Nagel Bagel Bites

Hi Janessa!!!

Melissa Nagel — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:53:00 +0000

Wow… It’s been forever. I’m going to write an awesome post soon. I still have some thoughts on things….

One day soon. You just wait!! It’ll blow you away!

New Blog For Epiphany Dance Theatre!!

Melissa Nagel — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:56:06 +0000

I’m so excited about the dance company that Gina Beacham and I started this past year. We are about to set the dates for our next two shows, and we have a couple churches that are interested in hosting us!! Our new blog/website and facebook page will hopefully be a tool we can us to generate more interest in our work. Here are the links:

Click here to view our blog.

Click here to view Facebook.

I’m ready to turn 25!

Melissa Nagel — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:21:53 +0000

One year ago I turned 24 on the 24th of July: Golden birthday – golden year – a time of growth and fruitful work. After so many years of discouragement and sickness, I’ve been thriving in a state of health – finally. I’ve become a professional dancer, teacher, and choreographer. I started my own dance ministry, and my heart has been lit on fire because God has finally opened the doors for my dreams to come true. I attacked this year with all the passion that has been stored up in my heart. I’m amazed at all that God has done since I moved home to Texas – nothing that I could have done in my own strength or brain power. I couldn’t have planned all of this, but I’m enjoying the ride! Now that I’m about to turn 25, I want to look back on my golden year and list the major things that matter to me:

Graduated from Ohio State University
Got a teaching Job
Started dancing professionally
Started working for an event management company
Started Epiphany Dance Theatre with my good friend, Gina Beacham
Gina and I started choreographing and performing our own works
Got another teaching job

Gym membership
Started paying for my own health insurance
Bought my first car – 1999 Toyota Corolla
Got into an accident
Paid to get my car fixed with my own money (felt really good!)
Started paying off my college loans

I got into the best shape and health of my life
Lost 15 pounds
Started loving the way I dance – stopped being overly critical of myself
Started this blog!

I joined eHarmony! (Not the best experience…but at least I tried!)
I gave dating a chance
Broke a few hearts and got hurt myself
Realized that I’m tougher than I thought
Realized that I’m not desperate
Started trusting God for the first time – even though I feel lonely at times…
Cancelled eHarmony – good riddance!

Enjoyed watching the Office, Lost, Heroes, Monk, Psych and many other shows
Talked about Racquetball with my dad almost everyday!
Watched my brother, Tim, play amazing wheelchair basketball
Met Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd and watched Tim shoot hoops with them!!

Spent quality time with my long time girl friends (Katie Ellwood, Gail Gaffin, Katie Irwin, and Lindy Murphy)… Love you guys so much!!

It was such a good year, and I could list pages and pages of things that God has done. I’m hopeful that my 25th will be just as fruitful…. I’m ready for anything! Ready to become an even better dancer. Ready to meet my future husband. Ready to be single. Ready to fall in love. Ready to trust God if He chooses to take everything away. Basically, I’m ready for the adventure.

Faith. Hope. Love.

Melissa Nagel — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:19:00 +0000

For the things that are in the past
Fortify me with Faith
For the things that are in the future
Brighten me with Hope
For the things that are in this moment
Find me with Love

Because my past is powerless without Faith
Because my future is dark without Hope
Because this moment is lost without Love

Summer Theme: To feel like a kid again.

Melissa Nagel — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 03:26:23 +0000

I usually give my summers a title/theme to inspire myself to push forward in pursuing my dreams. My birthday is on July 24th, so my summer theme usually turns into a year long pursuit. I use it to keep myself from getting discouraged because the two core dreams I desire are really out of my control: I want to find my niche as a professional dancer/choreographer and fall in love. I’m aware it’s going to take a lifetime for God to bring these two things to fruition so, for now, I’ll keep setting goals to give the journey a little breath of fresh air.

Here are the past themes I set for myself:

Summer 2005 – To be in motion, to listen in, to see
Summer 2006 – Adventure here I come
Summer 2007 – Supercallifragilisticexpialidocious!!
Summer 2008 – “The hills are alive with the sound of music”

This summer, I think that it’s important for me to start letting my heart dream and feel like a kid again. There are so many things in this life that are so difficult and serious – but that doesn’t mean that I have to take myself so seriously. I can’t forget about all of the blessings. I can’t forget about the simple things. When I was a kid, I spent my summers in my tree house and at the beach (we lived in California). I didn’t worry about how my body looked or about the boys around me. I did what I loved each day, kissed my parents goodnight, and slept with a smile on my face. This summer and this year, I’d like to get back to that kind of simplicity.

“Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.” -St. Francis

Melissa Nagel — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 17:08:39 +0000

I’m reading, “The Normal Christian Life,” by Watchman Nee and finding myself praising God for His gifts, His forgiveness, and His abundant blessings in my life. I’m reminded how important it is that I live with integrity and purity (in both my body and mind – in the things I do and the things I say).

Lately, I’ve been worrying too much about how to make things better and please people. With every choice, I feel obligated to explain my actions to everyone – trying to make both my Christian and non-Christian friends understand and approve of my life – lest they look at me and think I’m foolish….

PLEASING PEOPLE IS EXHAUSTING!!

I’m starting to see that God wants me to live more authentically than that. Because, if I’m living my life with the authenticity of Christ (which is the ultimate goal), people are not going to be pleased with me. Non Christians will think I’m weird and no fun, and the hypocritical Christians will look at my life and feel convicted (thus they will not want to know me no matter what I say because the nature of my life makes them see the things that God wants them to change… and change is really hard when sin is involved).

My calling is not to fix people or circumstances. It isn’t to be a people pleaser.

My calling isn’t to be a person that is too sweet to stand up, and it isn’t to be so abrasive that people are nervous to ask me for help. I’m called to love people!

I heard a quote once that said, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going,” and I think that is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. If I ever become a tough person, it’s because I’ve stopped fighting against the abrasive elements in this world. It’s easy to give in and be tough, and it’s another thing to fight to be loving. I’m called to be a fighter!

I’m challenged to really re-evaluate my life – my purpose – my choices. No more explanations… more action…. no more compromise…more fighting…. No more worry….more love!

To be Successful or to be Godly

Melissa Nagel — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:08:53 +0000

Let me first start out explaining (for the purposes of this post) what I’m thinking when I use the word “success,” and what I mean when I say “Godly,” because I feel that my life is a constant fluctuation between wanting one of the two or both.

When I think of success, I relate it to the outward things that the people I love can tangibly see around me: my dancing, my health, the way my body looks, the productivity of my work, the achievements in my dance career, how well my new company is doing, and my friendships and relationships – all great things to desire and dream about.

When I think of being Godly, I think about living life with God. It relates to all the things going on underneath the surface: my attitude, my feelings, and my thoughts. It’s all about trusting God, taking time to sit in awe at how amazing Christ is…. Desiring only His simplicity and will for my life….living with hands wide open…letting go of my constant desire to be perfect – to be successful.

The word “successful” sounds positive, but in my life, when success is the focus, it’s almost always leads to constant worry and disappointment. I’m talking about being successful in man’s eyes, not God’s eyes. I’m talking about always striving to be better, better, better! “That’s not enough, Melissa.” “You need to be thinner.” “It’s time rise to the occasion.” “Stand up for what you deserve.” “Be better, faster, and stronger.” In my mind, when I strive to be successful, I’m trying to do it on my own terms, in my own strength, on my on time, and without any trust in my Lord.

When my focus is on being “Godly,” or, more importantly, “with God,” all my other desires seem to fall into place…you might even say that I become successful! When I’m living life with my Lord, my heart is protected and alive, my eyes are clear, and my head understands, in His perfect timing, what each new step in my life is intended to look like. My focus must always be on the Lord not on success, because for me, success is only fantastic when it’s given to me, not by my own strength, but by the strength and will of the One who loves me.

Some awesome scripture for you: (please take the time to read it!!)

Matthew 6: 19-34

Treasures in Heaven
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

Do Not Worry

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Epiphany Dance Theatre

Melissa Nagel — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 02:27:38 +0000

For those of you that have wanted to see video of Epiphany Dance Theatre’s first show…here it is! I had to section it off into four different videos….

Boy with a Coin: Choreography: Gina Beacham and Melissa Nagel
Performers: Melissa Nagel, Autumn Sicking,
Nicole Womack, and Gina Beacham

It is Well with My Soul: Choreography: Melissa Nagel
Performers: Shannon and Christa Beacham

Confess: Choreographed and Performed by Courtney Beacham

Come Back: Choreographed by Gina Beacham
Performers: Melissa Nagel, Autumn Sicking,
Gina Beacham, Christa Beacham

For those of you that don’t know what Epiphany Dance Theatre is, I would love to tell you! We are a new company of professional dancers lead under the direction of myself and Gina Beacham whose mission is to choreograph and perform dance works that will communicate the love and power of Jesus Christ.

We perform wherever God calls us! From the theatre to the platform at your church, we feel that dance can communicate things that words cannot express, and we believe that God can use this to touch people’s hearts. We are a professional dance ministry open to whatever God has for us.

We performed for the first time on May 1st at the Courtyard Theatre. Please enjoy the following videos….

Come and support Courtney!

Melissa Nagel — Sun, 31 May 2009 21:27:58 +0000

I’m inadvertently a thief!!

Melissa Nagel — Fri, 29 May 2009 15:29:54 +0000

I was drinking coffee with my friend, Ellen. It was hot outside. Ellen gave her dog (that was tied up to the chair next to us) some water in her water bowl. We had a lovely time talking, and then, they had to leave. I decided to stay a bit longer…

After soaking up some glorious sun, I noticed that the water bowl was still there. At first, I started to shamefully walk away pretending that I didn’t notice it. But then, my conscience barked at me: “No, Melissa, Ellen is your friend. If you had a dog and a water bowl as cute as that one, wouldn’t you want her to pick it up for you? She’s going to need her water bowl!! Go back at pick it up – you big baby!!” I talked back to myself saying, “okay, okay, you big jerk, I’ll go back and pick up that dirty bowl and give it back to her!!”

I sauntered back, scooped it up, dumped the water with several bugs floating around in it, and put it in my car. Then, I valiantly informed Ellen that I saved her water bowl (expecting praise for my lovability).

However, to my surprise, Ellen told me that she never left her bowl at starbucks, and that the bowl I have belongs to the coffee shop I know and love!! I’m a horrible person!!

Now what do I do? Sneak back and put the bowl where I found it and run away? Will anyone notice it?