A Catholic In The Wilderness Blog
"If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world ablaze."
St. Catherine of Siena
Does This Sound Familiar?
Why did God create me?
And what exactly does He want from me?
Why do I get really excited about certain aspects of my life and work, and other things just bore me to tears?
I haven't done a good job of coming out of COVID lockdown. I miss being with people.
What does it mean, "to serve others?"
Sometimes I feel like I'm running on autopilot.
Sometimes people just annoy me and I have no idea why.
I'm tired of living as I am. I have a good life, but I know there is more.
How can I improve my outlook on life and experience joy?
How do I get unstuck? How do I get rid of this feeling of frustration?
Something is missing, I can feel it.
Do I need more of God in my life?
Do other people have these same questions and feel like I do?
The answer is a resounding YES!
If you are running on autopilot and you are happy doing that, great! But I'm guessing you know there's more to life than what the news, social media, and group think are offering you. People are recognizing that God is missing from and belongs in the basic foundation of our life. The question is, how do we do that without turning our life upside down?
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Now, you can go to church every Sunday, and that's a beautiful thing, because that motivates you to be a better person. But first thing Monday morning something throws you off. You react instead of thinking before you respond. You want to be alone and just get away from people. And naturally, after you've thought about it, you feel horrible because you just acted exactly as you do not want to act.
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The problem is, motivation does not last. You need to aspire to something greater than yourself. And right there is your answer- strive to be a better person than you were yesterday. Sounds simple, but you can't do that without God.
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God created you uniquely. There is no one else exactly like you. God wants you to know your uniqueness and put it to good use for yourself, for others, and especially for Him!
How do I live my best life?
Live your best life by recognizing that God designed you in such a unique way, and there is no one else like you. God knew you before you were born. Wouldn't it be great if you knew how God designed you? What gifts He gave you? What exactly would you do if you knew?
So, now I have to be the perfect Christian!
What exactly is a perfect Christian? Well, Jesus was the first and last person on earth to be perfect. So how about striving for excellence? To use the gifts God gave you and just work towards being the person God wants you to be. Will you falter? Of course. I do. We all do. But we keep pressing forward because we were designed by God, for God. We all make mistakes. It's what we learn from them that matters. We're only human. Let yourself be human.
How do I create more community in my life? How do I serve others?
First of all, service to others is more than just volunteering. It's seeing an employee's name badge and and using their name in conversation. It's coming off autopilot and noticing the people and experiences around you, moment by moment, and responding to them with kindness and caring. It's recognizing your God-given gifts and using them to make someone's day a little brighter. Think about this- work or school may be the best part of someone's day. Do you really want to go through your day with a protective un-caring attitude?
And that feeling of being stuck or frustrated........
Here's the thing..... we are never really stuck. We may be frustrated, but what is happening is a new level of growth is about to happen within us. We make the best of it by recognizing our emotions and using them as energy for a better work life balance and stronger relationships. You see, emotions are neither good or bad. They are necessary for our existence. Improving our emotional intelligence will improve our lives in so many ways! Getting rid of that unstuck feeling is a pretty good place to start.
A Shining Example
Blessed Pier Georgio Frassati is a classic example of an individual pursuing the Christian life. He was a man who loved adventure, but loved Jesus first. He cared for those in need, took care of children as well as the elderly, and always desired a virtuous life. But as a human, he lived to the fullest. Frassati was a mountain climber and knew he was never alone on the mountain. He was always with God, and could count on his friends for having his back when needed. And they counted on him, as well.
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Blessed Pier Georgio knew where he stood in his Godly design and made good use of it before he died of polio at the young age 24. He understood that he was an integral part of the community and went out of his way to insure others were cared for. It was obvious that he lived life to the fullest, and his maturity, his ability to manage emotions, was an asset of immeasurable proportions.
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Blessed Pier Georgio Frassati was in constant pursuit of the Christian Life.
What I Do
Christian Pursuits Coaching improves school culture and climate with awareness of the individual's unique Godly design, and how to serve the community through the Fivefold Ministries (Ephesians 4:11-13).
I offer school culture and climate assessment and consultation, workshops, group coaching and one on one coaching opportunities. I am an ambassador for the Catholic University of America CEDE Program, and in training for certification in the high school course Catholic Entrepreneurship and Design Experience. Learn more about the CEDE Program HERE.
Christian Pursuits Coaching serves teachers, students, administrators, staff, and the parishes that support the schools.
Learn more about Christian life pursuits below.
Three Pursuits for a Christian Life
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
Know Your Godly Design
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
Most people think the Parable of the Talents was about money. Not exactly. Jesus gave us this parable to teach us about using our gifts and talents for their best use possible. Remember, we are made by God FOR God.
Discover your talents and your Godly design.
Take a talent themes assessment, discover your Godly design, learn what you are good at, and do more of that!
Serve Others In Community
"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work."
In Ephesians 4 Jesus tells the disciples how to build a community and serve one another- as Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Shepherds, and Teachers. As we are each uniquely made in our Godly design, we support and build our communities by serving with individual ministry expressions, or styles.
Maybe there's a reason you don't enjoy serving on the finance committee.
Live In Abundance
"Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity."
In other words, pay attention to your emotions (EQ). Feelings are necessary, so don't hide them under a rock. Learn to use them for good and you will be the person God intended you to be.
Learn to grow your Emotional Intelligence to optimize your life.
How I Lead In Service
Mission
Coaching individuals, teams, and groups in the recognition of their Godly design, to apply their strengths in how they serve others with their own ministry style and develop relationships in wisdom and emotional strength.
Vision
I envision an individual living a life directed by their unique Godly design, utilizing their strengths and gifts to honor God, and create a deeper more meaningful relationship with Him.
I envision individuals building community in the Fivefold Ministries of Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, and Teacher. Building on Godly design individuals will serve one another communities will serve each other.
I envision an education system that encourages individual learning styles and supports the student’s self-expression in entrepreneurship of vocation, service to others, and the pursuit of a Christian life.
I envision family relationships grounded in Godly pursuit and built upon the shared knowledge of strengths, ministry styles, and maturity.
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I've worked with colleges and universities across the country assisting them in creating culture change, enhancing engagement, and improving the teaching and learning process. I've also done the same for K12 teachers, improving the teaching process and student learning.
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My ministry is to strengthen the Christian education system and the parishes that support that system by empowering administrators, teachers and faculty, staff, and of course, students in their their self-discovery of their unique Godly, how they use emotional intelligence to effectively navigate the world around them.
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With specific coach training, certifications and partnerships, I look forward to serving you, your institution, or parish. Here are the partners I work with to help me achieve my mission:
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Human Formation Coalition- Forming disciples in the dimensions of Human, Intellection, Spirit, and Vocation. Our work is grounded in knowing our Godly design (CliftonStrengths) and it's application in the Fivefold Ministries (APEST).
CliftonStrengths- I have been fortunate to study and mentor with Brent O'Bannon, the very first certified CliftonStrengths coach. I have earned Brent's Strengths Champion certification with the CliftonStrengths assessment.
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5Q/APEST- The APEST assessment, based on the Fivefold Ministries in Ephesians 4, is a great tool to help individuals learn where and how to serve others best. We each have a preferred ministry style, and when blended with the individuals strengths a life of transformation is created.
Six Seconds- Emotions drive people and people drive performance. For 25 years six seconds has been the world leader in measuring EQ and implementing programs for individuals and teams to accept and grow in their emotional intelligence. As a certified EQ Practitioner it is my Noble Goal to assist others in finding their Genuine Identity through strengths and live as confident productive emotional beings.
TESTIMONIALS
I Want To Hear From You
