Tag Archive - challenge

How to End Well by Focusing on the Beginning

January 27, 2012 in Confessions of a Preacher's Wife, Leadership with 2 Comments

When things approach the end, a sort of excitement and even dread builds. I laughed at my friend’s reaction to the thought of her husband retiring. She felt anticipation, excitement and gloom. For her, it was like a sentence was given and the time was yet to be served. She started a countdown 20 months before R-Day. Over a year away and she’s still counting, excited, happy and filled with anticipation, as well as some anxious, dread of the inevitable.

The End is Coming

The End is Coming!

People like me feel the urgency to make the most of the last few days, squeezing in the results we desired. Time doesn’t stop for our work. The gong of the clock grades our life and our stewardship. Staying focused on the goals we set at the beginning will help us finish well.

Endings cause goal-oriented people to experience a weird rush of relief, worry and wonder if their efforts made a difference. We evaluate our work against the goals. We question: Did we accomplish what we set out to do? Did we manage resources well? Did we use time wisely? Could we have done things better?

Fresh Start

New Beginnings and Fresh Starts

The cool thing about endings is that they are the hope of new, fresh starts. The new year brings another block of time. A new contract or job comes with a treasure of resources and a multitude of opportunities. A new beginning gives us a second chance to do right and to live wisely.

I seem to regularly need a do-over or a re-start. In the past, I’ve fallen prey to multitasking: doing lots of things at one time and none of them very well (See previous post Why Multitasking Reduces Productivity). My trying to get things done simultaneously produced lots of ho hum results, if any at all. I started projects and finished none. Not at all how I planned to end.

My hope and prayer is to be more productive. I plan to slow down, focus on one thing at a time and do my best work on it. I’m going to stop multitasking. If I’m able to succeed at that goal, I might stop burning dinner, hear my kids, and actually know where I’m going when in the driver’s seat. Hopefully, I’ll finish the projects I started last year.

Now, may focus take over my multitasking ways!

How about you? Did you end your last project as you wanted? Met your goals? Declared failure and did a re-start? Declared bankruptcy and quit? Please share how you focus and finish well?

This post is part of the Insights into Ministry & Leadership Series.

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5 Steps to Reach Our Goals and Stop Making Excuses

January 21, 2012 in Confessions of a Preacher's Wife, Leadership with 9 Comments

Since I posted 3 Excuses for Failure to Meet Our Goals earlier and now the excuses are out of the way, I thought it a great time to plan steps to reach our goals. If you want to add excuses or view them in the post and comments, click the link above. There is some comfort in knowing others struggle with our same excuses. But for those who are ready to get on with it. Let’s go for it.

Go For It

Stop Studying and Talking, Start Doing

It’s time to stop studying it, reading about it and talking about it and just go do it! We can overcome our excuses and skip to our goal if we put into practice steps similar to these.

5 Steps to Reach Your Goals

1. Verbalize the goal in specifics.

Where are you going? How are you going to get there? What does it look like when you’ve finished? What has to be done before that can happen? Identify all the aspects of the goal. The paper is blank until we put down our ideas. Get as specific as you can. Just like the assigned paper is blank until the student identifies the ideas that will formulate. Then with hard work it is finished.

2. Visualize yourself taking small steps towards the goal.

What needs to be cut, streamlined and categorized in order to make a step-by-step plan from where you are today to completion? Break the plan down into even smaller steps and identify the first one. Following these baby steps makes the dream goal a reality. Without the discipline to work it, you’ll go nowhere.

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” Thomas Edison

So I like the motivation I get from Thomas Edison. Maybe he’d be a good one to pall around with to learn to get things done. He sure did a lot.

3. Find a group of people attempting similar tasks.

Surrounding yourself with other motivated people gives you the regular motivation and accountability you need. A mentor can be awesome, and blessed is the one who finds one, but a regular band of fellows can be as effective. As iron sharpens iron, you become better as ideas and best practices of dedicated people rub off on you.

4. Practice the skills needed without fear of failure.

Perfection isn’t automatic. We have to guess. Do trial runs. Practice. Make decisions. Some will be bad ones. Failure comes with any challenge. It is a sure thing. Success is working through each setback, learning each step of the way.

“Many of life’s failures are men who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” Thomas Edison

Keep practicing and moving forward with the next step in the plan. Adjust the plan if needed, but keep going.

5. Consider each accomplishment your validation.

Every small step finished is a huge accomplishment. Most people are talkers and not doers. Celebrate. You’ve started doing the hard things that make you successful. Focus and allow your accomplishment to fuel you to do another step towards the goal.

As some have said, “You can’t eat an elephant in one bite.” Let’s start chewing on the bite we have.

 What have you got to chew on? What other steps do you used to get things done? How do you celebrate when you complete a small step?

Our “someday” will arrive before we know it!

This post is part of the Insights into Ministry & Leadership Series. If you enjoyed it you may also like the Living and Working on Mission Blog Series, the Spiritual Journey’s Gentle Nudges Series or the other Blog Series.

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*picture from wealthmouli on mylot

3 Excuses for Failure to Meet the Goal

January 20, 2012 in Confessions of a Preacher's Wife, Leadership with 2 Comments

The New Year began and already our resolutions have waned. When should we actually start doing what we said we wanted to do? When will we stop reading about it, or stop talking about it and just go do it? I faced those questions head on and decided they were partially a scheduling problem, partially a priority problem and partially fear-factor problem.

Stop Making ExcusesWe’re simply making excuses.

Excuse 1: I’m too busy.

We are too busy to add one more activity to our schedule, but if our goal is important enough to be resolved on, spoken of or dreamed about, then we need to be disciplined enough to make the time for the steps to accomplish it. We don’t have to do it all in one day, but spending a little time towards the goal each day will get us there eventually much faster than dreaming, reading or talking about it.

Excuse 2: I don’t know what to focus on.

Some of us get our priorities mixed up and don’t accomplish what we set out to do. I can waste so much time studying what to do and how to do it that I can become an inexperienced expert on the subject and never get any closer to getting it done. Amongst us are both doers and talkers. Who wants to be the one who always talks like a know-it-all and never does anything? I want to be a doer.

Excuse 3: I’ve never done this before. I’m scared.

A huge block to accomplishing goals is fear. What will others think if I try? What if I fail? I can be seen successful if I never try. If I try, I’ll fail for sure. But what’s so bad about failing? Thomas Edison said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Failure is the means for us to learn better methods, a step towards sharpening our skills. Success is getting back up after a setback and working at it again. Mr. Edison also said, “I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.” When on the brink of quitting, we should laugh at fear. Fear is what keeps us from success.

What’s on your bucket list? Something you’ve said, “Someday, I’ll…” How much time do you spend studying it, talking about it or dreaming of it? If it’s that important, why not take some steps to lose that weight, start that company, read the Bible through in a year, learn a craft, read a book, run a ½ marathon, or cook your way through a Julia Child’s cookbook?

What do you want to do and what keeps you from doing it?

Tomorrow, I’ll post 5 Steps to Reach Your Goals. Click to get new posts in your email or RSS reader. Be sure to check out the steps and add insights into how to do what we say we want to do.

This post is part of the Insights into Ministry & Leadership Series. If you enjoyed it you may also like the Living and Working on Mission Blog Series, the Spiritual Journey’s Gentle Nudges Series or the other Blog Series.

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*picture from davidwygant.

One Hope for the New Year

January 1, 2012 in Confessions of a Preacher's Wife with 1 Comment

Fireworks for new beginnings

Out goes the old year and in comes the new with all it’s challenges, struggles and opportunities. Looking back, I know without God things would have been much more difficult. With God’s help our future looks bright.

“Thus far has the LORD helped us” (1 Samuel 7:12)

I am working on my goals and plans for the next year. My life plan will include health, organization, minimization, focus and some high hopes.

May God give you hope and focus to finish the work he’s called you to with success in the challenges to come. God bless!!

What are you glad to see go this past year? What are you looking forward to the most this next year? Do you have any Big Hairy Goals for this next year?

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Two Life-Changing Tools for Spiritual Growth

October 21, 2011 in Confessions of a Preacher's Wife, Leadership, Ministry to Women with 0 Comments

While I was MC-ing Yahweh Street Ministries Ladies Retreat, I gave a brief devotion emphasizing our need to spend time with God. I shared answers to feeling spiritually adrift and longing for something more, a life change or spiritual growth. Two things make the difference: listening to, and responding to, God.

Come Awake Cover 3D

Learning to listen and respond to God with Come Awake

Out of my desire to help others find the missing spiritual piece in their lives, I wrote Come Awake. The book is a devotional/journal training manual. It’s what I use to mentor people who want to grow closer to God and work out their lives to gain inner peace. In it teach reading the Bible for life-change and how to respond in prayer. If you’re looking for someone to help you strengthen your spiritual life, use God’s word and pray effectively, then I suggest trying Come Awake. And if you are mentoring others you can order copies to aid your work with them.

NT in 75 Days

Reading NT in 75 Days

Reading the Bible in such a way as to hear God speak into your life situation is a powerful life changer. Another tool I’m using to help me read the Bible is the New Testament in 75 Days app for Apple products. I’ve had several ask for the link to the app. Check it out. If you don’t have Apple capability you can download the NT in 75 Days Reading Schedule and read along using your own Bible or an online one.

As you will find in Come Awake, you can change your life by reading and praying in only 20 minutes a day. I stretch it to 30 minutes when I have time. Anybody can find 20 minutes to invest in a life-changing relationship with God. I challenge mentorees to put effort into spending time with God this way, setting aside 20 minutes five or six days a week for at least 21 days in a row. Twenty-one days is usually the amount of time for creating habits. And how cool is it to have created a habit of spending meaningful time with God!

How do you mentor and lead people in spiritual growth? What have you found to help you read God’s Word and respond in prayer?

This post is part of the Insights into Ministry & Leadership Series. If you enjoyed it you may also like the Living and Working on Mission Blog Series, the Spiritual Journey’s Gentle Nudges Series or the other Blog Series.

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How to Embarrassingly Prepare Cross-culturally in One Sunday Morning

July 14, 2011 in Confessions of a Preacher's Wife, Leadership, Ministry to Women with 0 Comments

I stepped out of the restroom into the busy grand foyer of our church auditorium. People were milling around, visiting with their friends and chasing their children into their seats for the service. The place was hopping. I took about twelve steps into the race of people and paused to get a mint from my purse. Earlier, in class, I had a cup of java with friends, and now I’m sure that no one would want to talk with my coffee-breath-self. Besides we have to make our best appearance, and smells matter right?

Pretty in Pearls
Creative Commons License photo credit: Katie Tegtmeyer
Appearance: Pretty in Pearls

Speaking of appearances, since I am going to Uganda to disciple orphans at the end of the month, I decided to practice fitting into their culture, beforehand. In Uganda, you must wear long skirts because wearing pants or showing legs makes you a flirt. I should tell you that short dumpy people typically don’t wear long skirts, because they make us look shorter and well . . . dumpier. Nevertheless, I acquired a long skirt and was practicing the use of it this fine Sunday morning.

While standing in our crowded church foyer, two people stopped their trek to meet people and get into the service. One older woman, whom I didn’t know, paused and began to tell me something when the other, a much younger teen, wrapped her arm around me and said into my ear, “Your skirt is caught up.”

Naturally, I leaned forward to look at the yards of material nearly at my feet, not quite understanding what she meant. She quickly jumped behind me and tugged at the overflow behind my knees. That’s when I figured out that I had flashed Uganda’s flirt alert!

DSC_0006
Creative Commons License photo credit: TheArtGuy
Alarming Situation!

Yes, that’s right. I had inadvertently misplaced the trail end of this monstrous bolt of cascading cotton. Apparently, it was tucked somewhere north, near my waist.

All dignity and “best” appearance vaporized. How many of the 300+ people caught my “special” style? Hopefully not many since all of that took place in a short minute or three. Or five?

Since my bff, Kate, pulled at the material from knee level, and since there was enough of it to fold over twice and still cover my shortness, surely I was safely not flashing American Style flirt. Fool maybe, but not flirt. Even when I bent forward, it could only have been embarrassingly un-stylish, right?

This never happens with my regular length skirts. I was way out of my norm even in my own church building. There’s no telling how things will go in Uganda when I’m really out of my culture. Won’t you partner with me in prayer?

We all need to try different things to make connections with people and touch their lives with the hope of Jesus. What part of your culture are you willing to stretch or give up to meet people and make a difference in their lives? For their sakes, are you willing to try and fail, even look foolish?

Please make contributions in the comments and let me know what topics you’d love for me to cover!

This is part of the Minister Wives Fellowship and Support Series. If you enjoyed it you may also like the Insights into Ministry & Leadership Series, the Spiritual Journey’s Gentle Nudges Series or other Blog Series.

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Blog Series

July 13, 2011 in Confessions of a Preacher's Wife, Leadership, Ministry to Women, series with 0 Comments

Blog Series

These blog post and blog post series are considered the “Best Of” here on Confessions of a Preacher’s Wife Blog. These are the ones that moved me the most and naturally they are the best I have to offer.

I hope you enjoy the time journeying through them at your own leisure. Also, I trust you find them helpful, become inspired by them, and then maybe change or do something because of them. That your life will be different by taking my hard-learned lessons to heart and applying them as well as sharing them with others!

181/365
Creative Commons License photo credit: Xelcise
Best of Blog Series

Here are the series that I’ve put together for you:

A Spiritual Journey’s Gentle Nudges

This is a series of confessions on how God gently nudged me along on my spiritual journey. Sometimes it felt more like a kick in the pants, nevertheless, I got the message and back on track. Laced throughout are key truths I’ve learned along the way that changed me and I’m sure will help you, if only to laugh at this preacher’s wife and her zaniness.

Living and Working on Mission

This series is more of a log of various ministry efforts and opportunities as well as sharing insights I’ve gained. Any special effort like the Ugandan Orphan Mission or the Capture Me! Conference for women will share about another culture or a mission opportunity. These posts will deliver inspiration to get involved with God and share his love even in your own hometown. Click over to begin your journey of sharing God’s love and be ready to laugh and learn along with me.

  • Engage us here as we live on mission, changing the world one heart at a time.
  • Remember, it isn’t about guilt, it’s about finding something to live for, something that gives your life purpose!

Insights into Ministry & Leadership

This series includes insights and encouragement to improve leadership, ministry and personal/team development. Often we get into ruts doing things as usual. I want to broaden our thinking with some “what if” questions as well as some helpful tips. As a pastor’s wife and leader, I made a fair share of mistakes which caused me to study leadership and effectiveness. In these posts you will learn from my mistakes and gain insights on many aspects of leadership development, teaching and ministry, including ministering to women.

Minister Wives Fellowship and Support

This series both challenges and honors the leadership of ministry wives. If you’re a minister’s wife, you’ve felt the essential need to connect with someone who understands the ministry and gets you. I’m a preacher’s wife and I have a desire to help minister’s wives find a safe place to to be heard and receive ministry. In this blog series, you’ll find helps, a few opinions and lots of confessions in the struggle to be a pastor’s wife. The plan is to build a support system for these special servants that often feel isolated and overlooked. Click on over to take a look at some of the topics.

Other series may be developed as need is expressed. If you have any ideas, please share in the comments below. Please comment and share your insight and solutions. What issues do you deal with that you would like discussed?

As always, if you have a topic or suggestion you would like to discuss please contact me here or make a comment on this post!

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Insights into Ministry & Leadership

July 13, 2011 in Confessions of a Preacher's Wife, Leadership, Ministry to Women, series with 0 Comments

Insights into Ministry & Leadership

Leadership Wordle 

Thank you for your leadership and ministry. You are a valuable asset and I want to honor you. I wrote this series of posts to encourage you and give insights into how to improve your leadership, ministry and personal/team development. Often we get into ruts, repeating the same duties and tasks while hoping for different results. Think of this series as a way to broaden your thinking with some “what if” questions. As a pastor’s wife and leader, I’ve both seen poor leadership and been the one responsible in said poor leadership. The sorrow over my lack caused me to try harder and study effective leadership. In these posts I’ll steer you away from my mistakes and share some tips on leadership development, teaching and ministry.

I would love to hear your thoughts, suggestions, and topics you’d like for me to consider in the comments below!

Begin changing the world one tidbit at a time with these posts of challenge and inspiration:

  1. Should I STAY? Or Should I GO??
  2. How to be Part of the Inner Circle: Partners in Prayer
  3. Twittering Ministry!
  4. 7 Tips for Women to Help in the Ministry
  5. The S.O.S. of Wise Leadership
  6. 12 Leadership Checks for Making a Kingdom Difference
  7. The Creative Need in Leadership
  8. Successful Life and Leadership
  9. Stepping into Success
  10. Social Networks & Kingdom Influence
  11. 10 Life and Leadership Principles from Steve Jobs
  12. Two Life-Changing Tools for Spiritual Growth
  13. Spoof NLALV New Living Amplified Leadership Version
  14. 3 problems of Christian Leadership (who me, use me, love me)
  15. Who me leadership
  16. Use me Leadership
  17. Love Me Leadership
  18. 5 Practices to lead with love
  19. choosing a speaking topic
  20. how to write a speech outline
  21. continued . . .

As always, if you have a topic or suggestion you would like to discuss please contact me here or make a comment on this post!

These are the posts for the Insights into Ministry & Leadership Series. Check out the other Blog Series! If you’re a minister’s wife or a woman in the ministry you may like Minister Wives Fellowship and Support Series. Click on over and let me know what you think!

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A Spiritual Journey’s Gentle Nudges

July 13, 2011 in Confessions of a Preacher's Wife, Ministry to Women, series with 0 Comments

A Spiritual Journey’s Gentle Nudges

Spiritual Worshipphoto by www.christianphotos.net

These posts are confessions of God’s gentle nudges along on my spiritual journey. Sometimes the nudges are more like a kick in the pants, nevertheless, I got the message and back on track. Laced throughout are truths that helped me and hopefully will give you insight into your own spiritual journey. If nothing else, you can laugh at this preacher’s wife and her zaniness which is a daily occasion.

If you are a minister’s wife. I created a special series with you in mind over at Minister’s Wives Fellowship and Support. Click on over there and check it out!

Here are some of the blog post topics you’re waiting for:

  1. 3 Steps to an Incredible Journey with God
  2. Mismanaging Self Is Wicked
  4. Spiritual Life (PART 1): Perfect Knowledge Unnecessary
  5. Spiritual Life (Part 2) Experiencing God Gives Hope
  6. Spiritual Life (Part 3): How to Experience God
  7. Why Following God in Living Relationship is NOT for the Faint-Hearted
  8. Stay Thirsty, Share Hope: A Simple Way to Do Good
  9. Nothing on Purpose: Learning To Be God’s
  10. Two Life-Changing Tools for Spiritual Growth
  11. continued . . .

Blessings galore! I hope these posts encourage you on your spiritual journey to find God faithful and true as well as some practical tips to help you along your way.

If you’re moving forward and finding people looking to you for guidance and direction in life you might be interested in the series Insights into Ministry & Leadership Series and Living and Working on Mission Series. Also if you’re a minister’s wife or a woman in the ministry you may like Minister Wives Fellowship and Support Series. Check out the table of contents for all the Blog Series and let me know what you think!

As always, if you have a topic or suggestion you would like to discuss please contact me here or make a comment on this post!

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Minister Wives Fellowship and Support

July 13, 2011 in Confessions of a Preacher's Wife, Leadership, Ministry to Women, series with 2 Comments

Minister Wives Fellowship and Support

Welcome to this more intimate series of posts that are meant to be a “we’re-in-this-together” kind of thing. I’ll write these posts to both challenge and honor us as the leaders we’re called to be. We’ve felt the essential need to connect with someone who understands the ministry and gets us. I’m a preacher’s wife and I have a desire to help minister’s wives find a safe place to to be heard and receive ministry. I’ll provide helps, a few opinions and lots of confessions in the struggle to be a pastor’s wife. My intention is to build a support system for you, the special servants of God, that often feel isolated and overlooked.

Future Minister Wives
Creative Commons License photo credit: ubo_pakes
Together, Facing the World

This post will serve as a table of contents for this series.

As always, please leave your thoughts, suggestions, and things you’d love for me to consider covering in the comments!

Can’t wait to get started. The following are the ideas to come and posts:

  1. How to Embarrassingly Prepare Cross-culturally in One Sunday Morning
  2. One Essential Way for a Pastor’s Wife to Deal with Anger
  3. post on being real for minister’s and minister’s wives from a children’s book
  4. continued . . .

As always, if you have a topic or suggestion you would like to discuss please contact me here or make a comment on this post!

This is the Minister Wives Fellowship and Support Series. If you liked it, you might enjoy the Insights into Ministry & Leadership Series, the Spiritual Journey’s Gentle Nudges Series and the Living and Working on Mission Series. Click over to the table of contents for all the Blog Series.

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