YOUR LIFE COACHING WV

Photo Credit: A. Berg @ Grant Co., WV "Somewhere under the snow are footprints of the past. Imperfections hiding under a blanket of pure white. Alas, snow melts and flaws surface. And a New Year has begun." - D. Kelly REFLECTION: 2016 didn't teach me lessons I never knew. Nor did it bring challenges never before faced. AS in years past, in 2016 we’ve loved and lost. We've laid some angels to rest. We've smiled, cried, bled, faked, and fought. We’ve lost friends and found new ones…then lost a few of those too. We've felt the thrill of living and cried many tears from death. Yet 2016 proved one thing: Life goes on and it moves at a rapid pace. If we aren't careful, life can and will go on without us. BUT this is a new year.  So instead of proclaiming this as "New Year, New Me" or "Make it a year to remember," make this the year we ask what's so wrong with the person I am? What should I improve, what shoul

Photo Credit: A. Redmon, Grant Co., WV REFLECTION "...But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15). IMAGINE THIS I gazed at the old house. I’d seen it a hundred times. Yet every time I wonder… What did it look like before the great ruin? Could this cold and lonely skeleton have once been a warm and cozy abode on New Years past? Did it have a family? Did they usher in the new year with rifle shots? Did answering shots ring back from the dark West Virginia sky? And wonder, oh wonder, were Christmas gifts stuffed inside a sock? Were they wrapped in newsprint instead? Did the family set its table with gaiety or simplicity? Did they work its land? Did they appreciate its creek? So many questions I had for the old house; questions to remain unanswered. I smiled at the deer standing near its creek; As I imagined the house’s family. Would their faces have been pressed against a now missing windowpane? Would they be watching the deer graz

Photo Credit: A. Goldizen @ Grant Co., WV REFLECTION "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John 1:14, KJV). IMAGINE THIS Mary knelt at His feet. Closing her swollen eyes against the darkness, 'My Son,' she thought, 'why my Son?' And her mind raced back in time. The angel…why did he not speak to her of this heartache? But Simeon…she’d seen heartache in his eyes… She had pondered it all…but could not have imagined this. She recalled His birth still clear as could be. Yes, she could still see it all: The manger, the animals, the babe...the kind innkeeper. The angels and wise men too. She rolled her head from side to side – wishing to wake up from this nightmare. There was death. So much death. Always lurking. Always there.  Yet…nothing like this. Not before. Not ever. Her heart thumped against her chest. The same one that was ripped ope

REFLECTION " For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6, KJV). PICTURE THIS I had spent hours capturing my thoughts on what Christmas meant to me. It was a 'feel good' piece about family, laughter, food, and music. It then segued into a few lengthy paragraphs about Jesus: His birth, life, death, and resurrection.   But this morning when I started tweaking it, I realized it was not really what I wanted to share. Or maybe truer yet: It wasn't what I needed to share.  'Write from your heart' was God's gentle reminder.   So from my heart, here is what Christmas means to me: it's about the empty tomb. And  the stirring of the Holy Spirit in my gut - someone we wouldn't have without the blood stained cross.  Christmas is about God's wonderful gift: th

All my life I have tried to hide in the shadows. Never good enough. Always lacking. Always trying to blend in - to go unnoticed. I had an opinion but unless pushed or provoked, it stayed internalized. I was fine in the shadows, they hid my flaws. I was fine in the back of the line, from there I could encourage others to do what I didn't have the guts to do myself. I wasn't a pushover but I wasn't pushy either. But a few years ago, something changed. Something far out of my reach was suddenly right in front of me. Something not necessarily scary...but close. And with this change I was somehow forced outside of my comfort zone. Pushed to a place where only God could have empowered and equipped me to go. Somewhere standing in front of what feels like a spotlight about to get turned on...and anyone who knows me, the real me, knows that none of this is right...yet somehow here I am ready for whatever comes next. Doing things that go against every natural facet of

My Reflection:   I don't mean to be. And I don't wanna be. But I’m afraid I’m a little weird. And in the past, I hated that about myself, s o, typically, I don't do anything to draw attention. As a matter of fact, I’d much rather fade into the background than stand out in a crowd. Yet I find myself in front of groups teaching and trying to entertain as a public speaker ( which is hard because as my husband says, I’m most funny when I am trying not to be ) yet somehow I enjoy the training workshops and engaging others. Which with my personality, is definitely weird. For example, my family knows that when shopping, I prefer the quick and easy in and out experience but that rarely happens. I frequently find myself engaged in conversations with old friends or total strangers – something that my husband laughs about because he knows that I’m more of a loner than a social butterfly…yet, chit-chat seems to be one of my gifts.  But still if you were to ask me or anyone w

"And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon  the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. [3] And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. [4] And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness" (Genesis 1:2-4, KJV).   "I'm starting to realize that we are a lot like the earth before 'And God said...'"  Coach Kelly + + + My Reflection: While decorating for Christmas this year,  I've been thinking about what it means to be a Christian. Is it just a title? Is it a calling? Maybe it's just a different lifestyle? Or is it something else. Something that gives off a light that looks a lot like love? Maybe, just maybe, being a Christian  is all these things and more...Earlier this evening I discovered t he difference a little light can make which started me to thinking about how Jesus called us the light of the world (see M

"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you" (Isaiah 54:10. NIV) The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever" (Isaiah 40:8, NIV). + + + 2016 has certainly been a test of faith in the Bible Belt and beyond. Fires, floods, civil unrest... Yet somehow, for the most part, our overall faith in God remains. Perhaps in some cases, growing even stronger.  And some have asked how can this be...how can we keep trusting in God after looking around at the chaos and devastation?  I understand their doubt…because, logically keeping the faith doesn't always make sense.  But then again, faith isn't about logic… Logic. The ability to reason things out, to make sense of it all. And once again, logically, I can't explain why I embrace faith in God…yet, even after I've witness