Christian Life Coach

Saying Good-bye

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 11:29:00 +0000

Blogging has been a wonderful experience for me. I've met new friends, communed with my Lord, and learned more about myself than I ever wanted to know.

But in all that blogging beauty, I must say good-bye and yet issue you an invitation. In 2009, I plan to take my blogging energies and pour them more fully into my two monthly newsletters: Live Life Fully and Career Success Tips!

If you have enjoyed this blog, I hope you will follow the link below and join a newsletter list.

Newsletter Sign-Up

Either way, thank you for walking this part of life's journey with me. I pray all of God's greatest blessings through Christ Jesus into your life. Please drop me a note sometime and let me know how you are doing.

May your life be Christ-saturated and irresistably attractive always!

Kim

Keeping Christ in Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 09:48:00 +0000

Let’s Keep Christ in Christmas

I know, I know, “Let’s Keep Christ in Christmas” is a common, idiomatic phrase, trivialized by pin-on buttons and constant repetition. And I wouldn’t use it, if it just weren’t so true. In all the hustle and bustle and materialism, I find that Jesus is strangely absent from this sacred celebration of His lifesaving incarnation. So this year, I really do want to do a better job of keeping Christ in Christmas.

The True Meaning of Christmas

What is Christmas? The Gospel of Matthew tells us that Jesus at His birth was to be marked with this amazing name, ‘Immanuel.’ In Hebrew, ‘Im’ means ‘With’ and the ‘El’ means God. So literally Jesus is and was the ‘With-Us God.’ His presence in our hearts and lives truly is the best gift of all. He is now, ‘With Us.’

My Confession

Yet, I confess that I am easily distracted from my God by presents and parties, and by people and things. I cook and I clean. I buy and I wrap. I carol and I carpool, such that the sheer busyness of the season – even when I am busy doing wonderful things – strangely carries a weight and a dread. Where is Christ in my Christmas?

My Commitment

So, this year I am doing something different. No more gift exchanges, no more presents under the tree. There will be fewer parties and even fewer cookies. No wrappings, no tinsel, no trappings. This year, the Christmas clutter will be cleared away.

My Celebration

Instead, I have committed to enjoying the ‘With-ness’ of God by spending limitless time with God. I’ll savor the gospel stories and I’ll sing ancient hymns. I’ll pray, and cry, and laugh, and fall on my face in awe. I will worship. Above all else, I will seek Him.

My ‘prayer chair’ is ready. My Bible is open. My heart is hungry. I have invited Christ back into Christmas. Won’t you join me?

PS – I won’t be blogging until the New Year, when I hope to return refreshed, renewed, and revived having been with the ‘With-Us God.’ See you in January.

Why Suffering?

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 13:42:00 +0000

Why Do Bad Things Happen?

Did you know that God has a goal for your life? That all those hard things and difficult people in your life, they are there for a reason? Your suffering is not random. Your pain is not without purpose. These obstacles really can serve as a divine opportunity. While there are many biblical answers to the questions of suffering, one of them is clearly this.

“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son” Romans 8:29. God’s plan is to use all things to shape us so that we look just like His beloved son, Jesus.

Look Like Jesus

A recent research study just came out and confirmed what we had suspected all along. Couples that live together for a long time begin to look like one another. The study was conducted this way, researchers handed test participants separate photos of husbands and wives and then asked each participant to match the correct husband with the correct wife. The results were astonishing. More than half of the time, the right husband was matched with the right wife. And more than that, the longer the couple had lived together, the more likely they were to be correctly paired. They truly looked like one another.

Researchers postulate that this ‘looking alike’ occurs as a result of shared life experiences and emotions that actually form the lines and expressions on our faces. We become like those we are with.

Become Like the One You Love

When you allow pain and suffering to drive you, not away from God, but deeper into His arms, you fulfill God’s perfect plan. Your response to your trials has eternal consequences. And when you choose to gaze on Jesus, fellowship with Jesus, draw life from Jesus, you will look more like Jesus. You will become like the one you love.

Determine today that all your circumstances, good and bad, will send you back to your very source of life, Jesus Christ.

Kim Avery, MA, Certified Life Coach
“Helping women live joyful and meaningful lives.”
http://www.lifecoachingforchristianwomen.com/

Masks

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 13:17:00 +0000

Trick or Treat?

When my daughter was younger, each year she eagerly anticipated that ritual we call ‘Trick or Treat.’ The pumpkins were scary, the house-to-house hunt was fun, and the candy spoils were abundant. But nothing measured up to the fun of dressing up. Whether she was a lion, a princess, or a ballerina, she loved donning a new costume and a new persona.

One particular Halloween, right after I dressed her up as ‘My Little Pony,’ she impishly snuck out the back door, ran around to the front door, and rang the bell. “Trick or Treat,” she cried out. In mock surprise I replied, “Well, look at that. A beautiful ‘My Little Pony’ is standing right here on my stoop.”

Concerned, she lifted her plastic mask and whispered, “Don’t worry, mommy, it’s really just me, Bethany.”

Masks We Wear

I smile as I recall those innocent times, realizing that no one is ever really fooled by a mask for long. No matter how sophisticated the mask, how intricate the costume, how deeply we bury our genuine self – it just doesn’t work But that doesn’t stop us from trying.

On Sunday mornings, we carefully dress up in our very best, paste on a plastic smile, sneak out the back door, and arrive at the church’s front door as if to say, “This is the real me, really.” But behind our mask, lies sorrow, grief, brokenness, and despair. Vainly, we try to push our pride, selfishness, perfectionism, and fear out of sight. Robed in our Christian costume, we play the game, and pretend that all is well. But it is more of a trick than a treat.

Be Yourself

In the midst of all that futility, Galatians 5:1 rescues us with these words, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” Did you hear that? Jesus came to set you free. Free from pretending to be who you are not, free from the fear of rejection, free to leave behind the crippling past that daily haunts your present. You are free to be who He created you to be.

It’s time to take off the mask. God knows you. God loves you just as you are. Peel those layers away and be free!

Low Self-Esteem?

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 11:09:00 +0000

Self-esteem, hah? Why in the world would I ever esteem myself? Most days I barely even like myself. How many times have I started the day with the grandest intentions only to end it with broken confessions?

Don’t misunderstand. I want to feel good about myself. I want to feel strong and confident, secure and loved. But frankly, the better you know me the less you love me. And that’s probably a good decision on your part.

That’s why I was so excited this week to become reacquainted with this beautiful truth from John 3:16.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,

that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:16

Be Encouraged

"For God so loved…" – God's love is so vast, so deep, so all encompassing that it couldn't be contained and so it overflowed on you and me.

"loved" – God loves! I am so thankful for a God that is Love. What a comfort to be reminded today that His love doesn’t depend on our character, but instead flows from His.

"the world" – God loves sinful, rebellious people. How unexpected is that?

"that He gave His only begotten Son" – He gives His all. He gives His best. He gave His very life. That is a lot of love.

"that whoever believes in Him" – All He requires in return for eternal life is belief: simple, pure, unadulterated belief.

Be Loved

God loves me! God loves Kim Avery. God gave everything He had to rescue me. I am secure, accepted, and wholly loved and that fills me with joy and peace. As a child of the living God, I can now face the future and each day in-between with courage instead of fear.

My heart is singing today to think: "For God so loved Kim, that He gave His only begotten Son, that when she believes in Him she shall not perish, but have eternal life."

"Heavenly Father, thank you for the Your love, for the incredible gift of Your Son, and for eternal life with You. I don't know why you love me thus, but I am forever thankful that You do."

Peaceful Productivity

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 08:34:00 +0000

Getting Away From It All – or Not

A funny thing happened during my recent week-long retreat with my family in beautiful Blue Ridge, GA. The air was crisp, the hills exploded with color, and the hiking was truly sublime. Ah, the joys of getting away from it all, except…

…as we unpacked in our ‘rustic’ log cabin, amidst riotous laughter, we discovered that between four people we had over brought over twenty, yes twenty, electronic wireless devices. From blackberries, to laptops, cell phones, GPS, i-pods and more, our ‘get-away’ wasn’t really very far away.

We live in a busy, busy world. So, I hope you will enjoy my recent full-length article, Peaceful Productivity: How to Love the Busy Life You Live by clicking here. .

In the midst of all this crazy-busy, I pray that you will discover, as I have, that with God first, all else falls into place.

Believe. Receive.

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 08:50:00 +0000

Believing God changes everything. If I begin my day firmly persuaded that no matter what, “… in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28), I inevitably experience the peace that God has promised.

If however, I wake up and feed my belief that “If it’s going to be, it’s up to me,” anxiety and fear stalk my heart. God’s promise of peace is appropriated through believing.

Consider the May 2008 issue of Scientific American Mind which reveals the results of an interesting study. Two groups of women in Asia were given the same test of mathematical ability. In the first group, just prior to the test, researchers mentioned the stereotype that women tend to do poorly in math. And indeed, the female subjects had low scores.

In the second group, the researches stated the belief that Asians tend to be superior in math. The women scored significantly higher. The test results reflected the test-takers underlying belief system. What you believe effects everything.

In the Bible, God has promised great spiritual blessings to His children: joy, peace, contentment, and more. And each of these blessings is appropriated through faith; faith that God is in charge and that He is good. Blessings flow as I believe that each and every day He will empower me, secure me, embrace me, and transform me.

Transformation is possible and this is the path, “…let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think” (Romans 12:2). As you believe, you will receive.

What do you believe?

Friends Are Important

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 09:32:00 +0000

Loneliness is on the rise and Tiffany knows it. Although she lives in the heart of a busy city, surrounded by people, in a beautiful apartment with her husband of ten years, Tiffany is lonely. Like 10-20 million other people, she shares a common living space with others but has no real connection.

Worse than that, on top of her loneliness, Tiffany feels guilty as well. After all, she is a child of God and has a personal relationship with Him. Surely, that should be all she needs. Why isn’t God enough?

Created for Relationship With God

In the book of Genesis, at the very beginning of time, it’s clear to see that we were created for relationship. God made the world, He formed Adam from the dust, and then God walked with Him. Ideal, isn’t it?

Created for Relationship With Others

In Genesis 2:18, before sin, before the fall, we see a fascinating revelation about our original design. God says, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” Adam had God Himself to walk with in the cool of the day yet still needs one thing more. Even with God as his face to face companion – it was not good to be alone.

The truth is this, we were created for relationship – both with God and with others. Adam’s joy was complete when he shared his life and his love with God and Eve.

Tiffany’s loneliness will also flee as she interacts deeply with God and develops close friendships with others.

You were created for relationship, both with God and with friends.

Reconnect With Your Design

Loneliness is not a weakness but a cry from your heart to reconnect with your original design. God exhorts us in Romans 12:5, “Be devoted to one another.” Adam delighted in Eve. Tiffany is praying and searching for some new friends.

What is God calling you to do?

Become Who You Were Created To Be

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 10:58:00 +0000

Divine Design

“You are a masterpiece” Ephesians 2:10. This is the bold declaration of God – about you and me! Yet, as I looked in the mirror today, frankly I don’t feel like a work of art. Mistakes litter my past and my life today is, well, so daily. Thankfully, God remains undaunted in His declaration of ‘masterpiece,’ despite the obvious evidence to the contrary.

In fact, it gets even more exciting as God’s glorious proclamation continues; “He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.” Not only has God declared us His work of art, He has prepared good works for each of us to walk in. It’s truly a divine design.

Live Fully

There are four things you and I can do each day to live fully as God’s masterpiece:

Know God – Get to know your Creator, the Master Artist. Learn who He is, what He wants, and how He works. He created you, for Himself. Enjoy the relationship.

Know Yourself – A masterpiece is a singular work of art, not a product of mass production. Your unique expression of God will differ from all those around you. Paul states that you are to, “Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that” Galatians 6:4.

Serve Others - Although we live in an upwardly mobile world, Jesus was decidedly downward mobile. He came from heaven to earth, from king to servant, from applause to jeers, from a throne to a grave. More than that, He calls you and I to do likewise.

Shine for His Glory – Romans 11:36 tells us, “…everything is for His glory.” We are not here to build up our own kingdom but God’s. A masterpiece exists to point to the glory of the artist.

Focus on these four areas each day and you will shine more and more as the masterpiece you were created to be.

Live Simply. Love Generously.

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 08:50:00 +0000

Live simply. Love generously. Leave the rest to God. These remarkable summary statements about the Christian life were found in the papers of a martyred African pastor. In life and in death, he lived what he believed.

Simple living allows us to focus on God’s highest priorities and what could be more important than that? As we continue to examine the top ten timesaving tips, this week we discover two practical ways to reduce life’s clutter.

Eliminate Information Overload

We live on information overload. On any single day we are exposed to more than we could conceivably process in any one year. We are overloaded, overwhelmed, and pushed to the brink of breakdown. It is time to clear our minds, silence the sounds, and quarantine our living spaces from the relentless noise of life.

Stop the madness and just say ‘no.’ Try these suggestions:

The average household has the TV on for 40 hours a week. Turn it off.
Throw away clear junk mail. Don’t open it or read it – just toss it.
Lose the guilt. Cancel subscriptions to publications you rarely have time to read.
Contact the Direct Marketing Association (http://www.the-dma.org/) to get forms to help limit the flow of unwanted mail.
Block email spammers.
At home, turn off the cell phone.

Saying ‘no’ to overload allows you to say ‘yes’ to the things you really care about.

Delegate

We hesitate to delegate because we are convinced that alone we can do it faster and better. Admit it, we hate giving up control.

But, in actuality, delegating will save you an enormous amount of time. It will also
motivate others, promote ‘buy-in,’ and encourage cooperation.

Think about your top five time consuming work and personal tasks and dream of what it would be like if you delegated them today. Delegate to a competent employee, hire a personal assistant, or someone to help out at home. And don’t overlook the growing market of US and overseas virtual assistants. For as little as $4.00 an hour, you could cut your work load and your stress in half.

“Nothing is impossible if you can delegate.”
Unknown

Live simply. Love generously. Leave the rest to God.

Wise Timesaving Choices

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 09:18:00 +0000

We live in a world full of choices. We can stay or go, eat or fast, indulge or save. How do we know what to do? It’s hard to live a daily targeted life of impact when we don’t even know what to have for dinner.

Jesus did it this way, “He rose and went out to a lonely place, and there He prayed” (Mark 1:35). This is the secret of His life and work – He prayerfully waited for the Father’s instructions and did only what the Father told Him to do.

This week we continue with two more timesaving tips so that we can use time in the service of God’s kingdom and His will.

80/20 Rule

Over 100 years ago, an economist named Vilfredo Pareto discovered a little known law of income distribution which today bears his name, “Pareto’s Law” or what we call the 80/20 principle. What he found was that 80% of the wealth was produced by 20% of the population and more than that, this same principle could be applied almost everywhere.

80% of the consequences flow from 20% of the causes.
80% of the results come from 20% of your effort and time.

80/20 is a powerful principle. Focus on your most effective activities and you may cut your time in half while doubling your results.

Chunk

Chunking is the act of grouping like activities together and performing them all at the same time. It just makes sense.

There is an inescapable set-up time for almost all tasks large or small. Whether you need to gather your thoughts to write that important report, or collect materials to pay the bills – the set-up time is often the same for one as it is for a hundred.

In the book, The Cost of Not Paying Attention, research revealed that there is a 28% time loss when we break up activities. It pays to chunk.

Take regular tasks – answering email, returning phone calls, entering expenses, logging billable hours, etc. and set aside just one period of time to do the whole batch or chunk.

If you make $20 an hour and eliminate the 28% time loss by chunking activities, you will save your company $800.00 a month and free up 10 hours a week!

This week focus on your most profitable tasks, eliminate the ineffective, and group the rest. Your exponential increased impact on the world will make it worth your while.

Timesaving is Lifesaving

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 09:19:00 +0000

Timesaving is life saving, because it will not only increase the quanity of time in your day but add to the quality of time in your life. Proverbs 21: 5 says, “The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty.”

What hopes, dreams, and plans have you pushed aside because busyness rules the day?
What lifelong dreams could you fulfill if you discovered an extra two hours every day?

For the next few weeks, we will examine the top ten timesaving tips so that you can discover how to use time as your ultimate tool to living well.

First Things First

Research shows most people spend the first three hours of every work day doing small, necessary, but relatively mindless things. Counter intuitively, the most foundational principle of time management is to do, First Things First.

When you are fresh, begin with the most important one or two things BEFORE you even check your email.

At work, do the most difficult task with the highest payoff.
At home, work on the task you like least and enjoy the rest of the weekend.
In your meetings, address the most important topic at the top before people begin to file out.

You will accomplish more, enjoy the whole day, do better work, have more confidence, and feel great.

Limit Interruptions

Interruptions are damaging to your productivity. Every time you allow an interruption in your work, it costs you six minutes in addition to the time actually spent. Thus, if you have just three 10-minute unexpected conversations in one morning, you will lose 48 minutes!

Take these steps during your First Things First time each morning:

Spend time with God first.
Eliminate audible distractions such as the phone and email alert.
Don’t socialize until later in the day.
Turn off your computer monitor.

Continue to follow our Top Ten Timesaving Tips because as Charles Hummel says, “Nothing substitutes for knowing that this day, this hour, in this place we are doing the will of the Father.”

Simplify! Rest

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 10:50:00 +0000

Missed work, memory loss, car accidents, and coronary heart disease, these are just a few of the documented side effects of rest deprivation. And I feel it, don’t you? We are a society on the go. From the moment our feet touch the floor in the morning, until our minds finally stop their helicopter whirling at night, we don’t rest.

The underlying assumption we make is that because we have people to meet and places to go, intense effort and a relentless focus are our choice companions. But in doing that, we often leave our health and our God behind us in the dust.

God entices us with an entirely different tune than this world’s siren song. “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10.) Be still. Return, reconnect, reinvigorate, recreate, know, and trust your God. All else will follow.

Rest

Answer this question: How does my ‘running on empty’ actually detract from what I am trying to accomplish?

A recent Obstacles to Growth Survey reports that among Christians, “Six out of ten women say they ‘sometimes,’ ‘often,’ or ‘always’ feel guilty when they relax.”

Surprisingly, this current epidemic of busyness has less to do with what we have to do then our understanding of who is responsible for doing it. In Isaiah 46:10 God says, 'My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.' God never wearies yet He designed us to need rest. Relax and enjoy.

It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late,
To eat the bread of painful labors;
for He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.
Psalm 127:2

Action Step: Decide today to rest physically from all your routine ‘doings’ one full day a week. Mark off this day on your calendar for the next 52 weeks. Keep this time of rest sacred. It is.

Be sure to comment and to let me know how that day of rest made a difference in your week.

Simplify! Invest Time Wisely

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 08:24:00 +0000

Hauntingly, the tick of my grandfather clock never stops. I walk past it and it is 8:00 a.m. I smile. There is much to do today and I’m so thankful that there is much time to do it in. Suddenly, I rub my bleary eyes and look up as the chime sounds. What? Ten p.m. How did that happen, the day has slipped away, and so much is still undone.

I reassure myself that I can tackle it all again tomorrow but the truth of the matter is, the relentless taskmaster of time, will march again in much the same way as it did today.

Is there anything more precious than time? A gift from God, it alone provides the means for me to be productive, contribute, love, lunch, and learn. Where would I be without time? More importantly than that, how can I get more of it?

Invest Time Wisely

Answer this question: How would your pace of life and your peace of mind be different if you had three extra hours a day?

It’s fun to imagine having an extra three hours a day. My cupboards would be full, the laundry done, and my emails all answered. With three extra hours, I would savor God, love my family, enjoy my friends, and live fully.

Yet, most of us do have an extra three hours a day. We just spend it watching TV. Carl Sandburg once said, “Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have and only you can determine how it will be spent.” Spend wisely!

"After a long absence, the master of those three servants came
back and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars
showed him how he had doubled his investment. His master commended him:
'Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.'"
Matthew 25:19-21 (MSG)

Action Step: Invest your time wisely this week by turning the TV off completely or consider cutting your TV viewing in half for one month. The return on investment will delight you.

Be sure to comment here and let me know what you got accomplished in your twenty-one extra hours this week.

Simplify! Fight False Expectations.

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 08:37:00 +0000

Too Much

“Of course, Sandy, I realize how busy you are. It’s just that you are the only one who can keep those babies calm in the nursery. Would you please work just one more semester?”

Sandy sighed and agreed. It’s not that she couldn’t squeeze the time in, she was going to church anyway, it was just….

With her mother guilting her, her husband overloading her, the children pulling, the teaching committee enlisting, the neighborhood association calling, not to mention the Friends of the Library, the Association for the Blind, the Cancer-Walk and a myriad of other good things, Sandy had too much to do. What’s the problem?

Burnout Ahead

Sandy tries to keep her life and her days running smoothly. She cares about her church, her marriage, her kids, her city, and her Lord. But something isn’t right and she knows it. Sandy is headed for spiritual, emotional, and relational burnout and it will not be pretty.

Maybe you can identify with Sandy. You have too many demands and not enough you. Did God intend for it to be this hard? No, He didn’t. The problem is that much of the stress and strain in our lives does not come from trying to please God but in trying to meet the expectations of all others.

Narrow Your Focus and Expand Your Influence

God’s answer is to narrow your focus – do only what He desires and expand your influence – He will take care of everything else. Is your life suffering from the clutter of trying to meet false expectations?

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:33

Fight False Expectations

Answer this question: How much of your time is devoted to trying to meet the expectations of others?

People-pleasing stems from the underlying false belief that our value as a person depends on what others think of us. Incredible freedom comes from truly owning the Scriptural truth that God loves you unconditionally regardless of your accomplishments and your short-comings. Choose today to exemplify that truth, whether you ‘feel’ it or not.

If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.
Galatians 1:10 (NLT)

Action Step: Commit to not saying ‘yes’ to any new thing for one whole month without taking one week to first pray and seek counsel.

Simplify - Week Two - Less is More

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 08:18:00 +0000

Does your stomach hurt when the bills come? Do you dread hearing that six-letter word, budget? Is the phrase ‘checkbook balance’ a genuine oxymoron? In this day and age we feel incredible pressure to do it all, be it all, and have it all – no matter the cost. But we would be wise to realize, as Ralph Waldo Emerson did, “Sometimes money costs too much.”

Step two of our five week program for simplifying your life asks you to consider the role of money and of possessions. Financial problems easily clutter and cloud every aspect of our lives. The good news is this, more is not always better.

As thoughtful, intentional children of God, we want to fight the world’s system of chasing a lifestyle and instead design and live a life. As we do, we will discover that deliberate obedience and simple elegance is what feeds our relationships, our families, and our souls. Less is more.

Less is More

Answer this question: How much of the busyness and complexity of your life is a result of choosing, purchasing, and maintaining luxury items that you never have time to enjoy?

Does keeping up with the ‘stuff’ of life take increasingly more time and money? We too easily fall into the trap of spending so much time and energy acquiring and then repairing our possessions that we barely have time to enjoy them. Crazy, isn’t it? It is because we have forgotten this truth, everything comes from God and exists for God.

We are but stewards of our lives and our resources. A faithful steward waits to hear from the Master before she decides what to buy and what not to buy. Then and only then does the steward implement the Master’s will. God has a plan for all our lives and it is greater than the sum of our possessions.

Don't love the world's ways. Don't love the world's goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.
I John 2:15-17 (MSG)

Action Step: Make a list of five things in your life that you are planning to purchase this year or that you already own. Prayerfully submit each one to God and ask Him what He would have you do. Do it.

Simplify - Week One - Prioritize

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 09:25:00 +0000

Are you crazy busy? Is your inbox full and your calendar overflowing? Do you rush from thing to thing just to stay on the treadmill of life? Is your relationship with God more of a duty than a delight? Are you full but not fulfilled?

It can be different. Over the next five weeks, we will examine the most common problems that add needless complexity to your life, learn God’s answer, and give a concrete action step so that you can begin to make a measurable difference in your life, today.

With this brief program, you will be able to assess how busyness is affecting the quality of your life, realign yourself with God’s truths, and begin the move towards a purposeful, joyful, and Christ-saturated life.

Your future begins today!

Prioritize

Ask yourself this question: How is busyness compromising my relationship with God and others?

Busyness is America’s most applauded addiction. It is easy to see why. Quick movements, fast decisions, email relationships – these all have the appearance of wisdom, the ability to buy us the life and happiness we want. Yet in reality, busyness undermines our relationship with God and robs us of joy in our daily living.

God gives us this counter-cultural admonition:

Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions.
Don't worry about missing out.
You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
Matthew 6:33 (The Msg.)

When we put God first, He guarantees that all those other worries will be met.

Action Step: Write down the most important thing you can begin doing today to ensure that busyness will never again compromise your relationship with God. Schedule (with ink) in the changes you will need to make to reflect your new priorities.

Come back next week for step two. You are well on your way to a more peaceful, simple, joyful life.

Relational Decluttering

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 11:43:00 +0000

The gravitational pull on my schedule this week was enough to wrench an entire solar system out of orbit. Yet, I willingly took two hours of prime time, as I do every week, to meet with my precious accountability group. At the end of our time together, there were no finished tasks to check off my list, no chores now complete, but it was worth every minute and more. Like the air I breathe, I need to be around people like that.

Our surroundings affect us and so do the people in our life. Their attitudes, their words, their beliefs work their way deep into our souls. Coach Philip Humbert explains the process this way, “It’s automatic, it’s inevitable, and it has tremendous predictive value – the people we associate with predict the kind of person we will become in the future.” In other words, if you want to see who you will be next year, just look at those walking beside you today.

God states it like this, “Become wise by walking with the wise; hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces” Proverbs 13:20. Those of us who are parents know this all too well. Wisdom doesn’t come automatically, but only appears as a direct result of deliberate cultivation. And one of the primary ways to grow wise is to seed your life with godly friends.

Successful Christians choose their closest companions with care. Look around. Are you surrounded by people of integrity, wisdom, humility, and sacrificial love? If not, it may be time to declutter your relational environment and make space for some new companions.

No, I am not suggesting that you throw out your relatives or ignore your next door neighbor. But I am recommending that you add a powerful component to your spiritual life– wise mentors and friends.

Begin today to purposefully surround yourself with truth-tellers, God-lovers, and charitable workers. Let them encourage, instruct, correct, and inspire you. The results will show.

Energy Drainers

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 11:10:00 +0000

In the movie, Toy Story, Cowboy Woody is famous for his oft repeated line, “There’s a snake in my boots.” As we consider the idea of clutter for the next few weeks, let me tap into a similar thought, “There’s a fox in my life.” Not a literal fox, of course, but something small and sneaky, almost unidentifiable, that has crept into my life and eaten away at my opportunity for success. Perhaps you can relate.

Small Things Do Great Damage

King Solomon in the Old Testament shares a wise exhortation with us, “Catch the foxes for us, The little foxes that are ruining the vineyard” Song of Solomon 2:15. Little foxes are known for sneaking in and spoiling the luscious fruit.

The Australian agricultural department catalogs foxes destructive power in these ways: eating the harvest, ruining choice fruit, gnawing on sprinklers and more. Small things can do great damage. What little foxes are ruining your organizational vineyard before it yields its fruit?

As I considered this question, images began to flood my mind. Unanswered email, unreturned phone calls, unfiled papers, undone tasks – there can be countless things that fill our work and life space with clutter, chaos, confusion, and conflict. Those little foxes seem small but inexorably they eat away at our peaceful productivity.

Practical Steps to Take

1. Sit down and identify your ‘little foxes.’ List both your energy drainers at work and your energy drainers at home.

2. Count the cost. Anything you tolerate has a cost: time, inconvenience, frustration and more. Identify the cost of each ‘little fox’ and decide if it is worth it.

3. Do something about it. You have four choices with each item on your list:

Do it
Delegate it
Dump it
Defer it (use this one sparingly!)

Now re-imagine your life. Your home and work space are beautifully decorated, soothing to the senses and a delight to your eyes. You arrive each day knowing that each tool you need will be at your finger-tips and perform as expected. Your chair is comfortable, your files are ordered, and your computer ready to go.

At home, the counters are clean, the cupboards full, the mail sorted, and the laundry done. Truly, this environment will feed your spirit and inspire your imagination. Enjoy!

Come back next week for more helpful decluttering tips.

Decluttering

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 09:54:00 +0000

It felt so good. My focus was restored and my creativity unleashed. I was completely invigorated. Without spending a single cent, life was better. The miracle cure? Environment management, or to put it more simply, decluttering.

Like a dry sponge, I tend to soak up my surroundings and give back what I have taken in. If the room is dark, I am sad. When my office is crowded, my creativity is stifled. If my closets are sloppy, so go my thoughts.

I was dragging and the reason was clear. A messy desk equals a messy mind. It was time to clean up my act.

God loves beauty, creativity, and order. In creation, His divine fingerprint fashions splendor from chaos and creates order from confusion. He called it good. So do I.

The Cost of Clutter

Disorder is draining, inefficient and costly. Take your typical business executive. Studies have shown that she can spend four and one-half hours a week just searching for lost papers. At an average annual salary of $30,000, she has just spent $3,376 dollars. If she makes $60,000 a year the cost is $6,752. At $100,000, the annual cost jumps to $11,250 – all to answer that compelling clutter question, “Now, where did I put that?”

According to Crown Financial Ministries, clutter is costly in other ways as well:

Every time you allow an interruption in your work, it costs you six minutes in addition to the time actually spent. Thus, if you have just three 10-minute unexpected conversations in one morning, you will lose 48 minutes!

You become an easy target for scammers who will double or even triple bill you. How often do we overpay because we lose track of the original invoice?

Poor communication due to disorganization can cost up to 280 hours per year – seven entire weeks.

Whether we work at home or for another, disorder is expensive - financially, emotionally, and spiritually.

The Joy of Decluttering

I have begun to turn that loss around. This week, I have cleared my desk, tied up my loose ends, and freed my mind for more important things. You can do the same.

Our God is a God of order and He has a plan to help each of us become more faithful stewards of all that He has given. Join me, the Christian Life Coach, over the next few weeks as we declutter for the glory of God.

Be sure to leave me a comment and let me know how your personal decluttering project is going.

Too Busy for God?

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 09:13:00 +0000

Overworked, overwhelmed, and busy beyond belief, it is easy to race through life simply adding task to task in our attempt to do it all. Consider Michelle. Mother of two and step-mother of one, she desperately wants her new blended family to blend. On top of this, she daily juggles her career as a corporate trainer, her graduate school classes, and the chores necessary for daily living. Not surprisingly, by the end of each day Michelle is exhausted, short-tempered, and spiritually dry. In her desire to grasp everything, she is dropping the most important thing – a close relationship with God.

How about you? Does the busyness of your life get in the way of developing your relationship with God? If so, you are not the only one. A recent poll taken by Michael Zigarelli revealed that six out of every ten believers agreed, they are too busy for God. And like Michelle, they are not happy with the results.

Time after time, Michelle has valiantly tried to shoehorn God into her already full life. But for all her good intentions, when other pressures mounted, Michelle’s God-time was the first thing to go. As she viewed the subsequent wreckage, it slowly dawned on her that she ended up missing out on God and everything else as well.

As Michelle’s coach, I encouraged her to look deeper, to dig for more foundational principles and power. She decided to search the Scriptures. There, Michelle discovered a different approach, God’s approach.

Jesus said, “…seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). The concept that was missing in Michelle’s life was seeking God first, believing that He would then provide for the rest.

Michelle bravely took her calendar, turned it upside down, shook everything out, turned it back up and inked in God first. Those first few weeks were hard. Her anxiety rose as she watched the clock, wanting to be with God but worrying about the myriads of undone things. It took discipline; it took faith. It worked.

Yes, Michelle is still busy. But God is first. Consequently, in everything else she does, she knows God’s will, she hears His voice, and she experiences His peace.

We never again have to be to shortchange our relationship with God. His faithful promise is for busy people everywhere, when we seek Him first, He will take care of the rest.

You Are An Original

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 09:42:00 +0000

Next time you are in Pennsylvania, make sure your travels take you past the intersection of 36th and Walnut. You won’t find a famous landmark and I don’t recommend the shopping but on most weekdays, in the middle of the street, what you will see is the incredible Officer Floyd Johnson. Officer Johnson is not your average traffic-directing cop. Instead, with cheerful call-outs and dynamic dance moves, Johnson directs traffic with a twist. He is an original.

God Is NOT Into Mass Production

You too are an original. One glance at the universe or across the church sanctuary and you will quickly see that God is not into mass production. He has not created ten million identical Kewpie Doll Christians to hang from the mirror of His throne. Our distinct features, our quirky personalities, our differing passions all show that “each of us is an original” Galatians 5:26.

Bring Glory to God

How does an original masterpiece bring glory to its artist? By hanging proudly in the front window and daring to shine. The Apostle Paul puts it this way, “…make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that” Galatians 6:4.

Dare to Be An Original

God calls us to glorify Him and to love others but we are to do it in through our distinctive design. “The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others” I Corinthians 12:7. Like Officer Johnson, your moves are unique and your contribution is special. In the Christian life, unity is essential, but uniformity is deadening. Dare to be an original and shine with the glory of your God.

The Unhurried Life

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 09:42:00 +0000

Minute rice, fast food, and instant messaging - what do these things have in common? Speed. It is our highest priority. More than exquisite workmanship, deep friendships, or even God, we value speed. America is in a hurry. We want what we want when we want it. After all, doesn’t doing more in less time just make sense?

But contrary to our expectations, rushing from bed, to table, to car, to work, and then home again is NOT getting us what we want. In fact, it is making us sick. Research by Dr. Brent Bost has recently identified a cluster of symptoms that arise from this frenetic lifestyle. These symptoms include fatigue, moodiness, weight gain and low sex drive. (Dr. Bost; McGraw-Hill; March 2005). Shockingly, approximately 50 million American women have at least one of the above.

Busyness is an American addiction fed daily by Satan’s lies.

I can have it all.

If I don’t do it, who will?

More is better.

Eight hours of sleep is optional.

The one who dies with the most toys wins.

God says something entirely different:

It is vain for you to rise up early,
To retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors;
For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.
Psalm 127:2

Did you catch that? It is vain to get up early. It is worthless to stay up late. Work yourself to death and it still won’t get you what you want. But if you trust the Lord, He will take care of all your needs even while you are sleeping. That is a powerful promise and one that America desperately needs to hear.

“Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met” (Matthew 6:33 MSG). When we believe God, the order of our priorities is suddenly reversed. God is our greatest treasure, deep relationships are essential, quality is important, and speed becomes almost irrelevant.

The research is in. When you live your life by God’s principles your energy is renewed, joy overflows, health is restored, and your passion returns. Choose the unhurried life and love the life you live.

Boundaries

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 11:12:00 +0000

“Sure, I’ll be happy to do it,” the words came out of my mouth even as my heart sank. I didn’t have time to do one more thing. I was barely keeping up with the two-hundred things I was already committed to doing. Sighing deeply, I turned away wondering once again, “Why do I do this to myself?”

Why do we live to please others? Like a chemical addiction, lowering our boundaries to please others offers a temporary high, but the crash quickly follows and leaves us craving even more. Living without boundaries is a bottomless pit.

Don’t be fooled. Making all others happy, all the time, may masquerade as servanthood but more likely it is that we need others to help us feel important. When people call our name, dial our number, depend on us, our self-esteem briefly soars, our outer persona is fed and our ego stroked. Yes, in the short run, people-pleasing gives us a rush but long-term it leaves our inner man starving for more.

The good news is this: you are important. God loves you more than you know. When you draw life and meaning from His love, you won’t have wrest it from others. God-pleasers need people less and love them more. Boundaries set the stage for a genuine, Christ-like love.

Recognize the Lie – Satan’s lie is this:

I must please all other people all the time.

It is important that people like me.

It is my job to make others happy.

But God says, “The fear of human opinion disables; trusting in God protects you from that” Proverbs 29:25.

Renew Your Mind –

Why work hard for what you already have? You are important. You are loved. You are precious in God’s eyes. Feast on these truths, “…then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is” Ephesians 3:17-18.

Rehearse –

Saturate yourself with God’s love. Sing His precious truths again and again, “Jesus loves me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so.”

Drink deeply at the fountain of God’s love and leave refreshed to love others wisely and well.

Talk Back to Despair

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:00:00 +0000

I admit it. When I find myself home alone I am usually talking to myself. Blushing when overheard, I never-the-less continue. It is just so helpful. Talking to myself solves complex problems, sorts out confusing relationships, and lets off some much needed steam. It may be weird but it works.

Imagine my relief when I discovered that King David from ancient Israel was also a closet self-talker. In fact, this habit practically saved his life. David realized that we feel and act the way we do because of the thoughts we think and repeat. He knew that if left unchecked, discouraging thoughts soon become the background music of our lives, constantly chanting their message of despair:

Things will never change.
It is hopeless.
Why bother?
I can't take it anymore.

Hopelessness then fills our days and haunts our nights. Difficulty is inevitable, but discouragement doesn’t have to be. The dirge of despair hums: there is no God, He doesn’t care, and He won’t intervene. But nothing could be further from the truth.

There is a God. He does care, and as humans in the midst of this battle we call life, we need to remind ourselves of this continually. How? “(God’s) words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life” John 6:63. Fight discouragement with God’s truth.

David fought despair by talking to himself. Eavesdrop with me, “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, For the help of His presence” Psalm 42:5. David answers Satan’s lie with God’s truth. He scolds, he fusses, and he fights for hope. He writes a new tune, “O soul, what are thinking? Have you forgotten there is a God and that He is in control? Trust in Him. His presence is all you need. He will satisfy. A new day is coming. Before you know it, you will again be singing His praises. Look to Him and hope.”

When discouragement threatens to become the background music of your mind, tune into God’s promises and smile.