Don't Outlive Your Joy

Yesterday was an amazing and wonderful day! Our dear friend, Stacie, put on the Lord in baptism! Stacie has been an acquaintance of ours since we moved to Spearman and became Hospice volunteers. Just recently though, our relationship has grown. Stacie has been coming to worship and bringing her boys to Sunday school. Stacie and I have been visiting more and more and last Friday night, we went to a movie in Guymon together----kind of a "girls night out". Anyway, on the way home, we began talking about God and salvation. By the time I dropped Stacie off, we both knew her heart was being pricked and that she would be unable to sleep. (Of course, neither would I) We also spent a lot of time together on Saturday and by Sunday morning, we knew she was ready to commit the rest of her life to Christ! I wish y'all would have been there. I am sure you can recall similar scenes---the nervousness, the stepping down into the water, the trembling confession, the immersion and the glorious unrestrained look of joy and peace as the new person rises up from the water! The joy on the faces of the congregation gathered round to welcome this new sister into Christ, the tears, the smiles, the hugs and the love----I know you have all experienced this! Remember?
Friday night after I dropped Stacie at her house, I called Ned. I know my voice was trembling with excitement! I had forgotten the thrill of teaching someone the Gospel and seeing it make an immediate and powerful impact on their soul! He could hear it in my voice and when he came home on Saturday, he could see it in my face! We stayed awake for a long time talking about how wonderfully God's Word changes souls and lives of both the learner and the teacher. On Sunday morning, we both were practically giddy with expectation. Even today, I am thrilled as I see the joy and peace on the face of my friend and new sister.
And on Thursday, I got the pleasure of meeting my blogsister, Monica. It was so wonderful to sit over lunch and talk Bible with someone who obviously loves the Lord and is not afraid to share it. She encouraged and blessed me so much and I left Amarillo with much joy in my heart. God blessed me with both of these events in one week and I was almost overwhelmed with joy! (Had our internet service not been down, I would have emailed everyone of you to tell you about it) That joy was too much to keep to myself!!!!
I have been thinking a lot about joy!!!! If you have ever helped a lost soul find the Lord, you know what I am talking about----that excitement---the Lays potato chip phenomenon--you know ---one just isn't enough--you want more????? If you have ever been blessed to sit with a kindred soul and talk about the love you share for God, then you know what I mean!
I have experienced this same joy many times and yet I am ashamed to say that I get busy and forget. I forget the joy that comes with seeing the planted seeds begin to sprout and bloom and even reproduce. I forget the joy that comes with the assurance of eternal salvation! I forget the joy that comes with encouraging one another with the Word! Too many times I get so busy with life that I outlive my joy!
This should not be! I am a child of God, blood bought, loved, chosen and protected by Him. I should have a joy in my heart that cannot be quenched by worldly cares or squelched by the responsibilities of busyness! I am His!!! And He is mine!!!! And one day, I will live with Him forever and eternal joy will be mine!
So as I say my prayers for you, my friends, I pray that today and everyday, you will remember what you have to be joyful about. I pray that God will shower you will His blessings, cover you with His love and fill you with joy!

Peace
Neva
PS--Join me in praying for our new sister in Christ--welcome to the Kingdom, Stacie!

My BLOG has a birthday wish!

Today is this little blog's birthday. On October 16, 2006, "Dancing in the Light" was born. Now one year later, I am amazed at how my life has been blessed by all of the wonderful friends I have made through this blog. What a gift you all are to me! I have enjoyed your many comments and insights and I have grown because of you. My site meter says that many of you are visiting this place without leaving a response and that is okay. It also tells me that the visitors are using servers from all over the world. I am curious----So today, please just leave a comment telling me who you are and where you are visiting from.
It is my hope and prayer that your time at Dancing in the Light has blessed you as much as your presence has blessed me. Have a great day!

Peace
Neva

PS. Today is also our 10th anniversary so I am sure Mr. Neva would appreciate any and all expressions of sympathy and condolences! :)

Gone

I am gone to Nebraska until late Saturday night---I will miss y'all but will be back to blog away!

Have a great week and weekend.


Peace
Neva

Transition

Tran-si-tion
Function : noun
Etymology: Latin -transition from transire
Date: 1551

1a "to move from one state to another"


We are in transition from the state of Texas to the state of Nebraska :)
Details coming soon, prayers requested

Peace
Neva

How Cool Is This?

Something very cool happened to me last week and I just wanted to share it with my blogworld friends. My mother lives in Oregon so I don't get to see her as often as I would like. It has been almost two years since we have been together. A few weeks ago she called to tell me that she was taking a trip to Missouri with a friend and they were going to "swing by" and see me on the way. Y'all, Texas is not on the way from Oregon to Missouri. I love my mother and would have loved to see her, but I could not let her spend her entire trip driving, so I told her to look at her atlas and assured her that I would not be offended if she opted out of this twenty hour side trip. We were both sad but made plans to get together at Thanksgiving.
Last Tuesday, coming back from North Platte, we got stopped at Oakley Kansas. A truck was jackknifed on the overpass and kept traffic backed up for over two hours. To break up the monotony of the wait, I decided to use my cell phone and call my mom. She answered the phone with her usual, "hi honey" and I asked where she was---imagine my surprise when she said "Oakley Kansas"!!!!! They had decided they would return on I-70 rather than I-80 just to see new sights! So, we pulled off and spent a wonderful two hours together. How cool is that? God is good all of the time---and I must truly be His favorite child!!!!

Peace
Neva

What Mature Christians Know . . .

Have you ever met a mature Christian? Aren't they the ones who are a bit different, who every one goes to for godly advice, for comfort, for wisdom? They are invaluable to the Church, and their love for the Lord is very obvious. What makes them such people? What sets them apart? I believe mature Christians have matured in the faith because they have made the effort to do so. They realize that effort is not a one time event and have spent their lives growing up spiritually. And there are some things one learns as they grow in the Lord. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but I believe these are some things that mature Christians know:

1. Faithfulness has to do with more than just church attendance.
God expects His children to be faithful in all things, faithful to their spouses, faithful
with their affection, and faithful in their devotion to Him. We are to be faithful just
as He is faithful. Our faithfulness to Him manifests itself in various ways, I believe
attendance is but one way.

2. There is no substitution for mercy and grace.
We cannot claim to love one another and not be merciful and kind. We cannot expect
others to earn our benevolence any more than we are required to earn our salvation.

3. It is possible to disagree in a loving manner.
We will never agree 100% with anyone 100% of the time, however disagreements
should not be used as excuses to verbally harm our brothers and sisters. It hurts
the church and disappoints the Father.

4. Not everything is worth fighting over.
If Jesus would deem the issue not worth fighting over, then so should we. As we
grow and mature in the faith, we should become adept at putting our own opinions
aside and looking out for our brothers.

5. Self-sacrifice is necessary for spiritual growth.
One will never grow so long as they are "looking out for #1". Even when Jesus was
hungry and tired, He stopped to heal, feed and teach.

6. A healthy relationship with God requires consistent two-way communication.
We will never have the kind of relationship God desires when He does all the
talking (through His word) and we speak to Him only when we have a need,
and rarely, if ever, take the time to listen.

7. The things we have are not ours, they are not worth dying for, fighting about or lying to get.
All that we have is given to us. It is temporary and corruptible. There is not one
house, one car, one boat, one rifle, or one bank account that will go with us to
eternity. The time spent accumulating and maintaining these things could be
used in a much more productive and spiritual way.

8. Worship should be joyful.
My dad used to tell a story about a little boy who saw a couple of donkeys grazing in
a field, and noting their "sad" expressions, asked if they were Christians, too. How
sad it is that worship has become a time to simply fulfill duty, to be entertained,
or to socialize with our friends. Worship should be an expression of our hearts to God.

9. God blesses His people here on earth as well as eternally.
There are so many blessings that are unique to God's people. We have the Holy Spirit
to comfort, guide and lead us. We have the promise of answered prayers. We get to
be a part of a family--a family of priests and kings. And we have hope---

10. Death is not something to be feared, it is neither a tragic ending nor a fearsome event.
Death has no power over us. Defeated in the tomb, death is powerless. Death
is simply the stepping stone to life eternal with the Father, not dreaded but
anticipated and yes, even hoped for.

I truly believe that mature Christians think, speak and live differently. They do this because they have the wisdom that comes with growing up in the Lord. They know certain truths and they live their lives by these truths.
Can you think of some other things "mature Christians know"?

Peace
Neva