It's all about you. For real. After blogging for nearly fifteen years, I want to make sure that you know that I'm here for you. I can help you if you feel stuck, afraid, or shaky in your faith. You are important, and I appreciate that you take the time to read and let me know what you're thinking.
I write about myself a lot, sharing personal stories and moments of weakness, lessons I've learned the hard way, and ideas I have for the future. Recently, I've also been sharing home design and renovation stories. It's all because I have a strong desire to bring glory to God with my life. My prayer is that by reading my stories, you'll be encouraged in your faith. I share my home renovation stories as a testimony to the goodness of God in the land of the living, praying that it will give you hope when you feel like your prayers haven't been answered. (Plus, don't we all like to see something pretty?)
For around fifteen years of my adult life I prayed regularly for things I didn't have: a husband, children, and a home of my own. God regularly answered other prayers like my desire for friends, financial provision, and healing. Through that time, I learned that God's timing sure isn't my timing, but He has been faithful to provide for the desires of my heart in amazing ways. I pray that you see these things and feel hope in your heart for what you're praying and believing for too.
You may have noticed over the last few years that I've put a lot of time and resources into making what I do more professional, writing a book, and believing that God will take the seeds I'm planting and grow them into something only He can do. This ministry is a form of coaching, leading others to increased faith and trust in God. My master's degree in theology is with a concentration in Transformational Leadership Coaching. I had the opportunity to become a certified coach through that program, but I chose to use the information from that education to build up the members of my church as a staff pastor. I didn't want to start a business.
So when I noticed a ministry called "Go and Tell Gals" a few years ago, I was intrigued. It looked like what they were doing was very similar to what I was trying to do. Go and Tell Gals is named to reflect the command Jesus gave to Mary after He appeared to her in His resurrected body.
John 20:17-18: But go and tell My brothers, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to
My God and your God.’ ” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen
the Lord!” And she told them what He had said to her.
Led by author, speaker, and coach Jess Connolly, it's a coaching ministry that empowers Christian women to "go and tell" by educating and certifying coaches. Whether the coaches are ministering through formal coaching as a business or through writing, speaking, podcasting, or some other form of communication - their ministry is validated, encouraged, and supported.
I've been watching Jess Connolly for a while now - reading her books and following her on social media. Last year, I did a group coaching program with her called "Go Teams." Through that program, I received coaching from her in a group of other like-minded women. I learned some extremely valuable and life-changing things through it that helped me reconsider some of the unhealthy habits I'd adopted. One of the most valuable ones for me was to quit waiting for my idealized version of myself to show up. "Ideal Kimberly" isn't here and she never has been. "Today Kimberly" is the one God has called and wants to use, and I don't have to be anyone's hero. I can't fix anyone, but I can love everyone. What a huge weight off my shoulders!
Having found her material so Scripture-focused and life-giving, I went to a one-day retreat in September, excited to possibly meet her in person and also evaluate if her public persona matched who she actually is. (I'm a GenXer, and we don't trust leaders easily. Especially Christian leaders. We've seen our heros crumble, so ever if we decide to trust someone, we're still acutely aware that they are human and will let us down at some point. But how bad will it be?) What I found in Charleston was a strong, vibrant, unapologetic woman of God. I also found a humble leader with strong boundaries and a team who are clearly empowered and strong. Not only did I get to meet her and have an actual conversation where she was totally focused and engaged, but I also got to meet several other amazing women.
During that retreat, God healed some hurting places in my heart. The pandemic had felt like a thief, robbing some things from me that I held dear. God opened my eyes to see that those things had actually been doing me harm, but because I'm fiercely loyal to those I've decided to trust, I have a very hard time letting go. It felt like soothing, healing balm was poured over the aching cracks in my heart.
After I signed up for the retreat, I saw that Go and Tell Gals was accepting applications for their coach certification program. Intrigued, I looked into it and found that it's a big investment. Isn't anything that's valuable in our lives? I started praying about it and felt like I could do it or not, either way, and I'd still be perfectly within the will of God. I talked to Rick, knowing how he felt about it would likely be the deciding factor. As usual, he cheered me on. (Thank God for a supportive husband.) The deadline to apply was the day after the retreat, so I decided to wait and see how I felt at the retreat. But before the retreat even happened, I knew that it was something I wanted to do, so I applied. There was a significant application process and I made it through. The retreat only confirmed my decision.
The last three weeks have been spent learning about this method of coaching, while being coached myself. I have a client who I get to practice on each week, which lets me see how much I enjoy coaching. Seriously! How fun! I get to help someone who feels stuck set a goal and coach them through the steps to achieve it? Yes, please! The best part of it is that I don't have to come up with anything myself. The work has been done, proven, and I'm being trained to do it too. I have four more weeks of training.
At the beginning of December, I plan to attend an in-person retreat in Charleston, SC, where I'll receive my certification and commissioning. That's if everything goes according to plan, of course. The last few years have taught us to hold our plans loosely. I'm excited to see how God stirs my heart to help you through what I'm learning. He can be so sneaky, so I'm doing this training in prayerful openness to what He has up His sleeve next.
Are you a certified coach? If so, I'd love to hear about what you're doing with it. Who is your certification through? Do you have an area of specialty? Or do you have any questions about coaching? If I don't know the answers, I'll find out. I want to hear from you.