National Book Blitz Month Sale on Diversities of Gifts

In celebration of National Book Blitz Month, Amazon.com is running a mind-boggling sale on Diversities of Gifts, Same Spirit. For a limited time only Amazon.com is offering Diversities of Gifts: Same Spirit for only $2.41. That's right $2.41! You didn't read a typo. This is not the eBook version, but the paperback version. There is a limited amount left in stock during this special winter offer. The regular price for this book is $16.95. That's a whopping savings of 86%! Get your copy now, before the sale ends! This is an unbeatable deal, that's better than the price if you purchased your copy directly from the author. Click here to order your copy today!

Savoring the Blessings of 2014

Now that Christmas 2014 has come and said farewell, let's not forget all of the melancholy, peace on earth, goodwill towards men and the act of helping someone in need, which resonated as the holiday season began, start to fade away. Let us remain vigilant in avoiding the default switch that sends us back into the mode of short-term memory, where gratitude, goodwill and peace should be celebrated every single day of the year.

No doubt this has been a year of challenges, tragedies and victories for many people. With the New Year less than a week away, I learned to refrain from saying "I can't wait until the New Year begins." While there were lamentations we faced during our 2014 trek, there are still reasons for celebrating the burst of blessings along the way. All too often we focus so much on the perils that inflict our lives and do not savor the many blessings that should elevate our humble gratitude.

It is my wish, that we savor 2014 for the remaining days, minutes and hours left in this year. May we remember the days gone, but not be entrapped into complacency. Reflecting on the events of 2014, the people we lost, the children who were born, the achievements we made, the toxicity we exterminated, the unhealthy relationships we let go and the baggage we choose not to carry like a ball and chain into 2015, be the wind that elevates us to new heights of greatness. We cannot appreciate and anticipate wonderful things happening for the upcoming year, if we do not examine where we are and where we've been.

Cheers, Peace and Blessings!

Wings of the Wind for Yearround Poetry

Poetry spans across diverse cultures, genders and dialects. Wings of the Wind: A Cornucopia of Poetry, by Kym Gordon Moore contains 81 carefully chosen poems that are significant to the foundation of this collection and easy for readers to identify with. Included in this compilation is a metrical sample of a Pantoum, Limerick, Elegy and Haiku. This eclectic full-length collection of poetry depicts experiences illustrated through diverse forms of self-expression.

You can get your copy at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com or OutskirtsPress.com. Follow Kym on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Tumblr, YouTube and Pinterest.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

His Silent Communication Spoke Volumes to Me

Clutching his crooked ebony walking stick, a fragile-looking old gentleman took daily strolls along the shoulder of the winding streets in our neighborhood. He waved at every oncomer. His rhythmic strides were purposeful, not pretentious or hasty. I had no clue who this man was, but just the same I would impulsively wave back.

Often, while I was rushing off to work,...

Read more

Original Post: The Christian Science Monitor

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0219/p18s04-hfes.html

Have You Identified Your Gift?

Sometimes the way we are able to retain and think about the things that apply to life and how it affects us, is to write those thoughts down, read over what you wrote, pray about it and allow it to penetrate in your spirit to make positive contributions to life!

How have you identified, defined and understood your purpose, talent and gift responsibility? Is your gift evident in your walk, conversation and servitude? What are you doing on a daily basis to strengthen your gift? How are you sharing your gift with others?

The Finale of National Poetry Month with "Mountain So High"

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring

good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who

proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’”

- Isaiah 52:7 (NIV)

Mountain So High

A majestic piece of sculpture

eloquently draped in peaks and valleys

commands prestigious attention

by ethereal conception.

Highs of joy

lows of tribulation

integrate to find balance

and common ground.

How do you climb a mountain so high?

Where ruggedness and challenges transcend?

Elevating to claim victory

while obstructing the grip of defeat.

There’s nothing wrong with asking for help

persuaded the mighty voice sublime

getting over this massive mound

the direction is seek and ye shall find.

With fascination the hard core stones

had cracks where green trees grew.

Impossible! How could that be?

It’s amazing what a little faith and perseverance can do.

I came upon an opening

pierced in the mountain’s side forlorn

bright light appeared near the tunnel’s end

illuminating a ray of hope.

You see my child

mountains are many

and as your tour guide

you may not have to climb those mountains at all.

For a tunnel I make

to ease your journey

leading you to the other side

from whence I call.

* This poem is from the collection found in the book Diversities of Gifts: Same Spirit (2009)

"Facets of Dawn:" A Poem from the book Diversities of Gifts: Same Spirit

“The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.”

- Proverbs 4:18 (NIV)

Facets of Dawn

(2006 Grand Prize Winner of the Oneswan Productions

Writing Competition)

Placidly in the call of morning’s innocence

the eastern sun begins to slowly ascend

silence is broken by the stirring of life

familiar sounds declaring night’s impending end.

Flavors of dew sprinkling over the slumbering milieu

delightful aromas permeating fresh air

chromatic mist sparkles like the magic of fairy dust

invigorating zest bursting with psychedelic flair.

A time to pray, reflect and praise

planting, nourishing and reaping

exterminating the weeds of asphyxiation

abundant harvest for sharing not keeping.

Here I am oh gracious and precious LORD

what purpose will you have for me today?

Will it change on tomorrow or remain the same

an assignment too great to ignore or cast away.

Through grace we cannot grow weary

called to do that which is lawfully right

the work of the righteous is not yet finished

dedicated laborers are pleasing in God’s sight.

Time is of the quintessential essence

tides of spiritual vexation are on the rise

beckoning for strength corrupting the enemy’s work

thanksgiving for the ultimate eternal prize.

For the present is past, existing nevermore

look towards the hill, as dusk slowly erases day

a cornucopia of blessings for your faithful work

gratitude that won’t easily fade away.

Celebrating National Poetry Month, we are featuring this poem which appears in the book, Diversities of Gifts: Same Spirit by Author Kym Gordon Moore. (2009)

Wings of the Wind: A Cornucopia of Poetry by Author Kym Gordon Moore

Wings of the Wind: A Cornucopia of Poetry is an eclectic full-length collection of poems depicting experiences illustrated through diverse forms of self-expression. Kym Gordon Moore portrays versatility in rhymed and free verse poems that convey stories about people, places, nature, inspiration, cuisine, music, celebrations, epiphanies and inanimate objects. Included in her compilation is a metrical sample of a Pantoum, Limerick, Elegy and Haiku.

Wings of the Wind: A Cornucopia of Poetry contains 81 carefully chosen poems that are significant to the foundation of this collection and easy for readers to identify with. Besieged by segmented poetic elements of flight, your journey through the pages of this book will be entertaining, educational, emotional, nostalgic, stimulating and edifying.

Kym Gordon Moore, also author of “Diversities of Gifts: Same Spirit” is an award-winning recipient in poetry contests such as the Edward Davin Vickers Memorial Award and Oneswan Productions Writing Competition. Her poems appeared in Writers Digest Magazine, Poets for Peace: A Collection, Reach of Song, Home for the Holidays and The Blind Man’s Rainbow anthologies. She was selected as one of the contributing authors for Chicken Soup for the Soul: Thanks Mom.

Kym is the co-founder of “Favorite Things for a CAUSE, a member of the American Author’s Association, the North Carolina Writer’s Network, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, American Marketing Association and the Poetry Society of America. She was also selected as one of the U.S. 2012 and 2013 National World Book Night Volunteers for North Carolina. Kym holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice, an MBA with a concentration in marketing, certification as an email marketing specialist and certification as a corporate spokesperson. As one of the three 2009 General Mills Feeding Dreams Community Champions for the Charlotte, North Carolina market, Kym was recognized for her volunteerism with the Dove’s Nest, a subsidiary of The Charlotte Rescue Mission.

Kym's book can be purchased at BarnesandNoble.com, Amazon.com and OutskirtsPress.com. Visit her website www.kymgmoore.com, her blogs http://frombehindthepen.wordpress.com/, http://www.teaandpoetrybookclub.blogspot.com/  and connect with the author through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Google +.

Beyond the Celestial View

Gazing upon a clear starry night
when all is calm except for croaking frogs
and singing crickets
from where we stand,
how far do the heavens go?
Do they reach beyond the sky’s edge
further away than we can humanly grasp?
Is the view from up there
as intriguing as the view from down here?
This panoramic sculpture of the mystical heavens
not knowing if other life forms exist
beyond this celestial environment
we simply marvel at the awesome wonders of God.

Lights in the firmament
dividing night from day
signs for seasons, days and years
casting light upon the earth
light governing the darkness
shining, twinkling, showers of heavenly bodies
wondering how they got positioned.
When you see a shooting star
do you wonder where it goes?

Under this dome of night lights
watching life forever evolve
when on the fourth day of creation
God saw that this was good
a sacred gift to sit back and enjoy.
Not to tire oneself of questioning the how’s,
when’s or why’s
just accept this for what it is
for many questions will always be asked.

When life ends for us on earth as we know it
our souls will be whisked away
to an eternal resting place
infinity beyond our inconceivable comprehension.
Maybe then, we will be able to touch the face
of these heavenly bodies in the distance
or reach beyond this celestial view
to meet our Creator from where we are.

Poem published by Kym Gordon Moore in Diversities of Gifts: Same Spirit, 2009

Do We Shut Our Doors of Opportunity?

Door of Opportunity

At times, our haste and complacency causes us to lose our focus and purpose for what God needs for us to do. All too often, people see the greater things they want, yet do not conquer the smaller ones before taking that fateful leap. This causes us to end up diving in head first into a situation where there is no water to soften the collision. We do not heed the warning signs to stop, pray, gather our thoughts and pay attention to how you need to proceed with the task at hand. Instead, we sometimes handle things through emotion, frustration or impatience and fail to learn the important lessons we need to learn, in order to stand firm on a solid foundation.

Sometimes in our thoughtlessness and through our irrational actions, we can burn valuable bridges, underutilize our talents and gifts, or simply close a door of tremendous opportunity. Our impatience, hurriedness, arrogance and attitude will inevitably destroy us if we do not heed the clear warnings that God gives us, simply because we devised an alternative solution to try to force “our way” on others.

Be wise and refuse to allow your gift(s) and talent(s) to be wasted on busyness, foolishness, distractions, carelessness, cockiness or not spending sufficient time with the LORD and immersed in His Word. Where there is interpretation, there is understanding. Where there is understanding, we find knowledge. Where there is knowledge, we find strength. Where there is strength, we find growth. But the utterance of wisdom surpasses them all. Understanding tells you what to do. Wisdom shows you how. (Excerpt from Diversities of Gifts: Same Spirit – Free Your Mind chapter)

Are you graciously opening your doors of opportunity? Or are you nailing them shut with your attitude?

Despite Our Differences

“Despite our differences, we serve a specific purpose in this massive puzzle of life. So often, we find ourselves overwhelmed by acts of deception, selfishness, hatred, bigotry, manipulation, sexism, egotism, infidelity, oppression and even self-righteousness that could devastate a family, church, community, city, nation or our global society. Yet, we can continue making a dent into this dysfunctional skyscraper of corruption, by debilitating and dismantling these forces of darkness, through continuing to embrace love and magnify the LORD.”

* Excerpt from Diversities of Gifts: Same Spirit
Chapter: Spiritual and Human Enigma
Page 35

http://www.kymgmoore.com/

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

HAPPY EARTH DAY everyone! Let’s do our part to make things better for our environment, our health and well-being right now, before things get so far out of control that we won’t be able to do anything about it at all.

Let's celebrate EARTH DAY every day! One day is certainly not enough when there are 364 more days left in the year!

“I think the environment should be put in the category of our national security. Defense of our resources is just as important as defense abroad. Otherwise what is there to defend?”

~ Robert Redford

Movie Trailer for "Poetry" from South Korean Filmmaker Lee Chang-Dong

To continue celebrating National Poetry Month, I wanted to share this touching movie trailer that I came across called "Poetry." This is a movie about loss and discovery. I have not had an opportunity to see the full version of this movie and I don't know if it is available in English, but if anyone runs across the full version, please let me know. It looks like it will be worth seeing.

The movie Poetry, which was written and directed by South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-Dong, recently won the Regard d'Or Award at the Fribourg International Film Festival in Switzerland. The movie, about a woman in her sixties who decides to take a poetry class at an adult-education center, also took honors for best screenplay at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. I included that trailer below, so please watch and enjoy!

Tea & Poetry Book Club: April is National Poetry Month

Although April is National Poetry Month, we should enjoy the sheer pageantry of words that perform on the pages of many chapbooks and poetry books every day. The Tea & Poetry Book Club encourages you to grab a book of poetry and a cup of tea, and then allow the flavors of the two mediums to transport you to a serene place of enlightenment, enjoyment and education.

Inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, National Poetry Month is now held every April, when publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools and poets around the country band together to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture (poets.org). The Academy of American Poets led this initiative from its inception in 1996 and along the way enlisted a variety of government agencies and officials, educational leaders, publishers, sponsors, poets, and arts organizations to help.

So engage in celebrating the beauty of poetry. Attend a poetry reading, go to the library and check out some books on poetry, go to your neighborhood bookstore and buy a book from your favorite author, organize a group of friends to meet, read and discuss one or a few poems or you can go to this link and subscribe to receiving a Poem-A-Day from the Academy of American Poets http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/345.

Today, I am sipping a cup of Earl Grey Green tea, reading one of my favorite poems “Still I Rise” by my favorite poet, Maya Angelou. Grab yourself a cup of tea and Enjoy!

Still I Rise

You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may trod me in the very dirt

But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?

Why are you beset with gloom?

'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells

Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,

With the certainty of tides,

Just like hopes springing high,

Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?

Bowed head and lowered eyes?

Shoulders falling down like teardrops.

Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?

Don't you take it awful hard

'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines

Diggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,

You may cut me with your eyes,

You may kill me with your hatefulness,

But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?

Does it come as a surprise

That I dance like I've got diamonds

At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history's shame

I rise

Up from a past that's rooted in pain

I rise

I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear

I rise

Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear

I rise

Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,

I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

I rise

I rise

I rise.

Here's to a cup of tea and a bit of poetry!
http://www.kymgmoore.com/

Tea & Poetry Book Club Celebration



Tea & Poetry Book Club

Who is your favorite poet and what is your favorite poem? As you know, we will celebrate National Poetry Month in April. To me, poetry is the ability to create a literary art form where language makes its unique melody through the aesthetics of words. I always found that regardless of the season, I embrace sipping on a nice cup of one of my favorite flavored hot teas, while reading some poetry. A cup of hot tea and reading your favorite poem are classic traveling companions.

Many individuals, book clubs, libraries and social groups will be celebrating April with a variety of events to embrace and commemorate the fine art of poetry. Throughout the month, I will be highlighting something significant in the world of poetry, whether it’s a book, a poet, an event or a poem.

My Tea & Poetry Book Club Celebration will begin on April 1st. I invite you to share with me the name of your favorite flavor of hot tea, your favorite poet, your favorite poem and your favorite place where you enjoy your delightful cup of tea, when reading your poetry. Stay tuned. There’s more to come from my Tea & Poetry Book Club!

http://www.kymgmoore.com/

Something Worth Fighting For!

I can’t begin to reiterate how truly blessed we are to live in a country where we have the freedom of religion regardless of your denomination. I read many stories where Christians around the world are being brutally persecuted and ostracized for practicing their Christianity. While there will always be some type of disagreement about individual belief systems and what doctrine people follow, we still have a variety of freedoms in this country that we take too loosely and for granted.

I came across a couple of stories I want to share with you about the persecution of Christians around the world. After reading books like “Tortured for Christ” by Richard Wurmbrand, one could not possibly fathom the terrorization that so many people endured for their faith. Let us remain diligent in praying for the continued encouragement and strength exhibited by some of these sisters and brothers in the following stories:

HEADLINE: Giving away free Bibles riskier than 17 Ethiopian college students expected

Thinking they couldn't get into much trouble just giving away Bibles, 17 Christian college students from Meda Welabu University in Ethiopia thought they would go into the rural countryside and share the Gospel. The native Ethiopian students didn't know what kind of reception they would get. Read more…

HEADLINE: China celebrates Lent with new crackdown on Christians

The Chinese government has begun its annual observation of Lent - what has become a yearly wave of repression against Christians. Read more…

HEADLINE: 23-year-old faces death penalty for accepting Jesus

Twenty-three-year-old Christian convert Shoaib Assadullah asks your prayers. Jailed in Afghanistan since last year, his crime is that he converted to Christianity, then shared his newfound faith with friends. Read more…

After reading stories like these, it makes you appreciate the martyrs who sacrifice their lives and do not intentionally harm or destroy people just because they think they are justified by doing so. These are Christian soldiers are standing against the diabolical forces trying to seek, kill and destroy. Are we truly in step with God as we should be? Are you willing to be in covenant with God through Jesus Christ, by standing for something worth fighting for?

http://www.kymgmoore.com/

The Earth Shook and the Water Flowed!

How do you stop a massive tidal wave heading in your direction without warning? You can’t! We are not living in a Sci-fi world where scientists suddenly save the day by creating a diversion to avoid universal casualties, fatalities and mass destruction.

In the wake of the tsunami that violently hit Japan on Friday, let us continue to pray for all of those directly affected by this devastation, the victims and their families from afar. Large numbers of families have no idea where this massive disaster swept their loved ones to. We are not superhuman and must remember that we are not in control of what is already inevitable. When an 8.9 earthquake hit Japan sparking a tsunami with waves reaching 23 feet high and at the speed of a jumbo jet, anything in its path was swallowed up or swept away.

As of today, thousands of people are still missing and may never be found. Japan remains on a nuclear watch that could be more catastrophic than we could ever fathom. The area is still on alert due to powerful aftershocks that could last for several days. As we continue to pray for those hit with this type of mass destruction, let us also be mindful of how truly blessed we are in more ways than we can imagine. Let us not be swept away by our selfishness, greed, complacency, hatred, violence, lack of compassion and education. Believe me, being swept away by the things that we can control is just as cataclysmic and deadly as these ravaging storms hitting areas where people least expect it.

If you are interested in contributing in any type of way, financially or otherwise, we encourage you to follow your heart. If you are unable to donate money, then donate your prayers. The team from Network for good is monitoring the events regarding the tsunami relief efforts through their list of organizations preparing a response. For more information check out this Network for Good link: http://www1.networkforgood.org/help-survivors-pacific-quake-tsunami.

This tsunami was massive, but throughout every disaster, no matter where it occurs, human compassion and assistance resonates even greater than that. May God bless all of you.

http://www.kymgmoore.com/

Celebrating the Month of March

The mere sense of living is joy enough. ~ Emily Dickinson

As we look forward to things slowly beginning to turn green and the softness of spring embarks on the barrenness that winter left behind, we are invigorated with the idea of celebrating a new awakening during the month of March. This month, daylight savings time springs ahead and the first day of spring announces its arrival on March 20th.

Don’t have a reason to celebrate? Well you should, because life in itself gives us every reason to celebrate every single day! We are so blessed to be in a country where things may not always go as we wish and the cost of living continues to soar more than our paychecks, but we don’t have to walk out of our doors and face a civil war like many countries are facing right now. Life may not always be a bed of roses and we should not expect it to be, because that would be looking at life unrealistically. But when you wake up every morning and watch the innocence of the morning unfold, we have to stand in awe of its beauty as we look up and thank God for an awesome gift.

If you want a few more reasons to celebrate this month, check out these events in your area:

Women’s History Month

National Nutrition Month

National Poison Prevention Month

Youth Art Month

American Red Cross Month

Irish American Heritage Month

National Craft Month

National Frozen Food Month

National Noodle Month

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate. ~ Oprah Winfrey

March is National Women’s History Month

Women are like teabags. We don't know our true strength until we are in hot water!

~ Eleanor Roosevelt

We can recall at least one woman who made an indelible mark in our lives that changed us forever. We witnessed amazing strength, resiliency, tenderness and sensitivity in women who encouraged us and helped to shape our lives in a profound way.

Since Biblical times we meditated on the stories of some great female warriors, leaders, heroines and disciples who left their mark in history. The “seen and not heard” syndrome was becoming poisonous, when women did not have a voice that could resonate just as loud as any man of their peers could. As we moved through different eras of transition throughout each generation, women garnered the strength, tenacity and wisdom to make a defining mark in history.

As we celebrate National Women’s History Month, I invite you to take a moment and reflect on at least one woman in your life who made her mark in a quiet or bold way and became a voice of change in a positive way. In 1978, the celebration of women’s history began in Sonoma County, California as Women’s History Week. In 1981, Rep. Barbara Mikulski (D-Maryland) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) co-sponsored a joint Congressional resolution recognizing National Women’s History Week. Congress later expanded the week to a month in 1987. March was thereby declared the month to celebrate National Women’s History.

The theme for National Women’s History Month is “2011: Our History is Our Strength!” If a woman has touched your life in a profound way, whether she’s your teacher, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, friend or mentor, reach out and tell them how much you appreciate the impact they made in your life!

If you would like to honor a woman who made significant contributions in your life, I invite you to leave her name and her relationship to you in the comment section below. To all of you fabulous women out there, making a positive impact for your community, home and your Godly convictions…Happy National Women’s History Month!

Each time a girl opens a book and reads a womanless history, she learns she is worth less.
~ Myra Pollack Sadker

What is the World Coming To?

May we continue to be fervent in our prayers. There is so much turmoil going on in our nation, in our families and around the world, that it’s hard to watch the news and decipher which part of the world the chaos is occurring in on that particular day. It is my belief that God has been trying to slap some sense into us for quite some time now; to remind us that this life is not all about us, but about His purpose for us.

It seems like we have strayed far away from sound doctrine and principle. Far too many are conforming to whatever and that can be a deadly mistake. There are certain things that people do, that used to make me think that they were just plain ole crazy. However, the more you look at it, you will find that they are laced with an unimaginable evil…something sinister, bizarre and very real. There is no excuse in that, just a choice.

It is hard to watch the news anymore, because you will be depressed in the first few seconds of the broadcast, regardless of which network you look at. People are desperate and resorting to engaging in desperate things. But, are we being just as desperate in our obedience, prayer life, goodness and fruitfulness?

We cannot continue to blame the Devil for what he or she does, because they are merely doing their job. Yes, they are busy! The question is, are we praying and doing our job that God sent us here to do? Are we being even busier than our enemy is? We have to seriously look in the mirror at who we truly are, then remember whose we are. We have to make that change and not pass the blame for our shortcomings or depend on someone else to do it for us.

The world is not for us to abuse, but to take care of. With all of the bizarre weather changes occurring everywhere and where peace can find no refuge, we are running into some serious conditions with tragic consequences. Whatever the world is coming to is in the power of our hearts. We can either work together to make a positive difference, or we can continue to be divisive, simply because we have the freewill to do so. The world will not get any better if we just continue to let it be. We have to make that change…you and me!

http://www.kymgmoore.com/