Genesis Moments - A Writer's Journey

Go, Robin!

Paula, Robin (Pensieve), Me, Renee

In honor of Robin's trip to India this week with Compassion International, I thought I would finally post the picture of meeting her for lunch when we were in Tennessee in February. It is so fun seeing fellow bloggers!

Robin - I wish you the BEST! Can't wait to hear about the trip! I am praying for safety, wisdom, incredible learning, awesome spiritual growth and REALLY COOL PICTURES!

To hear more about Robin's trip - before and after, check out her blog HERE! To learn about all the bloggers going, click HERE!

Spiritual Filters

Here is my latest entry for the e-newsletter I create for the women's ministry leaders of the Philadelphia Metro-West Presbytery PresWIC. Thought I would share with all you lovely bloggers too!

MEMORIZE IT! 1 Chronicles 16:14-15 "He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth. Remember his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations." LEARN IT! Ever wonder what a coffee machine, a car, and a screen door have in common? They all have filtering mechanisms that protect us from the dirt and grime of life. With my coffee machine, I change the filter daily so that I can start fresh with new grinds to reap rich mocha rewards. With a car, the oil filter has to be changed every couple of months to keep the car running smoothly. With our screen door, we have to repair holes when they occur so that bugs don't get in the house. Just like the filters of our everyday life, our spiritual filters need upkeep too. By spending time in the word of the Lord everyday, we are able to learn what true obedience to our God means. Yesterday's grinds just don't make the same coffee as starting fresh today. Imagine only having coffee on Sunday and expecting those grinds to last you all week, brewing pot after pot each day. The result is watered-down and stale coffee that gets worse with each brew. Though you may remember what was said on Sunday throughout the week, daily study makes the word of God more vivid and real, providing a fresh perspective on handling life as each new challenge arises. Your car oil filters don't need to be replaced as often but changing them is still critical to the ongoing maintenance of your car. Church events and biblical retreats help keep our spiritual "engines" tuned throughout the year. In 1 Chronicles, we hear about a people returning from exile to claim God's promise of inheritance. We see King David working with his people to rebuild the kingdom. It wasn't always easy as his people worked out how to live according to God's laws and purpose. By being faithful to plan events for the women in the church, we provide the opportunity for members of God's kingdom today to be encouraged together in faith and to be reminded of the importance of life in covenant together, a fallen race redeemed through God's grace and mercy. Screen doors create filters for our home that often need repairing or even replaced. In our spiritual walk and Christian ministry, a personal issue may need to be dealt with or an entire program in the church may need to be reevaluated. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. As leaders, we need to be aware of our own need to fall before the Lord our God and repent of sins that block us from learning or block those we lead from learning. When you are in leadership, prayer and submission to Christ as your God and King becomes vital as you constantly evaluate your walk in the Lord in light of his scripture. God is faithful to meet our needs for wisdom and guidance, helping us rise above temptation. He has also given us the authority in our church, through elders and deacons, to whom we should submit our plans and from whom we gain direction to ensure accountability in all circumstances. Just like a screen door, some bugs are easy to see, obvious to the naked eye, but some bugs are tiny and seem to sneak through no matter how tight the screen. Sin is the same way. It loves to sneak in and destroy from the inside. Be wary of the small stuff! Satan will use whatever he can. In covenant theology, we are taught that God saves sinners as individuals into a body. As your church provides opportunities for biblical encouragement personally and in community, be thinking about each event in light of God's redemptive covenant with us, the body of Christ. APPLY IT!

How do your women's programs encourage women in their walk in the Lord, personally and in groups? How do you decide which Bible studies to use? God's covenant plan is the redemption of his fallen creation. How do your women's ministries reflect this ultimate purpose?

Yes, I am starting Weight Watchers . .. .again .. .

I am finally admitting that I need accountability to lose pounds and maintain my goal weight.  Way back, I went to Weight Watchers and lost a ton o' fat from having babies and then I started the yo-yo. Last year I took off significant weight just by working out and eating healthy. Winter came and so came back the weight. Life is rough.

Now, it is time to get life under control AGAIN. We can do this, people! Yes, we can!

And, as life would have it, I was surfing the web tonight and saw the most decadent apples desserts EVAH.

Jen over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam created her Melt in Your Mouth Coffee Cake for Tasty Tuesday and Melissa at Girlymama has a French Toast Apple Bake that looks to die for.

Praise the Lord you can't gain weight just looking. Someday, when I have reached my goal weight, I am so trying these recipes! You heard it here.

BUT, for now, it is time to get out the tracking sheets and hold myself accountable to EVERY bite. You bite it, you write it, or so I've been told. Everyone tells me it works. I know from experience it works. I just have to get to it and do it! Time to feel better about myself and how I look in a summer bathing suit!!

(Letting you in on a secret now: I ate a huge chocolate donut before weighing in on Monday night for the first time. It tasted so good but I want to be a lifetime member so now I have to get serious. No more cream-filled chocolate donuts for awhile.)

What goals are you trying to achieve? Do you have an accountability structure in place helping you? (Finances, weight, etc.?)

(Oohhh, on another note, - I just checked and my second article just posted on Parenting Squad! Yeah!! "What in the World do I do on Earth Day?" Please stop over and say "HI!")

First Article Published at Parenting Squad!!!

My very first Parenting Squad article was just published!! Wooo hoooo!

But, wait, it gets better. The first one they chose to publish is titled, "When Pre-Teen Daughters Grow Armpit Hair."

If you are faced with this dilemma like I was this last weekend, head over to HERE and read the article. You might at least get a good laugh!

What I learned This Week: Tweeners Getting Pretty

I had great ambitions for my Saturday (after a fun Friday night with our friends, Jo-Lynne and Paul- Thanks you two for getting a babysitter last minute).

A month ago I decided that this last Saturday I would finally clean out our basement storage. But Saturday came and that didn't sound like fun. Something else (or should I say some little persons) needed cleaning up and I knew in my heart it would matter more to my two pre-teen daughters to spend the day doing the things they needed done (haircuts, new Sunday dresses, etc.) and so I learned a few things about life as a pre-teen mother.

Leaving the house at 10:45 AM, we first stopped by a local salon willing to take the girls last minute. The woman trimmed, conditioned, scolded the girls for not brushing their hair more, and charged me extra for a conditioning treatment on both girls which I didn't request.

Now tell me this, I have always heard that you don't tip the owner of a salon since she is already getting the full price, not salary plus tips. When I asked if the woman cutting my girls' hair was the owner, the counter girl said yes. When I whispered, "So, that means I don't need to tip her, right?" She said that everyone tips the woman ever since she started working there and that she never heard of not tipping the owner. This is also a salon with a vinyl banner for a sign though I was told the business had been there for over 25 years. Not sure I'll be going back there.

Despite the expense, my girls did come out with beautiful, fresh haircuts that my mother-in-law will love me for. After that we went to the Hannah Montana movie and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Leaving the movie theater, next stop was the mall where I learned that my eldest daughter, nearly twelve, doesn't like prints, solids, ruffles and anything that isn't jeans and T-shirts or anything that Mom likes. Wanting my girls to choose something a little nicer for Sundays and dress-ups occasions, we walked and walked. We went in chic stores, hip stores, teenage stores, kid stores, preppy stores and sloppy stores.

Finally, we found some cute sundresses at J.C. Penny's where I learned that 1) my older daughter needed a strapless bra for the first time in her life, 2) I would need to teach her to shave under her armpits when we got home and 3) when you buy a polka dotted bra at the request of your still girly pre-teen it will show through a sundress with a floral print on white fabric -- forcing you, on Sunday morning, to pull your own chic short white sweater out of the closet and drape it around your child eliminating the need for a strapless bra altogether. Did you get all that?

After walking the ENTIRE mall and making our purchases, we ended up at our old favorite TAR-JAY (Target) for cute white shoes with little wedge heels for the girls which I learned don't stay on my kids' feet very well.

And, so, instead of having a clean basement closest, I have two cleaned-up no-so-little daughters who have been inspired by Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus to dream big dreams but not lose who they are - and when they get really good at something and make a name for themselves, no matter what it is, the greatest satisfaction comes from turning it around to use it for the good of others.

Now, head over to Jo-Lynne's for more "What I Learned This Week."

(Ohhh, I also learned about Walmart's Blog Talk Radio FrugalCoast2Coast where I heard Lynnae and Jenn's "Living on the Corner of Frugal and Green" last night. I called in and talked to the ladies of the hour about gardening and other frugally green topics! How fun! Of course the minute my line was live, the dog starts barking, the kids are out of bed and my husband comes up the stairs yelling, "Whatcha doin'?" Life.) Lynnae's regular blog is Being Frugal and Jenn's is Frugal Upstate.)

(Did I say that I found I LOVE the Magic Eraser and Purple Power - two cleaning products that changed my life this week - and no I am not getting paid to write that! Some things are just worth writing about. Maybe I'll add a review to Reviewsings about them this week. We'll see.)

FRUGAL BLESSINGS: Dayspring Cards Coupon Code

Check out my newest review of Dayspring Cards over at Reviewsings.com!

Also mentioned in the review is a coupon code you can use RIGHT NOW and get a discount on your order: Use SPRING09 and get 20% off your entire order at dayspring.com and free shipping on orders over $50 or more. The coupon expires May 1, 2009.

This is your opportunity to invest in others that need to know you care and that God cares!

Meet "Daisy Chain" author Mary E. DeMuth

Mary E. Muth graciously answered my questions about her new novel Daisy Chain. I received a copy at Blissdom '09 and finally had time to read it this last week on a much needed vacation!

Daisy Chain is about a young girl who goes missing after playing with her good friend Jed, who leaves her alone to find her way home. Feeling guilty, Jed circles around to check on her and discovers her shoe along the path. Worried, he stops by her home where her less-than-attentive mother grows worried over her disappearance.

Jed's own father is a pastor with a hidden tendency to abuse his family when things aren't perfectly in order. Jed's guilt over leaving Daisy in an abandoned church where they played is compounded by his father's anger and retribution.

In the midst come two mysterious outsiders, Hixon, a black man called a prophet by locals and revered for his intimate knowledge of God and Muriel, a free-spirit who is believed by some to have killed her cultish pastor of a husband and who now fights for her life against cancer.

With the help of Hixon and Muriel, Jed finds his strength to stand against the hypocrisy of his father's torment and protect his younger sister and mother. Torn between family loyalty and the wisdom of outsiders, Jed must decide from whom he will grow spiritually and who he can trust as the search for his friend widens.

Definitely a must read with quick moving action that makes you think about faith, family relationships and motives behind murder!

Below see the Q & A granted to me by Mary:

Is there any one character in the book with whom you most closely relate? Or perhaps, which parts do you draw from your own experiences and life? There have been times when I’ve felt both like Hixon and Bald Muriel, on the outside of things, sometimes misunderstood for my desire to follow Jesus. But then there’s a part of me who is Hap, hiding away the icky parts of myself so the world sees the shimmer. And I totally relate to Jed, trying to figure out who God is when the adults in my life had a hard time demonstrating Him.

How many books do you anticipate in this series? For example, when you started did you have an idea that this would be a trilogy or other? It is already complete and is a three-book series. The second book, A Slow Burn, releases in October. Here’s a teaser: http://www.zondervan.com/Cultures/en-US/Product/ProductDetail.htm?ProdID=com.zondervan.9780310278375&QueryStringSite=Zondervan Yes, I knew it would be a trilogy.

Do you find settings similar to the story to go research or is the burned-out town, for example, completely created in the inspiration of your imagination (through the Lord, of course)? I had the opportunity to live in East Texas for two years, so a lot of what I learned, I gathered from that experience.

How has writing affected your own personal walk with the Lord? Where has it helped you grow the most? Every book I’ve written, whether nonfiction or fiction, has had an element of God healing me through the writing or editing process. I wonder if that’s why God called me to write, because He knew He’d be doing so much personal healing through the process. I’ve always been a communicator, so when I write or speak, I learn a lot in the process. I actually process my life by communicating about it. And when I do, I gain new insight.

Oh, can I ask why we didn't learn about Daisy's killer in this book? I would have loved that to be in there;) )

Alas, you will learn, but you have to read the whole series. So sorry!!! My closest friends have asked me as well, and I can’t even tell them!

Thank you, Mary! To go to her personal website, click HERE!

Phoenixville Tax Day Tea Party '09

In an incredible outpouring for the heavily Democratic town of Phoenixville, around 500 people showed up on the rainy, cold evening of April 15^th for one of many national Tax Day Tea Parties. The recently organized Valley Forge Patriots started this event with a simple conversation among local disheartened citizens asking, “What is going on with our country and what can we do about it?”

Hearing about the national movement towards rallies playing on the Boston Tea Party theme, the Phoenixville Tea Party gathered like-minded citizens in protest against increasing taxes and the sweeping trend towards big government that grows by the day. Citizens came together over the exploding discontent and the need to connect with others who understood their concern.

As crowds gathered on every corner, cheers rang out and horns honked in patriotic agreement. Mark Driver, Phoenixville resident, rallied the crowds with a bullhorn as Judy Davidson added the phone number to text “TEAPARTY” to the White House. Children waved flags and motorcyclists revved their engines in a peaceful, public statement that was completely downplayed by local media as only having 100 in attendance under a picture of one part of one corner of the attendees. Surprisingly, no dissentors appeared in the crowd. Signs included “TEA: Taxed Enough Already,” “New Plan: I pay my mortgage, you pay yours,” and “If you are not outraged, you aren't paying taxes.”

Following the grassroots theme, local mayoral candidate Lou Amici shared his concerns over increased taxes in Phoenixville with no added benefits. Rich Davis of the American Sheepdogs lead the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem and Driver prayed for our country. Davidson shared information on how to support the PA Right to Work.

Passed through the crowd were brochures originally created by the Commonwealth Foundation informing citizens on how to be a 10-minute citizen by using only ten minutes each day to do something patriotic. Ideas included sites to read to stay educated on current issues and suggestions for getting involved locally to make a difference.

Founding Valley Forge Patriot, Dawn Leach of Mont Clare, handed out cards encouraging rally participants to go to the Meetup.com website and register with the VFP group so that they can learn about upcoming events – which is what America is asking right now, “What's next?”

Next on the local agenda is a rally in Valley Forge National Park on April 25^th from 11-1 under the arches. Participants will hear speakers knowledgeable about the constitution and have the opportunity to learn more about how their rights and privileges are being taken right out from under their noses in direct opposition to the words penned by our founding fathers so passionately committed to maintaining our liberty and freedom through small government and decreased taxation.

For more pictures and video, check out: American Sheepdogs

Latest & Greatest: Writing Around the 'Net!

Last night, we had an amazing turn out for the TAX DAY TEA PARTY! To learn more about getting involved or see pictures, click here or go to this website: http://www.meetup.com/VFP-TeaParty09/

To view my most recent (more than spur of the moment -- stream of consciousness) writing, see below:

Most recent frugal living columns for the Phoenix:
Spring Brings Frugal Fun
Get Away for Less with These Tips


Most recent Story of My Life Interview:

“A plane, a cabin, and . . . .”  A young Lisa Metwaly mentally enlarged her personal vision board as she shared her dreams with a colleague. Ruefully, the friend replied, “I knew a man who got everything – but he lost his wife and kids in the process.”

The words sunk deep into Lisa's psyche. She began to realize that those material things weren't going to make her happy. She was a typical overachiever: top in her class, impressive in the financial industry, but she wasn't satisfied. Something needed to change. Maybe success in life could have a different face.

To read more about Lisa and the Q Kindness Cafe, click HERE.

I also had the opportunity to hear Pierre Eade at the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writer's Group today. He did a very nice job explaining blogging and facebook to a diverse group of writers, of which about 50% did not blog. He encouraged attendees to use this outlet to share their writing and Christian lives. His own writing can be found at the Christian Growth Network. I also ran into a woman named Kelli I met at last year's SheSpeaks Writers' Conference in NC who lives here in PA. Her blog is Awesome God Ordinary Girl! Very cool lady.

The Greater Philadelphia Christian Writer's Conference on August 6-9, 2009 is now accepting registrations (and I need to register this week because I totally have NO excuse for not going since it is so close to me and sounds wonderful!) For more information, click HERE! First 50 registered get an extra 15 minutes of faculty time!

Spring Break: Skiing in Vail

Can you say NERVE-WRACKING! Look at those mountains behind our heads! I was scared to death skiing down the wind-blown mountain passes with steep drop-offs to the left or right -- but my kids totally loved it and my husband was having the time of his life.

I have to say that it was BEAUTIFUL. I will probably never try a trip like that again - 4 days of skiing when I am NOT athletic or in shape. BUT, again, the kids did really well and we all enjoyed the hot tubs and indoor pools afterward. Because we stayed in the Marriott in Vail with Brian's Marriott travel points (YES, FREE!) I was able to hop off the slopes, go take a break, and go back up for awhile. Most of the days, Lindsey stayed with me and was very patient with her ole' ma. The last day she regretted going with Brian and Laura since they made her go down the harder slopes. I am glad she got a chance to be challenged a little. For me, I'll take the life of the chicken! I really do like playing it safe, I have decided. I really do want stay alive for awhile.

 

Here are Brian and Laura - waiting for the slowpokes! They were out in the sun longer and got terrible sunburn on their chins and cheeks!

Isn't she so cute? What a sweetie to partner with Mom for the trip!

And, yes, the Pillsbury dough woman lives to tell the story!