So here we are, February 22. 2 weeks after the last post. This happened with me back in November when I was sewing costumes. Back then I had an excuse for being late. What's my excuse today? Nothing. No excuse. I simply just haven't taken the time to write one. So tonight I'm sitting here watching the Oscars, not feeling so well and just chillin on the couch so I figure I can take a few minutes to clue you in just a bit to what's been going on with us.
I'll just jump right in.......
We have been hit by every side with attacks. But we are still standing strong. We individually and as a group have decided to set our minds on things above. The Lord has been reminding me personally that I am an heir of Christ. And when you see yourself in that position, our earthly circumstances seem to take their place as far as what really matters. Now I have witnessed that it is a choice to think about that. Many days it is much easier to just get frustrated and throw up your hands. However, when you make the choice to think about things above, you'll get a new perspective on life. So anyway- I'll encourage you this week to think of spiritual things that bring life and peace.....not the carnal things that bring death. (Romans 8)
We have also been reading the Prayer of Jabez. We were all encouraged to expand our territories. It's neat to sit around and talk about what that looks like. For me, I've had a few opportunities to feed the homeless. There are a few men who have been outside my work in the past few weeks and I have been able to share dinner with them. For me that is huge. It is a complete 180. I was always too afraid to step out and talk to them. Now I find myself praying for them to be there so I can talk to them and share whatever dinner I brought. Interesting. When you ask God to expand your territory- you never know what that looks like. Ask the girls when you see them what it looks like for each of them. They all have a cool story. What's yours? Take a look at your past week- how has He challenged you? I'll encourage you this week to look for those opportunities. Listen to Him. He speaks. Are you in tune? That has become our daily prayer.
Lastly- I had the fun opportunity to share Jesus with 30 kids at my husband's Camp EDGE this week. It was a 3 day VBS type camp for kids during their mid-winter break. Many lives were touched and changed. It's so great to watch the kids singing and dancing and reciting their memory verse. And just as a side note- I love my husband. He's great.
Ok that's all.
-the Sham
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Better Late than Never, Right?
My deepest apologies to our faithful readers out there, who have been expectantly waiting for the next thrilling new post! Well, it's here, it's new, but I wouldn't call it thrilling! (hahaha)
So... the Company:
We are continually working on getting back into shape after our Christmas break (it takes us old folk longer than you might think) and we are in the process of re-working A Walk With Paul to be more "tour friendly". We were so spoiled with our wonderful extras we had for the premier!! (thanks guys!) Now, without most of them, we have to be creative with our characters! A new piece is being added to the persecution scene, to show more of how Saul was before his conversion. I think this addition will help in our portrayal of the awesome grace that the God had for Paul, and that He has for each of His children.
I pray each time we "perform" that when people see our attempt at this story, God's spirit would move in a mighty way. We don't dance to have a "warm and cuddly feeling". We want God's presence to move, work, and speak to the hearts of everyone watching in a powerful way.
On that note, I know that nearly everyone that reads this is praying for us on a regular basis, and I just want to say thank you. We need your prayers so much, especially now, as we enter into our 2009 spring season. We're human. We have problems. Much of which right now include quite a few injuries. It's frustrating when you know your purpose, (and it requires strenuous exercize) but your body keeps falling apart and there's nothing you can do about it. But! God CAN do something about it! We don't have to settle for what Doctors say, or what logic would conclude in the back of our minds.
So, if you could be praying for our healing that would be amazing. Thanks!
Another thing: This morning, SSA families and us Pradosicals, went over to NW Foursquare and worked with The Dream Center, to put together over 200 bagged lunches for the homeless. We made pb and j, ham, and bologna sandwiches, put in some other stuff... (I'm not quite sure what all went in the bags- I was at the sandwich table) We had a great time and according to the leader Mr. Roy, we got the bags done in record time! Wooo hooo! (us Paradoiscals like to be speed demons!) We were too big of a group to join in with the distribution of the lunches, but there's always next time!
I will now bring this sporadicness to a close, I hope you enjoyed reading "the latest"!
Now I do believe that an old episode of Mission Impossible has my name on it!
~Audge
So... the Company:
We are continually working on getting back into shape after our Christmas break (it takes us old folk longer than you might think) and we are in the process of re-working A Walk With Paul to be more "tour friendly". We were so spoiled with our wonderful extras we had for the premier!! (thanks guys!) Now, without most of them, we have to be creative with our characters! A new piece is being added to the persecution scene, to show more of how Saul was before his conversion. I think this addition will help in our portrayal of the awesome grace that the God had for Paul, and that He has for each of His children.
I pray each time we "perform" that when people see our attempt at this story, God's spirit would move in a mighty way. We don't dance to have a "warm and cuddly feeling". We want God's presence to move, work, and speak to the hearts of everyone watching in a powerful way.
On that note, I know that nearly everyone that reads this is praying for us on a regular basis, and I just want to say thank you. We need your prayers so much, especially now, as we enter into our 2009 spring season. We're human. We have problems. Much of which right now include quite a few injuries. It's frustrating when you know your purpose, (and it requires strenuous exercize) but your body keeps falling apart and there's nothing you can do about it. But! God CAN do something about it! We don't have to settle for what Doctors say, or what logic would conclude in the back of our minds.
So, if you could be praying for our healing that would be amazing. Thanks!
Another thing: This morning, SSA families and us Pradosicals, went over to NW Foursquare and worked with The Dream Center, to put together over 200 bagged lunches for the homeless. We made pb and j, ham, and bologna sandwiches, put in some other stuff... (I'm not quite sure what all went in the bags- I was at the sandwich table) We had a great time and according to the leader Mr. Roy, we got the bags done in record time! Wooo hooo! (us Paradoiscals like to be speed demons!) We were too big of a group to join in with the distribution of the lunches, but there's always next time!
I will now bring this sporadicness to a close, I hope you enjoyed reading "the latest"!
Now I do believe that an old episode of Mission Impossible has my name on it!
~Audge
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Patience
Hello Friends!
Well, if this were an actual conversation, I would start with the idle chit-chat about the crazy weather we've been having or how nice it is for things to settle down after the holidays. But since I am the only one talking here (sorry for the readers) I will just get right down the meat of it. I like being real.
We have 25 students enrolled in classes. There has been a lot of interest and people are continuously stopping in to find out what we are about and planning to enroll their children or grand-children. All of the enrolled students are having a total blast! Our teachers are fantastic and unique and all the parents wish they could join in on the classes (which they can in our Adult program!)
We should be overwhelmed by the bills that we know are coming the first of February and the income of the school, which does not match up. But God is not a God of numbers... He is a God of Power! And so we are laying our trust in a trustworthy Lord and surrendering it all to Him.
This is not to say that we are just sitting back in our easy chairs with our cup of coffee, saying "Ok Lord, I will just wait for you to do it and be amazed." We are doing everything that we can think of (and that money allows) to get students in the door---not so that we can have their tuition----that is ridiculous! We know that God will provide through whatever means necessary, not just tuition.
We want students to come through those doors and feel something different in SSA. We want them to experience the presence of God and to learn what it means to worship him through the arts. We want to make sure that every student in that place knows the name of Jesus and how worthy He is of everything that we have and of all of our praise!
And yes, we are not spiritual robots, so it is necessary to remind ourselves constantly of the promises of God and remember that He is never late---He is always right on time. I go in constant circles from anxiety to trust... anxiety to trust... TRUST.
Above all, I feel the Lord is teaching me patience. He has been so amazingly patient with me throughout my life. And therefore, if I truly want to be like Jesus, I must learn to be patient. I am a fan of the quote from the movie "The Devil Wears Prada", where Meryl Streep chastises her assistant for moving too slowly and says, "By all means, move at a glacial pace... You know how that thrills me." Likewise, I am not very excited by the speed at which the Lord is moving right now, but thankfully I am not the one who calls the shots here. I am going to patiently wait for the Lord because He has got it all worked out from the beginning of time until the end... Praise God!
So, I sincerely ask you to pray for us---that we would have patience. Also, please pray that we would continually surrender the company and the school to the One who created them. We cannot hope to teach the students at Surrendered School of the Arts what it means "to surrender" if we have not already learned the lesson ourselves.
I just love Him. Isn't He great???!!!
Sincerely,
Cathleen
Well, if this were an actual conversation, I would start with the idle chit-chat about the crazy weather we've been having or how nice it is for things to settle down after the holidays. But since I am the only one talking here (sorry for the readers) I will just get right down the meat of it. I like being real.
We have 25 students enrolled in classes. There has been a lot of interest and people are continuously stopping in to find out what we are about and planning to enroll their children or grand-children. All of the enrolled students are having a total blast! Our teachers are fantastic and unique and all the parents wish they could join in on the classes (which they can in our Adult program!)
We should be overwhelmed by the bills that we know are coming the first of February and the income of the school, which does not match up. But God is not a God of numbers... He is a God of Power! And so we are laying our trust in a trustworthy Lord and surrendering it all to Him.
This is not to say that we are just sitting back in our easy chairs with our cup of coffee, saying "Ok Lord, I will just wait for you to do it and be amazed." We are doing everything that we can think of (and that money allows) to get students in the door---not so that we can have their tuition----that is ridiculous! We know that God will provide through whatever means necessary, not just tuition.
We want students to come through those doors and feel something different in SSA. We want them to experience the presence of God and to learn what it means to worship him through the arts. We want to make sure that every student in that place knows the name of Jesus and how worthy He is of everything that we have and of all of our praise!
And yes, we are not spiritual robots, so it is necessary to remind ourselves constantly of the promises of God and remember that He is never late---He is always right on time. I go in constant circles from anxiety to trust... anxiety to trust... TRUST.
Above all, I feel the Lord is teaching me patience. He has been so amazingly patient with me throughout my life. And therefore, if I truly want to be like Jesus, I must learn to be patient. I am a fan of the quote from the movie "The Devil Wears Prada", where Meryl Streep chastises her assistant for moving too slowly and says, "By all means, move at a glacial pace... You know how that thrills me." Likewise, I am not very excited by the speed at which the Lord is moving right now, but thankfully I am not the one who calls the shots here. I am going to patiently wait for the Lord because He has got it all worked out from the beginning of time until the end... Praise God!
So, I sincerely ask you to pray for us---that we would have patience. Also, please pray that we would continually surrender the company and the school to the One who created them. We cannot hope to teach the students at Surrendered School of the Arts what it means "to surrender" if we have not already learned the lesson ourselves.
I just love Him. Isn't He great???!!!
Sincerely,
Cathleen
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Happy New Year!
Can you believe it's finally here? 2009 has arrived and our adventure has begun!!
As I sit here typing this blog I'm listening to "Praise the Lord I saw the Light" and watching Holly teach her adult Pilates class. Whew, what a whirlwind, but we've arrived and Surrendered School of the Arts has been born. Praise the Lord! We are all in awe and I'm constantly in tears when I think of the Lord's faithfulness.
Faithful is what He is and will forever be, regardless of our failures and inadequacies and I am so thankful His word and promises remain true. We have all been under enormous attack, in ways you would not believe! I'm not even going to give Satan the pleasure of mentioning them again, we're just moving forward knowing He's in control and that He will provide everything we need.
Our classes at Surrendered are slowly filling up, please pray with us that the Lord will bring His people to our door. The response we've received thus far is amazing, so many people are excited to be involved in ministry and are thrilled about the programs, classes and workshops we're offering. We'll keep you updated on how things are going, be prepared for an outstanding report! We're so happy to have you on board!
Paradosi is gearing up for our spring season, continuing performances with The Worship Project and A Walk with Paul. Now we're just focusing on getting back into shape from our Christmas break, what a blast we're having! Hey, if your in the neighborhood and see us frollicking in the studio, drop on by and say hello!
Bless y'all!!!
Tennille
As I sit here typing this blog I'm listening to "Praise the Lord I saw the Light" and watching Holly teach her adult Pilates class. Whew, what a whirlwind, but we've arrived and Surrendered School of the Arts has been born. Praise the Lord! We are all in awe and I'm constantly in tears when I think of the Lord's faithfulness.
Faithful is what He is and will forever be, regardless of our failures and inadequacies and I am so thankful His word and promises remain true. We have all been under enormous attack, in ways you would not believe! I'm not even going to give Satan the pleasure of mentioning them again, we're just moving forward knowing He's in control and that He will provide everything we need.
Our classes at Surrendered are slowly filling up, please pray with us that the Lord will bring His people to our door. The response we've received thus far is amazing, so many people are excited to be involved in ministry and are thrilled about the programs, classes and workshops we're offering. We'll keep you updated on how things are going, be prepared for an outstanding report! We're so happy to have you on board!
Paradosi is gearing up for our spring season, continuing performances with The Worship Project and A Walk with Paul. Now we're just focusing on getting back into shape from our Christmas break, what a blast we're having! Hey, if your in the neighborhood and see us frollicking in the studio, drop on by and say hello!
Bless y'all!!!
Tennille
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Merry Christmas Everyone!
I can't believe it's already a week before Christmas. The time really flew by so quickly. I feel like it should be a few weeks before the Paul premiere, but here we are almost ready to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Well, I think Holly's last blog was pretty precise. We haven't been doing a whole lot of dancing lately, but alot of painting. I think by the time we are finished transforming the shack into "Surrendered School of the Arts" I will be a professional wall trimmer:) And my favorite colors are officially mossy green, chocolate brown, and burnt Orange. The studio is coming along great. We are pretty much done with all the painting, we just have to sand the beams....which look wonderful by the way. We also have to finish the floor and some other last minute things.
This is the last blog that we will be writing before Christmas break. Everyone will be going home to family and friends to enjoy a much needed break! Please continue praying for us as we are finishing up the new studio. We still have some needs, but are confident that the Lord will provide them in full! You can also see esactly what they are by looking at our website. www.paradosiballetcompany.com. Also be praying that the second we open the doors of the new school, that our attendance would be exactly the amount we need to run, and Lord willing more.
Thank you again for your prayers and support! They are very much appreciated!
Merry Christmas!
Whittannie
I can't believe it's already a week before Christmas. The time really flew by so quickly. I feel like it should be a few weeks before the Paul premiere, but here we are almost ready to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Well, I think Holly's last blog was pretty precise. We haven't been doing a whole lot of dancing lately, but alot of painting. I think by the time we are finished transforming the shack into "Surrendered School of the Arts" I will be a professional wall trimmer:) And my favorite colors are officially mossy green, chocolate brown, and burnt Orange. The studio is coming along great. We are pretty much done with all the painting, we just have to sand the beams....which look wonderful by the way. We also have to finish the floor and some other last minute things.
This is the last blog that we will be writing before Christmas break. Everyone will be going home to family and friends to enjoy a much needed break! Please continue praying for us as we are finishing up the new studio. We still have some needs, but are confident that the Lord will provide them in full! You can also see esactly what they are by looking at our website. www.paradosiballetcompany.com. Also be praying that the second we open the doors of the new school, that our attendance would be exactly the amount we need to run, and Lord willing more.
Thank you again for your prayers and support! They are very much appreciated!
Merry Christmas!
Whittannie
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Hello Everyone!
So sorry this is a tad late. I tried to think of an excuse, but well there are none. I just kept forgetting to write it.
This past Saturday we had a performance in Kent at the church that Michel and Amanda attend. We did " The Worship Project" for a women s breakfast. It was really nice to worship the Lord with other sisters in Christ.
The latest project we are attacking is Surrendered School of the Arts. For the past two weeks our days have consisted of taking ballet class in the morning and then heading over to the new space to transform it into a studio. It seemed a little daunting at first, but after the paint went up on the walls you can begin to see what the final product will look like. Quite exciting really!
Well that is it in a nutshell, I have a baby screaming in my ear right now so I am going to keep it short. I am a nanny, I do not have a child of my own.
God bless you all!
Holly
So sorry this is a tad late. I tried to think of an excuse, but well there are none. I just kept forgetting to write it.
This past Saturday we had a performance in Kent at the church that Michel and Amanda attend. We did " The Worship Project" for a women s breakfast. It was really nice to worship the Lord with other sisters in Christ.
The latest project we are attacking is Surrendered School of the Arts. For the past two weeks our days have consisted of taking ballet class in the morning and then heading over to the new space to transform it into a studio. It seemed a little daunting at first, but after the paint went up on the walls you can begin to see what the final product will look like. Quite exciting really!
Well that is it in a nutshell, I have a baby screaming in my ear right now so I am going to keep it short. I am a nanny, I do not have a child of my own.
God bless you all!
Holly
Monday, December 1, 2008
Ok, here it is..FINALLY! So I figured since we all had a break from the studio last week, that perhaps a break from the blog would be appropriate..hope this didn't throw anyone off! But, never fear! The blog is back..and in style..ha ha OK, enough with the procrastination already and on with the show...
Speaking of procrastination...any of you have roommates? that distract whilst trying to write blogs?:) AH HEM..
So, as all of you know in the last blog we were getting ready for the 'A Walk With Paul' performance, and now it's over! Thank you all so much for your prayers and support leading up to this performance, and for all of the volunteers helping us out, and the extras..you guys rock! The day of the performance pretty much consisted of getting there early that morning, setting up all day for the silent auction and our set, dress rehearsal, eating, and turning right around and doing the whole show all over again! We were totally going off of God's grace that day!
From the Silent Auction we raised enough for the first two months rent for our new studio, Praise God! And the performance as a whole pretty much went off without a hitch..it was so exciting to see the dream that Joel and Tenille had had for years, and that each one of us has adopted as our own, finally come out to play. Of course, as with any production, there are always things that need to be tweaked, and I think we are all very eager to get to work on those things, but it is very exciting to see the potential that it has to be a tool that God can use. After all, we can't do anything on our own strength, only with His!
Well, I do hope you all have truly had a wonderful past two weeks, and I'm sure the next person to write this will be more timely;). God Bless!
~Sarah
Speaking of procrastination...any of you have roommates? that distract whilst trying to write blogs?:) AH HEM..
So, as all of you know in the last blog we were getting ready for the 'A Walk With Paul' performance, and now it's over! Thank you all so much for your prayers and support leading up to this performance, and for all of the volunteers helping us out, and the extras..you guys rock! The day of the performance pretty much consisted of getting there early that morning, setting up all day for the silent auction and our set, dress rehearsal, eating, and turning right around and doing the whole show all over again! We were totally going off of God's grace that day!
From the Silent Auction we raised enough for the first two months rent for our new studio, Praise God! And the performance as a whole pretty much went off without a hitch..it was so exciting to see the dream that Joel and Tenille had had for years, and that each one of us has adopted as our own, finally come out to play. Of course, as with any production, there are always things that need to be tweaked, and I think we are all very eager to get to work on those things, but it is very exciting to see the potential that it has to be a tool that God can use. After all, we can't do anything on our own strength, only with His!
Well, I do hope you all have truly had a wonderful past two weeks, and I'm sure the next person to write this will be more timely;). God Bless!
~Sarah
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