Trusting God as My Defender

Believe it or not, the cardinal sightings for us continue. Last week I received more to the puzzle, something that has been staring at me most of the year, yet I failed to recognize His message for me.

I was in a meeting confessing my double mindedness. I preach a message of surrender and yet for most of this year have held on to anger and mistrust towards God because financially, things did not work out the way I thought things would this year. At all. Instead of praising Him, I turned my back and actually made the situation worse through denial, spending anyway, and just pure rebellion.

As I confessed and repented, the ladies looked at me and smiled. One of them, who also has been seeing cardinals and having them dive bomb her, related her cardinal revelation with me by saying,

"Just how many times do you need to see a cardinal before you realize God is asking you to trust Him as your defender?"

It was so simple and dead on it was hysterical. As we googled cardinal earlier in the year, we learned the male cardinal is a defender and if I saw a male cardinal trying to get my attention once, it happened a dozen times. He dive bombed me at least three times.

And yet my anger and rebellion continued.

All the way home I kept praying the words, "Your banner over me is love and I want to trust You as my defender."

It's a process for me, I know this won't be an overnight change unless God deems it.

But I'm aware now.

He is my defender, and yours. And I really want to trust Him that way.

Do you?

Julie Arduini is a surrendered writer with her own blog, http://thesurrenderedscribe.blogspot.com/. A graduate of the Christian Writers Guild, she also blogs for the Christian Writers Forum Sundays as the mommy blogger. She is active with FaithWriters and has several writings ready to publish in different books and anthologies in 2008-09. One of the books will be a quote in Kathy Vick's Simon and Schuster/Howard's gift book, "Run Like a Girl."You can also find Julie the third Wednesday of each month over at Take Root and Write with her column, Finding Freedom through Surrender. She facilitates a group by the same name at the sister social networking site, Christian Women Take Root.

You Are So Beautiful!

"You are so beautiful to me, can't you see?"

These are the words that my uncle used to sing in the car when I was a child. They were the words to his favorite song, "You are so beautiful to me, can't you see?" I can hear them like it was yesterday.

Beautiful . . . the dictionary defines beautiful as "having qualities that give great pleasure or satisfaction to see, hear, think about, etc.; delighting the senses or mind." Beautiful, that is how God sees us. So much that He sent His one and only son to die on a cross for us. Beautiful . . . He takes great pleasure in His creation.

So . . . why is it that the words I heard from women this week were . . . 'I had to go get my license picture this week and I look like such an old hag! Or 'I'm eating french fries for lunch, I'm such a hog!' Or 'Why can't I have those beautiful legs and hair like the woman leading the aerobics class!' If the Lord sees us as beautiful, made in His own image, and we believe what He says then what are we doing to ourselves . . . and Him? (Please do not run out of the gate, I am talking to myself too.)

Beautiful . . . that is how He sees us. You and me, your neighbor next door, your child's teacher, your fellow co-worker, your children, your spouse, and even those people you may not be fond of. He delights in us and He wants us to stop and listen. You may even hear Him singing, "You are so beautiful to me, can't you see?"

Let Him love you today, Kim

My Hope and My Heart

With everything in the news about the economy and the election, I was blown away by this video I received. At The Surrendered Scribe I try to summarize the election each week and this video speaks my heart. These are the important things. With the economy, the war, and so many things at stake to cause anxiety, my hope is in the Lord.

Please take a couple minutes and watch this video. It is powerful.




Julie Arduini is a surrendered writer with her own blog, http://thesurrenderedscribe.blogspot.com/. A graduate of the Christian Writers Guild, she also blogs for the Christian Writers Forum Sundays as the mommy blogger. She is active with FaithWriters and has several writings ready to publish in different books and anthologies in 2008-09. One of the books will be a quote in Kathy Vick's Simon and Schuster/Howard's gift book, "Run Like a Girl."You can also find Julie the third Thursday of each month over at Take Root and Write with her column, Finding Freedom through Surrender. She facilates a group by the same name at the sister social networking site, Christian Women Take Root.

Trust Him

I have been learning a thing or two about trust these days. Once complete surrender has taken place, you automatically come to this place of trust that feels unlike anything else.
When you’re in the waiting---listening for His voice, looking everywhere for a glimpse of His face, seeking His touch on your life—it is very challenging to trust.

What I’ve learned the most this week is that in the midst of our waiting---He is there. But most of the time we don’t hear Him-- because we are too caught up in what we think the plan for our life should be.
We think we have it all taken care of, and He needs to give us some signal so that we’ll know He’ s on the same page as us!!!
‘Lean not to your own understanding”…..
We have been so accustomed to doing things in our own strength, that He’s just supposed to climb on board our thought life.
What we’re missing is that we must forget about our own thoughts and ideas and climb on board His grace boat--There we ride the waves of his love and peace, and trust naturally comes while we’re on the journey.
Once we get to the place of pure trust—wherever the boat docks—we must obey. Even if it is a place that we are unfamiliar with, or the destination doesn’t really fit the description we had in mind!

Receive His grace.
His promises are true.
Take His journey.

Surrender.
Trust.
Obey.

He really is who He says He is.


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.

Feathers and Bombs

A couple years ago I was part of a team that was getting hit hard with "stuff." One person in particular was hit very hard and I had, with others, the burden to intercede. As things worsened, God showed me this vision:

As a group of us here and there prayed, we were tossing feathers the defeated one's way. He, however, was very specific and coordinated and like a "smart bomb", his throws were right on target.

That vision showed me that an united front is needed when it comes to big time prayer. As a writer, even in the smallest sense, I have a team cover me. Behind the scenes, there is a group of us getting together to pray for Kim and the team heading to Romania in less than a month. I don't want to launch feathers for the Lord to Romania. I want these ladies covered in provision, health, travel, connections, itinerary, families back home, opportunities to be intentional, and the miraculous. I want to see targeted smart throws cover them before, after, and during their trip. I want this for every intercessory effort He calls me to.

When you get serious, don't expect the defeated one to jump for joy. If Christ is in you, the defeated one hates you and he hates when you get serious for the Lord. It's not the time to shrink back with a water gun shouting, "stop it satan!" It's time to get the faithfilled AK 47 of intercession out and decree, "In the name of Jesus, you are defeated. You have no business here. So get packing!"

I'll admit, Kim and her team have their struggles as they prepare, and I too am sensing as I agree with them, I'm getting hit with a lot of things that are discouraging at best. I'm afraid on a good day, and in dire pain on a bad.

But I am not holding feathers.

Are you?


Julie Arduini is a surrendered writer with her own blog, http://thesurrenderedscribe.blogspot.com/. A graduate of the Christian Writers Guild, she also blogs for the Christian Writers Forum Sundays as the mommy blogger. She is active with FaithWriters and has several writings ready to publish in different books and anthologies in 2008-09. One of the books will be a quote in Kathy Vick's Simon and Schuster/Howard's gift book, "Run Like a Girl."You can also find Julie the third Thursday of each month over at Take Root and Write with her column, Finding Freedom through Surrender. She facilates a group by the same name at the sister social networking site, Christian Women Take Root.

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.

The Narrow Gate Still Holds

Just a note to let you know that Kim, Maria and I all live within seven miles or less of each other. Last night 75 mph winds went through our area. I know a tree blocked a major way into the way to their lovely town, and I know my neighborhood looks like a war zone. I think Kim and Maria have electricity, but I am at our Y using the Wi Fi really quick as we need internet for homework, too!

So we were whipped around a bit, but God is still in control. For our family, our house has no damage. We have ice, water, and the only thing in crisis mode is a new bucket of ice cream. We absolutely realize we are inconvenienced at worst.

But we might be off schedule, so we appreciate your understanding.

Our prayers for Texas.

---The Narrow Gate Girls

Counting Down

The countdown has begun . . . I leave for Romania in one month. A friend asked "Do you still have some room in your suitcase for supplies?" My reply, "So far I only have $265 in donations and a bag of thermometers, yes there is plenty of room."

One month away and each day as I open the empty mailbox it is as though I can hear a voice saying, "Do you trust me?"

Honestly my response is, "Yes I do."

Eighteen years ago the Lord laid a country and His hurting people on my heart. For years I prayed for Him to 'use' me to bring hope and change to the face of abuse and abandonment. And for years I was frustrated and puzzled as to why the doors did not open. And now here I stand, covered in His grace and love ready for all He has in store. Looking back . . . I was not ready. I believed in God and Jesus but I was not in a personal relationship with them. I had areas in my own personal life that needed healed and restored before I could help bring healing and restoration to other hurting people. I also had to learn about who God really was, why He sent His one and only son, and what being a 'follower of the way' was really about. I needed to open my mind and heart, accepting his love and forgiveness . . . forgiveness . . . especially learning how to love and forgive myself. As one wise mentor said, "When we do not accept His forgiveness and keep going back to our sin it is like saying His dying on the cross was not good enough."

( heartlight.org)

So today when I think about all He has done in my life, how He has equipped and prepared me for such a time as this, I can look at that empty mailbox and respond, "Yes I trust Him! And to this I shout, "Amen!"

Keep us in your prayers, Kim