It's Official! It IS the Last Minute

So what are you doing for Valentine’s?  Teddy Bears and Pajama Grams? Flowers?  A Hallmark Card?  Chocolates? (An obvious great choice!)

Whether you’re married or not, what gift could make the biggest difference in the life of someone you love? Hint: It’s not about things.

·     Words – that affirm, strengthen, and bring security.

·     Touch – especially non-sexual, comforting, reassuring, sustaining touch.

·     Present-ness - Really being there in the moment, fully present, fully attentive to the other person. Listening “with” not simply listening “to.” (while thinking about our response) Being present takes time, but it’s not about the time; rather about being connected.

Powerful suggestions, but I’ll go one step further. The deepest and most enduring longing of my heart and yours is to be fully known and fully loved. It is a God-given need. In spite of our faults we gain strength when we are valued and treasured. Though inadequate, we need assurance that we matter; that we are making a difference; that we are protected. When threatened we need security.

The greatest gift I can give the one I love is to become a safe place for her to be fully known and fully loved.

How do I know I’m right? Because I have experienced it in the one who loves me.  Thank you, hon…    And through her, I have come to know more fully the one who has loved me from Eternity past. Thank you, Father.

“We love because he first loved us!”  1 John 4:19

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Finishers

     Some time ago a PBS special, The Boomer Century: 1946-2046 reported an amazing finding – 4 out of 5 boomers intend to keep working and earning in retirement and 50% of all boomers plan to launch into an entirely new job or career!
     Events of the last several years have forced many to adjust their thinking. The challenges of the economic downturn necessitate a fresh approach to retirement. Chances are even greater now that boomers are contemplating something different.
    Which demands the question: What are you going to do with the rest of your life that really matters? For Eternity?
    Finishers is one answer to that question. Founder Nelson Malwitz is typical of the boomer generation. As a chemical engineer Malwitz left the corporate marketplace several years ago eager to connect with a mission project. Traditional mission agencies didn’t know what to do with him. Nelson created FinishersProject – Your bridge to a Global Impact to facilitate fully trained, experienced boomers an opportunity to invest the latter years of their lives – their best years – short term, part time or 2nd career – for Christ and His Kingdom.
     What will you do?

    What are you doing right now to move in that direction?

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If It Ain't Broke...

    Murphy’s Law: If it ain’t broke . . . it will be soon!

    Oh, Oh! That little red “engine” light in the Honda came on. Should we take it in? It’s such a hassle. Besides it’s probably no big deal. Wrong! Fortunately Jane, being the more cautious, drove to our mechanic. His verdict? “Good thing you got it in here right away or you’d be looking at a whole new engine.”
    During Christmas break our daughter Heather spent her birthday in the dentist’s chair. But the filling preempted a root canal.
    With all the freezing temperatures one plumbing company’s ad said, “Call us for a check up. Or call us with an emergency. It’s your choice!”
    Whether it’s pipes, the roof, or new tires vs. a flat on the freeway we all recognize that without proper maintenance things fall apart. It’s either “prevent ative” maintenance or “deferred” maintenance and as every home owner discovers – the longer we put it off, the greater the problem, the greater the cost!
    But it’s not just things that fall apart. Without adequate maintenance WE fall apart. Too often I find myself minimizing or rationalizing the ‘cavity’ – that empty place that needs attention.
    Historically the word ‘maintenance’ comes from the root ‘keeping in being.’
    Medically that entails keeping a patient in stable condition, or continuing good health practices. Computer Programmers are correcting faults in an application, improving performance or adapting a program to a changing environment. Lawyers talk of the ability to provide basic, necessary material support. To financial planners it means actions that bring an asset to its full potential.
    What are you doing to “keep in being?” No, not just a post-Christmas diet or a trip to the club, what about the deeper, ‘inside’ areas that need attention and care? Life balance (stability); Communication (good health practices); Personal Goals (improved performance); Staying Focused (nessary); Fulfillment (full potential) :
    What would maintenance in those areas look like? What will you do to avoid a ‘root-canal’ emergency?

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Keep New Year's Resolutions?

     It’s no secret that most of us don’t keep our New Year’s Resolutions. If we bother to make them. Only about 19% of people who make resolutions keep them as long as two years according to John Norcross, psychology professor at University of Scranton, PA.

     That’s the bad news. The good news is that you are 10X time more likely to make a positive change in your life if you do make a New Year’s Resolution! Of those who do, 46% keep them at least six months.
     So what separates those who keep their good intentions from those who fail? Perhaps surprisingly, the answer is not will power, trying harder or being more disciplined. (Which doesn’t work for becoming a better Christian either!)
     Those who are successful at accomplishing a goal or changing a behavior pattern have at least three of these things in common. They:
     1. Make specific, concrete action plans to change their daily behavior, setting a time, place, date by which to accomplish goals.
     2. Celebrate bite-sized accomplishments. Professor Howard Hendricks challenged his students, “Make it a habit once a day to say ‘No!’ to something you want but do not need.”
     3. Get a little help from their friends. They keep on track by checking in daily or weekly with supportive people who care by calling them if they fail to check in.
     4. Announce their intentions. Publish goals on Facebook, email friends, put it in a blog. Up the ante by letting others in on resolutions. They give themselves some external relational motivation to follow through.
     5. Be honest about attachment to bad habits. What are they doing that sabotages their goal? Saving “stuff” that might come in handy some day? (Thrift vs. Clutter); “Researching” – gathering more and more information without acting on it? (Surfing vs. Studying); Putting it off until the “right time”? (Sensitivity or . . . )
     6. Expect setbacks. Mistakes and failure are part of developing a new habit. Those who continue to fail blame themselves and feel like a failure while those who succeed recognize failure as inevitable and quickly get back on track.

     Let’s make it personal: What would you like to accomplish in 2010?

     Here’s a shameless self-promotional plug: Get some help from an experienced Life Coach. Ted Hutchinson! Call me to schedule a free introductory coaching session. (425) 275 – 7371. You’ll love it. Even if you decide it’s not for you right now, you’ll be more motivated and you’ll tell someone else about me. That’s a win-win for both of us! And a blessed New Year!

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Holiday Coping Strategies

‘Tis the week before Christmas and …This week we challenge you to:

Take 1 minute to:
• Choose one word to describe what you want to experience this holiday season. Put it on a sticky note on your mirror.
• Share a Mistletoe Moment - Physical affection increases our body’s levels of stress-reducing hormones. So, cuddle, touch hands, give hugs! They help us avoid overreacting.

Take 5 minutes to:
• Figure out what brings you joy and then commit to doing it!
• Get outside. Gaze at the incredible beauty of God’s creation.

Take 10 minutes to:
• Recall 3 holiday traditions you love most. Put them on your calendar…if necessary, let go of the rest. (We stress when we don’t say what we really want.)
• Read a poem, a Christmas story, The Christmas Story (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6,7; Matthew 1:18-25; Matthew 2:1-12; Luke 1:26-38; Luke 2:1-20)

Take 15 minutes to:
• Forget Multitasking...Focus on the task at hand.
• Give yourself permission to live in the moment –what does it feel, smell, sound, taste like? Be fully engaged in each experience.
• Create and listen to a holiday playlist.

A Blessed Merry Christmas from Ted and Jane Hutchinson

* Adapted from Women’s Day, article by Melody Warnick - 12/1/09

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Before This Fleeting Season

Lord, Before This Fleeting Season...

Lord, before this fleeting season is upon us,

Let me remember to walk slowly.

Lord, bless my heart with love and with quiet.

Give me a leaning to hear carols.

Grace our family with contentment, and the peace

that comes only from you.

Lord, help us to do less this busy season; go less;

Stay closer to home; kneel more.

May our hearts be your heart.

May we simply, peacefully, celebrate you Lord, Lord.

M.Jindra/L.Larsen

    Wouldn’t you know it . . . “This Fleeting Season” is already upon us! I’ll admit that lately I’ve had more difficulty than usual—finding myself defenseless in the fog of living at speed, distracted by unimportant urgencies, dallying where diligence was required.
    Advent. And I wonder if I have the time or energy to celebrate His coming?
    This weekend I took time to look at several areas of my life. On a scale of 1—10, I wondered, how am I doing managing my time, my rest, my health, my relationships...my time alone with God?
    I asked myself, what changes can I make this Advent season to welcome him in to my life, into my community.
    OK, now it’s your turn: Even if you have all your Christmas shopping done—ok, maybe that’s a stretch—but what does your life look like this fleeting season:
    • In Reflection & Re-Creation
    • In Rest
    • In Relationships

What three things could you do in the next three weeks to make this a different advent season?
    1.
    2.
    3.

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Black Friday!

     It's almost Black Friday! Time to max out those credit cards! Then get back to work & pay for it. Ah, but wait.... so here’s an assignment, ask yourself: “How would I spend my time if I did not need money?” Let’s imagine it happened; you stopped needing money, you were absorbed in doing the things you are passionate about. Go ahead, think about it. It’s OK if you want to keep reading, but I challenge you to come back to the question. Work on it, respond to it. If you suddenly realized that you didn’t need the money – how would your life be different?
     It’s a curious thing—but true—that by refusing to be obsessed with the need for money we move in the direction of fulfilling our goals and dreams. When we work for money rather than the joy or challenge that work brings and the contribution we can make we lose touch with our deeper needs, longings and desires.
     When we recall how often our Lord reminded his disciples that our Heavenly Father cares even for the lilies of the field and the birds of the air – who “neither toil nor spin,” how he multiplied the loaves and fish, how he taught them to pray, “…give us this day our daily bread…” can we see in that the unqualified release from the tyranny of the urgent?

     Are you stuck where you are? What would it take for you to break free? What other ways could you manage what you have now? How much do you really need?

“In all toil there is profit” (Prov.14:23 RSV)
What kind of “profit” are you enjoying from your work?

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