2010: The Destination of Your Dreams

As we say goodbye to 2009, take another personal inventory from author and teacher, Debbie Ford.

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It's so easy to make promises about the year ahead. You will follow your diet, be more financially responsible, be kinder to your spouse, spend more time at the gym...But, for most, the promises you make today will be empty dreams six months from now. So let's examine this. I would suggest this happens because real change doesn't occur when you just want something or wish for another reality. Real change happens when you feel genuinely inspired, turned on by possibility and unwilling to settle for anything less. It happens when you commit with all of yourself to a new way of life, to a new future. So how do you do this?

To feel inspired and lit up and to make room for optimism, enthusiasm, and lasting change, you must lighten your emotional load by addressing your past issues, your emotional blocks, your negative beliefs, your feelings of unworthiness and any infantile desires that drive you to repeatedly head off in a direction counter to your dreams. If you drop your commitments, it is not because you want to be seen as a quitter or a loser but because unconsciously you are more committed to an outdated self -- an old identity that feels comfortable and safe even though it might have stopped serving you years ago. Often, psychological laziness will have you switch your life over to autopilot and fall asleep at the wheel rather than stay awake to what will fulfill your heart's deepest desires and your soul's purpose.

On this eve of a new year, a very fertile time to look over your past and commit to a new future, you can ask these simple questions to unload some old baggage and steer your life in the direction of a brilliant and thrilling future -- the ride of your life.

1. What are your deepest desires for this new year?
2. What are you willing to give up to get them? What habits, limiting beliefs, unhealthy relationships or situations?
3. When did you become unwilling to do whatever it takes to have what you want?
4. What cravings or unmet needs will drive you away from your desired destination?
5. What structure of support will you need to ensure this new future?
6. Who could you count on to be your co-pilot to ensure that you will neither fall short of the runway nor overshoot your desired outcome? Who will help you stay awake?

If you wish to fly to new heights, begin by setting your sights on a destination you can reach and then create a flight plan, a map that will be your guide. And if at any time you don't feel like following your flight path, stop, take a deep breath, call forth your vision for your future, then pick up your phone, dial your co-pilot and ask them to remind you that veering off your route really isn't worth the pain of repeating the past. Veering off will only leave you in the same repetitive pattern of wanting, wishing, fantasizing, and then feeling intensely disappointed when you land at a destination other than the phenomenal future that awaits you.

So today, YOU have the power to choose the destination of your dreams, create a flight plan and stick to it. So gather your courage, your strength and your commitment and get onboard, making 2010 the most inspiring year of your life.
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"Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don't wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it's at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored."

~ Earl Nightingale

Happy New Year to you all!

Coach Carolyn

Your Personal 2009 Inventory

As we wind down 2009, I want to share articles that will guide and transition you into a beautiful 2010. From First 30 Days, this article helps take personal inventory and ask some quality questions.

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The end of another year can bring up some tough times for many of us. We blame ourselves for the weight we put on. We criticize ourselves for the dream we didn’t pursue. We realize that we are yet again single for the holidays or we have racked up more debt. Whatever our demon is, we tend easily to forget a lot of what happened that led us to make our decisions. So let’s take a very different look back at 2009.

Here are 10 questions to ask yourself that will radically change your view on this past year:

1) Whom did I meet this year who is now in my life?
2) What emotion really caused me to grow? Courage? Faith?
3) What emotion was I unafraid to feel? Fear? Sadness?
4) What am I most proud of?
5) In what area of my life did I really make some progress?
6) What did I do that completely surprised me and was unexpected to me?
7) Whom did I really help?
8) What is the biggest lesson I really faced?
9) What am I most grateful for?
10) What were the most fun times I had?

We get what we focus on. So despite the impossibly super-human standards we set for ourselves, we need to take a moment to realize what we gave to others, what went well, what worked out, what lesson life wanted us to learn this year, and what gifts were hidden that we could not possibly have predicted 12 months ago.

There are years for action and years for reflection. There are years for love and years for alone time. There are years for giving and years for receiving.

Be gentle on yourself and light on life.

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To your success in 2010!

Coach Carolyn

Pick a Word of the Year

A fabulous piece of advice from First 30 Days. I always tell my clients and students to choose a theme or a feeling for the new year. It's a great step up from making resolutions, which we rarely follow through on. Take note and enjoy!

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Instead of having a long list of hopes, wishes and goals for the upcoming year, consider picking just one word. Focus all of the energy you might otherwise invest in New Year's resolutions into making this word your standard for 2010.

Some examples include:
Yes – Say yes to everything, including what scares you and what you wouldn't normally do
Honesty - Tell the truth, both to yourself and to others
Health – Make taking care of your body all that matters this year
Allow – Let go of resistance, allowing everything to unfold perfectly

Alternatively, choose a phrase through which you'll filter your actions, decisions, and so on.

For example:
- Put family first.
- Be kind instead of right.
- Have more fun.
- Be spontaneous.
- Listen to your intuition always.

Before you know it, you'll find this word or phrase affecting every area of your life.

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To your success!

Coach Carolyn

Be Happy or Be Wicked

"The greatest gift that you could ever give to another is your own happiness, for when you are in a state of joy, happiness, or appreciation, you are fully connected to the stream of pure, positive Source Energy that is truly who you are. And when you are in that state of connection, anything or anyone that you are holding as your object of attention benefits from your attention." ~ Esther Hicks

Think about this. Are you someone you would want to spend quality time with? Or, are you the one everyone wants to get away from?

I remember as a small child the telephone ringing; I would answer and tell my mother who the caller was. For some, she would jump up to answer the phone. But for others, she would make a face and tell me to inform them she was out, or sleeping. This has always remained with me because I often thought: when am I the one on the other end of the phone?

When you are in a state of joy, of happiness, of bliss, then you radiate positive energy – the kind of energy other people would like to be around. Yet, when you are in a place of anger, resentment, sending out negative vibes, two things happen: you attract more of the same and you subtract the positive people from your life.

We have all been there. The so-called friend that when we hear their name mentioned our eyes roll up into our heads so far we can see the moon. Don’t be that friend.

Being happy is a choice. And you get to choose.
Coach Carolyn

Blessed Christmas

"I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys." ~ Charles Dickens

Wishing you all a most Blessed Christmas!

Coach Carolyn

On This Day...

A lovely note from Neale Donald Walsch on this Christmas Eve...

On this day of your life, I believe God wants you to know...

....that this is the eve of the birth of the Christ is you.

It is a re-birth, of course, for the Christ has always been there. On this special eve, may you experience that Presence in you, as you, through your sharing of the love that has been brought to you directly from God.

The wonderful gift of Christmas is that it is not a one day or one time experience, but lasts the whole year through – thanks to you. You are the gift, and as you give, so shall you receive.

Blessed Eve,

Coach Carolyn

Manifesting Inner Peace

Just for today...

STOP...

TAKE A BREATH...

and ASK...

"If I am not consciously choosing peace, then what am I choosing?"

Grace Card: When we balance silence with activity, we discover true peace of mind – the source of all joy and happiness.

Choose peace,

Coach Carolyn

Your New Year Intentions

As we move into 2010, remember to set an intention for the new year. What do you desire for this new year? What will having that feel like? Focus on the feeling; then all the things will appear.

One of my intentions is for optimum health, wealth and wisdom. Then I received this little rhyme today. It speaks volumes.

"The best six doctors anywhere,
And no one can deny it,
Are sunshine, water, rest, and air,
Exercise and diet.
These six will gladly you attend,
If only you are willing.
Your mind they'll ease.
Your will they'll mend.
And charge you not a shilling."

~ Nursery rhyme quoted by Wayne Fields, What the River Knows, 1990

Don't wait until January 1st to begin setting your intentions and creating your yearly map. Begin today. No time like the precious present.

Coach Carolyn

Book Review: Primal

It was fitting to post this review on the longest night of the year.

We have a tendency to complicate Christianity. Jesus simplified it: Love God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength. If we are to live out the essence of Christianity, we must commit to being great at this Great Commandment.

In Primal, Mark Batterson explores the four elements of Great Commandment Christianity: compassion, wonder, curiosity, and power. Along the way, he calls you to be a part of God’s reformation, starting in your own life.

As I read this powerful book, all four were stirred up for me. As Mark writes, “Is there a place in your past where you met God and God met you? A place where your heart broke for the things that break the heart of God? … In that moment, God birthed something supernatural in your spirit. You knew you’d never be the same again. My prayer is that this book would take you back to that burning bush – and reignite a primal faith.”

Indeed I was taken back to my burning bush, my catacombs where that primal faith was first ignited. Primal will help you live in light of what matters most and discover what it means to love God. It will help you become great at the Great Commandment. If nothing else, it will leave you with more questions as you move into a new year seeking answers. Perhaps, the answers are simply the basics.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Coach Carolyn

Purposeful Thought for the Weekend

"Mind is the Master power that moulds and makes,
And Man is Mind and evermore he takes
The tool of Thought, and, shaping what he wills,
Brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills –
He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass:
Environment is but his looking-glass. "

~ As A Man Thinketh by James Allen

And yes, this includes women! If you have not read this small but deeply profound book, well, all I can say is go and download a copy of the e-book and read it NOW!

I listen to it on my iPod at least once a week, along with some other classics on thoughts. It has made all the difference.

Have an awesome weekend!

Coach Carolyn

Honor Yourself by Honoring Your Agreements

How many times did you take something personally today? How many times did you hear something and whether it did or not, you attached your name to it?

Well, forgive yourself, let it go, and move on. Stop taking things personally. Nothing is about you… except you.

Enough said.

Coach Carolyn

Choose Peace in Friendships

"It's better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours, and you'll drift in that direction." ~ Warren Buffett

The late Jim Rohn taught that we are the average of our five closest friends. Think about the five people you spend the most time with. Stop, take a breath and ask yourself:

Are our conversations positive and uplifting or negative and draining?

Can I be my authentic self around them?

Do they support and encourage me no matter what, or are they naysayers and bring me down most of the time?

As the year winds down, take some time to do some serious self-reflection. Move into 2010 with a new outlook on your life. Let go of the shackles and lighten your load.

And I am talking about your five closest friends; those people you have chosen to be in your life, in your inner circle. We cannot help our family members, work colleagues and superiors but we do have choice over the quantity and quality of time we spend with them. Spend only time with them permitted by work or family gatherings; and only share with them the parts of your life related particularly to them. You don’t have to tell everyone you are thinking of starting a business, especially if they will not give you the support and encouragement you need.

It’s all about choice. You have the power to choose peace or confusion. You have the power to choose your friends as well. It doesn’t matter if you have known them since the year of the flood; if they are toxic, then it’s time to renegotiate that friendship. We always worry about offending someone or hurting someone’s feelings. Yet, we are prepared to get beat up at every turn. Living an authentic life means you have the peace you were born with, and can access that peace especially when things get heated.

Having grown up in drama, I made the decision that the only drama I wanted in my life was on a movie screen and I could walk away from it after the credits roll. I made that choice, and it has made all the difference.

It’s your life, and you only get one; but if you work it right, one is all you need!

Coach Carolyn

Start Thriving...Not Just Surviving!

Carol Tuttle is an author and teacher that I love and admire, especially with her work around the Law of Attraction and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). She has lots of cool videos, audios and books. Here is an article from Carol on why we remain in those stuck places. Enjoy!

Three Major Reasons Why You Are Not Thriving

1. You are holding on to old emotional baggage.

Most of the emotion you feel in a day is not even about today. You are just recycling old emotional baggage that has never been cleared. It is so familiar, it has become a part of your self-identity, but you know it is not a part of your true identity because it causes you discomfort.

Release this old emotional energy with this simple technique: Make your hand into a fist. Rub your fist in a circular motion on the middle of your chest (your heart chakra) and repeat the following: “It is safe to get over this problem and it is time to let go of these feelings.” Repeat this five to six times as you rub the center of your chest.

2. You keep focusing on what you don’t want.

Your mind is in the habit of “figuring out” what you need to change to make your life better. Your thinking mind is convinced that that is how the problem will be solved; yet, that is what keeps the problem constant and present in your life.

The law of attraction has no exclusion. The law is that whatever you focus on, you create more of. Stop your thinking mind from its obsessive habit of looking at your life’s problems by placing an eye patch over your right eye for 15 minutes a day or during spells of obsessive thinking.

When you patch an open eye, you quiet the brain hemisphere that eye is connected to. In this case you will quiet your left brain and break up the flow of energy so new vibrant energy can form in your experience to attract to you insights, answers, and resources to your problem.

3. You have bought into the collective belief that you can barely survive and are just getting by.

The world offers us one reality to believe in. Within that reality we have the agency and right to choose to go along with it or create our own reality. The world currently believes that “times are hard,” “times are scary,” “terrorists could attack at any moment,” “the economy is bad,” etc., etc., etc.

Even though the world reality is choosing this, you can choose an alternative reality. We are only bound by belief. Choose the following beliefs to create a reality to help you thrive:

“Times are good for me and my family.”
“I am prepared and I choose to live in the moment and focus on how safe my immediate world is;”
“I am grateful to know that God is watching over me and the entire world to assist us in choosing a peaceful solution to our differences;”
“I am grateful that my business is flourishing and I have more than enough money for my needs.”

The greatest power you have to change the world’s reality is to change yours.

Stay free of condemning or judging the collective belief. Choose to bless it and allow it. If you condemn it or judge it, you create a stronger force of opposition and polarity that makes that reality more powerful. It just is.

Here's to your success!
Coach Carolyn

The Mask of Tiger Woods

This past week I have been deeply saddened by the events of golfer-extraordinaire Tiger Woods. Saddened because here is a person dealing with inner pain and turmoil and all we can do is blame, criticize and point fingers. I am reminded that there but for the grace of God.... It is not my place to judge or cast blame, I have my flaws as well. Yet, I pray that those around me would show a modicum of mercy if I fall from grace.

I read this article by author and teacher Debbie Ford and was so relieved that not everyone is in the crucifying mode. I felt compelled to share it here.

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Well, here we are in another media frenzy about our latest fallen angel - the one and only Tiger Woods. As yet another legend bites the dust by exposing his bad behavior, many of us are shocked and appalled while others are falling deeper into resignation about the imaginary faithful husband. And then for some others, there is a bit of glee. There are those who are just plain grateful that Tiger Woods isn't the superhuman that he has been made out to be. For some, Tiger's imperfections become a gigantic exhale of relief. Those who seek to find their happiness in the fantasy that one day they will become the perfect person can now see they are finally off the proverbial hook. As the women continue to come forward for their few minutes of fame and glory in this tabloid-frenzied society that would rather focus on the another person's flaws rather than do anything about their own, we are once again trapped in a conversation that judges another's behavior rather than working diligently to clean up our own. And even though we're in an era when most people don't have the time to focus on what's important to them, they do somehow find the time to focus on what will be meaningless in just a few days or months.

I could go on and on about why Tiger's behavior was predictable. If you take the time to read Why Good People Do Bad Things: How to Stop Being Your Own Worst Enemy and study the masks of the human being, you will indeed understand why Tiger could not maintain his "I'm the proverbial Nice Guy Overachiever" act for his entire life. How could he or anyone continually push down all of his unmet needs and ordinary human impulses that are built into our everyday human wiring? Can you imagine being that good? Can you imagine having to win at everything, to perform perfectly every day for the rest of your life? How stressful it would be for a mere mortal to carry this burden.

So now Tiger joins the ranks of Bill Clinton, David Letterman and other infamous cheaters. Tiger will never be the same. Tiger's life as we have all known it before that fateful car crash is dead, something for the archives. And now a new life can emerge -- hopefully a life where he can live a more authentic expression, where he can experience more intimacy with his family, friends, and peers so that he doesn't have to seek false connections with women he hardly knows and surely can't trust. As most cheaters will admit, it's a quick fix, a temporary high, that they could have just as easily gotten from a shot of heroin or a couple of martinis mixed with the newest edition of Playboy. Hopefully, as Tiger gets over the shock of being exposed, he will find a safe guide to support him in going inside himself to find out who he really is and what he really wants now that he no longer has the right to don the mask of the Nice Guy Overachiever.

And it's not just Tiger's life that has changed. So has ours. Tiger has now shown all those who still believe in the prince on the white horse that the prince is flawed, imperfect, and human and that when the mask of our human persona gets too tight, when there is no more room to grow or breathe, it blows itself up so that it can recreate itself anew. We can no longer look at Tiger with the same awe of his divine perfection. Our jealousy can melt away. For all of us who are caught up in the Tiger drama, my hope is that we will take back all that we have projected on to him all these years. It is useful to remember the old Buddhist trick. Imagine Tiger standing in front of you and now point your finger out at him and say aloud "You are stupid" or "careless" or "an idiot" or "__________" – whatever quality you are seeing in him, fill in the blank. Now look down at your hand. One finger is pointing out at him. Where are the other three fingers pointing? That's right. Back at you. And as we were continually reminded by our friends growing up, "You spot it, you got it!"

Your Weekly Shadow Work

1. Find one of the places you've been projecting, positive or negative, on Tiger Woods. And take it back. Or if you have a projection on people who are reporting on Tiger Woods, take back one of those projections.
2. Look at where in your life you have displayed this quality – be honest.
3. Now how could you forgive yourself? See how you could love, embrace and have compassion for this part of you.

Women and the 2010 Winter Olympics

The upcoming Winter Olympics 2010 are quickly approaching. They will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada; one of my all-time favorite places in the world! Though I did read something quite interesting about the Winter Olympics – ski jumping is the only sport in the Winter Games not open to women; that women are not allowed in this competition. There is some law permitting the exclusion of women and there was even a recent lawsuit filed to overturn this law, to no avail.

I am not about the particulars here, though I am about getting my readers to think in a new way. I have several friends, male and female who are skiers and absolutely love it. While this does not ignite my flame, let alone a flicker, I can see where this is a hot issue. In speaking with those friends, the idea of skiing holidays was next to winning the lottery. Give me the lottery ticket and you can go skiing! You see, I have never been much into contact sports. Yes, contact – my body contacting the ground! This just doesn’t quite do it for me.

So, this issue with not allowing women in the ski jumping competition was puzzling to me. If a woman wants to shush down those slopes to whip the pants off of the next skier, let ‘em have at it! Personally, I feel if God intended for us all to ski…well, you know the rest. Now, I am all about empowering and encouraging women, so ski if it floats your boat. Talk about empowering – the feel of the snow against your face as you shushle down those slopes, now that is being in the moment. Yes, I can exercise my imagination and contacting the ground isn’t part of my imaginings. Just shushling!

Coach Carolyn

Build a Website...Leave a Legacy

Last week I attended a Bloggers Meetup and we discussed websites, blogs, and social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Everyone was amazed that I don’t tweet, cuz I have enough to do, thank you very much. I do maintain several websites and blogs and I have a blast on several networking sites. There is a ginormous world out there and it is great when you can connect with some of it via the web. I am all about creating and being a part of communities, and the web is no different.

I believe everyone should have a website, especially if you plan to start or grow your own business. These days, building a website is easy and trés inexpensive. Back in the day when I began on the web, I built my first site using HTML. Today, I couldn’t even tell you what HTML stands for. Of course, I was younger and more adventurous. Now, all you have to do is register a domain, get a website builder and let ‘er rip!

A website is not only great for building an online business; it is great for just keeping in touch with distant relatives. I know several folks who have sites and blogs only for the family. I think that is a great idea. My family doesn’t even know what the web is! So, there goes that idea. But for the normal, twenty-first century families, it is a fantastic way to keep everyone in the loop with who’s dating who, who was born and when, who kicked off and of course, lots of photos.

I may be partial here, but blogs totally rock! What a great way to do content management. I can post when I choose and the page is always fresh and never stagnate. It can also be a legacy for future generations. Although, by the time the grandchildren grow up, websites and blogs will probably have a whole new feel. Remember the Jetsons?

By the way, I was made assistant organizer of the Bloggers Meetup. Go figure?

Coach Carolyn

A Tribute to Jim Rohn

"If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much." ~ Jim Rohn

Jim Rohn (September 17, 1930 - December 5, 2009) was considered a "Business Philosopher". He did not claim to teach novel truths, only fundamentals - and as he was fond of saying: "There are no new fundamentals. Truth is not new, it's old. You've got to be a little suspicious of the guy who says, 'come over here, I want to show you my manufactured antiques!' No, you can't manufacture antiques." Whoever rendered service to many put himself in line for greatness – great wealth, great return, great satisfaction, great reputation, and great joy. (From Wikipedia)

Anyone in the personal development sphere will have known the name of Jim Rohn. Influencing the likes of Anthony Robbins, Jack Canfield and Brian Tracy, Rohn was a pioneer in the arena of thinking for a change. Though he left a legacy of books, audio and video, he will be deeply missed.

"Everything changes when you change." ~ Jim Rohn

Coach Carolyn

Manifesting Inner Peace...Anytime

"Within you there is a stillness and sanctuary to which you can retreat at anytime and be yourself." ~ Hermann Hesse

When I discovered that manifesting peace was an inside job, I made the decision to have peace in my life anytime, all the time. Even in the midst of chaos and confusion, simply make the decision and say, "I can be peace or I can be this!" I don't know about you, but peace wins out for me every time.

One coaching tip: A ringing phone may be urgent, but it doesn't have to be important. Just because the phone is ringing, does not mean you have to upset whatever you are doing to answer it NOW! That's what voice mail was created for. I have seen ringing phones upset the peace of the most peaceful. Why? There is no law that says you must answer a phone every time it rings. If there was such a law, I would be writing this blog from prison!

You are the creator of your life. This includes how you show up to the urgent things in life. Make the important things a priority, not the urgent things.

Let nothing disturb your peace. Make this your priority; and soon you will see that everything else will fall into place.

"I am able to close my eyes and generate the feeling of total peace anywhere and anytime." ~ Mary Maddox

Choose peace over this...

Coach Carolyn

Shifting Fear to Faith

"The closer we get to uncovering ourselves, the more difficult it becomes to face the truth. Sooner or later we stop running, out of sheer exhaustion and desperation, and turn around to face our image. The pain that we go through during this revelation is negligible compared to the state of grace that we enter into when we have finally moved on." ~ Dr. Christiane Northrup

Remember, fear is a mechanism to alert you of an upcoming change. It simply tells your mind that this is something new and tread with caution. There is some level of fear in all things unknown, but the truth is, everything is unknown until we know it! So, have faith to know more than you know now. Get it?

Walk through the fear with faith,

Coach Carolyn

Love and Live the Day!

"Every morning is like a new reincarnation into this world. Let us take it then for what it is and live each moment anew." ~ Paul Brunton

If you cannot find anything to be grateful for, just think: you woke up, you are breathing and you have 24 brand new hours to begin again!

"Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most." ~ Buddha

Just be!

Coach Carolyn

Purposeful Thought for the Weekend

“Everyday, think as you wake up: Today I am fortunate to have woken up. I am alive. I have a precious human life. I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself to expand my heart out to others for the benefit of all beings.” ~ His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama

Are you judging, complaining, blaming, criticizing, or being resentful towards yourself or someone else? If you are, then STOP, TAKE A BREATH, and ASK:

"If I get to spend my daily energy on creating the life I desire, then do I want to spend that energy on judging, complaining, blaming, criticizing, or being resentful?"

"When I am trusting and being myself as fully as possible, everything in my life reflects this by falling into place easily, often miraculously." ~ Shakti Gawain

Your outside reflects your inside. And it is your choice what goes on inside.

Coach Carolyn

Use Your Words to Empower

"Once you become aware of what stands in your way and become willing to release it, you signal the universe that you are ready to manifest the life you were meant to live." ~ Chérie Carter-Scott

The first agreement is "Be Impeccable With Your Word." We can use our words to heal or to harm; to construct or destruct. Instead of using our words to say what we do not want in our lives, let us use our words to speak out exactly what we do want our lives to look like. And be specific.

More than anything, what stands in our way from manifesting the lives we desire, is our tongue! Our power is in the tongue.

Speak with integrity,

Coach Carolyn

Book Reviews: Treasured and God Gave Us…

If you are still looking for the perfect gift to give this holiday season, books make the best gifts because they are like buried treasures within the pages. Books can hold a sacred lesson meant only for the reader to garner. Once again, I am happy to present three such treasures: Treasured by Leigh McLeroy; God Gave Us Love and God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa Tawn Bergren.

In Treasured, McLeroy considers tangible reminders of God’s active presence and guides readers in discovering evidence in their own lives of his attentive love.

“The idea for the book came from a cigar box filled with odds and ends of my grandfather’s life that arrived a few months after his death. Sifting through the objects in the box, I experienced him in a fresh new way. This made me wonder what treasures might be tucked away in Scripture that could frame God for me in an equally intimate, tangible way. This process also helped me uncover my own “treasures” of my walk with the Lord: objects that remind me of my history with him and his faithfulness to me,” says McLeroy.

Drawn from the pages of Scripture, the author considers twelve such treasures and personalizes their meaning for readers, such as a green olive branch that offers proof of God’s “new every morning” mercy and a scarlet cord that demonstrates his willingness to adopt “strays” of every sort.

Weaving these treasures together with scenes from her personal history, Leigh McLeroy invites readers to discover God’s heart for them and embrace their unique role in his redemptive story. Treasured offers readers a guided experience of God’s love and character and invites them to consider their own treasures that point to their part in God’s ongoing story.

Two enchanting story books for children, God Gave Us Love and God Gave Us Christmas beautifully written by Lisa Bergren. In God Gave Us Love, Little Cub and Grampa Bear’s fishing adventure is interrupted by mischievous otters, and the young polar bear begins to ask questions like why must we love others . . . even the seemingly unlovable? Why is it easier to love those we like? Where does love come from? And why does God love her so much?

Grampa Bear patiently addresses each one of Little Cub’s curiosities by explaining the different kinds of love we can share: the love between friends, the love between families, the love between moms and dads, and the love for God.

He also assured Little Cub that because of the love God has given her through his Son, there’s nothing she can do to make God love her any more or any less. Through Grampa Bear’s encouraging Little Cub to love others with a “God-sized love,” children will be inspired to love others and to be patient, gentle and kind, so that in every way, they too can demonstrate God’s love.

In God Gave Us Christmas, as Little Cub and her family prepare to celebrate the most special day of the year, the curious young polar bear has something on her mind: “Who invented Chris tmas?” she asks. “Is God more important than Santa?”

Her questions reflect the confusion of so many children during the holiday season. And this heartwarming story takes them on a wonderful journey of discovery – right to the heart of Christmas.

Through Mama’s gentle guidance, Little Cub learns that God loves her and everyone – polar bear, moose, or human – so much that he gave us Jesus, the very best gift of all.

Books were provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group, a division of Random House.

Blessed reading!

Coach Carolyn

Need A Gift? Try eBooks

Can you believe its December already and time for holiday shopping – for those of you last minute shoppers? As I have tried to simplify my life, the gifts that excite me most are small enough to put in an envelop, easily consumable, or electronic. Get my meaning here – no dusting!

Coming up with new and original ideas for the hard-to-buy-for person on your list is always challenging. So this year, give the gift of knowledge – give eBooks. What is an eBook? An eBook is an electronic file which has been preformatted for viewing on a computer screen. They are easy to download; and now in addition to the standard Adobe reader, there are other e-readers to choose from. To the computer geek on your list, this is ideal. No wrapping, no lugging, and no dusting – unless they choose to print it out. I personally have dozens of eBooks and some I do choose to print out and carry with me to read.

One of our BWP members prints out her eBooks and shrinks them down by sixty percent. This way, she can carry a few to read during her commutes. Absolutely brilliant! Knowledge is power and eBooks are a great way to tap into more knowledge. You can find all genres of eBooks nowadays. I prefer the classics myself.

Empower someone by gifting an eBook this Christmas. I bet you no one will think of this as a gift.

Coach Carolyn