On Monday, I tried something new. Using the cool new Google Hang-Out technology, I recorded a conversation with 3 friends. My thought was this: Wouldn’t it be cool to sit in on a conversation about intentional spiritual growth with some interesting people who have something relevant to say? So, this is the first one. There […]
4 Lessons about intentional growth from an unexpected vacation.
Learning a few things on Vacation School budget cuts led to an unexpected vacation for my family and I. Since I’ve started paying attention to my journey in an intentional way, it wasn’t just fun. I also learned a few things about growing. In Oregon we have this great strategy for dealing with budget shortfalls. […]
Need to Get Unstuck? Start Again.
I’m in a big fight with myself right now. Writing this very post, these words, is a volley in the fight. There’s a part of me that’s too tired, too disappointed, too frustrated to start. Again this happens! That part of me would rather eat ice cream, or play a video game, or re-organize my […]
Why Your New Year’s Resolution Will Fail (#2)
Will You Make the 8%? The New Year’s resolution you just made is probably going to fail. It’s not because you don’t have enough will power. It’s something else. According to one recent study, only 8% of people who make resolutions keep them.[note A quick summary of this very interesting study, including the top New Year’s […]
Why Your New Year’s Resolution Will Fail (Part 1)
Here we are in the first week of 2013. This is the season for self-evaluation and reflection. For some of us, it’s the time to make New Year’s Resolutions. A recent study done at the University of Scranton[note A quick summary of this very interesting study, including the top New Year’s resolutions made in 2012. […]
Find Your Core Values to Focus for 2013
I’m excited to be hosting Tammy Helfrich today on my blog. Tammy loves motivating and encouraging people toward life change. You can learn more about her and connect with her writing below the post. Are you needing Focus? Over the last few years, I have been working to better understand my core values. It is something […]
4 Sure-Fire Ways to Make 2013 Great!
Today I’m welcoming Dayna Bickham to the blog. She writes honestly and vulnerably about her own story, and I know she will inspire you. You can learn more about her and connect with her online below the post. Start by Looking Back The end of the year is quickly approaching. The speed in which life […]
Stop. Look. Reflect. Here comes 2013.
Watch Out for Danger! In elementary school I was taught a crucial safety procedure. You may remember it too. “Stop, Drop and Roll.” It was drilled into us. If ever we caught on fire (wait a minute… when was that likely to happen?!) this would save us. Stop. That meant don’t panic. Don’t run, which […]
Focus Matters. (Shotguns are for Zombies.)
Focus. It’s what gets things done. Pick an area of life, pick a force in the universe, and you will see the power of focus. Light that shines dispersed might brighten a room, but light focused into a laser can cut through steel. Water in a lake just sits there lapping peacefully on the shore, […]
How To Get What You Want From God
Victims of Desire There’s a hidden kind of victim mentality that gets in the way of effective living. It also seems to be an undiagnosed hang-up limiting the spiritual lives of a good many people. It shows up in folks you wouldn’t think of as victims at all. It’s a common belief in our culture […]
You Won’t Find Something Better if You Can’t Let Go
I wrote this post sitting at a picnic table in exactly the right amount of shade, looking out over a classic rock fire pit on a sandy bank of the Hood River. By sandy bank, I mean an actual beach. I was camping with my family at the best campsite we’ve ever seen. It may […]
Warning: Without Hope You Won’t Grow
There’s one quality that you must have if you’re going to grow. Without it your emotions will turn dark and heavy. Your spiritual life will become dry and ineffective. Even your body will begin to show signs of wear. This quality is a fundamental building bock for faith. It’s necessary for an intentional life. Quite […]
How to Use Your Core Values
Whether we’re talking about the corporate world or your personal life, lists of core values all suffer from the same weakness. They’re just words on a page. You may spend hours reflecting and carefully crafting your core values statement. But what happens once the words are chosen and sentences crafted? Do the words get stuck […]
How To Identify Your Real Core Values
You are who you are. If there’s a better you out there to become, it’s going to be found by traveling from where you are now to where you could be. That means knowing who you are now matters. This is the purpose of identifying your authentic core values. (Authentic core values? Yep. There are […]
Are Your Core Values Real or Aspirational?
You live according to your core values. I’m not saying you should live by your core values or that you need to dream up a list of core values to live by. I’m telling you one of the most painful truths about life: You already live according to your core values. Already. Every day. Show […]