CHOOSE: TO DANCE ONCE MORE

Many times, especially those of hardship, loss or health struggles, one wants to choose anything but dancing.
Choosing to dance is a metaphor for choosing to live life to the fullest in spite of the "falls" on life's dance floor .
For Christians it requires the right dance partner. Jesus Christ.

When we stumble our Partner is there to catch us. (His hand hold keeps us from going headlong)

When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand. (Psalm 37:24)

Trust ensues and grows with every recovered struggle/slip.

Step adjustments are made and once again we can see what seemed like utter trial/pain, or devastation---take your pick) God can use for good.

Thanks be...."to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand in the glory, blameless with great joy." (Jude 1:24)

Choose to dance looking up into the face of the Ultimate Dance Partner who leads you in His chosen dance of love for you.

CHOOSE DANCING

Choosing dancing can be an easy choice when life is going well. 

It can also be an easy choice when one is at the Apple store getting help on a disabled computer while using their wifi. Apple Store wifi dances and does not drop----hooray for "dancing" wifi!"

But....do we sometimes get complacent and forget to choose dancing. Forget to celebrate. Forget to be thankful.

Dancing can be an expression of gratitude.

Gift from Ashley Bryan---Used with the Artist's Permission

A video with "my" Ukraine ladies dancing with the Lord along with their ladies from India warmed my heart. They chose to take my D.A.N.C.E. teaching to India. We often think we, the United States, are the only ones who send missionaries. At the missions conference this week the number of missionaries going out from South Korea was unbelievable.
Some are sent to the US. Just last year, I met, in Turkey, a lady from South Korea who, with her husband, had been a missionary in New York City.
Such news pleased me as NY is home to three of my most precious loved ones.

That kind of news makes it easy to "choose dancing" knowing it can be a way of praising God in worship! Toe Tapping WORSHIP from the heart! 

CHOOSE: UNITY

"What a fellowship, what a joy divine." (Leaning on the Everlasting Arms) Hebrew

English

The language doesn't matter----the truth is the same.

And all God's people said, A-MEN!!!

CHOOSE: EXTRAORDINARY

Chocolate is probably not the ordinary breakfast food chosen by the average person.

But.....somedays need a little boost and dark chocolate is healthy. 

Plus, today's morsel had one of those "just for fun" messages. 

Treat Tuesday like Friday. The fine print adds.....choose less ordinary.

What does that mean exactly? Are Tuesdays considered ordinary days? I've pondered this throughout the day. So I decided to choose extraordinary (corrected by me) and when autocorrect separated the one word to two, (extra ordinary,) the meaning was totally lost. I didn't want more of the ordinary! No extra same-o, same-o!

I wanted the compound word, extraordinary (But.....with auto correct, I had to make that happen myself! Think retyping more than once. 

Extraordinary---remarkable, amazing, incredible, exceptional. 

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord jesus, giving thanks to the Father through Him. (Colossians 3:17)

Why can't a Tuesday, as well as a Friday, be that kind of day? A special day unto the Lord? (Romans 14:6)

Partake each day with thankfulness...(1 Corinthians 10:31) and then await, with expectation, all the extraordinary things the Lord will do.

CHOOSE: TO SMILE

Proverbs 15:13 is all about smiles. 

A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance....(KJV)

Smiling Siblings from Hungary

A glad heart makes a cheerful face...(NASB)

A happy heart makes the face cheerful...(NIV)

Smiling Siblings from Ukraine

A glad heart makes a happy heart...(NLT)

No matter how you say it---one's facial expressions speak volumes about one's  heart condition.

Smiles are the international language. Children from any country make most folks smile!

These international beauties made my heart smile---what an easy choice!

CHOOSE: RELATIONSHIP

It might be February but I'm still mulling truths from Tim Keller's Hidden Christmas---in particular the name Immanuel. Immanuel is the person of the incarnation.

He is God. He is human. He is with us. He is God with us! (p.53)

Christ chose twelve that they might be "with Him." (Mark 3:14)

What does "with Him" mean contextually as Matthew and the other gospels describe this relationship as well? Being in their Rabbi's presence. Sitting at His feet. Close enough to Him to be "sitting in His dust." (John Ortberg)

Being with Him is all about relationship. 

Being in Jesus' presence, for us, is also about that intimate relationship with Him---conversing with Him, (prayerful conversation is two-way and involves both listening and speaking) learning from Him and having His comfort moment by moment.

The purpose of the Incarnation was to have that relationsship with Him.

To be able to choose relationship, one must know a relational God and desire to be with Him!

CHOOSE: PRAYER

Prayer is always a perfect choice! Even when we feel as if we can't pray---"We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans." (Romans 8:26)

Anytime Prayers. (Psalm 55:17)
Arrow Prayers. Those quick ones shot straight to the Lord. (Psalm 4:1, HELP!)

Breath prayers. (Exhale....Jesus)
Evening prayers. ( of confession, Ezra 9:5)
Familiar prayers. (Matthew 6:9-13, Lord's Prayer)

Singing prayers. (Many Psalms are songs.)

Intercessory prayer. (Isaiah 62: 6-7, my Saturday prayer since 11/1995). 

Long prayers. Short Prayers.

Mindful prayers. (1 Corinthians 14:15)
Morning prayers. (Psalm 5:3)

Prayer from Psalms (Psalm 17, a prayer of David)

Prayers from Scripture. (Ephesians 1:15-17 & Colossians 1:9-14)

Prayers of Petition. (James 1:5)

1 Thessalonians 5:17

Choosing to "pray from the heart" is always a good idea. Writing down those prayers isn't a bad idea either.

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.(1 Timothy 2:1-2)

Choose prayer with me or for me----I would certainly appreciate them.

CHOOSE: PITHY

Tweets are pithy. 'Cept I don't tweet. 
I get all atwitter just thinking about it. 
Blogging can be pithy, tho often mine are not----at least I can "choose pithy" as I blog today.

Pithy is often so much harder than wordiness! All wordsmith's recognize that writing hazard. Saying the most with the fewest words is more appropriate for today's hurried lifestyles.

Scripture itself supports the use of fewer, yet meaningful, words. In Job 16:3, the question is asked, "Is there no limit to windy words?" 
That's what superfluous words are like---hot air. 

More words can lead to confusion. Ecclesiastics 6:11 states, "For there are many words which increase futility."

Possibly if I choose to blog pithy entires, blog readers will be joyful!

"The teakettle is "tweeting you." (Family Circus,)

Was this one pithy enough? It took me about as long to type this as it did for my cuppa to steep.

CHOOSE: SEEING

This entry could have easily have been entitled, Choosing Joy Again!

Interestingly enough, finding joy was Jesus Always entry for 2/17----the day I began choosing "my one word." No wonder my first thought was that "joy" would be my word. Sarah Young's latest devotional book, Jesus Always is all about embracing joy!

Young reminds readers that "joy can be found in the most unexpected places." 

One just needs to search for the "good" in life---to "see" joy. As she puts it, "Living joyously is a choice...and gladness must be chosen many times daily." (2/17)

Choose is my word because I want to keep on choosing "right living" as Proverbs shows.

Choosing is about seeing God's hand in our lives and trusting the outcome regardless of our trials and most difficult times.

Seeing His goodness requires focus. Focus requires "fixing one's eyes on Jesus." (Hebrews 12:2) Seeing Him. Regardless.

It's a choice!

CHOOSE: MY ONE WORD

"CHOOSE: MY ONE WORD." This entry title says it all for me. Literally.

My One Word, as Franklin Graham calls it, "is a refreshing approach to NewYear's Resolutions..."
Kyle Idleman calls it, a lens that can change every area of your life....more than a to-do list....more than a New Year's resolution.

It was a book that I had never even heard of until last Friday---a gift from visiting friend, Angie.
A book I have since devoured although the recommended approach is a slow one.
The premise is choosing one-word for your year's focus. Just one. The choosing occurs after prayerful consideration over a period of time. Friend and blog reader, Margie H, leaned over and said, "I bet your word is going to be joy." Actually that came to my mind as well.
After all, I blogged on January 1, "In 2017 may I choose joy!"

But God....obviously had a different word in  mind. It all started as I looked back at that very first entry. The fact that I even had continued blogging in 2017, is still somewhat of a mystery to me.
Being as OCD as I am, I began reading in order all the titles of "dotsydetails" entries since January 1. There was one word consistent in all 37 entries and it wasn't joy. The word was choose.
So many of my responses in life, even in my thought life, are of my own choosing. Though I'm not sure where all this word choice will take me as I begin to focus but the Lord has already provided a good foundation. Two verses will begin my "choose" project. The first is from Joshua 24:15, "Choose this day whom you will serve...."
The second verse is "Seek ye first the kingdom of God...."(Matthew 6:33) Though "choose" is not stated in the verse, to me, it is "understood." One must choose to seek. Seeking Him is a choice. God showed me that choosing to seek is a volitional concept of an intended action. In other words, by an act of my will, I make daily choices----whether of not I choose to seek Him first or to serve Him, the choice is always up to me. The ball of "choice" is in my court! I hope to share throughout the year what God teaches me as I focus on my single word choice!

Choose is "my one word." That word says it all for me for 2017.