Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Wow! Big steps forward. Look!


Just wanted to check in with you quickly this morning.  I hope you're doing great.  I want to start with some really wonderful blessings God has put in my life lately:

  • Life Plan is in place - Thank you for your prayers last week concerning my life plan.   I spent about 6 hours prior to and about 16 hours with my coach on the retreat and came out with a very good picture of where I want to be in a year personally, professionally  and spiritually.  On top of the great direction I'm heading in the next year, I have 90-day action plans for each area.  I can't tell you how much clarity and change of perspective God has brought to my life through this Life Plan.  By the way, one of my future goals is to facilite these Life Plan retreats for others.  If you are interested, let me know.  I can explain some of the specifics to you.
  • Moving toward ministry again - Just last week, my pastor at City Church asked me to consider serving as the Ministry Leader for Community Groups at our church.  I didn't have to consider much, since I had already been asking God for that very assignment.  It's a volunteer level responsibility, but a much deeper role than I have filled thus far at City Church.
  • A better health plan - God just made a way yesterday for me to get on a regular schedule of seeing my chiropractor.  To this point, it's only been reactionary - when I'm in so much pain, I can't stand it.  I believe this new plan is going to keep me much healthier and improve the quality of my life (and my family's :) significantly.
Some prayers I'm praying this week:
  • Physical health - Over the last few weeks, I've been enduring a lot (more than normal) of back pain.   I think the above-mentioned thing with the chiropractor will help a lot, but as my chiropractor often says, "Doctors treat, God heals."  Truer words have not been spoken.  I'm still asking God to heal my back - to make it straight and strong.
  • 90 days - As I mentioned before, I have a long list of 90-day action steps.  It's a lot to get rolling.  But, if I get this stuff rolling, the trajectory of my life changes significantly.  At this point, I'm just asking God to give me the daily discipline to chip away at those steps I need to be working on.   
Thanks for your prayers!  I would love to pray for you or talk to you about your Life Plan.  Reply back or give me a call or whatever.  Hope to talk to you soon.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Life Plan Retreat This Week!


Tomorrow evening (Tuesday) I will leave for a 24-hour Life Planning Retreat with Brad Sprague from Summit Trek Executive Coaching.  This is an intensive time for developing a total life strategy. The goal is to help clarify my life messages, life lessons, and roadblocks to growth, and develop a plan to take my personal, professional and spiritual life to the next level.

I'm praying that God will uncover every little thing that He's ready for me to see and act on at this point in my life.  I would deeply appreciate your prayers as I seek His plan for my life out on this retreat. 

I will leave Tulsa Tuesday afternoon and return Wednesday evening.  I'll be sure to update you with some of what I learn and will be working toward after the retreat is over.  Thanks for your prayers and friendship.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

A look at my prayers for the week . . .


I hope you had a great Independence Day yesterday.  I know we sure did.  It was probably the most fun our family has had on that day ever.  Life really feels fun lately and I'm so grateful and recognize how blessed we are.  I have a few areas I'm concentrating my prayers and would like to ask you to join me there this week.
  • Pain-free life - This particular week has been a very painful one.  Presently, I have a pinched nerve in my back and it's been very painful all week.  I saw my chiropractor on Monday afternoon and hope to get there again today.  I know this episode will end shortly, but I'm regularly asking God to make my whole spine stronger and straighter.  I rarely have a pain-free day and I'm still believing God to heal me.  Another component I'm praying about is a better chiropractor answer.  I love my current chiropractor, but his hours are pretty limited and I'm finding it difficult to schedule appointments and I cannot afford to go often enough to really stay as healthy as I would like to.  I know it may sound silly, but I'm asking God to bring about a situation where I have a friend who is a chiropractor and will treat me as needed friend-to-friend.  I actually had that kind of situation in PA for 10 years before I moved to OK.  I didn't realize what a blessing it was :)
  • Mimi Grace - Sara's grandmother, Janet Grace, is in the hospital after a fall where she hit her head.  It seems unclear how much of a recovery she will make.  I'm praying that she makes a full recovery. 
  • Summit Trek today - Today I am meeting with my Summit Trek Pastors group.  I love these days and God has blessed me with some big pieces to my life through these days in the past.  I'm asking for another big day like that today.  I'm asking God to speak to me through the exercises we do and the guys in the group today.
  • Life Plan next week - Next Tuesday & Wed I will be on a "Life Plan" retreat with Brad Sprague.  I'm asking God to reveal some more pieces to my life and calling during that time.  My prayer continues to be for God to "intersect my unique abilities with His divine opportunities" and I believe this retreat will be a key piece He uses to show me some of that.
Thank you for your prayers today.  I'd love to pray for you too!