Even Jesus had to answer these age-old questions. 

     "What should I do?" & "When should I do it?"

In coaching, we often focus on the first question. We help people discern a goal and then make SMART goals to move toward that goal. 

BUT, what if we are missing a key element? 

TIMING!

Imagine Jesus as a young adult. Let's say He is 23 and He is fully God and fully man. He is capable of miracles. He knows his mission is to bring the kingdom of God to mankind - to change the way people relate to God from His time forward.

What a mission?!

I would have been anxious to get going! 

I would have jumped the gun! 

He was sure of His calling. He had an important destiny. He waited on His Father for the right timing.

I often rush....I want to move things forward so badly that I often pre-empt the perfect timing of God. Ahhh, to know His voice and discern His will, not just in the destination but in the timing!

"Jesus said to his brothers, ...

Let's talk about "Doing" vs "Being", or maybe let's talk about "Doing" without "Being".

In the past couple of decades, there has been a lot of emphasis on just "being". It is valuable to "be". 

     Be in God's presence.

     Know who you are as a believer.

     Rest in His love without striving.

     Seep yourself in gratefulness that salvation cannot be earned, but only can come through receiving.

THIS IS ALL INVALUABLE! Our foundational core needs to be centered!

Yet somehow in the midst of it all "doing" got a bad rap. I find myself with James on this. 

My brothers and sisters, if people say they have faith, but do nothing, their faith is worth nothing. Can faith like that save them? James 2:14

Pretty clear to me.

And yet I get it. If we have only "doing" or works, we are completely missing the point of grace. 

"Doing" gets a bad rap when it is not preceded by "being".

Ephesians 2:10 says, "God...

[Tips and Tools Series]

I first heard this acronym from Josh Finley, my pastor at the time, and it stuck with me. 

It makes total sense, but when you are in the middle of stuff  - these tips are not usually our first go-to for some reason.

When we feel like this picture we probably all need to HALT and if you are coaching someone who feels like this, the most useful questions for them could be HALT type questions.

(I did a little research and can't give credit to any one source for HALT - so if you know where it originated please let me know!)

H- stands for hungry. Simple right? But if you have ever fasted or had to go without food for whatever reason, you know that hunger can cloud your judgment and things feel a LOT different and more manageable when you have had a good meal!

A- is for angry. If you have some unresolved issues, dealing with your anger will keep you from depression or aggression!

Do you need to forgive someone?

Do you need to frame up a crucial...

Next Level Coach training is not available to everyone- in fact, it's a private registration page you can't even find on the Bridges website.

But we wanted to share a shout-out to our alumni that this year's Next Level Coach Training registration is open till Aug 20 or the cohort gets filled.

If you are a Bridges Certified Life Coach and you are interested in leveling up your coaching competency, getting credentialed with ICF or CCNI, or working as a Bridges coach training facilitator or associate coach, this course could be for you.

Check out the course details (there's so much in there!) and then check out the discount details below!

Two ways to register:

• Pay full price upfront Total - $2,250.
• Use the payment plan of $600 per month. Total - $2400 

Honestly, I know this is a huge investment but the payoff is huge as well!

Let me know if you have any questions and may God guide your every next!

Building Bridges together,

Cindy

...

[Tips & Tools Series]

We've all been there.

Whether you are hoping to help someone else or trying to figure things out for yourself, being puzzled or confused about how to process something is difficult.

In Tom Paterson's STRATOP process he uses 4 clarifying questions that can bring clarity set anyone up for success.

I've personally used these questions to better understand everything from relational interactions to evaluating organizational structure. They are especially valuable for reviewing events and systems and can be used for family, ministry, or work interactions.

BUT WAIT - before you read any further. Pause a moment and pick an actual item you would like to assess. It could be just about anything. Think of a relationship, situation, or even an event where you would like to have a better understanding of what is going on.

Okay - got it? 

Now you can read on!

1) What's right?

Verbalizing what is good about the situation is a healthy and valuable...

Here are 5 other people groups we have seen benefit from coaching certification.

Parents

What a surprise! So many alumni took the training for another reason, but it has significantly affected their parenting. Whether their kids are preschoolers or full-blown adults, coaching shifts not only the conversation but especially the results!

Friends

Ever have a friend that keeps talking to you about the same thing(s) over and over. It's like they are stuck on repeat with the situation they are facing. A couple good coaching questions could change everything!

Adult Children

Talking to your parents about decisions they need to make as they age can be difficult. Coach training gives you the conversational tools to help create awareness without telling others what to do.

Business Leaders

Coaching isn't only for spiritual growth. Collaborative and self-motivated goal affiliation affects buy-in, productivity, longevity, camaraderie, and other vital markers in an organization....

We all have them...  Conundrums are "a confusing and difficult problem or question."

That's the core of coaching really - helping people through the stuff of life.

Every good movie has a plotline with a believable crisis.  Yet, in real life, we don't seem to welcome conundrums. 

James 1:2-5 says, "My brothers and sisters, when you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience. Let your patience show itself perfectly in what you do. Then you will be perfect and complete and will have everything you need. But if any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it. He is generous to everyone and will give you wisdom without criticizing you."

Just like the enigma had a different code every time - God wants to work with each of us individually. He has a key code He wants to offer for each situation. 

Good coaching = A conundrum + Codebreaking

Good...

Honestly, I'm not a big fan...

What was God thinking when He gave us free will?

He knew we would mess up. He could foresee that all of us would miss the mark of perfection. It was a super risky choice.

When God made humans He made them different than the animals. Let's take a quick look at this passage from James 1:17-25 (highlights mine for further reference)

Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your...

Over the years different pastors or leaders have inquired if there were a way to offer coach training for groups of leaders. They were not quite ready to invest at the level of certification but wanted to promote the coaching paradigm in their church, business, or organization culture. 

So, we did group Zoom training. Long before Zoom was a thing I would teach coaching principles from a big screen to groups of people gathered together in a room. It worked well but was limited by my availability. 

Then we offered the coach training videos to individuals. These are the same coach training videos used in the coaching certification course. Yet, like many online trainings, it can be a lonely process or one that gets back burnered.

Different pastors or leaders have asked for a middle option.

They wanted to access the videos and go through them as a group. 

You asked and we FINALLY listened. This option is now available. 

Click here for more info! ...

Ever heard of PPSD? If not yet, you will soon.

We've all been through a lot. Church leaders and businesses have had to move online. Schools were closed or disrupted. There were racial tensions on several fronts. Political issues were divisive. Social media moved from being a place to share pics of babies and celebration events to a rant fest. 

Let's take a quick review. How many of these were true for you?

___You added some new initiatives, especially if you are a church or business leader and you added online offerings.

___You adjusted to different ways to connect with family or friends.

___You learned Zoom or another online video connecting platform. 

___You got some sort of government money and you either needed it because your financial situation was severely affected, or you felt awkward and weren't sure why you were gifted and what, ethically, you should do with the money.

___You had to adjust your life around school being virtual at times.

___You were quarantined...