What legacy are you leaving?

Nichole Nordeman, a Christian American singer-songwriter and an eight-time Dove Award winner, sings a song entitled “Legacy,” which is about doing something eternally significant with our lives that points people to Christ.

I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love?
Did I point to You enough
To make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace who
blessed your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy

Soul Search: What legacy are you leaving that unapologetically blesses the Lord’s name? How will your understanding that you were born with a God-given lifetime dream impact your day-to-day living?

My Sweet Yahweh, I want to leave a legacy, an offering, that blesses your name unapologetically. Help me to do so, starting immediately.

Do ya think God may be trying to build my character?!

ANYTHING SIMILAR EVER HAPPEN TO YOU?! HOW DID YOU FARE CHARACTER-WISE?

How God Rocked My World in March!

On March 1st, I was preparing to leave California for the Simply Youth Ministry worldwide conference in Chicago to launch The Way I'm Wired series on the topic of life purpose. (That's a DVD curriculum for youth workers and Life Purpose Coach® professionals, a companion book for parents-teens, and a devotional for all ages.) All of a sudden, I got three phone calls back-to-back-to-back.

The first was from my 90-year-old father, a God-adoring man, asking me to rent out my place and to move in with him to care for him, because his kidneys are operating at only 14%. He said, "I need you, Kateness." He also wanted me to help him downsize his possessions in his 2,700 sq. ft. home and to fix up his house a little bit for his final years. (He had cared for my mom in their home during her eight-year illness before she died in 1996, and he had never regained his strength after several bouts with colon cancer himself a few years later.) Moving in with him was a huge decision for me that had lots of ramifications, so I began praying about it immediately, until the phone rang again and interrupted my thoughts.

The next call was from my literary agent, Nancy, telling me that Tyndale Publishers was offering me a firm, extremely handsome contract to write a 400-page book entitled The One Year Recovery Prayer Devotional--which was to be flavored with a life purpose theme for each of the 365 days. I would have sixteen months to get it turned in, unlike the three-product Wired series above for which I had only had nine months.

(You may recall that I had fled to Maui in 2010 to write that Wired series, while my newly married daughter and her husband rented my home before buying their own townhouse. Going Hawaiian and "silent" had removed so many distractions during that impossible assignment for Group Publishing. BTW, with the Holy Spirit fast at work in the Islands, I turned in the DVD one week early, was on time for the parent-teen book, and with my publisher's permission-was one week late for the devotional.)

Back to the main story: As I hung up the phone from Nancy's phone call, my dad called again to see if I had made my decision yet. Instantaneously and undeniably, I knew that God wanted my answer to be YES, of course, I'd be honored. So, on March 7th when I returned from my trip, I drove straight to my dad's house from the airport and moved into one the three vacant upstairs' rooms of his house with no television or landline Internet. (FYI: He lives downstairs. Now, I have a thumb drive for the Internet, but...alas, TV has gone by the wayside.)

So far, with the behemoth help of my seven awesome brothers and sisters serving at fun and exhausting "Work Parties," we've deep-cleaned nearly the entire house and garage, have sent seventy large boxes to Salvation Army, and have had numerous driveways full for Bulky Item Pickup, E-Waste and Hazardous Waste Disposal, and Recycling Trucks! We've met some nice painters, a plumber, an electrician, carpet and linoleum layers, vertical blind installers-and many employees at Home Depot and Lowes-not to mention my dad's doctors, nurses, lab techs, and pharmacists.

I just wanted to keep it real with you, since one of my main life messages is Do today what matters today, and God will take care of the bigger picture of your life and ministry. And, he certainly has done so for me once again. For example, he sent a renter for my home early last week--a Christian woman I've known for years who "just happened" to mention to my daughter that she was looking for a place to live. In addition, already my father has been a tremendous inspiration to me of holy living and God-stories that I predict will be the content for at least sixty-five of the daily devotionals I need to write. What a treat it has been to accept this seasonal assignment to serve my father, while beginning to write another book.

In the meantime, I ask for continual prayers for my father (Charles); for my physical strength (I've lost 19 lbs since the three phone calls); for my character formation during intense times; for my private students, clients, and our LPCCI Affiliates who've been patient with me during this wild, 30-day transition; for focus to begin writing the recovery devotional in earnest; for the Wired series to reach hungry readers worldwide; for clarity regarding all the details of my August trip to South Africa to meet with our five coaches and their churches; and for Pastor Jeff Jernigan (our Men's Division President) and I to develop a strong message about Christian Coaching for the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC) global conference in September in TN.

My encouragement to you is that...if God drops something in your lap as an out-of-the-blue assignment--thank him for allowing you to serve in that unexpected way, and then grab all the joy moments that will come chasing after you! This truly has been one of the happiest, most tender, and most precious times of my life. My dad, siblings, and I are making memories that will last forever in my heart.

In-between Time

Are you good at taking a break? At being in-between projects? At allowing yourself to enjoy the time of refreshment and rejuvenation that God has provided after a hard season and before the next difficult task? As I catch myself in-between writing the three books for Group Publishing in Maui (2010), I wonder if I've thoroughly enjoyed the downtime in Jan/Feb 2011 prior to the full-on launching of those books in March. Yes, I've visited my sister in WA for 9 days, my grandsons in CO for 2 weeks, my daughter/dad/bros/sisters in CA for a month -- and yes, I seem to be sitting more in God's presence, but have I truly laughed, smiled, and played more -- or am I still the same "serious-minded" soul that forgets to exhale when the pressure is off for a moment? Here's to exhaling, singing, dancing, laughing, smiling, playing more -- when God provides those golden opportunities. WHAT ABOUT YOU? HOW ARE YOU AT BEING IN-BETWEEN THE HEAVY-DUTY STUFF OF LIFE?! Just curious.

What has helped you recover/heal?

Aloha,

I'm doing a research assignment for a publisher and need your help. Here's my question for you: What has helped you recover/heal from an addiction, obsession, compulsion, issue, regret, shame, fear, or trauma of ANY kind?!

Feel free to include things a therapist, author, support group, friend, or family member taught you--whether the method is spiritual, relational, financial, educational, health-related, physical, psychological, or other type. It can be something simple or something long-term that has changed your life.

Mahalo Nui,
Katieb

What do teenagers want to be when they grow up?

I'D LOVE YOUR INPUT -- FOR MY BOOK FOR TEEN'S ABOUT LIFE PURPOSE (to be released in spring 2011) -- due soon! [The last of the 3 questions is, by far, the most important to me!]

What do teenagers want to be when they grow up?
Think back to your teenage years—what did you want to be when you grew up? Let me take a guess:

Helping professions:
• Police officer or fire/rescue personnel
• Doctor, nurse, veterinarian, or speech/physical therapist
• Teacher, counselor, or social worker
• Priest, nun, pastor, pastor’s spouse, or choir director
• Missionary in Africa (or other impoverished country)
• President of the United States or of your country (or a politician)
• Soldier or military officer
• Scientist who cures a disease or inventor who meets a need
• Lawyer or judge who takes down the bad guys
• World-class chef
• Best-selling author and/or motivational speaker
• Architect, contractor, builder
• Musician, artist, graphic designer
• Wealthy company president

Exciting professions:
• Triple threat movie star: actor/actress, singer, dancer
• Top-ranked athlete
• Somebody famous, like a fashion model, radio broadcaster, or talk show host
• Hobbyist, like a professional surfer, skateboarder (or ski instructor!)

Nowadays, we can add these popular professions:
• Technological genius
• Environmentalist
• Animal rights’ activist
• Reality show star
• Rachel Ray –type brand icon

[BLOGGERS...what have I missed in any of these categories—and can you think of any other major categories I might add?]

What do all these careers have in common? They help someone or they fill a personal need for passion.

[BLOGGERS...what have I missed as far as what they have in common?]

How does this relate to life purpose?
When it comes to God’s plan for your teenager’s life, we use these dreams to get clues, and then we flip the focus onto how the dream could benefit the kingdom!
Here are some real-life examples of people I’ve known, starting with myself and my two kids first:

• Katie dreamed of being a missionary in Africa and writing a book that gave people hope. I adored Sherlock Holmes mysteries and complicated jigsaw puzzles. Today, I am the founder of a missionary-sending agency—and a published author who helps people put together the puzzle of God’s plan for their life. I teach them that God never intended for their life purpose to be a big mystery.

• Stephanie (my daughter) dreamed of being a professional dancer and singer—and also of expanding the Peer Mentoring program at her high school to reach more teenagers. Today, she has completed her master’s degree and is finishing her clinical hours to become a marriage and family therapist. She volunteers at church in the liturgical dance ministry. She daydreams, nearly daily, about opening a Christian camp for young people who need counseling and who would also benefit from dance, music, and art therapy.

• Andy (my son) was greatly affected by the mentoring that a group of godly youth workers poured into him as a teenager, after his father’s death. Also, he was coached in small business, entrepreneurial, and marketing skills by one particular youth pastor who unofficially adopted him. Andy thought he was going to be a youth pastor, but he found his niche as an E-Commerce director of a major Christian youth ministry.
• Other example
• Other example
• Other example

[BLOGGERS...can you add your story here? Maximum word count = 85 words or four sentences. You can use a fake name, if you’d like. Nobody will be identified anyway. MAHALO/THNX/GRACIAS!]

This is a brief gist of the concept that God does work in our lives and our teenager’s lives to unveil the best possible plan—at the best possible moment. Part II will walk you through how to hear God’s best!

Greetings from Maui

I've come to the conclusion that to LIVE BIG (which is the name of my most recent book that purports to have some answers in it on this topic)...you really have to live small. I know that may not make sense at first blush, but here's the gist of what I have discovered in the past six months that I wish had made it into the book before it was published:

I'm living in a 650 sq. ft. condo in Maui. My daughter and her husband (newly married) are renting my CA place from me. I have left my car on the mainland with a young couple from church who only had one car, so I ride a $129 blue Lady's Beach Cruiser bike (love it!!) and take a bus wherever I want to go. I only buy what I can carry in my bike basket or backpack. My church is a little 1850's Hawaiian chapel that seats 70 people and sings/prays sometimes in Hawaiian. My entertainment is a movie at the theater every 3 months or a rental for $3.99 from ITunes --and a daily swim in the ocean. I only eat out once or twice a month for a delicious burger, unless I have family visiting! I have 3-4 casual outfits in the closet and wear flip flops most days...unless I'm in tennis shoes out for a walk. I brought over 100 lbs of "my stuff" (lots of that was for our September training event here), and the rest fits in a CA storage unit that is a 5' x 10'. I gave tons away to family, friends, and Goodwill -- before I moved.

Ok...you get the idea. I live a very simple life, and frankly, I CAN'T REMEMBER when I have been this happy or productive! (Am on an Oct 31st deadline writing a DVD Curriculum for Youth, a parent trade book, and a student devotional trade book.) True, I'm looking at the ocean when I type -- and I understand that is a huge part of my joy. But, my conclusion is this:

LESS IS BETTER. SIMPLE IS GREAT. SMALL MAKES ROOM FOR LIVING BIG IN AREAS THAT MATTER!

Tell me what you think? Does this sound right to you, or am I just awestruck at the beauty of the Islands? Trust me, I thank God a zillion times a day for the location, but with that out of the equation, is my conclusion correct? (Sure don't want God to test my simplicity theory by moving me; would rather have you help me sort out my thoughts!)

Mahalo for sharing your thoughts,
Katieb

ALL DONE!!!! Your Research Help Was Awesome!

ALL DONE!!! THANK YOU-MAHALO-GRACIAS!!

With all the off-line entries received in addition to the Comments below, we are completely done!! Many thanks.

ORIGINAL REQUEST:

I am doing research for two new books that I am writing. Do you have a favorite Scripture verse/passage (or 2-3-4 verses/passages!) about…

PURPOSE-IN-LIFE
GOD’S PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE
GOD’S PLAN FOR A BIBLE CHARACTER’S LIFE

…in one of these books of the Bible noted below? If so, please reply here and tell why you like it! Thank you very much for your assistance. I’m racing the clock to complete these books.

Instructions that will help save time on this end:
1. Please do not post on any of the books of the Bible that are NOT mentioned here – even if you have some all-time favorites. Much appreciated, since I already have more than enough verses/passages from the other books – and need to stay focused on what is still missing.

2. If you use www.BibleGateway.com, that site will allow you to use the NLT (New Living Translation) and you can simply cut/paste it into its own box – and hit “Reply/Post.” [You may put one verse or many verses in a given post – your choice of how you like to operate. Feel free to simply give the reference, and not the text, if that is easier on you.]

3. If you notice that someone else has already mentioned one of your favorite verses, thanks for not listing that verse again!

4. You may post as many verses or as many times as you like! I need all the help I can get. [If you are serious about checking many verses/passages, you may want to cut/paste the list below and work offline – to avoid cyberspace catastrophes. If you do come up with MANY verses or passages, feel free to email them to me at Info@LifePurposeCoachingCenters.com. [Tell me in advance of your quest…and I will hold you and your efforts up to the Lord, by name, for his blessing of your Bible search.]

5. These two books I’m working on won’t allow for “contributors” to be thanked, but I want to thank you in advance right now! THANK YOU SO MUCH! You know that I prayerfully appreciate it, as I hope these manuscripts will be life-changing for the readers.

ONLY 12 BOOKS I NEED YOUR HELP ON:
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Ecclesiastes
Song of Songs
Isaiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea