LIKE A KID ON CHRISTMAS MORN’
Oohhh, Mining For Gold by Tom Camacho had my heart racing for days. I literally felt it was Christmas as I read through many of the pages. Just over a year ago, I founded Restore Counseling Center. We have 1, 3, 5, and 10-year goals. Part of those goals include multiplying our counseling center in 22 different areas in the United States and 5 places overseas. Discipleship, training, refining, educating, mentoring, and equipping our therapists is our lifeblood! It’s our lifeblood because it’s my sweet spot! “Our sweet spot is like a vein where we consistently find gold. It shows us patterns or certain ways God tends to use us and bear fruit through us.” [1]
I recognized this sweet spot of developing people as a teenager. Therefore, maybe Mining For Gold is for everyone and not just for leaders. And because of this I tend to believe that Camacho’s principles can be used by a 17 year old student to develop/coach other students, a 23 year old cashier to develop/coach other cashiers, or a 31 year old mom to develop/coach other moms. His six principles of mining for gold/coaching leadership are:
- The Holy Spirit does the work of refining.
- Our true identity is the foundation of thriving
- We thrive when we cooperate with our God-given design.
- Each of us has a sweet spot – a place where we naturally bear the most fruit.
- The cross is God’s great refining tool.
- All true thriving is relational. [2]
Every believer has a calling to practice these excellent principles. Christ gave us spiritual gifts, “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” (Ephesians 4:12) [3] But even though we have all been called to develop others, coaching is a little different. Personally, I have never had a life coach. Camacho strongly emphasizes coaching is a fresh way to look at leadership development. [4] Since leadership development is my sweet spot, I am really looking forward to developing because of having a life coach. Personally, I need a life coach at this time because for the past 8 months I have had a lack of motivation in life. This lack of motivation has come through the passing of my youngest son. Therefore, I realize my lack of motivation is normal, acceptable, and part of the grieving and healing process. I’ve had grief counseling and been part of a grief support group but I strongly believe having a life coach soon will be perfect timing for my soul.
I was waiting for a chapter like 11, which emphasizes the heat of refining for the leader. “God’s refining processes are always designed to bring us life, but they don’t always feel that way.” [5] Camacho discussed the value of pain and paying attention to our struggles. Because of this, there is one area I would add to the book and coaching. An important part of developing leaders is helping them go back into their past in order to go forward. Many of us leaders live lives with deeply entrenched struggles apparently untouched by the power and mercy of Jesus Christ. Being vulnerable about our past can strengthen our leadership and those who follow us. Coaching others to understand how we dissociate or repress our anger, sadness, and fear, will actually help us to thrive as godly leaders.
[1] Camacho, Tom. 2019. Mining for Gold: Developing Kingdom Leaders through Coaching. First published. Nottingham: IVP, p.133.
[2] Ibid, p.6.
[3] Crossway Bibles, ed. 2007. ESV: Study Bible: English Standard Version. ESV text ed. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles, p.1479.
[4] Camacho, Tom. 2019. Mining for Gold: Developing Kingdom Leaders through Coaching. First published. Nottingham: IVP, p.28.
[5] Ibid, p.144.
#DLGP02, #Camacho
About the Author
Todd E Henley
Todd is an avid cyclist who loves watching NASCAR, photography, and playing Madden football. He is addicted to reading, eating fruits and vegetables, and drinking H2O. His passion is talking about trauma, epigenetics, chromosomes, and the brain. He has been blessed with a sensationally sweet wife and four fun creative children (one of which resides in heaven). In his free time he teaches at Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary and is the Founder/Executive Director of Restore Counseling Center.10 responses to “LIKE A KID ON CHRISTMAS MORN’”
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Hey Todd,
Thanks for your thoughts and your vulnerability. I’m sorry you have had to walk that brutally difficult journey.
I have likewise struggled with motivation for the last little while and had made a decision to go speak to a third party (in this case, a counsellor) to see if they can help me unpack what’s going on in my soul.
I’ve posted too much about this in other places this week…but I’m curious to know what you, as a counsellor, thinks about coaches diving into people’s dissociations, repressed anger, sadness, and fear–is there a ‘line’ where coaching ends and counselling begins in your mind? And how do you determine where that line is?
God’s continued presence with you as you journey through your loss and grief.
Hey Dr. Scott! As usual, your words are filled with wisdom and life! Thank you my friend! And thank you for your vulnerability. Vulnerability as a pastor speaks of your high character! Keep being like Jesus, bro! Remember in the garden when he said, “My soul is overwhelmed to the point of death.”
Therefore, going to see a counselor is excellent. I highly recommend it!!!
I don’t think I would see a coach for repressed anger, fear, sadness, and dissociation. A coach can most likely give some insight but a counselor is trained in this areas and will help a person not only go deep within but help a person see how their past is impacting their present state.
So with these deeper issues that have impacted us neurologically and emotionally, I would only trust with a counselor…unless the coach is a former counselor…that might be a gem. I hope this is helpful sir. Please let me know if you have any more questions! Peace to you, sir!
Todd, thank you for sharing your excitement over Mining for Gold and your grief over the loss of you son. It is both painful and beautiful how you are capable of holding such opposite emotions in your tender soul. You quoted Camacho, “Our sweet spot is like a vein where we consistently find gold. It shows us patterns or certain ways God tends to use us and bear fruit through us.” I kept thinking of gold as nuggets to be sifted through rather than a vein of gold. I like this image better. It feels more connecting and whole than the stand-a-lone nugget. I am reminded of Japanese Kintsugi bowls that have been broken and put back together with seams made of gold. Beautiful!
Hello Jenny! Thanks for pointing out “the vein of gold.” you’re right it does feel more connecting and whole, which is a great image. When we use the skills and gifts God gives to us, it helps us to better connect with people and ultimately we and the people we invest in become whole! Thanks for sharing this insight!
Mr. Todd Henley,
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience. Not only that I learn a lot from, but it encourages me as well. It is so true that our God’s refining process is not easy since there is a purpose to it. Within the last five years, I have buried a cousin, my nephew, my mother-in-law, and my mom; it was so hard on me, but I told myself that it is part of life. My prayers for you and your family.
Hey Noel! Thanks for the encouragement sir! Grieving 4 family members in 5 years can be excruciating! I will keep you in prayer sir. How are you dealing with it emotionally?
I specifically sought out your post on this because you often recount your life’s journey as a series of coaching opportunities – as in you have been coached – sometimes by others and sometimes through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Personally, your insight into the spiritual gifts and your confession that you’ve never had a life coach caught me off-guard. I think it would be fair to say that you have never engaged a life coach professionally but you have certainly have had life coaches along the way. I was thinking even non-human ones.
Thinking of that random movie you watched on TV about the gentleman whose past crimes come back to haunt him and what you gleaned from that movie – the reflection you took. I think that is an excellent example of God’s spiritual gifting of wisdom with you and an opportunity where you have had some life coaching.
Hey Mathieu, Actually when I wrote about not having a coach, I thought, “Todd, you have had many coaches!” But technically, I have never paid for a life coach.
Mathieu, your post was 100% encouraging and inspiring. Thank you sooo much my dear friend! I appreciate you so much man! Your wisdom is divine!
Thank you for sharing your story. You are such an inspiration. I have struggled with engaging a coach…I just don’t believe that I have been ready to open certain doors. I lost my mother in March after a long battle with Dementia… grief can be so consuming and relentless. I admire your courage to be able to seek grief counseling, I have not done that. I share your struggle with motivation in this season. I’m grateful that we are required to engage a Coach this semester, it’s probably just the push that I need. Sending prayers for continued healing for you and your family.
Ohhhh, Jonita, thank you soooo much for your vulnerability and for sharing your pain.🥺 It is so difficult helping a relative through Dementia! Yes, you are spot on that grief can be so consuming and relentless. You can count on me to pray for continued healing for you and your wonderful family. ❤️🩹 WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS!