I just returned Tuesday night from Indiana. I had a fantastic time at home with family and friends. God's faithfulness is so evident!
I want to remind you that TONIGHT is the BIG FREE BOOK drawing!!! It's not too late to put in your name and tell your friends about the four new books that I will be giving away tonight at the stroke of midnight! Don't miss out!
The FREE BOOKS for the month of November are:
Beloved by Toni Morrison
The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
The One-Year Mini Devotional by Jennifer King
What's the Big Deal about Jesus? by John Ankerberg and Dillon Burroughs
Post here or e-mail me at marla_alupoaicei@yahoo.com if you would like to win a FREE book! Just let me know your name and which book you are interested in. Thanks and blessings! Good luck!
viernes, 30 de noviembre de 2007
domingo, 18 de noviembre de 2007
An Attitude of Gratitude
Expressing thanks has become a lost art in our culture. As we launch into the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, I walk into stores and see rows of big-screen TVs for sale, while the nativity scenes get relegated to the bargain bin in back of the store.
Do I get caught up in the hustle and bustle? You bet. In fact, I already decorated our home for Christmas. My husband and I are preparing to go to Indiana for over a week for Thanksgiving, and I thought it would feel great to have the house clean and decorated for the holidays when we return. I have so many writing projects on my plate that I knew I had better decorate early this year so I can just focus on my writing when I return from Indiana.
And I recently began my Christmas shopping, too. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a "gifty" person. I absolutely love to give gifts! To me, gift-giving is a way for me to express things to a loved one that I might not express in words. In the past, I've often gone overboard with my gift spending. I'm trying not to do that this year. In fact, I'm planning to do MANY things differently this year.
The main goal of my plan this year is to SIMPLIFY THE SEASON by FOCUSING ON THE PERSON AND WORK OF CHRIST.
As Thanksgiving approaches, I'm called to reflect on all that I'm thankful for. I have so much: my salvation, God's Word, an incredible husband, godly parents who pray for me every day, a brother and three sisters that I adore, friends that bring joy to my life. Love. Joy. Health. Freedom. A career that I truly enjoy. A beautiful apartment home. Two dependable cars. Two cats and four sweet kittens to care for. What more could I ask?
Peaks and valleys mark the lives of us all - good times and rough times when we may question God's goodness and His plan. But ultimately, we praise Him not for what we have or even for what He does, but for WHO HE IS. As Job says in the Bible, "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord."
So how does gratitude affect our holidays? In many ways. I'm seeking to simplify my life, spend less, and reflect more. Make more gifts and make them more personal. Spend less time shopping and more time telling my family and friends what they mean to me.
Recently, at Barnes & Noble, I read a book called Debt-Proof the Holidays: How to Have an All-Cash Christmas by Mary Hunt. The book describes ways to keep from going into debt during the hoidays. I highly recommend it! Catalin and I plan to follow this strategy this year so we can maximize the joy and minimize the stress and materialism that seem to sneak in when we least expect them.
What are your plans for celebrating the Thanksgiving and Christmas season? Do you have strategies for spending less that you'd like to share? How do you make your holidays special? Please share your own traditions here. Thank you!
Do I get caught up in the hustle and bustle? You bet. In fact, I already decorated our home for Christmas. My husband and I are preparing to go to Indiana for over a week for Thanksgiving, and I thought it would feel great to have the house clean and decorated for the holidays when we return. I have so many writing projects on my plate that I knew I had better decorate early this year so I can just focus on my writing when I return from Indiana.
And I recently began my Christmas shopping, too. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a "gifty" person. I absolutely love to give gifts! To me, gift-giving is a way for me to express things to a loved one that I might not express in words. In the past, I've often gone overboard with my gift spending. I'm trying not to do that this year. In fact, I'm planning to do MANY things differently this year.
The main goal of my plan this year is to SIMPLIFY THE SEASON by FOCUSING ON THE PERSON AND WORK OF CHRIST.
As Thanksgiving approaches, I'm called to reflect on all that I'm thankful for. I have so much: my salvation, God's Word, an incredible husband, godly parents who pray for me every day, a brother and three sisters that I adore, friends that bring joy to my life. Love. Joy. Health. Freedom. A career that I truly enjoy. A beautiful apartment home. Two dependable cars. Two cats and four sweet kittens to care for. What more could I ask?
Peaks and valleys mark the lives of us all - good times and rough times when we may question God's goodness and His plan. But ultimately, we praise Him not for what we have or even for what He does, but for WHO HE IS. As Job says in the Bible, "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord."
So how does gratitude affect our holidays? In many ways. I'm seeking to simplify my life, spend less, and reflect more. Make more gifts and make them more personal. Spend less time shopping and more time telling my family and friends what they mean to me.
Recently, at Barnes & Noble, I read a book called Debt-Proof the Holidays: How to Have an All-Cash Christmas by Mary Hunt. The book describes ways to keep from going into debt during the hoidays. I highly recommend it! Catalin and I plan to follow this strategy this year so we can maximize the joy and minimize the stress and materialism that seem to sneak in when we least expect them.
What are your plans for celebrating the Thanksgiving and Christmas season? Do you have strategies for spending less that you'd like to share? How do you make your holidays special? Please share your own traditions here. Thank you!
viernes, 16 de noviembre de 2007
Informed Consent by Sandra Glahn
Today, I'd like to recommend a great new medical thriller, Informed Consent, by Sandra Glahn. Sandi is a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary and has served as one of my greatest encouragers and mentors. Her ability to engage the postmodern culture as well as her positive spirit, enthusiasm and intuitive writing suggestions have helped me to sharpen my writing and to progress from the status of "wanna-be writer" to a full-time author! Thanks, Sandi.
Sandi just released her fantastic new novel with Cook Communications. Check out the back cover blurb:
Jeremy Cramer, M.D., is the next Einstein of infectious disease research. While working on a way to revive water submersion victims, he makes a breakthrough discovery in AIDS research that thrusts him into the center of a media frenzy. But the publicity turns negative and his marriage reaches the breaking point when he accidentally infects a colleague and his negligence allows his son to contract a life-threatening disease. The viruses test the limits of his new formula and his ethics. In his frantic efforts to save his son and his marriage, he must decide whether to allow his child to die or violate the rights of a young transplant donor. The choice forces him to stand face-to-face with the unfathomable love required to sacrifice an only son.
Sounds fascinating, huh? Sandi has done years of research in the fields of bioethics, infertility, and medicine, as she and her husband struggled to conceive a child and went through many heartbreaking years of failed fertility treatments before adopting their beautiful daughter, Alexandra, ten years ago. Sandi infuses her writing with elements of her research and personal experience, using fascinating intrigue, plot twists and turns, complications, and great dialogue to create a book that you just can’t put down.
For more information on Sandi’s ministry or the book, please visit her website at aspire2.com. Read the book and let me know what you think! Thanks!
Sandi just released her fantastic new novel with Cook Communications. Check out the back cover blurb:
Jeremy Cramer, M.D., is the next Einstein of infectious disease research. While working on a way to revive water submersion victims, he makes a breakthrough discovery in AIDS research that thrusts him into the center of a media frenzy. But the publicity turns negative and his marriage reaches the breaking point when he accidentally infects a colleague and his negligence allows his son to contract a life-threatening disease. The viruses test the limits of his new formula and his ethics. In his frantic efforts to save his son and his marriage, he must decide whether to allow his child to die or violate the rights of a young transplant donor. The choice forces him to stand face-to-face with the unfathomable love required to sacrifice an only son.
Sounds fascinating, huh? Sandi has done years of research in the fields of bioethics, infertility, and medicine, as she and her husband struggled to conceive a child and went through many heartbreaking years of failed fertility treatments before adopting their beautiful daughter, Alexandra, ten years ago. Sandi infuses her writing with elements of her research and personal experience, using fascinating intrigue, plot twists and turns, complications, and great dialogue to create a book that you just can’t put down.
For more information on Sandi’s ministry or the book, please visit her website at aspire2.com. Read the book and let me know what you think! Thanks!
sábado, 10 de noviembre de 2007
Questions to Ask before Entering an Intercultural Marriage
I’ve received several e-mails and encountered several friends lately who are considering entering intercultural marriage. They have questions like, Is this the right man/woman for me? How can I know what I’m getting myself into? What can I expect from intercultural marriage?
Much of it depends on you, your background and beliefs as well as the other person's background and life experience. To help you make this vital decision, I’ll provide a few helpful questions that you can ask yourself before you take this wonderful “Leap of Faith”!
1. First of all, are you truly in love with him or her? Intercultural marriage does provide countless joys and benefits to your life. I can’t imagine life without my amazing husband, Catalin! But it can also be challenging at times. You need God’s hand in your life, plus a strong bond of love and commitment, to make it. Also, be sure that you are on the same page theologically. You may need to ask some tough questions about what your soon-to-be spouse believes on a wide variety of topics such as going to church, baptism, communion, salvation, etc. You might be surprised how much a person’s theology affects his or her practice. For example, his or her attitude toward child rearing, wearing makeup or jewelry, sickness and death, what he or she believes about birth control and a wide variety of other topics can be influenced by his or her spiritual and cultural beliefs.
2. Talk to your beloved and come to a clear decision about where you are going to live, because you don’t want to have any surprises there, and where you live will have a profound impact on your life. Ask yourself whether you are willing - now or any time in the future - to leave your family and culture to live in your spouse’s home country or somewhere else. Also, do you want to raise your children in those environments? If not, you need to be sure that your spouse is fine - REALLY - with the idea of living in the States permanently. When my husband asked me to marry him, I thought I would be moving to Romania, and I was excited to do that because I loved the orphan ministry that we were working for. It ended up that he wanted to come to the States, though, to get an education and to work. Find out these things about your fiance, as well.
3. Have you been to visit the person and his/her family in their home environment? If not, definitely do this before you decide to get married. Go and see him/her interact in his or her home environment before you make the decision. He/she could act radically different or have different expectations for you in his/her home environment that he/she might not have in the States.
4. Find out whether he/she plans to have his or her parents or siblings visit you (and stay in your home for long periods of time) or move in with you permanently at some point. This is very common among intercultural spouses, but it can cause stress, arguments, and marital strain for American spouses who aren’t used to living with other people or couples. If your beloved does plan to do this, you need to seriously consider whether or not you are okay with it! And if not, discuss your expectations and boundaries clearly with your spouse and stick to them. In May, my mother-in-law, Maria, came to the States for my husband’s graduation. She stayed for three weeks. We enjoyed her visit and it was good that we had set a specific time limit for her visit so that we were all on the same page.
5. Most important of all - PRAY. Pray for your beloved, pray for yourself and both of your families. Pray for wisdom about whether to “take the leap.” Gather a team of family and friends to pray for you! And definitely consider marriage counseling. Now would be a good time, even if you go by yourself for a few sessions to have the counselor or pastor help you decide whether or not you should marry him/her. Then I would go to counseling as a couple as much as possible, too. You most likely will need to go over the next few years as intercultural issues arise. It’s worth it to save your marriage!
Let me know if this is helpful to you or if you have other specific questions/issues about intercultural marriage that you’d like me to address on Leap of Faith! Thank you.
Much of it depends on you, your background and beliefs as well as the other person's background and life experience. To help you make this vital decision, I’ll provide a few helpful questions that you can ask yourself before you take this wonderful “Leap of Faith”!
1. First of all, are you truly in love with him or her? Intercultural marriage does provide countless joys and benefits to your life. I can’t imagine life without my amazing husband, Catalin! But it can also be challenging at times. You need God’s hand in your life, plus a strong bond of love and commitment, to make it. Also, be sure that you are on the same page theologically. You may need to ask some tough questions about what your soon-to-be spouse believes on a wide variety of topics such as going to church, baptism, communion, salvation, etc. You might be surprised how much a person’s theology affects his or her practice. For example, his or her attitude toward child rearing, wearing makeup or jewelry, sickness and death, what he or she believes about birth control and a wide variety of other topics can be influenced by his or her spiritual and cultural beliefs.
2. Talk to your beloved and come to a clear decision about where you are going to live, because you don’t want to have any surprises there, and where you live will have a profound impact on your life. Ask yourself whether you are willing - now or any time in the future - to leave your family and culture to live in your spouse’s home country or somewhere else. Also, do you want to raise your children in those environments? If not, you need to be sure that your spouse is fine - REALLY - with the idea of living in the States permanently. When my husband asked me to marry him, I thought I would be moving to Romania, and I was excited to do that because I loved the orphan ministry that we were working for. It ended up that he wanted to come to the States, though, to get an education and to work. Find out these things about your fiance, as well.
3. Have you been to visit the person and his/her family in their home environment? If not, definitely do this before you decide to get married. Go and see him/her interact in his or her home environment before you make the decision. He/she could act radically different or have different expectations for you in his/her home environment that he/she might not have in the States.
4. Find out whether he/she plans to have his or her parents or siblings visit you (and stay in your home for long periods of time) or move in with you permanently at some point. This is very common among intercultural spouses, but it can cause stress, arguments, and marital strain for American spouses who aren’t used to living with other people or couples. If your beloved does plan to do this, you need to seriously consider whether or not you are okay with it! And if not, discuss your expectations and boundaries clearly with your spouse and stick to them. In May, my mother-in-law, Maria, came to the States for my husband’s graduation. She stayed for three weeks. We enjoyed her visit and it was good that we had set a specific time limit for her visit so that we were all on the same page.
5. Most important of all - PRAY. Pray for your beloved, pray for yourself and both of your families. Pray for wisdom about whether to “take the leap.” Gather a team of family and friends to pray for you! And definitely consider marriage counseling. Now would be a good time, even if you go by yourself for a few sessions to have the counselor or pastor help you decide whether or not you should marry him/her. Then I would go to counseling as a couple as much as possible, too. You most likely will need to go over the next few years as intercultural issues arise. It’s worth it to save your marriage!
Let me know if this is helpful to you or if you have other specific questions/issues about intercultural marriage that you’d like me to address on Leap of Faith! Thank you.
NaNoWriMo!
NaNoWriMo!??? What could that be?
Actually, it stands for National Novel Writing Month. Yes, that's right - there is a group of us out there insane enough to actually try to write a 50,000-word novel during the month of November. They do it every year! This is the first time for me to try it. I've got about 10,000 words so far, so I need to get cracking. My novel is currently called Sophia's Divine Summer. Stay tuned for more!
The amazing thing about doing NaNoWriMo is that you don't have time to edit yourself - you just WRITE. This has freed me to explore and just keep letting my thoughts and words flow onto the page without doing so much self-editing. It's such a rush when the Lord just puts the ideas there and I sit down and let it flow! I can't type fast enough!
I will keep you posted on the final result! For more info, see NaNoWriMo's website at nanowrimo.org. There's still time to sign up, and it's free! Even if you only get half of your novel written, that's a great start! And you can add me as a buddy. My login is leap_of_faith. Thanks!
Onward and upward!
Actually, it stands for National Novel Writing Month. Yes, that's right - there is a group of us out there insane enough to actually try to write a 50,000-word novel during the month of November. They do it every year! This is the first time for me to try it. I've got about 10,000 words so far, so I need to get cracking. My novel is currently called Sophia's Divine Summer. Stay tuned for more!
The amazing thing about doing NaNoWriMo is that you don't have time to edit yourself - you just WRITE. This has freed me to explore and just keep letting my thoughts and words flow onto the page without doing so much self-editing. It's such a rush when the Lord just puts the ideas there and I sit down and let it flow! I can't type fast enough!
I will keep you posted on the final result! For more info, see NaNoWriMo's website at nanowrimo.org. There's still time to sign up, and it's free! Even if you only get half of your novel written, that's a great start! And you can add me as a buddy. My login is leap_of_faith. Thanks!
Onward and upward!
jueves, 1 de noviembre de 2007
You are the Champions, My Friends...
Happy November! I'm pleased to announce the winners of the super-awesome October book drawing! My husband kindly did the honors of selecting the names from the bowls last night.
The winner of the book Cold Mountain is TINA H. of Fort Worth!!!!
The winner of the book Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood is COLLEEN S. of Frisco!
And the winner of the book Why Johnny Can't Brand is T.J. W., also of Fort Worth!!!
Congratulations, friends! You will be receiving your books in the mail very soon! And now is the time to begin entering the drawing for November's books, which are:
Beloved
The Nanny Diaries
The One-Year Mini for Busy Women (autographed)
What's the Big Deal about Jesus? (autographed)
Please just post a comment here or e-mail me at marla_alupoaicei@yahoo.com if you are interested in winning one of November's books! Thank you.
The winner of the book Cold Mountain is TINA H. of Fort Worth!!!!
The winner of the book Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood is COLLEEN S. of Frisco!
And the winner of the book Why Johnny Can't Brand is T.J. W., also of Fort Worth!!!
Congratulations, friends! You will be receiving your books in the mail very soon! And now is the time to begin entering the drawing for November's books, which are:
Beloved
The Nanny Diaries
The One-Year Mini for Busy Women (autographed)
What's the Big Deal about Jesus? (autographed)
Please just post a comment here or e-mail me at marla_alupoaicei@yahoo.com if you are interested in winning one of November's books! Thank you.
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