Everyday during the worship hour at school, I bring my jazz shoes, go to the back of the auditorium, and dance. Today, as everyone was going back to their seats, another dancer tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around.
"I just wanted to let you know that when you worship and dance, you carry a lot of freedom. People feel a lot of freedom around you."
One of my life verses this year is 2 Corinthians 3:17: "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom/liberty." Yesterday, Bill Johnson discussed how few let the Spirit rest on their shoulders like it had on Jesus after His baptism (John 1:33.) When I dance, the Spirit must rest on me!
I love to dance. When I was a little girl, I would dress up in tutus. I had always wanted to take ballet. During a summer visit to America, a family friend gave us a bag with the image of a ballet shoe knit into it, as well as some old pairs of ballet slippers. I used this bag into junior high to carry around my dance clothes, when I took two years of Jazz. We had to choreographed and perform to a song we chose as our final project in eighth grade. I faithfully worked on my homework and danced to "No Air" by Jordin Sparks. In the years to come, I continued to slip my iPod into an iHome, slip my black or tan jazz shoes onto my feet, play a soft song or worship song, and dance to it in my room and living room. This became a form of intimacy with my Lord. Once, I played, "Pieces" by Red, and found myself crying and praising God for His goodness. After dancing to the bridge of "You Deserve" by Natalie Grant, I told Jesus, "I just want to be in love with you!"
The first time I danced during worship, it was at Equip 2011. (Equip is a yearly youth conference organized by the Vineyard.) I stood in the back of the sanctuary where few would see me...and just broke free. I had rarely had such a passionate or intimate worship experience. A youth pastor let me know that she "loved how [I] worshiped." I believe it was because the atmosphere was charged with fire, passion, and energy I was not used to. This was the first time I had seen a room of students raising their hands to God and jumping in His Presence. Robby Dawkins, pastor of a Chicago-based Vineyard church and interviewee in "Furious Love," discussed the tearing down of the veil and our power in Christ and then gave words of knowledge and prophesies. I had never seen such passion for God or such use of spiritual gifts. This summer at Equip, I invited a friend to dance with me during worship. She did and felt so liberated.
After this, I didn't dance much at church until late winter/early spring of 2012. I was given that freedom at La Rencontre. I was told to dance and wave flags. (I was made to dance at one point in February!) My international friend Natalia discussed how she wanted to go to dance school in Mexico and foster the growth of a dance ministry she had started at her church. I prayed that it would happen!
In July, I went to a meeting at the Vineyard and sang and danced around the room."You have a sweet musical quality. As you were walking around the room, it was just flowing out. It's not just your voice. I saw the Spirit of God hovering over you," someone said. Another lady prophesied, "God loves it when you dance! Keep dancing. You're so precious." "When I saw you sitting down," Susannah, the woman whose marriage I attended, exclaimed, "I saw butterflies and light around you. And that's even before I saw you dancing." During a morning worship service at the Vineyard, a stranger told me, "Your dancing blessed me so much!" On a Sunday night at Bethel, I was told that i was "breaking things with [my] dancing." Then, on Saturday I picked up a scarf and learned the beauty of this.
One of the "Activations" is dancing, singing, and healing at hospitals. Six months ago, I would have easily chosen "Treasure Hunts," which is what initially sparked my interest in BSSM. In the past few months, my heart for the arts has inspired me to change my choice. I believe healing and deliverance can happen just through listening to singers and by watching dancers. King David was a passionate worshipper. He hired musicians, singers, and dancers to worship in the courts and in the temple and revolutionized the entire system. He was a revivalist in the arts. While the Ark of the Covenant was being returned to Jerusalem, he took off his royal robe and "danced and leaped before the Lord with all his might" (2 Samuel 6: 14 and 16b.) He stripped himself of that which displayed his royalty, he let go of his dignity, in order to praise the One whose heart he was passionately pursuing. What is holding you back?
"I just wanted to let you know that when you worship and dance, you carry a lot of freedom. People feel a lot of freedom around you."
One of my life verses this year is 2 Corinthians 3:17: "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom/liberty." Yesterday, Bill Johnson discussed how few let the Spirit rest on their shoulders like it had on Jesus after His baptism (John 1:33.) When I dance, the Spirit must rest on me!
I love to dance. When I was a little girl, I would dress up in tutus. I had always wanted to take ballet. During a summer visit to America, a family friend gave us a bag with the image of a ballet shoe knit into it, as well as some old pairs of ballet slippers. I used this bag into junior high to carry around my dance clothes, when I took two years of Jazz. We had to choreographed and perform to a song we chose as our final project in eighth grade. I faithfully worked on my homework and danced to "No Air" by Jordin Sparks. In the years to come, I continued to slip my iPod into an iHome, slip my black or tan jazz shoes onto my feet, play a soft song or worship song, and dance to it in my room and living room. This became a form of intimacy with my Lord. Once, I played, "Pieces" by Red, and found myself crying and praising God for His goodness. After dancing to the bridge of "You Deserve" by Natalie Grant, I told Jesus, "I just want to be in love with you!"
The first time I danced during worship, it was at Equip 2011. (Equip is a yearly youth conference organized by the Vineyard.) I stood in the back of the sanctuary where few would see me...and just broke free. I had rarely had such a passionate or intimate worship experience. A youth pastor let me know that she "loved how [I] worshiped." I believe it was because the atmosphere was charged with fire, passion, and energy I was not used to. This was the first time I had seen a room of students raising their hands to God and jumping in His Presence. Robby Dawkins, pastor of a Chicago-based Vineyard church and interviewee in "Furious Love," discussed the tearing down of the veil and our power in Christ and then gave words of knowledge and prophesies. I had never seen such passion for God or such use of spiritual gifts. This summer at Equip, I invited a friend to dance with me during worship. She did and felt so liberated.
After this, I didn't dance much at church until late winter/early spring of 2012. I was given that freedom at La Rencontre. I was told to dance and wave flags. (I was made to dance at one point in February!) My international friend Natalia discussed how she wanted to go to dance school in Mexico and foster the growth of a dance ministry she had started at her church. I prayed that it would happen!
In July, I went to a meeting at the Vineyard and sang and danced around the room."You have a sweet musical quality. As you were walking around the room, it was just flowing out. It's not just your voice. I saw the Spirit of God hovering over you," someone said. Another lady prophesied, "God loves it when you dance! Keep dancing. You're so precious." "When I saw you sitting down," Susannah, the woman whose marriage I attended, exclaimed, "I saw butterflies and light around you. And that's even before I saw you dancing." During a morning worship service at the Vineyard, a stranger told me, "Your dancing blessed me so much!" On a Sunday night at Bethel, I was told that i was "breaking things with [my] dancing." Then, on Saturday I picked up a scarf and learned the beauty of this.
One of the "Activations" is dancing, singing, and healing at hospitals. Six months ago, I would have easily chosen "Treasure Hunts," which is what initially sparked my interest in BSSM. In the past few months, my heart for the arts has inspired me to change my choice. I believe healing and deliverance can happen just through listening to singers and by watching dancers. King David was a passionate worshipper. He hired musicians, singers, and dancers to worship in the courts and in the temple and revolutionized the entire system. He was a revivalist in the arts. While the Ark of the Covenant was being returned to Jerusalem, he took off his royal robe and "danced and leaped before the Lord with all his might" (2 Samuel 6: 14 and 16b.) He stripped himself of that which displayed his royalty, he let go of his dignity, in order to praise the One whose heart he was passionately pursuing. What is holding you back?