A One Word Focus and a Framework for God-Centered Goal Setting.

January 3, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

'Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ' Philippians 3:12

It’s that time again. January. When everyone gets a fresh start. As you consider 2026, what do you want to achieve? A more important question: Who do you want to become?

I have found that a one-word theme for each year helps me focus and make progress in both of those areas. One word focuses on an area for personal growth, but has also helped me define goals that keep me working toward new achievements. I want to be a part of God’s purpose and become all that He designed me to be. Although that includes accomplishments, it is more about reflecting His character. That is what I want most.

The word God spoke to me for 2025 was Humility. Humility involves learning, not knowing. Listening, not teaching. Presenting a position rather than proving a point. I learned a lot about myself through this focus. I often found myself in situations where I had to remind myself that humility was what I needed to navigate them successfully. It wasn’t easy, but I pray that I have grown. The thing about growing in humility is that you are never fully grown. There’s always more growth needed.

I am still pondering my word for 2026. What about you?

Here’s a framework to help you discover and build on a one-word theme.

Finding Your Passion (Book Excerpt)

September 6, 2025 Cathleen Zahradnik

When you find yourself doing what you are passionate about and gifted for, life is at its most satisfying and fulfilling. So, now that you have explored your personality and your spiritual gifts and created a personal purpose statement, it’s time to consider your passion.

What stirs your heart? Whom do you most want to serve? What problem do you most want to solve? When you can focus your energy in the direction of your gifts and passions, you are off and running a race you are sure to win.

What does winning look like? It looks like doing a job or serving in a ministry where you get to do exactly what you want to do. Perhaps not every moment, but your overall daily focus is what your heart most wants to do. That’s a target worth aiming for, right?

You and I don’t want to spend our lives doing only what needs to be done to survive. You and I want to thrive. We want to fulfill the purposes that God created us for. We want to fulfill divine potential for God’s glory. What does that look like?

Why Setting God-Centered Goals Matters

August 16, 2025 Cathleen Zahradnik

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” Romans 12:1 NLT

Have you ever heard the quote, “If you aim at nothing, you are sure to hit it”? What are you aiming for?

One thing I have learned over the years is that, although I may not reach every goal I set, setting goals helps me keep making progress. Setting goals has helped me do things I never thought possible. Aiming at something helped me hit something, even if it wasn’t all that I had planned.

You may not think setting goals is important. But if you don’t have any clear goal, how do you know which direction to head in? And if you are a Christ-follower, are you aiming toward God’s goals for you?

Friend, setting goals gives you a direction, something to aim for. God-centered goals start and end with God’s purposes. What’s the benefit of setting God-centered goals?

God-centered goals lead toward God’s purpose for your life. Human beings long for purpose. Regardless of their faith practices, people want to know that their lives matter. You want to believe that your existence is making a difference.

As Christ-followers, that desire goes deeper. Not only do we want to know that our lives matter, but we also want to believe that we are making an eternal difference. We want our lives to count for God.

About The YES Adventure: Transform Your Life with One Word

August 2, 2025 Cathleen Zahradnik

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” ‘ Luke 1:38 NIV

This has been a BIG week for me! My book is published!

The idea for The YES Adventure: Transform Your Life with One Word began as a message about all the ways Mary said YES to God in December of 2013, but I had known for years before that I was called to write a book. While working on that message, I heard the Spirit whisper, “This is the book.” In the years since, God has deepened and honed the message of The YES Adventure in me as I struggled to complete the task of writing and publishing. And now the book is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle format! Check it out here.

If you are wondering what The YES Adventure is, I will sum it up in this statement: It’s about saying YES to God in every area of your life. When you say YES to God, you will fulfill the potential God put in you and advance the Kingdom of God.

Saying YES to God leads to unexpected adventures that bring satisfaction and fulfillment to your life. I have experienced this, and I want you to do the same. Discover your MORE when you give God your YES.

The YES Adventure: Transform Your Life with One Word will encourage you and guide you through a God-centered goal-setting process: Ask, Aim, Act, Achieve. It has been helpful to me, and I am so excited to share it with you.

If you’d like a partner to work through the process, schedule a complimentary coaching session here and let’s explore together!

All the best to you as you take your YES Adventure!

Why Routines and Rhythms Help You Reach Your Goals

April 12, 2025 Cathleen Zahradnik

“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.” Ephesians 5:15-17 NLT

A morning cup of coffee is part of my daily routine. What about you? I don’t think about whether or not I will have a cup of coffee. I know that I will. I’ve already thought about it. That gives my brain space to just wake up and make other decisions.

That’s the importance of developing routines. I like to call them rhythms for growth. When you have already decided what is important and what you will do, your brain is free to be creative. I can’t quote science on it, but I’ve experienced it. Those rhythms are structures we have created unintentionally and intentionally that help us do the things that are important to us.

Structure guides growth and helps you achieve your goals. Why do you need structure to achieve your goals?

Structure keeps you in your lane. You know where you want to go. The structure of routines keeps you going in the right direction.

Have you ever thought about why there are lines on the road? They exist to help keep people safe. The white lines on the side of the road help drivers keep from drifting. The yellow lines in the middle help drivers remain on the correct side of the road but also give signals of what is safe or not in that area. Lined highways protect drivers from smashing into each other. I especially appreciate the dotted lines in turn lanes. Sometimes a lot of traffic is disorienting. Those lines guide me to turn into the correct lane amidst the busyness of an intersection.

Your personal rhythms, systems and routines can help you achieve your goals in the same way road lines help me make disorienting turns.

Rhythms for Growth: Planned Review

April 5, 2025 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” I Corinthians 15:58 NKJV

Life takes a lot of our brain space. There are so many decisions to make every day. From what color socks to wear to how to pay your bills to how to wrangle that wayward child our brains are constantly occupied. That’s why planning to remind yourself of what you want to accomplish is so important.

If you don’t plan to remind yourself of the goals you have set, you will forget. It is human nature. Regularly scheduling a goal review helps you stay on track with what you believe God has called you to accomplish.

I’ve often found myself saying that I make a plan so that I don’t have to think about it. That isn’t accurate. When I make a plan, I have already thought about it. Since I have already made a decision, my brain is free to focus on other things. That is the value of a planned review. You have already thought about how to keep your goals in front of you. That frees your brain to be creative and develop plans for following through on those goals as you live your busy life.

Remember, it’s about the growth, not the goals. Regularly remembering your goals keeps you growing.

Why do you need to schedule regular goal reviews?

Life happens. We say it often, don’t we? Life happens. Life constantly reminds us of how little control we actually posses. So much is out of our control. Every week, every day, every moment things happen that we didn’t anticipate and need to adjust to.

Planned goal reviews are a recognition of that. Life happens and draws us away from our goals. Regularly reviewing your goals is a plan to stay on track.

You Really Do Need People. And They Need You.

November 23, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” Hebrews 10:24-25 NLT

I am a people-oriented introvert. I love people. I enjoy being around people, but social interaction is draining to an introvert. After a while, I just need some quiet alone time. If you are a task-oriented introvert, you may love people but focus more on getting stuff done. Either way, when you have reached your limit, you need to retreat just like me.

If you are an extrovert, being with people fills you up. You can be with people all day long and feel energized. You could be a people-oriented extrovert or a task-oriented extrovert. Either way, you don’t need the same kind of alone time that we introverts need. Viva la difference!

So, where am I going with this little personality lesson? I’ve learned that even as an introvert I need the people of God, and they need me. The same is true for you.

Both introverts and extroverts are called to love and serve people. I recently attended a conference where I knew a lot of people. However, I went alone, not with a group.

The Promise of Perseverance

November 2, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.” Hebrews 10:36 NLT

Life can be hard. True? There have been times when my life seemed so incredibly difficult that I could only handle one moment at a time. Perhaps you’ve been there. I call managing those moments “survival mode.”

In survival mode, you do the needed tasks but have nothing left for the extras. You focus on getting through the present but have no energy left to imagine the future. Perhaps your hopes have been decimated. I’ve been there. Imagining a different future is not possible while you process that pain. Survival mode gets you through.

But it is in survival mode that you begin to truly understand “Apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) It is in survival mode that you experience the truth “He is near to the broken-hearted.” (Psalm 34:18) It is in survival mode that you find strength in the “everlasting arms.” (Deut. 33:27)

Through every survival mode season, there are some things I have found to be true. Here is some hope for your current or upcoming survival mode.

God is using survival mode for your good. Current pain can blind us to the current positives. It can be hard to see beyond how hard it is now. But please, Dear Friend, remember that God is good and only does good. There have been moments when all I could do was remind myself of God’s good character. I couldn’t see the situation as good. I didn’t feel good. But because God is good, I chose to believe He was at work for my good.

That is true for you as well. Feelings are not good forecasters.

What is the Best Gift?

October 19, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

“They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do.” 2 Corinthians 8:5 NLT

My mom has a birthday today. The number of her age is not as important as understanding she is closer to ninety than to eighty. I am still trying to wrap my head around that!

Birthdays are an opportunity to express love and appreciation. We usually give gifts, right? What gift does an almost ninety-year-old need? What is the best gift?

Perhaps you’ve asked that question as well. I’m learning that the answer has implications far beyond a birthday present for my mom.

Jesus is the model for the best gift. When God gave a gift to humanity He gave Jesus. John 3:16 describes the gift that matters most.

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17 NLT

God gave His only Son to redeem our broken relationship with Him. The fullness of God dwelt in Jesus. (Colossians 1:19-20) When God gave His only son, He gave us Himself. Yes, Jesus sacrificed Himself, but then He also gave us the gift of His presence in the Holy Spirit. He is with us. Jesus gave us Himself. Not just on the cross, but every day.

Giving begins with a decision. At the right time, God sent Jesus, but He decided long in advance. (Galatians 4:4, Ephesians 1:4-5) From the moment of creation God knew humans could not maintain an intimate relationship with Him. (Isaiah 46:10) He knew Eve and Adam would succumb to the temptation to forge their own broken path and planned in advance to restore what was broken. Sending Jesus started with a decision based on our need.

Just Being There is Enough: The Ministry of Presence

September 14, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2 NLT

I have been thinking a lot about the “ministry of presence.” My husband is a chaplain, and the term is used frequently in chaplaincy circles. I’m a researcher, so curiosity leads me to look it up with my good friends: Search engines and books. I tried to find the origin of the term but came up empty. Still, many search results had the term in the title. Even scanning those titles and articles helped me crystallize my thoughts. So, here are some conclusions.

My presence is ministry when it is an expression of Christ’s love. American society is all about problem-solving and productivity. But the only problem Jesus came to solve was the problem of sin that separates us from relationship with God. He did not come to solve my relational or financial problems although He might. Jesus’ most productive act was His death. His death was an expression of love that opened the door to relationship and brought life.

My presence is ministry when I lay down my needs, wants, and desires as a bridge for others to get closer to God. Jesus’ sacrifice demonstrates what love looks like. He became our bridge to God. You and I are called to do the same for others.

Presence shares the burden and doesn’t try to fix the problem.

August 8, 2026

A - C = P: Anxiety - Control = Peace (Repost)

'Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. ‘Philippians 4:6-7 MSG

I was listening to a podcast when I heard a quote that brought so much clarity, I couldn’t get it out of my head. Here it is: “Anxiety results from wanting to control something God has not given us to control.” I didn’t remember the name of the person or why she was on the podcast, but what she said made so much practical sense. (I looked it up later. So, if you are interested, it was Joanna Weaver’s podcast, The Living Room, and the guest was Sharon Hodde Miller, author of The Cost of Control: Why We Crave It, the Anxiety It Gives Us, and the Real Power God Promises Us.) As I pondered her statement, a formula took shape in my brain, “A – C = P,” Anxiety – Control = Peace. Easy to remember and a goal worth aiming for.

Anxiety is something we all experience. Anxiety steals peace and commands focus. Whether it’s something personal about your family, or a job, or something broader like politics and the world situation, anxiety creeps up behind us, leaps upon us and gets us in a stranglehold. Ever feel that way?

Your brain goes in circles, trying to resolve something you are powerless to resolve. You can’t sleep and every waking moment is consumed with mental and practical fruitless attempts to solve the problem. Suddenly, it seems like nothing else is happening in your life. What started as a thought becomes a huge shadow. What do you do?