I’ve been told by our website administrator that the blog has been a pretty popular hangout, so I know that I can speak for Kelsey, Robert, and myself when I say thanks for supporting our writing! : )

I’d like to talk a little bit about our last performance, which was for the women at New Life for Girls in Dover, PA, their families, and the public. Our small groups were again given the wonderful opportunity to speak with a woman residing at New Life. It was purely by coincidence that Mary, the woman who had spoken to my small group last year, was again paired with me, but boy, did I sure go to sleep that night after having a glorious revelation.

Mary is a true woman of God–there is absolutely no doubt in my mind about that. What threw me for a total 360 was that she was not in rehabilitation because she suffered from drug or alcohol abuse. She was not forced into rehab, kicking and screaming pleas of help, by a caring family who knew that she needed the help of the true professional: the Lord, Jesus Christ. Instead, she voluntarily entered the program.

Strangely, after Mary shared this crucial piece of information with our small group, my expectations of hearing a “really crazy story” were lowered. I figured things probably weren’t about to get dramatic, but I just smiled along, trying to grasp onto any bit of her story that I could attract readers with when I blogged about the show. Mary shared with us some stories of growing up in a Christian home, her father a minister, and her mother a firm believer in the salvation of Jesus Christ. Their daughter, however, began to move in a different direction. She moved out of the house and started a successful life of her own with a dream job and a multitude of friends. The amount of money she possessed determined her happiness. She did not develop an addiction to alcohol or begin using drugs. Instead, she simply woke up and decided that she was not happy with the life she was living. She needed more. She enrolled in New Life: the beginning of her new life. She graduated from the program a few months ago and is now working on their staff full-time, encouraging women with radically different stories, but with one common denominator;  their lives were falling apart and they desperately needed a Savior.

Even after speaking to Mary and tearing down after our performance, I felt melancholy about the whole small group experience. I couldn’t help but wonder what God was trying to show me through Mary’s story. It wasn’t until later that night, as I was praying to God before I went to sleep, that I was humbled.

God was able to illustrate my need for Him in a unique way–in a way that I had never quite experienced Him before. It struck me that I didn’t need to be considered an alcoholic or a drug addict before I needed His forgiveness of my sins. No matter how hard I strive every day to be more like Him and live in His ways, the bottom line remains: I am a sinner who needs forgiveness. The woman in the audience who went to jail for theft does not bear a sin that is any heavier than mine, for Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” All. I am not the exception, for there are no exceptions.

But, alas, there is hope, and His name is Jesus Christ. For He paid the price, as Romans 5:8 says, “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

I thank God for the blessing of Mary, for she has brought glory to her Father’s name.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Live on,
Katrina

At our last Sunday night rehearsal before our NYC weekend at Riker’s and Essex County Juvenile Detention Center, Kelly posed the group with a challenge. The challenge was not concerning our choreography or singing skills. It was, instead, to evaluate our genuineness in how we presented our message to those in our audiences. It seemed like a simple challenge–to make everything about Him and nothing about us. To sing every song with the appropriate emotion emulating from our bodies, whether it be empathy, compassion, love or praise. To do this, Kelly played a number of the songs that are in our current presentation. She was not concerned with our dancing. She was not concerned with our voice parts. She was concerned with our connection to each song–that we would be able to identify with the lyrics of the song and why it was put into our production and what message we are sending to our audiences when we perform it. We were looking for our genuineness in the songs we sang every week. Would we find it?

To say that this exercise was helpful would be an understatement. Being a dancer, I am typically consumed with the beat of a song when I hear it, running through the dance moves in my head as the music plays to be absolutely certain I “got it.”  This night was a rare exception. There was more to be concerned with than the beat. My heart was not beating for the music, it was beating for a greater purpose. I was focused on the big picture.  I was focused on my Father, and I wanted nothing more than to please Him with worship and thankfulness and praise. So, that is just what I did. And at our next show, I remembered the pleasure that I had gotten from praising Him, and I was overcome with a desire to do it again. As the group performed the song called “You Are the Truth (Red Sam)” by Flyleaf, I raised my hands and closed my eyes and worshiped. So much, in fact, that I completely missed several of the dance steps written into the choreography. But you know what? I didn’t care. Not one bit. Because I was genuinely moved by the presence of God in that room through song.

I sincerely hope that every member of Shining Light has the opportunity to experience the love of Christ overfilled so much that their sincerity overflows and touches each and every member in our audiences this year. It is an opportunity we won’t soon forget.

Thanks for reading

There’s a lot of choreography to practice…I’ve found it to be much more fun and helpful to practice with friends, because you can help to build each others confidence and desire to put 100% of yourselves into whatever you are doing.

Last night we were fortunate enough to have a special guest performance. Jeff Bohn’s brother, Hans, a member of the Boston Pops Symphony that plays in Symphony Hall, shared with us his talent on the trombone, with Jeff accompanying him on the piano. It was really cool to see the two brothers sharing their love of music through their talents. We thank Hans for lending his time and talents for our group to enjoy!

It’s probably time for homework..ah, the life of a college student!

I’m thrilled to say that Shining Light kicked off their 14th season this past Sunday, the 30th, at 6pm! The evening was a blur of excitement, even for myself as a third year member, as we welcomed 17 new faces who were checking out Shining Light for the first time!

The new season began with some fun games that allowed returning members and new/prospective members to get to know one another. In Shining Light, we love to share our experiences with others in the group, so we always enjoy a game that allows us to socialize!

The evening continued as three returning members–Robert, Lauren, and Daniel–served as a panel that responded to questions commonly asked by perspective members of Shining Light, such as: How do you balance school, a job, and Shining Light? What was your biggest fear or concern when you joined Shining Light and how did you overcome it?, etc.

After we allowed for a bit of adjustment for our prospective members, we jumped (literally!) right into rehearsal by learning a new song that will be incorporated into our program in the coming months. The singing and choreography required high energy, and Kelly praised us for a job well done! =)

Of course, a Shining Light event (even if it IS only a three hour rehearsal!) just would not be complete without a snack! The lovely and dedicated food staff graciously provided us with a mixture of vanilla ice cream and our choice of either watermelon or mango Rita’s Italian Ice to help cool us off after some hard work.

I’m looking forward to next week for another exciting rehearsal! We can’t wait to see our prospective members back again! =)