Revelation
Interview
KOLA
ADEBARI
MORE
THAN JUST A CAPENTER…
When the name Korporate Karpenters is
mentioned, a lot readily comes to mind. Kola Adebari is the man behind the
vision and the brand. One will expect to get acquitted with flamboyance, affluence
and pride if he or she were to meet a major player in the furniture industry
for the very first time. For the CEO of Koporate Kapenters simplicity does it.
His bow tie, suit jacket and modest dress style have become his trademark of
sort. These and more are what Revelation Magazine got to find out when the
interview with Kola Adebari held after a Sunday service.
Who would you say Kola Adebari is?
I am the
fourth of six boys in the family, I trained as a zoologist, I have been a
carpenter and I have also being a friend of Jesus, I started a very committed
work with Him in December, 1995,
precisely and ever since then He has helped me and I have not had reason to
bugle that friendship. I’m happily married and blessed with three kids, two
boys and a girl, the girl happens to be the first.
You talked about your work with Christ;
everybody has a story as to what led them to get to that point, what is your
story?
Well, like
you said, everybody has a story of what led him to becoming a friend of Christ;
I met Christ in the middle of a very major life crisis. I had lived my life on
my own because I believed that God was practically too slow to help any young
man to make it on his own using my everything, I was trying to do things my own
way, I used my human connections, human contacts, all of my human capacity but
it didn’t last. I did these for seven years after I graduated from the
university. On the seventh year everything came crashing like a pack of cards,
I lost everything, including my self worth, my self confidence and on two
different occasions I contemplated suicide because there was really nothing to
show for life, until I met a friend who I had not seen in a while. After
telling him all that I was going through because life was in shambles
practically, if there is anything lower than zero that was where I was. He
promised he was going to introduce me to somebody. So on this cold and
harmattan evening in the city of Jos without knowing what I was to encounter I
followed him to Church, it was in that Church, I remembered very well it was
Life and Power Church in Jos, that was were I met the Lord Jesus, we were
introduced that very day, I handed my life over to Christ and acknowledged His
lordship over my life. Ever since then, I have being in this work.
And you have been enjoying this
relationship?
Oh! Very
well
Would you say it has been all rosy?
Of course
not, of course not
Tell us some of the challenges you
have encountered
I grew up to
believe in my human capacity and so much in myself. My thought rhymes and
thought patterns was almost a casting stone when I met Him and letting go of
some of these things wasn’t so particularly so easy. Again I have had my ups
and downs I’ve learnt to abound and amaze as it were , I’ve suffered losses, I
have suffered an attack, I’ve suffered indebtedness and almost falling out of
the faith at some point also. It has not been a bed of roses, I tell people
that the Christian work is not a bed of roses, and even if it is, there are
thorns there that will chuck you. So as beautiful as it looks, yet there are
thorns in it. The Christian work isn’t all rosy, I have had my fair share, I
call them life challenges and life exams that everybody must write, scripture
says: that our faith which is more precious than gold must be tried, that faith
must be tired for it to be faith, true faith if it is not tried then it is not
faith.
So tell us, how have you been able to
overcome some of these challenges?
Well I know
a few things have helped me, I have stayed with the word, I have stayed in
fellowship with Him and with other brethren and I had stayed away from anything
that could constitute a temptation, a source of temptation. I know that staying
in the word and staying the place of prayer have greatly helped me. Also
staying in true fellowship with other brethren and you know what you are doing
there and submitted yourself to be accountable to one to another whatever group
it is, you watch over each others’ shoulders. I learnt very early in life that
when Satan wants to capture a man, he isolates that man but as long as you
remain in fellowship, the level at which Satan can distract or derail you is
greatly reduced. Bible says Iron sharpens Iron. We have challenged ourselves
and encouraged each other to grow. Oh! I pray 30 minutes and this brother pray
one hour, you will want to challenge yourself and you are motivated.
There is something I find baffling;
you trained as a zoologist, why did you go into carpentry as a line of
business?
I jokingly
say that, I’m a
zoologist by training and a carpenter by calling (Laughs…) I say that jokingly but I
mean every word of it. I remember after giving my life to Christ, all I was
doing was praying and studying my Bible for the first six months. I didn’t know
what to do with my life as of this time and at some point I started asking God,
Lord the Bible tells me you know the end of my life right from the beginning,
that I wanted to do business that I didn’t want to work, what do you want me to
do, I have surrendered my life, now you must tell me what to do. I continued to
pray this prayer for a while until the Lord led me into carpentry that moment I
carried on. You would ask if I studied
carpentry. Yes I didn’t study carpentry; the closest I came to carpentry was in
form one and two when I did wood works but when the Lord led me into it, I
employed an experienced carpenter, an old person. I was paying him salary and
at same time an apprentice under him and so I was able to learn all the
rudiments and again because I had two things going for me, which is salvation
and education, I know more than my master because I had the Holy spirit who is
my helper and my teacher. So that’s how I started. I learnt how to make
furniture. I was the one looking for the jobs and when I get the jobs, he would
be making them and I would be assisting him.
How long have you been in this
business?
I started in
May 26th 1996, 18 years now.
I have to take you back, you said you
are the fourth of six boys, what was growing up like?
I grew up in
a Church community as it were, not in the Church, my primary school was in a Church
compound, I was a pious Sunday school boy, very committed, and I was in the
boys’ brigade. Everything around us was Church, school Church, play Church yet
it didn’t mean I had a relationship with Christ. I grew up in a Church setting.
What really inspires you, how do you
get your inspirations?
Most times
from the word of God, I allow the word of God to dictate and inspire me to do
the things I do, most often than not it is the word of God.
What is a typical day like for you?
Wake up in
the morning start a personal devotion, some days I’m done before the family devotion and some days
I’m not, so I take the family devotion and then come back for my personal
devotion, I go to work, by afternoon, a minimum of twice a week I have
fellowships to attend for about an hour, in the evening about five or four days
of the week I’m either attending one fellowship or taking ministration in one Christian
gathering or the other, by eight I’m on my way back home and when I’m not going
for fellowships by seven I’m on my way home.
You have painted a picture of a very
busy person, how do you find time for God, still combine
family and work together?
I use a lot
of time management techniques, my car is always loaded with messages, I have
the Bible on audio CD, I have books on CD I travel a lot, so each time I’m in
the car I’m loading myself up with the Word. I can do a lot of spontaneous
things together, instead of getting home and going to eat my dinner, I can
choose to go to my closet and just be with the Lord for one hour, then come out
and eat, the last couple of years I realized that that has not been maybe due
to demands of work and other things to deepen my work with God. I read a book
titled in: in His secret place, I
can’t remember the name of the author but after reading that book, I decided I
was going to take Wednesdays off, so most Wednesdays I stay home in the
presence of God and don’t leave the house till about five in the evening. I
remember at some point I used Saturdays very early in the morning, I leave
home, go find a quiet place and just dwell in His presence because I realize
that most businesses on Saturdays don’t start up until 10am so instead of
wasting those three precious hours, I utilize them.
Who were your role models?
They were
not really Christians, I can’t remember them
What about now?
Of course,
first and foremost Christ, He’s really inspired me and I have a few people
around me who have had great impact who have been good influences over my life,
an author called Steve Farah, his writings have really influenced me, he wrote:
Finishing Strong, Papa’s Till, Points Man, he writes only for men and addresses
real deep issues, among us here around here I have the likes of Segun Falope,
Ola Elesho, late Pastor Eboji, Bishop Abioye these are men who have really had
impact from, these are men I have really eaten and drank from.
You painted a picture of being a
happily married man, apart from being a business man and a preacher…?
An
Entrepreneur and a Christian because every Christian is suppose to preach
Okay what has been the secret behind
your marriage?
A resolve my
wife and I took from day one, I always believe in this scripture that says that
the spirit of a prophet is subjected to the prophet. Most often than none it
all start with you, yes we need the grace of God, but it must start with you,
you must be willing to ask for that help, we had made the resolve that we were
going to make it work, no matter what it takes.
How do you take time to unwind?
I hang out
with my family and friends, not hang out hang out like that, come together. I
not so much of a music person, “I am a word person,
so rather than listen to music I listen to the word.” If I am to choose I will favour the
word more. I try to take as much as two holidays as the Lord enables me to
financially, I take one with my wife only because that helps our bonding and
then I take one with the family.
Speaking of your wife, during the
course of this interview, you have made me realize that she is just one
essential piece of life’s puzzle
Yes
How did you get to meet her and how
did you know she was the right woman for you?
There was a
program in Church and I was part of the organizers, as the program was going on
I realized I had to sit down because I have been going round making sure that
everything goes well, so I just walked up to her because she was sitting
somewhere, prior to this time I don’t think I have ever spoken to her, I told
her keep a sit for me. I don’t think I have noticed her before now, so when I
told her to pick a seat for me, she just used her Bible and hand bag and placed
on the chair next to hers, after I came back, she packed her stuffs so I could
sit down and I said to her, you will make an obedient wife. (Laughs) From that
point we started talking, we started out as been friends, one thing leading to
another a relationship started and that was it. Again God wanted to prove a
point to me, I’m sorry to use that word; prove a point, maybe use this word; God
needed wanted to bunk one of my stupid assumptions before now that a very
beautiful girl don’t have anything to do with God. Those days girls that have
something to do with God are those who tie their head, rub pomade (Laughs) and
I concluded in my heart then. But God proved that you could still find
beautiful ones in my house, so we got married in 2000 December, 2nd.
Will you say that the carpentry
business have being well rewarding or paying as the case maybe going by your
years of experience?
I would say
it has been very, very rewarding, it has been worth my while. You see any
business you want to go into or whatever it is you are doing, if you are at the
centre of His will and purpose for your life, whatever it is you are doing, he
will make it rewarding.
For aspiring entrepreneurs who want
to go into business, what would be your advice?
Most
importantly, ask God as long as you have a relationship, ask Him He will tell
you what He wants you to go into. Don’t go into anything because people are
going into it, learn to ask and hear from Him, let Him speak to your heart. He
will supply you with everything you need at every major junction, it is not
going to be smooth sailing, you are not going to run on automatic gear, again
with Him been there with you, David said that: many are the afflictions of the
righteous, he didn’t say wicked, he said the righteous will fall seven time and
seven times shall he rise again, so these are things that are already encrypted
in the life of every believer, as long as it Him that led you into it, He would
supply your needs, so don’t go into anything you have not asked Him.
It’s been a pleasure chit-chatting
with you and we appreciate you for making out time for us to interview you
My pleasure
