Perched on the edge of the produce stand, the red caught my eye. As I picked it up, I could smell the berries through the packaging. Strawberries, one of my favorite fruits, are rarely seen in my city in North Africa. When they are available, the quality is questionable, and the price tag is extortionate. There is no comparison to the strawberries I picked as a child from fields in Pennsylvania. But, when contrasted to the limited variety we get, the cost is worth it now and then for a little bite of variety.<\/p>\n
Living in the desert has helped me treasure things like half-ripe, overpriced strawberries. It is easy to see what is lacking around me; it is often harder to see what could be. I was eating some of those strawberries as I read the introduction to Tom Camacho\u2019s Mining for Gold. <\/em>His words surprised me a bit. \u00a0\u201cWe are not victims of a scarcity of leaders. We need to see leadership development from an abundance mentality [1].\u201d In my country, leaders, at first glance, also appear to be as sparce as strawberries. According to Camacho, well-developed leaders are a rare find but the abundance is in the potential of future leaders. Perhaps in my own way, I too recognized this in my own life. This need was a big motivation for me in pursuing a doctorate of leadership\u2014to personally be more equipped to help leaders develop leaders. This idea of leadership abundance intrigued me and framed how I continued to read and relate to the book.<\/p>\n Several years ago, I asked a question that changed the trajectory of my life: \u201cHow do I learn to ask good questions?\u201d \u00a0The motivation behind it came from a genuine desire to encourage people to think deeper, particularly concerning their faith beliefs. The answer I was given was to take a coaching class. I did. From then on, I have been changing my thinking, developing my ability to listen and to ask good questions, and to develop a style of leadership that helps to empower and lead others. Many of the life lessons that I have been learning on my coaching journey are articulated in Mining for Gold. <\/em>These concepts were not new for me, but it did give me opportunity to reevaluate areas to improve as move forward as a coach. Camacho, like the excellent coach I suspect he is, modeled some of the coaching process in his writing and style. At the end of every chapter, he provides his reader with questions for thought and action steps suggestions.<\/p>\n An area where I need to continue to grow is learning what Camacho calls \u201cpartner with the Holy Spirit.\u201d [2] Coaching has given me practical ways to live that out in life. In conversations, I will often have a question that comes to mind that seems to be quite random or perhaps a little risky. On these types of questions, I almost always hesitate. Without fail, when I am courageous enough to ask that question, it is usually exactly what the person needed to hear. It is that \u201cah-ha\u201d moment. \u00a0As I have learned to trust the Spirit\u2019s guidance, this partnership with him truly does become natural and organic, or as Camacho writes, \u201clike sailing.\u201d<\/p>\n What is next? Like all good coaching conversations, the book ended with an invitation to move forward and more potential action steps. When I reviewed the year 2023, there was a particular pattern in my life where I felt most fulfilled and fruitful, Camacho would call my \u201csweet spot.\u201d That was when I was walking alongside of others, encouraging them to be who God designed them to be, using the coaching skills God has been developing in my life. Mining for Gold <\/em>has been another nudge God is using to show me the joy that comes from being a coaching leader. I have taken coaching classes, I have worked with coaching clients, I try to ask empowering and Spirit-led questions, and I would say I am passionate about coaching. Until this point, I have not actively embraced a definite course towards a professional coaching certification. I have been encouraged to do multiple times over the past few weeks. In Mining for Gold<\/em> the closing comments were as if God was directly addressing me through the author: \u201cIf you find yourself passionate about coaching, attend coach training and pursue a certification as a professional coach [3].\u201d I believe this invitation is part of God\u2019s journey for me. Like buying strawberries in the Sahara, this feels risky and God-led risk comes abundance of reward.<\/p>\n My action steps from Mining from Gold: <\/em>count my current coaching hours towards a certification, reach out to my coaching mentor, and arrange for a coaching session myself.<\/p>\n What is God inviting you to do?<\/p>\n [1] Camacho, Tom. Mining for Gold: Developing Kingdom Leaders through Coaching (London: IVP, 2019. Kindle Edition), 15.<\/p>\n [2] Ibid., 102.<\/p>\n [3] Ibid., 184.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Perched on the edge of the produce stand, the red caught my eye. As I picked it up, I could smell the berries through the packaging. Strawberries, one of my favorite fruits, are rarely seen in my city in North Africa. When they are available, the quality is questionable, and the price tag is extortionate. 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