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Take that Leap of Faith!

Filed Under Christian Ministry, Communication, Faith, Faith and Values, Spiritual Encouragement, Success, Writing Inspiration
Posted on June 27, 2011 @ 2:23 pm by Marla 

“LEAP AND THE NET WILL APPEAR.” That sentiment may not be found in the Bible, but I’ve found it to be true in my life many times. It’s because God is already there making a way for us even when we can’t see the path.

Hebrews 11:1 and 6 remind us, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen… without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” God has a good and powerful plan for your life. What are you believing Him for today? Are you depending on Him 100%? Are you trusting that He will reward you for diligently seeking Him with a whole heart? As you spend time in prayer today, let this awesome truth resonate in your mind, soul and spirit.

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Mealtime Help for Moms of Preemies

Filed Under Children, Faith and Values, Food, Intercultural Marriage, Stress and Conflict, Success
Posted on June 24, 2011 @ 12:52 pm by Marla 

Welcome to Leap of Faith! I provide info and resources for intercultural couples, moms, authors and more on my site. Please check it out!

If you have ever had a preemie baby, you know that feeding a preemie can be a real challenge! I had no idea until I had my own sweet preemie. My son, Evan, was born a few weeks premature. In addition, his growth was restricted in utero, so he weighed only 3 pounds 5 ounces. He was able to eat and breathe on his own, and he did not have any health problems, so that was an incredible blessing from the Lord. We praise Him every day for that!

Our little Evan spent 3 weeks in the NICU; he had to gain enough weight to be able to ride home in his car seat. Then we were finally able to bring our precious boy home. And he has been an absolute treasure since day one!

My husband and I have done tons of research to help our son catch up in all areas: spiritual development, physical growth, mind and body development, gross and fine motor skills, phonics, reading, eating, etc. Of course, his spiritual development as a godly child of the King is #1 to us.

I had no idea how challenging it could be to get a preemie baby to eat! And it didn’t get much better as our son became a toddler. Foods that other children could easily eat, our son choked on or refused to eat. I thought I would offer some helpful tips for foods that my son, Evan, has been able to eat. I had to learn this the hard way; hopefully I can save you time, money and heartache!

Good Foods for a Preemie Baby Developing into a Toddler

Gerber Puffs (most stores also have their own brand of these)
Gerber Graduates Pasta Pickups
Gerber Graduates Macaroni and Cheese meal
Mashed bananas
Mashed avocados (feel free to mix a little bit of sweet baby food in with this)
Mashed potatoes (plain instant; awesome for getting kids to gain weight and also GREAT if they are sick and can’t keep anything else down)
Unsweetened applesauce cups
Nitrate-free shaved turkey or other very thin lunchmeat
Kraft cheese slices
Yogurt cups (Gerber has good yogurt for babies)
Gerber Yogurt Melts
Cereal bars
Mom’s Best cereal- Honey Nut Cheerios or Toasted Grahams
Healthy Valley Cobbler Bars with whole grain and real fruit (no sugar added)
Kashi Seven Grain Waffles, cut into small pieces
Soft bread sandwiches made with creamy peanut butter and speadable fruit
Annie’s whole grain goldfish
Nature’s Path Organic Toaster Pastries
Lowfat cottage cheese
Homemade popsicles made from 100% fruit juice-add juice to ice cube trays, insert wooden popsicle sticks, and freeze
Popsicles made from kids’ lowfat yogurt cups-insert wooden popsicle sticks or small spoons into yogurt cups and freeze

It’s very important to add protein-rich foods to your baby’s diet. We’ve found that it’s the protein that helps your baby grow and also keeps him or her full so he or she will be able to sleep through the night! This is critical. (Obviously!) My husband has been very conscious of us trying to buy food items without added sugar and without high fructose corn syrup. I’m going to add another post soon with an awesome list of healthy foods for the whole family. Please come back and check it out!

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How to Become a Prayer Warrior Mom

Filed Under Christian Ministry, Faith and Values, God\'s Plan for Marriage, Improving Communication in Marriage, Prayer Warrior Mom, Spiritual Encouragement, Writing Inspiration
Posted on June 14, 2011 @ 2:20 pm by Marla 

Break Through to Blessing!

Do you want to break through to blessing and learn how to intercede more powerfully for your children? I believe we all want that! In my forthcoming book, Prayer Warrior Mom, I present over twenty principles that will help you to do that.

First, we need to cultivate an attitude of gratitude. The dad is the head of the home, but as Prayer Warrior Moms, we are the heart of the home! Our attitudes and actions set the tone for our families. Are we grateful, spiritually focused, and positive? Or are we ungrateful, negative, and nit-picky?

I’ll bet that you know a woman who radiates joy, thankfulness and positivity. She’s the woman everyone loves to be around. She’s the woman who lives a fulfilled life. She’s the woman whose husband and children “rise up and call her blessed” (Prov. 31:28). She’s the woman with the uncanny ability to find the sun peeking out from behind even the darkest storm cloud.

Guess what? You can be that woman! How? Start infusing your prayers with adoration and thankfulness. I like to “bookend” my prayers with thanksgiving at the beginning and the end. According to Jesus’ examples of prayer in Scripture, we should give praise to the Lord before we launch into our laundry lists of personal requests.

If you need help incorporating thanksgiving into your prayers, here’s how to begin! Simply structure your prayers by following the acronym ACTS:

A – Adoration – Praising God for who He is and what He has done for us.
C – Confession – Admitting our sin and asking for forgiveness.
T – Thanksgiving – Thanking God for His blessings.
S – Supplication/intercession and making requests – Lifting up our needs to the Lord.

Here’s another method that I devised to use in my own prayer time. You can use the acronym PRAY:

P – Praise God.
R – Requests: Lift up your requests to the Lord.
A – Adoration: Spend time in worship and adoration.
Y – Yield to His Will and say “yes” to His answer.

When you choose to become a grateful Prayer Warrior Mom, you will completely transform the atmosphere in your home. I promise!

NOTE: This material is adapted from Marla’s forthcoming book Prayer Warrior Mom. Copyright 2011 by Marla Alupoaicei. Please do not copy or reproduce without permission.

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Spicing Things Up: Being the Fragrance of Christ

Filed Under Christian Ministry, Communication, Faith and Values, Prayer Warrior Mom, Spiritual Encouragement, Writing Inspiration
Posted on June 14, 2011 @ 1:33 pm by Marla 

Our sense of smell influences our life in remarkable ways. Imagine what would be lost if you couldn’t breathe in the rich scent of Starbucks coffee on a chilly morning or the invigorating perfume of springtime blossoms wafting on the breeze.

Did you know that smell is by far our most accurate sense? Michael Cole writes, “Our ability to recognize odors is tied directly and intimately to the part of our brain most involved with memory and emotion. A single sniff can cause an emotional response to a freshly baked apple pie in ways that are not possible by touching it or looking at it.”

We can breathe a whiff of a scent that we haven’t smelled in twenty or thirty years and instantly, we’re transported back to a particular moment in time. For me, it might be the smell of bacon frying that reminds me of waking up at my grandma’s house. For you, it could be a favorite perfume, a certain flower, or the salty, exhilarating aroma of the ocean that reminds you of your honeymoon.

In her book Radical Gratitude, author Ellen Vaughn writes:

“Years ago there was an incident on the Washington subway system in which a crowded train stalled on an underground track. Harried commuters were beside themselves. No one had been talking to one another, but now they burst into mutual, frenzied spurts of accusations against the driver—as if the situation was under his control—the Metro authorities, the federal government, anyone and everyone they could blame for this vile inconvenience.

Somewhere in the midst of all this invective, a woman with a number of bulky shopping bags dropped a new bottle of perfume, and it shattered. Within a few minutes, the pure, luxurious fragrance had wafted the length of the crowded car.

It was as if the fresh smell released people from a dark spell. They sniffed, smiled, and relaxed, laughing with each other. Surprise!

Followers of Jesus have the opportunity, in life’s crowded moments when people feel stuck, to be the fragrance of Christ. We don’t need to be annoying Pollyannas (who would be thrown right off the Metro anyway), but free spirits—saints and poets—who can lead and turn the tide, rather than follow along on the lazy downward spiral of negativity.”

The apostle Paul wrote, “Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing…” (2 Cor. 2:14–15).

When we allow ourselves to be broken and spilled out as a sacrifice for others, we release the fragrant, beautiful aroma of Christ. And that aroma instantly reminds others of who God is.

How are you faring in the “fragrance of Christ” department? Do you tend to absorb and reflect the negativity of those around you, or does the sweet aroma of Christlikeness flow from your soul like an expensive perfume?

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Give Thanks for Everything?

Filed Under Children, Faith and Values, Prayer Warrior Mom, Spiritual Encouragement, Stress and Conflict, Writing Inspiration
Posted on June 13, 2011 @ 12:13 pm by Marla 

Gratitude is the antidote for unhappiness. It’s also central to a healthy prayer life. But an attitude of thankfulness does not just “happen” to us; it’s something we must learn to intentionally cultivate. Being grateful is not just a great personality trait that happy women possess; it’s a skill, a choice and a spiritual discipline.

Scripture calls us to praise God in all circumstances. Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:28: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Give thanks even in a terrible situation? How can that be?

The Bible doesn’t say to praise God FOR all circumstances; it says to praise Him IN all circumstances. No matter our trials, we can praise Him for His goodness and His grace. We can thank Him for the blessings that we have every day, for the gift of life, and for our families. Psalm 22:3 says that “God inhabits the praises of His people.” When we choose to worship God, He draws near to us, and we feel His comforting presence.

NOTE: This material is adapted from Marla’s forthcoming book Prayer Warrior Mom. Copyright 2011 by Marla Alupoaicei. Please do not copy or reproduce without permission.

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ICRS, Here I Come!

Filed Under Christian Ministry, Communication, Family and Friends, Prayer Warrior Mom, Professional Editing
Posted on June 13, 2011 @ 12:01 pm by Marla 

I’m looking forward to attending the upcoming International Christian Retail Show in Atlanta from July 10-13. This show offers exciting events for retailers, publishers, authors and agents. I always enjoy the opportunity to make new friends, have lunch with editors, hold book signings, attend seminars, meet with editors and publishers, and perform media interviews. I love discovering what’s new in the industry, too! Usually, I also have the chance to talk to writers and editors who are in need of my writing and editing services. So it’s fun to make those connections, too!

This year, I’ll also be holding a book signing for my intercultural marriage book with Moody Publishers, titled Your Intercultural Marriage. Are you going to be there, too? If so, let me know ASAP and I’ll be happy to look over my schedule and try to set up a meeting with you! Thanks.

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So What Do You Do?

Filed Under Christian Ministry, Faith and Values, Prayer Warrior Mom, Success, Writing Inspiration
Posted on June 13, 2011 @ 12:01 pm by Marla 

Dr. Tony Campolo is a well-known inspirational speaker who travels all over the world on speaking tours. Meanwhile, his wife, Peggy, has chosen to stay home to invest her time and energy into raising the couple’s two children. On those rare occasions when Peggy does travel with Tony, she finds herself engaged in conversations with some of the most accomplished, impressive, influential, and sophisticated people in the world.

After one such trip, Peggy told Tony that as she visits with these powerful people, she sometimes feels intimidated and even questions her own self-worth because she’s “just a mom.” Tony told her, “Well, honey, why don’t you come up with something you could say when you meet people that will let them know that you strongly value being a mom and that you feel that it is important?”

Not long afterward,Tony and Peggy were at a party when a woman asked Peggy in a rather condescending tone, “So, my dear, what do you do?”

Peggy confidently answered, “I am nurturing two Homo Sapiens into the dominant values of the Judeo-Christian tradition in order that they might become instruments for the transformation of the social order into the kind of eschatological utopia God envisioned from the beginning of time.”

The other woman was speechless. Then Peggy asked her, “So what do you do?

“Oh, I’m just a lawyer,” the woman replied.

It’s all in your perspective… Being a mom is one of the most important jobs in the world. God ordained it, God redeems it, and God blesses it. Your kids need YOU!

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Hope for Hurting Marriages

Filed Under Christian Ministry, Communication, Faith and Values, Family and Friends, Intercultural Marriage, Interracial Marriage, Resources, Spiritual Encouragement, Success
Posted on June 12, 2011 @ 12:27 pm by Marla 

Intercultural marriage is a blessing, but it presents a variety of real challenges, too. In the past year, Catalin and I have seen the marriages of several of our friends crumble – friends who were in intercultural marriages. That breaks my heart, and it grieves the heart of God! He is the one who established the sacred covenant of marriage. We need to spread the word that Christian resources do exist to help struggling intercultural couples!

My book titled Your Intercultural Marriage: A Guide to a Healthy, Happy Relationship provides practical relationship advice drawn from our marriage (nine years, two kids) and from the marriages of hundreds of other intercultural couples. Based on our personal experiences, interviews, reading and research, my husband and I offer relevant spiritual, emotional and relational guidance to help couples build strong marriages on the firm foundation of Christ.

Now, YOU can give the gift of a healed marriage for less than $5. How? Order this book from Amazon or visit your closest Christian bookstore and bless an intercultural couple today with the gift of a book that can help them on the road to healing. Get a copy of Your Intercultural Marriage here: Yes! I want to buy the book and help a couple today!

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7 X 70

Filed Under Communication, God\'s Plan for Marriage, Improving Communication in Marriage, Stress and Conflict, Success
Posted on March 11, 2011 @ 1:22 pm by Marla 

Wow! Talk about convicting – have you heard the song “7 X 70″ (7 Times 70 Times) by Chris August? The Lord has really used that song to shake me up and teach me about my need to keep on forgiving people and letting them into my life even when, in my humanness, I tend to want to say, “That’s enough.” Check out the video at 7 X 70.

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Helpful Blogs for Writers

Filed Under Communication, How to Get Published, Success, Writing Information, Writing Inspiration
Posted on February 11, 2011 @ 2:51 pm by Marla 

For all of you writers out there, Robert Lee Brewer has posted a fantastic list of blogs that offer info and inspiration. He includes specific sites for fiction writers, nonfiction writers, poets, and more. Check it out at Best Blogs for Writers to Follow. Enjoy!

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