Category Archives: Living Intentionally

Pondering the Old Year!

The Christmas season is over!  The year is drawing to a close.  Often Happy New Yearour minds are full of ponderings.  If they’re not, they should be. What a perfect time to take a look at the past year and all we experienced.

NOTICING the past plays a huge role in making the new year more successful!

As I began this journey, I NOTICED Continue reading Pondering the Old Year!

The Artist Manifesto: Will You Create?

Reposting with permission of the author, Jeff Goins.  As we close the year, do we dare to  use the voice that God has given us, to pursue the dream that was planted in us. Here’s to being the prophet or the poet – and influencing  the world!

Continue reading The Artist Manifesto: Will You Create?

Living Open Handed: Pivot to See God

Open handedThis is the 4th and final post in the series Living Open Handed in a White Knuckle World. If you have missed the previous posts, it would be helpful to go back and read them in order to understand how we got to this post.  Links are provided below.

1. Living Open Handed in a White Knuckle World
2
. Living Open Handed: I have a need!
3
. Living Open Handed: Express Honestly

Through these posts,

  • we have identified our fears that cause us to create fist
  • then opened the little finger to admit or acknowledge we have a need.
  • Next we lifted the ring finger and wrote a psalm including those fears and needs.

Now we are ready to open the middle finger which stands for P: PIVOT. Continue reading Living Open Handed: Pivot to See God

Living Open Handed: Express Honestly

This is the third in a series on LIVING OPEN HANDED.  If you missed them, it might be helpful to go back so you understand how we got to this post.
1. LIVING OPEN HANDED: Do Not Fear 

2. LIVING OPEN HANDED: I have a Need

Open handedRecognizing our fear and acknowledging we have a need leads us to
open up our ring finger for E: EXPRESS HONESTLY———-

Continue reading Living Open Handed: Express Honestly

Let’s Do This! Sarah’s Story!

Today I made two visits that I knew I would make one year ago. One with Sarah’s mom and the other to Sarah’s husband.

I met Sarah when I was ‘the youth pastor’s wife’ and Sarah was one of the youth. She was quiet, but when she smiled, you felt like smiling with her.

SeveralSarah years later she became the ‘youth pastor’s wife’ and my husband was the lead. Her personality remained reserved, but her smile was now matched by an incredible passion for the Lord that oozed out of her and sweetly touched the lives of the young people of our church.

And me! Continue reading Let’s Do This! Sarah’s Story!

The best Marriage Advice in Three Words

I am reposting this excellent blog about the marriage dance from Linda Dillow,  friend and mentor in life, marriage and worship.  You can read more from Linda at www.authenticintimacy.com 

wedding couple sepiaby Linda Dillow

Continue reading The best Marriage Advice in Three Words

30 Day- How’d you do?

Well, my friends, I don’t think it is too fair of me to ask you that question and not be transparent with you about how I did.

So…here’s how my last 30 days went.

  • writing what I noticeMy original goal was to write 500 words every day.  I did accomplish 500 words for the first 20 days.  Then we left for Texas to see family and I scribbled things when I had a few minutes, but we were there to enjoy family.I actually thought that I would blog about each days noticing- but honestly, some of the things I noticed were more personal than I was ready to blog yet.  I know several of you have said that I often write quite personally.  That is true.  But I generally don’t share it with you till I’ve done some processing myself.  So…these things might show up in future posts.   I’m continuing my 500 Words a day goal in December.
  • If you have been following my blog, you will notice that I started writing about BROKENNESS. That is actually some of what I have been NOTICING in these 30 days. The Series is not complete- but in process.   My goal for December  is to complete this series.
  • My third goal was just a habit that was beginning to change 30 days ago. In many ways I felt like I have been becoming WHOLE!  Read through the past blogs to hear some of the story.   But a recent visit to have blood work done tells me my ‘autoimmune issues’ are affecting me again and my glucose is in the danger zone.  That was most disheartening because I had been working to control my diet, especially the sugars.For a few days, I felt like I was BROKEN again.  Then I realized this for the gift that it was.  I had asked God to heal me.  He was revealing to me what needed to be done.   So…the goal for the next 30 holi-days for my health has been made very clear.

So…How about you?  How’d you do in your 30 day challenge? 

30 Days wordsDid you accomplish you 30 day goals?
If so, pat yourself on the back!!!!  Congratulations!

If not, what were the obstacles that kept you from it?

What is your next step?

Listen gang!  We have just over 30 days left in 2015.  I know the temptation is to call it ‘HOLIDAYS” and chuck the lists for a while.

But what if INSTEAD we take a few minutes to identify what needs to be done yet in 2014?  What can we do that will not only give us a jump start on 2015, but will set up up for possibilities we only dreamed of in 2014?

I hope you will join us for the FINISH WELL CHALLENGE beginning Finish Welltoday.  By December 31st, what you want to have accomplished. Get more details here. 

If nothing else, let’s take a look back at 2014 and answer some of these questions.

  1. What are your celebrations for 2014?  Where did you ‘nail it’  or persevere till you completed the task?  What relationship was improved?  We spend little time acknowledging where we did it right!  I can hear you say, “well, it really was not that big of a deal”!  I encourage you to recognize if you set the goal for yourself and completed it, IT IS A BIG DEAL!
  2. What were your disappointments for 2014?   Where did you not succeed?  Where did a relationship fail?  Where did you give up but wish now you had kept going? I sometimes hear people say “you can’t cry over spilled milk?”  It’s true!  You can’t change the past.  But if we don’t take the time to say it for what it really is, and identify behaviors that may have caused it, we will not learn from our past.  We are destined to repeat them again and again.
  3. One of my favorites from Michael Hyatt is “What was missing?” That was a question I was missing.  Never thought to ask myself that. What is something that you want to be true of you that you did nothing in 2014 to make happen?  For instance, you want to have a relationship with your grandparents, but you didn’t make extra effort to see them on a regular basis.  Or you want to write a book, but you didn’t set schedule time to write. What’s missing?
  4. What lessons did you learn in 2014?  These could be in any area of life: spiritual, relational, professional, physical, etc.   Write down the reoccurring themes you noticed this year?  Write down in one word or brief sentence the messages you learned .  This step is so valuable as you look ahead to the new year.

I’ve set my goals for the next 30 days!  I hope you will join me in the journey.  If you need someone to help you determine what you really want to accomplish and hold you accountable to your dreams, that’s what I do!  I’m a coach! Email me at kathy@greenhopecoaching.

Here’s to finishing well!

30 Day Challenge Final PUSH

30 Day UpdateIf you started the 30 DAY CHALLENGE with me on October 27th, that means you have one week left to complete your goal.

How are you doing?  Have you stayed on track with your plan?

My month went great the first 2 weeks.  The fact that I set my goal and created a plan went a long way toward moving forward.

But this last week there were quite a few obstacles that I wasn’t expecting.  Health, weather,  life challenges…!

How about you?  Have you felt your momentum getting hung up in the ‘stuff’ that interferes?  

Well, today marks a PIVOT POINT! We must choose! Continue reading 30 Day Challenge Final PUSH

30 Day Challenge Update

30 Day UpdateFor those of you who joined us on the 30 day challenge last week, how are you doing?   We would love to hear your comments, insights, celebrations and struggles in the comment box below.

Accountability is a great way to hold you to your commitment.  If not here, who is your accountability partner?

One of the discussions on the Challenge call on Tuesday evening was to  consider your life as a highway- 8 lane highway.   Continue reading 30 Day Challenge Update

I’ve noticed….

Day4I’ve NOTICED today that accomplishing my 30 day challenge of writing is ‘challenging!’

I set a goal for myself to write 500 words a day about what I’ve NOTICED in my day! No,  I couldn’t just write 500 words a day about …whatever!  I had to choose for my challenge to write what I’ve NOTICED!

Today, I’ve NOTICED:

  • That noticing is hard work!  It takes a greater degree of intentionality than I haven’t done lately.
  • That writing what you’ve noticed is also hard work, because it demands you process what you experience.
  • That encouraging others to come with you in the challenge is inspiring.  In this case, we don’t necessarily share a goal- we just share the journey to accomplish a goal.  So our rhythm, our methods, our directions are all different.  But one person’s journey speaks into mine and vice versa.

Want to join us for the
FREE 30 Day Conference Call on Tuesday – click here! 


I’ve also noticed

  • That when I work toward a goal, there are a zillion things that try to distract me.
  • That one day my mind is full of thoughts and the next day I struggle to see anything.
  • That writing a blog post is one thing- putting it out there for you to read is another.  But something happens in being vulnerable with your story– in you and in the person who needed to hear it!

But the amazing thing is that since I have subscribed to some sites designed for writing, this whole other world has opened up to me and with it a myriad of writers: authors, bloggers, journalists, and more.

Some of the writers are just getting starting, which helps me realize that I have been writing for a while.  I just haven’t been consistent at it.

Other writers are clear on their voice, and their message and their genre.  I’m beginning to get clarity!  But I’m very aware I have much to learn.

I’m learning to be serious at writing, I must write!  Daily! 

And I need to plan to write!  If I don’t have a plan, how do I know if I accomplishing what I set out to do?  One blogger said, “Action without direction is just busy!

I so get that! It’s true of all of life!  I guess that is why I challenge you to join us for the 30 Day Challenge Call!

What is the challenge you have taken for the next 30 days?
Have you made a plan?
How will you know if you have reached your goal?
What is the behavior that needs to change?
What is the attitude that is blocking your success?

Let’s talk about it together and encourage each other in the doing. Let’s do this!!!

Sign up today for TUESDAY’s  30 Day Challenge CALL- November 4th at 8pm Eastern time.