Curl Up In His Lap

My six year old isn’t one to sit still anymore.
Even though her muscles are not like mine and yours, she never stays still.
I used to be able to hold her for hours on end.
Now I’m grateful if I get a minute or two while I read her a book.

But last week, in the hustle and bustle of the morning routine, she came and curled up on my lap.
For no reason at all.
And she stayed there much longer than I ever dreamed she would.
I was so very happy that my once little baby girl, was actually taking the time to rest in the comfort of my arms.
I just was basking in the moment of feeling her tiny body on mine—and I was so very conscious of the moment.
She wasn’t hurt or ill, she just wanted to be in her Mommy’s arms--
And I didn’t want it to end.
I wished and prayed at that moment that she would come curl up on my lap more often. So I could love on her only as a parent can.

And then it hit me.
That’s exactly how our Heavenly Father wishes us to come to Him.
Pure and without an agenda like a child.
Just for Him.
Just because we want to be in the comfort of His arms.
He craves our attention and dependence on Him.
Not just when we are hurting or burdened—but always.
He wants us to come just as we are—
Even in the midst of our crazy days—
He wants us to curl up on His lap….

And He doesn’t want it to end.




Maria and her family reside in NE Ohio. She and her husband are the parents of two. Their daughter is a person with hemipelegic cerebral palsy.Because of her experiences, Maria provides parent-to-parent support for families involved in her local early intervention program.

Her gift for writing has come directly from the Lord since her daughter’s diagnosis. She writes a monthly column entitled, “Special Parents, Special Kids” for the Mahoning Valley Parent magazine in Ohio; and has expanded into Parent magazines in parts of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. She is also a contributing author at www.mommiesmagazine.com.

Maria's first published work is in Jan Ross and Jeanice McDade's Women of Passion's anthology, "Ordinary Women Serving an Extraordinary God". Both Kim and Maria have been selected to have their work tentatively included in Lori Wagner,s upcoming book, Quilting Patches of Life, Volume 2.

Maria is very passionate about getting the word out to special parents that they are not alone in their journey of raising their special child; and that they were chosen by God to parent their children. Maria welcomes comments and communication as well as invitations for her to speak to your group.

Maria's Thoughts As A Newborn Christian

Why me? Why did He choose me to love? Why does He think I’m worthy of His love? Why does He think I’m qualified to fulfill His purpose for my life?All the feelings of unworthiness, guilt, shame—have all been washed away—washed away with the blood Jesus shed for me. Me? Are you sure about me, Lord? Do you know what I’ve done? Do you know my past? Do you know some of my thoughts? Do you know the people I’ve hurt in the past? Do you know my sins?
He does. The beauty of the Lord is that He knows it all—He knows the dreams of your heart– He wants you to release the secrets of your being that have been holding you back for so very long. He wants to show you that through His love and His mercy, you can reach the desires of your soul—no matter where you’ve come from, or what you’ve done. He has no agenda. He will wipe the slate of your life clean.

Go ahead—Listen. That quiet voice you think no one knows about—that voice inside you that guides you to do the right thing no matter what…the voice that says “ You can do it!” , even though you’ve never tried such a thing before…The same voice that overrides your natural mind; the logical part of you.

Go ahead. Shhh. Listen.

That’s Him. That’s Jesus.

Let Him in. Let Him hold your heart and embrace your soul. Focus on Him and only Him—don’t wait…try it now. Shhhh.

Allow His love to take over and hold you like no other. He will keep you safe and take you step by step. Surrender your soul to His unending love and mercy. Listen to His call for your life. He’ll teach you things about yourself you never knew. He’ll show you gifts and talents that have been waiting patiently inside you—the more you listen, the more you will discover. Take that step. Let Him fill you up with His joy-His peace-and His unending love—It’s all there for you. Yes, you. Go ahead—don’t keep Him waiting any longer.

Maria and her family reside in NE Ohio. She and her husband are the parents of two. Their daughter is a person with hemipelegic cerebral palsy. Because of her experiences, Maria provides parent-to-parent support for families involved in her local early intervention program. Her gift for writing has come directly from the Lord since her daughter’s diagnosis. She writes a monthly column entitled, “Special Parents, Special Kids” for the Mahoning Valley Parent magazine in Ohio; and has expanded into Parent magazines in parts of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. She is also a contributing author at www.mommiesmagazine.com. Maria is very passionate about getting the word out to special parents that they are not alone in their journey of raising their special child; and that they were chosen by God to parent their children. Maria welcomes comments and communication.

Accepting the Gift

heartlight.org

Our daughter is four and no matter what her day is about, no matter what you might be talking about, she is going to bring it back to one thing: her birthday. She started planning her fifth birthday on her literal fourth birthday. She loves all aspects of the birthdays, especially receiving presents.

This year I've read a lot about the poverty spirit. In Bible study at the Y we're reading Superatural Ways of Royalty: Discovering Your Rights and Privileges of Being a Son or Daughter of God by Kris Valloton and Bill Johnson. On my personal blog I share my thoughts Mondays on Joy Chickonoski's Becoming Lovers: The Journey from Disciple of Christ to Bride of Christ. In essence, I'm reading and believing that the poverty is a lifestyle that robs you or God's best. It works in false humility. God wants to bless His people. Does it mean we should all pray for a new Lexus or second home in the Hamptons? No, but this book showed me I've been living in poverty.

I'm rejecting gifts.

When I reject gifts, I'm ultimately rejecting the Giver.

I'll be transparent enough to share that my lack of accepting good things went as deep as regifting. It wasn't because I owed someone else a gift and had that one on hand, it was more that I would receive such nice things I felt uncomfortable receiving them. I felt unworthy. I treated beautiful things that were given with love as a hot potato. I couldn't get rid of them fast enough.

The truth is, I am unworthy, we all are. What we forget is grace took care of that on the Cross. When we get a promotion, when someone gives us something, when we have the opportunity to do, see and experience things that are a result of God's blessing, it's okay to receive. In fact, embrace the gift.

Too often we view God as a task master who withholds. That's what the devil (I prefer to call him the defeated one) would like you to believe. Your Heavenly Father wants you to feel like a princess because you are His and He loves you. He wants to love on you and lavish on you in many ways. And for me, some of those ways He loves on me is through others.

I believe we are entering a season where the prayers we've prayed for a long time are about to come to pass. I think we are going to see loved ones enter into a relationship of faith in Christ that we wondered if it would ever take place, there will be healings, returns of prodigals, a complete turn around in thinking and choices among the hurting, and an abundant time of blessings and provision that will go against every news report you read.

I don't want to miss out on that by passing any gifts that have my name on to someone else. It's time I seize the blessings God is giving. I may not turn into my daughter with a list a mile long of what she'd like, but I should take a cue from her when I do receive something--whether a tangible gift or an experience God designed just for me.

I should say thank you.

And accept it.

No re gifting!

Julie Arduini is a surrendered writer with her own blog, http://thesurrenderedscribe.blogspot.com/. A graduate of the Christian Writers Guild, she blogs for the Christian Writers Forum Sundays as the mommy blogger and is the Forum's book club facilitator. She is active with FaithWriters and has several writings ready to publish in different books and anthologies in 2008-09. Julie was chosen as the March 2008 FaithReaders.com author of the month. To get to know her better, read her interview by Linda Schab at: http://www.faithreaders.com/featured-author-details.php?id=33%20To contact Julie, please contact her at the e mail address provided in the profile. It's her birthday today and she plans to enjoy the day!

God's Loving Message for Oprah---and you!

This post represents one of those times God has downloaded something into my heart I can't get rid of and I know I'm meant to share it. That part most of the time is easy enough, what has me a little nervous is the information is specific. Directed at one person.

Oprah Winfrey.

The good news is I know I can benefit from this information and I hope you can too. So here I go.

I was listening to a radio program last week regarding Oprah and her new study on the book, A New Earth. I've received e mails regarding this and overall what I'm hearing is this is not a Christ centered book. Years ago, oh even months ago I most likely would have been on the bash the book bandwagon. This year though, God has asked me to walk in compassion and grace. That doesn't mean I turn a blind eye to things that grieve Him, but in what I heard in my prayer time when I listened to the show (the program was on Moody called something like Oprah--Right Questions, Wrong Answers) was so full of love, I felt I was meant to share.

The program included an audio clip of Oprah sharing a bit of her faith background. Please give me a little grace as I didn't write what she said as I was driving, listening and praying. It went something like this though---her Christian upbringing was Baptist. Her heart was and is to see God as a loving God. I believe this too.

One day she was listening to a preacher give a sermon. He said God is a jealous God. That really struck her, as it did me the first time I heard this. She said that did not align with what she knew of God, a loving God. She questioned, God is jealous of me? As she asked that question, if I followed her correctly, it just didn't sit right to serve a jealous God. This was the catalyst to search for something more that would ultimately fit her perception of a loving God.

Here is what God has to share lovingly with Oprah, me, and all of you.

God is not jealous of you---He is jealous FOR you.

One word, big difference.

He created the heavens and the Earth. He knows every hair on your head intimately. He knows every single fact about you down to the last breath you take. He sent His own Son to Earth to take a brutal mockery, assault, crucifixtion and death because it was the only way to bridge the chasm between our natural bent to sin and separate us from Him. If you can't picture the sacrifice, watch Passion of the Christ. That is how deep His love is for you.

Think of a parent. Say the parent makes their child the very best of clothes, fixes the choicest of meals, gives them unconditional love and the child chooses to live with another family that could care less about the kid. What do you think that parent would feel? That parent would be jealous for the child. Their love is so strong they don't want the child to cling to a love that can't love back.

God's love is so strong for Oprah that He just wants to spend time with her. I don't think He wants her money or to give up her work, as the radio program stated, she truly does good things for the betterment of society. Her having money is not a bad thing. But as the Bible states, you can't serve two masters. If you, me, Oprah, anyone is chasing something or someone first and always above wanting to sit down and just get to know the One who created you, He's going to be jealous for you. For your time, your affections.

I wish I were a master communicator like Max Lucado or Beth Moore but I'm not. I just pray these words would be anointed by Him and deeply touch you in a way that would bring you closer to the Lord. This theme of God being jealous in a good way rings to true to me imagine my smile when my inbox contained an article by Francis Frangipane about God's jealousy for us, not of us.

Bottom line---Oprah, God is a loving God. It took me so long to grasp that, I'm so glad you have that knowledge stored in your generous heart. I pray you also find His jealousy a gift and something you want in your life every day. Chase after it, seek it, it's yours to have.

Thanks for letting me share His encouragement to you today.

To read more, click the link below.
http://www.elijahlist.com/words/display_word/6266


Julie is a surrendered writer with her own blog, http://thesurrenderedscribe.blogspot.com/. A graduate of the Christian Writers Guild, she blogs for the Christian Writers Forum Sundays as the mommy blogger and is the Forum's book club facilitator. She is active with FaithWriters and has several writings ready to publish in different books and anthologies in 2008-09. Julie was chosen as the March 2008 FaithReaders.com author of the month. To get to know her better, read her interview by Linda Schab at: http://www.faithreaders.com/featured-author.php To contact Julie, Kim or Maria, please contact us at jarduini@faithwriters.net.

And The Gate Is Open!

Welcome! We're scared but we feel the call and we can't ignore it any longer. This blog is called "The Narrow Gate Invites" because we feel called to share the deeper things of Christian faith. Our hope is to blog our experiences, mistakes, learnings, revelations and tears to challenge your walk and seek God in a way you never have before. By no means does this mean we have things mastered, quite the opposite. We're all on this journey together.



The authors of this blog are myself, Kim and Maria. Besides feeling the call to blog here, we are all wives and moms with a full plate stretching us in several directions. We are hungry for things of God yet when we get together we confess how we yell at our kids, get frustrated, and skip Bible readings when we need it most. Our hope is to blog a few times a week and we definitely want you on board. We ask for your grace as this full plate may prevent us from posting like we want. My hope is to tackle Tuesdays and Thursdays. Kim would like once a week and so would Maria. I can't wait for you to get to know them.



My name is Julie and you can also find me at the right of this blog with my personal blog, The Surrendered Scribe, http://thesurrenderedscribe.blogspot.com/ I blog about many things there, and this blog will be a little more faith specific, so check my rants, thoughts, confessions and learnings on anything from writing, to family to wanting a two car attached garage over at the Surrendered Scribe. I'm also a writer dipping my pen in the waters so to speak, and you can find the list of what I'm doing at the right of the Surrendered Scribe blog. On Sundays I am the mommy blogger at the Christian Writers Forum blog, http://christianwritersforum.com/Blog/ . I'm married with two children and like Kim and Maria, I live in NE Ohio. If you want to know more about me, I am the featured author of the month at FaithReaders http://www.faithreaders.com/featured-author.php and Lynda did such a great job interviewing me I joke that my family can use this interview as my obituary one day.



Today I just want to say welcome and Kim and Maria, it's real and happening. For you the reader, pray for us. We sense this is a new thing God is doing, and we want to be authentic vessels for Him. We don't want you to be fans of us, we want you to be close friends with God because when Christ died on the cross, He opened the gate and knocked barriers so we could know the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in a personal way. We want that, and we hope you do too. Note on the right you can sign up for the RSS service or the Feedburner subscription service. As always, feel free to bookmark us and check back often!



Some of what we may blog may be new to you and that's ok. You may not agree with everything we write, that's fine too. We don't want to be controversial, we want to be Scriptural. More than anything, we want to challenge your thinking and rock your faith. Anyone can go the wide beaten down path----where God is calling us and you now is lesser traveled. It's narrow. There is room for you, so please, take those small steps and push the gate open a little further. Walk with us. Share your thoughts, remembering to be kind even if you disagree. Laugh and cry with us, but don't stand still. This journey is for all of us.



Will you join me in this prayer of asking God to bless this endeavor?



Father God, we invite you to this blog. We ask that every word written here would be given by You first and filtered through us. Help us be the vessels you want us to be. Guide each topic, each blogger, each comment, every part of this experience. Let anything learned here be for Your glory. Give us the drive to obey this call, surrendering all fear. Bring the readers you want to be here in Your time, not ours. Thank you for stirring us to step out of our comfort zone and try something new and different. This blog isn't convenient or easy, but it's of You. We covet your favor, anointing, blessing and protection over this, us, and our loved ones.



We feel this year is a year where you want to use the theme of the gate, so we honor You with your Word: But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:14 NIV) and But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the (gate) stall. (Malachi 4:2 NIV)



Thank you Lord for the opportunity to serve You. Your grace amazes us. Blessed be Your name. Surrendered to Him, Amen.



*Note: The gate image comes from by Petr Kratochvil at http://publicdomainpictures.net/