Coaching 101 - Ch 5

Summary
When embarking on a new project or plan, resourcing can make all the difference. Just knowing that you don't have to do it alone, that its in your best interest to perhaps get connected with others who can come alongside you or refer you to someone else for guidance can help take away the sense of being overwhelmed. When making plans or setting a goal, you need to know

1) What resources are needed
2) What resources you already have
3) What resources you don't already have
4) Where to get these resources

Two important and oft over-looked resources are time and other people. "God provides all the time necessary to do what we need to do, but if we squander portions of that time, we may find ourselves with too little left over."(1, p. 78) Another common resource mistake is to think you have to do it all alone instead of considering that its possible that God brought certain people into your life for a reason. "Delegating tasks not only frees up our own time but empowers others."(1, p.78)

Also its important to keep in mind that it will be tempting for us to do all the footwork for those we are coaching in researching solutions to obstacles and such, however "Just as children grow to be more self-reliant when their parents allow them to struggle a bit and work to earn privileges, those being coached grow stronger through the experience of following up leads and searching out necssary resources."(1, p.79)

Action item: Start a list of good resources, some of which can be found on coachnet.org.

Personal reflection
Just yesterday I was able to coach someone by helping them see there were more options available than they realized because they felt overwhelmed in trying to figure out how to find affordable and specialized trauma counseling and housing. Just knowing that the church has so many resources to offer can be incredibly freeing and give a person hope in this regard. The body of Christ is an excellent resource, and the Lord may move in someone's heart in a powerful way to offer assistance to someone in need.

Scripture
1 Corinthians 12:14-26 14Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

(1) Logan, Robert E. & Carlton, Sherilyn. 2003. Coaching 101: Discover the Power of Coaching. ChurchSmart Resources