Alter Call

photo from Flickr

Last night I was at a concert where our home church was the message and entertainment. One of our pastors was giving his testimony. I turned around to see the sound booth above and a projector giving the order of service.

The projection read thank you and alter call.

I turned again. Alter call? Isn't it altar call?

Or is it alter call?

Listening to the testimony I realized perhaps the correct spelling is altar, but the application is alter. I know when I step forward with that "burn in my belly" it's because I know God has something for me. It's going to transform me into a closer image of Him. It might not be that moment or that week, but it will happen.

And it will be altering.

Think about the next altar call you experience. Do you go forward? Do you respond in your seat? Do you respond at all? If you do, do you go forward in faith your life will change?

Do you ever respond to an alter call?



Julie Arduini is a wife, mom and surrendering writer. Her personal blog, The Surrendered Scribe, shows her writing resume. A graduate of the Christian Writers Guild, she is also a columnist with Take Root and Write. She has a tentative story to contribute to the Jeanette Littleton book, GodSightings. Her verse for 2009 is Deuteronomy 11:11-12. She's a new columnist with the daily online newspaper, The Cypress Times.

Ask. Seek. Knock.

A few months ago I wrote a post entitled, “True Worship.” I knew the Lord was petitioning me to worship Him—to truly go after Him, and create an atmosphere for people to worship Him—I just didn’t know how or where…

Since then I have been just seeking His face, His voice, His guidance…
And trusting that He was going to show me the avenue He would have me use this gift of worship He has given me.

I have been asking Him.
I have been seeking Him.
I have been knocking on His door.

Then one day last week, He unlocked the door.

And I said to myself, “Wait a minute, I know I have been asking for this, but I’m not certain that I want to turn the door knob!”

It was just confirmation of His faithfulness, and I was in awe.

I knew in that moment that He really is who He says He is, and He is really listening to me….He really is.
I have been a leader all of my life, He made me that way. He has trained me for this week for a very long time, and it is amazing to see the door starting to creep open.

I have been asked to lead worship at my church. This week is my first practice as the leader of the worship team. I have been praying for and anticipating this day for many, many months—and He has been listening to me all the while—

He set this all up, just in time—His time.
So please pray for me tomorrow as I push the door of this new journey He wants to take me on wide open….

I am excited and anxious—but I know that I know that He will be right next to me, holding my hand on each step of this journey—

He has been planning this all along, and I know He will be smiling down on me tomorrow, happy to see many of the gifts He has given me come to life—thanks to the door He has been waiting to open just for me.

Keep asking.
Keep seeking.
Keep knocking.

He will unlock the door for you, too….


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.

Your Calling

Monster.com’s latest slogan is “Your Calling is Calling.” These words have been resounding in my soul lately, and as I put my fingers to the keyboard, I’m sure He’ll let me know why.

Can your calling be part of your actual employment? Absolutely.
But the calling I’m speaking of is one that should come to mind instantly—thoughts or ideas that could have only come from Him.
Do you know what I am talking about?

I feel that He’s sending me these words at this particular time, because there’s something that He’s placed in all of us that He wants to make sure we listen to.

His Calling.

The ringtone is one that can’t be purchased to download to your cell phone.

It has it’s own sound. Some of us take years to hear this one-of-a kind sound, while others get used to the fact that His voice is calling out to them for a specific purpose.

However and whenever He’s called you, I’m sure you recognize that His calling is unlike anything you experienced up until that exact moment.

Do you need to hear Him calling, or have you already had the moment of revelation that can only be attributed to Him calling you to do something that He’s placed deep within your heart?

I can only speak from my experience….and I know He’s literally called me to write these words for you.

At this moment.
Right now.

He’s called me to do many things….at first, I thought to myself, “Lord, you’ve already called me to something, call someone else for this! I know many people who are waiting to hear from you to let them know what Your plan for their life is!”
Then He said, “They’re not you. I’m calling you for these two things, and I will give you everything you need to fulfill my purpose for your life. If you’ve truly given your life to Me, you will trust me, and lean on me, and truly rest. I will take care of it. These things are part of my purpose for you, not anyone else.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined he also called; those he called, he also justified, those he justified, he also glorified. …..If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:28)


The fact that God almighty in all of His sovereign power predestined me to write these words for you absolutely amazes me. He has things He wants me to accomplish so that His name can be glorified overwhelms me---He’s called me.

Almost four years ago, He petitioned me to write for families of children with special needs. I never wrote anything in my life besides term papers for school. He persuaded me to pick up the phone one day to call the editor of our local Parent Magazine and ask her why she had a woman from another state write in our local magazine about parenting a special needs child.
When I look back on that moment, it was like an out-of-body experience. It had to be God.
There is no logical reason why I did such a thing.
She proceeded to tell me that she never could find a local writer that was qualified to write on the subject.
As I’m sure you already know, if it doesn’t seem logical to your natural mind, it’s probably from Him.

I have been writing that monthly column ever since that conversation.

It comes very naturally to me to get words out for “special” parents like my husband and I that need to know they are not alone.

I never wrote any words anyone needed to hear. Some nights I start out with a blank screen, I have a deadline in 24 hours, and within one hour, He gives me up to 800 words that need no editing.
I know that I know that one day all of the themes that are present in my column will be part of a book for special parents.

He is my editor.
He gives me the words and I put my fingers to keys in obedience.

The way I am at the moment.

I thought that since I am obeying every month, I was good to go. He called. I listened, and acted—and I continue to do it, so this must be my calling.

Then, He started to let me know that I should write down all of my thoughts during my time in getting to know Him better, not just words that He gives me for parents.

Now He was asking me to stretch myself and tell the world about my relationship with Him.

Here I am.

The Narrow Gate has opened, and I am obeying….

So, now for sure I thought I had this calling thing all figured out. I went out on a limb with Him guiding me, and now I was OK.

So I thought.

In my True Worship post I touched on the fact that He was calling me to worship Him way before I even knew what worship was.

He gave me the gift of singing many years ago, and without going into a very long rendition of my past singing experiences….I put my childhood dream of singing on a shelf many years ago. I reserved myself to believing I wasn’t good enough, and that was that.

Up until recently.

It has been prophesized over me two times that He wants me to stop being hard on myself and truly worship Him. That women will be broken out of bondages of their past with my worship, and give their lives to the Lord.

Wow.
The sound of those words were very powerful when they were spoken over me, but to see them on the screen just sent a chill through my body.

I’m sure that was Him.

So now I’m in the praying stage. I am searching and praying for Him to give me signs of where and how exactly He wants me to worship.

He is challenging me.
He is stretching me daily.

What is He calling you to do?
Do you hear the tone of His voice?
Have you heard it and have been trying to avoid it because you don’t feel qualified?
He has already qualified you.
He will give you what you need when you begin to obey.


Are you ready to obey?

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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 columnist over with Kim, Julie and other writers over at http://www.takerootandwrite.com/ Maria's column is on encouraging special needs familes.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". The book is available for purchase by clicking on the book image on the right side of this blog.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.