Marla Alupoaicei's blog

What does it really mean to seek first the kingdom of God? We tend to just sail over this command from the mouth of Jesus rather than really letting it sink in deeply. 

As I adjust to the schedule of being a new mom, a wife, a writer, and much more, sometimes my role as a daughter of the most high God gets pushed into the background. The urgent tasks of life tend to crowd out the really important ones. I wake up with the intent on spending time with the Lord FIRST, but something comes up, and that's all she wrote!

As a new mom, I sometimes find the "mom" part of me defining my days, while the "wife" part of me has to take a backseat at times. Thankfully, my mother-in-law, Maria, who is from Romania, is living with my husband and me for a while. She has helped us tremendously with caring for our new little boy, Evan Christian, who was born on July 6.

A friend of mine told me recently, "God is rarely early, but HE'S NEVER LATE!"

I thanked her for that remarkable reminder. The seasons of my life when I was waiting on the Lord to move and to work have been some of my darkest seasons... and, in hindsight, my brightest. There's no doubt about it - waiting can be painful. It's an art, a science, and a spiritual discipline. It's a time when we feel like God is at the Potter's wheel, crushing us, smoothing us out, and making something new out of us. But we don't yet know what.

Women in ministry face quite a challenge, don't we? We work, we study, we love, we sacrifice, and sometimes we pour out so much to others that we come to a point where God says this to us: "I have this against you, that you have left your first love" (Revelation 2:4). 

When that happens, I realize that I have to get down on my knees and get back to the basics. I have to forget about everything else and refocus on my love relationship with the King of the Universe.

"We and the world, my children, will always be at war. Retreat is impossible. Arm yourselves."

─Leif Enger 

"Every time we say 'Let there be!' in any form, something happens." —Stella Terrill Mann

Every artist knows the importance of light. According to the Bible, the first words God ever spoke aloud were the unforgettable words, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3). We cannot fathom the gigawatts of creative power unleashed by these words. When we choose to create something, we call upon the same creative power that willed light into being. That’s an enormous privilege—and a weighty responsibility!

The Christian author Frederick Buechner wrote in Godric:

“What’s lost is nothing to what’s found, and all the death that ever was, set next to life, would scarcely fill a cup.”