When I was a kid, a neighbor asked me to church with her a couple times. I went. And, to my surprise, my little mud-pie-making buddies down the alley were there. This was their church.

Now, while there, I noticed something.

In our "Ideal" magazines, there were paintings of churches. I'd also seen inside churches on TV. They had pianos. This one didn't! Maybe they couldn't afford one yet?

So, the next time my buddy and I were chatting over toadstool cake and mud milk, I asked him why there wasn't a piano in his church.

"We're not supposed to play musical instruments in church. We can't dance either."

"In church?"

"Anywhere."

"Why not?"

"I don't know."

"But, the Bible talks about David doing both. He played an instrument, and he danced. He was doing it for God!"

He just shrugged. "It's just against the rules."

I thought about all those times I jumped and danced while "alone" in the yard, moving to songs only God and I could hear. It made no sense that those joyous times were wrong.

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This had been my first taste of differences between denominations but also differences between man's churches and Scripture.

When I got to college and attended a few hormone-enhanced dances, I understood a little more about this denomination's restrictions.

Later, when I went toward New Age, I took up belly dance and yoga dance. Then, when I moved back out of New Age, I still quietly danced, just between God and I.

Several weeks ago, I came across this video, and then found another to the same song [both linked below]. I'm thinking I'm going to learn these dances, and perhaps even dance with my movement-loving friends from church. These seem both reverent and joyous. I'm thinking that these bodies are temples; and, when the joy gets to bubbling over so much, perhaps dance is one of those ways to express our hearts to Him in worship.

https://youtu.be/yJEF2gkbUmY

https://youtu.be/HlqYAeygn0U

Humanity was created with free will, which means the power to choose between good and evil. I just read a good article about this. Satan seems to be consistent in his lies.
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"Satan insinuated that, by warning them away from that tree, God was depriving them of their right to provide for themselves and be their own god. They would no longer need to depend on God. They could provide for themselves, resulting in a perpetual quest for self-dependence and self-centered gratification (sin)...."

"Satan wants us to see the suffering he produces in the world as a shortcoming on God's part. We find throughout Scripture, however, that God constantly urges His followers to reflect His character by partnering with Him to relieve suffering and care for those caught in the middle of the cosmic struggle between good and evil."

From: "Caught in the Middle" article by Gaspar Colon, retired minister.
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Samuel wrote an article on this subject:
Humanity's Role

Pastor Daniel Fusco presented a sermon series on the relationship between the beatitudes (list of 9) and the fruits of the Spirit (list of 9). These are notes on the first sermon: https://youtu.be/KWc12MD2boI

* People have different ideas about what is beautiful. One might think one form of art or music is beautiful while another thinks the same is terrible. We all have preferences.
* Our culture is obsessed with beauty. God has His own idea of what is beauty.
* God wants our lives to take on the look of what He sees as beautiful. We need to have beautiful qualities, in His eyes. Christianity is beautiful to Him. When we walk with Him, we will yearn for oneness with Him.
* READ MATTHEW 5:3-12.
* "A blessed life is beautiful." -- Fusco.
* "Blessed" means "happy" or "fortunate." True happiness doesn't depend on circumstances. This is an indicative in Greek, so this is what we are.
* "Blessedness is not something you work to receive. You don't gain it because you deserve it. It's a gift from Him." -- Fusco.
* Blessed are, not blessed will be. We have this idea that the pleasures of Christianity are in our future. This is our gift for right now.
* "These are the be-attitudes, not the do-attitudes. This is who we are in Christ, not what we do." -- Fusco
* Because these are our gifts, this is how we should live. Live it out in the world. God is interested in our having the right thoughts and how we live. When I say I know my wife because I read a book about her, that's different than I know her because I hold her hand.
* READ Isaiah 61 and watch for the overlap.
* READ Luke 4 where Jesus reads from Isaiah 61 and says, "...today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." (verse 21b).
* "True beauty is a gift from Jesus. This is a gift from Him. When you are this, you live this way." -- Fusco
* You made the decision to trust Him for salvation, but do you follow Him?
* You were born to your parents; but, if you never interact with them again, are you going to grow?
* These are traits given to you. You live your life with Him, and you'll see the second part of each of the beatitudes. [You mourn, yes; but you will be comforted.]
* Follow Him every day so you'll grow. Live with Him every day so you will grow into a plant that He sees as beautiful. "His preference about what is beautiful is all that matters." If you follow Jesus, your life will be beautiful in God's eyes.
* READ Galatians 5:16:24.
* The world may think of Galatians 5:19-21 as beautiful, but God doesn't. These are works of the flesh. "Those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Gal. 5:21b)
* The fruit of the Spirit is beautiful to God.
* Notice how there are 9 beatitudes and 9 fruit of the Spirit listed. Pastor Fusco will be going in order to compare each. He suggests memorizing Galatians 5:22-23 and Matthew 5:1-12, living your life as you ponder about the two lists.
* READ John 15:5-8 -- "“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."
* "When you abide in Christ, fruit grows." -- Fusco
* "Stay rooted in Jesus every single day." -- Fusco