November 4, 2009
Grace Notes from God
Women By Grace is honored to be part of Joan C. Webb’s Wonderful (Imperfect) Blog Tour. The tour celebrates the launch of her book of devotional readings for women who feel like they have to be perfect all the time.
Here’s a devotion chosen from the book just for our readers!
Grace Notes
Mark 11:25: If you hold anything against anyone, forgive him.
For years I put myself in an impossible position trying to be perfect all the time. I silently shamed myself; expected too much; crushed creativity; robbed myself of nourishment, fun, sleep, and relaxation; while trying to please others and do everything just right. I let anger turn to resentment, stuffed it down and became depressed. I wronged myself, others and God in the process.
One morning during my recovery from burnout I realized that the one person I most needed to forgive was myself. I wrote in my journal: I’ve harmed you, Joan. I’m sorry. I’ll try to be kinder and more forgiving now. It’s okay for you to nurture yourself and become the person God designed you to be. God wants us to have compassionate hearts toward all people, ourselves included.
Last night while editing these two above paragraphs, I thought: There’s something more here. I tried to find it. Browsing through books, commentaries, my notes, the Bible, it eluded me, so I went to bed. This morning I looked at the clock. 7:30 am. I did it again! For two weeks I’ve overslept until 7:00 or 7:30 am, when usually I’m up around 5:30. And all week I’ve been asking, What’s wrong with you, Joan?
This morning God whispered, “Grace!” Really? “Like musical ‘grace notes’[i], Joan. They’re the lovely extra sounds of an ordinary song. Nothing’s wrong. Just enjoy the added-on rest.”
Forgiving relief: the grace notes of God. Enjoy!
Lord, I’m just so grateful.
Making It Personal: This week look for God’s grace notes to you.
About Joan
Joan C. Webb, a recovering workaholic and perfectionist, communicates a message of freedom and renewal. As a personal life coach, lifeplan facilitator, and speaker/Bible communicator she longs to help others gain clarity and move past their obstacles. Joan, author or co-author of eleven books including The Intentional Woman, The Relief of Imperfection, and It’s a Wonderful (Imperfect) Life, wrote study notes for the Women of Faith Study Bible. Her husband, Richard, and she live in Chandler, Arizona, near their two married children and seven grandchildren. www.joancwebb.com
My Reaction
I have to admit that I am NOT struggling with a perfectionist attitude – in fact, I hate fussing with details! I do sometimes expect others to be perfect – and I’ll be looking for God’s Grace Notes about other people 
Enjoy the Rest of the Blog Tour!
You can find all of the stops on Joan’s Wonderful (Imperfect) Blog Tour here.
Comments (2)November 3, 2009
Is There Enough Mercy?
There is a song on a Selah CD that I reviewed several weeks ago titled “Depth of Mercy” which is a variation of the old hymn by Charles Wesley that has struck my heart over the last few days. There are so many areas in my life that I fail in DAILY. And I mourn those failures at the end of every day.
When I say “failures”, I should call them what they really are – “sins”.
We don’t hear this word very often today, even in churches. This is something to mourn over in itself since the whole concept of the gospel is built on our need for a Savior because of our separation from God because of sin. But the recognition of my daily sins continually renews my realization that I need a Savior, the only Savior, Jesus Christ. And I am so thankful that His shed blood covers my sin. (Find out more about Jesus as Savior & the Gospel!)
How could there be enough?
4But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, – Titus 3:4-6
Is there enough mercy for me? Is there enough to cover the sins I have committed today? The sins I will commit tomorrow and next year? Or my entire life? If you have read the book of Psalm, you continually see David cry out for mercy. It wasn’t a one time cry. My favorite passage about God’s mercy is from Psalm 51. In this Psalm, David has finally looked his sin square in the face and taken ownership of it and cries out to God:
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. - Psalm 51:1-3
God’s mercy is abundant!
Praise God for that!! I’m sure I will use a good portion of it! How about you?
Depth of Mercy by Selah
Depth of mercy can there be
Mercy still reserved for me?
Can my God His wrath forbear,
Me, the chief of sinners, spare?
Heaven find me on my knees
Hear my soul’s impassioned plea
Depth of mercy can there be
Mercy still reserved for me
Now incline me to repent,
Let me now my sins lament,
Deeply my revolt deplore,
Weep, believe, and sin no more.
Heaven find me on my knees
Hear my soul’s impassioned plea
Depth of mercy can there be
Mercy still reserved for me
November 2, 2009
Favorite Gifts for a Friend (or Yourself!)
In case your head is still spinning from back-to-school and Halloween, here’s a little wake up call: It’s only 52 DAYS until Christmas!! But don’t panic! Your trusty life coach (or personal shopper – take your pick!) is here to help you!
I highly recommend you check out Online Christmas List. This is a resource that you, your friends and other family members can use to keep track of and share Christmas lists! And you can access it while you are out shopping (if you have that capability on your cell phone of course) or you can print out the list(s). It’s free so get on there and make your lists!
OK, now that you have the list dilemma conquered, here are some great ideas for gifts for your friends or even yourself (’tis the season to give – no rule saying you can’t give to yourself now and then!) (Disclaimer: No compensation is received for recommending these to you, nor if you purchase them! These are simply gifts I have come across online that I know I would love to receive or that I think my friends would love to get!)
By Grace Alone Necklace by Lisa Leonard
Redeemed Necklace by Lisa Leonard
Handpainted Porcelain Personalized Ornament
Custom Canvas Photo Prints from ArtsCow
I hope that this short list has given you some ideas of how to bless your friends this Christmas! If you have a great gift idea to share, please post a comment!
Comments (1)November 1, 2009
Sunday Worship: Before the Throne of God Above
Comments (0)October 31, 2009
Smiley Saturday: Heart Smiles
I define a heart smile as that strange little twist you feel in your heart and the beginning of tears in the eyes when you witness something so precious to you. And of course, heart smiles almost always spread to your face!
Here is a list of things that give me heart smiles:
1. Eskimo kisses from my Little Man without be asked.
2. Little Man saying excitedly ” ‘mon, Mommy! ‘mon!” as in “Come on, Mommy!” because he is so excited to show me something.
3. An elderly couple holding hands
4. Hearing that a friend or client has done something that they have always wanted to do but have been hesitant to try.
5. The look on the face of a groom as he sees his bride for the first time as she comes down the aisle.
6. The special bond between a dad and his daughter.
What are some things that give you heart smiles?
October 30, 2009
Resources for Moms of Toddlers
I am on a Mommy Mission to find great Christian resources that help me entertain and educate my toddler. I am sure that I am not the only one that desires to engage my Little Man’s brain and stimulate creativity and learning without having to recreate the wheel. I am not one that wants to start “formally” educating my son just yet but I do want to interest him in learning in a fun way and not in front of the TV set. These sites provide endless possibilities that you can simply print out and use. So I wanted to share a list of great sites that I have come across that have truly made me believe that I can achieve this mission! If you choose to accept this mission, join me!
Totally Tots – My favorite site! I even purchased the Songs for Saplings CD that sets Scripture verses to song. My 2 1/2 year-old loves it and can sing several of them already! He’ll even cry out “again! again!” on his favorites!
Tot School – Just discovered this today and I am in complete awe at the work that this mom has done and is offering on her site for free! I know that I will be visiting this site again and again! In fact, I wish I could take the rest of the afternoon and print, organize and plan for the next few weeks!
No Time for Flash Cards – Great and simple ideas for crafts and games! Love this site!
Bible Crafts - Enough said! If you are focusing on a certain Bible story, this site can provide corresponding activities to reinforce what they are learning!
DLTK’s Crafts for Kids – I love these ideas and they are very easy to go through and pick what you need for your child’s learning level.
If you have some favorite toddler sites, please share with me!
Comments (2)October 29, 2009
In Case You Missed It…
I wanted to re-share this post from earlier in the month. I pray God uses it to speak to your heart like He did mine!
October 28, 2009
Wordless Wednesday: Guidance
October 27, 2009
Five Critical Questions
When I start with a new life coaching client, there are five critical questions that I have to know the answers to before we can proceed with coaching. They set the stage as to what needs to be addressed and/or where the client is coming from when I am trying to help them with something.
I want to share these with you as a self-evaluation tool. This is not a test but just to see where you in your thinking at this stage of your life. Ready? I promise it won’t hurt a bit…um, well, maybe a little sting here or there.
1. How do you know that you are a Christian?
2. What are some characteristics of God that you believe are absolutely true?
3. What do you believe you were created for?
4. What do you want your legacy to be?
5. What is burning in your heart that you want to accomplish?
I will be doing a follow-up post on these to help you dig deeper if you are stuck and need help moving forward in any area. Look at it as kind of a mini-coaching session!
If you are comfortable, post the answers to one or more of these questions below or you can post a request for me to email you for your answers. For those that give me permission, I will use some of your answers as examples (anonymously of course!).
Comments (4)October 26, 2009
What is Christian Life Coaching?
When I first started blogging for Women by Grace, many of you commented asking me just what Christian Life Coaching was and how I got started in it. I must admit that I had never heard of life coaching until about three years ago. Even then I had no idea how it could be used for God’s glory.
What Christian Life Coaching Is 
There are many “life coaches” out there in the world. All you have to do is a Google search for Life Coach and you will find someone for every need you might have: business, career choice/change, life transition, life purpose, etc. The possibilities are endless. What sets Christian Life Coaching apart may be obvious. Christian Life Coaches (CLC) help people based on a Christian worldview and from the perspective that only God can make the changes in people’s hearts and lives as they allow Him to do so by submitting to Him as Savior and Lord and using the Bible to guide them. The job of a CLC is to point people back to Christ and the Word for the changes they desire to see made in their lives. We inspire, encourage and equip you in your growth in Christ and in your dreams, desires and goals. We help you set goals and help you develop and execute steps to reach those goals. We walk alongside you, helping you navigate obstacles, mindsets, roadblocks and detours with the help of God and guidance of the Bible.
What Christian Life Coaching Isn’t
CLCs are not counselors or psychologists. We do not try to handle any issues such as depression (or other mental illness), addictions, abuse, etc. In addition, CLCs do not and will not tell you what to do. We help you look to Christ to guide your way on the path He has you on. For instance, if you wanted help finding out what God wants you to do in a certain area of your life, we help you in the process of discovering that through prayer, incisive questions and assessment tools but it is not our role to give you answers. As CLCs, we believe that is all up to God, not us.
We are also not replacements for your pastor, elders or your local church. God has created the institution of the local church and its leadership for a reason. We in no way wish to replace any of those.
Christian Life Coach Niches
There are as many niches, or specialties, for CLCs as there are life problems to tackle! Here is a short sample list:
- Finances
- Marriage
- Parenting
- Life transition (empty nest, change of jobs, etc.)
- Career guidance
- Ministry guidance
- Health & Wellness
The list is endless and within each niche is a countless variety of subniches! For instance, my primary niche is parenting (although I can and do work with all types of women at different phases of their life and with different goals) and my subniche is Christian moms of children ages 0-10.
How I Got Started
I “stumbled” upon Christian Life Coaching while talking with a friend who had read a book titled “Pathway to Purpose” by Dr. Katie Brazelton. This friend knew that I had a burning desire to be used by God to help women in some capacity. She told me I should check out the Life Purpose Coaching program offered by Dr. Brazelton. I did so and did some introductory life purpose coaching sessions with Kelly Thorne, Founder and President of iBloom. It was during those sessions that I knew that this was an avenue that God could use me to touch women’s lives for His glory so I went through the training and became a Certified Life Purpose Coach through Life Purpose Coaching Centers International. This certification means that I can coach individuals and groups, serve as a speaker, facilitator and/or coordinator for events and conduct individual and group life plans. But as a CLC, I am not limited to just coaching. I also get to do my first love – writing! And there are many other avenues that a CLC can use either as a supplemental part to coaching or in place of coaching. The sky really is the limit!
Kelly then asked me to become one of the first four associates with iBloom. After much prayer and soul-searching, I agreed. This is an organization whose goal is “to inspire and empower every woman on the planet to live a life of passion, balance, purpose and fulfillment. iBloom is dedicated to helping women live intentionally and ultimately have a significant impact with their lives.” This is a huge goal but we trust God to have His way with it!
Being a part of iBloom has been a tremendous time in my life! God has taken me on a personal and professional ride that has been exhilarating at times and a rough molding process at others. But I know that He is using me to touch women’s lives for His glory. And that, after all, is what it’s all about.
What questions do you have about Christian Life Coaching? Please post and I will reply!
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