“What Do You Do in a Crisis?”

An Application of Keith “Mr. D-MARS” Davis’ Book –Maximizing Your Own Treasure Chest!

Author Noel Pinnock, B.S., M.P.A., C.A., CCC

www.noelpinnock.com

Happy New Year my fellow readers. Imagine that…we are already more than 30 days into 2020. I know it’s been awhile since my last article, but I greet you with Jesus’ joy. Man, life comes with great surprises and though I consider myself the “Chief Change Agent” and a“Human Capital Architect,” I am subject to the same vulnerabilities just like those who arereading this article. Being under attack has both a psychological and physiological impact on our well-being. Depression impedes one fromsleeping and when one finally doses off, anxiety keeps one up. When God signs the permissionslip granting the enemy back door access to our comfort, we are often caught off guard. It’s not like God sends us an email to warn us of the crouching and roaring lion seeking to devour and destroy us. But I am reminded that we should never get comfortable in our earth-journey because comfort enters our homes as a guest, remains as our host, and eventually becomes our master. Sadly, even if we evict comfort we can’t always be prepared for the inevitable attack, I refer to as “crisis.” Merriam-Webster defines crisis as a turning point or an emotionally significant event or radical change in a person’s life.

Well, last year my entire career and lifeexperienced a turning point that had a radical change in my world. Without going through too much details or imputing those who sought to derail, malign, and kill me, I submit that it wasone of the most challenging moments in my lifeand one that my wife, children, family and close friends would have to endure for months. At the time, I felt like my life was completely overbecause I was publicly shamed, and a wise man once told me that you don’t pick fights with people who buy ink by the 50-gallon drums, the press.

I was in a corner and at the bottom of everything I knew, and to make matters more challenging my spirit of “fight” was suppressedas if God bound me in with the ropes of dependency on him. Because to know me is to know that I am a fighter and I do mean a heavy weight fighter for those this land considers thelast, least, and lost. I am a true lover of God and have patterned my life to love God first, my wifeand children second, and my country, family, friends and enemies as I do my own self. I am usually the first person in the office and the last one to leave. There are very few moments in my life where I put me first so I was surprised when those that I was fortunate to help decided that they would rather see me in a horizontal position rather than vertical. I was definitely in a crisis,where my tears fell, my mind befuddled, and my emotional well-being torn. To add insult to injury, I was subject to a vehicular accident that nearly claimed my life. As if life couldn’t get much worse, my network of business partners and career catalysts abandoned me during this tumultuous time. I felt alone, scared, and wounded. Those who could speak up, sat down and those who could have extended a hand stood still. Almost every career opportunity I had dried up as though I was the land that suffered years of drought. Consider this, I have amassed over twenty-five years of experience in developing human capital and transforming organizational business processes to increase profitability/productivity and decreaselosses/inefficiencies, not to mention leading one of the nation’s most powerful grassroot advocacy efforts purposed to transform the lives of people and their communities. So, why the drought? Is the there no Balm in Gilead, I asked the Lord. And the Lord responded to me with an emphatic, YES! Because God is faithful and even if he brings us to a crisis or allows crisis to come to us, he will bring us through the crisis. God reminded me that faith must be accompanied by works. In the Book of James chapter two verses 14-17 James writes:

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no work? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead., “faith without works is dead.”

Therefore, I was reminded that I had to work through the crisis and tough times. One of my good friends told me, “Man, Noel, I don’t mean to be condescending, but God couldn’t have appointed such a difficult crisis to a more suitable person.” You see, he heard my words but didn’t hear my heart because I was dying inside. But as I have always said, when God wants to do an impossible task, he chooses and impossible person to do it through. What I have learned and continue to understand is that no matter what, God is present and draws nearer to us when we are in crisis. 

Crisis is an incubator for leadershipdevelopment because true leadership isn’ttested in prosperity but in crisis. Crisis is the source of growth and development. Crisis places a demand on our hidden potential. Crisis creates unity and produces empathy and solidarity. Crisis reveals our true beliefs and convictions. As a matter of fact, crisis tests our faith and wages war on the silent bigotry in our, sometimes, low expectations of God. To that end, a crisis on earth is an incident in heaven. We may call it a “terrible experience” but God calls it a “little blimp” on his scale. You see, what appears large in our hands is small in God’s hands. In the Book of Ecclesiastes chapter 7 verse 13, King Solomon, descendent of King David, writes:

 “Consider the works of God, who can straighten what he has bent. In the time of prosperity rejoice, but in the time of adversity, consider God made one as well as the other so that man may not discover anything after him.”

Pow! What is he saying? What does this mean?Simply put, God’s hands never leave the helm of our lives. Though we celebrate and enjoy the rush of endorphins that flood our vessels during the good times in life, we must understand that those same endorphins engulf our bodies during the difficult times we are often thrusted in, most times without notice. 

The inevitable is always probable and no, perception isn’t reality until it invades the intimate confines of the real world. Additionally,considering the works of God hands on our life is another reason we should stand againstmurmuring and hasty judgment. True wisdom is shown by submission to the inevitable. In all that happens one ought to recognize God’s work and God’s ordering, and man’s impotence. For who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked? The things which God hath made crooked are the anomalies, the crosses, the difficulties, which meet us in life. But we must take advantage of crisis and turn it into opportunity.

This is where I must thank Keith “Mr. D-MARS” Davis, Sr., who reached out to me in thetwilight of my crisis and took the time to ask me how I was doing. You know when people asked me that, my response usually is I am blessed, denying my pain. But this time, I was vulnerable and expressed how I was feeling. It’s like God appointed his call and conversation at the precise moment I needed it the most. Let me put this call into perspective, I have been writing articles for D-MARS Business Journal for over 10 years, dating back to 2010. He considers me a columnist and would tell me about the people who have been inspired by my articles; therefore, I was surprised and elated that he wanted to send me a copy of his long-awaited book, “Maximizing Your Own Treasure Chest.” It was delivered to my mailbox on my 23rdanniversary, January 11, 2020 and once I opened my signed copy and began reading it, I couldn’t put it down. I devoured every word and chapter in approximately three hours. The content of this book is rich and the construction of each paragraph simple to digest. Starting with Chapter 1 Faith to Chapter 10 Testimonies, I was transported through Keith’s life’s experiences and wisdom nuggets such that both erudition and confirmation stretched and lengthen my perspectives. Here is the chapterplay-by-play:

Maximizing Your Own Treasure Chest can and will turn your internal light on and expose the dark places that you have either overlooked or ignored. But it doesn’t end there, it provides simple heuristics that will help you with your treasure chest spring cleaning. As a fellow author of two books and avid reader, I,unequivocally, give Keith’s book 4 stars out of 4

Dr. Martin Luther King once said, we are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied by a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. He also is noted saying, that in the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends. What wisdom and profoundness that is contained in both these applicable and memorable quotes that weavethe words of promise into a tapestry of hope. Remember, God, in His sovereignty, can turn our tests into testimonies; our messes into messages; misery into ministries; and our crisis into opportunities. Don’t give in to the crisis but give up to God the challenges or perplexities, so that he can give you the peace that surpasses all understanding. My family and

I know victorywas already won because we have maximizedour own treasure chests to advance the clarion call of Christ that is on and in our lives. And as the Lord declares, where are treasures be, so shall be our hearts. 

Through it all, my crisis-opportunity has strengthened my faith, allowed me to focus on my family, diversify my networks, and increased my vision to understand with clarity that my vocation is what I am paid to do but my calling is what God created me to do. Forgiveness is the number one cure for the “crab-in-the-bucket” crisis in the black community because without forgiveness, theadditional weight of hate will impede progressany way. Hello somebody!

If God has put you in a position to help someone or lend a helping hand in crisis, be deliberate, visible, and intentional because if you do nothing, you are conspicuous by your silencebut will be deeply appreciated if you do something. You will be surprised that a small gesture as simple as a phone call, a prayer of encouragement, or a job referral can change the trajectory of someone’s life. I know if you are reading this article, you know someone that is in the thick of things, so give the aboveprescription a try. I promise, it won’t cost you anything but a little time. 

At the end of the day, don’t stand on the sidelines when you are needed in someone’s crisis. I pray this helps someone who has been drowning with no lifeline or individual to pick you up because we can live approximately 40 dayswithout food, 4 days without water, 4 minutes without air, but we can’t live 1 second without hope. Be encouraged and blessed but most of all a blessing to others! 

Remember this, if you want 1 year of prosperity, grow grain; if you want 10 years of prosperity, grow trees; but if you want 100 years of prosperity, grow people, but most of all, #get–at–it!