I just recently finished two books on Christian dance and the arts which the Lord really spoke to me through, and attended two dynamic worship concerts over the weekend which drew me deep into the presence of the Holy Spirit. I am truly desperate to remain in Him. Though I can't put the feelings into words, my expression of who He is through dance has been being shaped and stretched as I step out in obedience to the calling He's placed in my heart.
Last night, Shawn and I had the amazing opportunity to hear Stephen Roach and his band, Songs Of Water. (Seriously. They were phenomenal...you MUST check them out!!) They call themselves a folk orchestra, with over 40 instruments dedicated to releasing the sounds of Heaven: including hand drums galore- my weakness. I was moved, literally. The burning in my chest when one of the musicians called for the dancers to come forward was undeniable, and I knew I had to do it. In fact, when he pointed his finger out toward the crowd, honestly, I think you could have drawn a straight line from it to my chair. Why me? I thought. No one else is dancing!! I mumbled something to Shawn about hating the awkwardness about to come and proceeded to stand up and make my way to the clearing at the front of the stage. Then I danced like there was no tomorrow.
Apparently, something broke loose in the atmosphere because when I began to look around me, I saw others dancing, too. YES!! I don't know what I looked like up there or what anybody thought, but I do know that I did what God wanted me to do in that moment...and it felt so free.
This is what I was created for..to be a vessel used to usher in the presence of God. And guess what?!! You were created for this calling as well. Wow. I'm speechless.
The previous evening, Sean Feucht led an incredible time of worship and shared a word with us that 2011 was to be a year that we would truly mean what we said. As we sing our songs of praise to God, that each word spoken would resonate in our spirits and release us into walking in the freedom and liberty of Christ. I can tell you firsthand that this message has a powerful anointing on it, and I pray that each one of you will receive it right now as you read this post.
Each day, I am becoming more and more passionate in my calling to encourage the artistic heart of God's people to be drawn out, and I welcome your suggestions on topics for the upcoming year! But first, be on the lookout for some stripped down fundamentals all about the area of worship, including (hopefully) a debut here by my wonderful honey :) In the meantime, in case you didn't see this from the facebook page, here is a song that simply took my breath away as I reveled in the glory of God. And..he dances!
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Top image courtesy of Ben Bachman