Laura's LifePath Coaching

October 21, 2024

October 21, 2024

The satisfaction that I enjoy when it becomes apparent that my coaching is helping a client to find a path out of a place of darkness, toward a place of light, has recently been enhanced by adding my certification in Crisis Response and Trauma Care. The focus of this area of coaching is on providing a compassionate and supportive presence to mitigate acute distress following a traumatic event. How people respond to trauma and crisis varies to the same degree that personality varies. What may be traumatic to one person may not phase another.

 

Among the benefits that this area of mental health coaching can provide are stability, comfort and awareness of the possible harm of making quick decisions. The consideration of a particular support system may also provide help along with addressing spiritual and other facets of mental help. The mere presence of working with a mental health coach, generally referred to as the “Ministry of Presence” is usually a paramount benefit in the relief of a traumatic setback in itself. 

 

My own faith in Christ, as Lord of all and the ultimate authority, is what enables me to share what I have learned through my training as a coach with the goal of providing comfort, strength and a path toward light from the dark.

Are you experiencing stress as a result of trauma and the uncertainty around us? How is your connection with God? It would be my privilege to talk with you.

August 5, 2024

August 5, 2024

This got my attention today and I just had to share it with you. 

One of the best tips that I can offer to a client having difficulty with a relationship is to let go and let God

 

Whether the relationship is old or new or involves a person we love, letting go and trusting God often presents a perplexing challenge. A test of our faith is required, especially when the difficulty involves a person that we love, to surrender the difficulty into His care, to trust Him with the problem and to let go.

 

I have faced this challenge numerous times. Over the years, the Lord has either allowed, or caused, the removal of a relationship with someone who I thought would become my partner in life. The reason has not always been clear, but the lesson has been unmistakably clear!

 

Trust and Let Go!

 

Do you have any relationship difficulties that God is calling you to surrender into His hands?

July 22, 2024

July 22, 2024

Not long ago, I read that only 20% of people are coachable.

 

As a coach who desires to bring transformation to people by cementing their personal relationship with Christ and the renewing of their mind (see Romans 12:2), if true, this statistic means that 80% of us can be written off as beneficiaries of this goal of coaching!

 

Why this negative mindset?

 

I suspect that the change and growth associated with coaching is foreseen as a lead in to losing one’s comfort zone. It seems that most of us prefer the comfort of a self-help approach.

 

Coaching provides accountability and consistency that’s missing from self-help. Time and effort are necessary elements in reaching goals. A coach provides support, inspiration, encouragement and the necessary follow through to reach a goal that will bring lasting change.

 

In the words of Charles Spurgeon: “Growth is painful. Change is painful, but nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don’t belong.”

 

With coaching guidance, you can get unstuck, move forward, overcome fear and uncertainty, and find hope, healing and peace.

 

If you would like to talk about coaching, send me a message to set up a free half-hour Discovery Call. Be the exception!

 

Are you interested in exploring the possibility of change?

June 10, 2024

June 10, 2024

Over the past couple of months, I’ve shared thoughts and verses about peace, contentment and satisfaction amidst our trials and tribulations. Today is about joy.

 

This is a subject that has presented a challenge for me in the past, and still does. Patterns of negative thinking can easily creep in when we’re not looking.

 

God is the only source of true joy! He provides joy with His assurance that He will never leave us. As believers, we can always experience joy in our assurance of both His love and His presence with us.

 

If you are a believer in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for you personally, then you can experience  joy regardless of your circumstances.

 

Additionally, God’s promise that He will never leave us (Deuteronomy 31:8) and that He will always be with us (Psalm 73:23) are reasons for perpetual joy!

 

God’s Word is also a sure source of joy and a delight to our heart! (Jeremiah 15:16) His Word brings joy because we have a God who loves us enough to  speak directly to us. No matter whether we find words of praise or correction, this knowledge alone is ample reason for joy.

 

We can also find joy in our daily provisions, in our relationships with others and in knowing His faithfulness to us. 

 

When you think about it, is there really a good reason that you should not be joyful today?

May 20, 2024

May 20, 2024

Today I have a tip to share with anyone interested in cultivating stronger and healthier relationships.  Begin with God by focusing on who He is and your relationship with Him.

 

Remember – “What is impossible with man is possible with God” (Luke 18:27)

 

Concentrate on how you see and understand God. I have talked with many discouraged people who limit God to their personally conceived notion of Him. They fail to recognize that their comprehension of God within the limitations of what our brain can accurately process is very limited and can never rise to seeing Him in His role as a truly sovereign God!

 

Charles Spurgeon, a preeminent author and preacher put it this way: “As well might a gnat seek to drink in the ocean, as a finite creature to comprehend the Eternal God.”

 

Are you limiting God’s ability to work in your own life by relegating His sovereignty to something less than reality? It’s worth pondering! Don’t limit the Lord! Anything is possible!

 

When you are in close relationship with God, all of your other relationships will benefit. It’s the best place to start!

 

How is your relationship with God?

April 8, 2024

April 8, 2024

If we truly want the Lord in our life, we need to actively pursue Him.

 

Seeking the Lord can become a part of our nature as we live with the everyday intent of putting God first in our lives. In the words of Charles Stanley, having a relationship with God should be “our priority and our foremost desire”. We’re on track only if “we choose to obey God, follow God, and have a daily and intimate relationship with God”. We talk with Him, listen to Him and are “eager to consult with Him at all times.”

 

When you sense that there’s something missing in your life, or you find strife in your relationships, or you simply long for peace and joy, you need to ask yourself if you have been truly seeking the Lord. Finding meaning in, and resolution to, difficult circumstances and experiences of your life won’t happen without deepening your relationship with the Lord. Perhaps you are seeking comfort, help, healing and restoration or you may be desiring growth, wisdom and abundant life. Jesus wants you and me to have all these things, but He wants us to always look to Him first. Putting Him first means seeking Him with your whole heart. When you seek Him, He has promised that you will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13).

 

If you’re interested in some guidance in improving your relationship with God, I am available to talk with you about getting a start on this richly rewarding journey!  “Those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.” (Psalm 34:10)

March 11, 2024

March 11, 2024

I used to believe that I needed to defend myself when conversation became argumentative. I wanted my position to be justified. Instead of helping, this approach only brought more conflict. It seems that every close relationship will ultimately provide some conflict. How we choose to handle our disagreements and conflict makes a major difference in the health of the relationship. 

 

The Holy Spirit has impressed upon my heart and mind a conviction that I cannot convince someone of something they are not ready or willing to hear or accept. It doesn’t matter if my position is “right” and theirs is “wrong”.

 

Frustration and misery can be avoided if we learn to be still and let the Lord fight our battles for us. The outcome will be well worth it!

February 5, 2024

February 5, 2024

If you asked me what motivates me to devote the time and effort to engage in life coaching, sharing God’s love with others has to rank as the number one reason! But, a natural follow up question might be: “what is truly unique about God’s love?”

 

The foundational Greek in scripture references a variety of the  types of love. God’s love is defined as agape love and stands apart from other forms of love such as tender affection and erotic love. 

 

Some of the qualities of God’s Agape love are: constant, free, sacrificial, ever-present, perfect, unfailing and unlimited. 

 

It was this love that caused God to send His son into the world (John 3:16) to suffer on our behalf to rescue us from our sinful state and bring us back to Him. 

 

Because of His great love for us, Jesus desires an eternal and personal relationship with each of us.

 

When we accept His invitation, the relationship that He establishes with us includes His constant presence with us and a love with the power to redeem our failures and to transform us into His image.  

 

Are you trusting in Him and the power of His love? 

August 28, 2023

August 28, 2023

My nephew enjoys playing the keyboard with the worship band at his church. He’s also a graphic artist and created this graphic. The heart of the message is focused on ” the rest “. 

 

I am trying to take a rest this coming week leading up to the busy school season about to get underway. This means disciplining myself to put aside my routine of checking off my to-do list and shifting my focus to spending some time with my son and, hopefully, some extra time to read and recharge. My son will be gone in the blink of an eye and I’ll be glad for whatever time that I’m able to set aside and spend with him. Also, setting aside some rest time for myself will help me to be a better Mom. 

 

The words of John Ruskin paint a meaningful picture. Day by day, I am learning about rest.

 

Are you well-rested? I look forward to the opportunity to work with you and help you strike the next note full and clear.

July 10, 2023

July 10, 2023

I would love to meet you! Hopefully, one day that will happen. In the meantime, I would like to share a few of my personal likes and thoughts so you’ll know me a little better:

 

  1. I love exploring the Maine coast!
  2. I love photography. Landscape photography is a special passion of mine.
  3. I like having plants all around the house, especially when they are in pots with lobsters on them!
  4. I enjoy reading at the beach when it’s foggy and no one’s around. This book, “Surrender to Love” by David G. Benner, is excellent!
  5. I have a belief that God has used various trials in my life as a workshop for the development of particular skills, coupled with a sprinkle of wisdom, to be used for helping others to experience positive outcomes from their own trials.

 

I’d like to get to know you better, too. What is a personal like or belief of yours that you are willing to share? Book a half-hour complimentary Discovery Call with me and let’s talk!