What's Your Dream?

In the winter of 2009/10, I found myself depressed. I'd spent so much time and energy on everyone and everything except myself that I spiraled into a couple of anxiety attacks.

I'd shared my life with everyone else, and I began to realize I needed to find something I could do for myself. In an unselfish way. I needed a release.

So I prayed. "Lord, what can I do for you?"

It was January of 2010 when I "received my call." God responded audibly for the second time in my life. "Write for Me."

Ooh... It had been forever since I'd written anything more than a journal entry or a blog post. That bubble of excitement emerged deep inside of me and grew until I felt like I might burst.

I researched Christian Writers online. It was then I discovered the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. Since it was already February, I took a step of faith and registered for the May conference. I knew no one. I knew almost nothing.

Sure, I'd gone to college and taken a few communications classes, but I'd never gotten into the journalism aspect of the program. What could I do?

I could be obedient.

I started reading books on the craft of writing. I blogged on a more regular basis. I searched online. I joined the conference's Yahoo! group for new attendees. And I packed for my first trip just for me.

Here's what God did as a result of my obedience and stepping out in faith:
- I left the conference with a new best friend, Mary Denman.
- I left the conference with a mentor, Edie Melson, the co-director of the conference.
- I left the conference with the interest of Focus on the Family's Thriving Family magazine editor. I prayed for God to drop an article idea into my heart that I could pitch to her. She loved it. I'd always dreamed of having an article published in one of Focus' magazines. God brought it to pass.
- I left the conference with a request from Christian Devotions to send in the devotion I wrote at the conference, just trying my hand at their format. It ended up published on their website and in a devotional book for families. FAITH & FAMILY
- I left the conference encouraged and soaring on eagles' wings.

In the years since, God has blessed me tremendously as I've networked and created. And walked in OBEDIENCE to His call on my life.

I am now the editor of Inspire a Fire, an online site for those of us who want to see God make a difference in our world. And use us to do so.

I am an associate editor with Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. I also freelance edit. Which I love to do. It brings me great joy to help other authors recognize their own potential and bring their work to a new level of excellence.

I just finished writing my first novel and am in rewrite mode. My editor is waiting to work on it. My agent, Jonathan Clements, is waiting to receive the finished manuscript. And I am tickled that God would bless me with such incredible people to work with.

I am teaching at a writer's conference for the first time this October. If you're in the area, you won't want to miss CLASS Writer's Conference in Albuquerque, NM this fall.

God is able to do so much when we are willing to heed His call and walk in obedience and faith. I never finished college. I'd gone for four years when they cut off my student loans. For whatever reason, I couldn't get anymore.

What I've learned since then is that it doesn't always take a degree. Sometimes all it takes is the will to be taught by others, to work hard, and to serve one another. Every time, the will of God is enough.

So I ask you. What's your dream? What is that thing you've always wanted to do that dwells deep inside of you and you can't shake? What could you do that would bring you incredible joy? That thing is a God thing. Acknowledge it. Research it. Find out what you would need to do to step into that journey. Because if God is in it, anything is possible.

I know. I'm walking it. Jeff sums up my testimony well:

When we pour out our gifts and talents, we receive abundantly more than we ever provide.

Don't be like the steward who buried his talent. God reaps where He does not sow. Step out in faith and see where He will take you. Don't be afraid to chase your dreams.

Join me again tomorrow, when I'll share about what looks like the end of a journey (but is only the beginning of a new one, I'm sure).

This week, I will be preparing for another journey ... to a new season of life for our family. A new in-between. A new season of waiting and discovering and savoring the ordinary moments in life that lead to the extraordinary events of life. I will leave a post each day, Monday through Friday, for you to enjoy and think upon as I prepare for and make my trip. These posts will lead up to where I find myself today, and I hope that they encourage you to enjoy the wait.

Monday's Post: Get Me Out of Here!

Tuesday's Post: What Happened in the Waiting

Wednesday's Post: On the Road Again

For more info about Jeff's book, please visit: http://goinswriter.com/ Jeff has some great giveaways for ordering The In-Between: Embracing the Tension Between Now and the Next Big Thing. You won't want to miss out! (He's also written several posts to give you a taste of the material in his book and what others are saying about it.)

On Saturday, enjoy my review of The In-Between.

How Does Biblical Law Benefit Me?

Up to this point, we've discussed whether or not the Law of the Old Testament is valid today and what it is. Today I'd like to discuss how obeying the law benefits someone who's saved by grace.

I've been considering my parenting skills (or lack thereof, depending on the area we're discussing) over the past couple of months. I've recognized areas where I'm too strong and areas where I'm too lax. I've considered my responses to my children and their behaviors. I've watched. I've listened. I've taken notes.

Like me, God is a parent. He is the Father of all of mankind. He is, after all, our Creator. One thing I've always known is that no matter what wrong I've done as a child of God, I am loved and I am forgiven by the blood of Jesus. Like God, I love my children unconditionally. They will make mistakes just as I make mistakes. They will have good days and bad days just like I have good days and bad days. I will want to duct tape them to a chair (and use it on their mouths) some days, but I will resist doing so out of love. Just as God probably wants to strike me with lightning some days and doesn't out of His love for me.

As I considered this post, I thought of God's commandment to children. It's the only one that comes with a promise. Here's what it says:

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with promise: "that it may be well with you and you may live long in the earth" (Ephesians 6:1-3).

When we obey God's law, we are honoring our Father in heaven. Think about the rules and boundaries you set for your own children (or, if you don't have children, consider how your parents set up boundaries and rules for you). Why do you give them these rules? To protect them. To keep them safe from harm's way.

I'll never forget the day I took the kids to the local laundromat. I had Zachary (my step-son) who was eight at the time (maybe nine). I had Ezra strapped into his infant car seat. I pulled up alongside the laundromat to unload the five baskets of dirty clothes. I gave specific instructions to Zach. "Stay in your seat with your seatbelt on. DO NOT get out of the car." Easy enough, right?

I knew that the parking lot could be busy. I knew it would only take me two minutes to unload the clothes and park the van. Then we'd all go inside. Only Zach didn't listen. Instead, he thought he'd go over to the guardrail by the river and toss rocks into it. Which would have been fine with supervision. What Zach didn't realize is that at any moment a half-drunk redneck in a beat-up pick-up truck would come zipping into the parking lot and decide to choose the space...where Zach stood. The look on my step-son's face said it all. He was terrified. Thankfully, the truck stopped before hitting him. So did my heart.

"Honor your Father, that it may be well with you and you may live long in the earth." (Paraphrase mine.)

When we honor God and His law, we have an opportunity to live long on the earth. When we are obedient to His commandments, His boundaries, His rules, we find things going very well in life. I can't tell you how many times I've seen blessings flow from heaven as my husband and I have honored God and His people here on earth as we've walked our lives out with Him. Why anyone wouldn't want to honor God's law and His commands is beyond me.

What about you? Can you recall an incident where God's Law applied and someone was either blessed or cursed for obeying or disobeying that command? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Photo Courtesy of dazmac

Revisiting ~ Proverbs 1 ~ Obedience and Long Life

Photo Copyright 2010 Alycia W. Morales

“My son, hear the instruction of your father,

And do not forsake the law of your mother;

For they will be a graceful ornament on your head,

And chains about your neck.”

~ Proverbs 1:8-9

We lived in an apartment on Main Street. I used the local laundromat to wash our clothes. I pulled our minivan up next to the building, which also housed the local supermarket. The east branch of the Delaware River ran alongside the building, and several parking spaces ran next to the river.

“Zach, you need to stay in the van. I’m going to unload the laundry, and I’ll be right back. We’ll go in together after I park the van,” I instructed my nine-year-old stepson. “I don’t want you to get hurt. It’s very important that you don’t get out of the car. We’re in a parking lot.”

Upon returning for the third and final basket, I noticed Zach no longer sat in his seat. I turned around, looking for his whereabouts. He’d gone over to the guard rail to watch the river and throw a rock or two into the swirling water below.

“Zachary, I told you to stay in the van. Get over here, now!”

As he turned to face me, a local redneck raced into the parking lot in his blue beat-up pick-up truck. To my horror, he whipped into the parking space where my step-son stood. Zach’s face went white as the guy slammed on his brakes, put his truck into park, and stepped out. He never glanced at my step-son or apologized for his obnoxious driving. He stumbled drunkenly from his vehicle and kept right on going, as if he hadn’t nearly taken out a child.

Zach ran back over. I explained to him in a calm but firm tone how important it was he listened to me. I wasn’t trying to restrict him by keeping him in the van; I was trying to protect him from people like that and potential harm.

I find it interesting that God uses one of the Ten Commandments to begin the book of Proverbs. I repeat instructions to my children over and over again, because I’m trying to make certain they’ve heard me and will remember what I’ve taught them. I instruct them for their safety. It can be as simple as saying, “Don’t forget to brush your teeth,” promoting good health practices. It can be as difficult as saying, “Don’t accept candy from a stranger,” protecting them from people who might harm them. Either way, I desire for my children to have long and healthy lives. I work on training them up in the way that they should go, so when they’re old they won’t depart from it. (See Proverbs 22:6)

When we honor and obey our parents, we remain under their protection. When we step out from under their authority in our lives, we step out from God’s protection as well. Our disobedience to them is our disobedience to God. He provided parents for us to learn from and experience His love through. When we obey our parents and God, we have a far better chance at having a long and meaningful life. We save ourselves from heartaches and disappointments along the way.

But It Hurts

Image Courtesy of Julien Tromeur

I have a confession to make: I don't like juicing. Nor do I like exercising. 

I can't stand cutting veggies and fruit into bits and pieces that will fit through my juicer. 

I don't like straining raspberry seeds through my teeth as I drink my morning smoothie. 

Nor do I like trying to keep up with exercise instructors who've been shaking their Zumba hips long enough to look cool while I flounce around, realizing I'm too stiff and look rather foolish.


No. I don't like any of these at all. 




What I do like is the results of being obedient in pursuing the results I hope for:
1. My weight is producing smaller numbers each time I step on the scale.
2. My waistline is trimming down. (I may be able to buy smaller shorts and capris this summer.)
3. I can feel my stomach muscles underneath my muffin top. And my legs are killing me, but I can walk taller knowing Zumba is tightening my flab.
4. About that muffin top...it's decreasing in size, as well. Faster than I expected.
5. I feel better, have more energy, and am not as groggy and down in the dumps as I was last month.

It's a season of Lent and most people I know are giving up something they hold onto all year. In biblical terms, they're fasting. Denying themselves something in order to honor God as King of their hearts (and minds). It takes self-control, dedication and determination. And it hurts.

Another word associated with fasting is sacrifice. We don't like to make sacrifices. We don't like to feel the pain of letting go of something or someone in order to show God who is boss in our lives. We don't like to have to forgo meat or cookies or a bad relationship we think is bringing us love in order to place God first in our hearts. The pain resembles having a tooth pulled without Novocane or a bandage pulled off super-slow from a hairy part of our anatomy. It hurts.

But we don't serve a God who can't understand the pain of sacrifice, of letting go, of proving our love for Him. Because He did the same for us.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."
 ~ John 3:16-17 (NKJV)

He understands perfectly well. 

So when we face the pain of sacrifice in our lives, we should remember the outcome we strive toward. Whether it's the inheritance of the kingdom of God, security in His love or the pounds of fat falling from a pear-shaped form, the gain is worth all the pain it took to get there. Obedience to the call is the only requirement.