Are you headed in the right direction? Do you remember the Chariots of Fire movie? Do you remember the sister that believed in Eric Liddell the preacher, but tried to talk him out of running? Do you remember his comment to her when he tried to explain why he had to run? He said, “I feel His pleasure when I run.” When was the last time you felt His pleasure when you ran the course you are running now?

Are you headed in the right direction? In God’s direction for your life?

I just read a story about a wealthy 47-year old Austrian man. He had pondered his path and made a radical decision to give away his $4.7 million fortune.  Proverbs 4:23 reminds us to keep our heart with all diligence and verse 26 tells us to “ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established.”  For the 47-year old, that meant the realization that “his wealth and lavish spending were keeping him from real life and happiness.”  He believed he had not been headed in the right direction, so he adjusted his course.

“Karl Rabeder told the Daily Telegraph (London), ‘I had the feeling I was working as a slave for things I did not wish for or need. It was the biggest shock in my life when I realized how horrible, soulless, and without feeling the ‘five-star’ lifestyle is.'” (Excerpts from Our Daily Bread devotional, August 22, 2011)

This courageous man now uses his money to fund charities he set up to help the people of Latin America. Do you think people that loved him misunderstood him? Criticized him? What about Eric Liddell (his biography is available in book form as well)? Do you think it was easy for him?

God sends each of us down a different path. He probably isn’t telling you to give all your money away. But maybe He is! If your heart is pounding, you might want to check in with Him on that one. 🙂  And He probably isn’t telling you to run a race rather than preach, like Eric Liddell, but maybe He is! You and He are the only ones that really know the answer to that question.

When was the last time you pondered the path you’ve taken? Is it time to make some adjustments? Are you headed in the right direction?

What are your thoughts about all this?  When was the last time you asked the Lord: Am I headed in the right direction? What would make You, Lord, the happiest? Am I using my gifts, talents, strengths, money, and time in the way You desire?

A few sessions with a Christian Life coach are a perfect place to go to sort out the answers to those kinds of questions. We are trained to help you look at where you are and where you want to be, for the purpose of working towards closing that gap between the two. We are a safe place to explore those tender places in your heart that are yearning for expression.

May He give you grace today to embrace His Word and follow Him with all your heart! 🙂

I recently had the privilege of teaching two workshops at the NICHE Homeschool Convention in Des Moines, IA. One of the workshops was for Single Parent Homeschooling, where I shared these Parenting Tips. So much is relevant, whether we are single, married, homeschool, Christian school, or public school. Parenting is parenting. So, it’s fun to share what we have discovered as we jouney the path with our kids.

The other workshop was “Hannah’s Daughter” (my own personal testimony of my search for God). Maybe I’ll share that in a future post??? 🙂

I offered these Parenting Tips to the people in my workshops and thought you might enjoy them as well. I’d love your feedback about anything you found to be particularly helpful. And, please post any other things that worked for you as you raised your own children, or as you watched others raise theirs. It’s never too late to start to train up a child in the way he/she should go so that when they are “old”, they will become faithful in what they have been taught.

So, here’s the info from the handout:

There’s no right or wrong way to school/teach your child. Let me re-phrase that. The only wrong way is if God tells you one thing and you choose to do another because God’s way seemed too hard.

 Teach them (by example) to love to read. (Read everything to them.)
 Teach them to love to learn (by example).
 Keep a journal for them telling them that they were wanted and write down for them the journey of faith with God … noted page by page. You might not be around to be able to tell them. My mother died when I was a pre-teen.
 Let them “catch you” in prayer and Bible reading.
 “Bring” God into everything…because He is in everything.
 Be aware of God’s continuous presence.
 TMS (Navigator’s Topical Memory System). Memorize Scripture together.
 Teach them the great hymns of the faith. Have them memorize the words. (My son sent me an affirmation email recently thanking me for teaching them the great hymns of the faith.)
 Have them go to sleep – from infancy – listening to Scripture tapes/CD’s or…the subconscious mind absorbs and is receptive.
 Have them memorize whole chapters of Scripture. Pay them $ for memorizing.
 No allowance. We’re family and family works together to accomplish what needs to be done.
 Deut. 6:7 tells us to teach our children diligently (purposefully), continually, whenever we are together.
 Behavior/Attitudes (good and bad) are “caught” more easily than “taught”.
 Keys for Kids devotional from Children’s Bible Hour (Uncle Charlie) is good even for very young children. It teaches truths, attitudes, good behavior, good relationship skills & love for/from God.)
 Be their cheerleader. Observe their strengths, interests, talents, and learning styles “Train up a child in the way he/she should go…” Each child is unique
 Be their advocate.
 Quote from Our Daily Bread devotional (1/30/11) “Children may not inherit their parent’s talent, but they will absorb their values.”
 No T.V. (My daughter sent a wonderful affirmation in an email from seminary, thanking me that she didn’t know the Sesame Street characters, but she knew the Bible characters.)

When they love to read and love to learn, they are not at the mercy of what others teach them. They can learn it for themselves. They can do their own research. They will learn to “think” rather than just regurgitate what was taught them.

Copyright 2011. Pam Taylor, Christian Life Coach, loavesandfishescoaching.com

Unplugging the TV for a television “fast”. Could I do it? I had wanted to for a long time, but lacked the resolve. I don’t know how it sneaked in on me. When my kids were growing up, we didn’t watch television. On the weekend, we rented Christian videos, but didn’t just sit in front of the TV.

Somehow, after they left home, it made the meal hour a bit easier with another person (via television) in the room. And then it developed into…at the end of the day, with my brain tired of thinking, it was so easy to just sit in front of the brainwashing monster that required no interaction from me. I could “mindlessly” sit there and watch the flickering screen. Mindlessly is the key word here. My mind was a sponge, soaking up whatever poured forth into my living room.

I began to get disturbed at how my brain felt like it was turning to mush. So, I chose to give up television for the Lenten season. It started as 40 days of no TV. And here I am, still in the midst of my television fast.

Do I miss it? Yes, I miss it a lot. I miss the commercials that try to make me lust after things I don’t need. I miss the visuals of sex outside of marriage. I miss the violence. I miss the bad attitudes, the disrespect for others, the mocking of God and the taking of His name in vain. I miss the “brainwashing” of my value system.

Yes, I miss a lot…and my spirit feels “cleaner” without all that pollution entering my mind and spirit.

I also remind myself that it’s important to keep remembering to put something better in its place, or I’ll fall right back into it again. I’m catching up on some great reading. On a post real soon, I plan to follow through on a request from one of this blog’s readers…To publish a list of books and videos/DVD’s that feed my soul. Stay tuned (sorry…I couldn’t resist saying that!

I know it is well past Easter, when we typically think of giving up things, but anytime is a good time to have a television fast. I challenge you to consider unplugging your television. And then let us all know how soon your brain feels cleaner and brighter.

We are in this battle for our minds together! Keep looking up!

Think about it…if the Lord came back at this moment, would you want to be watching television? Would you ask Jesus to wait for the next commercial before you were ready to go? I think not…so…what if today was the day? What if it is? What will you be doing/reading/watching?

Oh, I almost forgot to make the challenge a bit more … well … challenging! I have a friend that plans to go on a church mission trip to Haiti this fall. In order to fund the trip, he and his wife have given up their Internet and television. So…how about that??? Not only is he giving up something that we all think is essential, but he is also GOING into a very challenging environment. I know because I have lived in Haiti as a missionary. I know the challenges he will be facing. Yet, isn’t it cool that his brain will be less polluted because of his fast from television AND the Internet? Hmmmm…hopefully, this has all given you some “food” for thought.

Please pass the television fast challenge on to those you love. It could make all the difference in this world. I’d love to hear from you. What are you thinking? Are you addicted to television or the Internet? Have you done a fast from either or both? How did it go?