How About You - Whatcha Working On? or Where are you investing?
Can you answer one or both of these questions?
Being grounded as a growing follower of Jesus means we are going somewhere and/or doing something. We should be able to share how we are growing personally, what God is working in us, and where we are heading professionally in our work or volunteer investments.
If I were asked these questions, I could answer wholeheartedly. I'm growing in trust and rest, working on a new book on pendulums and investing in this next chapter of Bridges Coaching.
There are also personal applications for these questions. We may be working on health goals, cooking proficiency, a project in our home. We may be investing in building friendships or our retirement account.
The bottom line is that when we can answer these kinds of questions without reservation, we are on a journey. We are living life intentionally and not simply letting life happen around us.
Unfortunately, letting life happen to us is fairly common.
Oh, sure, maybe people have a retirement...
"Who Told You That?!" (plus what makes up the 'best' lies)
I have a coach who regularly asks me this question when he hears something not quite right in my thinking. He helps me see when my view of something in my life is not God's perspective. I hear him in my head sometimes saying, "Who told you that?"
Sometimes it is a literal person who said something to me, but more often it is a skewed version of what actually happened.
Eve had the same problem. God told her and Adam not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And they were doing good for who knows how long until the devil came and twisted what God said. He morphed it into a question of God's character, "Did God really say you couldn't eat of any tree in the garden?"
Then Eve has her go at skewing the truth. She says, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden. But God told us, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden. You must not even touch it, or you will die.’"
Where did the "you must not even touch it" part come from?
The old ...
More On Your Middle!
Last time we talked about middles - how are all likely in one, or more, and how we can go through them well if we are intentional.
Once we have identified our middle - where we have come from and where we are going, we have a choice to grit our teeth and wait it out, or we can lean into what God has on offer for us in our middle. (If you missed the last blog you can find it here.)
Instead of being angsty, you can have supernatural trust. Trust and faith only work when there is risk...
Instead of giving in to depression, you can shake it off and choose joy. It may not feel real at first, but true joy happens in spite of circumstances, not as a result of them.
Instead of confused, you can ask God for clarity. You can lean into what He wants you to know in this season, not just know about it, but experience it. (More info in the recommended books below!)
Instead of it feeling l o n n n g, you can rest in the waiting. Where is there beauty around you? What are you thankful for? How ca...
10 Coaching Questions for Enneagram 9's
Can't we all just get along?
According to the Enneagram Institute, Enneagram Type Nines are accepting, trusting, and stable. They are usually creative, optimistic, and supportive, but can also be too willing to go along with others to keep the peace. They want everything to go smoothly and be without conflict, but they can also tend to be complacent, simplifying problems and minimizing anything upsetting. They typically have problems with inertia and stubbornness. At their Best: indomitable and all-embracing, they are able to bring people together and heal conflicts.
We have called personality type Nine The Peacemaker because no type is more devoted to the quest for internal and external peace for themselves and others. They are typically “spiritual seekers” who have a great yearning for connection with the cosmos, as well as with other people. They work to maintain their peace of mind just as they work to establish peace and harmony in their world. The issues encountered in the Nine...
10 Coaching Questions for Enneagram 4's
According to the Enneagram Institute, Fours are self-aware, sensitive, and reserved. They are emotionally honest, creative, and personal, but can also be moody and self-conscious. Withholding themselves from others due to feeling vulnerable and defective, they can also feel disdainful and exempt from ordinary ways of living. They typically have problems with melancholy, self-indulgence, and self-pity. At their Best: inspired and highly creative, they are able to renew themselves and transform their experiences.
We have named this type The Individualist because Fours maintain their identity by seeing themselves as fundamentally different from others. Fours feel that they are unlike other human beings, and consequently, that no one can understand them or love them adequately. They often see themselves as uniquely talented, possessing special, one-of-a-kind gifts, but also as uniquely disadvantaged or flawed. More than any other type, Fours are acutely aware of and focused on their perso...
10 Coaching Questions for Enneagram 3's
Isn't achieving goals what Coaching is all about?
According to the Enneagram Insitute, Threes are self-assured, attractive, and charming. Ambitious, competent, and energetic, they can also be status-conscious and highly driven for advancement. They are diplomatic and poised, but can also be overly concerned with their image and what others think of them. They typically have problems with workaholism and competitiveness. At their Best: self-accepting, authentic, everything they seem to be—role models who inspire others.
We have named personality type Three The Achiever because when they are healthy, Threes really can and do achieve great things in the world. They are the “stars” of human nature, and people often look up to them because of their graciousness and personal accomplishments. Healthy Threes know how good it feels to develop themselves and contribute their abilities to the world, and also enjoy motivating others to greater personal achievements than others thought they were ...
10 Coaching Questions for Enneagram 1's
Knowing that people have differing personalities can assist you in coaching them well. You don't even need to be a personality type expert to see trends in what a person needs when you are coaching them, but knowing a bit about types can help you AND help you help them!
In this series, we will unpack what different enneagram types need from a coach as well as the tendencies of a coach who is that type.
(*Definitions will all be from The Enneagram Institute. You can take a free enneagram test here if you are interested.)
Enneagram Ones are the rational, idealistic type: they are principled, purposeful, self-controlled, and perfectionistic
According to the Enneagram Institute, they are conscientious and ethical, with a strong sense of right and wrong. They are teachers, crusaders, and advocates for change: always striving to improve things, but afraid of making a mistake. Well-organized, orderly, and fastidious, they try to maintain high standards but can slip into being critical a...
The Many Faces Of Failure...
What first comes to your mind when you think of failure?
Here are some initial ideas: unkind words, poor behavior, missed deadlines, and loss of trust.
Perhaps some lesser-recognized failures could be: unreceived forgiveness, unrealized potential, procrastination, and stagnation.
My heart is heavy just thinking of categories. There is so much pain and loss in this world.
But take heart friends, there is NOTHING God cannot redeem. He truly wants to meet us right where we are and walk with us toward our best next step.
We are in good company. Let's take a look at a few Biblical characters who walked through some difficult situations, failures even, and moved on to redeemed situations.
Moses took matters into his own hands and tried to become who God wanted him to be his own way. He was too early and he was out of line. He even murdered a man. And yet, he allowed God to process his heart and he was still asked to be the deliverer God had planned for him to be - in God's timing and...
Passion Week Devo - When did Jesus move? [Wednesday]
If I oversaw Jesus’ timeline, I would have made a couple of significant timing decisions differently.
First, what was up with his ministry not going public till he was thirty? Was he not ready? Did the world not need him till then? What was the holdup?
And then once he started forwarding the kingdom full-time, Personally, I think he should have stayed around a little longer. If I were on the leadership team determining whether the disciples were ready to “take it from there” I would have voted, “No” quite adamantly.
Good thing I wasn’t in charge!
Galatians 4:4 shows us the Father was in charge of the timing. “But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.”
John 5:19-20a says, “So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing.”
Jesus moved when the Father showed ...
Simple Success: Is Content Deficit Really The Problem?
In these days of Google, kindle, and podcasts on demand, we live in a content-rich environment. if you want to know more about something all you need to do is ask SirI or Alexa!
I'm not sure if I have ever heard anyone wistfully say, "If only I knew where or how to get more information on that..."
I know a lot more than I do.
What if a plan is really what is needed? Here are a two actual (and perhaps too personal) examples.
Here's what I know - what I have done - and what I am doing now.
I know sugar is not great for my ultimate weight loss goal, but knowing and doing something about it are two different things. When I took an honest assessment I found I had way too many exceptions for why I should go ahead and have that latte or late-night snack. I don't need more information about sugar, I need an actual plan to remove it or reduce it from my life..
My current SMART goal is that I can have sugar in my morning coffee, but then I need to lay off treating myself at other tim...