To Serve well

Serving with Excellence for a Life of Excellence

Faith

Simple Thoughts Sunday: God often speaks loudest when we are the quietest

(Photo Creds: Canva)

I am a huge fan of the author Mark Batterson.

He has crafted the Circle Maker and a host of books I regularly give as gifts. His latest, ‘Whisper,’ is coming out soon and I was lucky enough to get a preview copy. This topic is timely, real and critical that we all listen. My opinion of course.

The book is about hearing the voice of God and outlines some practical thinking and steps we might take to get to this goal. Most people operate in the hope that God will send a sign or at least a major clue that tells us where to step next. I for sure have lived most of the seasons of my life looking around the corner and in the mailbox for these. It’s human nature I think.

At any rate, the simple thought this week is from Batterson’s latest book: “God often speaks the loudest when we are the quietest.” We must carve out time for quiet. Our world is so noisy. In fact, studies show that most of us can’t hardly stand to not have something going on, be it TV, radio, “Alexa” chatter, checking our phone, etc. I absolutely know this is a truth that I can use to hear again and again. I have time and again heard from God in the quiet… generally through reading or spending time away on the water. I know I for one need quiet… A LOT OF IT!

I hope this insight speaks to your soul, and I hope that this week you carve out time for QUIET.

Go deep: We need to build our root system

(Photo Creds: Canva)

If you’ve ever stood under a redwood tree, you know that their height is something magnificent. The extent of their root system is shockingly not deep at 6-12 feet. So, how do we account for the crazy growth, with many reaching 300 feet tall? (The tallest pine measures in at 268 by comparison.)

“Redwoods create the strength to withstand powerful winds and floods by extending their roots more than 50 feet from the trunk and living in groves where their roots can intertwine.”

Perfect! Another very cool illustration for just how important going “DEEP” in your relationships is to your ability to grow and optimize your gifts. Of course… I LOVE THIS – and so should you!

“Community” is what allows us to live a joy filled life. (“Community” also defined, as families, friendship groups, circles, tribes, colleagues… you get my drift.) To SERVE WELL, it is almost required that we are encouraged, held accountable and ultimately pushed toward our “best self.” For most of human history, this has been a normal part of life, starting out with the earliest Native American tribes and, for my generation, playing kickball in the street until well after the sun has gone down. Today, many find themselves immersed in technology and other distractions. That seems almost too obvious to state but when the shoe fits… Heck, I don’t even like to get out of my car to go in the bank. God forbid I can’t take care of business on my phone or through a machine.

I like the idea of GOING DEEP. I need to work more at this. I’d love to achieve the greatness of a REDWOOD GROVE… to lock arms together with some amazing people and establish root systems that allow us all to grow and flourish.

Simple Thoughts Sunday – Speak Vitality (LIFE)

(Photo Creds: Canva… but I’m pretty sure I have one just like it from my Ginger Farms trip last year!)

Happy Sunday folks!

Isn’t it awesome that most get to BREATHE DEEP tonight and not worry about working tomorrow? Love that feeling.

So, what in the world do I mean by speak vitality? That may seem obvious and yet we don’t do it enough. One year at camp, one of the parenting talks (intended to help us teach our children how to be upstanding humans that care for others) was a simple message we were advised to ask our children often: “Are you going to speak a blessing or a curse?”

In other words: simply be nice! I appreciated that construct when talking to my boys, especially when the discussion was around how they treat each other sometimes. I recognize however, that at any age, it’s a great reminder. We have a choice to speak LIFE, and we should choose it more often.

Do the words we are speaking to ourselves or others speak joy? Victory? Positivity? Or are we focused on “why in the world we are getting acne at our age?” “Where did those 5-plus pounds come from, for god’s sake?” “Why can’t I eat the mac and cheese with bacon?”

We all are in different seasons of our lives, and it is so important that we SPEAK LIFE and VITALITY to ourselves and to the WORLD. This week there has been much heroism displayed as the needs are great in a time of national disasters such as the great flooding. There have also been those that are blaming, calling out and otherwise judging people that they believe should be helping. My feeling: We need to hold ourselves accountable for ALWAYS SPEAKING VITALITY.

Have an AMAZING WEEK, and remember to EXHALE and BREATHE IN LIFE!

Simple Thoughts Sunday: You are a badass (Acts 26:15)

(Photo Creds: We Heart It)

When I heard this connection this summer I knew I had to share it with you. Let’s face it, life can be tough. I was greatly encouraged to have someone point out to me the biblical reminder that I am indeed a badass… and SO ARE YOU! As you start this week, remember, that you can GET UP AND STAND UP. God created us to be courageous and brave and He gave us the tools to confront our lives with GREATNESS! (Peace, Grace, Love – the list goes on.)

A short thought for the day, but SUPER POWERFUL! Have an AMAZING WEEK!

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Peace & Joy

(Photo Creds: Canva)

I loved this quote from from a book I read this week. I mean, who wants their problems to take over their mind and their peace?

The book continued: “While God calls us out of complacency, his peace allows us to CHOOSE contentment with our place in the world.” – Chrystal Evans Hurst

One of my life mottos has been that we must CHOOSE. Every day and often more than once a day, will we choose peace, joy, etc. in the situations and conversations we experience? We do have a CHOICE, and I happen to LOVE THAT. Imagine if we didn’t?

She said it another way…

“Know Spirit? Know peace.
No Spirit? No peace.”

I believe that has been true in my life. When I stray away from my disciplined life of reading scripture, attending regular church services, hanging out with other believers, I find myself farther away from peace. It’s funny how when we drift from what we know aligns best with our values and soul, that we almost immediately get signs that prod us back to where our focus should be. If you are familiar with scripture there is a terrific verse in Galatians 5:22-23:

“But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

Essentially, God provides for us “deep, abounding joy that is not dependent on our circumstances” (Hurst) if we stay close to him. I hope that this week you will CHOOSE PEACE AND JOY.

Simple Thoughts Sunday: TRUST

(Photo Creds: Canva)

Mother Teresa is “the one” I’d love to sit with for a weekend and just rest in her presence and wisdom. How amazing is this thought? As we head into a busy season with school ramping up and busy times with work, we have to continue to fill our minds with the reality that we have to put our trust in God and seek discernment through whatever method works best for us individually.

For me, it’s reading, listening to messages from some great spiritual leaders I follow (Beth Moore, Christine Caine, Priscilla Schirer, Joyce Meyer, Steven Furtick,  John Gray, Craig Groeschel and my pastor, Blake Finuf) and reading scripture.

As you kick off the week, I’m praying for you and know that God is with us in our journeys. He will clear our minds and make our paths clear as we still our mind and listen.

I’m cheering for you and I believe the world is conspiring in OUR FAVOR!

Great conversations: A template for 1-on-1 talks

(Photo Creds: We Heart It)

(I want to note that if you don’t happen to have kids, the ideas in this post could pretty much be used in any conversation with someone you care about… I hope you find it helpful!)

As a mom, I am always mindful of ways to be better in that role. As the boys get older, I find this more challenging. I want to be someone they can always trust to listen to their heart (without judgement), but someone who they know will also spur them along toward God’s gifting in their lives.  This can be done through encouragement, brainstorming the “possibilities” together and even rebuke and course-correction.

I’d have to say I’m not so good at the latter. I find it challenging given the different personality types knowing just how to approach certain topics, while honoring how they think and digest information. I long for the spirit of a great teacher or coach who knows just how to train and get the best out of their students.

Every summer of the boys’ younger years we went to an amazing family camp, Pine Cove in Tyler, Texas. Beyond the family excitement part, the best part for me was getting great training on parenting and leadership in the home. The parents had an opportunity to hear world-class speakers who spent a portion of each day speaking into us and giving us ideas on how to grow as a parent. I have found that since we aged out of camp, so to speak, a couple of years ago that it has been helpful for me to sit down for a week in the summer and maintain this focus, which is where this blog was birthed.

Through reading, scripture and conversation, I made this list of  questions or conversation starters that could be used as a template for these 1-on-1 discussions.

The idea here is to focus on soul questions:

  • How are you?
  • What are you seeing? Are you on the path you want to be on?
  • What do you think life is teaching you right now?
  • What are you learning?
  • Where do you want to travel? What do you have planned that is “fun” and filling of the soul?
  • What are you reading?
  • What are you living for?
  • What gets in the way?
  • How can I best help/encourage/inspire/support you?

This I hope gives you a list to start from. I’d love to hear what others you have!

Simple Thoughts Sunday – Who is that seeks after God with you?

(Photo Creds: My good ole’ iPhone @ my dear friends Jan and Nan’s 50th birthday celebration in the Dominican Republic!)

Simple Thoughts Sundays are my favorites. As many of you know, I am an avid reader and in the last few weeks I stumbled upon the most brilliant and thought provoking author. I’ve read three of his books in the last 10 days, but one book in particular called ‘A Resilient Life’ falls into one of my top 5 ever. That’s huge.

The author is Gordon MacDonald if you want to look him up. In the book, I marked literally hundreds of passages, but the one that stood out was the idea in this picture.

The chapter, ‘There are Certain People,’ focused on the people that “enable us to be as we have never been before.” That is an awesome truth. He goes on: “The pathway to resilience requires that I fill my personal life with a very special set of relationships. Who makes up your happy few?”

Other questions:

  • Who stretches your mind?
  • Who listens to you and encourages your dreams?
  • Who will protect you? (Have your back as my friend Coretta has reminded me…)
  • Who are those that share your tears?
  • Who rebukes you?
  • Who plays with you?
  • The final question: “who is it that seeks after God with you?” This one, I can’t quit thinking about.

Let me know if this stirs your soul at all.. I’d love to know!

Make it an amazing week!

Hello August!

(Photo Creds: We Heart It!)

Happy August ya’ll!

I don’t know about you, but July was both super long and also fleeting. I always have a bit of anxiety when July ends, because August seems to rush in with back to school and a lot of competing agendas in the workplace, community etc.

I always seem to be holding tight to the invisible rope attaching me to longer summer days and cancelled meetings due to vacation schedules. Summer is just a bit easier. August means we need to start the process of putting our game face back on and get fired up to make the last half of the year count! I’m ready – perhaps a little reluctantly! How about you?

So, here are some thoughts I have as we set ourselves up for GREAT SUCCESS in the last five months of 2017:

I think we need to start with a strong game plan. Not a multi-point strategic document, but a handful or less of key “must haves” for you to feel like you slayed the year in the best possible way.

Here’s my #1: Go BIG on PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL WELLNESS. Keep this top of mind, force it in my schedule, focus on my spiritual life, stop eating s***,  exercise more, challenge myself, renew my commitment to discipline in all things in this category… (Here’s the thing – I can’t do what I need and want to do without amazing health and energy, so it has to be #1)

Others on the list…

Stay focused on my “50 year” plan. That little document I put together to identify the 13 things I want to do this year leading up to my  big “50” in March… Let’s just say I’ve got some work to do.

Career growth. I launched a health care strategy company in May and need to get laser focused on where God wants this to go. It has a different “feel” or rhythm than my career so far, so I need to get in the “flow” of this new world!

Parenting. This is always a top priority because I want to be the best mom in whatever stage the boys are at. As they get older and they begin to take on this whole “adulting” thing, I need intention and guidance on how to step up in the best way possible. It’s always top of mind.

I think I have a few others, but the intent is to get you started with your “short” list this week. Let’s make every day count. I hope you’re reading this on a beach or lake somewhere and still soaking up summer. I pray it’s been ridiculously restoring and if not, that you figure out a way to carve out some time before the days shorten.

Always cheering you on!

– Lori

Simple Thoughts Sunday – God bless America

It’s been quite a year for America.

I wanted to take a moment to just reflect on all of the good that we as a nation have been given. I know you all share my gratitude for the good in people and the love that we witness day in and day out through cheerful social media posts, a friendly hello on the street or the simple opening of a door at the local establishment.

I see good everywhere I look and believe America is the greatest nation. We certainly have a lot of work to do, bridges to build and more love to pour on top of the scary and challenging issues our country faces. This week it is our time to celebrate our great nation and I hope that you will do that in a BIG WAY! After the media onslaught this year, we may need more than the average celebration to be honest!

I also wanted to remind anyone who has been following for a while, that July is a month that I take off from the blog. I use this time to clear my mind and listen to God for what he’d like me to use my voice for with upcoming posts.

My great hope is that in the end, the break allows for producing better writing and greater inspiration for you all.

I am so appreciate of anyone who reads the blog. Sometimes people ask me my purpose, and It’s quite simple. I feel like I’m supposed to do this and if each post reaches even one person, then I am fulfilled. I hope to be a source of inspiration and to offer insights on life’s ongoing encounters that may help us all see a different perspective, sharing mine or others that have passed on their stories. As always, I’d love to hear from you on anything that would be helpful to you and to help me serve better.

Have the best July ever and truly relish the summer days. They are a gift.