in about 18 months later he did not give up the farm. We had boys and young men continued to farm there when dad went back and gave a lot of trust in us, but the point is his culture didn’t fit there I can kind of see why because he was a a loan shark. He was one to make decisions not by committee you know we’ve all had culture changes I mean in our lives, we first day of school was a change from being with mom and dad and then we’re are in school. That’s a huge change then depending on how we were raised and whether or not we were a close family or not each time we moved from junior high to high school and high school to college you know those are changes well my next first big change though was when i took my first job a culture change for being basically working for my dad going to college.

I felt comfortable there and my wife and I moved to Wyoming a state in the far north where it’s cold man. I had my first job was that a shock the point I’m making is I had to make an adjustment to the culture so the culture we live in has a big part to play and frankly our objective in all these lessons and all what we’re doing is to change the culture of developing nations to change the way they think to look differently at the way they think and adapt not to the new world. Not the American way but GOD’s way of thinking about how life works and how finances work, you know this whole process comes from a thought pattern that many people are in developing nations believe that GOD wants us poor. Wants us to lack that that’s somehow pleasing to GOD that’s somehow honoring GOD because, we’re so humble that we don’t have any money now. That’s the farthest from the truth if you look at the bible there’s no way you can come to that conclusion unless somebody teaches you that the bible does not talk that way.

It talks about Abraham and being wealthy it talks about every man of GOD every person of GOD every nation of GOD that followed GOD was prosperous so this is false teaching but that’s what we’re trying to overcome in many ways that GOD is not a GOD that wants us to be poor. And barely get along he wants us to have finances he wants us to have enough money for us to enjoy life and to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ you know i was told that almost 50 percent of all people in the earth live on five dollars and fifty cents a day or less. That’s not a very much money so we have a long way to go when we talk about living a peaceful comfortable life, like we kind of known here in the united states it’ll never be like here but we all that are we it could be like that but it’s a long jump. Because we could spend 5.50 on one large cup of coffee and so we’re talking about changing the way people think and how the things work and you know we’re not talking about little bitty things you know you go to a developing nation.

Almost always they’re like three hours late for some appointments they don’t call ahead we’re trying to guide our mentors to don’t be discouraged but help them hold to a new line of new business. That when you say your time is going to be a time but that’s not what I’m talking about I’m not talking about the little things, I’m talking about some things that I think I see in the ability I’ve been able to travel some 35 nations on in my lifetime. And in most cases out not staying at the holiday inn at the at the airport but in with the people and see how people work and how people think that’s what I want to do when I travel so there’s three major things that I believe. I have seen that’s fairly consistent with poor mentality the thinking that we’re going to be poor and one of those and all of these are parts that we encourage our mentors to understand. Because our culture is different than the culture that we’re talking about and a lot of our mentors have not been in these developing nations

We’re working mostly in east Africa and Congo well I’ve been in the continent of Africa at least 12 or 15 times and I’ve been in at least 20 different countries 10 or 12 reports it’d have to count them up countries of Africa. Obviously, some repeatedly i don’t go every week every month but I’ve been there a number of times and i see this culture and here’s the three things i see we ask our ministers when they’re taking and talking to a group we have them form in groups of up to 10 or 12 people. We say it’s like Jesus had his 12 apostles so you have a home sell group or family group or church group or school group and kind of cap it at 10 or 12 so that you can have a discussion and work through the issues of business as a group that’s where you’re going to get the most learned. So when we have our Americans call into those groups on occasions we say don’t take control don’t take over it’s natural for an American.

In our culture especially, the type a’s the leader personalities to see a problem and take over well that’s not going to help this group whoever’s the leader needs to be in control and we’re there to help them. You see in most countries around the world the number one objective is to get a job especially get a job within on a government or organization called an NGO. And then once you have that job never ever think about leaving that job, well some people are called to be administrators and technicians but we’re looking for those people that are called to be entrepreneurs. And to be business people and so we want to find those people and yet when we’re in these groups let’s let them develop their skills to lead the group number two don’t hesitate to share your mistakes and failures you see when you hear someone else talking. All they talk about is how this went well there’s some opportunity to share the goodness of GOD. But sometimes we just totally forget to talk about the failures and the near mistakes and the disasters and the heartache the things that cause us to be upset and not sleep overnight man if you own any business of any size you’re going to have some heartache and you’re going to have any some difficulties. Even if you’re running your household so share those things because most people are afraid in these developing nations of ever making a mistake. They’ve never heard of anybody that’s successful they’ve never heard of their mistakes so they they’ve got to get over overcome that they launch out there at certain times with enough preparation. But don’t be afraid to make a mistake if you never try you’ll never succeed you’ll never make any ground so number three don’t send money. We tell our guys gosh i know this is hard but because you see your 200 is just like man it’s so easy to send 200 because i see that they’re hungry well when you get five dollars and fifty cents a day just do the math.   You know in 30 days that’s you know that 200 is well a full month salary for many people so you’re throwing things out of whack out of the natural and we’re accidentally having a culture feeding the culture that we’re looking for someone to send us money someone please send me money and we’re seeing some marvelous entrepreneurs. That aren’t waiting for money and GOD’s stepping in there and just helping them and showing them, they take a little step and GOD takes a big step in their direction. They have a little faith and GOD responds to it just like in the bible so we have ways to support people through maybe helping with a little internet service or helping with the buying a part of a telephone or something that’s technical some equipment but by and large we’re not the financial source. We’re here to teach these people how GOD wants to bless them.

Spot on head on from GOD to them nobody else involved and once they learn the laws of GOD’s way of doing business, they’re on their way to have financial success. You know the first level for most these people is to have enough money to meet their household budget, we call that a lifestyle business and out of that group there will be a few that will come on and it’s not a higher calling. It’s just they’re called differently to employ people the reason we have 40 unemployment in these developing nations is because there’s not an entrepreneur. That will hear GOD and take on the responsibilities that they’re called to and employ people i think that’s part of it well. At some point we’ve got to do something different at some point we’re ready to do something a different and we’re here to do that thanks for being a part of Inspiring Better Business.