Tenacity

Tenacity is more than endurance, it is endurance combined with the absolute certainty that what we are looking for will transpire. Tenacity is more than hanging on, which may be but the weakness of being too afraid to fall off. Tenacity is the supreme effort of a man refusing to believe that his hero is going to be conquered. The greatest fear a man has is not that he will be damned, but that Jesus Christ will be worsted, that the things He stood for–love and justice and forgiveness and kindness among men–will not win out in the end…Then comes the call to spiritual tenacity, not to hang on and do nothing, but to work deliberately on the certainty that God is not going to be worsted. If our hopes are being disappointed just now, it means that they are being purified. There is nothing noble the human mind has ever hoped for or dreamed of that wll not be fulfilled. One of the greatest strains in life is the strain of waiting for God…Remain spiritually tenacious 

~Oswald Chambers

Love gracefully

Deed and truth

Love…

It seems to be a theme lately. Not the sappy, romantic kind that everyone hypes about but the real, genuine love that knows no boundaries, sees people for who they really are, doesn’t change because of circumstance, and doesn’t hinge on personal judgment. 

A while ago, I decided to love people without judging them. I asked God to teach me to see people for the way He did. Slowly, I’m learning what this looks like. How do you love unconditionally? How do you accept someone even if you don’t condone their behavior? 

A few weeks ago, I was reading 1 John 3. Verse 18 really jumped out at me…
 

    Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue but in deed and in truth
 

 Some days later, I thought of the phrase love gracefully. I don’t know, it just came to me and I thought it sounded cool. At first I was thinking graceful in the elegant sense but then it hit me–that’s exactly what love is, full of grace!

We manifest our love toward others in through our actions; extending them the grace we have received ourselves. We don’t have to agree with their choices or beliefs (that’s between them and God) but we can speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15) and point them to the One who loved us to the point of death. 

Love is a conscious decision to put yourself aside and see others the way God sees them. It’s treating others with the respect and dignity they deserve because they are made in His image. It’s getting past the outward manifestations of deeper issues and meeting people where their heart really is. 

May God continue to teach us to love gracefully in deed and in truth. 

Love gracefully

 

About

Creek headshot

As the founder of Bluebird: uncaged, Rebekah’s passion is to bring hope and dignity through dance while inviting people into a story greater than their own–specifically the Jesus story. Currently she is a dancer with the Proia Dance Project. Previously she spent a season as a company artist with the Georgia Ballet under Alexandre Proia. She has been a guest artist with Telluride Dance Academy (Sugar Plum Fairy) and Gotta Dance Contemporary in the premiere of Remove the Ego, The Naked Truth, and Moonlight Sonatas. With Atlanta Ballet, Rebekah has performed as the stepmother in Cinderella as well as in their productions of The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Pinocchio and Dracula. She trained at the Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education after gaining a foundation at Sawnee School of Ballet under Joan Kall Stewart. Rebekah also dances with the Lume Foundation and earned a BA in Communications from Thomas Edison State College through the CollegePlus program. 

This summer Rebekah lead her third Uncaged Adventure to serve the community of Panama, Central America through dance. As a teacher, Rebekah seeks to instill the life skills of confidence and excellence in the next generation from DanceAbility students to pre-professionals. Currently she is on faculty at Still Pointe Studios and the Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education. She is also available for guest teaching through Bluebird: uncaged.

Choreographically, Rebekah believes that art should engage the audience in an inspiring conversation while portraying beauty. Her work includes Beautiful Things and Breaking Free which can be viewed on the Bluebird website. in October 2013, White Umbrella (inspired by Mary Frances Bowley’s book) premiered at the anti-trafficking fundraiser, Dance Upon Injustice. The cinematic version of this piece was completed November 2014 is currently being submitted to film festivals. She also choreographed a portion of the opener for the Passion 2014 events in Atlanta and Houston. 

In her spare time Rebekah enjoys blogging, hand embroidery, and spending time with her family.

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Artist Philosophy

I believe that creativity is inspired by God and is one of the many ways we are made in His image. With this creativity, humans are able to explore God’s creation and see parts of His character revealed. I believe that art shapes culture and as Jesus followers we are called to use our gifts in a way that glorifies, honors, and reflects our Maker so that He might draw others into His story. 

I believe that art should be used to encourage others so that they might know their true identity in Christ and reach their full potential. Art should portray beauty, inspire, engage, and connect with the audience. In passing the arts to the next generation we should instill humble confidence and love of excellence thus equipping them to be successful in whatever field they pursue. -RKD

San Antonio 3

 

Reviews/Interviews

Forsyth County News feature on the 2014 Uncaged Adventure

Arts ATL review of Alexandre Proia’s Four Seasons (faun soloist)

Sawnee School of Ballet

Silver Slippers blog (review of Atlanta Ballet’s Cinderella)

What the world longs for from the Christian faith is the witness of men and women daring to be different, humble enough to make mistakes, wild enough to be burnt in the fire of love, real enough to make others see how unreal they are. 
                                                                                                            ~Brennan Manning

Freedom Friday: Passion 2012

Last week 45,000 college age individuals gathered at the Georgia Dome for the Passion 2012 conference. We soaked in wisdom and insight from spiritual mentors of our generation, we worshiped the name above all names–Jesus–and fought for justice with the Do Something Now campaign. This year's campaign was centered around freedom for the 27million indivduals trapped in slavery today. Students were educated on the topic through a short film and a panel discussion with leading abolitionists of our day. At the end of four days over $3million was raised to fight for freedom. But it's not about numbers. It's about Jesus. He binds up the broken hearted and sets the captives free and uses poor college students in the process.

We are a generation united for freedom
United for freedom

 

Click here to learn more about Do Something Now, watch the Freedom Film, and get involved.

 

Top reads of 2011

Think by John Piper

Think

"All thinking, all learning, all education, and all research is for the sake of knowing God, loving God, and showing God" ~John Piper

A logical approach to using your mind for God's glory. 

Erasing Hell by Francis Chan

Erasing-hell

Erasing Hell dives into the scriptures in hopes of finding the truth about the afterlife of those who do not say yes to Jesus. The answers they come to are pretty clear but ultimately the decision about what to do with them is up to the reader…

Click here to read my review

 

Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss

Stepping-heavenward

 

Instead of going to prayer-meetings to get into a 'good frame,' we should live in a good frame from morning till night, from night till morning, and prayer and praise would be only another form for expressing the love and faith and obedience we had been exercising amid the pressure of business.

Elizabeth Prentiss, Stepping Heavenward   Click here to read my review

 

Mirror Ball by Matt Redman

Mirror ball

"All the big dreams and visions we work toward are within reach if we will harness our gifts and energies and pull together in one direction" ~Matt Redman

A beautiful series of vignettes and insight from personal experiences about "living boldly and shining brightly for the glory of God"

 

Heaven Trilogy by Ted Dekker

Heaven trilogy

A gripping page turner telling the same story three entirely different ways–God's relentless pursuit of man.

 Souvenirs of Solitude by Brennan Manning

Souvenirs of solitud
A series of devotions that challenge and encourage.

 

What did you read in 2011? Any recommendations for 2012?

 

Nutcracker 2011 recap

Even though this was one of the craziest Nutcracker seasons I've been through, I would definitely say it was also one of the best. Though I did the same roles as last year, I would leave the theatre feeling fulfilled and knowing that this is what I was made to do. My body would be exhausted but my heart full of the joy. I can't help but think sharing the Nutcracker magic is a teeny tiny taste of what heaven is going to be like. It's always a little bittersweet when Nutcracker ends but I know it wouldn't be special if it lasted forever. Until next year…enjoy the pics! 🙂  

The fox     I love this theatre

Barres

Nicole and me nut 2011

Nut 2011 jared 1Photo by Jared Tan

Nut 2011 jared 2Photo by Jared Tan

Nut 2011 jared 3Photo by Jared Tan

Opening night nut 2011

Pedro and abi proposalPedro and Abi got engaged at the end of bows one day!!

Merry Christmas!!!

Christmas jump 2011

"Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has come to His people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David (as He said through His holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us— to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember His holy covenant, the oath He swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him, to give His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace."
~Luke 1:67-79