Want to Get Published?

Author and mentor Mary DeMuth recently started up a great new blog for all of you who are writers - and for those who want to become published authors! She includes some fantastic resources, including samples of query letters and book proposals. Check it out at wannabepublished.blogspot.com. Enjoy!

Get Creative Again

I meet so many people who are longing to recover their creative heart, yearning to reconnect with the creative part of their spirit. As we grow older, get jobs, get married, and have children, the urgency of our day-to-day responsibilities tends to crowd out the creative moments. Many of us feel that we've left our creative gifts and energies in the distant past.

Now, you can recover them with the help of Julia Cameron, author of The Artist's Way. Her book is an amazing "workshop" that helps you dig deeply and recover your creative spirit. She writes: "Many of us find that we have squandered our own creative energies by investing disproportionately in the lives, hopes, dreams, and plans of others. Their lives have obscured and detoured our own." So how can you work through this and get back in touch with your creative side? Cameron offers the following tips.

-Stop telling yourself, "It's too late for me to recover my creative self."
-Stop waiting until you make enough money to do something you'd really love.
-Stop telling yourself, "It's just my ego" whenever you yearn for a more creative life.
-Stop telling yourself that dreams don't matter, that they are only dreams and that you should be more sensible.
-Stop fearing that your family and friends would think you're crazy.
-Stop telling yourself that creativity is a luxury and that you should just be grateful for what you have.
Let me know your thoughts here! Thanks!

Announcement of April Book Giveaway!

Hello and thank you for visiting Leap of Faith! For April's FREE book drawing, talented author and speaker Marla Taviano has graciously offered to give away two new autographed Christian books to YOU. The books are:

-From Blushing Bride to Wedded Wife: Practical Advice from a Girlfriend - What Marriage is Really Like

-Is That All He Thinks About?

Please post a comment here or e-mail me at marla_alupoaicei@yahoo.com to let me know which book you want to win, and I will enter your name in the drawing. Thank you!

Marla Taviano has a fantastic blog at xanga.com/mtaviano. You can purchase her books there for a discount, too! Enjoy!

Taking Your Creative Pulse

I read this quote recently in the book The Artist's Way and found it inspiring: "We must accept that this creative pulse within us is God's creative pulse itself." (Joseph Chilton Pearce)

TODAY'S THE DAY!

WANNA WIN A FREE BOOK? Today is the final day for entering the drawing for one of these fantastic NEW books:

-One True Thing by Anna Quindlen (hardcover)

-Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier (paperback)

-Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells (paperback)

-Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts (paperback)

-The Pilot’s Wife by Anita Shreve (paperback)

-Gods and Generals by Jeff Shaara (paperback)

-The Hours by Michael Cunningham (paperback)

-The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller (hardcover)

-Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding (hardcover)

-Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt (hardcover)

-Sea Glass by Anita Shreve (paperback)

-Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson (paperback)

If you would like to win one of these books, please let me know which book you’re interested in by posting a comment below, and I’ll be happy to enter your name in the drawing. I will draw names at midnight on March 31. Also, please pass on this info to friends and family who may want to enter the drawing or who would be interested in checking out the articles and resources featured on Leap of Faith! Thank you!

A Lesson from Leonardo

Just before Leonardo da Vinci began to work on his famous painting "The Last Supper," he had a bitter argument with a fellow painter. He grew so enraged that he decided to paint the face of his former friend into the face of Judas. Leonardo knew that if he painted his friend as Judas, succeeding generations would look upon the friend with scorn. The face of Judas was the first he completed, and all who saw it knew it was the face of the fellow painter.
When Leonardo began to paint the face of Jesus, however, something seemed to hold him back, in spite of his best efforts. Over and over again he tried to paint Christ, only to be frustrated. Finally, he came to the conclusion that his frustration had to do with the fact that he had painted his friend’s face into the face of Judas. So Leonardo painted out the face of Judas and began again to paint the face of Jesus—this time with success. We can't paint the features and attributes of Jesus into our own lives if we are painting another person with the colors of bitterness and hatred.*
This story really impacted and convicted me, increasing my desire to be a person of forgiveness and grace. What about you? Let me know what you think. Blessings!

* Source: Paul Tan, Sermon Illustrations

Read These Books!

Hello and thanks for stopping by Leap of Faith! I'd like to offer you a few book recommendations. Catalin bought me a few books for our anniversary that I've been wanting to read, and I've really been enjoying them.

First is EAT, PRAY, LOVE: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert. Phenomenal nonfiction book! Gilbert's writing is witty, hilarious, and poignant. She's a flawed but loveable narrator. Anne Lamott calls this "A wonderful book, brilliant and personal, rich in spiritual insight." After experiencing a hearbreaking divorce (initiated by herself) and crushing depression, Gilbert decides to travel the world for a year, in search of what she's been missing. She decides to explore pleasure in Italy, devotion in India, and "transcendent enjoyment" in Bali. If you like authors like Susan Orlean, Frances Mayes and Frank McCourt, you'll love this book.

Next is THE GEOGRAPHY OF BLISS: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World. This is another fantastic travel book, written by Eric Weiner, a journalist and correspondent for NPR. He is a self-described pessimist and "grump" who decides to search the world for happiness. He seeks out those countries and people who are the most happy. He interviews researchers who specialize in studying happiness and what contributes to it. Is it money? Peace? Career? Fame? Success? Climate? Accomplishment? Relationships? Family? This is a fun-to-read, thought-provoking book! Weiner's dry humor is one of the best parts. Only I haven't been able to finish this book because my husband absolutely loves it and can't put it down. :)

I also want to recommend a book that I keep hearing about but haven't had the chance to read yet! But so many respected friends are telling me, "You HAVE to read this book!" So I trust them. It's THE SHACK by William P. Young. Read it and let me know what you think! Enjoy!

Opportunity for Poets

The Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Memorial Fund is now accepting entries for its 2008 Annual Poetry Competition. According to the fund's website, the competition offers cash prizes to "young poets of unusual promise" and is open to poets under age 40. I've entered this competition twice and have been so impressed by the quality of the winning poems as well as by the amazing administrator of the prizes, Mary Rosenberg. She has such a heart to help young poets and writers succeed. To get more info on the competition and to read the winning poems from past competitions, check out the website at dorothysargentrosenbergmemorialfund.org. The entry deadline is November 6, 2008, so you have plenty of time to prepare your entries. Blessings!

Be a Grace-Giver

In his extraordinary book What’s So Amazing About Grace?, author Philip Yancey shares the following story:

“During a British conference on comparative religions, experts from around the world debated what, if any, belief was unique to the Christian faith. They began eliminating possibilities. Incarnation? Other religions had different versions of gods appearing in human form. Resurrection? Again, other religions had accounts of return from death. The debate went on for some time until C. S. Lewis wandered into the room. ‘What’s the rumpus about?’ he asked, and heard in reply that his colleagues were discussing Christianity’s unique contribution among world religions. Lewis responded, ‘Oh, that’s easy. It’s grace.’”

Ah, C.S. Lewis! His wisdom amazes me. GRACE always wins out, doesn't it? We impact people by showing them love and grace. Scripture says that it's KINDNESS that leads people to repentance, and it's GRACE that characterizes us as people who love God and love others with all our hearts. How are you doing in the grace-giving department today?

Great People...

I read this recently and it really impressed me. Let me know what you think!

Great people discuss principles and ideas.
Average people discuss things and events.
Irritating people discuss only themselves.
Small people talk about other people. :)

Which one are you? From both a relational perspective and a Christian perspective, our desire here at Leap of Faith is to discuss creative ideas and offer biblical principles to help you achieve joy and success in your life. Leap of Faith provides a venue for us to minister to YOU and to help you achieve your personal and spiritual goals. We want to help you see yourself as God sees you - full of giftedness, promise and possibility. How can we do that for you today? We'd love to encourage you and pray for you. Please post a comment below or e-mail Marla at marla_alupoaicei@yahoo.com. Thank you!

Writing Tip

I grabbed this tip from literary agent Terry Whalin's site: "Instead of beating a path to the mailbox looking for the editor to respond, begin other projects and get more writing into the market." What a great reminder to keep moving forward with our writing!

Thus Far the Lord Has Helped Us

I've been reading in 1 Samuel 7, where Samuel pleaded for the Israelite people to turn from worshipping false idols and turn back to the Lord. He also called on the Lord to save the Israelite people from the fierce Philistines, who were about to attack.

The people repented of their sin. And God "thundered" and confused the Philistines so that they ran from the Israelites and were struck down by them. This was an amazing, miraculous victory that God performed - especially considering the unfaithfulness of His people.

So that the people would never forget this awesome intervention by the Lord, Samuel set up a stone of remembrance between Mizpah and Shen and called it Ebenezer - "a stone of help," saying, "THUS FAR THE LORD HAS HELPED US."

I love that. It reminds me to set up memorials to remind me of God's faithfulness in the past.

How has the Lord helped you recently? Did you make it a point to remember His provision?

Fantastic Report from NRB!

Just got back last night from the NRB Conference in Nashville. Dillon, Deborah and I really enjoyed it. We met with publishers to discuss some book ideas and got to know some truly amazing, Christ-centered people in the radio and TV industry. We enjoyed hearing some great speakers and musicians, especially speakers Phil Vischer (of Veggie Tales fame), recording artist Steve Camp, and Mark Zoradi (from Disney Corporation). Among the highlights, we also:

-Met Dr. James Dobson on the elevator
-Had the opportunity to hear President George W. Bush speak on Tuesday
-Watched sneak previews of Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the next two movies in the Narnia series
-Heard some hilarious Christian comedians, including Leland Klassen (my favorite)
-Heard several fantastic musicians, including the brilliant classical guitarist Christopher Parkening, Christian recording artists Michael W. Smith and Michael English, and several great bands, including 33 Miles, Austin's Bridge, and Mike's Chair (a new band I liked a lot. The electric violin was a cool touch.)
-Met Stephen Kendrick, an amazing Christian filmmaker
-Were interviewed for NBC (asked to comment on the President's address)

AND MORE! But probably the greatest highlight was finding out that Dillon Burroughs and John Ankerberg's latest book, What Can be Found in LOST, just made the Christian bestseller list! We spent a lot of time sharing with people about the book and explaining the spiritual significance of certain elements of the TV show. This show and the book have really struck a chord with readers.

What Can be Found in LOST is available at your local Christian bookstore as well as at Barnes & Noble, Borders, and other major retailers. To order the book on Amazon or to read more about it, check out the following link:

amazon.com/What-Can-Be-Found-LOST/dp/0736921214

Off to NRB

Well, I'm leaving tomorrow (Saturday) for the National Religious Broadcasters Conference in Nashville. This will be my first time to attend, and I'm thrilled! I'll be meeting my sister Deborah and brother-in-law Dillon there. I look forward to the events and conference sessions. I've heard that there will be lots of bling, and I've also been told to keep an eye out for the entourages of various radio and TV personalities. :) I'll be sure to give you the scoop right here when I get back! Thanks for stopping by my site, and have a great weekend!

Blessings-

Marla

The Lime Life

Dillon and I are working on a new book called The Lime Life: Saving the Earth with a Twist. Can saving the earth actually be EASY and FUN? Yes! We've discovered several simple tips that will help you to do your part in being a good steward of our limited natural resources.

-Adjust your thermostat by two degrees (two degrees cooler in winter, two degrees warmer in summer). This saves on fuel costs and reduces environmental emissions, plus you will save money, as well!

-Downsize your vehicles and you'll save thousands on fuel - plus you'll cut down on harmful emissions. News flash: If you have fewer than four people in your family, you really don't need a Suburban!!!

-Buy a hybrid car. Some companies are even offering cash incentives to their employees for buying hybrids.

-Conserve water and power at the office, at hotels, and at other people's homes, not just at your own house. Use less water and fewer paper products (napkins, paper towels, toilet paper, etc.), and be sure to turn out the lights when you leave.

-Purchase eco-friendly and "green" gifts and household products. The following websites offer some amazing products:

-By the Sea Jewelry (bytheseajewelry.com)
-Ecoist (ecoist.com)
-Ecoexpress (ecoexpress.com)
-Ecoshoppe (ecoshoppe.com)
-The Green Gift Guide (greengiftguide.com)
-Green Glass (greenglass.com)
-Gaiam (gaiam.com)

Thanks for doing your part! Stay tuned for more fun, simple "green" tips.