“The best way to become a great coach is to be coached by a great coach.”  Joseph Umidi

How much time must pass before you recognize that your life has been dramatically altered by someone you met?

The wicked borrow and never repay, but the godly are generous givers.  (Psa. 37:21; NLT)

I recently was reflecting on those men who have had a major impact on my life, and to whom I owe a great debt of gratitude.  It struck me that while I have been incredibly blessed to have met and personally interacted with a very large number of people of significant notoriety, they all pale in comparison to the impact on my life of a small handful of folks who are much less well known.  (There’s a significant life lesson in that observation as well.)

It’s one of that small handful that I want to write about today.  As most of our readers know, Sharon and I are engaged in a profession that we both find totally fulfilling for this season in our lives.  And there’s no question that the vast majority of the skills we have acquired which allow us to pursue this profession of life coaching have been taught to us by Tony Stoltzfus.

We got involved in coaching several years ago without really understanding what it was all about.  We were invited to be part of a small group that would be the first to utilize the curriculum of a start-up Christian-based coach-training organization.  Tony was one of the three founding principals of that organization, and the primary author of the curriculum.  The material was so new that many times Tony was writing it only a week or two ahead of those of us being trained.  (One of the other three principals of that organization deserves special recognition as well and will be the topic of Friday’s Daily Gram.)

There’s been a lot of water flow over the dam since then, and Tony is no longer part of that original organization, but has continued to become a greater and greater voice in raising up lifestyle coaches who coach from a Christian world-view.  Tony has gone on to write what most many believe to be the best book in the field (Leadership Coaching), and has produced a plethora of CD and DVD programs to further help those wanting to learn to coach.

Tony is one of those rare, unselfish individuals who is driven to give all the skills and techniques he develops away to help others be even more effective.  He continues to be a major encourager and cheerleader to Sharon and I as we develop and refine our coaching practice.  Meeting Tony a little over seven years ago is one of those divine encounters that we so often dream about.  Words are inadequate to express our gratitude, but all we can do is publicly say, “Thank you, Tony!  We are incredibly blessed to call you our friend.”

Prayer Power
Lord, Sharon and I are so grateful to You for directing our path to cross with Tony’s, and that he was so willing to pour himself into our lives as well as the lives of so many others.  We pray that You would bless him and his family this day in a supernatural way.  Encourage him and grant him favor as he continues to shape the course of Christian coaching.

Link of the Day
Tony Stoltzfus’ Coach22 web site

Blessings on you as you reach out and touch someone’s life this week in a significant way.
 

“There are three stages of a man’s life: He believes in Santa Claus, he doesn’t believe in Santa Claus, he is Santa Claus.”  Author Unknown

What did you feel when you were told that Santa wasn’t real?

The Savior–yes, the Messiah, the Lord–has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David!  (Luke 2:11; NLT)

Do you believe in Santa Clause?  At this time of year, believe in him or not, it sure is hard to ignore jolly old St. Nick, for certainly a significant portion of the attention of the season is directed his way even though he is NOT the reason for the season.

As a result of the above paradox, this time of year brings forth the ongoing debates about whether or not this should be so.  No doubt you’ve heard, and perhaps engaged in some of them yourself.  How should a Christian respond to Santa Clause?

Over the weekend, the Pastor of Student Ministries at our church, Adrian Schoonmaker, wrote a fascinating entry in his blog that I found to be a very sane and balanced response to that ongoing question.  Before I lead you to his blog, allow me to tell you just a bit about Pastor Adrian.

Adrian and Joyce now have three very young children.  This is a family that we have been very blessed to know quite well.  Adrian is one of the most passionate youth ministers I have ever known and who has a heart to reach what many would label the unreachable “street kids.”  The young people Adrian has pastored all seem to take great delight in going to improbable and seemingly impossible settings like the beach to talk about Jesus to those they meet.  They embody the notion of the church being “out there” rather than “in here.”

I say all that to assure you that what you are about to read regarding Santa was not written by a “luke-warm” Christian who is looking for ways to integrate the world into his Christianity.  Au contraire, Adrian is one who consistently seeks ways to integrate his faith into the world.  With that as a background, enjoy his message by visiting today’s link.

Prayer Power
Lord, we thank You for young ministry families such as Adrian and Joyce.  They are a truly a blessing and an inspiration to us all.  They are called to minister in a world that most of us don’t begin to understand.  We pray for Your favor and guidance to be on them as they answer Your call.

Link of the Day
Santa Rocks!

Blessings on you as you go into this season, remembering Who it is really all about.
 

“Love seems the swiftest, but it is the slowest of all growths. No man or woman really knows what perfect love is until they have been married a quarter of a century.”   Mark Twain

What part do you play in creating an environment of perfect love?

Who can find a virtuous and capable wife?  She is worth more than precious rubies.  Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life.  She will not hinder him but help him all her life….When she speaks, her words are wise, and kindness is the rule when she gives instructions.  She carefully watches all that goes on in her household and does not have to bear the consequences of laziness.  Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her:  “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!”  Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised.  (Prov. 31:10-42, 26-30, NLT)

Today is a very significant day for The Coaching Pair.  A new milestone has been reached!  Maybe we should change the name to The Silver Coaching Pair.  You see, on this very day, 25 years ago, we became a pair.  This is a doubly significant event, for as those of you who know us well know that we both came from broken marriages.  Statistically, second marriages don’t last.  But then statistics don’t take the God-factor into the equation.  God’s grace has allowed us to put together an absolutely magnificent marriage.  I would like you to join me today as I pay a brief tribute to the better half of the Silver Pair. 

When I first met Sharon, I was absolutely smitten with her incredibly friendly personality and her beautiful hair.  At that time she was a intensive care nurse serving in the neo-natal unit of a major university hospital.  I was not only awe stricken by her personality and her hair, but also by the awesome life and death responsibility she dealt with on a daily basis.  Clearly, this was no ordinary woman.

Then I learned that she could cook.  Oh man…could she cook!  The downside was that she had recently become vegetarian.  Bummer!  How can man live without meat?  But she was such an incredible cook that  I never missed the meat.  (We’ve since gone back to eating certain meats.)  But the comment that we often hear from dinner guests about her ability to make healthy food taste good is an absolutely truism.

Those of you who know Sharon and have had occasion to be around her either socially or professionally will agree that her outgoing personality is still one of her greatest assets.  She doesn’t know a stranger and it seems that everybody loves her.  (How was she ever attracted to an introverted bookworm like me?)  And there is also a spiritual depth to her that is quickly perceived by those who come in contact with her.  Never a “holier than thou” kind of thing, but a depth and wisdom that far exceeds her years.  So much of my spiritual growth I attribute to her accountability and wisdom. 

We’ve been together for 25 wonderful years now.  We love to be around each other and have been blessed to have professions that allow us to be at home together all the time.  We have so many things in common while at the same time being so very different in many ways.  She is an absolute joy to be around.  I am so very blessed to have been given the gift of these last 25 years with her.  We’re now eagerly anticipating 25 more, comfortable in the fact that each day that God grants will be better than the one before. 

If you happen to see her today or even chat with her on the phone, be sure to wish her a Happy Anniversary.  She’s a very special lady to us all.

A little long, but thanks for listening.

Prayer Power
Lord, I thank you for the most magnificent gift of my wife.  You have touched so many lives through her…including mine.  Grant her great favor as she so unselfishly serves others as a friend, as a coach, as a mentor, or even just as an acquaintance.  Bless her in all that she says and does.

Link of the Day
Twenty-five years, and still you are in love!

Blessings on you as you share in our joy on this very special day for the two of us.
 

Freedom isn’t free!

What can you do to bless our troops overseas?

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21, NIV)

Dr. Randy Peck has been our mentor with the redesign of our web sites and the use of these daily email “Reflections” as a way of contributing to and (hopefully) blessing the people God has brought into our lives. Randy has sent out a daily devotion seven days a week for a couple of years now.  (To see some of his work, go to www.YourDailyBlessing.com.)

This past Sunday, Randy sent out a very short devotional which focused on a link to a very touching YouTube video with a song by an American soldier overseas which had been emailed to him by one of his readers, Jeanne Nixon.  Randy’s comment was, “If this won’t get you to pray for our troops in foreign lands, nothing will.”

We couldn’t agree more, so we couldn’t resist sharing it with you as well.

Prayer Power
Randy’s prayer was, “Heavenly Father, thank You for the soldier who wrote and sang this song.  Bless him and his family abundantly.  Thank You for all those who put their lives in harm’s way to protect our freedom at home here in America.  Bless and protect our troops.  Encourage them.  May this email make the rounds to touch the hearts of one million people, including the soldier who wrote the song.  In Jesus name, I pray.”

 
Link of the Day
If I die before you wake…

Blessings on you as you seek and find God and thereby His favor this day.