I don't enjoy dancing....if I'm the one flitting about.  And while I'm Baptist, that's really not the reason I'm no dancer.  I'm a passionate person, but the only place I ever move and shake is on the inside.  I love music.  And I love watching some kinds of dancing.  One of the most exhilarating experiences of my life was seeing Lord of the Dance being performed.

 

Equally captivating are the times I have watched my children dance. The Sunday Jason was voted in as pastor here at Nederland FBC, Rylie danced a John Travolta signature disco move to one of the choir specials.  If I can be so bold to say, it seemed worshipful. 

My children haven't spectacular rhythm or a snappy beat, but they're soul-filled.  They get their passion from their mama. -Maybe a little from their father too. Hayden in his heart overflowing has asked me to dance at several weddings though neither of us know how.  And even Hallie, our serious one, has been caught catching a beat on a few occasions.

Rylie in particular expresses herself through dance.  She has moves that have yet to be invented.  And there's one place where she is always struck by the notion to dance; at the movies.

It makes sense.    You've watched an inspiring plot unfold on the big screen.  And then comes the music.... It's loud and beautiful. They save the best song for last.  That song that plays during the credits.... is an invitation to take up where the movie leaves off.  I believe the "credit song" is a time for response.

For Rylie that response is always to dance.  With reckless abandon.  In the front of the theater.

I had no intention of letting her do that.  She can dance on the inside, like I do.  But Jason is much better about not worrying about appearances. During the credits of a movie, one time, he let her go down to the front of the theater after the crowd had dissipated. Really, her dancing and flailing about in the narrow aisle was actually quite dangerous. So she danced beneath the rolling credits.

She has danced like this in response to every movie since then. 

 I've had to get over my fear of what the lingering audience is thinking.

She dances like nobody's watching.  Are there spectators who think she dances offbeat; that she's a show off?  Quite possibly.

I remember vaguely getting  Wonder Woman underoos (anybody remember those pajamas?) when I was about five.  I was giddy to have them; so much so that my response to having them was to parade (dance) in the living room for my mom and dad.  It was a wild dance whose grand finale ended with my head making contact with the corner of the television.

When did I decide not to respond to the music?

Was it getting hurt?

The fear of being misunderstood?

Or rejected.

I know I misstep.

Do I still hear the music?

Or am I too busy?

Like Rylie, I have a father who beckons me to the music.

The music is always there.

What's missing is, too often, my response.

 

 Hayden before his Valentine dance at School

Hallie-Dancing with reservation

A Wedding Dance

 

 

 

 I'd love to hear from you kristiburden@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

Another step in the journey:

What do you think this verse means “My times are in your hands”?

What are some things we can trust God with?

Is there anything we can’t trust God with/ or anything we can’t talk to him about?

When is it hardest to trust God?

At Home:

Try making your own time capsule.  Use a shoe box that you’ve decorated or simply a Ziploc bag.  You can put the wrapper of your favorite candy bar or a few pages out of your favorite magazine.  Put in a photo taken of you or draw one. Doodle your name in with bright markers.  List your favorite things on a sheet of paper.  Guess what your future will be.  Write a prayer; years later you can see HOW God answers it.  (He always answers, not always the answer we want, but an even better answer). 

 Hide away your time capsule.  But don’t forget where you hid it.  Bury it if you wish. But don’t bury it without a map because years later when you try digging everywhere close to where you remember burying it- you may chip your tailbone on a water faucet outside while looking but you never find it…….  Anyway, remember where you put it! Don’t forget to include your mom.  She’ll really “dig” this.

For all of the handouts and the run down on the event go to: http://kristiburden.com/?p=3406

 

Dear Me in May,

Hey!  It's me-  back in September.  The school year is just starting.  These are some things that are happening in my today.

My favorite shirt in my closet is:

My favorite song is:

School right now is going:

It makes me so mad when:

I love it when:

My biggest fear right now is:

The best thing that could happen right now is:

God is:

That's what I'm thinking today.

God makes us to grow. 

Here are some ways I hope to grow before May:

I hope I will:

I hope I will:

I hope I will:

My prayer for the next eight months.

Dear God,

 

 

 

And Lord, help me remember that my times are in your hands.  Amen.

To check out all of the handouts and the run down on this event, go to http://kristiburden.com/?p=3406

Dear Pre-Teen Friend,

Do you ever think about your future?  I bet you have hopes and dreams that can barely fit inside that chest of yours.  You may already know what you're going to be in adulthood; maybe a doctor or a fashion designer and a mom. You may have picked out a college. I know you probably have that one movie star or singer that you would love to meet.  You may have even thought about where you'd like to live or what you'll let your kids do that your parents won't let you do, like eat in the living room-or eating Oreos for breakfast.  Some of those dreams, though you're filled with them, are as distant as stars in the sky. 

What is it that you'd like to be?

Have you thought about where you want to live?

Is it safe to ask- who it is that you'd really like to meet?

If you're anything like most girls, all it takes is for one thing to go wrong and then those hopes and dream are replaced in your heart by frustration or fear or rejection.  A bad day with a friend or getting grounded by your parents may make you feel like your world is coming to an end.  Sometimes our "today" can stop us dead in our tracks so that it feels like our tomorrow will never come.  We think that how we feel today is how we will always feel.

What are some things that frustrate you?

What does it mean to feel rejected (not chosen)?

Are there things that you fear?

What are some things that happen that make your day royally stink?

Here's something to think about.  Today is here and now.  We must live in it. Some days we'd rather hide.  Or fight.  Or cry.  We want today "fixed".  We try hard to make today perfect in our own strength.  Maybe you try to make today just how someone else likes it; you're thinking of how to please others. 

Sometimes our today is good and life seems right.

Some days, it seems nothing goes right.

Our future seems so far away. 

How do we live so that we aren't stuck in today or waiting impatiently for our future?

Some wise words are written in the Bible in the book of Psalm:

My times are in your hands.

 -Psalm 31:15

Today doesn't have to be (and probably will never be perfect).  Your future may or may not work out the way you dream it will.  The most important thing you can know about today, or your tomorrow, or your 2022 is that God holds all of your times and YOU in His hands.

You can stop worrying.

You can know that the thing that made you cry, won't leave your heart broken forever.

You can know that your favorite pair of shoes will probably be uncool in six months.  That's okay.

Know what your hopes are.  Know what your fears are.  But MOST important of all, KNOW GOD.  He cares for you. 

 You're going to write a letter to yourself.  It will be opened in May.  you're going to have a chance to think about what your hope are for this school year.  But I want you to think a little differently than we think sometimes.  I want you to be thinking like God might be thinking. I want you to know that it's not your worries that should control you.  It's not your sense of style that makes you who you are.  Remember when you are writing that you belong to God.

For all hand-outs and a run down on the event go to: http://kristiburden.com/?p=3406

 

 

Two other great-fitting titles originally popped into my head for this post; "Black Sabbath" and "Fading into Black".   Black Friday.......?  But upon a quick Google search of the first two, I decided I'd better not.  Yes. Good thinking.

Jason and I wear black on Fridays.  Always.  I don't quite know when we started this tradition.  It wasn't something we discussed either.  It just happened.

I started out majoring in psychology in college.  I like to think about  deep meanings.  I'm pretty sure this drives Jason crazy. This morning, the root of our habitual dooms-day attire has become my mental focus.

The Man in Black, Johnny Cash said he wears black for a whole host of depressing reasons including "for the thousands who have died.........".  My reason isn't nearly so altruistic. 

There's something about fading into Friday with our black on.  Fading holds the idea of losing brightness.  And while initially that seems depressing, fading is just what happens in so much of life.   Flowers fade; brightly colored clothing too.  Hallie has a neon yellow shirt that she wore to school yesterday.  (Correction.  It WAS neon yellow), now the color more closely resembles the center of a boiled egg. Every night the sun fades (as far as we're able to see). 

 "Losing brightness" is inevitable.  We tire.  Our bold hue gets washed-out.  Even the sun hides. 

I think that's what I love about Fridays; the feeling that you have dutifully and hopefully beautifully served through your week.  Friday is time to fade.  

 Any woman can tell you that black is slimming.  Maybe that's a more surface reason I wear black.  An interior designer would tell you that black has a shrinking effect.  If my week has been a busy one, shrinking sounds delightful.  I like to think of taking off my luminous red "save the world" cape and shrinking into the couch or the company of my family.

Fading is inevitable, but it's not meant to be permanent.  Fading lets us recharge.

For us, it's Fridays.  It may be a different day for you.  Sunday, the day generally known for rest is crazy busy for the Burdens.

I've babbled on simply to say I love Friday and the black that goes with it.  And I love the man in black beside me.  I could have used one word to describe our fading into Friday.

Sabbath.

 

I could have said I'm thankful for what black shirts and Fridays symbolize-

A chance to be renewed.

It's in black that I recognize

The LORD is my light.....

It's in black that I rest

and gaze upon the beauty of the LORD

.....he will conceal me there

.....he will hide me in his sanctuary

......He will place me out of reach on a high rock.

(Psalm 27 1-5  referenced)

When is your Friday (Sabbath)?

What is your black?

I'd love to hear from you kristiburden@gmail.com

Don't you love getting letters; words crafted just for you?  It's as if someone has taken a piece of their soul and put it on paper, or these days the screen.

I dove into some of my old storage containers last night.  I dug out these treasures from some young friends in the past. Their words are still with me.

 

Sharing your heart can encourage and show appreciation.

Through writing you can make your ideas and expectations known.  For example, if you "love work" tell somebody.

 

Some words make known your biggest dreams or wishes- like this Dear Santa letter.

Not all written expressions of the heart are meant to make us smile.  Sometimes painful truth is revealed ("....wish you were nice everyday").  At least she ended with a smiley face.  That always makes it better wight?

You can share your plan; your destiny. -Or tell someone else their destiny. I found mine in this letter from God.  The back of it told me I would have grandchildren, one with a missing tooth-and that I would go to heaven.  Whew! Thank goodness.  I still need to do the Paris thing.

-Love this written promise!  So far, so good. He still hugs.

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,

 not neglecting to meet together,

 as is the habit of some,

 but encouraging one another,

and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

 Hebrews 10:24-25

I've said it before and I'll say it again, our words on the screen bring us together when there are miles and activities between us.  So let's not neglect meeting together for some encouragement here on God's Girlies.  OK?

This is a treasure from one of my girls from Kenya.  You better bet these words stir me up to love. I am known in Kenya as Kristin.  That's the only way they'd have it.  Now it's the only way I'd have it too.

 

Writing is an offering. There's a certain vulnerability in sharing ones' soul.

 You wonder if your words will be understood. You hope your sentiments will be accepted. You may never know.  Write anyway. 

If you have a story to share, or hope to offer I anxiously wait for your offering on "A Thursday for Your Thoughts".  You'll be so glad you did. I'll be even gladder.  And come back tomorrow as Victoria shares.  You'll enjoy hearing from her. 

 -Looking forward to meeting with God's Girlies as we write letters this Sunday.

Write me! kristiburden@gmail.com