In this episode of "What's The Story?", we get into how faith influences every aspect of our lives with our guest, Benjie Craig. Join us as Benjie shares his personal journey of integrating faith with business, community, and family.
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Matt Edmundson:very special guest for today.
Sadaf Beynon:Hi and welcome back to What's the Story Podcast.
Sadaf Beynon:I'm your host Sadaf Beynon and today we have a very special guest,
Sadaf Beynon:Benjie Craig, a husband, dad, church leader, and business owner whose
Sadaf Beynon:story we're going to get into today.
Sadaf Beynon:Benjie, thanks for taking the time to be here with us and
Sadaf Beynon:a huge welcome to the show.
Benjie Craig:Thanks for having me on.
Sadaf Beynon:Oh it's our pleasure.
Sadaf Beynon:So actually I should say this Benjie and I know each other from our high school days.
Sadaf Beynon:And so this is quite fun reconnecting after all these years.
Benjie Craig:Yeah.
Benjie Craig:It's crazy to be able to say we met like a quarter century ago.
Benjie Craig:That's
Sadaf Beynon:okay.
Sadaf Beynon:Wow.
Sadaf Beynon:Yes, that is.
Sadaf Beynon:All right you know what, let's just jump in and we'll, I'm sure that story's all
Sadaf Beynon:going to unfold, isn't it, about your high school days and also, all right,
Sadaf Beynon:so Benjie, you have a fascinating story.
Sadaf Beynon:And I'm not going to waste any more time.
Sadaf Beynon:Let's just start with you telling us a bit about your background and how you came
Sadaf Beynon:to know Jesus as your personal savior.
Benjie Craig:Yeah, sure.
Benjie Craig:I was born in Switzerland.
Benjie Craig:And from there we moved to Pakistan when I was 13 months old, where my
Benjie Craig:parents worked with Afghan refugees.
Benjie Craig:So I grew up in Pakistan and then ended up going to boarding
Benjie Craig:school, which is where I met you.
Benjie Craig:And then from there moved to the States for college and have
Benjie Craig:been in the States ever since.
Benjie Craig:But growing up.
Benjie Craig:My family came from a Christian background and so early on I was taught about Jesus
Benjie Craig:and really I would say it was my senior year of high school that was where I felt
Benjie Craig:growing up around a bunch of people who were just doing amazing things for God.
Benjie Craig:But I'm going like okay, Maybe when I grow up, God's going to use me and he'll
Benjie Craig:have a use for me and stuff like that.
Benjie Craig:And then really my senior year was where I realized okay, God
Benjie Craig:wants a relationship with me.
Benjie Craig:It's not just like he can use me for things.
Benjie Craig:And that's where I really started leaning in.
Benjie Craig:And then I got baptized When I was 18 in Pakistan and then moved to the States.
Benjie Craig:So that's early on how I came to know Jesus.
Benjie Craig:And then it's been a real faith journey.
Benjie Craig:Ever since of just following God, one of the things I thought growing up and early
Benjie Craig:on was that I'd be working overseas doing development work or something like that.
Benjie Craig:And one of the biggest fears that I had was raising support.
Benjie Craig:But then going through things, I ended up starting a business.
Benjie Craig:And the thing about starting a business is you're pretty much
Benjie Craig:raising support every day, right?
Benjie Craig:You're selling, you're trying to bring work in.
Benjie Craig:And so it's been a thing of really learning how to trust God every day and
Benjie Craig:seeing how he provides and early on in the business, it was one of these things where
Benjie Craig:the one week I'd be like really stressed out because I'm like, I don't know how,
Benjie Craig:I don't have enough work for the guys.
Benjie Craig:And then the next week I'd be so stressed out because I'm
Benjie Craig:like, I've got too much work.
Benjie Craig:I don't have enough guys to do this.
Benjie Craig:And I was just watching this going this is not going to be healthy for me.
Benjie Craig:And I had to go, okay.
Benjie Craig:God, I'm going to give the pieces I can't control to you and it's been quite a
Benjie Craig:journey just continually going okay, God, I'm going to trust you with these pieces.
Benjie Craig:There's pieces that I can do and I need to do, but ultimately
Benjie Craig:you're the one who provides.
Sadaf Beynon:Oh, that's cool.
Sadaf Beynon:Thank you.
Sadaf Beynon:So I want to take what you were saying earlier about high school and you got
Sadaf Beynon:baptized and you were talking about how you came to the realization that God
Sadaf Beynon:actually wanted a relationship with you.
Sadaf Beynon:He didn't just want to use you one day when you were old enough to
Sadaf Beynon:go do something for his kingdom.
Sadaf Beynon:And I, from the way you were talking, I'm thinking more like
Sadaf Beynon:a missionary capacity like maybe your parents were, is that right?
Benjie Craig:Yeah, so my parents were Christian relief and development
Benjie Craig:workers working with Afghan refugees.
Benjie Craig:There was like there's 3 million Afghan refugees that moved into
Benjie Craig:Pakistan when the Russians invaded.
Benjie Craig:And so they were doing a lot of community development work there.
Benjie Craig:And then later on they moved into Afghanistan and were
Benjie Craig:doing work there as well.
Benjie Craig:And so growing up, I saw myself
Benjie Craig:doing something in Afghanistan as well.
Benjie Craig:Just helping do things there.
Benjie Craig:That's the picture that I had for myself at that point.
Sadaf Beynon:And raising support, the part that freaked you out, was that
Sadaf Beynon:having watched your parents and other missionaries have to go through that?
Benjie Craig:Yeah.
Benjie Craig:It wasn't necessarily something that I ever saw my parents stressed out about.
Benjie Craig:There's stuff like that, but I just remember.
Benjie Craig:Coming back to the States and going from multiple churches every week and
Benjie Craig:talking, sharing about what was happening and raising funds and stuff like that.
Benjie Craig:And it's just that was one of the things that stuck out to me.
Benjie Craig:I really enjoyed hanging out at the different places and stuff like that,
Benjie Craig:but it just that, I guess there was that trust piece that I had to give
Benjie Craig:up, I wanted control of that, right?
Benjie Craig:Yeah.
Benjie Craig:And so that's something that even today we're at a place right now
Benjie Craig:where things are pretty slow.
Benjie Craig:And I even ended up going on vacation while things were pretty slow.
Benjie Craig:And it was one of those things where I just had to be like, okay, God I'm
Benjie Craig:going to do the pieces that I feel are.
Benjie Craig:are next of what I have to do.
Benjie Craig:And I'm gonna trust you for the provisions.
Sadaf Beynon:Yeah.
Sadaf Beynon:Yeah, no that's cool.
Sadaf Beynon:And like you were saying, it's that piece about learning to trust the
Sadaf Beynon:Lord and let Him take the control.
Sadaf Beynon:That's a thread then, isn't it?
Sadaf Beynon:That gets weaved in and out of your life.
Sadaf Beynon:Yeah that's great.
Sadaf Beynon:I want to, again, actually take you back to what you were saying about
Sadaf Beynon:being in high school and being baptized was, did you face any particular
Sadaf Beynon:challenges that kind of led you to lean further into the Lord and into
Sadaf Beynon:your faith that led you to then maybe take the step of being baptized?
Benjie Craig:Yes.
Benjie Craig:Junior year of high school, which would be 11th grade.
Benjie Craig:I was, I got a call one day, this is Our school ended early July and
Benjie Craig:started like beginning of August and in May, so it's like getting close to
Benjie Craig:the end of the school year, I get a call from my mom, we're in a boarding
Benjie Craig:school, and so she calls me and says, Hey, I need you to come home for the
Benjie Craig:weekend and pack up all your stuff.
Benjie Craig:And I'm like, what's going on?
Benjie Craig:And she says we're shipping a bunch of stuff back to the States.
Benjie Craig:Because our visas did not get renewed.
Benjie Craig:And we don't know what's going on.
Benjie Craig:If we're going to be able to be back here next year or not.
Benjie Craig:And so that was quite a shock, right?
Benjie Craig:And so I flew back and packed up all my stuff at home.
Benjie Craig:All of the things that I felt that I wanted to keep
Benjie Craig:and ship back to the States.
Benjie Craig:And so we did that and then wrapped up my 11th grade and we went to Switzerland for
Benjie Craig:my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary.
Benjie Craig:And there's three or four weeks where I didn't know if I was going
Benjie Craig:back to finish my senior year with all my friends in high school in
Benjie Craig:Pakistan, or if we were moving to the States and completely starting over.
Benjie Craig:And I remember there was one song by Petra called No Doubt, and I
Benjie Craig:just play that over and over again.
Benjie Craig:And there's a part that basically says something along the lines of
Benjie Craig:no doubt, everything's going to work out, God's going to bring
Benjie Craig:everything together for good, right?
Benjie Craig:And I just.
Benjie Craig:Keep listening to that song reminding myself of okay, God's gonna make this
Benjie Craig:work out, whichever way it goes I really wanted to finish out my time in Pakistan
Benjie Craig:at high school with all my friends and stuff like that And then I think it was
Benjie Craig:like two days after school started so school had actually started I'm just
Benjie Craig:sitting there like I'm missing it.
Benjie Craig:This isn't gonna work out.
Benjie Craig:Then we got a notification from the Pakistani embassy in
Benjie Craig:Switzerland that they had our visas.
Benjie Craig:So went there, got them and I was on the next plane to Pakistan and
Benjie Craig:it was just so amazing to go back.
Benjie Craig:My parents came like a week later with my sister.
Benjie Craig:But that was a real challenge.
Benjie Craig:Early on and then just seeing how God worked that through.
Benjie Craig:So my sister and I got one year student visas, and then they gave my
Benjie Craig:mom a one year visa to be with us.
Benjie Craig:Cause they're like, we can't just have two minors in the country by themselves.
Benjie Craig:And then my dad was able to use tourist visas and stuff.
Benjie Craig:Stuff to come visit and stuff like that,
Sadaf Beynon:wow.
Sadaf Beynon:So great that it all ended so well for you, for all of you, but what
Sadaf Beynon:was it like receiving that call?
Sadaf Beynon:I'd imagine it'd be terrifying and, but how did you feel?
Sadaf Beynon:How did that affect you?
Benjie Craig:I was just so excited.
Benjie Craig:Sorry.
Benjie Craig:It
Benjie Craig:oh, the call.
Sadaf Beynon:Yeah.
Sadaf Beynon:I was not very excited.
Benjie Craig:Yes.
Benjie Craig:Yeah, it was it was weird, because I really didn't have much time to talk
Benjie Craig:to my friends about what was happening.
Benjie Craig:And I had to leave and go back.
Benjie Craig:And I really didn't have anyone.
Benjie Craig:and so it was just a shock because knew I was going to be there for my senior
Benjie Craig:year finishing out the year and it's the academic stuff is wrapping up and you're
Benjie Craig:just having some fun for the end of year stuff and your friends are graduating.
Benjie Craig:So it was quite a shock.
Sadaf Beynon:I can imagine.
Sadaf Beynon:And that senior year is always the one you're looking forward
Sadaf Beynon:to that whole time, aren't you?
Sadaf Beynon:To be able to get to experience it.
Sadaf Beynon:So yeah.
Sadaf Beynon:And I'm glad that you were able to make it back and be able to
Sadaf Beynon:finish in Pakistan like you wanted.
Sadaf Beynon:Benjie, you'd been mentioning earlier about your business and how you've
Sadaf Beynon:how the Lord's was even a part of that journey for you as well.
Sadaf Beynon:Depending on him for the work, depending on him for the workers, and your, the
Sadaf Beynon:fact that you had to trust in him daily.
Sadaf Beynon:And so it's very clear that your personal faith actually extends
Sadaf Beynon:to your workplace as well.
Sadaf Beynon:And in fact, in every aspect of your life.
Sadaf Beynon:Could you share with us how you, how your faith has influenced your
Sadaf Beynon:approach to the way you do business?
Benjie Craig:Yeah, I think I was working in a company before that
Benjie Craig:everything was very reactive in a way.
Benjie Craig:And so there was like a lot of emergencies and we were like fighting
Benjie Craig:our own fires and customers fires.
Benjie Craig:And I just felt I think it could be different and I didn't have the
Benjie Craig:opportunities to be able to change some things in that business.
Benjie Craig:So I decided, okay, I'm going to start out and trtry business myself and what
Benjie Craig:I think the way I think business works, does it work and can we get it going?
Benjie Craig:And think a lot of how we run the business, we try to be as proactive as
Benjie Craig:we can, where we're trying to Build our systems and everything so that we're
Benjie Craig:working on our customers fires, not our own fires and things like that.
Benjie Craig:And how does my faith play into this?
Benjie Craig:It's a lot of how we treat people.
Benjie Craig:How we care and love for them.
Benjie Craig:They're not just a number, whether they're the customer or the employee, like we, our
Benjie Craig:mission is we build lasting relationships.
Benjie Craig:And our vision is that cities and people are empowered.
Benjie Craig:A lot of the people that we bring in here we're training and developing
Benjie Craig:All the way through and building relationships with them about what's
Benjie Craig:going on in their personal lives, right?
Benjie Craig:Like it's relationship and we care and love for the people.
Benjie Craig:And through that, it's provided a lot of opportunities to really come
Benjie Craig:alongside our staff and then also our customers and what they're going through.
Benjie Craig:And then building those relationships in the long term helps continue our business
Benjie Craig:because those relationships provide long, provide more work over time and
Benjie Craig:I think relationship is so important.
Benjie Craig:Yeah.
Benjie Craig:And then what happens is as you get to know people, you start out with
Benjie Craig:superficial conversation and then over time it goes to meaningful and then
Benjie Craig:there's times where it goes to spiritual and you're able to have spiritual
Benjie Craig:conversations with people just about what's going through their lives or being
Benjie Craig:able to pray for them for challenges that they're having or caring for them.
Benjie Craig:I've got one friend.
Benjie Craig:Who's working with me now and he had to fly to another country and be
Benjie Craig:with his family for a little bit.
Benjie Craig:And, he's basically I'll still have my job when I get back.
Benjie Craig:I'm like, yeah, totally.
Benjie Craig:Of course.
Benjie Craig:Like you're part of the team.
Benjie Craig:And one thing that was really neat was he he was trying to get everything to
Benjie Craig:coordinate, to go back and one of my other co workers in the business we've been
Benjie Craig:talking to him about Jesus and he's been slowly getting to know Jesus a little bit.
Benjie Craig:And then he actually ended praying for my friend that everything
Benjie Craig:would work out for this trip.
Benjie Craig:And the next day my other friend got his, got the news that he was able to
Benjie Craig:like things were going to move forward so that he'd be able to go on this trip.
Benjie Craig:So it was just exciting to see one of my guys is he's slowly moving closer
Benjie Craig:to Jesus start praying for other people on the team, so it's a fun journey.
Sadaf Beynon:I remember one of the things that you, that we
Sadaf Beynon:spoke about in the pre call.
Sadaf Beynon:You talked about the way you run your business.
Sadaf Beynon:You want to make sure that you're not the bottleneck or when it comes
Sadaf Beynon:to all the processes and stuff.
Sadaf Beynon:So what led to that decision making?
Benjie Craig:Yeah There's a couple things.
Benjie Craig:First of all if you look at Jesus, the way he set things up, right?
Benjie Craig:We are his plan A and he has no plan B, right?
Benjie Craig:And if you look at what he did he came and started ministering and loving people
Benjie Craig:and then he had some people that were with him and trained them up a little
Benjie Craig:bit and then he sent them out two by two.
Benjie Craig:And then he brought him back and so how'd it go?
Benjie Craig:And then coached him a little bit and kept sending him on.
Benjie Craig:And I'd been taught that for a long time growing up and as I was building my
Benjie Craig:business, I saw that I just saw where everything was bottlenecking with me.
Benjie Craig:Like I was.
Benjie Craig:Everything was slowing down with me.
Benjie Craig:I was like, okay, so I need to build a business that that I'm empowering
Benjie Craig:people, empowering everybody to do what they need to do and
Benjie Craig:continuing to give responsibility.
Benjie Craig:And lot of my company runs.
Benjie Craig:Runs without me, so to speak that I don't have to, I'm not
Benjie Craig:part of the process, right?
Benjie Craig:My favorite thing is to be coming alongside them and
Benjie Craig:going like, how's it going?
Benjie Craig:And how can I help, right?
Benjie Craig:Like, how are the ways I can help you going forward?
Benjie Craig:So
Benjie Craig:when I was baptized there's somebody who prayed over me and said, Benjie,
Benjie Craig:you need to be like a person in a marketplace who is always busy.
Benjie Craig:, but can make time for anybody right.
Benjie Craig:To sit and talk and stuff like that.
Benjie Craig:And so part of the way I've set up my business as well is so that I'm
Benjie Craig:available to be, spend time with people and to connect and listen.
Benjie Craig:And I try to structure my.
Benjie Craig:My work so that I can move things around for people and be able to spend time and
Benjie Craig:I just think it's so important to, as you're in a community, to be able to be
Benjie Craig:available for everybody around so that you can love the community that you're in.
Sadaf Beynon:Yeah, that's very cool.
Sadaf Beynon:And it's quite actually your approach.
Sadaf Beynon:Like you said that's what Jesus did, that's what he taught.
Sadaf Beynon:And yet listening to you say it and thinking about it, playing out, it seems
Sadaf Beynon:quite innovative, it seems quite different such a different approach to how people
Sadaf Beynon:will normally run their businesses.
Sadaf Beynon:That's just not usually how it's done.
Sadaf Beynon:And your approach is also quite insightful, I think, empowering others
Sadaf Beynon:and wanting to come alongside rather than feeling like that you're the one who has
Sadaf Beynon:to do everything and make it all happen.
Sadaf Beynon:No, I love that.
Sadaf Beynon:And also what you I don't know who it was that said these words to you, but to stay
Sadaf Beynon:busy, but also be always ready to listen and to talk and to come alongside others.
Sadaf Beynon:That's very cool.
Sadaf Beynon:I like that.
Sadaf Beynon:So Benjie, you mentioned community and that you're quite active in yours.
Sadaf Beynon:I want to know more about that.
Sadaf Beynon:So I know you're also involved in your church and in
Sadaf Beynon:different parts of leadership.
Sadaf Beynon:Talk to us about that.
Sadaf Beynon:What does that look like for you?
Benjie Craig:Yeah actually right around the time that I,
Benjie Craig:right around the time that I started my business, I was asked
Benjie Craig:at my church to become an elder.
Benjie Craig:I was an elder for about 10 years and was involved in a help
Benjie Craig:helping the church shift, right?
Benjie Craig:We were a very attractional church at the time, and we decided to shift a
Benjie Craig:little bit and become more of a missional church and spending less time focusing
Benjie Craig:on Sundays and more time throughout the week involved out in the community.
Benjie Craig:And and part of that shift for me as well growing up overseas, I
Benjie Craig:came here and went to this church.
Benjie Craig:It was a pretty large church at the time, and I really got involved
Benjie Craig:in the church pretty much every day of the week, doing something.
Benjie Craig:I met my wife at the church, our kids went to the school at the church.
Benjie Craig:And there was a point where I was kinda like, I'm a pretty bright
Benjie Craig:light inside a building, right?
Benjie Craig:Like I don't have any non Christian friends, like
Benjie Craig:something doesn't feel right.
Benjie Craig:And it was a process of learning and really shifting in and then moving
Benjie Craig:to how do I be out in the community?
Benjie Craig:How do I care and love for the community around me?
Benjie Craig:Like I didn't even really know my neighbors that well, right?
Benjie Craig:And there's a process of change where, you know, the school that my kids
Benjie Craig:were going to ended up closing down and then we move our kids to public school.
Benjie Craig:And then it's been a lot of really leaning into hanging out in the
Benjie Craig:community that our kids are in.
Benjie Craig:I've also gotten involved in the economic development commission
Benjie Craig:with the city of Fremont.
Benjie Craig:Okay, Fremont's the town we live in.
Benjie Craig:And then I'm now on the Human Relations Commission and also a Facilities Advisory
Benjie Craig:Commission for the school district.
Benjie Craig:So really getting involved on the city level as well.
Benjie Craig:But just in the community, jessica, my wife spends a lot of time involved
Benjie Craig:in community at the schools, right?
Benjie Craig:And how to just be involved in support the schools and where our kids are.
Benjie Craig:I volunteer at those, at the events themselves, but she's involved on the,
Benjie Craig:at the PTO board level, which is Parent Teacher Organization and stuff like that.
Benjie Craig:That's really where she's built a lot of her friends now.
Sadaf Beynon:Wow, you sound very busy.
Benjie Craig:It can be busy, but it's a lot of fun, right?
Benjie Craig:And it's a way I get to connect and meet new parts of the community that
Benjie Craig:I don't know, and really engage.
Sadaf Beynon:Yeah.
Sadaf Beynon:What is it about your faith that's driven you to engage
Sadaf Beynon:with your community at that level?
Benjie Craig:So I really think that you need to love where you live, right?
Benjie Craig:And bless the people around you.
Benjie Craig:And we are blessed to be a blessing to others, right?
Benjie Craig:Like Genesis 12.
Benjie Craig:And that means, like I can say, oh, I love where I live because all of
Benjie Craig:these amazing amenities or whatever.
Benjie Craig:Or you can say, I love where I live where it's like you're loving where you live.
Benjie Craig:You're pouring your heart into where you live, right?
Benjie Craig:You're trying to make a difference where you can.
Benjie Craig:And really looking around and go what does good news look
Benjie Craig:like to the people around us?
Benjie Craig:And how can I be involved in that is really where what I'm
Benjie Craig:trying to do and just be a blessing to the people around us.
Benjie Craig:And part of that looks like there's a bunch of kids that need rides
Benjie Craig:to go to youth group, right?
Benjie Craig:So I'm driving them to youth group.
Benjie Craig:And
Benjie Craig:There's another family that they need community.
Benjie Craig:And so how do we connect them to community and just be involved
Benjie Craig:in their lives that way?
Benjie Craig:And yeah, I look at Jesus and when he was walking around what did good news
Benjie Craig:look like to the people around him?
Benjie Craig:There's somebody who's blind.
Benjie Craig:So the first thing was they needed to be able to see and they or their
Benjie Craig:cripple they want needed to be healed.
Benjie Craig:And then, that opened the door.
Benjie Craig:For them to listen.
Benjie Craig:But so how do we become fascinated by the people around us and learn about them
Benjie Craig:and then, and love them and care for them?
Sadaf Beynon:I love what you're saying because it depicts the fact
Sadaf Beynon:that you have to walk alongside people to know what good, what
Sadaf Beynon:the good news looks like for them.
Sadaf Beynon:You can't.
Sadaf Beynon:Be removed and just assume that this is what they need.
Benjie Craig:It's very easy to try to create a program and
Benjie Craig:try to push something, right?
Benjie Craig:And hey, you need to hear this or whatever.
Benjie Craig:But I think relationship is so important, right?
Benjie Craig:Because that's how trust builds.
Benjie Craig:And then conversation can happen.
Benjie Craig:And it's opportunity to do it.
Benjie Craig:And this generation is the most marketed to generation ever.
Benjie Craig:So they can sniff a program out of everything.
Benjie Craig:And but they, what is everybody longing for now?
Benjie Craig:It's community engagement, love, right?
Benjie Craig:Let's lean into that.
Benjie Craig:I think so much I think what Jesus said when he left was go and make disciples.
Benjie Craig:And so how do you make disciples?
Benjie Craig:How did Jesus make disciples?
Benjie Craig:He hung out with people.
Benjie Craig:He spent time with his disciples that he was making, right?
Benjie Craig:He spent three years with them.
Benjie Craig:And for us to make disciples, it's spending time with
Benjie Craig:people, living life with them.
Benjie Craig:And what that also means is the way I make a disciple is different than
Benjie Craig:you do because we're different people.
Benjie Craig:And something that I really connected with from one of my mentors, he said, If Jesus
Benjie Craig:were you, what would it look like and then how can you become more like that, right?
Benjie Craig:And that helps me get a better picture of how do I need to grow,
Benjie Craig:what do I need to become, right?
Benjie Craig:Because if we just think of oh, how do I become more like Jesus?
Benjie Craig:Like I can see things in the Bible, but what exactly was this personality like?
Benjie Craig:I don't know.
Benjie Craig:And we're not all trying to become the same person, but Jesus gave
Benjie Craig:us all different personalities and how do we become more like him?
Benjie Craig:And so how we engage the people around us in community is going to be different,
Benjie Craig:but we're all discipling people.
Benjie Craig:And I think that's so important.
Benjie Craig:So for my wife, who's an introvert and me, who I'm an extrovert, it
Benjie Craig:looks completely different, right?
Benjie Craig:And I just think that's beautiful that Jesus has invited us to be part
Benjie Craig:of something that we can grow really into who we are as people, right?
Benjie Craig:And it's not, we have to conform to one certain way of doing things.
Sadaf Beynon:That's really cool.
Sadaf Beynon:What was it your mentor said to you?
Sadaf Beynon:Can you repeat that?
Sadaf Beynon:If Jesus was?
Benjie Craig:Yeah.
Benjie Craig:If Jesus was you, what would it look like?
Benjie Craig:And how can you become more like that?
Sadaf Beynon:I like that.
Sadaf Beynon:Yeah, and it's one of those things, isn't it for you to pursue those
Sadaf Beynon:things and to want to emulate Jesus in your community, but also in the way
Sadaf Beynon:that in how God's created you, and if you do it through that, then you
Sadaf Beynon:flourish rather than trying to be the next the next person and trying to make
Sadaf Beynon:it work because it worked for them.
Benjie Craig:Yeah, I think like for me, some of the challenges that
Benjie Craig:I run into sometimes is I go, why am I not like that other person?
Benjie Craig:Like, why I'm not?
Benjie Craig:And why am I not as academic as somebody else?
Benjie Craig:Or, why don't I have the specific drive that I try to push things a
Benjie Craig:certain way or something like that.
Benjie Craig:And why am I not like other people in the Bay Area?
Benjie Craig:Or just you compare yourself and then you have to keep, okay, like
Benjie Craig:God created me different, right?
Benjie Craig:We're all different.
Benjie Craig:We're not all trying to become The same thing and living out who we've been
Benjie Craig:created to be because each of us are a beautiful masterpiece that God's created.
Benjie Craig:And then how do we how do we live into that of what, and it's work
Benjie Craig:to continue growing as a person and then also not trying to become who
Benjie Craig:God didn't create you to be, right?
Benjie Craig:Somebody else's journey.
Sadaf Beynon:Yeah.
Benjie Craig:So I think as we live out who God has made us to be,
Benjie Craig:and how do we become aware of what God is doing in our communities?
Benjie Craig:How do we come alongside the people?
Benjie Craig:And Some of the things that we've started talking and really implementing
Benjie Craig:at our church is really encouraging people to go on prayer walks go on
Benjie Craig:walks around your community and pray a blessing on the community and ask
Benjie Craig:God, where is he already working?
Benjie Craig:And how can you join him there?
Benjie Craig:And through that, maybe you'll see who is out and about and who, or
Benjie Craig:who isn't out and about and, what are the needs of the community?
Benjie Craig:What missing?
Benjie Craig:And as I'm doing my prayer walks, I do them first thing in the morning.
Benjie Craig:And there's a certain group of people who are also working, walking in the morning.
Benjie Craig:I'm able to have conversations with them, get to know them.
Benjie Craig:And we actually two days ago, I ran into one couple who lives down the street
Benjie Craig:that I've slowly been getting to know.
Benjie Craig:And I got to bring them into our house and show them the remodel that we're doing,
Benjie Craig:because they want to be doing some stuff.
Benjie Craig:But it's building conversation there, right?
Benjie Craig:So it's, it starts with surface level conversations like, Oh, hey,
Benjie Craig:that's a cool dog or whatever.
Benjie Craig:And then it starts going into meaningful conversations, but then
Benjie Craig:there's opportunities that they become spiritual conversations and opportunities
Benjie Craig:to be able to pray for somebody.
Benjie Craig:And I think for me early on, praying for somebody was like a big deal.
Benjie Craig:I'm like, I don't really know if I want to pray for somebody because,
Benjie Craig:what if God doesn't answer the way I pray or something like that?
Benjie Craig:And someone was Another one of my mentors said or taught me, he said
Benjie Craig:if somebody's going through a hard time, why don't you say let's just say
Benjie Craig:somebody's grandma's not doing well.
Benjie Craig:It's do you mind if I pray for you for that?
Benjie Craig:Because, I think it hurts Jesus too, that your grandma's sick.
Benjie Craig:I'll say typically, but a lot of time it's Oh, I'll pray for you.
Benjie Craig:And that's maybe you'll pray for them later.
Benjie Craig:But it's like a top down approach, right?
Benjie Craig:Like I will pray for you versus can I pray for you is more you're asking permission.
Benjie Craig:And I've never had anybody say no.
Benjie Craig:I had one person go it's not really my thing, but but if it makes
Benjie Craig:you feel good, sure, go ahead.
Benjie Craig:And so then at that point, praying for that person right there, with them.
Benjie Craig:And then, the two things that I include in my prayers is I want to make sure,
Benjie Craig:I'll say God, I know you love this person, I want to just say it as a statement.
Benjie Craig:So they know that, they hear that.
Benjie Craig:And then pray that they have peace.
Benjie Craig:And then pray for whatever else is going on.
Benjie Craig:and what happens is like the next time I see the person I can
Benjie Craig:ask them Hey, how are you doing?
Benjie Craig:What's going on?
Benjie Craig:And it opens a spiritual door, but ultimately, however God decides
Benjie Craig:to answer that prayer, that person knows that they're loved, right?
Benjie Craig:Like you're caring and loving for that person.
Benjie Craig:And I think that's so important.
Benjie Craig:And I've been, I was just reading a book where.
Benjie Craig:I haven't really practiced this, but I've been processing through where
Benjie Craig:they talked about like giving blessings instead of going, can I pray for
Benjie Craig:you going can I give you a blessing?
Benjie Craig:And the picture that they gave was if praying, you turn away
Benjie Craig:from the person and look at God.
Benjie Craig:. But in giving a blessing, you're looking at the person with God
Benjie Craig:behind you and blessing them.
Benjie Craig:So it's something that I've been chewing on.
Benjie Craig:I just read it in a book and I've just gone oh, I haven't had the opportunity
Benjie Craig:to do it, but just something, yeah.
Benjie Craig:Process that I thought was
Benjie Craig:. Sadaf Beynon: Thanks for that, Benjie.
Benjie Craig:I'm guessing many of our listeners are maybe sometimes struggling to
Benjie Craig:bring their faith into their daily life or their professional life.
Benjie Craig:You've given a lot of insight there, but is there any other particular
Benjie Craig:advice you would give them?
Benjie Craig:I think part of it is being willing to step out of
Benjie Craig:your comfort zone a little bit.
Benjie Craig:And noticing like being fascinated by the people around you where
Benjie Craig:you're seeing where, what does good news look like to them?
Benjie Craig:And how can you build relationship and be there for people, right?
Benjie Craig:And relationship is two ways.
Benjie Craig:I think there's a lot of times where it's like, Oh, I have to I have
Benjie Craig:to serve the other people, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Benjie Craig:But no, it's a two way street.
Benjie Craig:If we look at, if we look at in the Bible, when Jesus sent everybody,
Benjie Craig:sent the disciples out two by two, he said, go look for people of peace.
Benjie Craig:And if there's a person of peace there, declare peace on the space.
Benjie Craig:I think it's Luke 10.
Benjie Craig:And if we look at many of the stories of the Bible the person
Benjie Craig:that they were connecting with also served them like Jesus and the
Benjie Craig:woman of the well, she gave him.
Benjie Craig:Water, right?
Benjie Craig:Paul and Lydia, she's you have to stay at my house.
Benjie Craig:The jailer when Paul was beaten, right?
Benjie Craig:Like he's being stitched up by them while he's sharing the gospel.
Benjie Craig:And that just builds that picture of its relationship.
Benjie Craig:It's a two way street, not I have to do everything.
Benjie Craig:Yeah.
Benjie Craig:I think, it's being willing to step out a little bit, but in other ways, it's
Benjie Craig:a lot easier than we make it out to be.
Sadaf Beynon:Yeah.
Sadaf Beynon:You're right benjie, it's been truly fascinating hearing how you've navigated
Sadaf Beynon:the complexities of faith and leadership.
Sadaf Beynon:And yeah it's been really good to hear you talk about these things.
Sadaf Beynon:What's your one message that you would want to leave with our listeners today?
Benjie Craig:Yeah, I think love where you live, right?
Benjie Craig:Like love love the people, love the place and see see how you
Benjie Craig:can be a part of it, right?
Benjie Craig:And step out and just gonna, one thing that just came to mind
Benjie Craig:was there's this book called The Art of Neighboring and they go.
Benjie Craig:Make a little tic tac toe board and then put you in the middle and then
Benjie Craig:go okay, all the neighbors around you, like, how can you get to know their
Benjie Craig:names, get to know their families?
Benjie Craig:And start praying for them and, so just to yeah.
Sadaf Beynon:Yeah.
Sadaf Beynon:No, that's great.
Sadaf Beynon:Love your, love where you live is such a powerful message.
Sadaf Beynon:It really resonates, especially in our fast paced world where it's so easy to
Sadaf Beynon:overlook the community that surrounds us.
Sadaf Beynon:And I also liked earlier how you made that distinction between loving where
Sadaf Beynon:you live as in, I love everything about it, but this is different.
Sadaf Beynon:This is the relationship side.
Sadaf Beynon:This is the part where you do the hard work.
Sadaf Beynon:And having listened to your story, it's so clear that you're making a tangible,
Sadaf Beynon:impact right where you have been placed, you and your family, and your
Sadaf Beynon:proactive approach to faith and life is something that many of us can learn from.
Sadaf Beynon:So thank you so much for being on the show, for sharing your
Sadaf Beynon:story, for your insights.
Sadaf Beynon:It's been inspiring to learn about the powerful ways that you are
Sadaf Beynon:connecting your Christian faith with your work and your community.
Benjie Craig:Thank you so much for having me on.
Benjie Craig:It was awesome.
Sadaf Beynon:Thank you to you.
Sadaf Beynon:The pleasure's ours.
Sadaf Beynon:If you're listening to the show and want to reach out to Benjie, you
Sadaf Beynon:can do that by just heading over to the show notes for more information.
Sadaf Beynon:And so this is it for this episode, bye from me and from Benjie.
Sadaf Beynon:Until next time.
Sadaf Beynon:Bye.
Matt Edmundson:And just like that, we have reached the end of
Matt Edmundson:another fascinating conversation.
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