“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.” - Shunryo Suzuki-Roshi

What was the last occasion that led you to say, “Been there, done that, got the tee-shirt?”

A wise person is hungry for truth, while the fool feeds on trash.  (Prov. 15:14; NLT)

Epitaph for the average man or woman:  John Average Man.  Born 1900.  Died 1940.  Buried 1983.  Think about it…how many over 40 John Averages have you encountered?  Some die even earlier.  Some die when they graduate from college.  Some when they graduate from High School.  You’ve probably figured out that I’m not talking about physical death here, but instead, emotional, spiritual, or mental death.

You see, you’re either growing or you’re dying.  If you refuse to grow because you’ve “been there, done that,”  or because you’re tired of learning, or any of a thousand other reasons (aka excuses), you’re dead!  Oh, you might still be taking more than your fair share of room on the planet or breathing more than your fair share of air, but you’re dead nevertheless.

The last character trait of The Compassionate Samurai covered by Brian Klemmer in his latest book is Knowledge, or a constant eagerness to learn.  I’ve heard it said that the instant you decide you know something, you stop learning.  Contrast that with someone who has a beginner’s mind.  That person will humbly admit that there is always more to learn.

Also note that a beginner’s mind can learn just as effectively from someone half his chronological age, from someone who is in a subordinate role, from people with significantly lower IQ’s, from people they don’t know, and/or maybe doesn’t even speak their language.

A beginner’s mind doesn’t mean you don’t know anything.  On the contrary, it simply means that in spite of what you already know, you’re willing to approach the subject with brand-new eyes.  Take what you know, put it on the shelf and hear the other person as if you were a total beginner.  Then when all is said and done, you have every right to choose to reject everything you heard, accept part of it and reject the rest, or replace your old understanding with the new.  The beginner’s mind does not mean you’re gullible.  Rather it means that you humbly admit that you just might not know it all.

Give it a try.  You might just learn something.  And for sure, those around you will respect and appreciate you more than ever before.

Prayer Power
Lord, grace us with the humility to have a beginner’s mind toward everything…including our understanding of You.  There is so much that we don’t know.

Link of the Day
Beginner’s Mind

Blessings on you as you purpose to listen to other people with a beginner’s mind.

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“Health is a large word.  It embraces not the body only but the mind and spirit as well…and not today’s pain or pleasure alone, but the whole being and outlook of man.”  James H. West

After reviewing your overall health in 2008, how would you like your health to be different at the end of 2009?  What changes are you willing to make?

A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father…(Prov. 29:3a; NIV)

Yes, the time for New Year’s resolutions, fad dieting and joining a gym are upon us.  What changes will you be making as you begin a new year?  How do you want 2009 to be different for you than 2008 with regard to your stamina, your energy levels, and your sleep?  There is a lot that you can do to turn the rudder around on your own health cruise ship.

As I’ve been pondering recipes and thinking about the upcoming year of Daily Grams, I was reflecting somewhat on my own health metamorphosis.  Even though we’ve eaten a healthy diet of whole foods for many years, my food preparations have changed as I’ve learned more about how foods affect the human body.

When I began eating a whole foods diet in the late 1970’s (I know that was before many of you were a twinkle in your Daddy’s eye), there was precious little information available about what constituted healthy eating.  I did a great deal of trial and error.  As I’ve mentioned before, I ate a vegetarian diet for a number of years.  Yes, we ate a lot of vegetables and fruit but we also ate a lot of grains.  Whole grains were thought to be a health food panacea.  They still are in many circles today as well.  I literally have an entire recipe box full of bread, muffin, biscuit, cracker, and scone recipes.  Some may ask, “Why aren’t they posted on your blog?”

When I’ve created recipes for the blog, I’ve attempted to use the most whole food ingredients possible.  I avoid using (and eating) refined carbohydrates.  I choose and create recipes that use lean, clean protein avoiding pork products and shellfish.  I use lots of vegetables and fresh fruits.  I also use various legumes (beans) and many nuts such as almonds, pecans, and walnuts.  Organic dairy products also find their way into my kitchen.  For years I avoided all dairy but I now do use specific organic dairy products.   I also choose to use foods lower on the glycemic index so that’s why you rarely see white potatoes in any recipe.  Here’s to a healthier YOU in 2009.

Prayer Power
Father, we are so blessed by the New Year that You have granted us.  May we seek You for all that we are to be about during this upcoming year.

Link of the Day
Cashew Curry Dip

Blessings on you as you enjoy some cashew curry dip!

I just got word that the first of a series of articles on Complementary and Alternative Medicine that I’m writing was just published on Ezinearticles.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine, aka CAM, appears to provide the only reasonable solution to the exploding level of fear and anxiety that is consuming our modern society.  The stress and disease that emerges as a result of all that fear and anxiety creates an unacceptably high cost that has exacerbated the crisis in our modern health care system.

Click here to check it out.  I believe you will find it interesting.

“One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential.  Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency.  We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.”  Maya Angelou

What is holding you back from living up to your potential?

The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men who had had no special training. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.  (Acts 4:13; NLT)

Continuing with the list of character traits of The Compassionate Samurai from Brian Klemmer’s latest book, we start 2009 with the next to last trait on his list, courage or boldness.  Webster defines courage as the attitude of facing and dealing with anything recognized as dangerous, difficult or painful, instead of withdrawing from it.  Klemmer points out that to do something when you’re not aware of the risks is not courage.  Courage is acting in the face of fear.  He writes, “If you have fear, welcome to the human race.  The minute you care, there’s fear.  That’s okay.  It’s natural.”

We all have fears.  The key to success in life, the key to being all that God calls you to be in this new year, is to realize that much of that stuff that we’re afraid of is only the fruit of our overactive imagination painting the worst possible scenario.  I’m sure you’ve all heard the acronym FEAR–false evidence appearing real.  The trick is to face those fears head-on and do what you have to do–even if you are afraid.

You can’t spend your life trying to shelter yourself from every single hurt that may come your way.  “The person who tries and keeps on trying will eventually get to where (s)he’s going.”  We all need to move on from the lowest point in life–mediocrity.  “Mr and Mrs. Average can be defined as the best of the worst and the worst of the best.”  We aspire to better in this new year, and believe that you do too.  You certainly have the God-given potential to excel in 2009.

Prayer Power
Lord, we are forever grateful for the courage You demonstrated to make the ultimate sacrifice for each and every one of us.  I’m sure our imaginations can’t even begin to comprehend the price You paid.

Link of the Day
How to Overcome the Fear of Failure

Blessings to you as you purposely face one of your fears head on this week and step out of your comfort zone.

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“One of the keys to abundance is having a solution oriented mind set.”  Brian Klemmer

What is the first thing that comes into your mind when you encounter an obstacle?  How about when you are presented with an opportunity?

And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened.  For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks.  (Luke 11:9,10 and Matt. 7:7,8; NLT)

The eighth character trait that Brian Klemmer covers in his latest book, The Compassionate Samurai, is abundance.  Given all that is going on in our world right now, abundance is a very timely topic and it seems that everybody is writing about it…except the journalism community.  (BTW, the Link of the Day is a fascinating blog post made by a close friend of ours who has a graduate degree in journalism.  I urge you to not miss it.)  Klemmer adds some interesting bits of wisdom to this topic, but one that particularly stands out to me is when he writes, “Before abundance manifests in a tangible way in your life, it must first manifest in your mind.  If abundance never takes root there, then you’ll probably never experience it.”  Hmmmm…abundance seeds anyone?

So my post will instead be more about the opposite side of an abundant mind set, i.e., the scarcity mind set.  This is clearly the view of the masses during this chaotic time in our history.  “There just won’t be enough to go around!”  “I will have to make major adjustments to my lifestyle just to exist,” etc.  Folks, I’ve been there.  I’ve experienced the fear that comes from worrying about finances…even during good times.  When the enemy has your mind going in a downward spiral like that, it’s almost impossible to pull out of it by yourself.  But have you ever noticed that most of the stuff that we worry about never happens?  Sure, uncomfortable things happen, but pretty rarely is it ever as bad as our overactive imagination made it out to be.

Here’s the tip from Klemmer that I’ve been going around the barn to get to.  When faced with either an obstacle or an opportunity, how often do we look at the circumstances we can see and ask, “Can I do this?”  It’s an amazing fact that the words, “can I” usually lead to reasons why I can’t.  Even if we can, that combination of words will make our minds seek all the reasons why not.

The solution?  Add a single word to the question.  Ask instead, “How can I do this?”  That one little word, “how,” will cause your mind to create a solution rather than search for a problem.  This may seem so trivial and insignificant, but it’s just these kinds of “tweaks” to our thinking that will, over time, move us from the limited thinking produced by scarcity to the reality of abundance.

Speaking of abundance, The Coaching Pair is going to take the rest of the holiday week off and enjoy some abundant down time.  We’ll be back next year.  Make it a wonderful New Year’s celebration by imagining how great 2009 is going to be.

Prayer Power
Lord, we thank You that Your Word tells us in no uncertain terms that Your are an Abundant God.  Indeed, we are a blessed people.  We are grateful for all that we have and look forward to an abundant future.

Link of the Day
Don’t Believe the Hype

Blessings on you as you reflect on all that you have to be grateful for.  Take some time and make a list.

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“Appetizers are the little things you keep eating until you lose your appetite.”  Joe Moore

What changes will you be making in your self-care in this upcoming new year?

He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.  (Ps. 22:8: NIV)

I’ve never really done much with appetizers, dips, and spreads.  I know there are many cooks who focus on these little party teasers, developing lavish and beautiful recipes.  Personally, I didn’t want more “things” to eat.  As long as I’ve been on the road of healthful eating, I’ve concentrated on making the meal a tasteful experience.  At gatherings with lots of “before the meal” treats, it’s very easy to overeat.  Folks are standing around chit-chatting and popping in the sausage balls and cheese and crackers at record speed.  Once the meal is served, people may already have a semi-full stomach.  With more food and courses available to eat, people can easily eat too much.

However, a simple dip or spread with fresh vegetables can be a healthy addition to a nice meal.  Today’s recipe comes from our dear friend, Karen Cochran.  Karen and her husband, Evans are both retired school teachers.  (They retired at young ages!)  Now, they travel the countryside in their 5th Wheel, jaunting from one Blue Grass Festival to the next.  Karen plays the bass and Evans plays the Dobro, (a beautiful, steel guitar held on the lap).  I’ll let you know when they cut their first recording.  It’ll be great!

This salmon spread is easy to make and very healthful.  I found red sockeye salmon in a can from Natural Sea in our local grocery store, in the health food section.  It’s wild, premium Alaskan salmon.  Be choosy about the salmon you buy.  Don’t buy farm-raised salmon.  Fresh lemon juice and horseradish give this spread a great flavor.  Feel free to add more horseradish if you enjoy the taste.  I’ve served this spread with crudités. Don’t be fooled by this fancy word.  Crudités (pronounced CROO-da-tays) are fresh vegetables such as baby carrots, red pepper strips, cauliflower, and broccoli.  Whole grain crackers are also good with the salmon spread.  However, finding whole grain crackers without partially hydrogenated oils and preservatives isn’t always easy.  And one can tend to over eat crackers much easier than fresh vegetables.  When was the last time you said, “Oh, I ate too many carrots?”

Prayer Power
Father, we are so grateful for 2008 and for a new year about to commence.  May our lives honor You in all that we do and say.

Link of the Day
Sassy Salmon Spread

Blessings on you as you enjoy a healthy appetizer.

“You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment if you do not trust enough.”  Dr. Frank Crane

How would life be different if people were more willing to trust one another?

The trustworthy will get a rich reward. But the person who wants to get rich quick will only get into trouble.  (Prov. 28:20; NLT)

Have you ever heard someone say, “I will never trust anyone ever again?”  Perhaps you yourself have felt that way after being let down by someone you trusted who broke that trust.  In today’s culture, it’s virtually impossible to not extend some level of trust over and over again.

For example, when you give your credit card to the wait person in a restaurant, you are trusting that person (whom you likely never saw before nor will ever see again) to not record your card number and use it for their own gain.  If you purchase groceries in a store, you are trusting the store owners to provide edible food at a fair price.  If you contract with the electric company to provide electricity to your home, you are trusting them to do so in return for the monies you give them.  Trust is virtually impossible to escape.

On the other hand, Brian Klemmer lists five important benefits to trust in his latest book The Compassionate Samurai.  First, the synergistic power of teamwork is only accessible through trust.  It is well understood that a tightly-knit team can accomplish far more working as a team than the total of each of the individuals performing individually.  That kind of teamwork requires trust–trust that each member will do their part as planned.

Secondly, trust builds relationship and intimacy.  Ask anyone who achieves a personal goal by paying the price of breaking trust with others just how lonely they are with their prize.  There is no one left to celebrate with nor to help them as they move on to the next goal.  The short-term gain of the gold ring never outweighs the long-term loss of relationship.

Thirdly, trust releases time and efficiency.  Delegation is impossible without trust.  One person can only do so much in a single 24-hour period.  Having to do things which could more easily be delegated is a terrible waste of time and talent.  For talent and skill to be maximized, there must be delegation, aka trust.

Klemmer’s fourth reason for trusting is that it is the “primary tool for making a difference….When you trust people, you empower them.  They play at a higher level trying to live up to the trust you’ve placed in them.”  I’m sure we can all relate to the increase in ability that seems to come to us when someone else is counting on us to do something.  What would happen to our growth if no one (including ourselves) trusted us to do better?

Finally, trust gives you a feeling of exhilaration.  Recall the feelings you experienced when you trusted your child to do something and they did it…when you trusted someone else to do something and they did it.  How about the time you trusted yourself to do something…and you did it?  This is a good feeling that in itself inspires even greater levels of achievement.

By this time it should be evident that the ability to accomplish one’s life purpose is virtually impossible without the trust and interdependence of other people.  The ability to trust others and the ability to be trusted are vitally important character traits that must be carefully nurtured and protected.  Like a great building, trust takes a significant amount of time to build, but can be destroyed in a few seconds.

Prayer Power
Lord, help us to see the importance of trust and grant us the strength to protect our trustworthiness from the many temptations to compromise that inevitably come our way.

Link of the Day
America’s Trust Fall

Blessings on you as you prayerfully increase your level of trust in someone this week.

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“The holiday season is one for gathering. Punches are a quick, easy way to let your guests serve themselves.”  Drinkoftheweek.com

What healthy beverages will you be making over the holiday season?

They sing to the music of tambourine and harp; they make merry to the sound of the flute.  (Job 21:12 NIV)

I did the cranberry tea recipe the first week of December, then the eggnog recipe last Tuesday.  Jerry suggested that I stay with a beverage theme for this week and he actually requested a holiday punch recipe.  Now, I know there are dozens, if not hundreds, of holiday punch recipes available using everything from sugar-laced juices to champagne and sherbet.  I have a few punch recipes that I’ve used for bridal and baby showers, but I didn’t necessarily think they would “fill the bill” for a holiday punch.

I wanted to make this punch recipe simple with easy to find ingredients.  I went to a local Walmart and sauntered down the juice aisle.  I was pleasantly surprised at what I discovered.  There, amidst the high fructose sweetened “fake” juice drinks, I found organic, all fruit juices in glass bottles, even!  Santa Cruz makes a berry nectar that contains all organic fruit juices and I know that is very tasty.  Pop one of those in the cart.  Lakewood is another reputable and safe brand.  They had an organic, pomegranate, anti-oxidant blend of juices that looked good.  Another bottle in the cart.  (It was also more reasonably priced than the 100% pomegranate juice, which most people would gasp over.)

Pineapple juice always adds a nice touch to a p