a dancing light

modernhepburn: visualgraphic: Beautiful Things by Andrew...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 01:18:15 -0400

modernhepburn:

visualgraphic:

Beautiful Things by Andrew Frazer

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Thu, 18 Apr 2013 00:09:32 -0400

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Tue, 16 Apr 2013 19:47:50 -0400

Growing in Discernment

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 00:01:12 -0400

Jesus lived His life by discernment. His discernment was not based on the superficial senses of His flesh, it was the result of His intimate communion and relationship with His Father God.

This same gift of discernment is available to you and me through our relationship with God.

So how does it work? Before you do anything, you must quickly check with your spirit to see if the thing you are about to do is OK. If you have peace, then proceed. But if you are uncomfortable, confused or frustrated, remain still.

For instance, at times I’ve been at the mall getting ready to purchase something, but before I reached the checkout counter, I sensed a frustration in my spirit, which was like a nudge from the Holy Spirit not to make the purchase.

The exciting thing about moments like these is every time you and I choose to listen to and follow the Holy Spirit’s promptings, our spirits grow stronger in God, and more and more of God’s power is released in our lives to operate in the fruit of the Spirit. Yield to the Holy Spirit and follow His promptings, and you will grow in the same discernment that Jesus walked in.

Prayer Starter: God, I don’t want to make decisions based on my own fleshly desires. I want to walk in discernment. As I check with You when I’m making decisions, frustrate the desires I have that are not of You, and give me peace to follow Your way.

- Joyce Meyer, Promises for Your Everyday Life - a Daily Devotional

“The Spirit of the Lord will rest upon that king. The Spirit will give him wisdom and understanding, guidance and power. The Spirit will teach him to know and respect the Lord. This king will be glad to obey the Lord. He will not judge by the way things look or decide by what he hears.” Isaiah 11:2-3 (NCV)

Chasing the Start: Tell me more about the infinity of souls or where one goes when they...

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:57:21 -0400

Chasing the Start: Tell me more about the infinity of souls or where one goes when they...:

chasingthestart:

Tell me more about the infinity of souls

or where one goes when they die

or how the throat seizes up at one of the most crucial moments of

self Revelation in the form of verbalization and

why it is that everything is based on three little words that

hold absolutely nothing

because they mean…

"…putting ourselves down represents another twisted form of pride. God hates pride because it..."

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 13:43:36 -0400

“…putting ourselves down represents another twisted form of pride. God hates pride because it dethrones Him and puts ourselves at the center of our universe.”

- Beth Moore, “Breaking Free”

In Love.

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 01:21:07 -0400

PRAISING God right now!!! Had some wonderful fellowship tonight with some Spirit-led young women. Blessed beyond my imagination. I’m falling in love with Jesus…AGAIN.

I believe we all go through some really rough patches in life, in our walk with Christ and I can honestly say the Creator has finally captured my heart again. Or perhaps I’ve finally let him. :)

Breaking free.

Teach with Your Life

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 22:55:29 -0400

The Spirit makes it clear that as time goes on, some are going to give up on the faith and chase after demonic illusions put forth by professional liars. These liars have lied so well and for so long that they’ve lost their capacity for truth. They will tell you not to get married. They’ll tell you not to eat this or that food - perfectly good food God created to be eaten heartily and with thanksgiving by believers who know better! Everything God created is good, and to be received with thanks. Nothing is to be sneered at and thrown out. God’s Word and our prayers make every item in creation holy.

You’ve been raised on the Message of the faith and have followed sound teaching. Now pass on this counsel to the followers of Jesus there, and you’ll be a good servant of Jesus. Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. Exercise daily in God - no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever. You can count on this. Take it to heart. This is why we’ve thrown ourselves into this venture so totally. We’re banking on the living God, Savior of all men and women, especially believers.

Get the word out. Teach all these things. And don’t let anyone put you down because you’re young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity. Stay at your post reading Scripture, giving counsel, teaching. And that special gift of ministry you were given when the leaders of the church laid hands on you and prayed - keep that dusted off and in use.

Cultivate these things. Immerse yourself in them. The people will all see you mature right before their eyes! Keep a firm grasp on both your character and your teaching. Don’t be diverted. Just keep at it. Both you and those who hear you will experience salvation.

1 Timothy 4:1-16 (The Message)

"Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t..."

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 22:46:00 -0500

“Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with - even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.
For instance, a person who has been around for a while might well be convinced that he can eat anything on the table, while another, might assume he should only be a vegetarian and eat accordingly. But since both are guests at Christ’s table, wouldn’t it be terribly rude if they fell to criticizing what the other ate or didn’t eat? God, after all, invited them both to the table. Do you have any business crossing people off the guest list or interfering with God’s welcome? If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help.
Or, say, one person thinks that some days should be set aside as holy and another thinks that each day is pretty much like any other. There are good reasons either way. So, each person is free to follow the convictions of conscience.
What’s important in all this is that if you keep a holy day, keep it for God’s sake; if you eat meat, eat it for the glory of God and thank God for prime rib; if you’re a vegetarian, eat vegetables to the glory of God and thank God for broccoli. None of us are permitted to insist on our own way in these matters. It’s God we are answerable to - all the way from life to death and everything in between - not each other. That’s why Jesus lived and died and then lived again: so that he could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from the petty tyrannies of each other.
So where does that leave you when you criticize a brother? And where does that leave you when you condescend to a sister? I’d say it leaves you looking pretty silly - or worse. Eventually, we’re all going to end up kneeling side by side in the place of judgment, facing God. Your critical and condescending ways aren’t going to improve your position there one bit. Read it for yourself in Scripture: “As I live and breathe,” God says, “every knee will bow before me; Every tongue will tell the honest truth that I and only I am God.” So tend to your knitting. You’ve got your hands full just taking care of your own life before God.
Forget about deciding what’s right for each other. Here’s what you need to be concerned about: that you don’t get in the way of someone else, making life more difficult than it already is. I’m convinced - Jesus convinced me! - that everything as it is in itself is holy. We, of course, by the way we treat it or talk about it, can contaminate it.
If you confuse others by making a big issue over what they eat or don’t eat, you’re no longer a companion with them in love, are you? These, remember, are persons for whom Christ died. Would you risk sending them to hell over an item in their diet? Don’t you care let a piece of God-blessed food become an occasion of soul-poisoning!
God’s kingdom isn’t a matter of what you put in your stomach, for goodness’ sake. It’s what God does with your life as he sets it right, puts it together, and completes it with joy. Your task is to single-mindedly serve Christ. Do that and you’ll kill two birds with one stone: pleasing the God above you and pleasing your worth to the people around you.
So let’s agree to use all our energy in getting along with each other. Help others with encouraging words; don’t drag them down by finding fault. You’re certainly not going to permit an argument over what is served or not served at supper to wreck God’s work among you, are you? I said it before and I’ll say it again: All food is good, but it can turn bad if you use it badly, if you use it to trip others up and send them sprawling. When you sit down to a meal, your primary concern should not be to feed your own face but to share the life of Jesus. So be sensitive and courteous to the others who are eating. Don’t eat or say or do things that might interfere with the free exchange of love.
Cultivate your own relationship with God, but don’t impose it on others. You’re fortunate if your behavior and your belief are coherent. But if you’re not sure, if you notice that you are acting in ways inconsistent with what you believe - then you know that you’re out of line. If the way you live isn’t consistent with what you believe, then it’s wrong.”

- Romans 14 (The Message)

How to Develop Your Gifts

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 22:18:07 -0500

People ask me all the time how to discover and develop the gifts God has given them. Here are a few helpful steps that I’ve discovered:

1. Focus on the strengths God gave you. Concentrating on your strengths will help you fulfill the calling God has put on your life.

2. Exercise your gift. Find something you like to do and that you do well, and do it over and over again. Want to know what will happen? You will feel better about yourself because you won’t be constantly failing.

3. Have the courage to cope with criticism. Have enough confidence in who you are in Christ that you can listen to others and be open to change without feeling you have to agree with their viewpoint or attain their approval.

God has planted greatness in you. Let today be the beginning of a great adventure as you step into the gifts He’s given you.

Prayer Starter: God, I want to cultivate and develop the gifts You’ve given me. Give me the courage to follow You and develop the gifts and abilities You’ve put inside me.

Taken from “Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life” devotional in the bible app YouVersion.

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Mon, 28 Jan 2013 23:42:16 -0500

"Tiffany artisans work with the same dedication to art as a filmmaker, musician, painter or sculptor."

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 00:49:21 -0500

““Tiffany artisans work with the same dedication to art as a filmmaker, musician, painter or sculptor.””

- cinematographer Darius Khondji (via tiffanyandco)

welzenis: Jan Willem van Welzenis

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 02:08:23 -0500

welzenis:

Jan Willem van Welzenis

"Take my hand And lead me to salvation Take my love For love is everlasting And remember The truth..."

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 23:57:36 -0500

“Take my hand
And lead me to salvation
Take my love
For love is everlasting
And remember
The truth that once was spoken:
To love another person is to see the face of God”

- Les Miserables Finale (via regardingsamuel)

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Wed, 02 Jan 2013 23:17:54 -0500

"So many people don’t ever learn to celebrate difference…together we’re much..."

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 01:03:57 -0500

“So many people don’t ever learn to celebrate difference…together we’re much stronger than apart. If it’s just about me, and I don’t like anything about anyone else who is different, I’m gonna miss out on so much. God is big. He’s diverse, He’s wide. There’s room for difference in His church. There’s room for difference within people. There’s room for difference even in thinking. To, you know, some people, doctrine is more important to them, it seems, than almost anything. When no one agrees with their doctrine, they cut everybody else off. Well, let me just tell you: it’s not about you. It’s about God. And God is bigger than that. When the name of Jesus is being exalted. It’s not the name over the door of a church that counts it’s the name that’s proclaimed, and that’s the name of Jesus, and when we understand that, then DIFFERENCE doesn’t hold us back.”

- Brian Houston, Pastor, Hillsong

a beautiful revelation

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 00:12:00 -0500

Perfection does not exist. Perfection is unachievable and unattainable. This is a beautiful thing! I believe that artists/creators/composers often put so much pressure on themselves and those they lead to be perfect. We need to work on coming to terms with the fact that this is impossible. It is an impossible and time-wasting feat we so often try to achieve.

How about QUALITY as opposed to QUANTITY. Let us use our common sense! Realistic thinking; something dreamers often struggle with… but we need to work on it. Hard.

It has taken me many years but I think I finally believe this and I am in love with it. Our Creator does expect us to give it everything we have, but perfection does not exist. I believe that all HE wants from us is a heart with right intentions. Why do you create? Really - WHY?? Who are you really trying to please?! Yourself? Your boss? As artists who are also believers - who create to invoke the depths of the soul - the only person we should be concerned about praising and giving to is God. Not man.

HE will still unconditionally love you and adore you, because perfection does not exist.

it’s not about me.

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 23:05:47 -0500

it’s not about me.

Finding myself lost for once. I’m torn between two things I love and it seems like I can only...

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 23:54:19 -0500

Finding myself lost for once. I’m torn between two things I love and it seems like I can only choose one. To have more than one area of giftedness in the arts seems more like a curse at the moment. I love both. How do I go about choosing which one to pursue first, because surely I cannot devote time to both…can I? It did not work very well this semester…or is it possible that although I’d have no tangible written proof that I have excelled in the area of movement, my skill would show itself without a degree or a diploma. Perhaps I should just keep doing what I love for that reason. The love part. No paycheck. No contract. Maybe I should continue to move purely out of love. Though the world seems to be telling me its a waste of time…surely it is not, if it helps me release and potentially helps a spectator release that which cannot be stated in words.

I can’t lose the ability. I can’t let myself-allow myself to lose it. I have to keep pushing. I, otherwise, feel like something is missing in my life.

Photographer/Graphic Designer and Dancer.

Work. Hard work.

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Mon, 19 Nov 2012 23:40:08 -0500