Strategic Shifting

Well, hello! It’s been a minute.

I remember when this blog was the first place I headed to. The posts were numerous. Fast forward and social media is where everyone shares their “stuff”. Blogging is the forgotten child in preference of podcasting. And I am trying to prayerfully figure out my place in it all.

I’m one of those people who pray each year for a word for the year. This year it is shift. I am seeing it come to pass everywhere. Globally. Politically. In the Church. My church. My life.

This is the first time I have a word for the month.

Strategic.

I love to laugh and be juvenile at times, but when I pray, it’s serious business. I believe as I have prayed that this month we are to be strategic. Be very aware of the choices you make, and don’t.

-If you don’t have a personal faith that is rooted in Christ, take time to re-consider. Need a starting point? Find a Bible, New International Version might be a good one for you, and take a chapter each day to read from the Book of John in the New Testament. As you do, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus to you. And watch out. If you have questions, please ask! If I don’t know, I’ll find out. juliearduini@juliearduini.com.

I write that because I believe in the coming months, and I have read it from other praying people across the world, that a shaking is coming. It will be rough. Maybe devastating. The purpose isn’t to punish but wake us up. To know Christ. And honestly, to stop mocking Him and treating Him as an idiot. We’ve globally done this to the point that Jesus needs to flip some tables and set us straight.

If you do know Christ in a personal way, take stock with Him. Is there a shift He wants you to take? Surrender something? Confess? Repent? We all could use improvement and in order to advance, we can’t work in the ways we used even months ago.

Do I have all the details? I do not. I wish I did, but if I did, no one, most of all me, would need to seek God. He has the answers and direction and longs to show us. Remember, it’s always in His way and time.

That’s where a lot of my time goes. Praying these things out. Reading. Meeting with others.

I feel a shift in writing. I have a series I’m super excited about. Yet, I no longer refer to it as my small business or even ministry. The business side has been so abysmal it qualifies as a hobby. And that feels right. My ego can handle it. When people ask what I do, I changed it up. Instead of saying I’m an author, I say I’m a homemaker and an author. My bio states I’m about advancing the kingdom. That I accomplish through ministry work and writing.

I’m more strategic about my reading. This summer I have focused on Alisa Keeton’s The Body Revelation. I knew it was time to work on some healing from the past and how to move going forward. I can’t say enough about this book. To learn more, read my review HERE.

In other news, I was strategic about my hair. I let it grow, which didn’t take long thanks to my thick locks and collagen, and enjoyed wearing it up for the first time in years. My goal was to make it to the end of the month where I felt a chop was in order. I believe I need a more mature look as I sense I will be out and about more, and should look more professional than I have. Thanks to the humidity I went for the cut earlier in the month, and I love it.

This site was down for nearly a week and not having access to it gave me time to think. Most posts here are by guest bloggers sharing their latest fiction release. I love that. But my heart is to encourage and talk about surrender issues and chocolate. I’ve gotten away from that. I hope to improve.

If you are receiving this by email, I hope you come by the site and check it out.

Oh, and while you’re here, I have an invitation. I’ll be hosting game night on my Author Page. It’s a fun way to meet and engage with authors. Each author shares a few posts about themselves, and then a game we can play. I’ve never hosted before, and this is a back-to-school edition. Many posts will be sharing that theme.

I’m so glad we connected today. I promise I won’t be a stranger. I hope you won’t be , either.

If you’re looking for an easy way to stay in touch, Link Tree has follow options/subscribe/social media/book sites. Find it all and follow HERE.