“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.