Israel and the Freedom Command

Me with Israeli Border Patrol in the Golan Heights, Nov 2009

As promised, I will now tell the story about how God pushed me further into becoming more free as as His child. He had been working on me for a long time about letting go and taking off my mask I used to put on. When I thought I had gotten to a place where I needed to be in that lesson, He pushed me even further over the edge. (That's one thing I love about Him... He doesn't let us settle.)

I was riding on the bus with my group in the Golan Heights, looking out my window over the battle ruins. I kept thinking about how many battles had been fought in that area of Israel, and how much the people of Israel have to fight for their freedom to keep their Land... It made me feel so ashamed. How many times had I taken freedom in my country America for granted? And then I thought how free I felt in Israel. It is an extra freedom feeling my soul encounters there. It was then as we were riding through the mountains that I asked God a question. "God, you know I've been in Israel before... What else do you want me to know that I will take back home with me?" The answer came. He said in my heart, "Take the freedom you feel here and take it back to America."

Whoa. I knew that would not be so simple. It would be a process. I asked Him what He meant exactly, and He began bringing different things to mind. One was my personal life. He was pushing me to become even more free, and He told me that He would show me what that looked like. (And He has!) Another large part of all that is still in the making... and I believe that a huge part of it is awakening people here in America. One way that can be done is by praying against complacency. I just want to be used by Him in big ways. I crave to be part of His plan in what He is doing.

Students

As dance instructors, we have a great opportunity to pour into lives of children and teens by teaching respect (for self and others), structure and discipline, and the importance of hard work, while opening up the mind for creativity and training the body to artistically express a powerful language: dance.

While I'm pretty tough on technique and encouraging students to push harder, my hopes is that my students won't just learn dance from me, but when they leave my class they take with them also a sense of responsibility, respect, confidence, determination, and joy that they can apply to the rest of their lives. Not all students will be professional dancers and not all want to, but they all are human beings with a need to be nurtured, because they will grow up to be adults. Then it's their turn to lead in whatever they do. My prayer is what they learn in my classes, whether they become pro dancers or not, will stay with them for a long time. I want them to be the best they can be as individuals.

No Mountain Is Too High...

Pioneering. Adventure. The Unknown.

"Just remember, for the pioneer, life is an adventure
and the path is unknown. But for those with a passion
for their dreams, no mountain is too high."

Quotation by Skip Yowell, co-founder of JanSport. I am currently reading through his book called "The Hippie Guide to Climbing the Corporate Ladder and Other Mountains". Basically, the book is a true recounting of how Skip and his hippie friends with no business experience pioneered one of the world's leading brands of the outdoor industry. I find the book quite groovy, in several aspects. It is an inspiration. They let nothing stop them from chasing after the dream they had. They had humble beginnings, but determination put them where they are now. In 2007, JanSport celebrated their 40th anniversary as a great company.

Goes to show that cool things do happen when we step out and push towards our goals (and believe that God can do all things). Sometimes the world may laugh and think that we're crazy, but with God no mountain is too high. He works out of the norm. How cool is it that He can be so unexpected?