We Are Free!

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1 (NKJV)

     On the day that is remembered as Good Friday, let's remember why it has that name...the day that Christ died on the cross in our place, receiving the punishment that we should have received so that we could be free. That's Good News! Whatever you do today, consider Christ and his life, not just on today, but everyday.

     Please enjoy this classic worship song by Morris Chapman, "We Are Free":

Blurry Lines . . .

Don’t love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you cannot love the Father.  Our foolish pride comes from this world, and so do our selfish desires and our desire to have everything we see. None of this comes from the Father. The world and the desires it causes are disappearing. But if we obey God, we will live forever.

~ 1 John 2:15-17 (CEV)

     If this seems to be a play on words using a popular song title...it is! The lines are blurry because lately it's becoming increasingly difficult to tell the difference between some Christian ministries and other groups that have nothing to do with God by the ways in which He is being represented, and by the ways that ministries are presenting themselves to the world. In other words, the lines between what is godly and what is ungodly can be hard to discern unless you can see them spiritually. Just look around . . . and it will become very obvious what is being allowed to get our attention.  Money, pride, competition, confusion, compromising behavior and personal drama that calls itself Reality TV is causing people to exalt fame above Christ.

For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one’s own resources or in the stability of earthly things]—these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself].

~ 1 John 2:16 (AMP)

     It has been said that most ministries start out with the right intentions of putting God first in all they do, but as they progress, what they do can become more important than God Himself. In other words, they leave their first love. Other things begin to replace prayer time, study time, rest and refreshing time and they move away from a place of devotion to a place of constant motion, and the enemy can then entice them away from God's way into the way of man, which is the way of the flesh. Next come offers of more exposure, more money and of course the weakening of the message of the Good News to become more "seeker friendly" to draw a broader audience with the prospect of mass appeal, eventually moving them even further away from Christ. At the extreme end of this continuum is the complete removal of God Almighty from their ministry, and the addition of other doctrines and teachings that are a complete opposite of the Bible. This is where some lose their faith, become "enlightened" and no longer even believe that Christ is the only way of salvation, and the enemy has effectively destroyed another ministry.

But this is what I have against you: you do not love me now as you did at first. ~Rev. 2:4 (GWT)

     There has to be a distinction between the way Christian ministries live, behave, believe, and appear in contrast to others. People should be able to recognize when your group goes up to present an ministry offering anywhere they go by the presence of God that is with you. The anointing is more than a feeling, it is the approval of God on what you do! The anointing of God brings a change, brings spiritual sight, physical, emotional and mental healing, deliverance and a reverence for holy things. If the lines are blurry, people will have nothing of God to take with them and all they were was entertained.

And it shall come to pass in that day that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be consumed in the presence of the anointing.

~ Isaiah 10:27 (JUB)

     Stop and think...who and what do you represent when you minister? Do people see Christ in your works, or do they only see your skill of presentation? Has the amount of time you spend preparing your ground (environment, personal space, spiritual time) decreased since the time you began your ministry? Is what you do (choreography, garments, engagements, content, awards, popularity) becoming more important than the One who called you? Have you started associating more with non-believers to promote yourself while hiding who you really stand for? If you can honestly say yes to even one of these points, then maybe it's time to pull away from the limelight and reacquaint yourself with your original calling and vision. Don't be one whose works will be burned at the end of your time on earth because they didn't glorify God. There's still have time to make those blurry lines clear!

     Please enjoy this video of "Who's on the Lord's Side" by the late Rev. Timothy Wright:

Say What?

In the past there were false prophets among God’s people. It is the same now. You will have some false teachers in your group. They will teach things that are wrong—ideas that will cause people to be lost. And they will teach in a way that will be hard for you to see that they are wrong. They will even refuse to follow the Master who bought their freedom. And so they will quickly destroy themselves.

~2 Peter 2:1-2 (ERV)

     Just in case no one has noticed, there's a lot going on in the world now, and it's happening all at once at a very high level of intensity. We see more because of the large amounts of information that can be seen and heard and passed along quickly, 24 hours a day. The media controls a lot of what we learn so it's not always easy to know what is true and what isn't. The older people used to say "Believe half of what you see, and none of what you hear" and there is some wisdom to that saying when it's taken in the right context.

     The one place that we should always be able to get accurate information is when we go to church to hear God's Word. Even though pastors and ministers are not perfect, what they say should always be found in the Bible and not made up. Nothing is supposed to be added to their message from outside beliefs, and definitely nothing should ever be taken away. The church is supposed to be a safe place where we can worship Christ in a pure environment, pure -- meaning that no one makes mistakes or doesn't sin, but the purity that comes from worship in spirit and truth according to John 4:24:

For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.

~John 4:24 (NLT)

     We need to worship God in a place where we will not be lied to, manipulated or have mind games played on us. The only way to know if a preacher or church is telling the truth is to know what the Word says for ourselves. We need to listen to everything they say with an open mind (thinking), an open heart (reflecting), and an open spirit (discerning). I once heard that when bank tellers are being trained to recognize counterfeit bills, they learn what real currency looks and feels like, so when the fake bills are passed they will immediately reject them. It shouldn't be any different when it comes to any type of ministry. We should be so familiar with what the Bible says that when someone speaks something that is foreign, we don't listen to it. It doesn't require a degree in theology to know a lie when we hear it. It's not necessary to have a title or be a church leader to discern when something is wrong with what a person is saying or to be able to see that his or her actions don't agree with what they are promoting from the pulpit.

Pattern yourselves after me [follow my example], as I imitate and follow Christ (the Messiah).
1 Cor 11:1 (AMP)

     God is not calling us to be judgmental, but He does require us to discern when something or someone is leading us in the wrong direction and not to follow them. A wise pastor once said: "If there ever comes a time when you no longer see the fruits of righteousness in my life, please leave this church!" Anytime you see a minister mixing other beliefs with God's Word in the pulpit, or promoting activities on TV that should only go on in private, saying one thing and doing another, paying off millions of dollars to keep themselves out of court or promoting selfishness, worldliness and greed, it's time to take a long hard look and determine if what they are doing is bringing you closer to Christ or closer to Them....because as men and women of God there should be no contradiction between what they say to you, and what they do. 

Do not let anyone fool you. For the Lord will not come again until many people turn away from God. Then the leader of those who break the law will come. He is the man of sin.  He works against and puts himself above every kind of god that is worshiped. He will take his seat in the house of God and say that he himself is God. ~2 Thess. 2:3-4 (NLV)

     It's challenging when we see "great" preachers that we admire become part of the world system that they are called to pull others out of, but we are living in a time where the Word says that people will be deceived and will cause many to fall after them. I hope and pray that none of us will be in that following. Let's remain watchful and prayerful!

   
      Please enjoy this video from the P4CM Dancers reminding us to "Stand Out"!

What Jesus Really Cares About...

If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing.  If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

~1 Cor. 13:1-3 (NLT)

     That picture might offend some people...but in reality Christ spoke often about how we as Christians are to treat others, and although He wants us to know His word, He really wants us to do what we read and quote. A lot of us are very good at speaking, confessing, decreeing and declaring, but when it comes to relating to other people, a lot of that word we are saying gets lost somewhere in between the pages of the book and our hearts. I'm sure we have all experienced bad treatment at the hands of people who profess to be saved, and we have probably given out some of that same bad treatment either in response to what we received from them, or just because we forgot what mirror we had been looking at ourselves in:

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.  For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.

~ James 1:22-24 (NLT) 

     Regardless of who we are, what our gifts and talents may be, how many people are in our ministry or what we have been called to do, the most important thing is to love others and treat people the way we want to be treated. Sometimes it's the simple things that we neglect to do, that hold doors closed for us and open the door for the enemy to come in and do whatever he wants to do. From the front door to the pulpit, we all need to be loving and kind towards those we come in contact with if we want to please God. We are in the last days, and God is going to judge what we do, without regards for title, age, job description, resume, degree, or income. We will all be judged individually by the same word!

“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.  If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much.  If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.  But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect." ~ Matt. 5:43-48 (NLT)

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    My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes.  If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well,  doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives? Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him?  But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court?  Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear? Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law. ~ James 2:1-9 (NLT)

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So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.~ John 13:34 (NLT)

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Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

1 Cor. 13:13 (NLT)

     I believe that all of us can find ourselves somewhere in this message, whether we have been on the giving or receiving end of less than loving treatment. But...if you are reading this blog, you have been given the chance to do better and make amends, because it's never too late to get a new start in our walk with Christ!

A New Year!

Brothers and sisters, I know that I still have a long way to go. But there is one thing I do: I forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach to goal before me. I keep running hard toward the finish line to get the prize that is mine because God has called me through Christ Jesus to life up there in heaven.

~Phil. 3:13-14 (ERV)

     Happy New Year to everyone, and especially to all of my 41 followers who have taken time to join my blog over time. Lately, due to time constraints I haven't been adding to the blog as often, and because I realize that you have many reading choices online, I've always promised to only write when I actually have something to say. So...if you don't see a new post, it's for that reason and I feel that I owe you something fresh every time. As I mentioned in a previous blog, there are a hundreds of prolific writers addressing different perspectives of the same topic, so if you can't find it here, it's out there somewhere. I also wanted to expand my blogging beyond dance and dance ministry to focus on worship as a whole, which will continue to include dance/drama/poetry/music/art as I'm led. The wind has shifted my sails again and although I'm still blogging, I'm taking my time to carefully write my next post. Please look for it soon, and again...thanks for reading. Keep worshiping Christ!

Please enjoy this video by the Get Lifted Ensemble:

Worship and Purpose

All that I am, praise the LORD; everything in me, praise His holy name.

~Psalm 103:1 (NCV)

     "I see you dancing in God's hands..." Words from a great man who passed suddenly from this life a few days ago. In 2003, I attended a dance conference held at Bahamas Faith Ministries where Dr. Myles Munroe was speaking. He was teaching on Worship and Purpose, and the importance of understanding why we worship God. Dr. Myles spoke about creation and God's plans for us, and becoming like Christ. I was one of the last people he prayed for at the altar call. I was standing in a corner and he called me over to where he was, all the way across the platform. He asked me where I was from, paused, and with that great big smile that he will always be remembered by, said those words to me, along with some other things that only God would have known. That brief moment was so amazingly powerful. I remember running around the entire sanctuary!

     It has been many years since that prophetic word was given to me, and everything Dr. Myles said on that day has come to pass. I count myself fortunate to have had something personally imparted into my life from God through him. Some say his passing away was untimely, some say it was his time and he died empty. The truth is, only he and God know. We offer prayers for the families of all who were with him in the catastrophic accident that marked the end of his life and the lives of others who died including his wife and fellow ministers, that God would comfort the grieving, give them peace, and that people would only speak words that give strength and encouragement.

     Whenever someone leaves this realm, it is always a reminder to us that life is temporary, and we are only here for a brief moment on the continuum. God has promised to redeem and restore years that were taken from us, but there is no promise in the Bible to regain time that we waste. What are we doing with the goals that we set out to accomplish this year? How are we spending our time, our finances, and our gifts and talents? Have we finished anything that we started, have we even started, or are we still talking about starting? Dr. Myles once said: "One of the greatest tragedies in life is to watch potential die untapped". "What will you do with your dash?" is a message that many ministers and motivational speakers use to describe the time we have between our birthday and our last day. Our dash represents everything we do with our lives, our opportunities, resources and abilities that we have been given. If you are reading this blog, that means you still have a chance to make the most of the time you have in this world. We were all created by God to fulfill a unique purpose in this life, not to be like anyone else, or for anyone's approval. Once we find it, we must run with it until the race is over, so that when we are finished, we can hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant!"

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

~Psalm 90:12

                                                      

Keep Your Word!

 

Broken promises
are worse than rain clouds
    that don’t bring rain. ~ Proverbs 25:14 (CEV)

     The saying: " Word is bond" goes back a long way, but it will always be true. God always keeps his word, and as followers of Christ, we are expected to keep ours. Have you ever attended an event, expecting to receive something that was promoted to be a "Power-packed, life-changing experience" and found it to be totally disorganized? Or, have you ever paid for goods or services that were not received as promised? Worse yet, have you even been responsible for any of these things? Well, I'm not here to judge or condemn anyone, but this needs to change.

You must not cheat each other, but you must respect your God. I am the Lord your God.

Leviticus 25:17 (NCV)

     We always need to count the cost of anything we undertake before we commit to start. Careful planning and having a backup strategy can help avoid misunderstandings. There may be circumstances that are beyond our control, but a little communication goes a long way. With the advent of text messaging  and social media, there is little excuse for keeping people who have invested time and resources into your ministry in the dark about changes or cancellations. Most people will understand if they are informed about changes in venue or availability, but no one likes to be ignored with unreturned phone calls or e-mails; they were important when you received their money, and are still important afterwards!

It is better not to make a promise than to make one and not keep it.
Ecc. 5:5 (GWT)

     If you find that you are unable to follow through with a commitment you have made,contacting people directly to acknowledge the situation and offering an acceptable solution is the best way to keep  a positive relationship with them for future endeavors.  If  funds were exchanged, make sure there is a clearly written policy in place for handling refunds in a timely manner. In addition, people should be given the option of a full or partial refund if there is a cancellation on your end. Don't automatically assume that everyone will give you a second chance! If people stop trusting and supporting you, it won't be long before you are forgotten.  Always strive to be that ministry that is known for excellence behind the scenes, as well as in public. If people express their opinions, listen to what they have to say and consider if the impression they have of you is one that you want to keep, and remember that there are many who will never say anything directly to you, but will tell others of their bad experiences.

   

We are living in a time when everything we do as Christians is under careful scrutiny. A good reputation is worth the time and effort that it takes to build and maintain. Keep your word!