Wednesday, Aug 25th 2010

Good Morning Friends! What a glorious day God provided! Today, I'm really energized by the constant stream of outstanding resources that are available for us to create the life we want. Let me tell you about just two of them. The first is www.coachradio.tv This is a wonderful radio/podcast show that you can subscribe to with excellent "build your business" tips, coaching tips and just great life enhancing advice. I've been listening to Justin now for a few days while doing my morning treadmill routine. It's a great great resource to check out.

The second one is www.geniuscatalyst.com. I just briefly looked at this a moment ago and am recommending it anyway. Michael Neil seems to have a quite comprehensive website with resources, ideas and wisdom that might help you out. Well, that's the encouragement for today. If you find other excellent resources or ideas to pass along, please send them to me at: cwgross@gmail.com Until next time, have a wonderfully productive and positive day!

August 24th 2010

Have been contemplating the coaching phenomenon lately and how much more productive I am when I am actively engaged with a coach and accountability partner. I've also been thinking about the vignette where a rural preacher and his son went to church on Sunday and the preacher had the basket for donations at the back of the church. As he went in, he placed a five dollar bill in it. He then proceeded to prepare for the worship service and led worship, preached and greeted people. On the way out, he emptied the basket of donations. The only offering in the basket was his five dollar bill. His son noticed this and told his father, I guess if you wanted to get more out of it, you had to put more in.

I think about this on a number of levels. If we want to get more out of life or our work or our relationships, we have to put more in to them! The other level is a thought I had last night as I drove home from a Camp Donegal meeting. If I want to get more out of myself and coaching, I need to invest a higher sum for a good coach who will push me to greater achievement.

Think about this for your life! You may want to visit www.empoweringencouragement.com or send me an email to cwgross@gmail.com! Lord's Blessings!

Saturday Aug 21 2010

A spectacular day that God has made! Got a chance to get some extra sleep and then lounge with coffee, cereal and Kindle on the deck. It's the little things in life that often will give you an encouraging boost. I've polished up my sermon for Guinston Presbyterian Church, audio recorded it for practice, read a few more pages of Transforming Church (by Kevin Ford), and even twittered from the Kindle about the need for leadership to create outwardly focused (often uncomfortable) situations for growing people in the missional church.

I've been encouraged by God these days to look toward which of my gifts, skills and abilities give me the most energy and enthusiasm. These are my sweet spot. By operating in my sweet spot and cultivating these skills and abilities, I am much more prone to bless God's people, the world and even myself. I'm wondering if you have a sense of where your sweet spot is. What is it that you love to do that is outwardly blessing and value adding for the world and God's people? Think and act on these things! You will be enormously blessed and you will be a blessing! And, that is exactly why you are here!

August 19th

I told you so! You can't control your feelings. Yesterday, I woke up and just felt blaaaaa. Today, I have more energy, more zest, more life. These things are not controllable. What IS controllable is what you do! Your behavior is controllable. Yesterday, I actually got quite a bit done. I am busily working on a Fall presentation around the "mission seeds we sow." I made great progress yesterday, even when feeling just blaaaa. Also, attended a 2 hour telephone conference call course on coaching. Like I said, I got a lot done.

This morning on my treadmill, I finished listening to the George Edwards audiobook, The Bluffer's Guide to Life Coaching. What a funny, cutting, insightful look at coaching. It contains quite a few truths and yet does it in a humorous way.

The question to you today is this, "What is your life purpose, your "going for it" goal?" and "What are you doing today to take you one more step toward that goal or purpose?" It doesn't matter how you feel today, but it does matter what you do. Bless you in your life and ministry!

Wednesday Aug 18th

Some days you wake up and just can't get focused. Today is one of those days. Even after listening to 40 minutes of the audiobook, The Bluffers Guide to Life Coaching (which by the way is a real hoot!), I have that sinking feeling. So...... what to do about it? I will take my own advice, learned by reading about the Japanese Moritist Psychotherapy, which is: know your purpose, accept your feelings, and do what needs to be done. Simple, yet effective!

My purpose is to be an empowering encourager. I will seek, yet again today, ways to empower people, connect people and encourage people. May the Holy, Awesome, Almighty, Lord God, fill me with the energy, intelligence, imagination, and love to do just that. My prayer for you is that God will encourage you with the power of the Holy Spirit! We are here for a grand purpose! Let's together find that purpose and do what needs to be done!

Daily Encouragement

I have the gift of encouragement. I resonate with finding the good in every situation. I love to affirm people and shine a positive light on individuals. Last night, Andrew Fritz took my Bhutanese friend, Narayan, driving. When they arrived at our house for my wife to review some papers for Narayan, one of the first things that I blurted out to Andrew was, "You are my hero! You are awesome for taking Narayan driving. Thank-you" You see, I simply love to acknowledge the gifts that people give and the way they go out of their way for others. This is energy giving for me and I know that the receivers feel good about being recognized and affirmed.

I wonder who I will be able to encourage today! I praise God every day for another day of life and love and ministry. Have an awesome, empowering and encouraging day!

Checkout my newest "under construction" website at www.empoweringencouragement.com

Learning to coach and encourage

I just returned from Washington D.C. and the Aug 9-14, CoachU course called, Core Essentials Fast Track Program. What an amazing course! I met some of the most talented, caring, well educated, profoundly motivated people on the planet. We laughed, we cried, we asked questions, we learned, we blundered, we grew in confidence and ability to support and encourage one another. I am incredibly rich from the experience.

As I prepare for the next chapter of my life and ministry, I have been transformed by the experience. I awoke at 4:30am today with a deluge of ideas and things to do toward being a support, an encourager, a coach to those who would love to accelerate their abundant life. If life is already accelerating for me, it is now on steroids and my energy and enthusiasm meters are headed toward the red line. Eventually, I will be modifying my charliescreativity.com site toward more of the coaching and encouraging ideas. For the moment, this blog will have to do. It is also designed to capture my intent to write for a few minutes each day on encouragement. Also, watch for future podcasts on iTunes at Charlie's Creativity Podcast series. For now, let's do what Dewitt Jones taught us, let's Celebrate What's Right With the World! May God Richly Bless You.