The Journey

As we are now on the other side of our first Open House, I took a little time off to reflect on the journey of Rebirth, from the first leap a faith to the first Open House. God has done so much in a short amount of time and we are truly excited about what these "firsts" have put into motion.

Rebirth Arts was founded in 2011 and it's hard to believe that it has been three years since I stepped out on faith with God and trusted that He would bring to pass all the things He had been speaking to me and giving me visions about.  

I'm thankful for our very first client who pushed me out there with God and trusted me to birth choreography for them that allowed their dance ministry to launch into a new dimension that brought healing and restoration to their dancers. There are not enough words to express my thankfulness for them pulling out of me what God had destined to be expressed. 

As time progressed, I took another leap …… trusting God for students to teach in our studio classes. We started with one little Sweet Pea, who was just about 1.5 years old at the time.  By the end of our 2014 Summer Session … God increased us to 10 Sweet Peas and Minis (ages 3 to 5), as well as pre-teens, teenagers, and adults. 

Along with more students came staff members, an intern, and 7 dancers for the Rebirth Arts Dance Company. And as God increased the numbers, of course there came more assignments … speaking engagements, workshops, magazine interviews, photo shoots, and ministry engagements. 

I'm humbled and grateful for the journey to-date; however, I'm more excited about what God is going to do.  This is truly just the beginning and I'm expecting great, wondrous, overwhelming favor and miracles in the future for Rebirth Arts and all those who decide to Join The Movement with us!

So as I contemplate the next dive into the deep with God, I pray that you enjoy a few digital moments captured from our 2014 Summer Open House (all photo credits to David Warren).

A Life Well Spent

I want to live a life well spent . . . 

You may say . . . well that is a little bit of a depressing view of life, but I challenge your thinking today. Life is not a guarantee and every moment is extremely precious.  God gives us 86,400 seconds every day and not one of them can we relive again. 

Time is our currency on Earth. Once it is spent, it only returns to us as an investment of life experiences and memories.  Only you can determine what your return will be.  Will it be reflections of moments with those you love, of stress and worry, or of heart stirring impacts of ministry?

When I look back over my life . . . let's say in a year . . . I want to be able to report to God that I effectively used the 8,766 hours He gave me to accomplish all that He set out for me to do.  I don't want to look back and think that there was one minute that I wasted being fearful, bitter, stuck, or having a pity party. I don't want to have lived a life of sound bites, snapshots, and disjointed memories. I want to look back and see that I walked with God throughout each of those hours, that my eyes, ears and heart were open to His voice and His leading, and that even in the hard moments of life, I held on strong to my faith.

Life is to be cherished.  I want to encourage you today to "spend" your life seeking after God and striving to walk out the plans that He has for your life (Jeremiah 29:11).  I promise you that the    "mustard seed" amount of effort and faith that you put forward, chasing after God and His righteousness, will return to you a lifetime of experiences and memories that you could have never imagined.

Heart of a Warrior

                              

Can you just imagine that this is what the Angels of Heaven's Army look like?! 

I'm thankful to serve such a Mighty God that sends us such vigilant and equipped help in the spirit realm. But as with many things of God, that's not the end of the help that He sends. 

I'm also thankful that God made a way for the Holy Spirit to be our  … "Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby)" and that He will remain with us forever (John 14:16 AMP). In this sense God has equipped us with the spiritual gift that we need to walk out our physical lives without the fear of being defeated.

We know … "God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7 KJV). But at times we let the fear of failure, rejection, disappointment . . . you name it . . . get the best of us and keep us from pressing forward into our God given identities.

God desires for us to go forward against all odds with the heart of a warrior. The heart of a warrior is one that has no thought of shrinking back in the face off adversity, but charges forward fearlessly shouting . . . . LET'S GO!!!  The warrior is one who will stand on the front lines and not flinch as the enemy is approaching, knowing that the enemy cannot prevail.  The warrior will stand tall, head held high, and shoulders squared knowing . . . "greater is he that is in [me], than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4 KJV).  The warrior knows that He has divine backup and therefore all that he sets his heart and mind to do can be accomplished in Christ Jesus.

I want to encourage you today . . . . put on your armor; adopt the heart of a warrior; and don't shrink back letting the enemy devour territory in your life, but charge forward . . . pursuing, advancing, and taking back everything that the enemy thought he had stolen from you!!!

Surrender!

Surrender is defined as … 

1. to yield (something) to the possession or power of another;deliver up possession of on
   demand or under duress: to surrender the fort to the enemy; to surrender the stolen goods
   to the police.
2. to give (oneself) up, as to the police.
3. to give (oneself) up to some influence, course, emotion, etc.: He surrendered himself to a life of hardship.
4. to give up, abandon, or relinquish (comfort, hope, etc.).
5. to yield or resign (an office, privilege, etc.) in favor of another.
6. to give oneself up, as into the power of another; submit or yield.

Oftentimes the picture we have of surrender is one of giving up. It is at the point where we are "at the end of our ropes". A place of being battered, bruised, and unable to move forward any further. That point in the journey where we've fought the fight of life, out of our own strength, and rationalize that victory is unattainable. 

However, when your surrender is to God, it supplies immense power and strength. It is exactly opposite of what the world would have us to believe surrender is about. Surrendering to God is about laying down your personal will and saying … "God I take on your will for my life and all that you desire for me to accomplish to glorify your name". 

We have the ultimate example of surrender in our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Do you really understand how much of God's unlimited, sovereign, and unstoppable power was released when Christ settled in His heart to do the will of the Father? Salvation, healing, deliverance, restoration, peace, love, joy, glory … and the list could go on. The beautiful thing is that by this one act, God allowed His very Spirit to be released into the Earth to help us make the same decision … to surrender to the will of God Almighty.

I have to make a very bold statement ……God doesn't just want your gift, He wants your life! He wants you to raise your white flag of surrender. Not because you are giving up, but because you recognize that you need God's supernatural power to work in your life. When we choose to surrender, God grants us access to everything that Heaven can supply. When we surrender our gifts and our lives to God, what He can do through us is limitless. 

Make the choice today to surrender and raise your white flag of victory. Never see surrendering as defeat ever again. 

Where is the Oil?

As I sat watching a popular reality t.v. show with my beautiful Mom, this statement was made. . . "Where is the Oil?" and it struck my spirit, so here goes . . . . . 

So . . . the funny thing is . . . as Believers, often times when someone calls out "Where is the Oil?" our first reaction is to go looking for the physical anointing oil.  However, in this instance, the search for the oil is one of a spiritual outpouring that is being sought.  It is the search for that intangible deposit of the anointing of God in a person's life and the release of that anointing as they go forward in ministry.

This type of oil can only be obtained by spending time in the presence of the King of Kings, living one's life striving for the holiness that is required for a pure anointing to rest on you, surrendering and consecrating your gift for God's use, and understanding how to step out of the disguise of performance into true ministry.

Don't get me wrong, the physical oil is necessary, but it should not be a substitute for the spiritual oil. The physical oil should be a representation and a reminder, to those who anoint themselves with it, of what God has already done in those private moments of our lives.

When you can stand operating out of the purity of your ministry gift, understanding the purpose of that gift, understanding how God can use it and move through you to minister to others, and desiring nothing more than to give God glory with your gift . . . . at that very moment, you will begin to pour out the spiritual oil (anointing) that's on your life.  At that moment, people will be able to see the conviction in your heart and know that you truly believe what you are singing about.  At that moment the words of the song that you interpret through dance become alive and have a spiritual impact on those who witness the ministry.

Know that God can use your artistic gift, whatever it might be, to minister to His people.  He can use your gift to deliver every spiritual gift . . . salvation, healing, deliverance, restoration, peace, love, etc. to those who have open hearts to receive you as you flow under the anointing of God that's on your life.  

Please be encouraged today to not take the importance of the spiritual oil for granted. It is great to have a talent and to perfect and disciple that talent, but ooooh how much greater is it to have the anointing of God on your life so that your talent then becomes ministry.

Popular vs. Prophetic

As ministers of the arts, we all come to the crossroads of having to make the decision to either follow the path of being POPULAR or PROPHETIC

When selecting the songs to sing for morning worship, when pondering the lyrics to the melody you are writing, when determining which song to dance to for the next special selection, when thinking about the next priceless moment you want to capture on canvas, or when considering the next character you are going to portray on stage you will have to decide in that moment -- "Do I want to be popular or do I want be prophetic?"

Popular: The road to being popular or seeking popularity is one that seeks after the approval of man.  It is the way of looking to others to validate you and celebrate you to find your worth. It is the way of doing things in your own strength and trying to please man, so that your efforts and striving gets you noticed and promoted.  In this place, you think that it is your connections, talents, and abilities that can get you to the top, when in reality, God has a more excellent way for you to travel to your wealthy place.  Trying to be popular takes a stance of "I got to grind" versus resting in God as you walk out the plan He has for your life.

Prophetic: The road to the prophetic or to operate in and declare the prophetic is to seek after God's approval alone.  It is the way of looking only to God to validate you, celebrate you, and raise you up in your ministry.  In the realm of being prophetic you are only looking to be moved by the Spirit of God and say and do only what the Spirit of God has inspired within you.  The way of the prophetic is to rely on the strength of God to accomplish anything that you set your hand to do and when you've been given success, the only thought that you have is to give God glory. Operating in the prophetic realm requires a posture of total surrender.

I want to encourage you with this post to seek after God in your ministry of the arts.  Ask God . . . "What is it that you want to say through me?" Settle in yourself that you want to only say what God says, go only where He tells you to go, and do only what He tells you to do.  As you endeavor to surrender more of yourself and your ministry to God, for His use, I promise you that you will start to experience growth, greater anointing, and more miraculous manifestations of God's glory.

Nameless

Somewhere along this journey of life with God, if we are truly desiring to be effectively used for His glory, we have to get to the point of saying … "I don't care if people applaud me or even know my name, as long as the Father is glorified!"

We have to get to a point in our walk with God and with our ministries that we take on the mind of Christ and accept the fact that in order for God to be totally glorified through us, we have to step out of the way and become "of no reputation".

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11 KJV)

Our goal should be selfless ministry and not to be in the spotlight or have our names in lights. Our focus should be on completing our ministry assignments with a joyful and greatful heart with everything within us, so that our Father in Heaven (God) is truly glorified. 

Yes, God uses each of us in mighty ways through our artistic gifts, but keep it all in perspective … it is of His "using us" that we are able to do what we do. It is by His gifting and anointing that we are able to affect the hearts and spirits of those who witness our artistic gifts. Always remember that without God backing you up, you could do nothing. 

Let's make sure that in our seeking to be used in ministry that we are seeking after the Father and not the benefits of being seen.  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. (Matthew 6:33 NLT) And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint. (Galatians 6:9 AMP)

I've settled in my heart that for Him … I will be nameless. Will you join me?