Category: Blog

We have embarked on a new adventure of helping people find peace with who they are and courage to do what God has called them to do.

We got a LifePlan!

As we’ve been adjusting to our current season of change (move, job change, daughter off to college, son off to a new high school), a friend suggested we get a LifePlan done. We had heard a little about the LifePlan process, but we didn’t see how it would apply to us since we felt pretty secure in the plans we had made for this season of our life. But our friend kept pressing, so we investigated a little and decided to give it a try.

Turns out, a LifePlan is exactly what we needed to find clarity and affirmation for this next season of our lives.

Todd and I entered the LifePlan process with Doug Slaybaugh in San Clemente, California.  Our desire was to discover how to live out God’s purpose for our lives in this new season. We both came out of the LifePlan process with a clear objective on how to do that.

We are feeling at peace with who we are and how God made us.

One of the things a LifePlan does is bring great clarity to a person’s life purpose.  

For instance, I discovered that one of my life’s purposes is to empower women to take steps toward God.  Todd discovered that he has a passion for helping high achievers be healthy.

These are things that are true to our very core. They have always been true, but we needed a little guidance in excavating these truths, and our facilitator took us through a strategic process to dig it out, name it, and get it on paper.

After experiencing the LifePlan process together in San Clemente, I was inspired.  I booked a trip to Boulder, Colorado, and completed my training with the Paterson Center to become a Certified LifePlan Facilitator. Now I have the tools and the training to come alongside women and guide them toward discovering God’s unique purpose for their lives.

What is a LifePlan?
A LifePlan is a two-day, intensive process of soul work. It’s a guided exploration of your life experiences, your passions and your talents, getting it all on paper, and discovering God’s unique plan for your life.

Whether you’re starting something, letting something go, or you’re somewhere in-between, you need perspective and purpose. A LifePlan will help you gain perspective on who God created you to be and find purpose in whatever God wants you to do next.

I would love to help you pursue your own story
so that you can give your best self
to the people in your life.

Are you ready for a LifePlan?
If you’re a woman in ministry, a LifePlan can help you clarify your passion.
If you’re married to a pastor, a LifePlan can give you confidence to boldly step into your calling.
If you’re a MomBoss, a LifePlan can help you find balance and purpose.

What’s in it for you?
You will get away from your daily routine for two full days in Huntington Beach, California, and discover the answer to the questions we are all asking: “Who am I?” and “What do I really want?”

As we explore your life story together, I will help you wrap words around the truth, giving you tangible evidence that God is writing a unique story on your heart. Together we will discover God’s plan to help you live a meaningful life of balance, purpose and fulfillment.

Let’s connect.
To set up a free 30-minute Clarity Chat, you can connect with me at reneclarkca@gmail.com

Beth Moore, Shauna Niequist, Christine Caine, Lysa Terkeurst, Maria Goff, Ann Voskamp…

Of course these accomplished authors are not really my best friends, but in seasons of transition, when friends are few or far away, I have claimed them as my new best friends.

I became fast friends with Shauna Niequist through the pages of her book Bittersweet when I was feeling out of sorts and lonely after a big move.  At the end of a chapter, I would close the book and say to myself, “She gets me.”

I like getting to know writers like her who are dedicated to building God’s Kingdom. Reading about their passion to live a meaningful life of purpose gets me going when I’m feeling alone and overwhelmed.

Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

I am thankful to have close friends all around the country, but I can’t just meet them for coffee or carry them around with me like I can Shauna and Beth. These girls can go wherever I go.

Don’t worry, they aren’t my only friends:

• God promises to always be with me. He is my friend who will build me up and set me straight, so I make time to meet with Him every morning.
• My sister is my lifetime bestie who will listen to me freak out and then tell me I’m normal, so we chat on the phone a few times a week.
• My closest friends will tell me the truth, have my back, and help me laugh at myself, so we get together once a year, and it’s better than therapy!

Proverbs 11:25 Those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

But life is hard, and there are seasons when I feel like I might be wearing out my family and friends.

That’s when I rely on my new friends; their writing inspires me to keep going, and they’re accessible any time of day or night to give me a pep talk.

Spending time with God is foundational; you won’t get anywhere without Him.  Cultivating authentic relationships with people who have your back is essential.  And in seasons when friends are few or far away, finding a friend on the pages of a book or blog post is life-giving.

I am thankful for the friendship, girls.  Please keep writing.

More than anything, I want to be part of God’s Great Story.  

This chapter of my story has included moving to a new state, changing jobs, sending off our daughter to college, guiding our son as he starts a new high school, reconnecting with family and old friends as well as making new friends. And I’m learning to trust God with all of it.

God’s been writing His Story for many years, and He is writing a unique story for you, too.

I want you to understand God’s Story so you can better understand your own story.

I am attending a new church, and it’s been a little uncomfortable for me.

Have you ever felt uncomfortable in church?

Maybe you’re new, and you wish you had an old friend by your side. Or maybe the sermon is about some guy named Abraham, and you look around to see everyone nodding their heads, like they know exactly who the preacher is talking about. But you’re sitting there, wondering if you’ve missed something.

What is Abraham’s story? And what does it have to do with your story?

This is why I started writing – to fill you in on some of the foundational stories from the Bible so that you can find your place in God’s Story.

If you’re new to Bible Basics, you may want to start at the beginning to see how the first story in the Bible relates to your story. Or you may want to stick around to see what’s up next.

Either way, welcome. I’m glad you’re here.