What is your life purpose? What actually motivates you to fulfill that life purpose? When the going gets really tough and you are tempted to give in, what thought do you cling to for the strength to keep pressing forward? While you think about the answers to those questions, I am going to share my answers to those same questions. Maybe my answers will help you think through yours!   Life Purpose Image At a recent speaking opportunity, I shared a specific image with the group to illustrate how I view living out my life purpose. This is a picture I believe God put on my heart ten years ago ..read more

In her second guest post in this two-part series, Kari Scare digs into the details about the daily plan that is part of her overall life plan. Her method is simple and straight forward, making it very useable for anyone! It brings some structure, but retains flexibility for those days we all need it! I highly recommend you take a look at her overall “Big Picture” in her last post as well as consider the details of her daily plan as she describes it today. You will probably want to read more from Kari at her blog – Struggle to Victory. My Daily Plan As detailed in The Big Picture, my husband ..read more

I have quit my job and I am actually walking away from my family’s business.  Even as I type this, I get emotional at the thought of it.  In my entire life, I have only had one job outside of our family business – waiting tables the summer after college.  Now, I have made the decision to take a new path and I can tell you…it is a thrilling (and scary) path! Setting The Stage In order to properly set the stage for all that has transpired, I want to go back a few years. It was in 2003 when God first got my attention with the idea of operating our business from an eternal perspect ..read more

It is that time of year! It is the time that, statistically, most Americans give up on their New Year’s Resolutions. If the studies I have read are accurate, then 80 percent of those who made resolutions or set goals at the beginning of the year have given up on them by now. Can you believe that? 80 percent! If that is true of you, then I have a solution for you. What About You? If you have been reading this blog for a while, you probably read my posts about making this your best year ever. I went step-by-step through my own goal-setting process in an effort to help you achieve similar result ..read more

In my last post, I talked about how God wants all of us on a great adventure with Him. He is not looking for us to play it safe (2 Chronicles 16:9). I made the case that He wants us fully committed to Him, willing to risk it all for whatever unknown adventure He has in store for us. If that is the case, why would anyone NOT experience this great adventure? Missing The Adventure? Well, I believe there are two main reasons that you might not be experiencing the adventure that God has in mind for you. There may be others, but I think these two reasons will cover the majority of cases. See if you ..read more

As I have planned for this year and completed my goal-setting process, I have determined that I am going to build on some of my successes from last year. In doing this, I am going to take some bigger risks and go after bigger experiences and results. In a word, I want this year to be an adventure! What about you? Are you living a great adventure? Or are you just watching (and envying) those who are? What Is Adventure? Before I go any further in applying this to our Christian business efforts, let’s take a minute to define what I mean by “adventure” living. One dictionary defines adventure as ..read more

It is that time of year again…the time of year when most people begin planning out their next year! For me, I started this process in November and I expect 2016 to be my best year ever! As I went through my annual process, I thought I would share it with you. My Best Year Ever As with anything I share here, I do not claim that my process is the best. I do not pretend to have it all figured out. What I will say is that I am personally coming off of my best year ever in regards to my annual goals. I was able to accomplish more this past year across every area of my life than any year before. Fo ..read more

I am not sure about you, but this past year has flown by for me. Not only has this year flown by, but I will say with confidence that it has been my best year ever, in many respects! As I look back over what all has been accomplished this year, I am amazed. I am also excited because I know why and I believe I can build on it this new year. Best Year Ever If the idea of having your best year ever interests you, then I have good news for you. No, I cannot guarantee your best year ever this year. I don’t think there is one perfect plan that works for everyone. At the same time, I can give you th ..read more

Maybe it is the material I am choosing to read. It could be the kind of people I am around these days. Whatever the case, I am hearing more and more about life plans and finding a “calling” from God. I wonder if there might be a serious problem in these discussions that too many people are missing? Life Plans Are Good First of all, I do not want anyone to think I believe life plans are bad! I have one myself that I tweak and clarify every year. I have written a great deal about being intentional in living out or lives for eternal impact. A solid life plan can be a great tool in this process ..read more

Every year in December, our C12 material includes a Yearly Audit. It is a great opportunity to look back over the past year and assess what it might look like from God’s eyes. Rather than auditing our financials or other measurable metrics, this exercise is more about determining our growth in various areas of our walk with Christ. Yearly Audit This year, I have included the actual audit from C12. Take a look at the following 10 dimensions and give yourself a rating from 1-10 (1 is Low, 5 is Average, and 10 is High) as measured against your potential or opportunity. Total your scores for eac ..read more