welcome to se-lah

Hello! Goeiedag – an Afrikaans greeting in our other operational language here at se-lah. Formerly known as ContentCafé, se-lah is the reborn version, the 2.0, if you will. 

what we do at se-lah

After years of flailing and being reactive rather than pro-active, we’ve finally combined our heads and our skills, and out of that, a fresh, energetic content agency was born. se-lah brings you a whole range of services, all built on a solid foundation of:

  • 40+ years of professional writing + editing experience
  • 20+ years of freelance experience
  • 160+ books edited / proofread
  • 100s+ of 5-star customer reviews
  • 100% bilingual language professionals
  • C2 English Proficiency ratings 
  • 0 missed deadlines

What do we do? 

Well, our services go from knocking out SEO blog posts, smashing website content, articles, and even press releases and resumes. On top of that, we edit books in just about every single genre you can think of. We’ve done this for publishers, book coaches, literary agents, and independent authors from all over the world, mind you.

We’ve also teamed up with web developers, app designers, podcast hosts, news anchors, and even filmmakers. We helped them with their translation and transcription work in both English and Afrikaans.

Now, some of the more unusual jobs we’ve taken on, which might be a bit foreign to some of you reading this, include things like:

  • UX / UI testing: That’s where we make absolutely certain that websites actually work the way they’re meant to. (It’s something we’re still busy with for this very site, so please, a little patience goes a long way!)
  • Localization: This is about making sure our international clients’ brand language and their translated messages really click with how we speak and write in South African English or Afrikaans.
  • Natural language processing: Here, we teach those clever machine learning models to figure out the gist, the meaning, and what billions of users are actually looking for in their searches. The goal? To hook them up with the most spot-on and properly ranked web content.

But listen, this site isn’t just about the grind. No, man. It’s also about life, love, faith, and adventure. These are all the bits that make us us – James and Lizette Bean. Two normal people who found God and each other at the same time. We try to make the most of each waking moment – to celebrate the unbelievable wonder of the creation we get to live in.

The Big Bang

In the beginning, God said, “Let there be light!”

That power in His voice not only created EVERYTHING, but set it in motion – from the smallest little atom to the biggest, widest galaxy. They all just obeyed, shifted, and followed His command.

And here we are pulling ourselves out of our slumber. The morning sun, those first glorious coral-orange and pink streaks, just starting to peek over the treelined horizon. 

Then, that first sleepy “haaahhh” from the earliest hadeda cuts through the quiet, blessing the neighbourhood with his announcement; it’s time to get up.

“Haah,” says the next one. “Ha-ha-haaaaah,” moans the first as they glide across the neighbourhood, their calls echoing.

Soon enough, the garden comes alive. You hear the crisp, clear song of the Natal Robin, pouring out its soul as the sun climbs higher, mimicking every other bird it’s heard, making the whole world feel a bit more real. 

Next, the LBJs – those “little brown jobs”, as the proper bird folk call those small, unidentified birdies, just to keep things accurate. They add their own “tweets” to the chorus. And those entitled weavers, you just know they’ll soon start demanding their portion of food for the day before they head off to do their important weaver business. This mostly consists of chasing all the other birds away from the feeder.

The waves crash in the distance as the first light truly breaks, drenching my steaming coffee mug and the fluffy cat in golden rays. You see them then – those delicate, silvery spider webs, drifting on the gentle breeze, catching the light as they hang suspended in those brilliant tubes of brightness, each strand a tiny, glittering pathway.

These things, they didn’t just happen to fall together in some cold, scientific sequence to turn into a bird, or a tree, or a fresh sea breeze. No, man. They’re here by Divine Design. Just like you, sitting there reading this right now.

Just as we find our own se-lah moment in the morning, when we stop and give thanks for His marvellous creation, we want to bring you a spot where you can pause too.

“The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace,” as Psalm 29:11 says. Selah.

sometimes, you gotta se-lah

You know that word, “Selah”? It pops up 71 times in the Psalms and 3 times in the book of Habakkuk!

It’s not some scary command for silence; no, man. It’s God’s cool, poetic instruction to just Halt – a little musical cue, almost. The ancient Greek translation even called it a diapsalma, meaning a musical interlude. Think of it like this: the instruments stop playing, not because the song is over, but because you need a moment to let that last verse properly sink in before the next powerful part hits you.

That necessary pause? That’s what se-lah is for us. It’s our intentional choice to hit the brakes, top up our capacity, remember to honour the temple we’ve been given, and just align with the truth we need to live that focused, balanced, and purposeful life we were actually meant for.

That’s what this se-lah journey has become for us.

We want our website to be a place that honours God while providing clients, friends, and family with a spot to interact with us; a place where we can share our hearts and the gifts that have been so graciously given to us.

We’ve really learned the wisdom in taking a moment to breathe and truly listen to where God is leading you.

Listen, we’re all here for a purpose. So, follow us on the adventure of a lifetime as we explore our purpose through:

  • Childhood dreams, now reignited!
  • Interesting spins on those viral recipes, or maybe even grandma’s own traditional family favourites.
  • First-time experiences of all kinds, you name it!
  • Proper adventures out in nature.
  • Being CrunchyCat’s parents (apparently, that’s our main job!).

We give God all the glory for blessing us with the clients, the talents, the tools, and every other single thing that contributes to the success of se-lah.

Although it took us a bit of time to get this merging process done, it was absolutely worth the wait, I tell you. 

meet the Beans: James + Lizette

From the very beginning, we made a deep decision to “seek first the Kingdom of God,” holding onto complete faith that our Heavenly Father would stick with us and truly guide our footsteps. Back then, we honestly didn’t quite grasp what that even meant, I tell you.

Then, a day or so after James moved down to the coast, he had this incredible encounter with God right there on the beach. A voice, clear as day, told him, “Do what you can, and I’ll do the rest.” He got home, and before he could even open his mouth, Lizette looked at him and said the exact same words: “Do what you can, and God will do the rest.” Goosebumps, I tell you.

Through the next few chaotic years, we tried to build on really shaky ground. Trying to build anything without a strong base is just never a good way to get results that truly last.

We’ll share more about our story – all the troubles and incredible turnarounds, the rags-to-riches moments, the extreme lows and those divine highs, and the pure miracles that just show up at the perfect time – in upcoming blog posts and books that are already half-written, just waiting to be finished.

Thank you so much for reading our very first blog post, and truly, welcome to our journey. May God bless you and keep you, make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.

james bean lizette bean

get a free copy of the se-lah effect

Alright, so we’ve officially hit the brakes and found real peace in this pause – now the true adventure begins! If you’re ready to swap that endless rushing around for a life that feels honest, balanced, and full of purpose, we invite you to take the next step with us.

First up, if you want the full story – all the details of our troubles, the amazing turnarounds, and those miracles that led us from chaos to feeling truly content – then grab your FREE EBOOK here.

Then, stick around. We’ve written down the vision, just like Habakkuk 2:2 told us: “Then the Lord answered me and said: ‘Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.'” And we are properly running with it! Follow our journey as we look into:

  • Restorative Faith: Our personal stories of God’s loyalty, purpose, and how we pray.
  • Simple Stewardship: Handy tips on caring for the body God gave us. This includes cool new recipe ideas, trying out essential oils, and updates from our main job as CrunchyCat’s parents.
  • The Local Tourist: Fun adventures in nature, our first-time travel experiences, photography tips, and loads more.

Welcome to the halt that makes you whole again. Welcome to se-lah.

With love,

James + Lizette Bean

grab a copy