“Good little girls don’t dance…”

24 Sep “Good little girls don’t dance…”

So, you think you can’t dance?! You need to hear my story.
Let’s talk about b-a-b-y steps…

I grew up in the era where “good little girls don’t dance.” I do remember peering through the windows to watch ballet class during grade school and trying to stand on my tiptoes.

My “light bulb moment” came much later. I was attending Northwest University and I was at services in Cedar Park church in Bothell, Washington. Bursting out from behind and moving down the aisles around us, visiting Messianic dancers worshipped God before the congregation. I was forever changed!

I got involved in a Messianic Church right away and I reveled in learning to dance in worship to God. The profound difference between not singing to singing, from singing to lifting my hands and singing, well this was another level for me: moving in worship to my God. I was like a butterfly released from my cocoon! 🙂

Next I had a “photo op moment.” I was attending a conference where House of Davi from South America was leading worship. They faced the same way we did, their backs to the gathering. They jammed and flowed without words. I was primed from one of the conference leaders, but I wasn’t prepared for 45 minutes of jamming without words. We are so familiar with being led by the worship leader in a usual way–like, using words, aren’t we? 🙂

Right about then my second installation of radical change in my worship thinking happened! With precision, the artist on the left’s painting of a vortex, the dancer with a streamer on the right’s movements in a vertical cylindrical flow and the jammers’ jamming all dovetailed. My mouth may have dropped open. Only the Holy Spirit could have been the choreographer. It was definitely not planned in the natural. Oh ya! I did not care about my “head knowledge” after that. At that point I was “all in” and adventure with a capital “A” in relationship with God took on a whole new meaning. 🙂 “I will teach you in all things” (I John 2:27) I could embrace! God’s view from heaven to earth, and not the other way around. More steps into new levels, right?!

I have not been drawn in to Dancing with the Stars or So You Think You Can Dance?, although I have certainly watched episodes. I enjoy them, but it doesn’t “move me” in contrast to what I am trying to relay to you in this blog. I love to see beautiful dance movement, but am left feeling empty if there isn’t more than surface beauty.

I am not bashing our beginner dancing on any level. (I know it’s weird to call it that when we are including professionals, but please keep reading to understand my thinking.)

It’s like the difference between a gorgeous, designer, artistically-decorated cake that you get to take a bite of and a 5 course meal. See Godiva’s cake inspired truffles here, which I recently posted on my Facebook to see that incredible bite. 

As amazing as that bite is, I want you to now imagine the depth of when you sit down to a 5 course meal, complete with the art of it, the nutrients, filled with flavor and contrasting texture — well, its’ absolutely different in every way. Plus, there is a dessert course which complements the entire experience and different drinks for each course. Add a beautiful setting and music, all of this while enjoying it with your best friends. What a contrast!

Today, my passion and motivation with dance is all about God’s realm which includes the spirit realm–bringing to God and/or going to people.

I lose myself in moving and being with God. I surprise myself in movements that flow with the song precisely, even songs I have never heard before. I see how movement out of interaction with God touches His heart and affects our atmosphere, releasing freedom to people.

You and I can intercede for someone with dance movement while we talk with God about them. It taps into our own emotion, goes waaaay past our head and “thinking,” and is a prophetic act where we are God’s son or daughter on the earth with His authority, moving things and making a difference in outcomes. Woo hoo! Heaven on the earth.

Try making a slicing hand movement the next time you pray over your kids, breaking sickness or fears off of their young souls. Powerful! Boldly take another step: adding movement to words, which you did after adding words to your heart thinking and passion for your kids (or someone special).

When I start thinking “what do I look like?” (and who doesn’t, right?) I switch into my motivation and the “what others think” falls off like a coats’ sleeves sliding down my arms to the floor. I am not about perfection! I am about being a conduit.

The heart of it is how we revel in bringing movement out of relationship to our Father! 🙂 There is worship, celebration, honor, warfare, declaration, intercession, high praise–and so many more facets!

I was invited to dance as part of a CD a friend was burning this summer. I was in a corner of the studio and got to worship God to people humming. -grin- Recording was happening in another room with a connecting glass window. It was easier than I thought to dance before God, a window view of around a dozen hummers 🙂 and the producers of the project right next to me during production. At one point one of the producers said that my worship was “carrying them.” Wow! What a privilege. It was so fulfilling. Plus, I believe that encapsulating the project to just “sound” is too restrictive in our thinking. We forget to include the spirit realm. The intercession and the dance worship, which were a literal part of the burning, is combining and is relayed with the sound into each home where the CD is playing much later on. The atmosphere is being impacted and changing on levels other than the physical realm.

I have seen in the spirit realm a flowing outward hand movement combined with a spinning body movement which gets thrown, spreading out into the spiritual realm like sparkling confetti with wings. This movement brings measurable/definable healing over people’s bodies and emotions and brings freedom to their spirits, “un-gunking” them.

I have seen fireworks (for lack of a better word) in the spirit realm coming out of my fingers and shooting up, bringing glory and honor to God while worship dance is brought before Him.

I have also seen refractions of the rainbow, like little independent pieces of “color personality” which move all together before the throne in heaven and end up in a tremendous choreography. It brought a feeling like children presenting themselves before God in a incredible worship movement. (I don’t have words.)

Just try to imagine, for a moment, the passion + movement of throwing yourself prostrate before a tangible, in-person, nothing hidden, holy God, who created and IS everything we could even try to bring human words to. Plus He is love personified. I mean it! Try taking a moment and playing it out.

I know that the moment we get into heaven and have a instantaneous switch to a fully God and fully eternal view, anything during this time on earth will be small steps in comparison–for sure!

Take baby steps at home; all by yourself, bring movement and emotion to your God, the creator of all things. You might find it strange, that you feel awkward with no one but yourself…and God. 🙂 Stretch yourself, it will change your relationship with God in a fantastic way. It will rock your world! 🙂 (rock: move from side-to-side LOL)

Try this song first: “You’ve won me heart and soul” in Chasing You on Rising CD by Bethel Music music video.
pre-order disk / purchase Chasing You song