Life Coaching – Page 2 – Matthew Laker

4 Challenges to Entering Wholeness

Posted on March 11, 2016March 11, 2016 by Matthew Laker

A.W. Tozer “Faith, as the Bible knows it is confidence in God and His Son Jesus Christ, it is the response of the soul to divine Character as reveled in in scripture;…” (Tozer, A.W. The Best of A. W. Tozer, Book 1. Wingspread; New Edition edition, 2007. Warren W. Wiersbe (Compiler) p. 172)

Combining faith with God’s word leads to wholeness.

Hebrews chapter 4 speaks about the faith vacant response of the ancient Israelites and how we can be like them. The reason they failed to enter the promise land, aka “rest” or “Wholeness”, was because they failed to combine faith with God’s word.

Hebrews 4:2 “For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them because they were not united by faith with those who listened.”

In my journey with Jesus, even after a long time in following him, I still struggle at times in combining faith with God’s word even though I understand it in my head.

4 of my personal challenges of combining faith with God’s word

a. Looking at life through the eyes of the situation and not Jesus.

I once heard a story of a professor who gave his students a piece of paper and asked them to write about what they see. On the paper was a small dot and the rest was white space. The student wrote as fast as they could and all wrote about the dot. They focused in on the dot and missed talking about all the white space. Sometimes we get so focused on the problem we fail to see Jesus all around.

b. Forgetting who I am

The apostle Paul often reminds those he is writing to of who they are. He calls them to live out who they are in Christ. If I am having trouble combining faith with God’s word, at times I am forgetting who I am in Christ.

c. Having to control everything.

We live in a day that pushes us to make sure we are controlling every element of our lives. I can even have the arrogance in my life to think that if I dropped something everything is over.

There can be an attitude that comes up in this area of “look at all I did.” Combining faith with God’s word is understanding “I do not have to control everything.” I still need to work, but combining faith with God’s word means some things are in fact in God’s control, not mine.

d. Fear as a driving force

Fear can drive so many of our lives. Fear and shame are a direct result of sin in our life. Now, there is a goodness in fear, but it is only to cause us to ask questions.

Questions like: is there a real danger? Sometimes fear stops me because I am putting my faith in keeping my comfort or security or the illusion of power I may or may not have. For many of us God is calling us to let go of fear and live.

Combining faith with God’s word leads to wholeness.

What about you? What keeps you from combining faith with God’s word?

Hebrews 4:16 “Lets us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need”

Observations From The Life of Jesus on Time Management

Posted on February 5, 2016February 2, 2016 by Matthew Laker

When we look at the life of Jesus there are some observations we can make that can help us in our use of time. One main observation is that once time is gone, it is gone. This is what makes time precious.

Generally, as a culture, we are obsessed with time. We judge people based on what they can produce in a certain amount of time. We struggle in the tension of handling our time wisely. For all of us our values and wants are usually the driving force as to how we use our time. bread

As we look at the life of Jesus there are five things, to start, that can help us with our own time management.

1. Jesus is not rushed

Jesus seems to never be in a big rush to go anywhere. He knows where he needs to go but he seems to take his time. As he goes to where he needs to, he gives what we might call today margin.

As you read through the bible you will often see that God is not in a hurry. He often may not take what we think is the most efficient route.

God is not concerned about our perceived speed of time, but instead how we use that time.

2. Jesus gives time for people and sometimes just one person.

In the gospel of John chapter 4, he spends a long time speaking and investing in just one person. He also seems to spend more time with smaller groups of people rather than with larger groups. He spent more time with the 12,for example, then he did with the 120, and even among the 12 he spent more time with three. Yet even in the midst of that focused time, he still allowed others in. As he walked along the road he listened to those who crossed his path and gave them his time.

3. Jesus accepted interruptions.

In Mark 6 the Apostles come and report back after a training mission. Jesus shares they need rest and so they get in a boat and cross the lake. However, a large group of people end up following them and meet them on the other side. All they wanted was to find rest and be quite for some time but these people have interrupted them. As we look at the life of Christ, we see him use interruption as potential God opportunities. He uses this moment to teach and serve that crowd.

4. Jesus understood seasons of time and rhythms

As flip through the gospels, we see Jesus in moments of craziness with lots of people and moments of him just with himself. He would often pull away to get rest and take care of his own soul. There were times for being generous with his time, and time for taking care of his own life.

5. Focused

In Mark 1:36 Simon (Peter) comes to find Jesus and says “everyone is looking for you!”

Listen to his reply, “let us go somewhere else-to the nearby village-so I can preach there also. ”

Jesus knew what God called him to do. Sometimes we get so caught up in trying to be good Christians and helping everyone and doing all kinds of good work with our time that we miss what Jesus is asking us to do. Sometimes, like Peter, have expectations or listen to the expectations of parents, others, friends, culture and we do not live lives worthy of our calling.

Jesus was generous with his time, but in a way, was also ruthless with his time. I do not like the word ruthless because it means no compassion and Jesus had compassion. Jesus was focused, sometimes at the expense of not healing everyone. Did you notice that Jesus did not help everyone in that moment? He focused in on what God called him to do for that season, and did not worry about what others expected him to accomplish.

What is one thing you can take from the life of Jesus on how he used his time?

P.S.

One extra – Jesus practised a Sabbath rest. More to come on that later.

Our Values drive our time Management.

Posted on January 29, 2016January 24, 2016 by Matthew Laker

Many people I speak with are struggling with time management. Often there is a tension between unrealistic expectations and the many responsibilities people have or are given.

In all of our lives, we have values we wish we had or want to embrace and then we have the real ones. Sometimes those real ones are destructive. Sometimes the real ones are good. Sometimes we wear a mask and are ashamed or are not willing to actually admit what we are valuing in life.

Try this exercise:

Take a piece of paper and take a look at your schedule over the last 30 days. Where are you spending your time? Here are some examples of things to look for:

How much time did you sleep? How much time did you work? How much time was there for fun and relaxing? How much time for investing/serving others? How much time checking email or watching media? For a moment, think that you are looking at someone else’s schedule. Based on where they spend their time what would you say are things they value?

We see whatever we deem important. Whatever we deem more valuable, that is where we spend our time.

Does where you spend your time align with what you have stated are values in your life?

For the Jesus follower, the question becomes do we trust Jesus enough to lead us to a different set of values? Is how we use our time guided by the reality of the gospel in our life? Are we investing in the things that Jesus has said will lead to a full life?

As you do the above exercise you may notice you need some changes in your life. The first step to moving in that direction is to understand the “why.” Why do you need to change? Why will seeking a new habit, or embracing a new value in your life, be good for you?

Whatever you value will be what determines your direction and use of time.

Check out this post on why identifying Values is important.

7 Tips to get the most out of Christmas

Posted on December 7, 2015December 6, 2015 by Matthew Laker

1. Community

Make time for real relationships. For many there are lots of opportunities, but what relationship should you focus on? The tension this time of year could be having too many opportunities. Which ones will help you live in who God has called you to be? For some, you may want to pull away, but also make it a point to connect with people.

It does not always have to be expensive or elaborate, but keep it simple. We were made for relationships. A relationship can enrich our life, so this Christmas be intentional with your community.

2. Pick up a Spiritual Discipline

This is a great time to try or pick up a Spiritual discipline for a season. The role of the spiritual discipline is intentional development of our relationship and intimacy with Jesus. It is a deliberate self-imposed habit to foster spiritual growth in one’s life and community.

Consider a Discipline of Abstinence such as solitude, silence, fasting, frugality, chastity, or sacrifice.

3. Specific Serving

Jesus is the neighbour who came to serve. Many this time of year jump on the bandwagon of serving in organizations. That is important, but consider being specific in your serving this year. It is as we serve others that we become more like Christ.

Instead of just giving money to an organization, which you should still do, consider a single adult or family that you could invest in personally. Find ways to bless them over the four weeks of advent and week of Christmas.

4. Find a devotional to lead you through the advent themes in scripture

Staying in God’s word always has a great impact in fostering our walk with Jesus and helping us enter, engage and experience the life we were created for. It helps us know who God is, which can help us know who we are and what we are to do.

5. Check your expectations.

What we focus on matters as it sets our direction. During the Christmas season, we need to check our expectations. Many have an expectation of themselves and each other that are not realistic. Choose to be simple and enjoy the little things.

6. Take rest

Be sure to take the time to rest. There are three elements to this rest. First it is breaking from the normal routine of life, second is finding things that are restorative, and third, get physical sleep.

7. Spend less

Here in Canada, it is so easy to think you need to spend money to enjoy Christmas. There is a place for money, but make a budget and stay within it. Money can be a stresser for many, so remember that Christmas is about more than how much you spend.

What would you add to the list?

Creating a Life plan: A Second step

Posted on November 23, 2015November 23, 2015 by Matthew Laker

Creating a life plan can help you better enter, engage, and experience the life you were created for.

Picture yourself riding a bike and that you have been riding it for some time. You have had to push to keep moving forward, you have had to overcome obstacles, and you at times feel winded. Where do you want to be in 5, 10, 30 kilometers? Likewise in life, where do you want to be in 5, 10, 30 years? One of the questions I will often ask University Students is, “What is your hope when you are done?” For many, they do not know. I understand that they just want to get through their studies, but it is important they know what they want otherwise they will just bounce around in life.

Another man I know is looking ahead to retirement and trying to figure out what he wants for that stage of life. Currently he is working through where he wants to be with work and finances, while also drawing an overall picture of that season of life.

Creating a plan will help you get from the dream to the practical. A life plan can help you accomplish what you desire and steward the resources God has given you.

Recently in a post, I shared that the first step in creating a life plan is identifying the life spokes that are important to you. On a bike wheel you have spokes and the spokes work together to transfer power and weight so that you may get to where you want to go.

Read that post here

Once you identify the life spokes that are important in your life, the second step is to ask yourself what you want to accomplish in those areas. Where do you want to ride your bike to?

What is the vision for each spoke of life?

What is the story you want written?

Where do you want to be in ___(fill years in) years?

What do you want to see in the future?

Here is an exercise to help:

Step one: Know your life spokes

(Example) Financial

Step two: Vision

(Example) Life Spoke : Financial

My Vision: I want to be financially stable while also generous to others

Step three: Define purpose- What is one sentence that would clearly define the end result you want.

(Example) Life spoke: Financial

In 30 years I want to be financially stable for retirement. This means owning a home mortgage free and living in my means.

As you work through each of the areas, there will be some cross over as each spoke works together in your wheel of life.

In developing a life plan, when you create a vision for your life, you can leave a lasting impact upon those you care for.