Fickle, Fearful, or Faithful?

The flow of creativity is a constant. We are the ones who are fickle or fearful.
 
                                              —Julia Cameron, The Artist's Way
 
  
               The editors of Toward the Light, a Canadian-based literary journal, share the following thoughts about flow:
 
               "Have you ever had a unique concept for a work of art, music or piece of writing which you followed with deep enthusiasm, but then suddenly you became too busy to complete it? You know: your car broke down. Your kid got the mumps. Your boss dumped some overtime on you. Days or weeks or years later, looking back, you identify that it wasn’t busyness at all that prevented you from forging forward. Though the busyness made the avoidance look very legitimate to everyone but your inner knowing. You know that if you had the courage, the time would have found you. Nothing would have stopped you. Rather it was an unconscious intuitive knowing that following that creative thrust to its conclusion would take you to your inner “scary places.” Perhaps having to give up someone’s approval. Or noticing that it’s time to change jobs.
               An interesting question. What fears do you avoid by not completing your creative process in whatever form it takes?
               Still, when we are ready to begin again, we discover that the stream of creativity, unjudgmentally, is willing to carry us again. And, somehow, our floundering has been incorporated into our work and we are stronger as creatives.
               I have these wobbles. Every time I navigate one of them, I tell myself, “never again.” Yet, it happens again. I wonder, is our fickleness and fear actually a part of the creative process? Something that makes us stand still for a while to integrate our fears and strengthen our courage into a new creative expression? If we were never afraid would we have reached deeply enough to produce something new rather than our safe, same old, same old?"
               I once heard Bible teacher Kay Arthur say, “If Satan can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy.” In truth, our busyness usually covers up fear, just as the editors wrote above.
               In my own life as a writer, I often feel like a salmon swimming upstream. In order to be refreshed and to “write from a good place,” (which is my daily prayer), I must consistently go against the trends of our culture. I must be a counter-cultural Christian in every sense of the word. When others say I have to fill my life with noise and stress and busyness, I must embrace silence and solitude. When others say I have to overextend myself financially to “keep up with the Joneses,” I have to make a concerted effort to let the Joneses just go their merry way. So I'm asking you today - are you fickle, fearful, or faithful?

Let the Inspiration Flow...

Wow! I've been so encouraged by the news I've received this week from several of my "mentees" - those I've been blessed to help in their own path to becoming published authors. One friend recently moved to New Orleans to pursue a master's degree, and we are working to get her first book proposal polished and ready to send to the publisher. I'm also editing a book for a friend and former colleague - his first book. And Catalin and I are celebrating the news that Moody Publishers has accepted my book Taking the Intercultural Leap for publication. We're thrilled!

I'm amazed at how God always uses situations in our lives for His glory. Every experience, every conversation, has a purpose. So often, it's not until years pass that we realize what God's plan was in a certain circumstance. I'm so thankful that, truly, ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD FOR THOSE WHO LOVE GOD AND ARE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE. 

What "leap of faith" is the Lord leading you to take today? Leap, and the net will appear.

Blessings!

Setting Healthy Boundaries

Having clear boundaries is essential to a healthy, balanced lifestyle.
—Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend
 
As artists, sometimes we’re all over the map, creatively speaking. We like to be involved in everything, with a finger in every pie. Our spirits and souls overflow with creative energy, and that energy then flows through everything we do. We like to get involved—sometimes too involved in too many things. At times, we can barely tell where we end and others begin.
That’s why we need boundaries.
Oooh. Even the word makes me cringe a bit. I’ve never been that good at setting boundaries. But I’m getting better!
Karol Ladd and Terry Ann Kelly share some challenging points about boundaries in their book The Power of a Positive Friend. They write,
 
By nature most women are people pleasers. We tend to be nurturers who want to fix situations and make everything right… we need to realize that just because we can doesn’t mean we should! 
Boundaries are not brick walls meant to keep people out of our lives; they’re simply helpful guidelines to guard us from squandering our time, talents, and treasure on the selfish demands and whims of others.”61
            As creative people, we know that setting appropriate boundaries remains crucial to our ability to stay healthy and inspired. On his website, fine artist Steve Henderson writes,
 
“I don’t handle a high stress lifestyle very well. For years, I vaguely thought that there was something wrong with this inability, but as I age, like a wine, I realize that perhaps I’ve got something going here. We frequently comment that a wine or cheese mellows with age, but the very word 'mellows' implies serenity, balance, equilibrium— not frenetic energy, a wild and constant shaking of the bottle.
As an artist, my stock in trade is the ability to concentrate, to see things on a deeper level, to determine the best way to bring out those hidden elements subtly, in layers. I can’t do this when my mind is fractured.
Don’t get me wrong. I live in the 21st century too, and as bucolic and pastoral as Dayton, Washington, is, I still have bills, kids, yard work, and an extensive Absolutely-Must-Be-Done-Today list. But I work hard to make sure there’s plenty of white space around my pages.”
White space. Margins... in which God can write. How do your boundaries look today?

Inspiring Quote

While we strolled down the ramp in London's Heathrow airport, I noticed an ad with the following quote:
"The way you view the world is the way the world views you." Isn't that so true? I love this quote because it reminds me to be the one to make the first move, to reach out with love and to share my faith with others. It reminds me to remain fun-loving, positive, loyal, and faithful as an example to all those around me - no matter what anyone else may say, do, or think. It encourages me to put others first and to treat them the way I want to be treated. How does this quote inspire you today?

We're Back!

We're back now from Romania, where we had a fabulous time. Catalin's sister, Andreea, married the love of her life on Saturday. We are thrilled for the happy couple! The wedding was beautiful, and we met so many fantastic people and had the chance to spend some precious times with family and friends. The Lord was faithful to give us excellent weather and to make our travel plans work smoothly, so we felt blessed. Thanks for your prayers!

Off to Romania!

Well, friends, we are off to Romania early on Monday morning, May 5th. Catalin's sister, Andreea, will be married to the love of her life on May 17th in Cluj, Romania. We look forward to our visit with Catalin's family and friends! Those of you who know me know how much I love Romania and the people, and the culture, and the landscape, and the food, and the language... I could go on and on! I have not had the privilege of visiting there since 2003 - way too long!

I will try to check e-mail occasionally while there. If you need to contact me, please e-mail me at marla_alupoaicei@yahoo.com. I will do my best to respond to your messages as soon as I can! You may also call me at (214) 497-4614 and I will call you back when I return. We will be back late on Sunday, May 18th. Thank you and blessings to you!

Happy May Day-New Book Drawing!

Happy May Day, everyone! I am pleased to announce Leap of Faith's fantastic new drawing for the month of May. We had a great response to the April drawing for Marla Taviano's books, so I thought long and hard about which books to offer for this month that my readers would be excited about, as well! Here's what I came up with. I tried to offer a variety of books so at least one of them (hopefully) will appeal to you and your interests. To enter the drawing, simply choose the book you would like to win and e-mail me at marla_alupoaicei@yahoo.com to let me know. Or you may post a comment below.

 

1. Jesus by Chuck Swindoll (the newest book in his bestselling biography series)

2. The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile by Noah Lukeman

3. Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass

4. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

5. The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner

 

I also have a fun women's book to give away called Winging It: A Tale of Turning Thirty by Elizabeth Tippens. So I decided to host another little contest for all of those women out there who are about to turn 30. Please post a comment below explaining why YOU should be the one to win the book. I will choose the best entry and give you the book! Good luck!

You Are the Champions, My Friends...

Congratulations to Leap of Faith's April FREE BOOK WINNERS! Thank you to everyone who visited my site and entered to win April's free books from author Marla Taviano. And the winners are...

Megan for Is That All He Thinks About?
Embassie for From Blushing Bride to Wedded Wife
Larry G. for the book Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus!

Congratulations to all of you. Please e-mail me your mailing addresses, and we will get the books sent out to you right away! Blessings!