Your Pastoral Coach

A Transformation in My Life

Have you noticed that the frequency of my posts have diminished from a high of daily, to several a week, to now a few a month? Most of my time and energy has been directed elsewhere. Over the last several months I have been thinking about the possibility of realizing one of my dreams, to start my own business. After 20 years of corporate and government experience, I resigned and began my business exactly three months ago. I started a management consulting firm that helps organizations, particularly their Information Technology group and Service Providers, work with a clear vision and realize that vision. More specifically I facilitate strategy development sessions to help them have a strategy that is clear and actionable. I help them improve their governance so that they can effectively make the decisions that are needed to actually realize their vision. I also help them grow their leadership capability through coaching, team building, conflict management, and diversity training so that they can sustain that momentum. These are the topics I love the most and am the most passionate about.

This also helps me more closely align my life with my personal mission statement. My purpose is to help unleash people's divine potential to live happier, healthier, and more meaningful lives. There is a lot of sadness and anguish in the workplace. There is a lot of people, staff and supervisors, that are lost. There are companies with great ideas, but they can't realize them or their business value. If my work can help them be moved by a compelling vision, if they are better able to relate what they do with a cause greater than themselves, if organizations can actually decide on the things that matter most, and if I can help leaders lead and create a better future, then I'll be living my purpose. This sense of service and purpose really fulfills me and fills me with "passionate peace." Because consulting allows you to work anywhere and at any time (or all the time...), I'm planning to book half day, and then one day a week to do nothing but pastoral coaching and theological work at church, which today I fit in when possible.

Tomorrow's readings talk about Christ the King. Through Him we are able to enjoy the promise of everlasting life in the Kingdom of God, and that kingdom begins here on earth, right now. We are the kingdom and the kingdom is only realized when we live the will of God in our lives daily. When, in the presence of God, we use our gifts and talents to make the world a better place. This is my way of living my journey, at least for now. Follow through and make real your dreams!

So, my dear friends of this blogging community, this is where I have been. I miss all of you dearly and think of you during my prayer time and during the day, as you have been a supportive part of my life. Please feel free to visit the website of my new business or my new business blog.

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you have imagined." Thoreau

Technorati Tags: Hope, Purpose

Who Am I? To Be, To Do…

Two of my recent posts, one on the readings from Sunday and one on HeyJules and her life awakening have brought out the topic of “Who am I? And what do I want to do with my life?” As I celebrated Jules, the ever inquisitive Lorna asked, “and you :) Who are you Hector?” Who Am I? Who do I want to be? What do I want to do? Here are some thoughts...

Not Just Living, but Thriving

Few things in life make me so happy than to see people begin to not just live, but thrive in life. These are typically people that pause to see how the clues in their life: passions, childhood activities, dormant talents, urges they are denying, their life stories all lead to defining how uniquely gifted they are in life. They discover that no one can paint, write, sing, lead, plan, or speak as they can because no one has had the exact life and natural talents that they have. It gives us fear to finally say "aha! I finally know who you really are and what you are here to do!" when looking in the mirror. It takes courage to have this revelation, because once we do, once we really believe what is starring in front of our eyes, life is no longer the same.

HeyJules from "Faith or Fiction?" just had such a moment, and I'm really happy for her. She said...

"I hereby discard what I once thought of as myself and replace it now with this:

I am a Christian.

I am a writer.

I am a photographer.

I am a woman, a sister, a child and an adult.

I am an animal lover.

I am a good and faithful friend.

I draw and paint my pictures with words, with sentences, and with paragraphs.

I paint this world with my photographs and with my vision.

I am an artist and I work for God."

Technorati Tags: Life Purpose

Jan Lindsay is Saving the Unborn and Living Her Purpose

I read this story about Jan Lindsey in the St. Anthony Messenger Magazine. By listening to God's will, by recognizing her skills and talents, and by completely trusting in God's providence she is living her purpose and helping save the lives of hundreds of babies. She has founded several shelters for pregnant homeless women to help them with their decision to continue their pregnancies. Studies have shown that financial fears are the main issue prompting women to commit abortions. I was excited in reading her story because as a coach this is a great example of a person making an impact in the world by using her strengths for the benefit of humanity. I was also happy that through Mary's Shelters she was protecting innocent lives and also fully trusting in Divine Providence.

"IF YOU THINK GOD isn’t working miracles, then you don’t know about Mary’s Shelter!” Jan Lindsay, 24 years into the miracles of these pro-life residences, still sounds amazed when she recounts their history."

Technorati Tags: Catholic, Culture of Life, Life Purpose

We Are Called

Lauritz Ring

You have been told, O man,
what is good, and what the LORD requires of you:

We are called to act with justice...

We are called to love tenderly...

We are called to serve one another...

And to walk humbly with God...

Micah 6 : 6-8 and song We Are Called

This is one of my most favorite Old Testament passages. It reminds me of the fire and passion for justice I felt at a huge outside mass attended by thousands of students from Jesuit colleges before a peace march. I also love the song We Are Called performed by David Haas. What are we called to do? What is the "yes!" God seeks from us? It's simply this. We can humbly say yes to this calling, wether we are serving in El Salvador, Chicago, or any place we live and work. It seems simple, yet it requires courage to act with justice when it is not advantageous to us, it requires compassion to love tenderly when others oppose our work and our values, and it requires Divine love to serve one another when our heart hurts and we feel sad. It requires grace to do this as a humble servant, giving God all glory and all praise. Oh, how difficult to do the simple, oh how scary to surrender for love, to sacrifice what the world values; yet how sweet to live in the presence of the Lord, and to walk humbly with Him until we can't walk any longer.

Here I am Lord. I say yes my dear beloved. Please fill me with your Spirit until it spills, so I may serve you always. Thank your for calling...

Technorati Tags: Catholic, Justice, Life Purpose, Scripture Reflection

Freedom to be Formed by God

Freedom

There are very few people
who realise what God would make of them
if they abandoned themselves into his hands,
and let themselves be formed by his grace.
(St Ignatius)

Technorati Tags: Catholic, Life Purpose, Quotes, Spirituality

Gospel Reflection for November 13, 2005

Gospel reflections about this Sunday's readings. Particularly about Matthew's words.

What is my purpose in life? If we ask ourselves this question from time to time, without ever doing anything about it, this Gospel reading is a warning. Our life purpose is to grow in holiness and to use the talents and strengths that our God has so graciously “lend us” in order to make this world a better place. All for His glory. We sure don’t want to hear "You wicked, lazy servant!" at the time of our judgment...