A Master Plan

The Father thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans He took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in Him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth. (Ephesians 1:9-10, The Message) Knowing the Father is delighted in making plans for me makes me feel loved and cherished. Just knowing there is a master plan for my life makes me feel safe to move forward, to reach out, to take risks. Life is not left up to fate or some unknowing, unknowable force. The Father of grace and mercy takes personal interest in me, for I am His cherished child. I can’t ruin His plan with my mistakes or missteps – He is bringing everything together. He has provided everything I need to go and do and be all He designed me to be!

FREEDOM!!!

Anyone who has seen Braveheart will remember the soul-piercing cry emerging from William Wallace moments before he was beheaded.  He gave his life to the quest of freedom.  Are you seeking freedom?  Or are you living in bondage?  There are all kinds of bondage - being chained to a desk, having your heart tied up in knots, sweating your credit card debt, living behind walls of shame… You are crying out for freedom in your body, soul and spirit.

I am just discovering greater freedom in my work, my finances, my love life, my spirituality.  The greatest change was my recent marriage to a man who has given me freedom to be myself and to pursue my passions.  What an incredible gift.  But my freedom ultimately has been found in Christ.  In this Easter season it is good to meditate on all He did to create freedom for us. 

Eph 1:7   Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we’re a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds.  And not just barely free either!  Abundantly free!  (The Message)

Abundance in every area of life is possible.  Before, as a single self-employed woman I didn’t think I would ever get out of debt or have retirement accounts.  That was scarcity thinking.  This week I paid off my last credit card and opened an IRA.  And more is coming.  I rejoice, not because of the money, but because of the freedom it represents and the abundance I know is coming. 

How are you experiencing freedom??  What are you doing to tear down the walls of bondage in your life?  How has Christ’s work at Calvary touched your life (body, soul and spirit)?

The Gift of Family

How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son. (Ephesians 1:3-6)

Sunday we had a birthday party in our home for Erin.  It always feels a little complicated explaining my relationship with Erin.  I call her my little sister, but in my heart she has always been a daughter.  Erin came into our lives 33 years ago when her mom moved into my parents home.  Her mom was wounded emotionally and struggling to rebuild a life as she carried a new life inside of her.  A few months after giving birth she asked me to be Erin’s guardian.  It was an overwhelming proposition – I was still in college and not yet married.  But my family jumped in and we all participated in loving and raising this beautiful little red-headed girl. 

It wasn’t always easy.  Raising someone else’s child is a challenge.  Land mines of anger, jealousy, fear and competition can explode at any minute.  But then there are the moments of pure joy… Watching her play Mrs. McGillicuddy dressing up in my shoes and jewelry… seeing her develop strengths all her own (where did she learn to organize space like that??)… congratulating her on high test scores and other achievements… being there each time as she delivered 3 beautiful girls of her own…  I’ve never regretted a minute that Erin is part of my family.

Erin & my friend Dawn at my wedding

It gave God great joy in creating a family and inviting me to be a part.  Do I bring Him joy and pride and pleasure in the things I do?  I take comfort knowing He suffers when I hurt, that He dances when I am happy, that He shines when I serve Him well.

Thots on Ephesians…

How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.  (Eph 1: 3-5 The Message)

I’ve been immersed in reading and studying the book of Ephesians, especially chapter 1, for nearly 3 years now.  I keep coming back and it keeps feeding me.  I’ve decided to blog on some of the messages that are speaking to my heart in this incredible passage of scripture.

God is such a blessing!!  Loving God and traveling through life with Him is like a wonderful roller coaster.  “He takes us to the high places of blessing in Him.”  There are moments of anticipation as we climb steep hills together, knowing when we crest the hill the view will be spectacular and the ride down will be thrilling!  The thought that He had me in mind before He ever created this beautiful planet moves me.  He loves with an everlasting love!  And that love makes me whole and holy.  That phrase goes round and round in my mind… holy and whole… whole and holy… holy and whole.  Complete, completed, completely His.

Faith vs. fear

I was speaking with a group of women recently and was struck by the thought that the opposite of abundance is not scarcity – it is fear.  In order to live and love and move in abundance, we must release fear and embrace faith.  Faith that God truly is going to come through.  Lately I have felt God directing me to stay open and vulnerable in my relationships, even when I am assailed by doubt and fear.   This is the hardest lesson I’ve faced in a long time.  Trusting God with my health and finances was hard… but trusting Him with my heart??  That’s truly scary!!  But I have the confidence that the lessons I learn through this will bring growth I can’t even imagine just yet.  God’s rewards are incredible… boundless riches in peace, joy, and love.

Take a look at the page called Articles.  I will be posting things I send off for publication there… What I am starting with is a fairy tale I wrote recently for the ladies at the House of Hope.  It hasn’t bee published yet.  I would love your comments & feedback as I refine it!

Blessings,

Lisa

Why am I here???

WatchingGodWork was the name of my first blog, in fact it might still be out there on Xanga!  I got busy with my practice as a life & business coach and stopped posting.  But I didn’t stop watching.  God has been at work, every day, every moment.  His work in and through me catches me by surprise over and over again.  I’ve decided it’s time to start recording some of my observations again.  I have no idea where this is going or even why I’m here – but I know I love WatchingGodWork!

Authenticity… What?? How?? Why??

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about authenticity lately.  The subject keeps coming up in the media, in conversation, in what I’m reading.   But it isn’t new.  People have wrestled with authenticity for centuries. Wikipedia defines authenticity as “the degree to which one is true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character, despite the pressures of the material world “.  Some think of Socrates as one of the earliest proponents of authenticity when he warned us that the “unexamined” life is not worth living.  Walter Kaufman spent his life examining his beliefs, challenging cultural and religious norms.  While I don’t agree with all his conclusions, the quote below resonates with me:      “Let people who do not know what to do with themselves in this life, but fritter away their time reading magazines and watching television, hope for eternal life.. The life I want is a life I could not endure in eternity. It is a life of love and intensity, suffering and creation, that makes life worth while and death welcome. ~ W. Kaufmann, The Faith of a Heretic.

A life worth while.  That’s it.  That’s what I’m looking for.  I could spend eons contemplating my navel, and the only result would be a cleaner lint-less belly button!  (There is actually a Guinness-record holding guy who collects his navel fluff…  but I digress…)  Instead, wInstead when my gaze goes upward and I consider the Designer as well as design, I am changed.  I am humbled.  I am motivated to be and do all that I can.  

The authentic life I am seeking is one in which I am all God designed me to be, and that I am using those gifts and talents to do something that matters.

     In my work… that means coaching clients to find and fulfill their life purpose, giving them tools to be and do all they were designed for and holding them accountable to achieve their goals.  
     In my worship… that means contemplating the Holy Other, and measuring my life against His yardstick.  
     In my relationships… it means happily, enthusiastically, unapologetically being me.  It means operating from my strengths, it means sharing my gifts, it means accepting my weaknesses and acknowledging my limitations.  

    ”Human beings who do not want to belong to the mass need only to stop, and not be comfortable; follow their conscience, which cries out: “Be yourself!”   ~Nietzsche

I am currently working on material for a workshop series I’m calling Integrity Selling.  It is aimed at my coaching clients who sell time, products or services but struggle with making sales.  That discomfort usually comes from self-consciousness.  You’re afraid of saying the wrong thing.  You don’t want to be pushy.  You gag at the thought of hawking something someone doesn’t need or want.  But what if you were to shift the focus to the client’s needs,
values, and goals — you might have something to say, something to give. You would be operating from authenticity and integrity.  You would not be pushing something over on someone, but adding value to their life.  

Interested in hearing more??   Give me a call at 319-551-1414 or shoot an e-mail to lisa@vanallencoaching.com  Tell me how you are finding and fulfilling your purpose – with authenticity.

Coaching 101: Coaching Core Values

I am drawn to coaching for many reasons, but the core values and beliefs that drive coaching top the list.  Coaching is so different from anything else I’ve ever done, including counseling, consulting, training and mentoring.  There are similarities and overlaps – but very distinct differences. 

Co-Partnership in coaching places the client and the coach on an equal plane.  There is no expert, no authority, no controlling or manipulating the relationship.  The coach comes alongside the client to support his/her agenda and goals.  This role is very unique.  When I worked as a psychologist, I was expected to be the expert, to lead the relationship toward a healthy result.  As a consultant or trainer, I usually set the agenda and kept my clients on track.  As a mentor, I shared my expertise and experience with someone younger or newer to the profession.  There is nothing wrong with these roles – they have their place.  But coaching recognizes the value brought to the relationship by the client.  Two equals are working together, creating a relationship that fosters growth toward the client’s vision and purpose.

Relationship stimulates growth.  When people come together to work toward a common goal, something powerful happens.  They are able to achieve more together than the combination of what they could accomplish separately.  They each grow and learn and spur one another on to creativity.  A trusting, supportive relationship is the catalyst to transformation. 

Responsibility and Stewardship for one’s own life is fostered in the coaching relationship.  A client’s freedom to manage his/her own life is nurtured.  The coach empowers the client through accountability but does not assume to tell the client what to do.

Believing the Best about the client, his/her intentions and goals is one of the most empowering things a coach can do.  Clients are affirmed, believed in, built up rather than assessed, diagnosed or judged.   Unique Design has been built into every individual.  A coach will honor the gifts, talents, personality and abilities of the client in a way that encourages them to find and fulfill their life purpose. Exploration and Discovery takes place in an environment that is safe for the client to learn and grow.  Personal values, passions and dreams are nurtured; solutions and strategies are generated. 

Integrity, Authenticity and Sincerity are essential characteristics of every coach.  The coaching relationship is based on honesty, reality, and transparency.  Other professionals offer their clients integrity, but few can offer the level of transparency a coach is able to share. 

These are the values I aspire to bring to each coaching relationship.  They are the tools that enable me to help others find and fulfill their life purpose.  What an incredible job!!     

For more information on Coaching and how it might benefit you, contact me at www.VanAllenCoaching.com for a complimentary session.

Finish Strong!

Lisa

Lisa Van Allen, PhD