“Life purpose [destiny] is the energy of passion, channeled through experience and design, in the service of a greater calling.”  Tony Stoltzfus

What is your destiny or purpose in life?

But you know what I teach, Timothy, and how I live, and what my purpose in life is.  (2 Tim. 3:10a; NLT)

The last couple of DGs have focused on life purpose or synonymously, destiny.  Some dictionaries define destiny as synonymous with fate or predetermined outcome.  To me that’s a bit too gloomy.  In fact, Webster’s 1828 Dictionary says that our “destiny is happily concealed” from our view.  But like so many words, the strict dictionary definition has morphed over time, and one dictionary I’ve seen comes a little closer to the way we’re using the word today.  It says that destiny is “your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you).”

You know, this search for one’s destiny has gone on forever — I like to say, “is older than dirt.”  At one time or another, we all have wrestled with seemingly unanswerable questions like “Who am I?” “What is my purpose?”  “Why am I here.”  “What is life all about?”  So the way most have come to view destiny anymore is basically the answer to the question that adults used to love to ask us as kids — “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

But, I’m sure that as you have observed, the answer to that question changes multiple times over a person’s lifetime.  Circumstances change.  Things happen.  It almost seems that we are victims as life swirls around us.  But, I don’t believe that that being a victim is God’s intention for us.  I find that most Christians strongly believe as Max Lucado wrote, “You weren’t an accident. You weren’t mass produced. You aren’t an assembly line product. You were deliberately planned, specifically gifted, and lovingly placed on earth by the Master Craftsman.”  So, this purpose that the Master Craftsman had in mind for us is what we now call destiny or life purpose.

I especially appreciate the way Tony Stoltzfus, the guy who taught Sharon and I virtually everything we know about coaching, defines destiny.  He says, “Life purpose is the energy of passion, channeled through experience and design, in the service of a greater calling.”  That single sentence seems to say it all.  That sentence includes the elements of your design (i.e., who you are); your life experience (i.e., what life has prepared you to do); your passion (i.e.,  what gives you energy and motivation to act); and your calling (i.e., your commission from God to serve others.)

As I mentioned a couple of times last week, I’ve been asked to be a guest expert on Lynne Lee’s Christian Life Coaching Cafe to discuss the topic “Discover Your Life Purpose.”  The interview is tomorrow (4/21) at 3p EDT.   Lynne is an experienced and widely published life coach who resides and practices in the United Kingdom,  Lynne and I would love to have you register at the link below and join us for that free teleseminar.  Even if that day and/or time doesn’t work for you, go ahead and register so that Lynne can send you a link to the recording.

Prayer Power
Father, we are often awed by the notion that You created us for a particular purpose.  Guide is as we take steps to get really clear just what that purpose is all about.

Link of the Day
Christian Life Coaching Teleseminars

Blessings on you as you take steps to define and live out your life purpose.

“Purpose is implanted in us as well as revealed to us — we were made for what God calls us to be.”  Tony Stoltzfus

What greater good have you been called to serve with your life?

You will keep on guiding me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny.  (Psa. 73:24; NLT)

As a life coach who has focused a good deal of my time by helping clients understand and determine their destiny, I’m always watching for new resources that would take my ability to help clients to a new level.  I believe I have found one, and I’m very excited about it.

Tony Stoltzfus, the person who taught Sharon and me virtually everything we know about coaching, has just released a new book titled A Leader’s Life Purpose Handbook: Calling and Destiny Discovery Tools for Christian Life Coaching.  My initial skimming of the book leaves me eager to dig deeper to explore some new (to me) thinking around destiny coaching.  As Tony points out, life purpose or destiny coaching up to now has primarily focused on “helping people look inside, discover their design, passion and abilities, and then pursue them.”  Some of his new thinking jumped off the page to me as I read his thesis that “calling” has been a vital, but missing, piece of one’s destiny discovery. Calling, in this case, can be defined as an external commission to serve a greater good.

Hmmmm…if he’s right, I’m guilty as charged.  I was erroneously treating calling as a synonym for destiny or purpose.  Tony is helping me to see that calling is discovered by looking outward rather than looking inward.  Pretty obvious…now that it has been pointed out to me. 

So Tony’s new book brings a more balanced approach to destiny discovery by looking in four directions:
–Outward at the external call
–Inward at what our design reveals within
–Backward at how our life experiences have prepared us
–Forward at dreams and passions pulling us toward our destiny

If you’re a coach, or even if you’re not, this book presents some very enlightening information that will take the whole pursuit of destiny discovery to a new level.  Thank you, Tony, for another awesome contribution to coaching.  I’m honored to be your student.

Prayer Power
Father, we thank You for new discovery tools and for anything that leads to a greater understanding of our destiny.  Our greatest desire is to pursue that destiny and to finish well.

Link of the Day
Coach22 Bookstore (click Coach22 Exclusives on the left to find Tony’s new book on sale)

Blessings on you as you purpose to passionately pursue your destiny, i.e., your reason for being.
 

“Our mission is to provide valuable information about Christian coaching to coaches and anyone else interested in the profession, while building community among the different streams of Christian coaching.”  Tony Stoltzfus

When was the last time you purposed to learn something new?

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.  (Prov. 27:17; NIV)

Today, is the launch of an extensive informational Christian coaching blog.  Author and founder, Tony Stoltzfus says, “Our mission is to provide valuable information about Christian coaching to coaches and anyone else interested in the profession, while building community among the different streams of Christian coaching. We have a big, diverse crew of people involved, and we’ll be posting dozens of fresh articles and tools each month on a whole range of areas of interest. Users can browse (everything is free), comment, sign up to receive article feeds, contribute their own work and more. We hope this becomes a welcoming, diverse gathering site for the Christian coaching movement!”

This brand new informational site for Christian coaches is the place to go to enrich your coaching abilities and meet others in your niche. Created by coaches for coaches, this site lets you read dozens of coaching articles from over 20 authors, find information on coach training and coaching schools, browse an industry-wide events calendar, find coaching tools, resource recommendations, and much more.

Each site section is moderated by an expert coach from that arena, and includes contributions from multiple individuals. Here is a taste of some of the categories and moderators:
–Coaching Women with Kimberley Dinsdale
–Training and Certification with Linda Hedberg
–Coaching Skills with Tony Stoltzfus
–Wellness Coaching with Sharon Graham
–Web Marketing with Beth Cole
–Coaching Ministry Leaders with Michael Warden
–The Family Coaching Center with Jeff Williams

As you can see, I (Sharon) have been asked to be the moderator of the Wellness Coaching category.  I’ll personally write an article each month, as well as post other articles written by guest writers.  Jerry will be a guest writer for several categories.  This month he has an article posted under the Web Marketing category as well as the Wellness category. There is a great deal of information on the site, even if you’re not a coach.  Avail yourself to articles on leadership, being in ministry, and articles specific to women.

We’re excited about sharing the wonderful news of Wellness with a growing population!  Feel free to browse the site and pass it on to others whom you’d like to bless.

Prayer Power
Father, we thank you for Tony and the many ideas you give to him.  Thank you for this new website and for all of the people that it will bless and touch.

Link of the Day
Christian Coaching Center

Blessings on you as you purpose to learn something new this week.

“Simply reading about coaching will not make you a coach.”  Tony Stoltzfus

Think about something you’ve learned and have not  yet implemented into your life.  Why not and what will it take to get you  to do that?

For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”).  (Acts 4:36a; NLT)

In my last Wednesday’s Daily Gram, I wrote about one of those individuals who make up that small handful of folks who have had a major impact on our lives.  I specifically referred to one of the principals of a start-up Christian-based coach-training organization, i.e., the individual responsible for writing most of the curriculum.  However, I cannot overlook the primary vision holder of that organization, and the one, without whom, it would never have gotten off the ground in the first place.

Today, I would like to tell you about yet another friend and mentor, Dr. Joseph Umidi.  Joseph is the one who had the vision to launch a coaching movement that would impact the Christian world and who, toward that goal, assembled the initial team that included Tony Stoltzfus.

I first met Dr. Umidi as one of my professors at Regent University.  I had him for a number of classes and was always impressed by his heart to incorporate practical ministry techniques into a highly academic seminary program.  After graduation, our paths crossed a couple of years later when he joined the ministerial staff of a large church that Sharon and I were blessed to be serving.  It was in that setting that Joseph invited us to join him in his living room to hear him unfold this vision regarding Christian-based lifestyle coaching.  That’s when we signed on.

Since that auspicious beginning, that coach training organization (formerly known as Transformational Leadership Coaching and now Lifeforming Leadership Coaching) has spread the coaching message and coach training literally around the word.  A couple days ago, I was thanking Tony for all that he has taught Sharon and I about coaching, but today I would be remiss to not thank Joseph for inviting us to be a part of his vision, wherein we met Tony.  Without Joseph, none of this would have happened.  If you understand the “lead domino” principle, Joseph was literally the lead domino in our being where we are today.

Most recently, Joseph paved the way for Regent University to invite me to teach his coaching course as an adjunct professor.  But that’s the next chapter that has yet to fully unfold.

Isn’t it exciting how God supernaturally networks people together?

Prayer Power
Lord, we both thank You for Joseph and the great vision You gave him to bring Christian Coaching to the world-wide church.  We pray for favor for him as he continues his travels and networking to advance that vision yet further.  Grant him the grace to not be taken off course by the naysayers that all men who carry great visions encounter.

Link of the Day
LifeForming Leadership Coaching

Blessings on you this day and every day as you remain open to the life-changing effect of a divine encounter.