Monthly Archives: July 2012

The Girl Who Cried Fire

Posted in About Us by

My husband is the world’s best bargain hunter. He may or may not even subscribe to a website called “Thrifty Northwest Mom.” At least he’s got the “Thrifty” and “Northwest” parts covered.

For about a month now, he’s been talking about getting a toaster. I had chucked ours because it was old and dirty {and didn’t match other appliances on my counter}. The man has been missing his toast, so he finally went all in and bought a beautiful stainless steal Hamilton Beach toaster.

From Goodwill.

For $4.99.

Used.

Something about him turning it upside down off our back deck and dumping out the burnt crumbs from the previous user caused something in my mind to snap crackle pop. Payback was inevitable. So I devised a little plan. A plan to make him some new toast in that new toaster of his.

While he was watching the Olympics, I slipped into the kitchen under the guise of getting some ice cream. I slipped two nasty looking pieces of bread out of the fridge and into the new toaster. Cranked that baby up to power level 5 and let ‘er rip. I could hardly contain my excitement as I anticipated some blackity black toasty toast.

Three minutes later it popped up. Not burnt. Much to my chagrin. So, I pushed the lever down and sent those babies back in for another round. It was somewhere during round 2 that the house began to smell somewhat like burnt toast, and Jason began laughing from the living room. He quickly dismissed that my a la mode ice cream flavor of the eve was burnt toast, and stood up to come check on me.

At which point I grabbed a dish towel, began yelling, “FIRE! FIRE!” and pretending to put out flames from the new toaster. “Ohhh, no! Oh no, babe. Look at the bread {pulling out the now blackened toast}. So sad! And this was on the lowest level! Oh so sad. Your toaster doesn’t work. And it caught on fire. Super dangerous!”

At this point he knows I’m full of it. And I know he knows I’m full of it. But the two of us can’t stop laughing.

In all sincerity, I super appreciate that my husband is thrifty. And Northwest. We’ve gotten some great stuff at the Goodwill {including some Rough Rider skin tight jeans for my little cowboy}. And I am not above reusing other people’s stuff. It was just a prank too good to pass up.

One of my favorite sounds in the whole wide world is the sound of my man laughing. And I’ll do pretty much anything to make it happen.

Rest in the Storm

Posted in Awesome God, My Jesus by

“On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.

But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion.

And they woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?’ And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’” (Mark 4:35-41)

It is uncommon to rest in the midst of a huge storm. More common responses would be fear, anxiety, worry. It would be rare enough, indeed, to be calm. But to sleep? To be able to remain asleep while a huge windstorm is happening and waves are breaking and crashing against the side of the small boat? Either he’s picked up some ZZZ-quil or there is something else entirely going on.

I propose to you that rest is possible in a storm.

It has to be. But how? How can you remain at peace and at rest in the midst of chaos, confusion, and unpredictable circumstances? What do you do when your plans fail? When the relationship falls apart? When the finances bust? When the dreams don’t meet your expectations? When the children disobey? When the family member dies? When the doctor says its cancer?

1. Know the One who calms the storm.
If He slept through it, it’s because He has command over it. The wind and the sea not only obey Him, they were created by Him. He has the power to shut them down if and when He sees fit. In the meanwhile, He calls us to not fear. The disciples awoke Him saying, “Do you not care that we are perishing?”

2. Understand that what feels like death is, in fact, not death.
The disciples accused Jesus of not caring that they were perishing. To them, the storm was life-threatening. Hence the fear and apprehension. To Jesus, there is not one moment where He does not have everything under control. He is not worried in the slightest by the storm. Nor has it taken Him by surprise. Refer to aforementioned sleeping.

3. The storm is a faith-building test.
Jesus’ response to the disciples accusation is, “Why are you still afraid? Have you still no faith?” Where they are tempted to fear, Jesus challenges them to a greater place of faith. Not in themselves. Not in their umbrellas. Not in their ability to hang on tight to the sides of the boat. But faith in the man asleep at the stern of the boat. The storm is an opportunity to make a declaration of faith not from a place beside still waters and green pastures, but from the stormy sea. That’s an authentic faith.

4. The storm reveals the mighty hand of God.
If there was no storm, how would the disciples have seen the power of God to calm it? If there was no storm, how would the disciples been given an opportunity to trust God through it? If there was no storm, how would they know that God is mighty to save?

The storms reveal the hand of God. They call us to a place of greater faith. They will not be the death of us. Because we know the One who can rebuke the wind and the waves and He’s calling us to trust in Him in a way we could not if we were not in the storm.

So rest.

“For in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.” (Psalm 57:1)

Please Consider Giving

Posted in About Us by

It’s not often {if, in fact ever…?} that I blog and ask you to give to anything, so please believe that this is serious and worthy of your consideration. This is a link to a page to raise funds for one of our pastors whose wife was diagnosed 10 days ago with Stage 3 colon cancer. She is 17 weeks pregnant. They have three small boys. Please consider giving to help them fight this battle and the road ahead.  The background story, “How to Tell Your Wife She Has Cancer” can be found here. Please keep this family in your prayers. Thanks, everyone.

***UPDATE: Mourning with the Hurst Family

Do You Know His Voice?

Posted in Awesome God by

Charlie pup became a part of our family three years ago. I learned pretty quickly how inept I was at being a dog owner when, after twenty minutes passed, I lost him. Yup. That’s right. It was a rookie mistake. Only a novice could have pulled this one off. Here’s how to lose a dog in the first 20 minutes of ownership: Set the dog down outside by the woods. {Yup, the one that just met you a hot minute ago}. Turn your back on him as you reach for his new comfy crate  {a.k.a. prison}. And then stare in bewilderment. What? He’s gone? How could that have happened? Oh, wait. Is that him hightailing it into the woods? {The kind of woods that have trees. And bushes. And small spaces where fast, small dogs can hide}. You can probably imagine the chaos that ensued {and the trauma}—for the poor dog now engaged in a high speed chase with a crazy {and very strange} new woman. The picture looked something like this: arms flailing, hair flapping, voice screeching. It took about twenty minutes {and lots of tears, pleading, and sprinting through thornbushes}, but I finally caught him. He was terrified. Shaking. Scared out of his {tiny, pea-sized} mind.

It’s been three years. His brother, Brody lives with us now too. Brody has been with us for about 2 years. {Side note: He has not been lost yet}. How do I say this in love? {Sweet} little Brody is one card short of a full deck. It takes him a little longer to get things. {Okay, sometimes he never gets them}. He still likes to eat tissue. He still bangs his head on the floor every time he sneezes. He still chases flies and he still has {close} encounters {of the third kind} with our doorstops.

So what just happened thirty minutes ago is sort of cool. {And that’s why I’m telling you about it}. We had community group tonight and since the weather was so spectacular, decided to park it outside for the night. As a result, I unhinged the side gate in our yard so people could come and go as they pleased. Great night. Eventually everybody leaves. The rookie {yours truly} forgets to shut the gate. So about thirty minutes ago, {it’s pitch black outside}, I let the boys out. They do their business {why do we use that expression?} and I {as a well-trained human} walk over to clean up after them {very much taking my time}. But as I turn around, I realize something’s wrong. They’re not waiting by the bottom of the stairs like they always do. And then it hits me. THE GATE!

Now, I understand that some of you may have {or have heard the legend of} dogs that stay in the yard or that come when called. But my dogs march to the beat of a different drum. It’s called the “This is the last helicopter out of Vietnam” drum and the beat goes a little something like this: “RUN, RUN, RUN, RUN, RUUUUUUUUN!!!” So I sprint over to the gate and {as calmly as I can} yell, “C’mon!”

And they came…

Both of them…

Immediately.

Huh? What? Relief. But also total confusion. Are these my dogs? Did they really just come when I called them? Like, right away? As opposed to being 14.5 blocks from home by now about to hit up the local pubs? I mean, really? I was dumbfounded. But it was super cool. I couldn’t “Good boy” them enough. I wanted to kill a fattened calf and give them the femur in celebration. Wowzers.

And then I thought about it. I thought about Charlie taking off three years ago. I thought about the sound of my voice causing more fear {and hurting my cause more than helping it} as I yelled after him. And I thought about the relationship I have now with my dogs. They know me. They know that I love them. They trust me. They are loyal to me. They want to stay close to me. And so they came when I called them. This is their home and they like it here. {Let’s not get any high hopes of this happening again—the gate is now triple staple gunned shut}.

But I just started thinking about my relationship with Jesus. When I didn’t know His voice {and more importantly, when I didn’t know Him}, I ran. Into rebellion. Far away. I did my own thing. My way. Looked out for number one. Hid. But now I know His voice. Because I’ve been graced to meet Him and know Him. I love Him. He is good. He is the good shepherd. By grace I can follow Him. Be where He is. Obey Him. Trust Him. Walk behind Him. Look to Him. Hearing His voice brings me comfort, and when He calls, I’m much more quick to respond. The green grass beyond the fence used to be a draw to me because it promised fulfillment, happiness, identity, security, comfort, and FUN. But when you know the voice of Jesus you detect the snare and the lies in the counterfeit promises that whisper from beyond. And you stay. True fulfillment. True joy. True identity. True security. True comfort. And a delight in serving the King of Kings and seeing Him love, redeem, and grace your life and the life of those around you. Now, THAT’s fun!

I don’t know. It struck me tonight.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
(John 10:27)

Do you know His voice?

Simple Yet Powerful Coaching Conversations

Posted in life coaching, Standing Free Life Coaching by

20120705-232659.jpg

Ants labor hard. And they work systematically. They are organized and diligent with their work. They get the job done. I read this verse in Proverbs last week and was really convicted and challenged by God to get more order in my schedule.

“Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. (Proverbs 6:6-8)

The main point of contention with my productivity is my schedule. It’s haphazard at best. So thought, how would I coach a client through this very same thing? What follows is pretty much the conversation I had in my own head {that’s right, I talk to myself}:

CoachMe: “What is holding you back from having order and productivity each day?”

ClientMe: “A plan. Lack of structure. No recurring habits or patterns.”

CoachMe: “So what ideas come to mind as far as adding a structured plan with recurring patterns and habits into your day?”

ClientMe: “Well, I could come up with a schedule for every day of the week…but I’ve tried that and it doesn’t work.”

CoachMe: “Why not?”

ClientMe: “Because I made it impossible to stick to. I added in oddly long periods of work time with no breaks. I scheduled different things for every day. And I didn’t account for other things that get added into the day like friends or coffee dates or household chores. So I quit and felt like a failure.”

CoachMe: “Do you think it would be possible to make a schedule that isn’t impossible?”

ClientMe: “Yeah. I guess.”

CoachMe: “What would you have to do to make it more realistic?”

ClientMe: “Well, probably have some set things that happen every day. Like wake up at the same time every day.”

CoachMe: “What else?”

ClientMe: “I would like to focus on parts of my business at the same time every day. (Getting excited now). Like maybe have a set time every day when I do marketing for an hour. And study for an hour or two in the afternoon. I also want to cut myself off at the same time every day so I don’t go overboard. But it’s hard to have a set schedule every day because I coach different days at different times and have other commitments throughout the week too.”

CoachMe: “Okay, so it sounds like you need to find a way to have your schedule adapt to changing appointments and other responsibilities. Any idea as to how you could do that?”

ClientMe: “I guess I could review my schedule every night before bed. See how the day went. Make some observations on what went well and what didn’t. And then plan out the next day’s schedule including any out of the routine appointments.”

CoachMe: “So it sounds like you’re going to work on creating some routine for yourself every day but also allow flexibility for days that might stray from the normal routine. You think the best way to do that is to review your schedule at night and plan the next day out before bed. Is that correct?”

ClientMe: “Yeah, I think that might actually work.”

CoachMe: “Any potential potholes you need to keep an eye out for?”

ClientMe: “Yeah, either becoming super legalistic about the schedule to the point that I beat myself up if plans change and feel like a failure. That leads to me giving up. OR I also can get really excited and go into overdrive and put in crazy long hours and have my phone/laptop glued to my body. That will make me get burned out quickly.”

CoachMe: “Cool. Well it sounds like you know what to watch out for. I will check in with you at the end of the week to see how it went and to make sure that you’re avoiding those potholes!”

ClientMe: “Sounds good!”

The end.

Simple conversations that can be so powerful.

And holy cow! I have had the most productive week of my business! I’ve gotten a whole bunch done both professionally and personally. The house has been clean, I’ve taken care of personal responsibilities here, I’ve gotten fun time with friends, amazing quiet time with Jesus, and have been super proactive with stuff for the business.

Coaching works. Because the agenda is client driven, you are right at the sweet spot where the client cares and wants to make a change. Who knows better than the client what God is prompting them to work on?

This week for me, it was my schedule. Hooray for God-prompted change that resulted in a super productive week.

How about you? Have you ever considered coaching? Here are 4 great questions to help you identify some ways you could benefit from a coaching relationship {and conversations like the one above}:

1. What are the pressure points in your life? Where is life difficult right now?
2. What do you want more of in your life? What do you want less of?
3. What is your biggest energy drain? Your second biggest?
4. Name five minor annoyances that sap your energy and drag you down.
(Taken from Leadership Coaching by Tony Stoltzfus)

Take some time to think it through and then feel free to visit my website to check out my new look, client testimonials, my vision, and FAQ’s about coaching! Remember, the first session is a free, 30 minute, no-obligation trial run. What do you have to lose?