Immediately after posting the status, I received an email from a friend asking me about it.  Others have stopped me in meetings and said, “Facebook sabbatical.  Are you ok?”  I even received a phone call from a friend checking on me because of my status.

To all inquires, my response was the banality of Facebook.  Banality is a word I learned from John Piper as he explained why he did not have a TV in his home when his boys were growing up and I thought it applied to me with Facebook.  The Oxford Dictionary used synonyms for banality such as triteness, unimaginativeness, lack of originality and my favorite, prosaicness.

There are lots of things I like about Facebook but for me it had become some such a time waster.  And I was wasting time over such trite things as someone complaining about the traffic or how long the carpool line was.  Instead of checking status updates, why not patiently wait at the light or riding the elevator down to the first floor?  If I was at dinner alone, why not be still and relax instead of reading about someone else’s dinner?   My mind is already on overdrive, why was I making it even crazier filling it with trivia?

So, does this mean I will never be on Facebook again and I am closing down my account?  Not at all.  But I am being mindful of the time I spend on it and I will try and capture those moments of stillness so that I can know God even better.   (Psalm 46:10)

Last week as I read about many of the kings of Judah in II Chronicles, this prayer request came to my mind because most, despite starting strong, did not finish well.  I have been there – have you?  You know, start a diet on Monday and do great until Wednesday’s lunch at the Mexican restaurant and I go off track. Or start on January 1 to read the Bible through in a year and do great until I get to the list of who is begetting who in Genesis or the laws in Leviticus and I stop.  Or I use kind words to those around me until I get cut off in traffic.

Despite the starts and stops, if we want to finish well, we can never quit at a “stop” but we must begin again.  There are five months left in 2010 and I want to finish 2010 well so I must finish August well, September well, October well, etc.  I think you get the picture.  Finishing well does not happen at the finish line but at each day along the way.

Where do you want to finish well?  In five months, 20 pounds of weight loss is possible or going from couch potato to 10K race is obtainable.  You can read the entire New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs in five months or memorize 20 verses of the Bible.  You could send 50 or more encouraging notes to your friends and family or read 10 books.

If you would like to finish strong in 2010, why don’t you take just a few minutes now and write out three goals that you would like to accomplish in the next five months?  Take those goals and make a plan each day to work on them.  I have done that and, if you do it as well, I believe we will both be amazed at what we can accomplish.

As I read this article, I realized that his comments were true in my life as well.  I did not have a drinking problem but I learned the same way Miguel did…through my own mistakes, I learned the best.  The failures, the struggles, the crashes taught me what NOT to do.

I was at least 40 years old before I discovered that I did not have to touch the hot stove to know that it would burn me.  In my 20’s and deep into my 30’s, wise counselors would tell me to avoid something or to not do something and I would listen but often think, “That doesn’t apply to me or “That consequence won’t happen to me.”  And before I knew it I had burned the fire out of my hand!!  These “burns” were manifested in relational failures, financial struggles and emotional crashes.

But these mistakes got my attention and caused me to change my ways.  They also caused me to not just seek the counsel of others but to actually heed it.  To apply what I was taught to change my life and avoid pitfalls.  Don’t get me wrong, I still make LOTS of mistakes but the consequences are not nearly as grave.  I have learned to quickly adjust when I feel the heat – heat that comes mostly through consequences and the Word of God.

What about you?  Do you have the same learning style as Miguel and I?  What are some of the lessons you have learned through your mistakes?

Accountability is one of those areas in my life that I have a huge love-hate relationship.  As a sales person and as a development director, reporting my “numbers” (i.e. calls made, appointments held, sales closed or money raised) seemed like such a hassle but when I did not have to report I always did worse than when I did report.  Accountability – it can be a burden but it makes me a better person.

In my spiritual life, I also need accountability.  Folks that I know will ask me the tough questions and will not be afraid to confront me if they have discerned that I might be off course.   They are not my Holy Spirit nor are they the righteousness police just looking for a chance to nail me.  First and foremost, they are friends who love me with an agape love.  They are looking out for my best interest.  They are also men and women whom I have given the right to hold me accountable.  I trust them and desire them to speak into my life.  I am a better person because of their influence in my life and for that I am eternally grateful.

The psalmist David had accountability in his life in the form of a prophet named Nathan.  Nathan helped David process through big decisions (see 2 Samuel 7 as David contemplates building the temple for God.)  Nathan rebuked David when he had committed grievous sins (see 2 Samuel 12 concerning his sins against Bathsheba and Uriah.)  Lastly, Nathan gently reminds David of his promises (see 1 Kings 1 as David makes Solomon king.)

Nathan traveled with David throughout his life and both encouraged and confronted this giant killer.  What about you?  Do you have a Nathan in your life?  If so, how has your Nathan made you a better person?

Check out this video!  These athletes inspire me, how about you?  The amazing thought is that many of these athletes while in the womb would have been considered, by some, to be “burdens” to society. Now, they inspire the world!

Through the exercise I also began dreaming beyond myself.  Because of my self-reliance and independence (read “pride” here), I struggle to dream beyond my capabilities.  By using the tools given to me by TMPW I can dream on a whole different level and I so look forward to the amazing things the Dream Master will do in my life in the next 12 months, 3 years, decade.

Come start discovering your dreams!  First meeting is this week!!  Please contact me to let me know if you would like to come or have any further questions.

Of all the 30+ books we receive, by far, the one book that had the greatest influence on me was Strengths Finder 2.0. It was so impactful that I gave about 30 of these books away as Christmas gifts in 2009. My top strengths were Achiever, Activator, Strategic, Communication and Discipline.  They all fit me to a tee and others agreed.  It was so influential because it gave me clarity on the skills that the Lord had created in me.  I was better able to understand myself and why I make a to-do list on vacation and why I can be impatient at inactivity.  I cannot use these as excuses to ignore the Spirit of God in me or the Biblical commands He has given us, but they have helped me know exactly what my role is in His Kingdom.

Another area of growth for me has to be the Sabbath.  As an achiever and activator, rest is hard for me.  But as I learned through TMPW as well as reading The Rest of God by Mark Buchanan, if I want to restore my soul then I have to rest.  I also learned that Sabbath does not mean that I am sitting around doing nothing.  I might be taking a lesson at the Apple store or getting a massage.  I actually signed up as a monthly member of Massage Envy to “force” myself to rest.  Now, I am not perfect in this area by any means but by practicing a regular Sabbath these past three years, I know that resting in Him during a significant transition in my life in the Spring of 2010 was possible.

Would so love to have you join me on July 1^st for the introductory meeting!  Please contact me to let me know if you would like to come or have any further questions.

Step 1:  Unconscious incompetence.

Step 2:  Conscious incompetence.

Step 3:  Conscious competence.

Step 4:  Unconscious competence.

It made such sense to me and I began asking myself how do I move – and how do others move – from Step 2 to Step 3? Often, I would  know that I was failing in an area but I would not take the initiative to get better.  Unfortunately, the only thing that moves me – and I believe most people – is pain.  When the pain gets greater than the ignorance, we are willing to move.  So when pain comes in my life, whether it is physical, emotional, mental or spiritual – the first question I ask myself is “Is there an area in my life where I am ignoring what I know to be true?”  The longer I wait before making the change the greater the pain.  This was big motivation to make changes in my life.

It has become a goal of mine to change before the pain gets too great.  When I recognize or am told of an area that I need to work on, I try to go ahead and jump on it so that the pain does not have to increase.  It has also allows me to free others that may be doing things, as I see it, wrong.  When the pain gets great enough in them they will change.  (Of course, I have to remind myself, often, that God is usually NOT calling me to be the source of pain for them.)

Come be a part of the wonderful TMPW experience!  First meeting is just around the corner.  Please contact me to let me know if you would like to come or have any further questions.  Plan on being a part of experiencing The Master’s Program for Women up close and personal.  You might learn how to avoid some pain!

In the very first session of the three year course, there is a teaching from Ephesians 5:15, 16 that says, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (KJV)  The keyword to me is circumspectly – coming from the same root as circumference.  So I began having a 360-degree look at my life.  How was I doing in all the realms of my life (Personal, Influence and Kingdom)?  It really prompted me to live diligently and intentionally.   I am not one to be loosy-goosy but this really pushed me over the edge to be mindful of every moment of every day.

Over the next week or so I will share three more specific examples of the life-changing impact TMPW had on my life.  Please plan on joining me at the next session – it is starting in just a few weeks!!  The introductory meeting will be July 1st from 3 pm – 8 pm at a friend’s home, which is located not far from Beltway 8 and Memorial Drive.  Please contact me to let me know if you would like to come or have any further questions.  Dinner will be served so plan on being a part of experiencing The Master’s Program for Women up close and personal.  You will be blessed!

One of my clients, The Master’s Program for Women (TMP), is a unique three-year program of life-designing and coaching that encourages women to discover and pursue God’s plans for their lives.  It has been developed to answer their deepest questions as well as help them gain a new understanding of their Kingdom Calling – that one thing that God created only THEM to do for His Kingdom.  TMP focuses on one’s ability to manage the foremost issues in their life, including their faith, family, career, relationships and the varied opportunities to serve.

I went through TMP as a participant beginning in 2006 and as I applied the tools I gained in the program, I became more balanced in my life.  I experienced increased margin in my day to day living and gained a clearer focus of God’s calling on my life.  I believe that these last five months would have turned out totally different if not for the coaching and knowledge I received through TMP!!

The time commitment is only a 5-hour class once a quarter that will include lectures, small group activities as well as fellowship over a meal.  The same group of ladies stays together throughout the three-year time period and has a great opportunity to experience community.  The “homework” each quarter can be a couple of hours or several days just depending on what peaks her interest.  On a quarterly basis, I will also meet one on one with the participants to give personalized coaching on her greatest area of need.

The first class is starting in just a few weeks on July 1st!!  And so, the adventure continues….