abunDANCE STEPS!

Lively steps........are they needed to dance?

Are lively steps possible if an aging one falters at every positional change?

abunDANCE steps are enjoyed moment by moment, bit by bit, even as one watches the joy in another's face! The face of one who is actually physically moving to the music of life, the Lord has given them.

Maybe it's time to clean the "dance shoes" out of the closet and give to someone who still has the "Tap" moves. 

Learn to "go forth in the dance of the merrymakers," metaphorically and physically.....even from a sitting position as you celebrate their joy.

"Tap your toes" in delight for them. May that please the Lord.

D.A.N.C.E.

D.A.N.C.E.

Having a struggle....choose to "D.A.N.C.E.

• D iscover what God's word says about your situation
• A ccept the circumstances as for your good
• N otice God's hand in the midst
• C elebrate your moments
• E xtend lessons learned to others to encourage them

THX Doris for sharing this reminder to dance----It is a choice!

HAPPY DANCE DAY!

Today is Happy Dance Day! Who knew?! K-LOVE!

What a blessing to hear others share of God's goodness in their lives.

They know how to "happy dance" with gratitude from their hearts without even moving their feet.

But.....for me I can at least tap my toes knowing the One who has "turned my mourning into dancing, girded me with joy" and gladness and sees my dancing as worshipful gratitude.

MercyMe has a "Happy Dance" praise song! My "Happy Dance" contemporary worship praise song is Sydney Carter's "Lord of the Dance" with the melody of Simple Gifts.

A Happy Dance as K-Love dubs it!

DANCE! DANCE AGAIN!! KEEP ON DANCING!!!

There's a background for this but until I clear the tears from my eyes see what these pics say to you. Having heard from an eulogy of a larger than life type person---full of grace, always ministering to others who had struggled at different times in life but God in his love and mercy had used those stumbles and struggles to comfort others. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) That was worth the pain. Hard times, medical scares, painful times, times of loss are always worth it when one can lead others to Jesus!

I have so stumbled in my own life!

But God has not given up on me. 

Perhaps, I don't need to give up on myself.....with His help!

Maybe that's just enough said.

DANCE! DANCE!! DANCE!!!

Sometimes you just gotta dance!

Even if you're packing 100,000 food parcels? Yep!

Even if you're inside a church gym? Yep.

Is dance ever used in Scripture? Yep!

The young women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. 

I will turn their mourning into gladness; 

I will give them comfort and joy instead of gladness. (Jeremiah 31:13)

Get moving. Gird yourself with gladness and DANCE! (Psalm 30:11) *

*This morning I heard Friday is "Happy Dance Day" on K-Love! Believers share God's goodness in their lives.  I say "FRI-YAY" to that.

HA!.....ha....haaah

Hope you are able to make a "right' turn onto this road until I return from Mississippi to finish writing this entry. I know.....it's so me! I keep forgetting to make the "right" turn myself!

For dear friends, Aubrey and Gayle, its' just a right turn and a left turn to the right turn onto Laughter! (Though in MS the word rhymes with slaughter---but not for me!) 

Laughter is contagious. Unlike many COVID19 strains and Omicron BA.5 variants and subvariants that are floating around these days, laughter is worth "catching."

I wish joy and laughter were as easy as a drive down a road. Folks dealing with chronic pain would have this address in their GPS. More often than not....they wear "guilt" over their inability to choose joy as they live with said pain, day in and day out. Pain is no laughing matter!

Old wives tales say it takes more muscles (53) to frown than to smile (12) David H. Song, Chicago plastic surgeon, gives the numbers smile (12)  frown (11). Regardless of the core numbers it takes more effort to frown.

Most folks in ongoing physical pain are not worried about numbers of wrinkles at this chronic stage. Sufferers are grateful for every laugh line that appears!

Relief is at the top of the list. Plus, for Christians, acceptance is key.

Choose joy. We're trying.

Learn life lessons. Okay will try today & ask my prayer warriors to pray. (Psalm 30:2)

Trust God. We're still trusting. (Psalm 62:8)

Share what you are learning as a way to encourage others. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

Today for my suffering friends I prayed that "joy came with your morning"....despite the pain. (Psalm 30:5) and your "mourning was turned to dancing as our Lord clothed you with gladness for your day." (Psalm 30:

FAREWELL TO A FRIEND.....

Farewell.....for now. Too many tears to type at the moment....but I will return when I can fully honor her!! 

I feel as If I have lost a part of myself. 

Tuesday Truths. 24 hours since I heard the news. A roller coaster of emotions. A "walking in fog" of sorts. "Sadness and joy all mixed together" as one of her sons recounted. 

May I not forget truth and become overwhelmed by my sorrow. Sorrow is not the only reality there is. 

God's word in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 reminds us that there is a time and a season for everything. Grief is one of those seasons. This time yesterday I began such a season when I learned of Ann's passing.

"A time to keep silent." (Ecclesiastes 3:7) I knew my inner spring would come from solitude. Time with the Lord and in His word. Time to drink it in. 

Joy is hidden in sorrow. (Henri Nouwen, my Bible marginalia) I need to remember truth and not be overwhelmed by my own sorrow. May my sadness be fertile ground for truth of God's ever presence. His strength. His consolation. 

May I not lose sight of the joy of the Lord because I have lost her. God Himself used Ann so many times in my own life to see His goodness. (Psalm 27:13) Today may the LORD loose my sackcloth and clothe me with gladness. Turn my mourning into dancing once again. (Psalm 30:11, paraphrased) 

There is a time to dance. (Ecclesiastes 3:4) This is such a time. 

Lord, I ask You to be my choreographer once again as this unique dance of loss has me stumbling. (Psalm 37:24) I know you hold me because you now hold Ann. She has been a friend who has loved me well at all times. So....I must sing your praise (even if off key) and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever (Psalm 30:12).........for my deep and abiding friendship with Ann.

Annabelle, Mamaw, Mommabelle, Mrs. Martin. 

Ann----my mentor, my Proffitt's shopping guide for funeral attire, my grandson's school supporter, my water aerobics pal, my scrabble hero, my New Year's Eve game winner, my favorite cook, my tea brewer, my sidekick, my travel chum and my dear, dear dog-loving friend for 20+ years!

Thx Ethel, an angel of a caregiver, for this pic!

Oct. 2,  I was with Ann as she had her lunch. (It would be the last "real" conversation I had with her as COVID complications sent her to the hospital in the wee hours the next morning.) 

As she ate her dessert, her fave part of any meal, I told her it was "her" Dotsy behind the mask and when I pulled it back for her peek, she said, "No it's not! It's an angel." I'll take that. 

We all need to be angels for each other. She certainly has been there for me.

A fond farewell to Ann today. Farewell filled with sweet memories knowing she is with the LORD!

Dancing DANCING AGAIN

To all my prayer warriors & encouragers, I want you to know that I appreciate your prayers, love, wit, puns, Encouragement and concern! I am dancing again but this time it is at Baptist East Hospital ICU room 215! Once again the Lord has turned my mourning into dancing! I am just doing it while I am all wired up—figuratively & literally.

Next test will be at 4:30 PM central standard time.

🥰 & hugs to all! I hope you dance! It’s the life of abunDANCE. I know that for sure!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways  acknowledge Him and He will direct your path. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

   And......if your name is Dotsy, you can dance all seasons of the year!

INTERNATIONAL DANCE DAY.

INTERNATIONAL DANCE DAY! Who knew???? I did, Of course.

 My all-time favorite dance partner was Daddy. From following him while standing on the tops of his shoes to dancing at my 45th class reunion between my cancer surgeries, Daddy led me as only he could.

How I miss those times! How I miss him.

CHOOSE: HAPPY

This sign is a BIG reminder of the "choice!" Thanks to Nancy E. for sending it to me from somewhere in Nashville.

Sometimes "happy" is a choice but receiving this encouraging picture let's me know someone out there is reading my blog. Intuit way, "happy" found me.

Just after typing this I headed upstairs to put away linens and "happy" found me once more---in the form of encouragement.

My T-Cup travelin' buddies gave me this "happy" bear as I was preparing to leave for Texas (2009) for an unknown # of of cancer surgeries. It even had "my cancer" verse, Psalm 30:11,  embroidered on it. 

To this day overtime I squeeze his little foot and he sings, "Come on Get Happy,"  I smile---and puddle at the same time, as I recall their send-off filled with love, prayers, encouragement and hope!!! God so answered prayers of healing and blessing during that season of suffering. During my surgeries, they took turns coming to Texas to be my "came-giver/nurses! 
Click here to hear the tune---"Come on Get Happy"

Hello world here's a song that we're singing Come on get happy. A whole lotta lovin' is what we'll be bringing We'll make you happy. 

Travelin' along there's a song that we're singin' Come on get happy. A whole lotta lovin' is what we'll be bringin' We'll make you happy We'll make you happy .

We had a dream we'd go travelin' together And spread a little lovin', then we keep moving on Something always happens whenever we're together We get a happy feeling when we're singing a song. 

Maybe I should choose to encourage others so that "happy" can find them.

Dance Step "E"

Book: When Wallflowers Dance: Becoming a Woman of Righteous Confidence

Author: Angela Thomas  A Springboard for "Dancing with the Lord" 

There is….a time to dance….Ecclesiastes 3:1,4 (NKJV)

The Message version of the concluding verse says it well---

You did it: you changed wild lament into whirling dance;

You ripped off my black mourning band and decked me with wildflowers.

I’m about to burst with song; I can’t keep quiet about you.

God, my God, I can’t thank you enough. (Psalm 30:11)

A KJV version whether "written on the tablet of one's heart" (Proverbs 3:3) or hanging at her backdoor, emphasizes "mourning turned into dancing" by Him.

Dance step “E” Extending & Encouraging

D eciding, Delving, Discovering  (Psalm 119: 139 & 160)

A ccepting & Attending (1 Thess. 2:13)

N oticing God’s Hand in ALL Circumstances (Genesis 50:20 & Romans 8:28)

C elebrating God’s goodness and being thankful (1 Thess. 5:18)

E xtending lessons learned during one’s own struggle as a way of Encouraging others. (Psalm 89:1)

Last week's Dance Step "C" dealt with celebrating God’s gooness in all aspects of life and giving thanks in all the "little" things. Big blessings tend to result as folks fill their heats with gratitude, which results in even more celebrating. 

Wrapping up the D.A.N.C.E. aspects of "Dancing with the Lord" included 2 movements for "E"----extending and encouraging. 

Extending = sharing one's story/journey/struggle with others. 

“I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness, to all generations” (Psalm 89:1)

Encouraging =  (even above my fireplace)

An 10/8/09 letter from MAC survivor, Michèle  encouraged me to share my story with others---to extend the blessings I discovered in the middle of a cancer journey as a way to encourage others in the midst of their struggles. 

Teaching “dance lessons” this summer and celebrating Michèle's upcoming July 4th seven years of survival, I was reminded of the responsibility I had learned from her....(WORTH THE READ)

.....we all  have, as “household of faith” survivors of what ever tough place of hurt or painful struggle we have encountered, to stand at the top and call down to those still struggling to the summit.  Whether they’re emotional, physical, or spiritual, the mountains we’ve conquered are not ours to own, but ours to share.  

We might not always want to revisit the pain we’ve suffered or the crippling we’ve endured, but if we don’t offer them to others as a testimony of God’s sustenance and love, our fellow travelers may not have to courage to find their way to the top. 

My encouragement to you, Dotsy?  

Speak of the treacherous paths and looming precipices you’ve known, tell the story of your climb, the tale of your survival.  And when you’ve reached a place that is beautiful and stable and “breathable,” call down to those who follow and tell them of the strength that comes from surrendered weakness, of the peace that comes from vulnerable faith.  Tell them that you stumbled.  Tell them that you wanted to give up.  Tell them that you were bruised by doubt and battered by despair…but that you made it.  You.  Made.  It.  And the view from the summit of survival?  It’s priceless.

So......from my heart and above my fireplace, "I hope you dance" and tell others (extend to them) how the Lord orchestrated your dance that your words might to encourage them. ( TX Doris for the pic)

Dance Step "D"

Book: When Wallflowers Dance: Becoming a Woman of Righteous Confidence

Author: Angela Thomas

A springboard for "Dancing with the Lord" discussions. 

There is….a time to dance….Ecclesiastes 3:1,4 (NKJV)
When the stresses of life have you not knowing which way to turn....turn to the Lord and ask Him to lead you through this "new to you" life dance.

Lesson #1 w/ insights from the foreword and the afterword

Dance Lesson --D

D ecide (Joshua 24:14) Delve (Psalm 119:169) & Discover  (Psalm 119:130) 

A .....

N ....

C ....

E ....

• Step #1---Decide you want a life of abunDANCE. Turn to the Lord as your dance partner.
• Step #2---Delve---dig to discover the truth that is available about your struggle or hard place. Determine that the Lord has you there for a reason or season, as Robert Morgan teaches in his diminutive book, Red Sea Rules. Rule #2 states, " Be more concerned for God's glory than for your relief."
• Step #3---Discover what God' Word says about your hard place----fear, (Isaiah 41:13) disease/poor health, (Psalm 73:26) disappointment, hurts, or rejection (Psalm 55:12-13) Consider word searching for abide, trust, sustain, belief, hope, refuge, protection, salvation, .

Remember godly living, aka "life of abundDANCE,"  is possible even during_________________(fill in your own difficult time or struggle) as your "dance" will be unique.

Allow the Lord to turn your mourning into gladness in the midst of your struggle----that you might "dance" with HIm. (Psalm 30:11)

"Dancing thru the puddles from recent storms"

1/29/13 Hearing these lyrics recently.....

If I had no voice, If I had no tongue, I would dance for you like the rising sun. And when that day comes and I see your face. I will shout your endless glorious praise.

I searched out the entire song, "You Are". (And downloaded it from iTunes)The words seemed to speak to my heart as I continue to "work" through some "storms" right now! Let me rephrase that---as I try to dance through these storms----just trying to praise God as I dance in the residual rain and puddles of several recent storms. Once again the Lord will turn my mourning (& fear) into dancing & clothe me with gladness----I know He will. (Psalm 30:11) Click the screen and enjoy----and even dance around if you choose!

When I can’t find the words to say how much it hurts You are the healing in my heart When all that I can see are broken memories You are the light that’s in the dark Chorus: You are the song, You are the song I’m singing. You are the air, You are the air I’m breathing You are the hope, You are the hope I needed. You are And when my circumstance leaves me with empty hands. You are the provider of my needs. When all my dirtiness has left me helpless. You are the rain that washes me.

SABBATH SNAPSHOTS: UKRAINE BEAUTY

7/8/12  Scripture prayer was the focus of my time in Ukraine. It was my “prep” for the Lord’s work. Praying John 10:10 for my devotional times for the leadership, that the ladies could know the fullness of Christ in their lives so that a life of abundance would be theirs. Also, I prayed “my dance” verse for them, that all their hard places/struggles could be seen as blessing as they saw the Lord’s strength and sufficiency. (Psalm 30:11)

My “babies” team and my small group of Ukrainian women especially touched my heart during my week with them at Kompas Park. Several of them had shared their stories with me and I was drawn to pray for them. As with so many women, approval from others keeps us prisoners to what others think so I prayed for all of us to seek only God’s approval. But, I truly wanted the Lord’s words from scripture to become my prayers. I would encourage this method of prayer as one prays for others----whether for a day, a season or a lifetime, as God leads. It’s praying His words---His word according to Isaiah 55:11, that produces “fruit”.

so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Katya (l) and hubby, David, that their Kreativity ministry would continue to be a joint effort and bring glory to the Lord. “Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!” (Psalms 34:3)

Luba (R) Praising the Lord for her “joyfully expectant” news and that she would see children as a blessing from the Lord. “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward.” (Psalm 127: 3)

Tanya---As we share a similar struggle, & I know the value of Christian friends who listen and pray, I pray for such a friend for her……”but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24)

Masha (l) my traveling buddy, who gave of herself continuously for to those involved in ministry, especially to the Bute children---freeing Katya and David for the Lord’s work. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” (Gal. 6: 9-10)

Ira (R) A beautiful wife and mother who gave unselfishly of her time to tend the babies of all the moms at the camp A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. (Proverbs 33:10-11)

Diana---That she will not only continue to sing God’s word (Psalm 119:72) but that she will see her true self as one beloved by Him and be all that He created her to be. “I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. “(Psalm 139: 14)

Valya---Strength in ministry for this beautiful one who always had time and energy for kids---even those who cried “Mama” at first. “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (I Corinthians 15:58)

Liza Col. 3:12-15---especially v. 12, that she would continue to daily clothe herself with the godly attributes which were so evident to me. “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;”

Oksana(L)---my translator, who also serves as a pastor’s wife, I Timothy 1:12 “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service,”

Alena(R)---God’s direction for her, who with her husband is seeking the Lord’s will about a mission assignment in Germany, “We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.” (Psalm 33:20)

Inna---Praying God’s best as she raises her son and seeks God’s peace “You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.” (Psalm 119:114) May she filter all knowledge thru His Word.

Nastya---Praising the Lord that she seeks God’s priorities for her life, I pray that seeking Him first will give her needed direction. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33)

Grateful Heart

11/12/11 Grateful heart. My daddy had one. For as long as Daddy could make coherent speech, he would say, "I'm thank the good Lord for each day He gives me." He saw His days as a gift-- proof of all that the Lord had done for him, just by giving him breath for one more day. What a model for me!

"Gratitude. . .that heart-attitude that turned my "mourning into dancing" when I received the "C" diagnosis. The attitude of gratitude that I need more of in my life, now that I'm on the other side of that suffering. "A grateful person is God-centered and others-conscious." (Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Revive your Heart conference notes) A realization that God is at the heart of every aspect of my life will realign me with Him. God-centered = more gratitude. More gratitude = God-centered.

It's seeing more of God's hand of goodness in my life----eyes to see last night's full and glorious moon, the brisk temps that allowed me to wear my old comfy warm-up and the sound of Daddy's voice on a CD.

It's that praise tune that is whirring in my head. "Give thanks with a grateful heart. Give thanks to the Holy One. Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son."

If that were all He had done, that would be enough!