The One who rules the world in Truth and grace.
Humbly born. Creator becoming Created.
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease, and by Thyself our King of Peace.
Thank you Jesus. You are worthy.
May our hearts ever be in reverent awe of our Savior.
Merry Christmas, friends!
I think we should be careful saying “Jesus would ______” or “Jesus wouldn’t _____” in the context of situations that are unique to the 21st century. The truth is, Jesus didn’t walk the earth during our time, nor do we have a record of how he might respond in hypothetical situations.
What we DO have are eyewitness accounts of His actions that are still incredibly relevant today. What we DO have is God-breathed scripture that coaches us by the power of the Holy Spirit to be conformed to the image of His Son. What we DO have are clear instructions for resisting evil and training in righteousness.
When we say things like “Jesus would/n’t _____” we run the risk of squishing God down to a size our brains can comprehend and in essence claiming to know the mind of God. Yes, we know that Jesus would never sin. We know that He would never contradict the nature or rebel against the will of the Father. But we don’t know the specifics of His actions if He dwelt among us today.
So as we ask WWJD, let us not paint a picture of the Jesus we think we want but seek an answer that displays humility to serve rather than be served; one which displays love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. One that has eyes to see and a heart of compassion for the least. One that boldly declares the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
We desire to represent you accurately, Lord; humble us to do so.
It’s been an easy year to be negative but in the words of Anne of Green Gables, “let us look on the bright side of things”…so, the the spirit of gratitude, here are twenty things 2020 has brought into my life that I ain’t mad at:
What are you grateful for?
What a privilege it is to be able to voluntarily have a teeny tiny voice in choosing the leadership for our country!
Growing up, my parents always included us in their political thought process and took us to the polls. When it came time to cast my first ballot 10yrs ago, I said, “Daddy, who do I vote for?” “Who do YOU think you should vote for?” he replied.
With freedom comes responsibility and we should steward our influence wisely.
I’ve learned that no candidate will ever be perfect, no party will ever fully encompass our ideals. All of us bring different perspectives to the table and that’s one of the beautiful things about the United States of America.
Friends, as we approach November 3, let’s do our research and vote our conscience, remembering that choices have consequences and policies determine trajectories. We are setting the stage for future generations.
But as Jesus-followers, ultimately this is not our home: we belong to a Kingdom not of this world whose ruler is the Prince of Peace. While we are here, let us seek the peace and prosperity of the chunk of land mass to which we claim earthly citizenship (Jeremiah 29:7).
Our hope is not in leaders or governments but in JESUS alone. He changes the times and the epochs; He removes presidents and establishes them (Daniel 2:21). None of this is out of His control.
As we pray “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done; on earth as it is in heaven,” may we remember that every human bears the image of God and should be loved + treated with dignity regardless of politics. May the Church stand courageously for Truth while being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace amidst the schemes of division.
Kyrie Elieson, Lord, have mercy.
“So, what do you do?” she asked.
“I am a professional ballet dancer,” I replied.
“Oh, is there a need for that?”
I’m used to a range of interesting reactions when the topic of my profession comes up but this was a new one. Slightly taken aback, I paused. “Yes, there is a need for it” I stammered and rambled into a short, disjointed defense of my position while silently kicking myself for not being more prepared to answer.
The pandemic has turned all of our worlds upside down; no one has been unaffected by its repercussions. We’ve been forced to reevaluate what is important, define what is “essential,” and rearrange life as we knew it. In a word — it’s been disorienting.
For a lot of dancers it’s caused us to do some introspection. Personally, dance has been a safe place for me to process this world’s brokenness. More specifically, the studio, whether it be abroad or locally, has felt like home. When my family experienced a year of tragedy in middle school, I remember counting down the minutes to when I could go to ballet class and escape it all. Through high school and college, the studio was a welcome respite from school stress. The dance world definitely has it’s ugliness and isn’t all tutus and fairytales but there’s something about the familiarness of the “ballet bubble” that is comforting.
When everything got closed down, I (like most dancers) found myself somewhat floundering, in that the studio was off limits for the first time in my life. Dancers across the world began to make do by ordering marley and portable barres and creating makeshift home studios. We came together via zoom class and IG live in an effort to preserve some sense of normalcy. You can take the dancer out of the studio but you can’t take the dance out of the dancer.
As we’re slowly reorienting ourselves, there’s been a lot of talk around the hashtag #savethearts. Our industry was the first to go and will probably be the last to bounce back (and it will be more like a crawl than a bounce).
Yet artists are resilient. We are finding new ways to engage with and share art. Across the board, organizations are becoming more intentional and consequently creating more meaningful art. This makes me hopeful.
Dare I say it?
I don’t think the arts don’t need saving.
*gasp* what!?
Yep, the arts don’t need saving.
Since the beginning of civilization, art has existed. (Now, where the funding for art should come from — that’s a different discussion for a different day.)
But think about it. Humans are intrinsically creative. This is one of the ways we reflect our Maker, the most insanely creative being that has ever and will ever exist. You can’t squelch the innate human desire for expression. Art is just another form of communication. This situation has simply forced us to hone our messaging + evaluate what conversations we need to be having.
Our resource pool may dwindle and dry up. Our events might get cancelled and our venues may collect dust being unoccupied. We may have to get creative in the ways we monetize our skills and gifts (but hey, aren’t we used to that already?). It will be tempting to clench our fists, hold on to “the way things were.” Yet, remember the creative process is always an adventure of bringing order to to the unknown chaos and we were never really in control in the first place.
When we find ourselves times like this or in conversations like the one above, it’s easy to doubt our calling. It feels like a personal attack and we can be tempted to want to prove our worth or justify our life choices. But the outward products of our art, do not define us; making art is what we do, it’s not who we are. Remember that.
Is there a need for the arts you ask.
The answer is a resounding YES!
Art is more than a career. It’s a call to reflect the ultimate Creator. These gifts we are given are meant to be held with open hands and shared. The wonder. The joy. Friends, we hold a unique position to share hope and beauty amidst the brokenness. Let us not lose heart but steward these opportunities well.
PS– We all carry God’s creativity through being made in His image and we all create art in some way or another. For those of you who may not feel called to create vocationally, know that your words of encouragement and patronage can go a long way. We’re all part of the mosaic in this redemption story. -RKD
The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber…So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. ~Rom. 13:11,12
Now is the time to be able to articulate what you believe and why you believe it with gentleness and respect.
Now is the time to immerse ourselves in the Word and to test the spirits.
Now is the time to hold unswervingly to the hope that we have and to not be tossed by every wind of doctrine.
Now is the time to confidently stand firm, having girded ourselves with Truth.
Now is the time to pursue excellence and set an example by doing what is good in such a way that it is hard to find fault.
Now is that time to be steadfast and unmovable knowing nothing is wasted.
Now is the time to love fiercely.
Now is the time to courageously have hard conversations.
Now is the time to engage culture and not run from it.
Now is the time to display humility, kindness, and self-control.
Not by our own strength but through the Spirit living in us who raised Jesus Christ from the dead.
Warriors of light: rise
for such a time as this.
Social media is amazing. I love a good meme and I laugh out loud at the #fallingfriday posts from the ballet community. Seeing people’s DIYs is inspiring. Watching others grow in their faith + step into their callings spurs me on in my own. It’s cool to keep up with friends in a different part of the globe, celebrate engagements, career milestones, and new babies, and learn about other cultures.
For most of 2020, we’ve been glued to our devices. They’ve been our link to the outside world, how we receive important updates, our modes of productivity, and an outlet for fellowship.
Yet, there’s a heaviness to it all. We’re fatigued. I think we all feel it. And rightfully so. Important conversations are being had. Injustices are being brought to light. We are fighting an invisible enemy in the coronavirus. Fear abounds.
We are bombarded with information through the devices we hold in our hands. It’s a huge responsibility in how we handle it all both privately and publicly. We all have a minute slice of internet real estate through our social media channels. The question is: how are we going to steward it?
“Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth but only such a word that is good for edification according to the need of the moment so that it will give grace to those who hear.” ~Ephesians 4:29
A few things to consider:
How am I going to steward it outwardly?
Remember that on the other side of the screen is a real human being. One created in the image of God with intrinsic worth and value and irrevocable dignity.
How am I going to steward it inwardly?
Just some thoughts that have been swirling around over the last few weeks. And this isn’t meant to make rules — the last thing I want to be is legalistic. Just remember that you have influence 🙂
May we seek to “be like-minded, sympathetic, loving one another, compassionate and humble. Let us not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, let us repay evil with blessing…” ( ~1 Peter 3:8,9)
El Roi — The God Who Sees
He sees you.
He sees your faithful obedience.
He sees the longings of your heart.
He see you surrendering those dreams.
He sees it all. All is not in vain.
In the waiting, He is working.
There is no magic formula.
What pride it is to think there might be.
To think we could somehow manipulate the God of the universe.
Lord, your dreams for us are beyond imagination.
Teach us to delight in you.
You are the God who sees.
Let us be people who see.
People who see your faithfulness.
People who see provision in the longings.
Grace in surrender.
Let us persevere with our eyes, minds, and hearts fixed on the Author and Perfecter of our faith.
Let us not become bitter or cynical or annoyed.
Grant us patience.
You are not withholding good from us.
Teach us to trust.
Thank you that we are not hidden from you.
Thank you for inviting us into the Grand Narrative.
Thank you for seeing us.
Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. ~Proverbs 3:3-4
Actions have consequences.
More specifically, heart actions have consequences.
Proverbs 4:23 says “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
Sometimes I think we forget this both in relation to ourselves and to other people. We’re quick to judge actions without considering the root of such actions. And then we get frustrated with ourselves for reacting a certain way but we’re unwilling to quiet our souls and get to the deep down ‘why’ that was our knee-jerk response.
I’ve been thinking about Proverbs 3:3 lately. “Do not let kindness and truth leave you…” (NASB) the NIV says “Let love and faithfulness never leave you…”
What if we treated everyone with kindness? What if we spoke the truth in love (Eph. 4:15, 29)? What if we loved for the long haul and developed a pattern of faithfulness?
Seems like a simple concept, doesn’t it? But one brief look around the world today and it’s obvious that something is broken…
God being love Himself, created the world with a design for humans to be in perfect relationship with Himself and each other. Yet, we rebelled against God’s design and thought we had a better way. Ultimately, in our pride, we chose death and separation from God and as a result, sin permeates our world. We can’t escape it.
Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
Beyond cure? Oh dear, we’re doomed. No matter how hard we try to love and be kind and be a good person, we’re always going to fall short. On our own strength, we’ll just slip further and further into chaos.
James 4 paints it clearly for us, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” (v. 1-3)
But Jesus.
Jesus — God, Himself, in the flesh — came to live in the brokenness. But His heart was not tainted by sin. He was tempted in every way we are, yet never once, did He rebel against God’s design. Despite living a perfect life, He was executed as an innocent man by the religious leaders of the day. And when Jesus humbly gave His life, He took all of the world’s sin, past, present, and future, onto Himself. But He didn’t stay dead! He came back to life three days later and conquered sin and death.
Because of Jesus, we don’t have to suffer the consequences of our rebellious hearts. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” He paid our debt so that we might be guiltless before God when we surrender our lives to Him.
Yet, I still sin. Even though, I’ve made Jesus the King of my heart, I still don’t like what I see in there. I see pride, self-righteousness, jealousy, discontentment, bitterness, unkindness, selfishness, the need for control, greed, laziness, and so much more. Why?
Paul hits the nail on the head in Romans 7 (read the whole chapter when you get a chance) “…Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.” (v. 21-23)
For as long as we live in these earthly bodies, we will be in a continuous fight with the sin our hearts were born into. But thankfully, God gives us His Spirit living inside us the help us say no to sin. He gives us His word to remind us of the new life we have in Jesus and to give us practical steps to follow Him.
We are not without hope! Let us humbly open our hearts to be renewed by the One who gave His life for us. Let us realize the evil our hearts are capable of and turn in surrender to the One who conquered death. And in our interactions with others, “Do not let kindness and truth leave us; Bind them around our neck, Write them on the tablet of our hearts. So we will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man.” Proverbs 3:3-4
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. ~Psalms 139:23-24
Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him and He will do it…Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him. ~Ps. 37:3-5,7
“I don’t want to get to comfortable because I know this isn’t a permanent season. But I also can’t treat it like a vacation because I know it’s going to be longer than that.” I told my mom. I was having one of those quaratine days (you know the kind). I was frustrated; caught between the way things were, the way things are, and the way things should be. Wondering if I was actually making the most of the situation or throwing it away.
“You need to settle in,” she said. And part of me pushed back (because things aren’t supposed to be this way) but part of me felt relief.
Settle in.
This is the season we’ve been given and it’s not going away with the snap of the fingers. It’s not like the light is going to turn green and we’ll accelerate back up to cruising speed continuing from where we left off (I’m not even sure if we’re at the same intersection we stopped at…).
Trust in the Lord…
Trust — do I really believe God is who He says He is and will do what He says He’ll do? Am I choosing to rest in His sovereignty or am I scrambling to ‘make things happen’ on my own strength?
…and do good.
Am I acting selfishly or putting the needs of others above myself? Am I hoarding or generously sharing my resources? Can I even see beyond myself into the needs of others?
Dwell in the land…
Sometimes our tendency to rush from place to place keeps us from putting down real roots anywhere. And if we’re honest, at that pace, it’s easy to escape, avoid, or run from things that might need to be addressed head on. But right now, we’re forced to stay; this is where we have been assigned for the current season.
…and cultivate faithfulness.
This section of the scripture has me thinking the most in that it’s translated four different ways in four different versions (above is NASB). NIV says “enjoy safe pasture,” ESV says “befriend faithfulness,” ASV says “feed on His faithfulness.”
What do all of these have in common? a commitment over time. In order to enjoy, befriend, cultivate, or feed on something, we have to spend a certain amount of time with it. These things are not instant; they take practice. They take investment. They take work. All of this takes time.
Delight yourself in the Lord…
Am I finding satisfaction in God Himself or am I jumping from distraction to distraction in order to fill a void, only He can? Do I really believe that in Jesus is the most abundant life I could ever hope for?
Side note: My brother, Caleb, has some excellent thoughts on this subject here.
…and He will give you the desires of your heart.
God knows my heart better than I do. Do I really trust that? This doesn’t mean I can manipulate God into giving us what I think I want. It means, the more I find my satisfaction and fulfillment in Him, the more my desires will line up with His and the more I will recognize the great honor and privilege it is to partner with Him.
Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him…
open hands, open hearts. There it is again — trust. He’s numbered our days before we even set foot on this planet. Do I really believe that His plans are better?
…and He will do it.
He will use us to accomplish His — not my own selfish ambitions — His plans and purposes. God doesn’t really need my help. But He invites me in.
Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.
Rest assumes trust again. When I’m resting in my bed, I trust it will hold me up and that I will be safe in my sleep (ok, lame analogy, I know but still). Trust. Trust. Trust.
But didn’t it just say “commit your way”? Doesn’t that assume we’re going somewhere. Just because we’re resting, doesn’t mean we cease to move forward. Going back to the gardening analogy, farmers allow their land to rest periodically in order for it to be most fruitful. Though it sounds counterintuitive, perhaps resting allows us to be more productive in enduring the long run.
Let’s settle in, friends. Be still. Take in the scenery. Realize and recount His faithfulness. Practice endurance through patience. Yielding our dreams and plans to His. Delighting in who He is and who we are in Him.
Let’s be willing to put in the work where it needs to be done. Let’s till the soil, plant the seeds, tend the gardens. He’s placed us in this season to accomplish His plans and purposes. Let’s steward the days well but not strive to make them into something they shouldn’t be.
For another perspective on how to prosper in a time of crisis, my youngest brother, Jonathan, and I got to help our dad with his talk for a local ministry. Check it out here.
Rebekah Diaddigo 