Dancing Through Life

In Proverbs 3, the Bible gives us some keys to a life that pleases God, and brings satisfaction to our
hearts:
3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart,
4 And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Other translations use the words "love and faithfulness" in verse 3 there.  We are called to walk in truth, to follow in God's ways and to seek to exalt Him.  Verse 3 talks about taking God's mercy and truth and binding them around our neck and writing them on our heart.  This can propel us to remember God's principles, to plant them deeply in our hearts, so that we are devoted servants of His Word.   God wants us to develop a strong trust in Him, so that God's Word supersedes human understanding, so that we will be devoted to Him and cognizant of His will.

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Jesus addressed the issue of stewardship in Luke 12, and we pick up on a parable that he is teaching to His disciples:
42 And the Lord said, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?
43 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.
44 Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.

A few verses later, Jesus says:
47 And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
48 But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

A good question for us today is "what are we doing with what we've been given?"

I first had the chance to meet this Hollywood female actor in Nashville before the 2013 Dove Awards - I don't think they're called "actresses" any more.  Later that night, she and Kari Jobe were to present the Best New Artist award to For King and Country.  She wrote on Facebook during the telecast of the event:

Who's watching the Dove Awards right now? I was honored to present Best New Artist - winner: For King And Country!! And don't skip the commercials- you'll see mine for Up tv throughout the show! smile emoticon I'm so grateful for family entertainment and family programming.

Interestingly enough, over the last 2 years, those Australian brothers have been on an upward trajectory, and seemingly so has Candace Cameron Bure.   If you happened to watch or click by the Hallmark Channel during Christmas, you may have seen her in one of its Christmas movies.   And, if you happen to watch The View on ABC, you will no doubt see her as one of the co-hosts.   Big news from this year, too:  she will reprise her role as D.J. from the classic series Full House in the new series, Fuller House, due out this year.

Recently, she has been named the FOX411 Celebrity of the Year.  FOX411 is a part of Fox News, offering celebrity and entertainment news.  The Gospel Herald did a feature on Candace recently, in which it quotes a recent Fox News interview. She said: "In all things you do, honor the Lord, and in all things you do, work hard," adding, "It really is all about the effort you put in while keeping your integrity and your character. That's why first and foremost I want my kids to respect themselves and honor God and to then just work hard. Even if someone hands something to you, it never feels as good as when you've earned it yourself." 

Regarding The View, the article says:

As the only outspoken Christian on the show, Bure often spars with fellow host Raven Symone regarding a number of social and political issues such as religious liberty and same-sex marriage. However, Bure said she's thankful for the opportunity as it gives her a platform to share her Christian faith. "The best part of ['The View'] is learning how to do something new within my industry because I never thought I would be a talk show host; I've never done anything from a journalistic point of view-so this is very new to me," she told Fox News.

With all that has happened for her this year, including the release of another book, she says that: "'Fuller House' ... that probably has been the highlight for me this year...It was just amazing to come back and be able to do this spinoff show and work with people that are most dear to me in my life and have a better time the second go around than we could have even imagined. It feels like home, it feels like family and it's really fun and just a great show."

That book was called, Dancing Through Life: Steps of Courage and Conviction, and it arose out of her experience on the television program, Dancing With the Stars.  On her website, she wrote:

I had the privilege not too long ago to be on a little show called Dancing With the Stars. This experience was truly an opportunity of a lifetime. Not only was it a dream of mine to be on the show, it was also a chance for me to showcase my faith in Christ in a whole new way (and in front of millions of people!). As a Christian in Hollywood, I’ve had to draw plenty of lines in the sand about what I will and won’t do on TV or in movies and Dancing With the Stars was no exception. I knew my boundaries the lines I wouldn’t cross but also knew I was going to grow and be stretched out of my comfort zone for my own good. I learned so much about myself while I was competing on DWTS. It was truly a lesson in faith, courage, and conviction.

In a interesting bit of a follow-up to last week's tug-of-war that I featured about Christian celebrities, I do think you need more people like Candace in Hollywood.  What you don't need are so-called Christian celebrities who don't exalt Christ.  Candace admits she doesn't shy away from expressing her faith and allows her Christian worldview to affect her work.    So, there are takeaways for us:

For one thing, it's impressive that she has drawn lines in the sand.  I would submit that those lines, those boundaries need to be drawn before you get into a situation.   If you're taking a job, it's important that you know the requirements and make up your mind that certain things that violate your conscience and convictions are off limits.  How will you handle that if it comes?  It is better to pre-plan than to make it up when you go along.

Obviously, Candace knows the importance of rehearsal.  And, in the Christian life, perhaps some rehearsal in our minds of potentially prickly situations would be in order.  If you have a difficult decision, consider the scenarios.  If you are going to have a possibly confrontational or otherwise uncomfortable conversation, rehearse your lines, refine your approach - devote thought and prayer about what you will say before you say it.

Finally, I believe that God has blessed Candace, and her brother Kirk, because they have been willing to take principled stands based on their Christian faith.  Now, that has not come without its trials - Candace admitted she was stretched outside her comfort zone during her time on Dancing With the Stars.  Certainly, I would think that sparring with Raven Symone provides some challenges. Faithfulness brings further opportunity and growth comes through challenges, so if we are faithful to do whatever God has called us to do, then we can look for other doors to open, and God will prepare us and shape us to walk through those doors that He ordains.