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My husband had to be at church early last weekend and as it was the most beautiful cool crisp and clear winter’s day, with the sun shining, I asked my husband to drop me off at a park nearby so I could go in search of a Flame Robin I’d seen there a year before.  My plan was to walk to the church after about a half hour or so of photography.

I was not only rewarded with seeing the robin and his new family but also some sacred ibis in flight and a swan and its mate and their three cygnets.  Plus beautiful views in the park throughout.

I trod along the paths that were set there for everyone to walk on, but I only got to see most of the ‘treats’ by treading off the beaten path.  I thought about that as I walked along and felt that God was speaking to me once again.  It was almost like I could hear His voice in my head telling me that it was ok to go ‘off the beaten track’.

Often when we talk about going off the beaten track it can mean people going astray or as we say ‘going off track’ but in this case I believe God meant that by not following the world, but by following Him we are moving ‘off the beaten track’. There are times when we will do things that seem averse to the way of the world and what is commonly accepted practice.  As Christians we are expected to shine a light and be aware that our actions are always on display.  Instead of travelling on ‘the beaten track’ we are to follow the path that Jesus led which was very much off the beaten track.

As I walked off the beaten track last Sunday in the park I was delighted with things I would not have seen had I stayed on the track. Two of those items are pictured below.

Are you travelling the path that God would have you travel or are you travelling the one that the world would have you travel?

This Flame Robin could not be seen from the path I was walking on, it wasn’t until after I’d left the path and ventured towards a fence that I saw the robin on the ground beyond the fence.

This family of swans were hiding in the reeds and it wasn’t until I drew closer to the water that they moved out so I could see them.  Had I stayed on the path up the hill I would not have seen them at all – or only specks in the distance.

Isaiah 42:16 … along unfamiliar paths I will guide them, I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth.

In August 2008 I shared how a blogpost I’d written for another blog I owned had spoken to a lady who really needed to read that message. I’d responded to an inner prompting I’d had to write that post.

In that same year I’d been approached about a new business that was reaching Australia from the US.  I’d been approached many times by many people for all sorts of business opportunities and I was actually quite sick of people seeing me as a prospecting machine to help build their businesses.  I really should have felt flattered I guess – they see me as having great potential.  However my feelings coloured my view of any business and I neglected to view it properly.

Move forward two years and I’ve since decided to set up an account with that business ‘Send Out Cards‘ as I recognise it is a great marriage with a service I already provide – database and customer relationship management. And one of the things I love about this program is that it was built on that ‘inner prompting’.  The founder of the company missed an opportunity to speak to his brother before his brother’s untimely death and he decided he wanted to not only take notice of those inner promptings but teach others to do so as well.  There have been times when I’ve missed, or rather ignored, those inner promptings too and it’s also led to similar outcomes.  Once was a best friend when I was only 21 years old and another more recently, one of my daughters. Of course there have been other times too when I’ve simply missed opportunities and the moment passes and the meaning would no longer be there.

How often does someone you know cross your mind but you do nothing about it because you’re busy at the time?  If you’re like me and at the computer a lot it doesn’t always cross your mind to go down to the shops, pick out a card, write in it and then head off to the post office. But that is all it takes to let someone know you’re thinking of them.  And with a card it’s something they can keep for a long time.  A phone call can be replayed in your head but a card you can pick up and read over and over again a long time after it was received.

I’m beginning to realise that the ministry through business I’ve been running can be added to through the sending of cards to people who cross my mind.  There are times when it’s appropriate to pick up the phone and speak with them but other times when a card is far more suitable.

When I first began some months ago I struggled to think of a reason or a person on a daily basis.  But today I write names down as people cross my mind and it’s not unusual to send 3 or 4 cards a day. And the cost of those cards isn’t great – it’s cheaper than going down to the shops and purchasing individual cards as well as the time involved.

If you feel you have a ministry through your workplace of encouraging people then why not consider that Send Out Cards could be an ideal way to act on those inner promptings.  Prayer should always be taking place anyway but if you want to make that action more visible to the person you’re thinking of, then a card will definitely suit. There are over 12,000 templates or you can design your own, so there will always be something to suit the occasion.

Proverbs 11:25 A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

My apologies to all my regular readers and those who have left comments and waiting for responses.  My life has changed dramatically over the past almost two years and for a long time I haven’t really felt like writing. That is changing and the writing is coming back as new things begin to inspire me.

I don’t want to labour why I haven’t been here. We had a loss in the family which really rocked us to the core and while life hasn’t returned to the normalcy we knew, it has taken on a new kind of ‘normal’ and we have begun to move forward again. I hope to start writing here again regularly and would also welcome guest contributors on this topic.

I’d always felt it was important to set goals and write them down. Something ‘magical’ happens when you take them from your mind and begin to visualise them in words and images.

This devotion from The Word For Today again emphasises the importance of goal setting and bringing them to fruition – with God involved in that process.

Eight principles to live by

“Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity…” Proverbs 21:5 NLT

People who set goals accomplish much more than people of equal education and ability who don’t. With that in mind, build these eight principles into your life. (1) Decide what you want. But first consult God. “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Pr 19:21 NIV). (2) Think on paper. Writing your goals down gives them a sense of permanency, plus it energises you. “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity…” Wishy-washy objectives won’t get you where you want to go. (3) Establish a deadline. Without a definite beginning and ending it’s easy to procrastinate and get nowhere. (4) Make a list of what you need to do to. Keep it before you at all times; it’ll give you a track to run on. (5) Convert your list to a plan. Decide what you need to do first and what you can do later. An organised plan is always better than trying to carry stuff around in your head. (6) Act immediately. “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity…” (Eph 5:15-16 NIV). Do something! A mediocre plan that’s implemented beats a brilliant one that’s not. (7) Do something every day to move you forward. Build it into your schedule. For example, read systematically through your Bible, call a specific number of clients, engage in physical activity for a given time. (8) Have a goal you’re willing to devote your life to. And keep your eye on that goal at all times. “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Ps 90:12 NIV).

Soulfood Bible Readings (Pentecost) Lev 23:15-22, Acts 2:1-18

I had a speaking engagement coming up. I was to be the keynote speaker and was being paid well for it and the audience would be larger than most audiences I’d spoken before.  It was an honour to be asked and I was excited about it.

But the day that dawned found me not in a good state. I wasn’t feeling very well in the morning and as the day progressed I found myself to be teary and anxious.  Clients were ringing and demanding my time and I just didn’t feel like I was in control.  I was getting easily upset and watched the clock anxiously.

I had my stuff packed – books, order forms, magazines, one of my awards in a frame to show, my presentation had been written several days before.  I had everything ready, it’s just that I didn’t feel ready.

I sought prayer from a couple of women’s groups I belong to and my husband prayed for me in the morning before he left for work.  He rang me about a half hour before I was due to leave.

The trip was almost 100kms and I allowed 2 hours to get there – I had thought it should take about 1 3/4 hours.  It should have, but didn’t. The traffic was bad, the wind very strong and I got lost in a town that I don’t know very well. I had instructions and had looked it up in the Melways but somehow I was looking for a street on my right instead of on my left and before I knew it I was heading back out of that town so did a u-turn and was heading back in the direction I’d come. Where had I gone wrong?

I sms’d my husband to say I was lost and then rang the Telco company to get connected to the venue and the receptionist there talked me in over the phone. How embarrassing! By this time I was crying and in a real state.  Hubby rang me just as I was finding the venue and wished me all the best.  As I walked up the steep hilly road from the nearest parking spot I could find I hoped that my makeup hadn’t streaked and that things would get better from hereon.

I couldn’t even unpack my display of books properly for sales or anything – only a few things on the space they’d left for me on the table and then I was rushed to my seat so they could start the proceedings.  All I could do was sit in my seat and think I hadn’t even been able to grab my prepared notes or anything and God, what am I going to do?

Well, I calmed down and was on after the main meal, nearly an hour and half later.  I had a brief opportunity to grab my notes but didn’t get to read them  I did get to listen to the other speakers (it was an awards night) and I found a common theme amongst all of those who spoke briefly and even the women at my table.  I prayed briefly, got up and opened my mouth to speak and before I knew it I was being signalled there were only 10 mins to go, 5, then 2 and I finished. Where did that time go? I was able to refer to those others who had been up before me, engaged the audience in answering questions and shared information I’d learnt from the woman sitting next to me less than an hour before.  It seems the whole night was the perfect match for what I knew I needed to talk about.  I spoke about dreams and visions, and passions and how your passion is really your vision for life.  I quoted from Proverbs 31:10 at the end of it. I had people laughing in the audience, people looking thoughtful, nodding their heads in agreement when I spoke of the value of women being in the home and how our children benefit from that.  At one stage you could have heard a pin drop – it was awesome being up there in front of over 100 people and not a person was moving or talking – all were listening.  What an amazing experience that was.

Afterward a young teenage girl in school uniform came to ask me if I am a Christian and she was excited as she thought I was. We had a lovely conversation about her plans, dreams and vision.  Others were inspired to come tell me they’re going to pursue their dreams – one woman in her 40s who had always wanted to tap dance. I told her to go for it!  Another spoke of how she’d always wanted to write.

God was there and it went well, and it had to be from Him because I was in a mess leading up to the event. Isn’t He good?  Just goes to show you have to let Him take the lead and when He does, no matter how well prepared you are, or how badly things seem to be going, it will turn out in the way He had planned. You have to let Him take the lead.