This morning I drove to Tigard to take our granddaughter Lili to school after she'd spent the weekend with us. I love going the back way, over Bald Peak and down to the intersection of Farmington and River Road, then turning toward Tigard. After a long morning spent with my daughter, I made the return trip home. The rain over there had stopped, and the countryside was painted with broad strokes of fall beauty. I found my natural response was to just start praying out loud, thanking God for all He had created. As I came around one curve I heard myself say to Him, "Wow, look at that field of bright green! Don't you just love what You did there?!" My prayers of gratitude segued into prayers for you, my friends. I prayed for all of you, that the Lord would meet your needs, whatever they are. For many of you, I knew of specific concerns you have for yourself and your loved ones, and I mentioned them to our Father. The thirty-five minute drive home sped by because of my focus on the needs of others. Please know that one of the joys I have in serving you is to be aware of what is happening in your life and being able to pray for you. So please don't hesitate to call me or drop me an e-mail if you have specific prayer requests.
We enjoyed wonderful Bible studies last week as we took a look at the temptations of Christ in Luke chapter 4. We were reminded that the crux of His temptation was whether He would meet His own needs, or if He would choose to live by faith, just as He would be calling His followers to do. If He had given in to any of the temptations, He would have been taking a shortcut and avoiding the path the Father had called Him to. Jesus showed us that the end does not justify the means. This week we'll continue in Luke 4, beginning at verse 14. This study, written by Beth Moore, is proving challenging every week. Please join me at either Common Grounds on Wednesday at 6:30 PM, or at The Perk on Thursday morning at 9:30. (Both studies meet at the church, and childcare is available at The Perk.)
Have you marked your calendar yet for Friday, November 16th? That's the evening that a bunch of Wapato ladies will be heading out to the Washington County Fairground to participate in Every Husband's Nightmare Bazaar. (Doesn't that name sound like fun?) My Women's Ministry Team is meeting this Tuesday night, and we'll get all the details worked out at that time. So next week's WOW-Zine will have the pertinent information you'll need to join us. The basic idea is to meet there late afternoon and spend time looking (and shopping, if you'd like) at all the holiday displays, crafts, and gifts. Then probably go out for dessert afterward. So put it on your calendar now, and be watching for all the details.
I think that's all you need to know for this week, at least as far as WOW is concerned. Let me leave you with an article I got last week. If you're like me, you already know a lot of things you should be doing, but aren't. We are all great at telling people they need to be eating healthy, exercising, reading the Bible daily, spending quality time with each child, going on date nights with their husband, etc. We know the right things to do, and are good at giving other people advice, but sometimes we don't practice what we preach. This article gives us all some hope of how we can improve in that area.
How to Follow Your Own Advice
- Theresa Ceniccola, The Christian Mompreneur
- Tuesday, October 30, 2012
I am the first one to admit that I don’t always follow my own advice. I
badger my boys to floss their teeth every night and then I plop into
bed too tired to floss my own teeth. I encourage clients to say no to
requests that are not in alignment with their goals and values, yet I
find myself caving to pressure to take on something I should decline. I
don’t always practice what I preach. Does that make me a fraud? I don’t
think so. I suspect it makes me human. A little incongruent, yes, but
not a failure. And certainly not a lost cause.
The world is full of nicotine-addicted doctors, overweight personal
trainers and broke financial counselors. That’s because it’s easier to
give great advice than it is to follow it. In fact, most of the time,
it’s not the “knowing what to do” that causes the problem, it’s the
actual “doing it.” Dave Ramsey says financial success is 20 percent knowledge and 80 percent behavior. Behavior. Just doing what we know we need to do.
No matter what you’re trying to do (lose weight, get out of debt, raise
children or build a business), knowledge only plays a minor role in
your success. Most of us can go by the rulebook for a short while, but
eventually we stray from the plan, whatever that is. The motivation to
“just do it,” wears thin. So how do we shift ourselves back into a
pattern of following our own advice?
Having traveled this road before, in business and personal matters, I
have some experience with narrowing the gap between what I say and what I
do. Here are a few of the tips that work well for me.
Five Steps to Practicing What You Preach
1. Make it a Mantra. Let’s assume the advice you are
spouting is actually good advice. If you know it to be worthwhile and
effective at reaching a goal, then dig deep and get to the truth of your
wisdom. When you understand why you need to change a behavior, it’s
easier to stay on track. And when you summarize your idea in a memorable
sentence, it becomes easier to embrace. For example, Lysa TerKeurst
knows that spending quiet time in scripture first thing in the morning
makes her a better person. So her mantra on the subject is to “exchange
whispers with God before I exchange shouts with the world.”
2. Write it Down. I’m an avid journal writer and lover
of visual reminders. So it’s not unusual for me to have sticky notes,
photos, vision boards, index cards and other written declarations of my
intentions. If I’m having trouble following my own advice, I go back to
basics and write it down. Sometimes I find a scripture quote to support
it, or a funny photo that illustrates the point. But I write it down and
make it real. If I am really serious about it, I sign my name, as if
I’m entering a contract with myself. You would be amazed at how eager
you are to stick with something after you’ve signed your name on the
dotted line!
3. Identify your Distractions, Rationalizations and Excuses. You’re
probably not new at this game, so take a few minutes to identify the
things that have prevented you from staying on track in the past. What
are the thoughts and feelings you have when you decide NOT to follow
your own advice? Write them down. And then write down a rebuttal for
each one. For example, if you are trying to get out of debt and you know
you’ll try to rationalize buying too many toys for Christmas, write
down a statement that will remind you of your goal and the future
happiness and security of your family. When you find yourself ready to
hit the “buy now” button on Amazon, take out the rebuttal and read it
aloud.
4. Find Someone to Hold You Accountable. Let’s face it
– we all need help achieving our goals. So why do we keep them a
secret? Are we hoping to surprise everyone we love when out of nowhere
we’ve lost 30 pounds, completed a marathon, built a million dollar
business and written a book? The surprise will be on us – when we
realize we’re not getting anywhere on our goals because we don’t have
the support we need to succeed. That’s why it’s important to find
someone you trust who will gently, but firmly, hold the space for you to
become who you want to become. Schedule deadlines and check-ins with
this friend so you have some structure to your relationship and you both
understand the expectations.
5. Give Yourself Grace. It takes time and patience to
make behavior changes and create new habits. Know that it’s ok if you
slip up a few times. It’s even ok to change direction and set new goals.
If you recognize that you need to grow, and you take steps to make
improvements, that’s all God asks of you. He doesn’t expect perfection.
He expects persistence. So keep looking for opportunities to grow into
the person He created you to be. And keep setting goals and working
toward them. But know that He loves you unconditionally. And know that
every day is a new chance to glorify Him. God believes in “do-overs,” so
you should allow yourself the grace to start again.
Do you have any tips to make it easier to practice what you preach? Share them with us here so we can support one another!
Theresa Ceniccola is The Christian Mompreneur—a mentor to moms who are running a business that supports their values of faith and family. As president and founder of the International Christian Mompreneur Network, she empowers entrepreneurial moms to build profitable businesses with wisdom and grace. Join the International Christian Mompreneur Network for free and receive the Ten Commandments of a Mompreneur toolkit!
Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director
sherrieashcraft@yahoo.com 971-285-6699
