What If The Answer Is Closer Than You Think? [spoiler alert - kinda gross story]
So, it's come to this. I went to Costco to get a hearing aid! I KNOW RIGHT! I can't be getting older, I should be able to hear for a lot longer... and all the things.
When my appointment finally came around it was way shorter than planned for two reasons.
1- they said that asymmetrical hearing loss was a medical red flag and I needed to go to an ENT specialist before moving forward.
2- they threw me a curve ball and said my good ear was completely blocked and they wondered how I could hear out of it at all.
(This is where the gross part comes in.) They told me never to clean my ears with a Q-tip but to use soap and hot water in the shower.Â
So, I tried it.
It didn't work!!
My "good ear" then became my bad ear! I must have dislodged the build-up and really messed up my ear. I couldn't even hear my blow dryer from that side that morning. With only the hearing from my bad ear, I was nearly deaf. It felt like people were teasing my, moving their lips but not saying anything. It was ...
Your "Best Saturday" Self
Some Saturdays are filled with stuff to do, or places you have to be, but those are not the ones we are talking about here. Let's focus on those wonderful Saturdays when there's white space... They are probably rare, but also probably wonderful.
Close your eyes with me for a minute and remember that time when you weren't quite sure what to do - the to-do list was blank and so was the calendar and you had that rare thought, "What do I want to do today?"
That's the feeling of Sabbath rest.Â
It's a time when you just enjoy life, you connect with your Creator and likely His creation, you are not in a hurry, you eat good food, and have the luxury of time for quality conversation. Your soul sighs, "Ahhh....." in the satisfied kind of way.Â
Your Best Saturday self celebrates a week well spent.
Your Best Saturday self enjoys the present and takes a break from thinking about what's coming up.
There is no worry, anxiety, or concern there. It's a true break from the work week and the weight...
What's A Gal To Do?
It's not easy to figure out what to do.
We've been digging in to the word "Discernment" as a church staff lately and looking at what it means in our everyday lives. The Bible gives us overarching guidelines we need to adhere to - like "Don't kill people" in the Old Testament, and "Don't even hate people" in the New Testament.
But, you can't just say to do what the Bible says. Sometimes the Bible isn't so clear. Fairly often even it forwards two completely different responses. Here are a few examples:Â
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- Share the truth in love ~ Love covers a multitude of sins
- Judge wisely ~ Don’t judge at all
- Give to everyone who asks ~ Don’t throw your pearls before swine
- Don’t take anything with you ~ Prepare well
- Be the head and not the tail ~ Be the servant of all
- Be angry and sin not ~ Be at peace with all men
You get the picture. Even the same situation in a different season of your life will require new discernment
The Bible points us to a personal relationship with God ...
Going From "Freeze Framing" To Reframing
Ever feel like someone put you on a hard pause when that "thing" happened? It's like they can't let you move forward. You feel marked forever as not able to do whatever you messed up on.
Or maybe you put yourself on a hard pause and said you will never try "that" again?
Or one more, maybe have you put someone else on a hard pause and in your heart thought "they can't really..."?
At Bridges Coaching, we call this Freeze Framing. It's like when you hit the pause button on a video and the person is stuck as they are, frozen, not able to move forward. The swirling thoughts are all negative and limiting. They don't allow for growth, change, or transformation.
I'll be honest. I have done it myself. I've wondered if I could finish projects, learn new skills, incorporate new habits, be more thoughtful, have patience, or be more...
I'm embarrassed to say that I've freeze framed others as well. I've not asked them to do something they weren't great at the first time, or avoided getting them...
3 Ways To Keep That One Holiday Conversation From Getting Highjacked!
Not looking forward to certain conversations over the holidays? Let's talk about that friend or family member who is stuck. They have been thinking about doing something new or moving toward a goal, but they've been hovering around the idea or stuck in the hurt or habit for months, or maybe even years...
What if that holiday conversation could be something you looked forward to?
What if you could reframe that tricky topic as an opportunity to connect with God by sharing His deep love for that person?Â
What if you could slow down and feel Him close, for yourself, during this season?
The possibilities for engaging with the Light during this season are more available than you may realize. If you seek Him, He can be found! Here are 3 simple tips that could make all the difference!
1- Release control!
What?! I hear it. You don't think you want to control others, that sounds so.... controlling. What you really want is for them to "get unstuck", find traction and be able to move from wh...
4 Steps To Shift An Aspirational Goal To An Actual Pathway!
I desire to retire well, to be self-supporting and not a burden on my children.
I also want to write a book about pendulums that will help people discern how God is guiding them.
I'm hoping to lose 4 inches in my middle (just keeping it real).
And I dream of being close with my children and grandchildren as we all grow older.
These are all genuine goals for me. I really desire them all. But they will most likely remain dreams if don't add a pathway of intentional action steps toward the goals.Â
Sometimes churches have aspirational goals too.Â
   We will break the 200-person attendance ceiling, or we will get to 1000 or whatever number...
   More than 50% of our people will be in small groups.
   Giving will increase by 20% in the next year.
Here's the thing. Clarifying a goal is good, but it is only a first step. Drilling down on a desire gives you something to shoot for, but it's like setting up a target and then not shooting any arrows. No matter how descriptive with g...
What is Benevolent Detachment? Benevolent Detachment - #1 of 5
I am LOVING John Eldridge’s Pause App prompts and the new 30 Days to Resilient plan! (I just completed my first round and am excited to repeat the whole thing!)
That’s where I first heard about Benevolent Detachment.
If you aren’t sure what that is a quick definition includes, in Eldridge’s words, “releasing everyone and everything to Him.” It’s the art of letting God be God and letting go of our compulsion to change people or situations. It involves a combination of a rooted perspective of who God is in our lives, mixed with a healthy understanding of free will, prayer, and trust in God to be there for us and for others.
When we fix our attention on what’s wrong in our lives, other’s lives, or our world - our attention is not where it needs to be. On Jesus.
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Benevolent Detachment is a reminder to hit the refresh button in our souls. To close our eyes to the world around us and the chatter within us and commune with Him there. To allow the River of God to well up within us and wa...
It's All About The Donuts? [Guest Blog by Natalie Scott Fabretti]
Maybe you can relate...
I love donuts (ok, everyone can relate to that, I hear they even make gluten-free now).
My favorite donut place is Ridge Donut in Greece, NY. I donut go there often (see what I did there?) so I often get confused about which exit to take. I always think to myself “I will know it when I get there”.
The last 2 times, I have overshot and had to take the next available exit then monkey around to get back to the shop.
I could’ve used Google maps. I could write down the correct exit. I could phone a friend.
But I didn’t.
Life lessons can feel that way too.
I am a passionate person and one thing I have been trying to work on is using my emotions as indicators instead of becoming a slave to them. I can feel myself getting angry or overwhelming sad by circumstances that don’t go my way.
Similar to the donut exit, I think I will know what to do when I get there.
But the truth is, I don’t.
There are many resources like the Bible, good friends, and journal...