ACCOUNTABILITY Partners

Think about why professional athletes need coaching? To stay on top of their game, they MUST be accountable to someone who knows their strengths and weaknesses. A mentor or coach builds a relationship of TRUST while expecting a positive mental attitude, a physical exercise routine, and a team spirit. Improved performance comes from a person dedicated to a team, and to what the coach demands. Inside an effective mentor/coach relationship, both parties are acutely aware of strengths and weaknesses. Corrections are sandwiched with encouragements in order to increase ones potential spiritually, physically or financially. WHO you are in Christ, is what makes you set apart, for His purposes.  WHAT lies ahead will always be a mystery,  Trust God, do NOT be afraid.  WHEN temptation haunts you, speak aloud God's word to destroy and banish the voice that is NOT from God.  WHERE there are choices to make, make the one that honors God.  You will never regret that decision.  WHY things happen will never be certain. Hold on to your FAITH in God, and in His plan for you.  Before you enter into such a dynamic growing relationship with God, and your special accountability partner of choice... it is wise to ask yourself these important questions and write out the answers: Where have I been? Where am I going physically, spiritually and emotionally? IF I do not change

my habits, my ways...where will I be in 3 years? In five years?  For things to change I must change...my thoughts, my ways, my habits. A good mentor/accountability partner will know IF you are being honest, and IF you are not, they will be the SALT and LIGHT you need and call you on your stuff.  Taking a moral inventory requires us to be authentically honest with ourself and then to our accountability partner. We MUST place our HOPE in GOD and NOT in our mate, our sponsor, our accountability partner.  REMEMBER this TRUTH:  People will fail you.  Your expectations will not always be met.  Your heart will be broken by people, NOT GOD.  Only GOD is consistently GOOD and only His plan never fails.  We MUST choose to TRUST GOD, no matter how often our plans fail.  We MUST commit to NOT quit, no matter how many times our circumstances shift away from what we WANT.  What we NEED is different than what we WANT.  We will face trials and a CRISIS of BELIEF along our journey.  We will be required to make adjustments in our thinking to follow God's plan to prosper us. People MUST give themselves a check up from the neck up.  "EXAMINE MY MIND and HEART O' GOD and reveal to me anything in my thinking, in my ways that does NOT honor You."   AMEN!  The relationship with any accountability partner is based on TRUST.  Both must agree that whatever is shared, stays private. All information shared is honored as sacred. Our coach has the right to call us on our hesitations, and our excuses. Introspection keeps our motives pure and keeps us in the growing mode. After all, doing the same thing year after year and expecting different results defines INSANITY. Patience and commitment are critical in order to grow. Remember if you are not growing, your are decaying. Leaders read and they journal where they are physically, spiritually and mentally. Open, honest communication with self and your mentor is essential. It requires sharing feelings, thoughts, new ideas and changes. Select someone you admire and respect and schedule a time to ASK THEM to be your mentor. A "getting to know you" meeting will take at least two hours. One sitting for rapport and trust building is NOT sufficient, but it is a great start. Being straightforward and transparent will be in your best interest. Eventually you and your mentor can write a simple agreed contract which includes regular monthly/or weekly meetings. Prior to this mentor meeting make a list of where you feel you need encouragement and help. This will become a working document for you and your mentor, which can be revised and changed over time. It will give your mentor a guideline and a view of you, providing accountability and a record of your progress. Family members and friends may NOT be considered the best mentors as many have a pre-conceived idea of what you are capable of. Some of our biggest cheerleaders and critics have been family members. If you are looking to develop a model in which to measure growth, make lifestyle changes, or even be transformed by the renewing of your mind and spirit, it is suggested to find someone who is older than yourself and someone who has already achieved what your are hoping to obtain. Someone with the same energy level, someone who shares similar interests, someone who you will look forward to spending time with. Accountability partners can be sought for accelerated learning, increasing faith, improving a skill, or developing a hobby such as, photography, gardening, fishing, golfing,

arts, or exercise. Your carefully chosen accountability partner will be there to listen, pray for you, and offer suggestions for a change. You will be the one who will need to keep the communication line open and make changes as they fit in your life. Your mentor will be the one who will question your motives and challenge your complaints. Good questions to be asked are: "How are you going to handle that?" or "What would you do?"  "When do you plan to execute your firm decision?"  Coaches draw on their past experiences and share their expertise, however, the ultimate decision you make is all up to you.  You will always be responsible for your choices, good or bad. Meet together once a month, or twice a week. Decide and agree on the first Wednesday of the month or agree according to what feels comfortable for all concerned.  Make it enjoyable and celebrate your growth together.

OLD FUDDY DUDDY

In 1884 Mark Twain's first lines of Huck Finn read: "You don't know about me without readin a book by the name of 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'; but that ain't no matter. That book was made by a Mr. Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly.” Mr. Twain thought highly of his intellect, even boasting that he told the truth mainly. One of his readers, a Miss Olivia Langdon attended church twice weekly and she was a devoted Christian when Mark Twain came to court her in the 1800's.  As Mark was a well known outspoken critic of religion, Olivia's parents were openly disgruntled when she accepted Mark's proposal of marriage. The young woman believed that by association her husband's heart would soften towards Jesus. Soon after they wed, Mark took part in family prayers and Bible reading. However, over time, Mark Twain's skepticism about matters of faith, hardened his heart and eventually, his wife changed, and also withdrew from her beliefs. He was quoted to say this to his young wife:

"Livy, you may keep this up if you want to, but I must ask you to excuse me from it. It is making me a hypocrite. I do not believe in the Bible; it contradicts my reason." Time passes and Livy becomes depressed over a friends death. Her husband encourages her "Livy, why don't you lean on your Christian faith, certainly that will help you get past your grief." Olivia replies "I can't Mark, I haven't any." God is not an old fuddy duddy when He warns us to not marry those who do not share faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Read Genesis 1:1-27 and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth and give you understanding of what our Creator, Redeemer, Spirit is saying in regard to our relationship to the ONE GOD.  The Amplified Bible reads: "God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth. So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of

July 2014 in Sonora

God He created him; male and female He created them."  God said "let us" --- Who was in the "us"? The King James Version of the Bible: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” Let us not rely on our intellect to interpret God's living Word, but let us be wise and ask the Holy Spirit to give us understanding.  "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth....and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." Gen 1:2 NIV ~ And God said....and His Spirit filled living Word created all that there is. God expects us to believe in the full Deity, Power and Authority of His Godhead. "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with ALL wisdom and understanding. And He made known to us the MYSTERY of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment---to bring ALL things in heaven and earth together under ONE head, even Christ." Ephesians 1:7-10 What God says about His Son when He brought His first-born into the world, God said, "In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.  They will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment....

but You remain the same, and Your years will never end." Hebrews 1:10 NIV ~ "Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the Builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself."  Hebrews 3:3 ~ The Lord's most beloved disciple wrote these Holy Spirit filled words "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning." John 1:1 --- God said the Word was God, and that He, the Word was with God in the beginning.  God also said "He was in the world, and though the world was MADE through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him."  John 1:10 --- God came face to face with Mark Twain and even as Mark read these words in the Bible, Mark did not recognize Jesus as God, and Mark chose his REASON over the wisdom of God found in the holy scriptures.  Let us not make the same mistake as Mark Twain and deny or profane the Name of God.

"He has a name written on Him that no one but He Himself knows.  He is dressed in a robe dripped in blood and His name is the Word of God." Revelation 9:12-13 ~ As humans who attend church, pray and worship, we will remain empty and wanting unless we return to God, our Father, Jesus our Lord, and submit to His ever present Holy Spirit. God said "I am in Him, He is in Me, and you are "in Christ".  We are not separate when we accept what God says as the ultimate Truth.  Mark Twain relied on what he thought, his human reasoning, and without the Holy Spirit, unfortunately, Mark and his wife were led astray and failed to "get it", to understand Who Jesus Christ is. Jesus is the Word of God, He spoke as God and created the world.

OPINION OF OTHERS

When the big question "Why was I born?" emerges from within, it is a time for significant endings and new beginnings!  It is a place in the road of our journey that can make us feel disoriented as we straddle our past and consider our possible future. This dot on our timeline can make anyone feel heavy, and depressed or melancholy.  When we feel stuck and unable to make decisions about which way to travel, it is time to STOP and BE STILL and LISTEN to the voice within.  Our wise elder, the inner teacher, the Holy Spirit, may be asking us to slow down and turn inward so we can take stock of what is working, what is not? How do we respond to the opinions of others?  Do we adjust ourselves to adapt to public opinion, or do we make adjustments to hold on to our belief in what God says about us?  How do we honor our priorities, commitments,

responsibilities, and boundaries?  Who do we consult when making long-term goals?   Have we examined how our belief systems? Are the stories that we tell about ourselves and the world about the miracle of our redemption?  Do we consider how our words and silent thoughts affect our current reality? Are the stories we tell useful? Do we hold captive every thought and align our thoughts with Christ, and His plan for us?  A PRAYER: Lord help each of us grow as bored with our vocalized victim stories as everyone around us already has!”  YES, it is time to shed the skin of our old sad self like the caterpillar did! Stilled out of pure boredom with all that the world had to offer, the caterpillar released his old life, his adolescent memories and surrendered his entire body and mind.  Then God created a brand new creature with wings that can fly above the world’s ways, and get a FRESH God sized perspective of our glorious short LIFE on earth, and our valid HOPE for eternity without pain or struggles!

Our heavenly Father's opinion of us is that He is pleased with His creation and He takes great pleasure in us. We must reclaim this truth and the authority of Christ within us.  We must BELIEVE that God will FINISH what He started in us! We must inhabit the truth that God equipped us to handle whatever task He assigns to us!   Let use our wings of faith to experience our pre-destined life at its best. Our death-of-self and rebirth into a new creature “in Christ” is our separation from a previous world view, and into God’s plan. Our radical break from the lie, from our old and tired self portraits accelerates our ongoing wave of renewal! It is in the “little things” that we witness change in us.  It is in the daily details that

we notice, moment by moment, that we are living an enriched, thriving and changed life. In the face of the current overwhelming planetary crisis, we can choose to start now, and begin small, to start fresh wherever we are. As set apart people, we gladly turn away from what has never worked, to embrace God’s way. This does not mean that LIFE will become easier! We will meet opposition, we will struggle, and we will be victorious even in the midst of chaos. Small efforts make significant differences in our own communities.  Instead of trying to change the world, as transformed people with renewed minds…we confidently contribute on a small scale and know that God is using us to make huge impacts on one watching person at a time. We are faced with many choices while living on earth, however, there are only two eternal choices. Pastor Rick Warren, author of a "Purpose Driven Life" gives us a look at our two eternal choices. CLICK this link and ENJOY Rick Warren's reality check, a living Word from God, and His loving opinion of WHY we should choose His way.  The Reality of Hell, Part 1

Are Ye Content Being Still?

In March 2017 I enjoyed a cruise on the Caribbean with 800 Christians who love Sandi Patty. With morning and evening worship daily for seven days, I disembarked feeling inadequate, and maybe off God's plan for my life.  Was it simply that the first year anniversary of my son's shocking death kept me uber sensitive, weepy and feeling hurt?  I allowed my soul just one day to collapse into silence then rebounded by solo kayaking in the Bahamas.  I questioned my life purpose and thought "Why do I feel such discontent?  Why am I here?" A dear friend gifted me a great book by Natalie Grant entitled "Finding Your Voice". Natalie penned a wonderful insight about the question God posed to Elijah. "What are you doing here, Elijah?" to which he replied "I have been zealous for the Lord God Almighty...I am the only one left, and now they are trying to

kill me too." Okay, nobody that I am aware of is seeking to hurt me, but my pirates of the Caribbean, my thoughts of being unwilling, unable,and undone robbed me of my peace, my calm. "After the earthquake came a fire, and the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper."  (1 Kings 19:9 -12) - Perhaps because my birthday is the 19th of the ninth month, that this word from the King of Kings struck me STILL enough to hear a gentle whisper too. God knew that His faithful, fervent prophet was shaken and weary....and in the midst of a rock shattering storm, an earth splitting quake and a blazing fire, God quietly asks Elijah "What are you doing here?" Imagine what your response to God would be? God knows when our hearts are trembling and He knew that his son Elijah needed to hear His gentle, calming voice. Facing murder and mayhem, Elijah chose to be calm in the storm and trust God. He acted with a wisdom that whispers "walk this way".  Believing that my potential is monumental, and that what I have to speak, or write will bring God glory, sometimes I am overwhelmed by the commission to: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations" Matthew 28:19-20  Behind my poised exterior is a quaking irritation about how much I could be doing. Moses doubted his ability to successfully free the slaves of Egypt.  Esther was afraid to approach her husband, but she did and was used by God in a huge way. Rahab must have found divine courage to defy her people and lower that scarlet rope to the spies. God has uniquely equipped me and He is faithful to give me strength in my weakness.  But what IF I want to live a quiet, calm life? I read and a part of me resonated with a blogpost: What If all I want is a mediocre life?  "What if I never build an orphanage in Africa but send bags of groceries to

people here and there and support a couple of kids through sponsorship. What if I just offer the small gifts I have to the world and let that be enough." Krista O'Reilly-Davi-Digui author of A Life in Progress.  Then I read a book that caught me in the midst of my denial " From Faking it to Finding Grace  " by Connie Cavanaugh. God works in fascinating ways.  My reluctance to pick up the bible, attend church or meet with friends is a certain SIGN that I am in conflict with the gifts I have and what to do with them.  "Peace, be still" is a scripture that came to mind, a pause for me to recover, slowly, "In His timing, In His grace".  Reflecting honestly on my hesitations to "be great" for His glory... I am now moved to thank my Holy Father Jesus, for the storm of emotions that I felt aboard the "Eurodam" and for His word that "this too shall pass".  Realizing that Jesus is in the boat with me during this storm, I am in the very BEST company.  I believe that God will finish what He has begun in me. Following His lead, I pick up a book entitled "Good to Great in God's Eyes" by my first spiritual mentor Pastor Chip Ingram.  Chip a mature man of God wondered "Is it really wrong to want to be great?  Is it self-centered to want your life to really make an impact?  Does ambition indicate a spiritual problem? What does "greatness" in God's 

 kingdom look like?  Is it prideful to want to honor God with lives of great faith and excellent work?  Is it arrogant to imagine achieving greatness in the church?"  In Luke 22 the disciples argued which one of them was the greatest? Jesus did not rebuke them for their longing to be great.  Additionally, Jesus did not condemn them, nor did He warn them against being prideful because of their passionate desire and ambition to be great.  Jesus Himself was not prone to mediocrity.  In a long prayer the night before his crucifixion, he prayed "I have brought You glory on earth by completing the work You gave me to do." John 17:4  That is a bold statement of greatness, and His desires were Godly.  To desire to be great in God's eyes, in His kingdom is not self-centered, but it is a noble thought, a worthy ambition.  Our greatness, as God defines it - is His desire.   When God created us He proclaimed us not just good, but "very good" Genesis 1:31 - So if you are wondering like Elijah "what possible kind of impact you could make for His glory?" Consider living the prayer embedded in the tapestry hanging near my computer  "This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit." John 15:8   The go with the flow approach will almost guarantee an auto-pilot spiritual life for me, but the niggling whisper in me that 'there has got to be more' will not be silenced until I accept His call for me to seek to 'bear more fruit'.  In order for God to accomplish a great measure of His highest purposes in my life, I have decided to give myself permission to live out my passion for writing and speaking with intentional impact. Doing more for the kingdom is NOT required for salvation and you cannot earn more love or brownie points with God.  There is no 7 steps to success with God, there is no obligation "to do more" for God.  But if you have a "calling" or a quaking desire, a God given dream, a recurring internal motivation to have an eternal impact for the kingdom of God then "GO FOR IT!" In the course of a week I was went from hurting to healed!  Hallelujah!!!

CLAIMING TRUTH

Today I take the time I need to be who I am, and to rest.

Today I choose to BE STILL and listen to what the Spirit is saying.  

Today  I hear that I am loved by God and His plan for me is marvelous.

Today I feel resilient and fortified by the ever present Holy Spirit.

Today I am adequately equipped by God to do what He sets before me.

Today I am filled with thankfulness for all things. 

Today I seek the hidden gift within any unexpected experience.

Today I choose to trust God and know with certainty that all will be well.

Today I accept that God never rejects me, but at times people do, and that is ok.

Today I believe that God alone determines my worth.  Today I am worthy.

Today I tell myself the Truth, that God has set me free and there in NO condemnation.

Today I expect to be the recipient of grace, mercy and love from Jesus, my Lord.

Today I embrace the truth that I am not in control of how others perceive me. 

Peace be Still

NO arguments in 2017

The man with all the answers could have argued, but He was smart and He just let the woman have her opinions without correcting her. The wise Man wasn't interested in winning the argument of ownership of the well, nor did He respond to why people with a different ethnic background or political view insist that they were correct. He also remained calm after shocking her by simply asking her for a drink. You see, He was more interested in winning her soul than having her agree with His beliefs. His way was to 'be' understanding of varying cultures.  He was consistently courteous to those who held opposing beliefs. For me, there is an important lesson in the story of Jesus meeting the woman with a questionable character at the well. Therefore, I choose to refuse to argue with people who hold different political or spiritual beliefs. Wisely I will hold my tongue, smile, listen and offer "I can understand how you feel, I once felt that way too, but you know what I found?"  IF they ask "What?" Then I will respond with "I found that my ways, and my judgments did not honor God, and so today, I choose to love everyone, even if their ways are not what I believe they should be."