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Chicken & Rice
2-4 chicken breasts, boneless, with skin
2 cups water
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup regular white rice
In a flat skillet, brown the chicken breast with a little oil
until golden brown. After browning, remove chicken pieces
and pour off fat. Add in 1 can of cream of mushroom soup,
slowly stir in 2 cups of water. Do this slowly so you won't have
lumps. Stir in 1 cup of regular rice, then place chicken
pieces on top of the uncooked rice. Cook on medium-low
heat for 1 hour.
Recipe taken from Homemade Meals in Minutes by Linda
Spivey and Cinda Coon, Harvest House Publishers.
Some time ago I read a
Guideposts story and noticed under the picture of the author
that she was from Oklahoma City, where we lived. I had read a few
books on writing, gotten a few rejection slips on articles I sent
out and poetry contests I’d entered. I had a desire to write, but
I needed to learn the craft and the business of writing—things
I knew nothing about. When I read Kathryn’s well-written story, I
thought in a prayerful kind of way, I
want to meet her and learn everything she could teach me about
writing.
A few months later, I went to a
writer’s conference at a local university. I was standing in the
foyer looking around, when a woman walked in the big glass doors.
She looks just like the picture of that Guideposts writer, I
thought. Sure enough, when I looked at her name tag, it was Kathryn
Fanning. I introduced myself and said, “I read your story in
Guideposts Magazine, and really admired your writing style.
Would you take my phone number and if you teach any writing classes
in the future, let me know?” Kathryn said she didn’t have anything
lined up, but she’d let me know the next time she taught a freelance
writing class.
That fall, I got a call from Kathryn.
She was teaching a six-week course at the public library—would I
like to attend? Would I! I was there each week with notebook
in hand, ready to learn everything I could. The six two-hour classes
were a great start, but then Kathryn invited some of us eager young
writers over to her house for an ongoing critique group.
For a year and a half, I went to
Kathryn’s critique group every Wednesday. We had to bring an article
or chapter we were working on, which was perfect for me. By that
time I was working on new articles and a book for parents on how to
boost their kids’ learning and achievement. Even though I didn’t
have a publisher yet, the feedback I got from the group each week
was invaluable. And the things I learned from Kathryn—like how to
write a query letter, how to analyze a magazine’s editorial needs
and meet them, how to create a lead sentence that hooks the reader,
how to edit—were skills I’ve used ever since. Recently, my friend
Melanie and I took Kathryn to lunch and once again expressed
heartfelt gratitude for the impact she had on both of our writing
careers.
As I was thinking about this
experience, it reminded me of a new study on what really helps
people fulfill a dream or change a behavior. We usually think it is
will power and discipline that brings success, and if we fail, we
just didn’t work hard enough. But Alan Deutschman’s research which
culminated in a book called Change or Die: The Three Keys to
Change at Work and In Life, discovered something very different
propels people to change or realize their goal: he calls it the 3
R’s of transformation.
Originally, Dr. Deutschman did his
research with heart-bypass patients who had to change their
lifestyle or die. Unfortunately, studies show that 9 out of 10
of them don’t (and thus, die)—except for Dr. Dean Ornish’s patients
who are required to come to support groups and classes. There
they’re inspired by other men like them who have lost weight,
lowered their cholesterol, and were restored to health by practicing
the behaviors Dr. Ornish taught.
The first R is relationship
with someone you feel a connection with and want to learn from. A
person who inspires your hope and belief and makes you think, If
this gal can do it, I can too. Whether that person is your
leader in your Weight Watchers group who inspires you or a mentor in
your career—they show you the way, teach you tools and skills you
need, and inspire you to believe that you can make the change or
pursue a dream.
The second R stands for repeating,
which means you put those new skills into practice—over and
over. You don’t quit when the going gets rough. Instead, you
rehearse and repeat the skills necessary to meet your goals and then
keep it up until they’re second nature. I heard a man share his
story recently of what a crucial role his sponsor in AA (Alcoholics
Anonymous) played in his recovery by guiding him as he worked the
Twelve Steps, sharing his personal experience, even giving him a
ride to meetings. Because Steve faithfully repeated the skills and
behaviors his sponsor taught him, he has been sober fifteen years;
his family and business have been restored, and he helps people find
recovery in their lives as well.
The third R stands for reframing,
or thinking in a new way as a result of your connection with the
person and your ongoing practice of what you’ve learned. For
example, when Steve began to embrace the AA principles and follow
his sponsor’s advice, he stopped denying he had a problem and
started working on it step by step. His thoughts changed from anger
to gratitude, hope instead of despair. As I worked step by step on
the skills I learned from Kathryn and be published, I began to think
of myself as a writer, and eventually passed on the skills on to
other women who came to my house for critique groups. As a result of
Weight Watchers, First Place, and other weight loss support groups,
many gals I know see themselves as fit and healthy instead of
inactive and overweight. And most of the men in Dr. Ornish’s
post-bypass groups are still alive!
Maybe there’s a behavior you’ve
wanted to change or a goal you’ve wanted to pursue but you
experienced only frustration and failure. Perhaps you’ve tried and
worked hard yet feel like nothing ever changes for you—and you can’t
figure out how to do things differently. If so, let me encourage you
to look for people who inspire you, learn from them and follow their
role model. Find a support group, class, or program that works
and learn all you can. Then practice, practice, practice those
skills. If the first person can’t make the time to mentor you, keep
your eyes open. There are always people who are willing to “pass it
on” and receive the blessing that comes from helping others.
This research has also made me think
about the ultimate relationship that brings change and
transformation in our lives—our connection with Jesus, the #1 best
heart and life changer of all. He is also your greatest encourager
(2 Thess. 2:16-17), and no matter what degree of brokenness we come
to him in, when we give him our life and accept his gift, the old
passes away and new life begins. The change may not be seen
overnight, but layer by layer, and chapter by chapter as we read his
Word (where we get the skills for living life his way) and as we
practice them day by day, we become new creations. The lovely part
is we don’t have to gut it out through self-effort to change
ourselves, but the Spirit’s energy and power gently and persistently
works within us. I love how the Message puts this in Phil. 2:13:
"That energy is God’s energy, an energy deep within you, God
himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure”
(and us the most joy.)
As you go through the days and weeks
ahead,
-
Believe…
-
Hold fast…
-
Hope…
-
Have faith…
-
Trust…
And rest assured, that
All things are possible with God.
(Matthew 19:26)
*I’m holding onto this truth in the
midst of some very large obstacles and difficulties. Would you join
me?
Cheri Fuller is a freelance writer and speaker.
You can visit her online at
www.cherifuller.com. While you are there, sign up for
her monthly eNews.
Dear Readers:
