Passion and Discipline

I have been watching "So You Think You Can Dance" this summer and I've never watched it before.  I find it so fascinating!  I'm an artistic person in many ways with my music and even some visual art, but dance is very outside of my realm.  So I think one of the reasons I find it so engaging is that I relate to the beauty of the art but the way it is portrayed is so foreign to me!  It is truly beautiful.

Another thing though is that these dancers passionately and courageously put there hopes and dreams and talents right out there for all to see.  They don't hold anything back, but outwardly and loudly display who they are and what they are passionate about.

It inspires me actually.  Inspires me to live out loud!  Not to change who I am, but embrace it and show it.

I have also noticed these dancers have discipline. To get to where they are, to be able to produce such beautiful movement, they have to be extremely disciplined.

For myself, I am beginning to appreciate the worth of discipline in my life.  If I want to become a beautiful Christian woman, it takes discipline to build that relationship with God, to continue in the fight against all the things that want to distract me from prayer, God's Word, from living for Him.  If I want to become a beautiful musician, it takes discipline in warming up my voice, in keeping my hands in practice on the piano.  If I want to have a healthy body and feel great about myself, it takes discipline to choose to go for walks, to deny myself those small treats that I don't have room for, and to keep at it every day.  But the beauty of discipline comes when the day to day plugging away turns into a natural flow of what you have been practicing.  These dancers - the things they can do - the jumps, the lifts, the twirls and kicks, it is all so incredible - but behind it is years and years of daily working on flexibility, balance, etc.

I hope someday that my natural tendencies are to pray throughout everyday.  To trust Jesus no matter what.  That my voice stays strong and loud even as I age.  That I love others beautifully and naturally.  I hope that the things I struggle with and try to work on each day continue making me into a beautiful person.

Home

Home I think is more than a physical place.  Home is feeling like "this is exactly where I should be and where I belong."  Here are a few places that are home to me.

In the thick of a crowd bursting with worship, or anywhere for that matter singing Jesus' praise at the top of my lungs

Standing at my kitchen counter testing cookie dough

Deep in the thick green of a mossy forest

Being in my husband's arms

Unforced

My blog is titled "The Rhythms of Grace."  A few weeks ago listening to a sermon, our speaker shared Matthew 11:38 only in the Message.  Here's what it says -

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

It definitely caught my eye because of the "rhythms of grace."  But then I was drawn to the word "unforced".  Unforced rhythms of grace.  What a beautiful and perfect way to define relationship with Jesus.

Unforced
         Free flowing
                     Chosen
                              Not demanded and
                                        Not taken against someone's will 
                                                       Engaged in with delight

I think a lot of people see God as a tyrant, as someone who dictates and demands His own way.  But this verse speaks of such a different reality - an invitation of rest, a relationship that produces life, walking together, learning from the Master, keeping company with Him, flowing in grace, feeling the rhythm of God's heart.

This is beautiful and special to me.

Sweet Mouthful

I made this dessert yesterday and had a lot of fun trying something new!  It is called Boccone Dolce - Sweet Mouthful.  Layers of meringue, chocolate, whipped cream and strawberries!  Very interesting!!

God's Heart

God's heart is for His people
God's heart is for the lost
God's heart is for the poor

This is another remnant of something God stirred in my heart at AOYC.  One of the things that struck me is that God can so completely have a heart for these areas in concert - not losing focus of the others.  I can't do that.  The area that was really impressed on me was the poor.  There is passage after passage in the Bible of God's heart for the poor and oppressed - if I want to follow Him I cannot disregard this.  But how do I make this a focus in my life - in a real tangible way?  And how do I not lose sight of serving the church, loving my brothers and sisters, reaching out to friends who do not know the Lord?  It is overwhelming to me.  But I want God's heart to become my heart.  And It is just clear to me that I cannot choose one of these areas and disregard the others.

One of the speakers at Convention talked about ideas for incorporating an awareness of poverty and oppression in the world into your life.  Ideas like researching the brands of food or clothing you purchase and boycotting those who do not treat their workers properly, being content with a simple life, living with a consciousness of cultural excess and choosing to not partake of it, contributing regularly to the local food bank, sponsor another child, lend on Kiva, buy things second hand....  My mind has been coming back to these thoughts for the past month and I still do not feel sure of where I am to take action.  Something I want to keep thinking and praying about for sure.

Missed Notes

This morning moments after I got out of the shower, I saw my husband driving away, leaving for work.  He didn't say goodbye.  I moved on with my morning and went off to work myself, but all day it kept bothering me.  Was he ok?  Did something happen that upset him?  Something I did?  All day long these thoughts kept bugging me and my mind kept creating reasons why things may not be right between us today.

I got home from work, and on the kitchen table is a note from him - Hey Hun, off to work!  Have a great day! -  I was in the shower and he wrote a goodbye note so I would know he was gone and that he wished me a good day.  I missed his note.  I missed it and paid all day for it with my pestering thoughts.  And in an instant everything was fine again - though nothing had ever been wrong.  My husband wasn't upset at me - he loves me, thought about me throughout the day, and was looking forward to seeing me at the end of the day.  And yet because I missed that note, I missed out on abiding in his love throughout my day.

How often do we miss God's love notes to us?  How often do we miss the Spirits nudge, or choose not to read a few verses from His Word?  And how do we pay for it all day?  If you feel unsure of how things are between you and God, if you feel maybe He's upset at you, or maybe He just doesn't care - maybe it is possible that He has left you a love note and and you didn't see it.  Maybe He has left something in your path to let you know He cares about you, and you've missed it.

New Mercies Every Morning

This morning I am thankful for...

The sound of light rain hitting the trees outside and the low rumble of thunder in the distance
The sweet man that lays beside me each night and the moments we reach for each other in our half-sleep waking up
The combination of subtly sweet mini-wheats and cold milk
Mornings at home when I get to sit around in my jogging pants and take the day as it comes
The availability of God's Spirit right here with me when my heart needs to figure something out