think you know what an ALIVE dance practice is like?

if any of you is intimidated by a dance practice -
thinking "oh hey, that looks fun...but i'm not good and they'll probably judge me"
um.......... you would be wrong.
you would be amazed at how people pick up dance...
and everyone has fun...
and its even fun to see people think moves are so easy...
until they try them.
:)
but its ok...
because there are usually 4 other people who thought the same thing.

for instance?  if you think your abs might not be strong enough - its ok.
you are always able to practice on your own...
alone...
and come back looking like a rockstar.

and we always start with prayer - that you won't get hurt.
so don't worry about that.

it might get a little hot...
and we don't have windows that open...
BUT we do have some LEGIT mirrors on the wall,
and a sound system.
and some day we'll have a huge fan.

its truly a bonding experience...
everyone is doing something that is probably out of their comfort zone in some way.
but its fun.
if you're ever going to stretch yourself?  might as well have fun doing it...
and i think that i have laughed the MOST at some of these practices.
its all very chill.
and everyone does eventually learn it.

and at the end?
it all comes together somehow...
and its so fun.
its worship.
its gifts being used.
its God getting glory.

and its so fun to watch...  :)

so if there is anyone out there who has ever thought
"i would probably really love to try to dance and it would be so fun......but i'm scared because i'm not good and everyone else is"
stop thinking that.
and if you are a guy and thinking "dancing is lame and just jumping around and for girls"
you are wrong.
i may have thought that too -
but my mind has been opened.
and i see that there is so much more that can be done beyond my scope of creativity for dance.
so trust me.
and come to a practice.
you will not regret it.
well...you might a little ;)
but you will have fun.

- observations from a spectator

ps...we are learning a dance (a mash up of a whole bunch of different kinds) every thursday for the next few weeks at 7.
so......come check it out ;)

-ALIVE

don't miss it!!!

Good morning friends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just a little reminder that TODAY is the deadline to sign up or let me know

if you would like to participate in the BEFORE THE THRONE event!

Don’t miss it – if you are creative or have something you are feeling led to share, please let me know! Whether its singing, dancing, putting artwork on display, leading a prayer or sharing a testimony – we want it all :)

I know the feeling – knowing when God wants you to share and ignoring it…

its not fun. Just sayin.

But please keep this event in prayer,

God is doing some cool things with this and

every time I get distracted from it He pulls me right back in.

so I know He’s working on something and

 I’m excited for a night of worship with my brothers and sisters in Christ!!!

and if you want a head start? Read revelation 4.

August 4th. Put it on your calendar. I will see you there. :)

-ALIVE

i should have seen it coming...

as a team,

we are working on the worship night -

Before the Throne.

i can't say really how the name came about...

well - i guess i can from my perspective.

haha

i made a list of things, just trying to find something that sounded right -

and i brought that list to a planning session,

and Austin said "i like this one".

and it was the only one that really stuck out at all...

so we kept it.

and i half-heartedly thought "oh, Before the Throne.  what a cool thing - we're coming before the throne of God to worship Him".

not a bad thought -

but i had no idea the gravity behind the image, the idea, the REALITY of coming before the throne of GOD.

and i was starting to feel very half-hearted about the whole idea.

not feeling a lot of inspiration.

so i was just praying for some inspiration, for some new life breathed into it -

and then...

the other day my friend Breann sent me a text (not really knowing a lot about this worship night we're planning being that she is approx 1 million miles away) and said that her and her discipler are doing this thing together where they are reading Revelation 4 10x for 10 days.

and asked if i'd want to do it too.

well, sure!  why not?

i like the Bible.

:)

well (and i will admit that i am not an expert on the Bible and i have not read all the way through Revelation before, so i'm not SUPER familiar with it) imagine my surprise when i opened up the bible this morning on the bus and saw the title of the passage...

"Throne of Heaven".

hmmmm...

and as i read - well, its just the picture of the THRONEROOM.

in all of its incredible, jaw-dropping glory.

and i was floored.

i didn't know that God picked the name.

i didn't know that i was going to read this passage 10x a day for 10 days.

i didn't KNOW what i was getting into...

and i have no idea where He is going with it all.

but what i do know now...is that there is absolutely nothing half-hearted or "kind of" exciting about the throneroom of God.

the imagery alone is UNBELIEVABLE.

the place where the sea is glass,

where God appears like the crystalline brightness of jasper and the fiery sardius,

where it all comes together,

the place where the Spirit is complete,

the place where utter awe of God leads to worship that NEVER STOPS,

the place where the people that have overcome on the earth through God's power, sit around Him and FALL on their faces,

throwing down their crowns because GOD is the one who is WORTHY.

we just have to walk through that open door.

PRAISE THE LORD that we are able to walk through that open door.

i have no idea what God is doing,

and i don't know why i didn't see it coming.

why do we never see it coming?

when God puts something crazy in our minds,

and then shows up in a way only He can.

so i don't know what He's doing now -

but i am filled with an incredible new desire to be there when He does it.

pay attention to what He's doing,

to what He might be saying.

you just never know with Him.

;)

-ALIVE

no one asks to be lied to: lessons from the Hunger Games

All right – before I get started - no judgments,

we can’t control how God chooses to speak to us… :)

And just an fyi – if you are planning to read all three Hunger Games books and haven’t yet…
there will be spoilers below.

So… lately my patience has been quick to run out (quicker than normal) –

I have heard a few different people say things that just caught me off guard, things like

“we are so going to hell, but hey – at least we’ll be together, right? we’ll have a good time”

Or like “no alcohol? Yeah, ok. that would be real fun” (PURE sarcasm)

Or “Jesus just isn’t the name it used to be. The fact is that there are other names that just attract more attention. Its just the way it is”

and all of those things literally feel like a punch in the stomach.

Not just because I don’t agree with any of them…

but because the people who truly believe things like that – are MISSING something SO huge.

They are missing LIFE, missing the truth that there is so much more.

and I don’t know if I’ve been around more of it lately or if God is just opening my eyes to it a lot more –

but its everywhere and its physically painful for me to hear.

I just want people to KNOW that Jesus is EVERYTHING. that if we start putting Jesus second or third or twentieth to anything else…its not going to end well for us.

and no- a party will not be involved…even if all of our best friends are in hell with us.

Everyone suffering together does not make it fun. it just means they are all suffering.

and my response to this recent loss of patience- to be super loving 24/7?

I wish.

my response is to get frustrated and just bite my tongue…I don’t want to "preach" or "lecture" – but I find it hard to just laugh along…

so – and I’m just being honest here – I end up getting frustrated and distancing myself.

you might be thinking – well that’s not helpful.

and you would be right. however…its harder to see that and DO something different when you are right in the middle of it. which is where the Hunger Games come in… :) well, the Mockingjay to be specific. I needed a new book for the bus rides and so I picked up one I’d already read…

(yes, I’ve read the hunger games twice now. its fine)

and I had gotten to the Mockingjay-

to the part where Squad 451 goes to join the war. and while they are sitting around one night, Peeta shows up. the soldiers are shocked to see him because, due to circumstances beyond his control – the Capitol kidnapped him and played with his mind, basically turning him into an assassin, assigned to kill Katniss – who he used to love, and ALSO happens to be part of Squad 451.

people have helped to get the poison out of him…but he’s still struggling when he gets to the camp.

and Katniss gets defensive, instantly distancing herself from him. angry because well, he’s just not very nice to her anymore. BUT… in response to this, she talks to her mentor and this conversation happens (and it might not be word for word…but close) -

Haymitch: you’re punishing him for things he can’t control!

Katniss: no I’m not

Haymitch: you are. you need to help him.

...do you remember we made a promise to save him? try and remember.

and this time when I read the book – that conversation stuck with me. (And there is more to it, I just pulled out a couple of the lines.)  But for the last few weeks – every time I get frustrated, that line comes to mind – “you’re punishing him for things he can’t control!”

Peeta didn’t ask to be poisoned. and he doesn’t WANT to hurt Katniss. he doesn’t WANT to give in to the poison. but it no longer comes easily to distinguish truth from lies. And unless someone helps sort it all out, its not likely he will ever figure it out.

no one ASKS to be poisoned. We, as humans, have a sin nature. We are drawn to sin. and we don’t ASK to be lied to – but because satan is at work, we are constantly being fed lies to mix in with the Truth we’ve heard and if we are not fighting to keep our eyes on Christ – its going to get real tough, real soon to distinguish the lies from the truth.

so if someone hasn’t accepted Jesus into their lives, if they HAVEN’T asked Him to take over and become the life in them, to have the Holy Spirit help to discern –

then why would we EVER expect them to live according to the truth?

and believe it or not –

it does not do ANY good to ignore them, to judge them, to distance ourselves completely, to just wait until they’ve figured it out…

Because, as we all know, following Jesus and His truth does not come naturally.

It’s a battle.

It’s a struggle.

and as tempting as it was, and as JUSTIFIED as it would have been (he was trying to kill her), for Katniss to just walk away from Peeta –

the good in him was still there, however difficult it was to see.

he just needed to remember it.

and he needed help.

Instead of writing people off because they believe different things or because they do things that don’t line up with what we know to be true – we need to help them.

We need to stay relevant in their lives.

We need to help sort out the lies from the truth.

We need to be a light – because if that light disappears, if darkness takes over- hope ends.

Yes, people make bad decisions.

Yes, people do things they know are wrong.

Yes, it can be frustrating…

But we can’t hold people to a standard they never agreed to meet, either.

that’s not our job.

Our job is to be a light, to be a living example that there is HOPE.

To show that this world, the lies, is not all there is.

And we can’t do that if we let our frustration win. If we just walk away and wait for them to catch up.

Jesus came to save ALL of us.

and when we were saved, when we were changed – we agreed to submit to Him, to be a part of His mission. to reach out to and love His people.

we agreed to be there for them.

We need to try and remember that.

We can’t just sit back and watch them die,
living our own happy lives.

Jesus loves them.

and its not over.

the good is still there.  don't give up.

Who says we can’t learn from fiction?

God’s creativity in His teaching methods never ceases to surprise me…

Then when you call, the Lord will answer. ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply. “Remove the heavy yoke of oppression. Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!  Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon. The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.

Isaiah 58: 9-11

"Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.”

Luke 1: 78-79

-ALIVE