If you’ve read my previous post about Oprah WInfrey and Eckhart Tolle’s “New Earth”…well here’s a video that shows a bit about the background of Oprah’s stance.
Watch and see for yourself if Christians should be involved in the new web class:
Wow, what a week.
Life is definitely different now that Hubby is back home. different but good.
Zoe is still growing up. Here’s my little angel:
Then there’s my Nyomi who is growing by leaps and bounds and just hit another growth spurt not too long ago:
(I was playing around with my digital camera, attempting to take a good closeup in front of our house near a small tree):
I have lots going on in my personal life.
1.) Our homeschool year is nearing completion. Our community co-op meets only three more times before Summer Break…so we’re winding down a bit. I’m going to begin the process of planning out our new school year for the upcoming year, which I’m contemplating it being year round with small 2-3 week breaks in between. I just don’t like the idea of taking off a whole summer (3 months).
2.) I officially accepted the call into the ministry to teach the Word of God, as of April 2nd. Ministry opportunities have been increasing for me immediately after I accepted this holy charge. I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to head up a bible study group at the Pink Collar Club.
I’ve always known God had called me to teach the Bible, but for some reason ran away from the stigma of “minister” because of the mode people place tend to pigeon-hole you in when you say that are called into the ministry. So in the past I never wanted to portray myself as a minister…but that is exactly what each Christian is in a sense. I no longer run away from this. I embrace it because it is what God wants for me and for the world. He has a purpose. I was already doing the work, but just running away from the idea of the traditional sense of it. But it is what it is. God will use me in my own personality to deliver His message His way and I’m open to that. In fact, it’s such a strong calling that if I ran away from it ever again I’d be going against His will. I have to give an account for how I lived my life on this earth, and answering HIm when He calls is part of my accountability.
During this process of accepting the Call, I also discovered how to help others accept their call. At ChristianLadies.net, I’ve invited several godly women to come on board with me and share their experiences as Christian women and special topics of expertise that God has gifted them to share with others. So far the Lord has brought people from as far away as Nigeria to be a part of this and I am honored beyond measure. Read more about our resident experts here: http://christianladies.net/resident-experts/
3.) I began a few more social networking groups as add-ons or sister sites to WAHM University and Christian Ladies Connect. They are:
http://wahmuniversity.ning.com
http://christianladies.ning.com
Piece by piece, it’s all coming together. From the outside looking in it may seem confusing to some, but there really is a method to the madness. There is a plan to all the projects that I’ve begun. Sometimes it feels like it doesn’t make any sense to me, but I know the urgent call and the shift in seasons and the times to pick up a brick and begin building, or the seasons to put down the bricks and stop building. I’ve had to submit to both. Even though I don’t clearly see the whole picture, the vision is becoming clearer with time. Meanwhile, I walk in faith and I don’t answer questions liek “WHY?” or “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”
I get the raised eyebrows, the questioning looks of wonder when people see the degree M.S. next to my name but notice that I’m home all the time. I simply smile to myself. It’s different indeed. I homeschool a 1st grader, care for an infant, manage my home, run a home based business designing websites and podcasting, run an online women’s ministry, plus manage over 15 domain names/websites, and still have time for my husband at the end of the day…hmmm…
And what’s more is, I ENJOY it!
So I might be a little on the odd side. But I love my life!
hey readers! 
Whoever is reading…I hope you’ve had an awesome Easter Sunday/resurrection week…
when you get a chance, how about tuning in to the latest episode of Christian Ladies Talk Radio where i talk about the meaning of living in the victory of the resurrected power of Christ.
More updates soon… (and by the way, we’re looking forward to my Hubby’s return in just a few more days…yippee!)
Tonight I realized just how blessed I am to have such beautiful, intelligent, and loving girls! I am honored to be a mother and I will always and forever cherish these moments God has given me to love them.
I nearly swallowed back tears as I tucked my oldest into bed tonight. She is growing up so quickly, but I am honored to see how that her love for the Lord is profound. My prayer is that she’ll continue to follow in the paths of the Lord all the days of her life.
Here’s a little sign she made for the door of her “prayer closet” the other day
The writing’s a bit small. It says “Nyomi’s pray spot”. Pretty neat for beginning phonics.
And my little one?
Now 4 months old, she’s beginning to sit up better and getting quite hungry for some “real” food these days.
And what have I been doing most of the week besides keeping busy until Hubby is back home?
Taking sheets of cardstock…
…and piecing them together with tape to form a gigantic timeline to be used until…well, maybe until she graduates!
At any rate, I pieced together at least 10 of these sheets and it should be big enough to house every single major event in world history covered in our texts.
And today, what I did I do?
I went shopping. I finally came to the conclusion that I would just love my body for what it is right now. I still plan to start my work out regime but meanwhile, this is Body after baby…and I just have to love it and work with it, lovingly…not hating it, but appreciating the “new” aspects of me. Also, I just have to be patient knowing that I JUST had a baby. So I need to take a chill pill. I’ll be okay. I’ll get back into my size 7 jeans again one day. Go up a few sizes was perfectly okay and well worth it to have Baby Zoe.
So I headed out to TJ Max and bought a few bigger pants and blouses that would cover baby belly until I’ve done a few tummy crunches. The clothes are quite chic and I feel beautiful in them, so I’m okay with me and the new bod for a little while…but believe me, I am still determined that it’s not permanent!
So that’s all for now.
long week…great day…and tomorrow’s Easter!
It’s a blessing to be finally celebrating again the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I look forward to fellowshipping with other believers tomorrow on this glorious day.
Well I haven’t begun reading any of my classics yet (as I’d proposed on my personal goals list about a month ago), yet I still have The Great Gatsby sitting on my desk. Perhaps I’ll get around to it soon before the year is out.
Meanwhile, there’s the project of a lifetime– or so I call it for now– Christian Ladies Connect. My desire is to reach women all over the world with the good news of what Jesus Christ can and will do for each of us. To live a life of victory and not defeat is optimal, and that’s what i want to share with the ladies there.
So far the group has really grown and it’s good news and exciting to be part of a growing community, but it’s also quite a responsibility. The level of commitment is high — especially when it comes down to caring for, praying for, and tending to God’s special ladies. I’m trusting the Lord for His strength to be able to carry out this vision, and for the people who will be sent to help me carry it out. Currently I’m seeking other like-minded women of faith to lead in various areas at the site such as contributing to the blog as a resident expert in areas like health and fitness, parenting, home and garden, recipes, devotionals, etc. So we’ll see…
This week has been different– with my husband gone this week my days just run right into the next. We really miss him and can’t wait for him to return home. Business trips where I can’t accompany him are no fun…but we do our best around here to keep life happening. I put on a smile and stay strong for my little ones. Then I just keep reminding myself that he’ll be here soon- before I realize it in fact.
I’ve GOT to get back on schedule. Pulling these late-nighters is not working for me at the moment. My body is calling me, pleading with me and BEGGING me for more sleep, and yet I just feel totally buzzed by around 10 p.m. and the idea of sleep completely leaves me. i don’t know what happens but I just start to get really active once my girls are in bed and I don’t really want to sleep although I should be in bed.
Okay…I was just staring at this “Body After Baby” book by Jackie Keller and realize…I need to be implementing this into my life. No more sugar for a while. I need to fast.
It’s awesome to be back!
Finally back home now (from a long week in Birmingham). It feels great to be in the comfort of my own home, loving and enjoying life.
I’ve spend my afternoon organizing and putting things away from the trip. Hubby cooked dinner and Nyomi decided to play a game of Life solitaire. That was interesting. Baby’s been sleeping for a little while now…
I have been thinking about Oprah Winfrey’s new web class... on A New Earth and realized that the new age philosophy is becoming decidedly more rampant, and that this is the season in which it will increase greatly due to Oprah’s fame.
Now, don’t get me wrong…I like Oprah. I watch her shows…
However, as a Christian I have to wonder what this implies for the minds of God’s people.
Are we to entertain ideologies that emphasize the importance of connecting to the true you as a result of a belief of oneness with the universe?
Is the very thread of Christianity hinged on the fact that we can have a standard of holiness as well as a standard of togetherness with that which is unholy?
In other words, doesn’t the scripture which says “how can two walk together except they agree?” mean that we should reject the notion of oneness with the world, and continue to live “set apart” for the use of God?
If we walk hand in hand with the world and try to be in unity with the world’s system, doesn’t that negate all that Christ has done for us in the one act of the Cross (redeeming us and separating us unto Himself for His glory and our eternity with Him)?
So, in this sense…doesn’t the study of material such as A New Earth subtly shift our focus from the separation Christ has made between the Church and the World into a type of oneness view, where all of our beliefs and consciousness (religious, spiritual, or otherwise), just simply melt into one large human togetherness with no true distinction?
And if so…what does that imply for the Christian believer?
So many thoughts, so many answers to be sought…
I leave it up to you to ponder that, my friends.
I’m going now to read my precious Word of God and gain my strength for tonight and tomorrow…
What a day, what a day.
I’ve been thinking over my personal goals for the year ‘08 and breaking those down into smaller, more manageable objectives and tasks.
On my immediate to-do list is to begin reading at least one classic (after finishing up any other books I’ve begun last year– and there are several!)
I want to continue to read. I want to be a great thinker. Great minds read. So I need to read really good books.
Most of the books I’ve been reading up until now have either been self help or Christian inspirational, which are definitely great reads! But, now I just want to go a bit further and stretch myself into reading material that I’m not typically accustomed to.
Books that will make me stop and think and ponder. Books which will broaden my vocabulary and help me to see beyond the common and the ordinary.
Another one of my goals: read through the entire bible this year.
Reading through the bible is something I always wanted to do, but I’m one of those slowpokes who likes to linger…
I like to hang on to every scripture and meditate on it (chew on it), get all I can out of it before I move on to the next. Part of my nature is teaching, and as a teacher I like to digest the information for myself so I can be in a position to share it with others…
but I also realize that teachers know how to digest LARGE amounts of information in order to get the whole picture and create a synopsis for their teaching…and that’s what I’m working on now. Learning how to take in the entire meal…
So, I’m plugged in to The Daily Audio Bible as a tool to help me with the bible in a year program.
Another objective — to write a book.
Yep…
I want to write a book. I began writing a book for singles (married hopefuls) last year but never got around to completing chapter 2. I have the outline of the entire book but just no definite plan to work on it in a systematic way. I bet if I wrote a little every day I could have that book finished in a month.
As for home education? I want to put forth more effort and energy into teaching my daughter piano.
She’s so in tuned to the music, even playing by ear…and I want to find an easy way to teach her note recognition and good music theory and help her practice her songs every day.
I wish there was a Christian ballet company where I live– I’d enroll her in a minute.
(She’s asking about ballet since her last lesson 2 years ago. We dropped the ballet due to the clique-y-ness of it all, the competition, and the overemphasis on what our family considers to be too ‘worldly’ in nature when we are determined to raise our children in a godly fashion. ) In other words, I’m not going to pay for my child to be encouraged by her ballet teacher to “shake her booty” to some trashy pop song. Of course, if the classes were more classical in nature, I wouldn’t have minded keeping her there. I want to encourage my children to use their giftings to the glory of God. Dance is given to us a type of expression to be used for His glory…and that’s what we encourage in our family.
Back to goals…
On a more personal note, I want to be more conscious of my prayer life- praying in the spirit all day every day.
Being a typical busy mom means I don’t have the time to just have a 3 hour prayer session in a “prayer closet” or anything, but I have 5 minutes here, 10 minutes there sporadically throughout my day as I go about cleaning house or using the bathroom or putting my baby down for a nap. Those are times I can bless the Lord with my prayers and praise alone with Him (instead of running around crazily trying to accomplish other things, which never really seem to get done anyway!)
Women’s Ministry - stop and smell the roses
and see what God has (or doesn’t have) for this year’s objectives at Christian Ladies Connect and Christian Ladies Talk Radio
Music– I’ve got to begin recording my music again.
When I stop writing songs, I feel that I’ve stopped living. Music is a part of me.
Maybe I’ll start posting some of my music here from time to time. That may encourage me to keep at it…
…More goals and objectives later as I think about them.
I found this great site called Faith Comes By Hearing, and they have quite a few podcasts, one of which I just subscribed to for my 5 year old.
Check out this free Kids Audio Bible:
http://www.faithcomesbyhearing.com/podcast/kidz-audio-bible
They are doing a great service for the community, nation, and world with audio bibles and mp3’s. If you are a pastor you can receive free audio bibles for each of your congregation members!!
Another great resource for children learning the Word of God is the “Bible Stories My Kids Love” podcast. You should definitely consider subscribing to their feed in a player such as Itunes and take it with you on the go for your kids! My Nyomi loves this podcast.
Every morning I look out my window at the sunrise I can’t help but to be so grateful for God’s unending love for me.
I’m falling more in love with Jesus every day …I realize that He is my strength and without Him I can do nothing. So I turn to Him for strength each and every day. I know that it would be impossible to go a step further without His anointing and power.
It’s not enough for me any longer to wake up every morning with a predetermined schedule for the day without first checking with my Savior for HIs will in my life that day. I’m learning to lean on Him for the details (not easy for a control freak) but necessary.
I so need God’s wisdom for how to raise my daughters, strength to take care of my infant and teach my oldest, and extra strength to take care of my awesome man of God. That’s a major responbility!
I’m not sure which direction my business will take from here — I’m thinking about finishing up that book I started writing last year and actually getting it published. In many ways that would be easier than continuing the web consulting for now…but I’ll take it a day at a time and not make any premature decisions, especially while I’m getting adjusted to parenthood all over again. Right now I’m tempted to drop all activities that aren’t family related, but I remember feeling that way initially when I had Nyomi too, but things did get better with time.
For now, though, the simpler the better.
And the more I connect with the Lord, spending time in prayer with Him, the more I want to just be in His presence.
Happy Birthday, Zoe !!!!
Zoe (pronounced “zo-ee”) Saraiah Faith Zinga was born 7 pounds 4 ounces on November 28, 2007.
Thank you to everyone who came to visit, gave flowers and gifts, phone calls, and wished us the best. We are grateful for friends and family who care so much.
We are ultimately grateful to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, for blessing us with another one of His daughters, sent to us as a special gift straight from Heaven.
Zoe, we prayed especially for you and 9 months later you arrived!!! What an awesome God we serve!
Welcome to my blog! I'm a wife, home educating mother of 2, and internet entrepreneur. I love podcasting and social media, organizing virtual Christian women's conferences, writing ebooks, designing websites, and blogging in my spare time. When I don't have any spare time, I just love being the domestic engineer of my home and raising my beautiful girls for God. ^_*
