Tag: Confidence

Faith, Dance, Books, advocacy

Unfinished: Keeping First things First

But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.” Everyone liked this idea, and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (an earlier convert to the Jewish faith). These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them. So God’s message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too. Acts of the Apostles 6:1‭-‬7 NLT

What’s the problem here?

1. The potential for division

2. The temptation to distraction

Key principle

Those the devil cannot destroy or deceive; he will seek to distract.

For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.
Luke 22:27 NIV

Three Aids for choosing the Best

1. The witness of the word

The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?” Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.” Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”
Exodus 18:13‭-‬18‭, ‬20‭-‬23 NIV

Moses heard the people of every family wailing at the entrance to their tents. The Lord became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled. He asked the Lord, “Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their ancestors? Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me—if I have found favor in your eyes—and do not let me face my own ruin.” The Lord said to Moses: “Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with you. I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone. “Tell the people: ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The Lord heard you when you wailed, “If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!” Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will eat it. You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it—because you have rejected the Lord, who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?” ’ ” But Moses said, “Here I am among six hundred thousand men on foot, and you say, ‘I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!’ Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?” The Lord answered Moses, “Is the Lord’s arm too short? Now you will see whether or not what I say will come true for you.” So Moses went out and told the people what the Lord had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the tent. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied—but did not do so again. However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp. A young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses’ aide since youth, spoke up and said, “Moses, my Lord, stop them!” But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” Then Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.
Numbers 11:10‭-‬30 NIV

2. The assignment I’ve been given

Key Principle

Everyone is called, but we are not all given the same assignment.

3. The leading of the sprit

Big idea

The kingdom of God advances not as we believe in Jesus, but as we embrace the assignment to serve like Jesus.

Memory verse

For by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God not the results of your own works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

Exodus 2:8 -10

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advocacy, Dance

I’m excited

I can’t wait to meet these Ladies

I can now publicly get excited about meeting these two groundbreaking women next month!
Judy Heumann began fighting for the rights of the disability community in the late 1960s. She was a witness to the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act ( The ADA) in 1990,and she continues to speak about how the world needs to change its perspective of disability.

@alistroker is someone you definitely can call a #boundlessbabe she is an original member of @rollettes_la. She was the first and only legit wheelchair user to be on Glee, and she was the actor in our community to win a @tonyawards_ I know that there will be many more. I can’t wait to learn from these ladies.

Faith, Dance, Books, advocacy

Crosswords: The word of trust

It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. Luke 23:44‭-‬46 NIV

“In that day,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. I will turn your religious festivals into mourning and all your singing into weeping. I will make all of you wear sackcloth and shave your heads. I will make that time like mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day.
Amos 8:9‭-‬10 NIV

That day will be a day of wrath— a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness—
Zephaniah 1:15 NIV

Memory Verse

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV

What is so Good about Friday

1. God’s love was the catalyst for the cross

2. God’s longing to be with his beloved compelled him to remove any barriers.

When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
Luke 3:21‭-‬22 NIV

The Bottom Line: The message of the cross is one we have been commissioned to share

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
2 Corinthians 5:18‭-‬20 NIV

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Faith, Dance, Books, advocacy

Crosswords:The Word Of Love

When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.” This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, “They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” So this is what the soldiers did. Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” John 19:23‭-‬28 NIV

1. In Christ’s suffering he turned his focus toward others

2. On the cross Christ gave us the gift of a new family

3. While Christ held family in high regard, he held God’s family in the highest regard.

4. Christ’s work on the cross informs us how we should engage with God’s family

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name , he gave the right to become children of God

John 1:12

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advocacy, Faith, Dance, Books, advocacy

The CP Tag

1.  What type of CP do you have?

I have spastic diplegia CP

2. How did you get CP?

I was born 11 weeks early and I was diagnosed with hydrocephulus.  I got my CP diagnosis when I was one year old. 

3. How did you Feel about CP growing up?

When I was little, I did not feel different from my friends.  I participated in all the activities at my church; choir, Sunday School youth group, and camp.  I also went to concerts with my friends when I was a teenager, and I. Also played baseball.   My dad was my coach.

4. Do you ever think about what life would be like without CP? 

Yes, I do.  Sometimes I think about it more often than others.  When I think about it, I think about how easy it would be to do different tasks like get out of the house.

5. How has CP impacted my life?

Having CP has definitely impacted my life mentally and emotionally as well as physically. It’s a pain in the butt to do specific tasks, and when I was younger, it was hard to be taken out of school because of surgery recovery. Weekly physical therapy was also something I did not like. 

6. How was schooling with CP?

It wasn’t a nightmare, but it was a headache.  I often had to advocate for what I wanted, and it was often assumed that I would do less than I knew I was capable of doing.

7. How has CP Changed throughout your life?

When I was little, I accepted my CP, and I didn’t think I was different; it was until seventh grade that things got difficult for me because someone who was getting teased in school started teasing me. The relationship I have with myself and myself and my CP is great.  I have learned that it’s important to have a sense of community and being connected to the Rollettes and the Boundless Babe Society. 

8.  How will things change for people with disabilities?

I hope that there will be tons of changes for people with disabilities. The first thing I would like to see happen is that crip casting is no longer allowed in movies and TV shows, and theatre productions.  I would love to see the Broadway community truly become accessible to performers who have disabilities by making the bathrooms backstage fully accessible by the standards of ADA ( Americans with Disabilities Act). I would also love to see the standards for people to be financially independent and responsible because, as the situation is now, we have to settle for a life in which we cannot be in marriage because of fear that too much financ l gain would cause us to lose our insurance.

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Dance, Faith, Dance, Books, advocacy

#BoundlessBabe

Hey, I hope you’re having a beautiful day. What are you doing today? Right now, I’m finishing breakfast. As a #boundlessbabe, we are asked to take on a chosen goal. My goal. Is to keep up my independence by using my wallet basket.

I’ve had this goal before, and I have fallen away from it. What will make it’s time different is that I have good friends to check in with.

Faith, Dance, Books, advocacy

Faith For The Future: Enduring Faith

An Enduring Faith is a Faith That…

1. Comes to Jesus with it’s doubts

But Thomas, sometimes called the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We saw the Master.” But he said, “Unless I see the nail holes in his hands, put my finger in the nail holes, and stick my hand in his side, I won’t believe it.” Eight days later, his disciples were again in the room. This time Thomas was with them. Jesus came through the locked doors, stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.” Then he focused his attention on Thomas. “Take your finger and examine my hands. Take your hand and stick it in my side. Don’t be unbelieving. Believe.” Thomas said, “My Master! My God!” Jesus said, “So, you believe because you’ve seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing.”
John 20:24‭-‬29 MSG

He asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been going on?” “Ever since he was a little boy. Many times it pitches him into fire or the river to do away with him. If you can do anything, do it. Have a heart and help us!” Jesus said, “If? There are no ‘ifs’ among believers. Anything can happen.” No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the father cried, “Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!”
Mark 9:21‭-‬24 MSG

2. Looks at Trials with an Eternal Perspective.

So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.
2 Corinthians 4:16‭-‬18 MSG

Memory Verse

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33 NIV

3. Relies on others during difficult times

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
Mark 2:1‭-‬12 NIV

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Faith, Dance, Books, advocacy

The secret to David’s success

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

What does God look for in us? H. E. A. R. T.

Humble heart.

David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him.
1 Samuel 18:14

Expectant heart

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.
Psalms 37:4‭-‬5

Authentic Heart.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Psalms 139:23‭-‬24

Repentant Heart

The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
Psalms 51:17

Trusting Heart

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.
Psalms 73:26

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Faith, Dance, Books, advocacy

Celebrating again

One year ago today, I published my second episode of Encouragement Notes! I created this podcast because I felt God calling me to tell my story on another platform for the purpose of reaching more people for him. Thank you for being here with me. I love and appreciate you.  Please feel free to share this podcast with your family and friends and reach out to me with any comments or questions you may have. 

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