Sunrise Awe

How precious and weighty are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I could count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you. [And I know You love me.] (See Psalm 139:17,18.)

Radiance

RADIANCE. I love the word radiance. I wrote it on my bathroom mirror once. To be called radiant is one of the nicest compliments I’ve ever received. I think it is evidence of God’s Holy Spirit shining in my life. I love the Lord and Jesus lives inside me. I have to give Him credit! His presence is so beautiful. Isn’t it amazing our Lord and King gives us His presence? What a gift! In the mornings, before I get out of bed, I give Him my gratitude list. Today I thanked Him for His RADIANCE. “You show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” Psalm 16:11 & Acts 2:28. (My favorite verse in the Bible.)

HEART LEAPS!

Be Still My Heart

Oh God...

What is it to You

The heart that leaps

The heart that leaps

What is it to You?

What is it to You

The heart that sinks

The heart that sinks

What is it to You?

What is it to You

The heart that yearns

The heart that yearns

What is it to You?

What is it to You

The heart that waits

The heart that waits

What is it to You?

My heart is EVERYTHING to You

Because You love me.

"Such hope will not disappoint us because God demonstrates His love for us!" 

(See Romans 5:5,8)

Why do I dance?

In the classic film, The Red Shoes, the character Lermontov interviews a ballerina named Vicky for his ballet company.

Lermontov asks, "Why do you want to dance?"
Vicky answers his question with a question, "Why do you want to live?"
Lermontov says, "Well, I don't know exactly why, but...I must."
Vicky answers, "That's my answer too." 

Waiting

As I look up to the morning sun,

I wait for love and trust in You. 

No choice but LIFE, the beautiful one,

I know You are faithful and true.

Isaiah 40:31
They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint,
Help me Lord, help me Lord, to wait.

ENJOY GOD

I believe we were created to enjoy God and enjoy LIFE! He has given us richly all things to enjoy, including Himself. He sees us as perfect and He wants to BE with us, and actually hang out with us, all the time. Jesus is the way to God, our heavenly Papa. Simply ask Jesus to be real to you. He will make Himself known to you with His awesome presence. My favorite verse in the Bible is "You show me the path of LIFE; in Your presence, O God, is the fullness of joy and in Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." This verse is found in two places Psalm 16:11 and Acts 2:28. Jesus told us the reason He came to the earth is to bring us ABUNDANT LIFE. (See John 10:10.) Whooohooo!!! Thank You for LIFE, Lord Jesus!!! I love it!

Angelina's God Book

How does a child view God? My little friend, Angelina, age 8, graciously gave me permission to share some of the entries she has written in her "God Book" as she calls it. Children know more than we realize sometimes!

Angelina wrote:

God is amazing. God is GOOD.

There are hearts open for God.

I love God.

The Bible contains the mind of God.

God, the kingdom is the best.

Love love…sing to the love.

Put your heart into it. –God

God  MOM  DAD  family  LOVE.

The Lord is the best thing I've ever seen in my holl and tire life. Good thing He’s HERE.

I love the King…..He is so beautiful.

God, I am Yours.

Angelina’s sword is from God.

The heavens open yes they do.

My mom and dad are into God.

I love GOD just the way he is.

God is love to me.

Up with the Birdies

Up with the birdies
Singin wild and free,
Dancin my heart out
Glad to be me!

by Jenna Vick Silliman 4-18-13

Remember Who You Are

Identity is key. Who do you believe you are? When you know you are a son or daughter of the King of all kings, it changes your life. Forever.

I have a stack of precious books that I call my “Bethel books”. When Heaven Invades Earth by Bill Johnson, The Happy Intercessor by Beni Johnson, and The Supernatural Ways of Royalty by Kris Vallotton are in my venerable collection. They are books to read and re-read. They are books to share and to make sure you get back. They are books to quote from!

“The promised land of princehood is filled with the Father’s blessings. He wants to lavish His love on us, pour out His blessings in us, and give more that we can contain. The Psalms put it best, “How blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed (Ps. 112:1-3)…We become the person He [God] has called us to be when we meditate on the things of God and dream His dreams. The Psalmist wrote, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps.37:4)..…Desire has two parts: “de” meaning “of” and “sire” meaning “to father”. When we delight ourselves in God, instead of hanging out in our past, He becomes the father, the sire of our dreams…We reproduce what we feast our thoughts on.” –Kris Vallotton, excerpts from The Supernatural Ways of Royalty

When we BELIEVE in Jesus and become followers of Him, we call ourselves “Christians”. That means “little Christs.” When our heavenly Father looks at us He sees the image of the Son He loves. Our daddy is King and we are destined for greatness! The Bible tells us to meditate on the truth. “As a man thinks in his heart, so he is” Prov. 23:7. REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE!

Freedom Blessing

Freedom Blessing

By Jenna Vick Silliman, 4-3-13

JennaSilliman@gmail.com

A couple of years ago, on New Year’s Eve, my pastor, John Himmelberger, asked if he could pray for me for more freedom. I didn’t think I needed more freedom, but I now know I did! Freedom in the Holy Spirit is wonderful. “It was for freedom that Christ set us free.” (See Galatians 5:1.) Free to be all that God created us to be, free to grow and bloom and be more and more like Jesus every day. Our heavenly Father has so much for us! In our lives we typically only recognize a small portion of our blessings. Today I would like to bless you with more freedom. Just insert your name in the blank and receive all these blessings from the Lord that are all yours already!

Dear _____, Today I bless you with receiving the Truth that the Lord promises will set you free. I bless you with knowledge of your Papa’s awesome, extravagant love for you and how He treats you with special care because you belong to Him. I bless you with a new understanding of your freedom from anything holding you back such as fear, worry, negativity, complaining, distrust, or doubting. I bless you with freedom from loneliness and a new awareness that Papa is with you 24/7. I bless you with freedom from anything that would make you unusable for the Lord’s glory. I bless you with a desire to forgive anyone who has hurt you and to forgive and forget any offenses. I bless your spirit with the freedom from distractions to seek after God and love Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. I bless you as FREE INDEED. Free from the bondage of worrying what people think. Free of all the negative stuff. Free to share our faith with confidence. Free to give generously and enjoy it. Free to worship and express emotions and enthusiasm. Free to dare to be different and unique. Free to be child-like and have fun and goof off. Free to dance without self-consciousness. Free to believe. Free to love and be loved. Free to be affectionate and receive it too. Free to receive all the promises in Scripture! I bless your mind with the freedom to dwell on all good things--whatever is lovely, whatever is of good report, and whatever is worthy of praise. I bless you with freedom to stand—unshakeable-- in victory and triumph over sin, not by your own might or your own power, but through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. I bless you with a revelation that you can do all things through Christ Who strengthens you. I bless you with the freedom to declare the truths of God’s Word and take authority in the name of Jesus. I bless you with ears to hear your Papa’s voice better and to hear Him call you by name with tender lovingkindness. I bless you with eyes to see into the supernatural realm and recognize the riches of our inheritance and our identity in Jesus. I bless you with the revelation that we are co-crucified, co-buried, co-resurrected, co-enthroned, and co-heirs with Jesus! I also bless you with the ability to see yourself the way Papa does—free of sin, perfect, and beautiful. I bless you with a new zeal for encouraging others in the Lord, for evangelism, for prayer, for healing, and for using all the gifts so freely given to us from our Papa. I bless you with the ability to receive empowerment in the Holy Spirit. I bless you with the desire to give thanks always, to rejoice in all Papa’s good gifts, and to celebrate FREEDOM!"

Oh the glorious FREEDOM of the children of God! (See Romans 8:21b.)

Please say this poem aloud with me to receive additional freedom.

Freedom Poem (Author unknown)

I believe in love.

I believe in miracles.

I believe in freedom.

I like to color outside the lines.

I like to dream without fines.

Busted parking meters.

I like to push the pedal.

It’s time to release.

It’s time to be freer than walls.

It’s time to answer the call

To be who I am

Strengths, weaknesses, and all.

I believe.

His love is untainted for me.

I am free.

[I got the idea of giving a blessing from the book Blessing Your Spirit by Sylvia Gunter and Arthur Burk. However, “Freedom Blessing” is written by me, JennaSilliman@gmail.com www.TheDanceOfLifeWithJenna.blogspot.com and I’d be so happy if you would pass it on. Feel free to share it!]

SHE…Who Dances by Fire By Diana Summers

SHE…Who Dances by Fire

By Diana Summers

April 1, 2013

I have called forth

a new brand of believer

from my Body

saith Christ…

Hand picked and preordained…

they are the very

Apple of Mine Eye…

Consecrated…yea…completed

walking HOLY and BLAMELESS

with Me…

Hand in hand and

HEART to HEART

these remnant

LOVE VESSELS

shall sweep the lands…

and their LIGHT

shall shine forth

as the very SUN!!

this Woman…

…My BRIDE…

shall stage

a RADICAL DEMONSTRATION

as SHE

walks in the close place

of IMMUNITY

sheltered-sealed ‘neath Mine Wing…

Yea…SHE is held secure

in Mine Great Palm

and sealed by the Kiss of My gratitude

for Her

OBEDIENCE…

Oh how I love Her…

How I LOVE HER…

And proclaim to all

that nothing shall touch Her…

NO…NOTHING

as SHE reaps with JOY

what many before have sown…

SHE is exquisite!!

So beautiful…So RARE

Mine Own TREASURE

Mine Own BODY

FLESH and BLOOD…

MINE BRIDE!!

Yea

all of Heaven rejoices now

as We watch HER…

this beautiful

stunning

BODY of MINE…

Detached from all that binds

consecrated

and grafted into the Kingdom of LIGHT

abiding confidently

in My Provision…

In My Healing…

Is SHE not glorious

as SHE moves in perfect FREEDOM

and in My abundance

poured out for Her

in the last days’ Grace?

…COME…

My darling Bride

…COME…

COME and dance…DANCE

DANCE

DANCE

in FIRE

in LOVE

in POWER

…COME…

Join Me completely

for the final victory…

for the

DANCE of FIRE.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Come] and, like living stones

be yourselves built into a spiritual house

for a holy (dedicated, consecrated) priesthood,

to offer up [those] spiritual sacrifices

[that are] acceptable and pleasing to God

through Jesus Christ.

I Peter 2:5

In a work by the late E.E. Brooks entitled “The Dance of the Virgin,” he explained how the word “dance” means to “birth.” I find that so magnificent for are we not birthing more souls into the Kingdom of God?

I sense that we are each experiencing a mighty interior expectancy as the world grows darker and the Holy Spirit works with vigor preparing us for our ascension in order to do our work in Union with Jesus and Father. Hallelujah!!!

(To read more of Diana Summers writings, see her blog: http://www.heartoftheeagle.org/blog/)

CELEBRATE CO-RESURRECTION WITH THE LORD JESUS!

We know that our old self was nailed to the cross with Jesus. We have been co-crucified with Christ. If we were one with Him by sharing a death like His, we also are privileged to share in His resurrection to new life--life abundantly. We are co-resurrected with the Lord Jesus and now we enjoy unbroken fellowship with the living God 24/7. All a free gift by the immeasurable riches of His grace. Hallelujah!!! (See Romans 6:5,6,11 & Ephesians 2:6,7 & John 10:10.)

Go Through the Gates!

Go through, Go through the gates!
Prepare the way for the people;
Build up, Build up the highway!
Take out the stones,
Lift up a banner for the people!
Proclaim this: 
Behold, reward is for those
who diligently seek Him.
For the Lord delights in you
just like a bridegroom
rejoicing over a bride.
You shall be called Hepzibah "My Delight."
You are "The Redeemed of the Lord"
His "Sought Out Ones".
(See Isaiah 62 & Hebrews 11:6.)

Praises for Papa

It is good to give You thanks, Papa, 

and to sing praises to You; 

to declare Your lovingkindness 

in the morning, 

and Your faithfulness every night. 

You have made me glad. 

I know I will triumph 

with Your helping hand. 

Because of You, 

I am flourishing! 

(See Psalm 92:1,2,4,12.)

Celebrate Passover!

Exodus 12:22-24 "And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. For God will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, He will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you. And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons FOREVER."

Jesus celebrated PASSOVER with His disciples. (See Matthew 26:17-19.) The word in Hebrew is Pecach or Pesach. It is from the root verb Pacach, meaning to pass over, to spare or to skip. Jesus is our Passover lamb that takes away the sin of the world. All we have to do is BELIEVE. Jesus is God become a man so that He could shed His blood for us. His blood covers us and so we are spared just like the Hebrews were spared by the blood of the Passover lamb on their doorposts!

If you haven’t yet, say this simple prayer to God and you will be made holy and blameless before Him for all time and abundant LIFE will be yours to enjoy! “Thank You, Lord Jesus God, for Your blood shed for me and for the forgiveness of my sins forever. Thank You for peace, joy, and abundant life. I believe in You!”

In Hebrews 10:17 we read that by the blood of Jesus, God remembers our sins and lawless deeds no more. Now that is a PASSOVER TO CELEBRATE! Happy Passover everybody!!!

My Missionary Lifestyle

When Jesus said to GO I considered myself SENT and now I am on a MISSION everywhere I go. However, the Lord has not given me any desire to travel anywhere in this season of my life. I am to bloom and grow and bear fruit right here in Clallam County where I live and where He has planted me. As I abide in Jesus I will bear much fruit as Jesus promised. (See John 15.)

To establish a mindset, I have five declarations that I speak out and keep before me to help me in my missionary lifestyle:

1. I am a connecting link to God's loving kindness.

2. People are open and ready to hear about God's love and to believe.

3. Through me God's love is drawing people into a relationship with Him.

4. Everyone around me has powerful encounters with God's presence.

5. I have Jesus as Lord in my heart & I'm always ready to share about Him.

My focus is on God and worshiping Him. He inhabits the praises of His people. I walk habitually with the Lord 24/7 and continually give Him thanks for this is the password to His presence. I am a host for His presence!

Yesterday after teaching my children's dance class I danced to a song of worship to show my students "worship dancing." My son Peter did a video so I can share it with you. The song is called "The Paintbrush" from the album "Paint Your Picture" by Julie Meyer. As I dance I am praying and asking God "Pick me up like a paintbrush, God, dip it in the colors of my life, paint Your picture, Father, fashion a heart that is wholly Yours...Take Your fingers God, Master Potter come mold the clay. Tell Your story...and write Your name in the clay and sign Your name on the picture."

<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/video/embed?video_id=509646052417135" width="480" height="800" frameborder="0"></iframe>

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=509646052417135&l=9050504140179787598

St. Patrick in Christ

St. Patrick: “Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.”

Focus

"It should not matter 

how much the enemy 

spins us around 

in life situations. 

Christ is the center 

of who we are, 

which means 

we have 

a fixed point 

to which we always 

return." 

--Graham Cooke

Let Go and Let God Have You

Let God have you and let God love you and 

don’t be surprised if your heart begins to hear music you've never heard 

and your feet learn to dance as never before.       

--Max Lucado

Technology in My Life--Seven Favorites

With the technology of my i-pod full of awesome worship music, plugged into a boom box with an aux cord, I dance with my white flags and "make His praise glorious." (See Psalm 66:2.)

1.       I like how technology helps me connect with people all over the world. I have friends in Germany, Canada, Vermont, Florida, and New Zealand and many more places. We have sweet fellowship over the phone, through texting, Facebook messaging, Facebook posting, and by e-mail. I love to hear what God is doing in their lives and how He is speaking to them through Scripture and through life. I feel rich when I think about all my awesome friends!

2.       Music is everything to a dancer. My i-pod with thousands of songs, all organized with a “menu” and my own playlists, will never cease to amaze me. I have it with me wherever I go and by plugging it into my boom box with an aux cord, I am ready to worship and dance everywhere I go. At our home church we enjoy music from bands all over the world—the very best! I am so thankful for our awesome worship music when we gather. With the technology available, I have so much awesome music to explore, enjoy, and share with the touch of a button or two!

3.       I have an active curiosity and I love to learn and discover new things in all different arenas. Life is so interesting. School is always in session. I like how I can ask any question in the world and get answers! As a dancer, I enjoy learning from other dancers on the Internet. They are available to teach me whenever I am ready.

4.       Technology has helped me study the Scriptures and discover deeper meanings of words and contexts and what God is saying. I like to search out a passage that God is using to speak to me. What fun to explore on the Internet what the Word is saying!

5.       Something I used to hate is now a fun time--standing in lines waiting for my turn at the check-out in grocery stores. It seemed like such a waste of time. Now I just use my cell phone and get on Facebook and start “liking” my friends’ posts or I go to the Internet and check out something or I go to You-Tube and watch something. Thanks to the technology of “smart phones” this dead time is now filled. Yay for technology!

6.       I love photographs. I have an awesome collection going on my laptop and I add to it every week. I see what others are posting on Facebook, or I go to Google Images, or the Internet and I “save” on my computer the pictures that speak to me.  One of my favorite things to post on my Facebook is a picture with a Scripture and/or an inspirational thought or quote.  My cell phone has an awesome camera and it is so fun to take pictures and “share” them on Facebook or sending them on to my friend’s phones. Pictures speak a thousand words—or more!

7.       I am a writer and a communicator. My laptop is portable and easy to grab and start writing. My website with my blog www.TheDanceOfLifeWithJenna.blogspot.com , my Facebook, my e-mail, and my blog here with Kingdom Bloggers all give me outlets for creative expression. I just checked my blog and in February, just last month alone, I had 547 readers. Thanks to technology I can share with all these people what God has put on my heart. I have many wonderful opportunities to express myself and the abundant life of Jesus!

The Audience of One

My audience 

has certainly changed 

over the years 

from those 

who love to leer at me through the glass bowl 

in which I live 

to running 

the race of life 

for the audience of 

One. 

–Mary Southerland

The Dance of Israel

I watched Christlyn from across the church. She raised her hands, bruised from 23 years of kidney dialysis. She lifted her eyes heavenward, swayed to the music, and she moved her feet too. Sometimes she made hand motions like sign language. Back in her corner she worshiped the Lord Jesus and she didn’t care what anyone thought. It didn't bother her if she was different than everyone else. Sometimes she twirled around with her hands raised. I think that’s the part that really got me. I was amazed. She was dancing over there!

I was drawn to Christlyn. I was drawn to the dance of Israel.

I said to her, “Teach me everything you know.”

We began to meet together and soon others began to join us. Christlyn introduced us to Messianic Circle Dancing. We watched videos and we learned the steps and the motions and the patterns of dance passed down through the generations. We met and prayed together also. I was told on several occasions by different people that I was a Miriam leading the women in dance. Christlyn gave me her tambourine. After years of kidney dialysis she was too weak to use it anymore. On Sundays the elders saw us over in Christlyn’s corner. They were amazed. We were dancing over there!

We dance a dance of  love and adoration of our Lord and King, Jesus the Messiah, Yeshua. We danced the dance of Israel.


Christlyn and I also love pretty, colorful, clothing and especially like to dance in twirly skirts. I admired Christlyn’s clothing and began to visit thrift stores to find more twirly skirts to dance in like her—the more colorful and the more twirly the better. I now have over 50 of them—all on a rack in the corner of my room with Christlyn's tambourine hung up on the wall. Each morning I pray about what to wear. I don’t care what people think and don’t care what is in fashion. I wear my colorful, twirly skirts almost every day.  One of my favorites is royal blue and white—the colors of Israel.

As it says in Scripture: "But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and the circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter..." (See Romans 2:29.)

Now I am like Ruth. I say to the people of Israel, “Your people are my people.” I know now that the Bible says we believing believers are grafted into the nation of Israel (See Romans 11:24.) and that we are together in Spirit and we are the Bride of Christ in love with our Groom, Jesus Christ. 

The elders called me into the office. I was scared. It was too much like getting called into the principal’s office when you got into trouble in school. I don’t know how I knew what that felt like, because it had never happened to me. I was a good girl I was. But now at age 51 I had crossed a line or something—I danced in church! Like my mentor, Christlyn, people are drawn to me when I worship Jesus with dance. People are moved even more when several worship dance in unity. It is heavenly. I was scared they were going to make us stop.

They didn't want to give Israel credit. They didn't want to be a Messianic church. They didn't mind if I worshiped with dance, or people worshiped with dance with me, but they said we are New Creations and we have a New Culture of the New Covenant, no longer Jews and Gentiles, but "One New Man" as it says in Ephesians 2:15. They said we had to drop the word Israeli off of what we were doing. Israeli Circle Dancing was now to be called Circle Dancing. They encouraged me to teach a class. They took out a couple rows of folding chairs to give us more room to dance. Sometimes I danced with a blue and silver flag. Sometimes I danced alone. Many times we formed a circle and danced in worship together. Even though we didn't call it that, we knew we danced the dance of Israel.

I taught a seven week class, every Friday night, on worship dancing. All different kinds of people came to my class, young and old, boys and girls, lots of women and even a couple of men—different ones each week. Christlyn, sometimes too weak to dance after kidney dialysis, would sway to the music and do the hand motions and twirl once in a while. She did her own thing and she loved the Lord. Her gratitude to Him and love for Him makes her dance. She and I have that in common too.

Christlyn shared at our women's meeting how we dancers are like Hephzibah. God rejoices over us and we give Him joy when we dance in worship. Hephzibah means, “My delight is in her.” Her brightness is like a stunning sunrise to the Lord. In the Amplified Bible it says she is exceedingly beautiful to Him. (See Isaiah 62:1-4 Amp.) He delights in us when we delight in Him and dance for Him.

I will never forget asking our women’s prayer group leader, Marsha Earline, what she thought of me and what I shared one Sunday. It was a short testimony about worshiping like King David—wild and free. She said, “Jenna, you are a burning torch.”

For a while I felt unnerved by my jealousy of Israel. What a beautiful, rich heritage and what gorgeous, meaningful feasts and festivals, and what awesome celebrations full of dance—and they all belong to Israel! One day I cried out to God and said, “It’s not fair, Lord! Israel has all this and we just sit still in church in dark, boring clothes and listen to the worship team and to sermons. I wish I had Jewish heritage.” He said right back to me, “It is all yours, Jenna.” Wow! What a delight to know I am a part of Israel the beloved to the Messiah. I too am the apple of His eye. It is amazing. My dance is the dance of Israel!

We pray for the awakening of the Royal Bride, Israel, the New Jerusalem.

Christlyn lives an hour away with friends that care for her—she battles with late stages of kidney disease. She has already lived twenty years longer than most people with her condition. I don’t see her very often anymore. When I do, I dance for her. She mostly dances on the inside now. Sometimes she is in so much pain that she whimpers in pain just to lift her arms. She still moves her hands, she still lifts her eyes to heaven, and her feet shuffle around on the floor--even though she is too weak to stand. As I dance and twirl in my colorful skirts, she dances vicariously through me. Once in a while our eyes meet and she nods in approval.

She and I have had dreams of visiting a large Messianic church, called Beit Tikvah, two hours away, near Seattle. They dance for the Jewish feast days! Christlyn talks about this dream every time we get together. She wants me to experience dancing in circles within circles within circles of Messianic worship dancers. (Some day I will dance in Israel.) It is on Christlyn's “bucket list” so we HAVE to go. Then she will have completed my request to teach me everything she knows. She says, “Jenna, it is amazing. They dance the dance of Israel.”

Christlyn called me for my birthday last week. As a gift she is paying fee for the Beit Tikvah Passover Seder which will be followed by about four hours of Israeli Circle Dancing. On Tuesday, March 26^th we are going! Isn’t it amazing? Christlyn and I will wear blue and white and dance the dance of Israel!