(Written May 20, 2011)

Several weeks ago one of our guinea hens established a nest among the dried-out cattails along the edge of our pond. It seemed like a really good place for a nest - well hidden and in a fairly secure location. There was however a danger that she overlooked when she chose this isolated and secret spot, and if we could have had a coaching discussion with her, she might have understood this danger, and we could have maybe worked out a solution together. Sadly, one cannot coach a guinea hen.

We've had three inches of rain in the past 24 hours and our pond has risen by at least a foot. The eggs that were nestled deep in the clump of cattails are well and truly under water, and the guinea hen that sat on them so faithfully for the past several weeks is now standing near by, bedraggled, soaked and looking somewhat forlorn. Sadly, one cannot coach a guinea hen.

We can coach people though, and we love coaching; we always wish we could do more of it. Coaching allows us to invest time one-on-one with people who themselves want to invest time in moving forward with their lives, ministry, marriage, career, or whatever.  When we first started studying the art and science of life-coaching six or seven years ago, it was already a well established concept among business and corporate leaders, although not so well known among Christian circles. Now, one sees Christian life-coaching offered & happening in many arenas, especially in the areas of missions and ministry & church leadership - often among the emerging leadership of the younger generations. It is really exciting to be involved in this type of interaction that is so solidly founded on the Word of God and is so Biblically based. For us it is immensely rewarding to see how practical God's wisdom is  in our daily lives, and in the lives of those we coach.  We hope and pray that we can continue to develop our coaching skills and as a result our coaching practice so that it will enhance and enable our continuing ministry.

(Written May 1, 2011)

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 1:1-3)

Recently I have been pondering the reality and the ideal of what "church" is... and what it is supposed to be for those of us who follow Christ. We have been very privileged these past years to be part of several really extraordinary communities of believers, and as a result we have a much better - and much more upbeat - concept of what church can be, and should be.

William Arthur Ward is attributed with having made the following statement, and while I do not know much about him - or the context in which this statement was originally made - when I came across it again while going through my study material, it struck me as being ever so appropriate for us as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, and our involvement as part of His church here on earth.

"Do more than belong: participate. Do more than care: help. Do more than believe: practice. Do more than be fair: be kind. Do more than forgive: forget. Do more than dream: work."  (William Arthur Ward)