It is getting close to Thanksgiving and all the special foods associated with this season of praise. One of my favorites is eggnog. I fondly remember the freshly made eggnog of my childhood, and have never found a commercial equivalent. Here, however, is a wholesome recipe, much like what I remember. Hope you enjoy!
He loves it when we are creative as He is creative! Try many of these moves at home, during your own worship, and you may find that this choreography is not for the weak! This encourages me to reach higher; it encourages me to do my exercises, get stronger, stretch further, hold longer, develop better control of my body that I might worship Him in excellence. Yes, the attitude of our hearts counts, our desires to please Him and give honor to Him is good. However, we must also remember that David, a man after His own heart, chose those who were SKILLFUL to worship Him! Skill takes time, practice and dedication to develop.
So often, we as praise dancers, especially in this culture, are so much about right now – this instant. We tend not to learn from the past or to plan or build for the future. We have a lot to learn from our less expressive accountant type brothers and sisters. Precision, skill, excellence in what we do also honor Him. He has given us our bodies that we might use them to do all that He created us to do. If He has called you to dance, He has called you to dance with excellence. That means your body is a tool that you must master, that it might do all that He desires you to do as you praise dance for Him!
Praise Dance meets Praise Dancing Life
Exercising, however, does not mean going at it hard until you are so stiff you can hardly move! He desires excellence and wisdom in all things – that also usually means moderation when we are growing, learning to enjoy the journey as much as the destination. Having gone through physical rehab more than once, I’ve learned that for me, walking is one of the best stamina builders. To start, walk as far as you are comfortably able – even if that is only half-way across the living room. Do this 3-6 times each week. The next week, go a bit further, a bit longer, and slowly your stamina will grow.
For strength, the best program I have ever found for me was PROper BOdy EXrcise – ProBodEx. I started with a couple Easy Warm-up exercises and added a few more each week until I could get through the entire set of easy exercises. It took me weeks, but what a difference! When I started my fingertips were nearly a foot from the floor. Now, I can touch not only my toes, but the floor, and hold that position! I know, that doesn’t sound like much, but it is huge! I’ll find the link and let you know. I hate exercise, but this one feels sooooo good, its like it is waking your body up, when you didn’t even know it was asleep! Easy and energizing! I miss it when I am traveling and unable to do it!
Praise Dancers: Brandon, Kadetra, Kiara of Imani Temple of Temecula Church of God in Christ
Choreography: Yada Praiz Community Dance Group. (Temecula, California)
Event: Point Loma Nazarene University’s V.I.P. (Voices in Praise) Gospel Concert
Duration : 0:5:55
Among these women that taught me so much about being quiet before Him, several found that a time away from the routine of their lives, or a break from the crisis, was critical in helping them refocus on the Eternal One. No, not a vacation to Vegas, but a time of near solitude, among a community of believers who knew the value of living quietly, of listening to Him.
If you are being led to a retreat from the battles of life that you might return to victorious living, or simply to a time of being alone with the Lover of your soul, you may find Bethlehem community a refreshing option:
“Hospitality is essential to the nature of Christian life… For those seeking a deeper connection with God,…. Our unprogrammed retreats provide time for contemplation and opening to a deeper awareness of God in our abundant natural surroundings.”
Click Here for more information about Retreats at Bethlehem.
