This blog has moved. I hope you'll hop over and visit me at the link below.

I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but please if you subscribe in a reader or by email would you mind resubscribing over at PositivelyAlene.com.

This blog will be redirected within the next week. Thank you!


Friday, February 17, 2012

This Blog Has Moved

This blog has moved. I hope you'll hop over and visit me at the link below.

I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but please if you subscribe in a reader or by email would you mind resubscribing over at PositivelyAlene.com.

You can sign up for new RSS feed HERE.
You can sign up for email subscription HERE.

This blog will be redirected within the next week. Thank you!

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Monday, February 6, 2012

Change - It's Here

I took the challenge. I changed - oh not in some significant earth-shattering way, but in a bloggy way. Read more about it HERE.

In short, I've got a new home. I hope you'll hop over and visit me there. I hope you'll find me just as easy to find and insightful at my new bloggy home.

I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but please if you subscribe in a reader or by email would you mind resubscribing over at PositivelyAlene.com.

I would love your company, comments, and encouragement there.

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Friday, February 3, 2012

When all is Silent Give Thanks


Starting the week off sick made for a long, groggy, and bumpy seven days! While my body is recuperating and the silence still pulses through my soul, I’ve learned . . .

When you have no words or direction, just give thanks!
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While I wait to hear or see evidence of the way ahead, I am thankful for you. You who come here day after day. You who leave comments. You who make me laugh! You who journey along side me on this path called life.

This week my favorites are YOU! 

Here's to a few of you.

1. Beth in NC in response to my post Stop for the One Tuesday:

I can't link about it because of the person involved, but this morning I reached out to someone that a lot of Christians are afraid to approach because she is so wounded (and ticked off at Christians). She was overwhelmed and overjoyed that I called her. 

She has a long road to freedom, but needs a lot of prayer and holy intervention.

 Bless you!


Thank you, Beth. May we all have the boldness to do the right thing even when it might not be what others would do. Your kindness just helped this person step further down that road of healing.

Hey Alene, Your post was one of the top 5 most popular at last week's #findingthefunny! We're featuring you tomorrow - hope to see you then!


Anna, you crack me up! You all need to check her out. She runs a post on Wednesday's about funny life stories. So I reposted a 2 year old post If God Created S-E-X. Still to this day the comments are what crack me up. Check them out - you'll probably get some good ideas too! Plus, I have to say I'm so thankful I can laugh at this story now.

3. Amy at Make Me a Mary sent me this email: "I want you to know how glad I am that you recommended this book to me. I would love to know more about your ministry in the inner city. How did that evolve? How does one even begin to help? Are there opportunities to come down there and help in the summer? Or do you know of opportunities like that elsewhere? I would love to take my kids on a mission trip, but I can't afford overseas for all of us. (I live just outside of Fort Worth.) These books I've been reading are really messing with me. First it was Kisses from Katie, and now I'm reading Interrupted on my Kindle and I'm listening to Radical in audiobook form. Oh, my. I've wasted my entire life thus far. I'm ready to get busy!"


Talk about some encouraging words to be thankful for. You all need to stop by Amy's and while your hopping about stop by Amazon and get those books she listed. THEY WILL MESS YOU UP! And what I'm learning in the silence of my soul - we all need to be messed up. Our hearts need to be stirred. We need to feel the urgency as Amy says, "to get busy!"


4. And there is nothing better than when I ran across this video on my soon-to-be daughter’s Facebook page. An incredible video of my son leading worship in front of thousands of youth. Can you see this momma smiling, crying, singing? Oh my, this is just what the Great Physician ordered.


When all is silent give thanks, praise and worship.


Linking up with Rachel at Finding Joy for Friday Favorite Things.

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Thursday, February 2, 2012

When Seeking Leads to Silence

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I am totally thrilled to be sharing over at Heather's Raining Silence today. I have to tell you - this post comes at a fitting time because a still quiet silence has permeated my soul. There are no words. No completed thoughts. And even my tears drop in silence. I seek and search and yet silence. So as I've done before, I get out my trusty, truthful, and tried journal and still a silence invades my soul. I long for a word from God and more silence.
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Have you been there? You seek and search for meaning, but yet every page you turn or door you open leads to silence.

So as the world seems silent at the moment, it is my choice to either live in this silence or keep writing so the silence doesn't overtake me. Please join me over at Heather's today.

Here's a little snippet of what I shared about "the silence of a page":
I opened my new colorful bound journal and sat staring. All I could see were lined blank pages looking back at me. The pages beckoned me to write. The pages held so much promise. Yet, the pages were silent. . .
 for the rest go HERE.


If you are experiencing silence too, just remember as found in Job 34:29 MSG, "If God is silent, what's that to you? If he turns his face away, what can you do about it? But whether silent or hidden, he's there."

In the silence, whether written or in your soul, He's there!




Linking with the community over at Bonnie's, click on over.

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Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Take a Day to Reflect and Smile

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One thing about living life as Positively Alene is the fact that I wake up each morning knowing it is going to be crazy! And then somewhere amid my seeking, searching, and serving to be positively myself in the moment, I see little snippets of love from God.
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God knows I doubt, question, fret, and even feel clueless about this life He has given me. Yes, I've been known to argue too. You see, I want it all to make sense and for every piece to fit together nice and neatly. I long to be a perfectly completed 1000 piece puzzle, but I'm more of a mosaic -- jagged chipped edges and all.


So, here I am. . .
one month into a new year
still . . .
seeking
searching
serving . . .
begging for clarity


Forgive me, but today I just need to take time to reflect on who God is and smile.


He is the God who called me to an inner city church where I question what I have to offer.
He is the God who sent me to the substance abuse treatment facility with a word to share.
He is the God who made me with crazy curly hair.
He is the God who gave me this mind that does silly and humorous things without thinking.
He is the God who says it's OK to lighten up and have fun.
He is the God who let me share with Leigh at Speaking Thru Me yesterday.
He is the God who took an old post and put it in the top five to be re-featured HERE.
He is the God who made me with personal space issues! Yep, read it here.
He is the God who will continue to guide me this year as I step out and make changes.


Changes are coming. I'll be sharing some of those soon. (need all those pieces in place)


But first, maybe today is a day we just need to sit back and reflect on God's love and smile!


Reflecting, I'd love to know what you see?




Joining up with Walk with Him Wednesdays.
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