Adirondack with magine!
02.01.2010

















Adirondack Header with magine
Michael Fox CPCC,
founder of  magine!,
is a professional
coach and trainer,
author and creative artist, whose work has been featured throughout
the world.
"No one takes my life from me..."
In the first century, Christians sang a hymn in honor of the voluntary sacrifice of Jesus. Paul quoted the hymn in his letter to the Philippians:

Have this attitude in yourselves
which was also in Christ Jesus,
who,
although He existed in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but emptied Himself,
taking the form of a bond-servant,
and being made in the likeness of men.

And being found in appearance as a man,

He humbled Himself
by becoming obedient
to the point of death,
even death on a cross.


These haunting lyrics confirmed Jesus' own previous testimony, offered shortly before his death:

No one takes my life from me,
but I lay it down of my own initiative.


Jesus was a not a victim of circumstance; he powerfully and consciously chose both to live and to die. The disciple of Jesus can reflect his Lord's attitude in what might show up as adversity:

No one takes my life from me,

but I lay it down of my own initiative.

When a man chooses to "lay down his life of his own initiative," he powerfully and consciously chooses to act--not from a place of fear and compulsion, but from a place of power, of love, and of a sound mind. It may appear, on occassion, that decisions have been made for us, that we have been caught up in the rush of the inevitable and the insufferable. But like Jesus, we can choose not to become a victim of circumstance. We can own even that which we can neither change nor control:

No one takes my life from me,
but I lay it down of my own initiative.


Where do you see yourself as a hapless victim?
How does it show up in you?

What's the lie?

How might you convert the inevitable and the insufferable
into the voluntary?

How might this shift in perspective show up in you?
In your spirit and energy? In your relationships?
In your vocation or avocation?


Scripture references: Philippians 2:5-8; John 10:18; 2 Timothy 4:7.
Michael Fox
m�agine!

530/613.2774
P.O. Box 9144
Auburn, CA, USA 95604
In addition to personal and professional coaching,
m�agine! specializes in spiritual transformation coaching,
employing its proprietary models: Values, Vision, Voice and Heart, Soul, Mind & Strength
.
Michael's books include Complete in Christ,
Complete in Christ Spiritual Transformation Workbook, and Biblio�files.

Coaching fees are based upon a sliding scale. Contact us for details.

Limited scholarships are available for spiritual transformation coaching.
On the flip side, if you are able, please inquire about opportunities
to fund scholarships for those who cannot afford coaching fees.

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