Okay, call me a little odd...I can handle it (most of the time). Or as Charlie Shedd, author of about 40 christian books titled his last one, "I'm Odd, Thank You God." I think I would have like Charlie.
How do I know I'm odd you ask. Well, I was raised a good conservative, reformed, Dutch girl. All 4 grandparents as Dutch as they come. I was raised to believe you shouldn't be showy, you must not get a big head, and don't make a scene! We were taught not to smoke, drink or dance... We took ourselves a bit too seriously!
I never really "Rebelled," but I did learn in early adulthood to relax, discover the JOY of my relationship with Jesus, as well as a freedom from self in my identity in Christ. This was a very good thing, and yet something that needs to be relearned every so often.
It was a little odd when, in midlife, I began to imagine the people in our congregation dancing on the tops of the pews during times of praise and worship...not on the seats, but on the tops, dancing from pew to pew. It was quite a sight! (Getting people to dance in the isles would have been miracle enough.) It was a beautiful sight, and I longed to dance for God.
It was a few years later that I began working with young women in our congregation as we put liturgical signing to music. Sometimes it was very close to dancing, which touched many lives and perturbed others.
In the last couple of weeks God has brought the theme of dancing to my attention again. The first time was through a quote from the book, Apprenticeship with Jesus, by Gary Moon. Gary says, "(Jesus) sends the Holy Spirit with music and a dance chart so that we can learn to waltz with the Trinity, even now, as we wait for the real party to begin.: The Spirit draws us in to an intimate, joyful relationship with Father, Son and Spirit as we move/dance through our lives. What is life meant to be like if we can enter this partnership with God? As we read the Gospel of John, Jesus reveals the Father's desire for this intimacy...it's why Jesus came...reconciling our relationship with God! Read John 15-17 to hear Jesus heart for this intimacy.
The second quote comes from a pastor named Steve Brown of Key Life Ministries. Steve says, "You can't dance with God while looking at your feet." Why would we want to look at our feet? Maybe because we're embarrassed; "I'm not used to dancing!" Maybe it's because we are so afraid of doing it wrong. Maybe we need to trust that we have the Master Teacher, so we can let go, let him lead us, let him pick us up when we stumble.
I really don't think God cares if we are clumsy as we learn to dance with him. I think he longs to bring us into the JOY of an intimate relationship. Maybe it helps if we join hands and discover the dance together. I wonder what most helps you get on the dance floor.
How do I know I'm odd you ask. Well, I was raised a good conservative, reformed, Dutch girl. All 4 grandparents as Dutch as they come. I was raised to believe you shouldn't be showy, you must not get a big head, and don't make a scene! We were taught not to smoke, drink or dance... We took ourselves a bit too seriously!
I never really "Rebelled," but I did learn in early adulthood to relax, discover the JOY of my relationship with Jesus, as well as a freedom from self in my identity in Christ. This was a very good thing, and yet something that needs to be relearned every so often.
It was a little odd when, in midlife, I began to imagine the people in our congregation dancing on the tops of the pews during times of praise and worship...not on the seats, but on the tops, dancing from pew to pew. It was quite a sight! (Getting people to dance in the isles would have been miracle enough.) It was a beautiful sight, and I longed to dance for God.
It was a few years later that I began working with young women in our congregation as we put liturgical signing to music. Sometimes it was very close to dancing, which touched many lives and perturbed others.
In the last couple of weeks God has brought the theme of dancing to my attention again. The first time was through a quote from the book, Apprenticeship with Jesus, by Gary Moon. Gary says, "(Jesus) sends the Holy Spirit with music and a dance chart so that we can learn to waltz with the Trinity, even now, as we wait for the real party to begin.: The Spirit draws us in to an intimate, joyful relationship with Father, Son and Spirit as we move/dance through our lives. What is life meant to be like if we can enter this partnership with God? As we read the Gospel of John, Jesus reveals the Father's desire for this intimacy...it's why Jesus came...reconciling our relationship with God! Read John 15-17 to hear Jesus heart for this intimacy.
The second quote comes from a pastor named Steve Brown of Key Life Ministries. Steve says, "You can't dance with God while looking at your feet." Why would we want to look at our feet? Maybe because we're embarrassed; "I'm not used to dancing!" Maybe it's because we are so afraid of doing it wrong. Maybe we need to trust that we have the Master Teacher, so we can let go, let him lead us, let him pick us up when we stumble.
I really don't think God cares if we are clumsy as we learn to dance with him. I think he longs to bring us into the JOY of an intimate relationship. Maybe it helps if we join hands and discover the dance together. I wonder what most helps you get on the dance floor.
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