April 1. The year’s already flying. I want to make sure this year that I not only make tracks, but I do what really matters!

I accomplished two of my March 2011 goals. I  hired the attorney for the contracts on my new ebook and attended Heather’s class when I could (some obstacles came up that prevented me from going – not because I was too lazy or didn’t want to go!).

No, I haven’t finished my webinars’ sales pages yet because I am still trying to figure out exactly what to put on them.   I didn’t want to just throw something up there.

Also, yesterday I did my first teleseminar, and it went good so I am really happy about that! If you missed it, you can still get it  by clicking here. With the purchase, you get the 45 minute replay with complimentary gifts, plus a 15 minute phone session with me on discovering and walking in your purpose.

I also finished fitness trainer’s Chalene Johnson’s 30 Day challenge. Every day I’d get an encouraging (and challenging!) video from her in my email inbox. It is EXCELLENT. She talked a LOT about making your to-do list EVERY day, and making weekly goals…and taking ACTION! I shared about some of this in my teleseminar.

Here are my April goals:

• Get the contracts from all the contributor writers for my ebook on women and spiritual warfare and continue working on the ebook
• Do some fun field trips with our daughter Leah for homeschooling
• Record and put up two new podcasts here this month; begin plans for a new webinar; attend Cindy Rushton’s preview chat tomorrow on info products and business.

What are your goals? Chalene Johnson said to put 2-3 IMPORTANT tasks on your to-do list each day – not 10 or 15. That way you don’t get overwhelmed. That way you actually get MORE done – what really matters, what is necessary, not fluff! What’s your plans?

“See Visible Results.”

Those are the words in an ad I found in a magazine and cut out to paste on my vision board for inspiration. And visible results are what me and my 3in30 friends are aiming for this month.

My February goals were:

So far, I have accomplished the first one and part of the third one, yay! The webinar this Wednesday went well – the women were encouraged, I ” met” new great women, and there were no major tech issues, thank you Jesus!

For the third goal, I’ve cleaned off my “desk” (a little table!), and will be tackling organizing closets and drawers this week (again!).

The best thing you can do right now is to finish what you started last year and not let those good intentions grow stale. Your heart’s been in the right place all along. You’ve got what it takes to finish it up, so go to it. ~ 2 Corinthians 8:11, The Message Bible

Missouri snow storm

The winter storm has hit the mid-west and here in Butler, MO (south of Kansas City), we’ve already got about a foot of snow and it’s still coming down hard. Fox News said that cofffee shops and stores are hurting in sales, schools are cancelling classes, and for crews struggling to clear snow-choked roadways, the task has become more difficult because the snow hasn’t stopped yet.  Just as with this winter storm, sometimes we have a hard time with our necessary daily tasks due to interruptions, distractions, and busyness.

In the video below, I share what can help us when the task at hand is hard to get done and there are obstacles in our way, like the heavy snowfall that is blocking driveways, parking lots, roads, and highways here in Missouri.

Video of “What To Do When Your Task Becomes Hard.”

February is almost here, so most of you have already jumped on the “3 in 30″ goal-setting for 2011 and even finished your January goals. I saw it on Twitter before January hit, but have been busy, so I’m just now getting around to putting the badge on my blog here and adding the twibbon to my Twitter and Facebook profiles. I already had 3 goals for January that I wrote down (though not here yet). Here they are for you: 

• Prepare for my spiritual warfare webinar on February 2, 2011
• Work on my ebook on women and spiritual warfare
• Organize my space at home – my office desk, closets, etc. 

I am ready and excited for the webinar (you still have time to sign up!), and have already written 3 chapters on my ebook (my deadline for the new ebook is February 29). After I took down our Christmas tree and decorations, I cleaned out drawers and closets, organized my file organizer, and went through all my sticky notes on my desk, taming that paper tiger.

Or you might not have even heard of it. What is 3 in 30? It’s a joint venture between Ashley Pichea (AP Freewriting 101) and Meghan Tucker (The Tuckers Take Tennessee) to encourage and challenge you to accomplish your goals.  

By breaking up our to-do lists into more doable, bite-sized chunks and checking in with each other over the course of a month, we can accomplish our goals together. It really helps when girlfriends are encouraging you that you can do it!

Sometimes we struggle with procrastination, distractions like the Facebook black hole, or just overwhelm. It’s like you need someone spurring you!

My February goals are:

• Have a GREAT webinar that brings a smile to God’s face, and that equips and empowers the women attending!!!
• Finish (you heard me say it!)  my ebook on women and spiritual warfare
• Start the new zumba class (our oldest daughter Heather is teaching it again, and is starting a second class in a different city), doing zumba at home in between class, at least 2-3 times  week with my tapes.  Arrg - pray for my self-discipline!

God has great things for you to do in 2011. He wants us to intentionally plan and set high goals, not just float along with a c’est sera sera attitude. As we go to Him in prayer and ask Him what He wants us to accomplish this year, He will show us and help us. And He will shine His glory through His Son Jesus in it, using you as the willing vessel!

So what are your goals for February? Write them down!  I’d love to hear about them in the comments below.

This morning I created a video for 2011 for you at Animoto, where you can make free, 30-second videos accompanied by your choice of music. They also have an option to create full-length, longer videos for a minimal fee each month.

This video is called New Year, New You. I’d love to hear your comments on it. Be sure to let it load fully first so you can view it without interruption.  Enjoy!

Video-New Year, New You

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Our daughter Heather and her family arrived safely home in Missouri tonight – thanks so much to all of you who prayed!  We chatted on the phone and talked about our mutual desire to move to Florida.  Why?  Here is a postcard they bought as a souvenir, and this pretty much sums it up:

We both love the beach – the beautiful, amazing ocean that God created. Missouri? Tonight and tomorrow the weather forecast predicts freezing rains. ‘Nuf said.

What about you? Where do you want to visit, to travel to, to live, to start a new life? What is your dream?

What’s keeping you from it?

It’s important to have not just resolutions for 2011 and the next 10 years, but dreams.  Write them down.  World-traveler Chris Guillebeau, who has visited 140 countries and plans to travel to the rest of the countries in the world, wrote a great post on dreams and life.

God wants to give us our dreams, the desires of our heart. Today think about yours. Hold them up before God, and pray about them. Determine to do what it is that you’d love to do with His help. Then do it!

Blogging soon in Florida and in Africa….   

What's ahead for you in 2011?

Only 15 days until Christmas and 21 days until this year is over!  As 2011 is around the bend, it’s a good time for reflections.  Here’s some challenging questions to look back on 2010 and to anticipate 2011:

• What went well in 2010? What goals and dreams did you achieve? How did you achieve them? Write these things down. Take yourself out and celebrate these victories – buy yourself a pretty new outfit or scarf, a new book, treat yourself to dinner with a friend or to a movie. You did it! Look at how far you’ve come this year!
• What goals did you NOT achieve in 2010?  What were the reasons? What hindered or stopped you? Identify self-limiting beliefs and the roots of those beliefs.
• What grudges are in your heart still? Who do you need to forgive? Forgiveness sets you free.
• What are you afraid of? How is fear interfering with your dreams and goals? How is anger or discouragement interfering?
• What relationship(s) do you need to work on? What is one step you can take today to improve it?
• How did procrastination interfere with your goals in 2010? Re-read the book Eat That Frog.
• What are some funny things your spouse, kids, and friends said and did in 2010? Write them down. Make a scrapbook of photos and quotes to preserve sweet memories.  Burn digital photos on cds or back up digital photos online. Be sure to date them, and add comments to help jog your memory of events later. Consider writing a diary to go along with the pictures.
• What good books did you read and study in 2010? Write down 10 books you will read by the end of 2011. Include books that teach you new things such as Dave Ramsey’s book on finances, More Than Enough,  books that make you laugh such as Becky Freeman’s marriage book Marriage 911, books that inspire you like Alexandra Stoddard’s decorating book Living A Beautiful Life, books that grow your faith such as Beth Moore’s Bible studies, and books that help you just get away from it all like Eat, Pray, Love .
• What lessons did you learn in 2010?  Will you have to pass the test again in 2011 or are you tired of going around this same mountain?
• Is this the life you want?  What needs to change in your life?  How will you get there?
• Where did you travel in 2010? Where do you want to travel in 2011? Write dates on the calendar. Start making plans now. Check the airfare and hotel or bed and breakfast rates. Price tours. Dream!
• What friends did you make in 2010? How have these people enriched your life? What is it about them that you particularly like? Do you still want to be friends with them in 2011?
• What character trait did you work on in 2010?  Are you still working on it? What is something new you can work on in 2011 to improve yourself?
• What do you think 2011 holds for you?
• What big dream is still in your heart?  Do it!  Ask God and He will help you. He is the dream-giver and the dream-fulfiller.

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day. ” ~ Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Beth Jones

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the second class of a Bible study by Uganda missionary Alma Jones, who I will be interviewing this Friday at 11 a.m. CST (12 p.m. EST) at Talkshoe.  Our group class is going through Kay Arthur’s book  The New Study: How To Study Your Bible. 

Alma had a dream in her heart at 18 years old to be a missionary in Africa, but it was not until she was 72 years old that God commissioned and released her to go.

Now offiically part of the community of House of Friends, Alma has hosted many teams in Uganda.  She is now training African leaders how to study the Bible.  Americans are almost spoiled by having a wide variety of Bible versions to choose from to read, but there are many people in Africa who don’t even own one Bible.  Because they don’t own or know the Bible, sometimes people believe doctrine that is full of errors.  It is important for Christian African leaders to be supplied with and taught the Bible, so they can know and can teach God’s word correctly to their native people.

Alma also is helping Abba House develop a children’s teaching program.

Alma is here in the U.S. until December 31, 2010, when she will return to Entebbe, Uganda to continue her missions work there. 

I’d love to have you join me and Alma for her interview this coming Friday. She is a loving, very unselfish woman of God with a lot of wisdom, and she is HILARIOUS! You will love her!  You can listen here.

Veggie Tales – Larry the Cucumber and Bob the Tomato

How has your week been?  I have been reading lately, when I’ve been able to have a few spare moments before bedtime, and one great book that I just finished is Me, Myself, and Bob by Phil Vischer, founder of Big Idea Productions (the man who started Veggie Tales). My sweet friend Kimberly Ehlers told me about the book, and as I finally read the last 3 chapters, tears poured down my face.  As I shared with a few family members and friends this week, this book has just demolished me.

In Me, Myself, and Bob, Phil shares the story of the big dream that began in his heart when he was just a young man, to become the “Christian” Walt Disney, to build a new media empire for God – teaching children funny, touching stories using the talking, colorful vegetables (Bob the Tomato, Larry the Cucumber and other characters) and using the truth of God’s word…unapologetically including God and His word. Phil wanted to change the world with his big idea.

As Big Idea Productions grew bigger, so did its budget – and its enormous debt.  Veggie Tales sold more than six million Veggie Tales videos in 1998. Between 1996 and 1998, its revenue grew by 3, 300 percent – from $1.3 million to $44 million. Between 1996 to 1998, their marketing department grew from 1 person to 30 people. Big Ideas had grown from an original staff of two creative, enthused college guys to 315 people.

Yet by the time Big Ideas produced its first feature film, Jonah-A Veggie Tales movie, Big Ideas was in serious financial trouble. The company eventually went bankrupt and was auctioned to Classic Media, at $19.6 million in 2003. 

Phil wrote on pages 227-228:

“…I entered adulthood (1) absolutely committed to spending my life to doing things for Christ, and (2) determined  not to be a “parked car.”  I had to get going. I had to get busy. But busy with what?…Eventually, I found a place where my storytelling gifts seemed to line up with a need that was tugging at my heart – a need to express God’s word through popular media. And that would be my work for Christ.”

“That issue resolved, I got busy. I built, and built, and built. Even when I wasn’t building, I was thinking about building, dreaming up the things I would build next. And in the midst of it all, God showed up, blessing my efforts. Great! I thought. Look at all the good I’m doing! But I was just getting started…And so, I got busier. …”

“…And then, in the midst of my great goodness, everything started to go wrong…Good thing I was the good guy, I thought, because the good guy never falls off the cliff. Except that I did. My dream and I fell all the way to bankruptcy court, where a gaggle of lawyers picked through the wreckage, packed up all the good parts, and mailed them to Franklin, Tennessee, leaving me alone, with nothing. Nothing but my old Big Idea office chair, my thoughts, and the God who had watched me bounce down the stairs without raising a finger.”

Nothing left but him and God. Ultimately it’s where we all end up.  

Phil also quotes an old family friend, pastor Richard Porter:  “If God gives you a dream, and the dream comes to life and God shows up in it, and then the dream dies, it may be that God wants to see what is more important to you – the dream or God.”

What matters more to you – God or your big dream?

Phil also shared from  Henry Blackaby, author of the devotional study Experiencing God, who wrote a book studying the life of Samuel.

“If you start something and it does not seem to go well, consider carefully that God, on purpose, may not be authenticating what you told the people because it did not come from Him, but from your own head.” (p. 239)

This is where I couldn’t stop crying. The thought that I may have been doing many things over the last year (such as writing, speaking, blogging, podcasting, creating information products, writing a bi-monthly ezine, forming relationships through social media), the possibility that these things may not have come from God, but came from myself, was devastating. Only God knows if this is true and that is what I am praying about this week, for clarity and wisdom.

I don’t want to do anything that God doesn’t authenticate or authorize. I don’t want to be like Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu, offering unauthorized fire (Leviticus 10: 1), or to be like the foolish man who built his house on the sand, instead of the Rock of Christ, and when the rain, wind, and floods came, it collapsed and was destroyed. (Matthew 7: 24-29)  Anything apart from Jesus will not bear fruit and won’t last.

As a result of this book, I have taken some time this week to pray and seek God on His will, His purposes, His vision for my life. I am still thinking things through, asking for Him to speak to me clearly. My dear sister Maria said God may have used this book as a warning to me about future success – to not let my dreams become an idol.

 Yes, there are dreams in my heart, big, big dreams!  I don’t want to live a medicore, boring life and want to do great things for God!   I believe God is the one who put those dreams there in my heart, because He’s a big God and has big plans for His glory.     The Bible says nothing is impossible with God. (Luke 1:37)  God is the Dream-Giver and the Dream-Fulfiller.

But I never want my dreams to mean more to me than God does. I only want to please Him and do His will, not my own. (Luke 22: 42) While I desire to do great things for God in this lifetime and to make an eternal, significant mark on the timeline of history, influencing and impacting others’ lives, most of all what I want is an intimate relationship with God. For every part of my life to glorify Jesus Christ.

As Phil writes on page 251, “The impact God has planned for us doesn’t occur when we’re pursuing impact. It occurs when we’re pursuing God.” 

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.”  (Psalm 42: 1)

I encourage you today, pursue God, not the dream. Because He alone satisfies. And when we pursue God, then He will make sure the dreams that HE has for us come true. Even beyond our wildest expectations! (1 Corinthians 2: 9)

***What are your thoughts on all this? I invite you to comment below.

Heather Denney, first 5k run

Do you have a goal you really want to accomplish, a dream in your heart? You can do it!  At the beginning of this year, our oldest daughter Heather was determined to lose weight and to run a 5K race. Today she did it! 

Using the book, The Belly Fat Cure (a diet which eliminates white sugar and reduces carbs) and joining and teaching a zumba aerobics class, she has lost weight in 9 months, going from a size 14 to now a size 8!  And today she ran her first 5K run!  I am SO proud of her!

The 5K run/walk today was at the Kansas City Royals stadium and raised awareness for autism. About 1400 people participated: little 5-year-old kids, teens, men, women, senior citizens, handicapped, all backgrounds and races. The enthusiasm was contagious. I was touched by how many people came out so early in the morning for this cause.  There are many runs and walks each month for great causes that you can be a part of, either through running, walking, volunteering, or giving financial support.

The runners were supported all the way to the finish line, which was inside the stadium at third base.  Yes, I “mom” was there, cheering Heather on to the finish line, shouting, “Go, Heather!”    A team of friends from her church was there, running too.

At one point during the run, Heather wanted to quit. She thought that she was almost to the end of the race, and then realized coming around a bend that she still had a ways to go. But she pushed herself, and ran the entire race, not stopping once. She even beat her own fastest time in training by 4 minutes!

Heather had a big smile on her face after the run from her accomplishment. It hasn’t been easy this year for her to get to this point, but  hurray, she did it!

It’s on my bucket list to do a 5K run WITH Heather before the end of this year!  I pray I can do it, losing weight too, with God’s help and my family’s support and encouragement. I need prayers for consistency and self-discipline, so please pray for me!  

After the run as Heather and I got into the car to go home, we both had a great laugh over a postcard advertisement placed on her car window, which had a picture of a pig on it and the words, “Run your pork butt off!”  It is the Royal Rib 5K Run on October 2, at the American Royal.  I have put it on my fridge for humorous motivation!

What goal have you set that you want to do this year?

What’s your stopping point?  What obstacles are hindering you from reaching your goals and dreams in your heart?  Remember, you can do it with God’s help and determination!

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12: 1-2, NKJV)

Here are videos of today’s run.

Vlog of Heather’s first 5K

Vlog of military band playing national anthem

Vlog of Heather & friends lining up for the run

Vlog of the runners starting the 5K run/walk

Vlog of Heather going toward finish line

Vlog of Heather right after her run

Vlog of food and water for runners

Fountains at Kansas City Royals Stadium

Yesterday I finished the last class of my 2010 Spring Clean Your Business coaching class with Cindy Rushton, and learned, among many other wonderful things, that in order to get to where we as writers and speakers desire to be, we need to take one step at a time. Reaching for those goals by accomplishing our to-do lists. Pushing through every obstacle to the finish line.  When one task is done, going to the next priority A thing, not losing any momentum.  Doing and becoming what God has called us to do and to be for His glory.

Today my daughter Leah and I made home-made pancakes. Since this was not a boxed pancake recipe, we had to carefully measure each ingredient: the flour, sugar, milk, vanilla, egg yolks and egg whites (separated), salt, and baking powder. If we stirred the mixture too much, the baking powder wouldn’t react correctly. The pancakes with butter and raspberry syrup turned out delicious. To cook the pancakes though, we had to take one ingredient at a time.

In life sometimes things happen that we don’t understand, or we have prayed and nothing seems to be happening. Has God gone on vacation? Is He chatting with or texting someone else on His giant Iphone?  We as humans with our finite minds just don’t get everything that God is doing. Maybe we never will fully understand God and His ways, which are so much higher than our ways. But we must learn to trust Him and to obey Him.

We get through the dark valleys and climb the mountains of glory in life one simple way:  we take every moment, every day, every situation, one prayer at a time.

God hears your voice. Don’t stop praying.

“Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!” (1 Peter 4:7, The Message)

***********

Did you enjoy this post by Beth?  Learn more about prayer here.

“Good plans shape good decisions. That’s why good planning helps to make elusive dreams come true.” ~ Anonymous

How are you enjoying 2010 so far? I’ve been really busy! But I don’t want to be JUST busy – I want to be fruitful for God’s kingdom, bringing glory to Him! 

This week I went out and bought some “supplies” for the new year. I feel like I am in school again – a new wall calendar, a 3-ring notebook, some sheet protectors, and a new Franklin Covey Dayplanner that is smaller than my previous one, so I can carry it wherever I go now!  It has everything I need…..monthly and yearly calendar, important addresses, tabs to record to-do lists, shopping,  menus, personal and family information, notes….what my coach Cindy amusingly calls “my brain in a binder.”    

The wall calendar I bought is a TinkerBell one, and it shows a different picture of her each month, with a cute expression written on it. This month’s motto is “Let the sparkles fly!”  I really like that, don’t you?

Ready to sparkle and shine in 2010?  Just think about all the good things that happened in 2009 – and I believe 2010 is going to be even better for all of us! 

Speaking of good things……..for those of you who have been keeping up with my blogs on , my friends Pat and Kim Weber, you know that they are home now from China with their adopted baby girl Hadassah. Pictured above are Pat’s and Kim’s three children, with their new “Sissy.”  Isn’t she just precious?  The kids are really enjoying her.  What an unforgettable Christmas miracle for that family! And I love how Kim is dressing Megan and Hadassah like twins.   

From Kim, (she said it was fine to post what she wrote), here is the latest update:  “I just uploaded some new pictures to an album called Hadassah at home (on Shutterfly). I can’t believe we’ve been home a week already. Hadassah was amazing on the way home and slept 7 hours of the 11 hour flight, as well as on the other 2 flights. We are so thankful to God and so glad to be home. She has been adjusting well and bonding with everyone. She is such a happy, delightful little girl. We had a few rough nights with her getting used to the time difference, but she is sleeping well now and eating like crazy. She loves American food. Hope you enjoy the pictures!  Love and Blessings, Kim”

Yes, our God is GOOD!

Megan and Hadassah on trampoline at Pat’s and Kim’s house (Florida)