Moving Boxes

I thought the Wii Fit would serve as a great exercise for my changing body. I never thought the Holy Spirit would use it for an exercise of my mind!

I was doing the body test and at the end is a balance exercise. One had me standing still, looking at a red circle in the middle. Suddenly moving boxes start floating. I started leaning towards the boxes and not the circle.

When the test ended, I obviously scored low for balance. It gave a tip at the end that could have knocked me flat.

"Be sure you don't follow visual cues. Keep your focus

on the middle to stay steady."

I can't let go of that sentence. Isn't it natural to sway with the front page declaring depression? Nose dive in faith after a phone call questioning your parenting? Tumble after an unexpected bill arrives?

These are the moving boxes I move to, forgetting the steady, red dot in the middle.

I'm working on focus and staying still no matter what's floating around me.

How about you?

***

March 20-27 is Five Minutes For Mom's Ultimate Blog Party 09. This is a great way for women bloggers to connect and meet new cyber friends. There are always a ton of great giveaways and The Narrow Gate Invites and The Surrendered Scribe both are going to be in on the party.

This site will be giving away one copy of Women of Passions: Ordinary Women Serving an Extraordinary God by Jeanice McDade and Janet Ross. Both Maria and I have works included in this book. It's a wonderful book with many stories, poems and testimonies by women you may know in the blogging world. As a reader I have to tell you I was blown away by the depth the women shared. They opened a curtain up of their lives and totally let the reader in. The book blessed me and we are excited to give it away.

So stay tuned and let folks know about the Ultimate Blog Party. It's an awesome event!

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.

Robbed To Redemption

There are so many keywords and themes God is putting in my path these days, I could blog a whole lot more if I had the time.

I'm quite taken with this revelation.

It's no secret or surprise Christians the last few years have been attacked. I know from 2003-5 I wasn't sure I'd survive the onslaught of loss and change. On the other side of those things I totally see the purpose behind those hard times. I'm stronger, and now I'm serving out of those broken places.

What I never thought about though was moving beyond the robbed. I know God had a plan for His glory in all those things, but I knew also the defeated one had a target on my back and wanted me down and out for good. So many people have been robbed of so many things by his tactics.

Here's the good news. Besides God using what satan intended for evil as God's glory, He redeems. For every financial hit, persecution, health crisis, all the hits that nearly knocked me out---I'm asking for 100 fold redeeming situation.

Not because God is Santa and I'm demanding tit for tat.

Because He is my Daddy and He wants to lavish on us, more than we can ever guess.

I'm already feeling the redemption. Despite everything around me in the news, there is a joy deep in my heart once I start to laugh I'm afraid I won't be able to stop. It is joy only God can give.

Are you living with a robbed mentality or redemptive?

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.

The Hearts Behind Real Living Ministries

It’s a common phrase you probably hear from teens: “Get real.” However when you hear the words from Perry and Joy Chickonoski, the phrase takes a fuller meaning.

Joy and Perry Chickonoski are the founders and co-leaders of Real Living Ministries based in Boardman, OH, a suburb of Youngstown. Their mission is to ignite a passionate relationship with Jesus Christ through Real Living Ministries’ Life Coaching Center. Perry and Joy have a team of dedicated volunteers equipping the church through personal coaching, workshops, small groups and community events. Together they encourage, motivate, and train the body of Christ and bring the gospel to the pre-Christian on their terms.

Real Living stands for Responding Entirely to the Affections of the Lord. Joy explains, “Real Living is not just looking to start something new, but rather to return to God’s original plan for the body of Christ. Everyone wants to feel alive: to love and to be loved without conditions. This is what it means to ‘desire life.’

Joy comes to Real Living with over twenty-five years of international and national service. She’s an ordained minister and an author of Becoming Lovers: The Journey from Disciple of Christ to Bride of Christ.

Perry Chickonoski is Vice President in charge of Business Banking for Chase in Youngstown. He has twenty years of service helping small businesses get their start. In addition, Perry has over fifteen years experience as local church treasurer. His experience and understanding of business and church affairs gives him unique perspective for church boards and pastors seeking financial freedom. Working in the business field, especially in this economic climate, Perry explains his heart to serve at Real Living.

“Everyone wants ‘good days;’ to wake up in the morning knowing that your life means something and that you are a part of something extraordinary.”

Real Living’s encouragement comes from 1 Peter 3:10-11. Through Real Living ministries, their heart is help people seek peace. Peace begins with getting REAL with God, ourselves and others.

Real Life Ministries is sponsoring a conference, Come to the Journey. Hosted by New Life Assembly of God in Poland, Ohio, the conference is based off of Joy’s book.

The conference is for men and women who want to deepen their relationship with the Lord. The cost of the event is $30.00 per person before the 21st, and $35.00 at the door. No childcare is available for this event.

To learn more about Real Living Ministries, Joy Chickonoski or her book, or the Come to the Journey Conference, please visit http://www.getrealliving.com/ and http://www.localadlink.com/. To call Real Living Ministries for more information, please call 1-330-965-6000.

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 recently placed 10th in the JournEzine Christmas story contest about the Good News of Bethlehem. Her verse for 2009 is Deuteronomy 11:11-12. She's a new columnist with the daily online newspaper, The Cypress Times.

One True Love

In this week filled with “love”—Valentines, roses and chocolate…I am thanking the Lord for His love.

Unconditional love.

Laura Woodley’s lyrics from “Into The Light” resound within my soul this Valentine’s day…words from the Lord to us….

I want her
I love her
She’s the one for me.
I choose her
I know her
My blood has made her clean
She is my true love.

Even though I have known the Lord for almost four years now, it wasn’t until recently that I truly completely began to understand and accept this love. It is a love like no other.

Pure.
All-encompassing.
True.

He will never leave you.
He will never disappoint you.
He is always with you.

Always.

This Valentine’s day, be grateful for your one true love.

His name is Jesus.

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 http://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.

Now This Takes Focus

During the afternoon, I'll be with a group of ladies. I get to speak today and guess what the topic is?

Focus.

I'm going to end my presentation showing everyone this picture, challenging myself and them to focus on Him in everything.

Does this picture just sum that up perfectly?

Because you can focus on the crowds, the traffic, the birds, the wire (just like we focus on work, family, finances, church, things), all good things that make sense.

The focus has to be on Him when it comes to the family, the finances, work, church, things...

I'll let you know how it goes...right now I have to...

FOCUS!

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 recently placed 10th in the JournEzine Christmas story contest about the Good News of Bethlehem. Her verse for 2009 is Deuteronomy 11:11-12. She's a new columnist with the daily online newspaper, The Cypress Times.

Deep Calls To Deep

The worship song “ All Who Are Thirsty” has been resounding in my soul these days…the verse is as follows:

“All who are thirsty,
and All who are weak,
Come to the fountain,
dip your heart in the
Stream of Life
Let the pain and the sorrow,
be washed away
In the waves of His mercy as
Deep calls out to deep…”

Psalm 42:7 states, “Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.”

I never truly knew what “deep cries out to deep” meant until recently. When a challenge enters your world, and you exhaust all of your emotional and physical energy trying to overcome it in your own strength, true surrender happens.

True, honest surrender.

When life comes at you, and completely breaks you into a million little pieces, you have absolutely no other choice but to humble yourself and become transparent before the Lord.

Humble.
Transparent.
Broken.


Then and only then can you receive the deep, amazing, refreshing healing of God’s overflowing river of mercy, love, and hope.

Humble yourself before the Lord.

Repent of your sins, no matter how small or how large you think they are.

He already knows the secrets of your heart.

Go ahead.

Dip your heart in the Stream of Life.

Receive all of His promises.

He is waiting.

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 http://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.

My Action Plan

This past week I had the experience of writing and revising my first formal 'action plan.' It sounds so business like to me - action plan, strategic plan, p.o.a. meeting, . . . so many words and they sound so formal. I tend to be the creative type, one who has so many ideas swirling in my mind at one time. I am a do-er, a go-getter or as my husband says, "I know you like to 'fly off the cuff' or 'shoot from the hip' but a plan will help you to focus. Ahh . . . focus, now he had my attention.

So on a Saturday morning we sat down with our mission statement and began writing our action plan. It took a long time, was tedious and sometimes frustrating , but in the end we had a two page plan with a main goal, objectives, action steps, and measurement tools with dates. A visual plan, an action plan, a guide . . . with focus on Jesus.

Since then I have used 'the plan' as a guide. It has given me direction, helped me plan my days, and most of all it has helped me to stay focused. On a daily basis it reminds me of what He has called me to do while I am here on the earth in addition to being a wife, a mother, a daughter, a friend.

What does your plan or rather I should say what does 'His plan' for your life look like?

Sit down with a piece of paper, a pencil, and the Lord. Ask Him. I'm sure He will amaze you.

Kim

What's Your Motivation?

Along with focus, there are other themes God is bringing to the front burner. Love. Heart. Motivation.



What?



You mean like the actor preparing for his role saying, "What's my motivation?"



Yeah, like that.



The better my focus, the healthier my heart and love---the better my motivation.



But once my focus is off Him and on my self, boy does my motivation take a turn. A bad turn.



My desire this year is to have His heart, His focus, His love, His motivation.



And for it to be no act!



Lord, help me!



Anyone out there relate?


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 recently placed 10th in the JournEzine Christmas story contest about the Good News of Bethlehem. Her verse for 2009 is Deuteronomy 11:11-12. She's a new columnist with the daily online newspaper, The Cypress Times.