The auditionees are coming in this week!
I'm so excited!
As I've been thinking about them coming, I've also been reflecting on where I was last year at this time. God is incredibly faithful. I remember praying SO much about where God wanted me to be, and coming to a point of surrender where I was truly okay with whatever his will was. I learned so much about trusting the Lord. I spent hours praying and listening.....I grew so much through all that.
I can't help but think that many of these girls are going through the same thing right now. I'm so excited to have the opportunity to pray for them, and to talk with them. I want to share with them how AMAZING Jesus is. I want them to know about his love and faithfulness that do not fail. I want them to come to know him more through this audition, through this "waiting" period in their lives. It is such a huge decision to come to Ballet Magnificat.....or to decide to go anywhere for that matter. I'm excited for them, and for the journey that their starting out on. They're going to discover the Lord in a way that they have never known him before.
Aside from that, life here is going really well. I'm learning a lot this semester. It's not quite as rapid and life changing as last semester, it's more learning to live day by day as Jesus would.
Only 3 more weeks until spring break! I'm pretty excited!
-Julie
2/24/2008
2/21/2008
Christ for the Nations
I love music.
Just thought I'd say that....in case it wasn't obvious. One of the reasons I love to watch dance is that it LOOKS like music SOUNDS which I love.
Anyway, if you haven't ever heard them, you must listen to Christ for the Nations. They are incredible. Their music is worshipful and heartfelt. Now, I still like hymns the most, but really good contemporary christian worship songs are a close second. Not the goofy over played pop genre songs that you hear on the radio, but real, heartfelt worship music.
We're doing a new ballet! It's SO awesome. I really like it. The music is Jason Upton and Shane & Shane.....the title is "Rennah"......there's one part that I LOVE to dance. It's a song called "Breath of God" by Shane and Shane. Mmmmhmmmmm, I hope that one day I get to dance that one before the throne of Jesus.
Just thought I'd say that....in case it wasn't obvious. One of the reasons I love to watch dance is that it LOOKS like music SOUNDS which I love.
Anyway, if you haven't ever heard them, you must listen to Christ for the Nations. They are incredible. Their music is worshipful and heartfelt. Now, I still like hymns the most, but really good contemporary christian worship songs are a close second. Not the goofy over played pop genre songs that you hear on the radio, but real, heartfelt worship music.
We're doing a new ballet! It's SO awesome. I really like it. The music is Jason Upton and Shane & Shane.....the title is "Rennah"......there's one part that I LOVE to dance. It's a song called "Breath of God" by Shane and Shane. Mmmmhmmmmm, I hope that one day I get to dance that one before the throne of Jesus.
2/17/2008
Evaluations
Hey all!
Sorry....I haven't written in a while......it's been a little busy lately.
Jeremy was here this past weekend. It was SO great. We enjoyed hanging out and talking face to face. It was refreshing for both of us to have a break from our normal routine. The weather was BEAUTIFUL so we got to enjoy a lot of time outdoors (which is great since normally I only get to be outside when walking to and from my car.)
Well I got my schedule for March, and it looks like we have evaluations on March 6th!
For those of you that don't know, evaluations are kind of a big deal here at Ballet Magnificat. Once a year we meet with the leadership and they tell us what they think our strengths and weaknesses are in ballet, and in our character. The thought of that alone is a little scary, but that's not all. They also tell us whether we move up a level (there are two levels, Trainee 1 and Trainee 2....I'm in 1). The girls in Trainee 2 are eligible to get an apprenticeship with one of the companies (Alpha or Omega). The third option is, "we think God has something else for you"......and they ask you to leave the program.
Now, let me explain what I'm thinking. I really love it here. I love living here, I love my friends, I am growing so much in the Lord, and it is amazing. So, in light of that, I can see myself staying. However, I also would really like to go to school, and the longer I wait, the harder it's going to be to get back into it.
I've been praying about this for a while, and I'm still not ABSOLUTELY sure what God wants. I know that I want to do his will. I know that I want to follow him, and not try to make him follow me. We'll just have to wait and see what they say at evaluations....if I get "let go" I guess it'll make my decision easy!
I'd appreciate your prayers! I'm really curious to see what God has in store. The one thing I am convinced of is that whatever he has for me, it will be good.
Love,
Julie
Sorry....I haven't written in a while......it's been a little busy lately.
Jeremy was here this past weekend. It was SO great. We enjoyed hanging out and talking face to face. It was refreshing for both of us to have a break from our normal routine. The weather was BEAUTIFUL so we got to enjoy a lot of time outdoors (which is great since normally I only get to be outside when walking to and from my car.)
Well I got my schedule for March, and it looks like we have evaluations on March 6th!
For those of you that don't know, evaluations are kind of a big deal here at Ballet Magnificat. Once a year we meet with the leadership and they tell us what they think our strengths and weaknesses are in ballet, and in our character. The thought of that alone is a little scary, but that's not all. They also tell us whether we move up a level (there are two levels, Trainee 1 and Trainee 2....I'm in 1). The girls in Trainee 2 are eligible to get an apprenticeship with one of the companies (Alpha or Omega). The third option is, "we think God has something else for you"......and they ask you to leave the program.
Now, let me explain what I'm thinking. I really love it here. I love living here, I love my friends, I am growing so much in the Lord, and it is amazing. So, in light of that, I can see myself staying. However, I also would really like to go to school, and the longer I wait, the harder it's going to be to get back into it.
I've been praying about this for a while, and I'm still not ABSOLUTELY sure what God wants. I know that I want to do his will. I know that I want to follow him, and not try to make him follow me. We'll just have to wait and see what they say at evaluations....if I get "let go" I guess it'll make my decision easy!
I'd appreciate your prayers! I'm really curious to see what God has in store. The one thing I am convinced of is that whatever he has for me, it will be good.
Love,
Julie
2/10/2008
What is love?
Hey guys!
Sorry it's been a while.....I've been busy, but I'm happy to have some time to update you all on what's been going on.
Life here is going well. I'm enjoying Ballet Magnificat, I'm really enjoying all of my friends and work is well......work.
So guess what holiday is this week? Valentine's Day. Now, most (if not all) of you know that I don't think very highly of this "Hallmark holiday".....but it has made me think a lot over the past few days.
(This is a long one, but bear with me.....it'll all make sense in the end.)
What is love?? It can't be candy hearts, balloons and little cards with baby angels....
I know what love is NOT. Love is not lust. Love is not obsession with another person. Love is not a deception to get others to do what you want.
The first scripture that came to mind when I was thinking about all of this was first John 4:7-11&18: "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
and verse 18: "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."
Okay, so far we see that love comes from God. Not only that, but God IS love. His very nature is love. So when we love one another, that is an extension of the very nature of God! That is a HUGE responsibility. A far cry from what the world knows, isn't it? Love is the absence of fear. There is no fear in the love of God. Of course, the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.....but because of HIS great love for us, we have no fear of our sins being counted against us. We stand before the throne, covered in the grace and love of our Lord Jesus, and so we are able to speak to our Father, and have fellowship with him.
The next passage that came to mind was John 15:9-13:
"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."
This passage shows us a little more of what love is. Jesus tells us that love=obedience. That's not easy. He also says that love=sacrifice. Also VERY difficult. As I thought about that.....I got really excited. Do you see the other pictures of this kind of love that God has put into society?!?!?! Marriage....the wife is called to obey her husband out of respect....the husband is called to sacrifice his own life out of love (that's spelled out in Ephesians 5). The other picture that I see is in parenting (Mom, Dad, can I get an amen?). Children are called to obey their parents.....and the very act of having children calls parents to sacrifice their bodies, hearts, minds and resources to their child.
AND
This is the most exciting. Love=Calvary. When Jesus died on the cross he did it out of PERFECT love! He was in perfect OBEDIENCE to the father.....and perfect SACRIFICE to us. Isn't that amazing? Jesus knew exactly what he was talking about, and he walked that out so that we might have an example to follow.
At this point in my study, I was SO excited. Do you see how much our Lord loves us? Isn't that incredible? I could lose my whole world....all of you, Ballet Magnificat, my family, my dearest friends, my mind, my health, my finances.....and I would STILL have reason to rejoice in the great, surpassing love of JESUS!
Okay, so now that we know that. Let's look at some practical application. For this one, we need to go to one of my favorite passages in scripture. If you can live out this passage, you have the christian life figured out......of course, I don't think we'll ever reach that, but I have this one memorized and quote it often.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It ALWAYS protects, ALWAYS trusts, ALWAYS hopes, ALWAYS perseveres." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
That is incredible. The more I dig into this passage, the more amazed I am. This is the kind of person I want to be. One that loves deeply and completely with no thought of self, or selfish ambitions. One that loves without caring if that love is returned. One that because of his/her love for others is eager to think the best of everyone in every situation. One who does not bring up past sins against those around them. One who loves regardless of flaws and shortcomings in others. One whose love comes from God, and because of that, the love never runs dry, though circumstance and situations may not always seem bright.
This is completely opposite of what the world calls love. They think that love is measured by how much another person makes you happy.....or in romantic love, if they "complete" you. I've heard my friends talking like that and it makes me so upset. Love has NOTHING to do with that. That is why SO many marriages end in divorce...because people think that if their spouse isn't making them happy, then they should move on. Who made that up!?!?! That is NOT scriptural at all. The love that we have as believers should be COMPLETELY different from the world's. Remember the kids song we all used to sing? "They will know we are Christians by our love..."(John 13:35) We have to love one another in a way that is totally counter cultural, completely foolish in the world's eyes, and perfectly grounded in the Word of God.
So, in conclusion: Love is not about money, or beauty, or feelings, or personal gain. Love is a choice and an extension of grace that is given to us, shown to us and made complete by Jesus Christ.
If that's what true love is....if that's what we're celebrating on Thursday.....then maybe Valentine's Day isn't so bad after all.
-Julie
Sorry it's been a while.....I've been busy, but I'm happy to have some time to update you all on what's been going on.
Life here is going well. I'm enjoying Ballet Magnificat, I'm really enjoying all of my friends and work is well......work.
So guess what holiday is this week? Valentine's Day. Now, most (if not all) of you know that I don't think very highly of this "Hallmark holiday".....but it has made me think a lot over the past few days.
(This is a long one, but bear with me.....it'll all make sense in the end.)
What is love?? It can't be candy hearts, balloons and little cards with baby angels....
I know what love is NOT. Love is not lust. Love is not obsession with another person. Love is not a deception to get others to do what you want.
The first scripture that came to mind when I was thinking about all of this was first John 4:7-11&18: "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
and verse 18: "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."
Okay, so far we see that love comes from God. Not only that, but God IS love. His very nature is love. So when we love one another, that is an extension of the very nature of God! That is a HUGE responsibility. A far cry from what the world knows, isn't it? Love is the absence of fear. There is no fear in the love of God. Of course, the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.....but because of HIS great love for us, we have no fear of our sins being counted against us. We stand before the throne, covered in the grace and love of our Lord Jesus, and so we are able to speak to our Father, and have fellowship with him.
The next passage that came to mind was John 15:9-13:
"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."
This passage shows us a little more of what love is. Jesus tells us that love=obedience. That's not easy. He also says that love=sacrifice. Also VERY difficult. As I thought about that.....I got really excited. Do you see the other pictures of this kind of love that God has put into society?!?!?! Marriage....the wife is called to obey her husband out of respect....the husband is called to sacrifice his own life out of love (that's spelled out in Ephesians 5). The other picture that I see is in parenting (Mom, Dad, can I get an amen?). Children are called to obey their parents.....and the very act of having children calls parents to sacrifice their bodies, hearts, minds and resources to their child.
AND
This is the most exciting. Love=Calvary. When Jesus died on the cross he did it out of PERFECT love! He was in perfect OBEDIENCE to the father.....and perfect SACRIFICE to us. Isn't that amazing? Jesus knew exactly what he was talking about, and he walked that out so that we might have an example to follow.
At this point in my study, I was SO excited. Do you see how much our Lord loves us? Isn't that incredible? I could lose my whole world....all of you, Ballet Magnificat, my family, my dearest friends, my mind, my health, my finances.....and I would STILL have reason to rejoice in the great, surpassing love of JESUS!
Okay, so now that we know that. Let's look at some practical application. For this one, we need to go to one of my favorite passages in scripture. If you can live out this passage, you have the christian life figured out......of course, I don't think we'll ever reach that, but I have this one memorized and quote it often.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It ALWAYS protects, ALWAYS trusts, ALWAYS hopes, ALWAYS perseveres." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
That is incredible. The more I dig into this passage, the more amazed I am. This is the kind of person I want to be. One that loves deeply and completely with no thought of self, or selfish ambitions. One that loves without caring if that love is returned. One that because of his/her love for others is eager to think the best of everyone in every situation. One who does not bring up past sins against those around them. One who loves regardless of flaws and shortcomings in others. One whose love comes from God, and because of that, the love never runs dry, though circumstance and situations may not always seem bright.
This is completely opposite of what the world calls love. They think that love is measured by how much another person makes you happy.....or in romantic love, if they "complete" you. I've heard my friends talking like that and it makes me so upset. Love has NOTHING to do with that. That is why SO many marriages end in divorce...because people think that if their spouse isn't making them happy, then they should move on. Who made that up!?!?! That is NOT scriptural at all. The love that we have as believers should be COMPLETELY different from the world's. Remember the kids song we all used to sing? "They will know we are Christians by our love..."(John 13:35) We have to love one another in a way that is totally counter cultural, completely foolish in the world's eyes, and perfectly grounded in the Word of God.
So, in conclusion: Love is not about money, or beauty, or feelings, or personal gain. Love is a choice and an extension of grace that is given to us, shown to us and made complete by Jesus Christ.
If that's what true love is....if that's what we're celebrating on Thursday.....then maybe Valentine's Day isn't so bad after all.
-Julie
2/04/2008
Pictures!
I thought you might like to see some pictures....
Amy, me and Rachel....I love these girls!
The hair...you can kind of see it....what are the chances that it would turn out just the way I wanted it??
Too many choices!
My sweet Abby Lou!!
So this is 18....
The flowers are beautiful aren't they?
Amy, me and Rachel....I love these girls!
The hair...you can kind of see it....what are the chances that it would turn out just the way I wanted it??
Too many choices!
My sweet Abby Lou!!
So this is 18....
The flowers are beautiful aren't they?
2/03/2008
18th Birthday
Yesterday was my 18th birthday. It was amazing! Now I did missed my family and friends back home, but I think this was my favorite birthday so far. I had SO much fun! I worked for the first half of the day, and then spent a leisurely afternoon getting dressed up, and then went out with my amazing friends to a beautiful Italian restaurant in Madison. It was just one of those evenings that's almost too good to be true. The whole day really.......I was swarmed with cards and packages and phone calls from all of the people back home......I don't know if I've ever felt so loved! At the end of the day, when I was getting into bed, I just sat and thought about all the people the Lord has blessed me with. I have so many wonderful friends here, and many others at home, and all of them have played very special roles in my life. I am so humbled by all of you, thank you for making the day SO wonderful.
Everyone always asks you if you "feel any different" on your birthday.....and I usually say no, but I kind of did this time. I feel grown up. It didn't happen over night, it's been a process over the last six months (I've lived in MS for 6 months.....wow.) It's not something that I can tell is happening, but when I look back to where I was in August, and see where I am now, I see a huge difference. Sure I was paying bills and working and dancing and running my own life a few days ago, but turning 18 signifies a change in my own perception of life. I feel like when I came here I was a scared, confused, little girl......but through the last few months, I've seen myself transition into a confident, calm young adult. Most of you may not see that (Mom and Dad maybe).....but I sure do. It's amazing to me to see how little I knew about life when I got here, and how much I've learned. The Lord has taught me so much about trust, hope, patience, humility, compassion, understanding, truth, generosity, hospitality, servitude.....the list goes on and on. God is SO good to me. I am in awe of how he has blessed me.
Everyone always asks you if you "feel any different" on your birthday.....and I usually say no, but I kind of did this time. I feel grown up. It didn't happen over night, it's been a process over the last six months (I've lived in MS for 6 months.....wow.) It's not something that I can tell is happening, but when I look back to where I was in August, and see where I am now, I see a huge difference. Sure I was paying bills and working and dancing and running my own life a few days ago, but turning 18 signifies a change in my own perception of life. I feel like when I came here I was a scared, confused, little girl......but through the last few months, I've seen myself transition into a confident, calm young adult. Most of you may not see that (Mom and Dad maybe).....but I sure do. It's amazing to me to see how little I knew about life when I got here, and how much I've learned. The Lord has taught me so much about trust, hope, patience, humility, compassion, understanding, truth, generosity, hospitality, servitude.....the list goes on and on. God is SO good to me. I am in awe of how he has blessed me.
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