Who Is Jason Taylor?
I met Jason online of course (thank you Twitter), and I was impressed with his thoughts, and I appreciated the great comments he was leaving on my blog, and the encouragement he gave via Twitter. Jason has a varied work experience (mortgage industry, former church planter) and he currenlty lives in Oregon where he works for a company called Ministry Coaching International. You can check out his ministry coaching bio to find out more about him.
I haven’t met Jason in person yet, but we are chatting about meeting up in Texas at some point when he is down in Austin on business. I’m loving how the online world is coming to fruition in the offline world. I find his enthusiasm and passion to be super contagious and I definitely think that there needs to be more life coaches like him.
Check out Jason Taylor’s new blog. And connect with him on Twitter.
In His Own Words
What are you really passionate about?
I’d have to point back to my Life Plan and say that my #1 passion is to influence and inspire others towards life transformation. For me, there’s just nothing like helping someone move forward in some aspect of life. It can be something as simple as teaching someone how to use a new technology or walking with someone through a really dark time. I love that.
How does what you are doing vocationally or volunteer wise serve that passion?
I’m a life coach so I’d have to say that it’s a pretty good fit for me. I was a pastor for many years, leading worship, creative arts, and ultimately coaching many of the house church pastors that led our simple expressions of church. What I saw astounded me. We had no real system for assisting people with their whole life health. I was tasked with helping them become leaders but many of them were failing, or faltering rather, at basic areas of life that kept them from even thinking about leading more effectively. Coaching, one on one intentional discipleship, is an optimum environment for me to walk with people, giving them real tools and solutions, helping them cross “the gap” between where they are and where they want to be.
How can those around you (friends, online community, etc.) best support you?
1. Pray! Sounds like a trite answer but really, I can’t think of anything else but that. I feel a huge mantel of responsibility as a coach. As someone who others look to for guidance, I want to be oh so careful that what I speak and how I lead is authentic and real. It’s super easy to step into a coaching role and speak what “I” want and personally I need a constant reminder that without the Holy Spirit directing me, I can do more harm than good.
2. Don’t be afraid to speak into my life. I have this persona I think that might keep people from really entering in and sharing ways I can grow. I have a coach and certainly he does this, but really, I think everyone can be a coach. We’re called to love and serve and care for one another and so if you see or hear or read something that challenges you OR if I’m out of line, I want to know. I think there might be this stigma that coaches have it all together. While I would hope we are good examples…we’re no different…I’m no different than anyone and struggle just like everyone else.
Anything else we should know about this passion?
This was the hardest question for me to answer. This passion, to influence, inspire and transform, can be found in a lot of the ways I live my life. From coaching leaders to fitness, which for me is a huge personal passion, to leading out in small groups or community. It permeates everything. I would hope that anyone that read these words, is encouraged. I would figure that’s why you’ve asked others to share their passion in these Friday posts.
I’m reading Erwin McManus’s book Wide Awake currently; just finished the first couple chapters. I’m not sure if the rest of the book will be this good but I wanted to share at least one of the quotes. From pg 20
“If God gives you a dream for your life, it will come to pass if you choose to courageously pursue it, not because you become a salesman for it.”
This sums up passion for me. Having passion is only one part of the equation. Because as soon as you have a passion (an intense dream for something to take place) it’s going to be opposed. We have to step into it courageously and lean in, go for it. Just talking about it isn’t enough.
Are you living it?
Previous Interviews in the ‘What Are You Passionate About?’ Series
And yes, lady interviews are on the way 🙂
