There's just something about the Fall season that's so creatively inspiring! The combination of perfect weather, beautiful colors, and timeless traditions paired with the excitement of wearing layers, scarves, and boots all together stir up the creative juices in me and the desire to do something! Anything!
I've decided that this beautiful season in my life is about baby steps. The thing about baby steps is that they are (adorably) small and often heading in one short distance and direction. This is where I'm headed. Just inching along from point A to point B. Once I've accomplished that, I'll inch along from point B to point C. And so on and so forth until I get to Z. Where is Z? I have no idea! But that's the beauty of walking with Christ.
If you were to look back at your life, would you say that you've traveled along the path that you always intended? Did everything work out as you had always dreamed it would? Probably not, huh? It doesn't work that way for anyone. Thankfully, I serve a God who will always work things out for my good!
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
I see this verse and I think, "It's okay to take a risk, Kayla. Just go for it. If it fails miserably, at least He promises to work it out for your good. So why not?"
So here are the baby steps that I'm taking in the month of October. Let me preface this by saying this is still a very rough draft of the many ideas in my head! And I'm trying to be brave and step out on a limb here by going public with all of this.
1. To get a name for the Arts Company/Ministry that I want to start. This company/ministry will start as a core group of dancers and artists who will come together at least once or twice a month to take a master class and work on choreographing different pieces. As a start, I see it being somewhat similar to the LXD (League of Extraordinary Dancers) in that, we will be creating various short stories of choreography each with a common redeeming theme that ties back to Christ. I don't know how God will be able to use this core group and the work that we do, but I do believe that He is calling me and several others dancers to use the gifts He's given us to bring Hope and Freedom to others.
2. To launch a website for the Arts Company/Ministry that will describe in detail what it's about, its mission statement, and core values.
3. To file the Company/Ministry under a non-profit status.
So there it is! Just a few little baby steps I'm taking out of faith. Again, I don't exactly know where all of this will lead, but I'm hopeful that God will see fit to use me and whoever feels called to join in a truly amazing and unique way. The Arts, and dance specifically, are a very powerful medium, and I've seen firsthand how God can use dance to speak volumes and move people's hearts in a profound way.
So, here's to "FALL"ing before God and trusting Him for my future!
"Some things cannot be expressed through words, and that is why we dance."
Robert Battle, Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Here's a link to Mountain Lake TV where you can listen to an inspiring message on how God can take "your lunchable" and turn it into one of the most amazing miracles in history! Take a moment, pour yourself some coffee, and listen. It's really worth it.
http://mountainlake.tv/watch-and-listen/
http://mountainlake.tv/watch-and-listen/
I Wonder...
23 “Truly[f] I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Mark 11:23-24
Often times, when I'm faced with one thing or another, I hear myself say, "I wonder" or "I don't know how."
"I wonder everything will work out."
"I don't know where that money will come from."
"I wonder if anyone will take me seriously, I'm only 23."
"I don't know how we will make all the loose ends meet."
The word wonder is the noun form means, "A feeling of puzzlement or doubt" and in the verb form it means, "To be filled with curiosity or doubt."
I start so many sentences and face so many mountains in life with doubt and I don't even realize it!
Now, there have been past circumstances and trials in my life that I know cause me to doubt God's goodness and provision in my life. My past explains why I feel as I do, but it is not a reason to stay in bondage to my fear and doubt. God is our Provider-Jehovah Jireh.
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:1
Today, I'm making a change in vocabulary as well as a change in heart. I am going to take hold of the FREEDOM that Christ paid so heavily for. I'm not going to be held back by the fear or doubt that God (Jehovah-Jireh) will not provide the things that I need. I'm going to step out in Faith trusting Him to work out all things for good regardless of what happens.
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?
Matthew 6:25-27
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[i] have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28
This past week, God has been speaking to me and challenging me to step out in Faith and move forward in a new direction-to "Do Something." Naturally as I began to really think about this new movement, I began to wonder. And the theme that constantly plays in my head is, "I wonder where I'm going to get the resources." Whether that be money, materials, people, or the prayer to back up the project, I am always wondering. And it's usually in this phase of dreaming and moving in faith that people become paralyzed and just give up all together. In John 6, Christ performs one of the most amazing miracles that shows us if we give Him what little we have, He will turn it into something HUGE. He is our resource. So today, I'm offering up all that I've got and trusting Him fully to finish the good work He's starting and to be my provider (Jehovah-Jireh).
3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always praywith joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:3-6
Mark 11:23-24
Often times, when I'm faced with one thing or another, I hear myself say, "I wonder" or "I don't know how."
"I wonder everything will work out."
"I don't know where that money will come from."
"I wonder if anyone will take me seriously, I'm only 23."
"I don't know how we will make all the loose ends meet."
The word wonder is the noun form means, "A feeling of puzzlement or doubt" and in the verb form it means, "To be filled with curiosity or doubt."
I start so many sentences and face so many mountains in life with doubt and I don't even realize it!
Now, there have been past circumstances and trials in my life that I know cause me to doubt God's goodness and provision in my life. My past explains why I feel as I do, but it is not a reason to stay in bondage to my fear and doubt. God is our Provider-Jehovah Jireh.
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:1
Today, I'm making a change in vocabulary as well as a change in heart. I am going to take hold of the FREEDOM that Christ paid so heavily for. I'm not going to be held back by the fear or doubt that God (Jehovah-Jireh) will not provide the things that I need. I'm going to step out in Faith trusting Him to work out all things for good regardless of what happens.
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?
Matthew 6:25-27
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[i] have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28
This past week, God has been speaking to me and challenging me to step out in Faith and move forward in a new direction-to "Do Something." Naturally as I began to really think about this new movement, I began to wonder. And the theme that constantly plays in my head is, "I wonder where I'm going to get the resources." Whether that be money, materials, people, or the prayer to back up the project, I am always wondering. And it's usually in this phase of dreaming and moving in faith that people become paralyzed and just give up all together. In John 6, Christ performs one of the most amazing miracles that shows us if we give Him what little we have, He will turn it into something HUGE. He is our resource. So today, I'm offering up all that I've got and trusting Him fully to finish the good work He's starting and to be my provider (Jehovah-Jireh).
3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always praywith joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:3-6
A Step of Faith
Creative Planning
Everything I do starts here with devotions and a good cup of coffee...
Monday, November 1, 2010
EVERYTHING you do...
Last week I took an adventurous step in my adult life and got a second part-time job at a coffee shop in town. I was so nervous the two days leading up to my first day of work. As I strolled up and down target's aisles in my efforts to cope through retail therapy, I realized something about myself....I hardly ever get nervous. I tried remembering the last time someone or something made me nervous and I only came up with two instances. The first being when I moved to South Africa when I was 18. And the second being anytime I go into an audition. I was venturing into the unknown territory of the coffee/restaurant business and it terrified me!Luckily for me, the people who were training me and working with me were amazing. I walked out of my first week feeling accomplished with a sense of, "I can do this" in my mind.
As I drove myself to work one morning at 5:00 am, I realized just how blessed I was to have this job in today's economy. I know of so many fathers and mothers who have a degree and years of experience in their back pocket and still cannot find a job anywhere. And here I am, a 21 year old with no formal college education and only the years of ballet training in my back pocket and I have not one job, but two. I couldn't help but thank God over and over again for providing for this for me. I was overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude and a feeling that I needed to give back. But how do I go about repaying God for blessing me? I can only say "Thank You" so many times and since everything already belongs to Him, what do you give?
It doesn't matter if you are the president of a company or the girl who answers phones downstairs. It doesn't matter if you are the pastor of a church or the one who cleans it on monday. It doesn't matter if you own your own business or work for the guy who does. It doesn't matter what your position in life is, God requires us to be excellent in all things as if we were doing it for him. So today as you answer the phone, make copies, take out the trash, wash dishes, or wait on tables...do it for the Lord and be excellent in it.
As I drove myself to work one morning at 5:00 am, I realized just how blessed I was to have this job in today's economy. I know of so many fathers and mothers who have a degree and years of experience in their back pocket and still cannot find a job anywhere. And here I am, a 21 year old with no formal college education and only the years of ballet training in my back pocket and I have not one job, but two. I couldn't help but thank God over and over again for providing for this for me. I was overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude and a feeling that I needed to give back. But how do I go about repaying God for blessing me? I can only say "Thank You" so many times and since everything already belongs to Him, what do you give?
Today He showed me.
"In all the work you are doing, work the best you can. Work as if you are doing it for the Lord, not for people." Colossians 3:23
"Whoever wants to be great among you must first serve the rest of you like a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must serve the rest of you like a slave." Matthew 20:26
The Lord works wonders through the ordinary people. He loves to use the underdogs and the ones who were least expected. When Joseph was sold into slavery and went to work in Potiphar's house, the Lord was with him. This made everything he did excellent and successful. When Potiphar realized this, he elevated Joseph from janitor to being completely in charge of everything he owned. The Bible says that when this happened, the people of Potiphar's house were blessed, and everything he owned both in the house and of the field were also blessed.He could've done as we might have had we been in his shoes. He could've felt sorry for himself. He could've cried over the fact that he had lost everything and went from being his father's favorite son to now being a slave. But he didn't.
Because of this, God rewarded and blessed Joseph.
When Joseph was wrongly accused and thrown into prison for many years, the Lord was still with him. He was soon elevated within the prison and given the responsibility of the prisoners and everything that happened in the prison. This he did it with excellence. The same excellence as when he was in charge of Potiphar's house. His standard did not change with his position, he served with the same hard working heart in both jobs.
Because of this, God rewarded and blessed Joseph.
The story continues with Joseph being elevated from prison keeper to keeper of Egypt and saving the nation from famine. Now I wonder, had he complained about his status, felt sorry for himself, or became bitter from all the unjust things that had happened to him, would God have been able to use him like He did? Probably not.
"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." Philippians 4:10-12
In order for any of us to be used for great things in God's Kingdom, we must first, be willing to humble ourselves in whatever position we find ourselves in. In that position, we must find contentment knowing our lives are being guided by Christ and are part of a bigger picture. From there, we become excellent. We go above and beyond our job description. We do a little extra to help those around us succeed. And through our example, we encourage others to do the same.
"Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body." I Corinthians 12:12-20
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Gravity
something always brings me back to you
it never takes too long
no matter what i say or do
i still feel you here 'til the moment i'm gone
you hold me without touch
keep me without chains
i never wanted anything so much
than to drown in your love and not feel your rain
set me free, leave me be
i don't wanna fall another moment into your gravity
here i am and i stand so tall
i'm just the way i'm supposed to be
but you're on to me and all over me
you loved me 'cause' i'm fragile
when i thought that i was strong
but you touch me for little while
and then all my fragile strength is gone
set me free, leave me be
i don't wanna fall another moment into your gravity
here i am and i stand so tall
i'm just the way i'm supposed to be
but you're on to me and all over me
i live here on my knees
as i try to make you see
that you're everything i think i need
here on the ground
but you're neither friend nor foe
though i can't seem to let you go
one thing that i still know
is that you're keeping me down
you're keeping me down
you're on to me, on to me, and all over me
something always brings me back to you
it never takes too long.
To what or to whom are you always brought back to?
Is it a substance? A way to feel something?
A person? A relationship?
A memory you wish could be re-lived? A memory you're trying to forget?
A feeling for someone? A feeling you wish someone had for you?
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and have it abundantly"
John 10:10
"For freedom Christ has set us free.
Stand firm, then, and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery."
Galatians 5:1
Monday, September 27, 2010
Just around the Corner
"For Today and it's Blessings, I owe the World an Attitude of Gratitude." -Unknown
Looking back at the events of today, I can see its ups and downs, Its high points and low points, Places where I did good and places where I could've done better.
If I look back at the past week, I can see the same.
If I look back at the past year, I can see the same.
If I stand on my tip-toes, squint my eyes, and look really hard down the 21 years of my life, I can see the same.
These ups and downs, highs and lows, good days and bad, mold and shape us into the people we are today and the people that we will become tomorrow.
Most of us can remember the days of sunshine that present us with the brightest outlook on life and the confidence to conquer whoever and whatever steps in front of us. The days that give us the faith to believe. The days that inspire us to be more. The days we are strong.The days we believe in ourselves and believe in our dreams. The days we feel secure.
Most of us can also testify, firsthand, to the days of shadow that cloud our judgement and fill our hearts with overwhelming doubt. The days where we feel isolated. The days we feel we are not important enough to be seen or valued enough to be heard. The days we fear hope. The days we lose our inspiration. The days we bleed.The days we search for security.
It's in these days that we forget. It's in these days that we lose our grip instead of holding tight. It's in these days that we become like the Israelites when they came to Red Sea. They had forgotten the Seven Plagues that reeked havoc on the Egyptians and cost them dearly, leaving the Israelites untouched. Despite the fact that they were guided by a mysterious pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of blazing fire by night, they forgot. When they were stuck between the Red Sea and the enclosing Egyptians, they did not believe, they forgot! They had witnessed several miracles with their own eyes of God's favor and saving hand, and yet, they panicked! They cried out to God and to Moses saying, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!" (Ex.13:11-12)
The nerve!
Moses relied to them, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." (Ex. 13:13-14)
Isn't that beautiful? "The Lord will fight for you; you only need to be still." This is the answer to our searching days of shadow. Just be still. Don't mourn the days that used to be and don't search for better days to come. Just be still. Your deliverance is just around the corner. If you are too busy searching for the security and answers your heart longs for, you may just miss it.
"For Today and it's Blessings, I owe the World an Attitude of Gratitude." Each day is a priceless gift regardless of the weather.
Looking back at the events of today, I can see its ups and downs, Its high points and low points, Places where I did good and places where I could've done better.
If I look back at the past week, I can see the same.
If I look back at the past year, I can see the same.
If I stand on my tip-toes, squint my eyes, and look really hard down the 21 years of my life, I can see the same.
These ups and downs, highs and lows, good days and bad, mold and shape us into the people we are today and the people that we will become tomorrow.
Most of us can remember the days of sunshine that present us with the brightest outlook on life and the confidence to conquer whoever and whatever steps in front of us. The days that give us the faith to believe. The days that inspire us to be more. The days we are strong.The days we believe in ourselves and believe in our dreams. The days we feel secure.
Most of us can also testify, firsthand, to the days of shadow that cloud our judgement and fill our hearts with overwhelming doubt. The days where we feel isolated. The days we feel we are not important enough to be seen or valued enough to be heard. The days we fear hope. The days we lose our inspiration. The days we bleed.The days we search for security.
It's in these days that we forget. It's in these days that we lose our grip instead of holding tight. It's in these days that we become like the Israelites when they came to Red Sea. They had forgotten the Seven Plagues that reeked havoc on the Egyptians and cost them dearly, leaving the Israelites untouched. Despite the fact that they were guided by a mysterious pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of blazing fire by night, they forgot. When they were stuck between the Red Sea and the enclosing Egyptians, they did not believe, they forgot! They had witnessed several miracles with their own eyes of God's favor and saving hand, and yet, they panicked! They cried out to God and to Moses saying, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!" (Ex.13:11-12)
The nerve!
Moses relied to them, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." (Ex. 13:13-14)
Isn't that beautiful? "The Lord will fight for you; you only need to be still." This is the answer to our searching days of shadow. Just be still. Don't mourn the days that used to be and don't search for better days to come. Just be still. Your deliverance is just around the corner. If you are too busy searching for the security and answers your heart longs for, you may just miss it.
"For Today and it's Blessings, I owe the World an Attitude of Gratitude." Each day is a priceless gift regardless of the weather.
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