Wednesday, March 14, 2007

I Hope You Dance . . .


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/04/arts/dance/04bloo.html?ex=1330664400&en=e656267965d6caa2&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

If there's one thing I wish I'd done in my childhood that I didn't do, it's DANCE. I love dance--mostly watching it, since I feel a little inferior about it (being raised in a non-dancing church, you see). I LOVE dance movies, I love ballroom dance, I love dancing around the house. No, not hoochie-coochie dancing, but the kind of dance that expresses joy in movement and in simply being alive.

The above link is to a New York Times article on praise dance. I love it. When I occasionally traveled with Women of Faith a few years back, one of my favorite parts of the program was when Thelma Wells' daughters would do a praise dance. They are professionally trained dancers, and their presentation was simply beautiful. Reverent. Lovely.

So enjoy the article . . . and I hope you dance! In heaven, I'm signing up for a thousand years of ballet.

~~Angie

4 comments:

Caitriona said...

We love to dance to the Lord in our kitchen and living room. Some friends back up north do quite a bit of praise dance!
DANCE on with abandon!
C.

Anonymous said...

Angie, I got this from Judy G.(you know who)just this morning.


Dancing With God
When I meditated on the word Guidance,
I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word.
I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.
The movement doesn't flow with the music,
and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.
When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead,
both bodies begin to flow with the music.
One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back
or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another.
It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.
The dance takes surrender, willingness,
and attentiveness from one person
and gentle guidance and skill from the other.
My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.
When I saw "G: I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i".
"God, "u" and "i" dance."
God, you, and I dance.
As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust
that I would get guidance about my life.
Once again, I became willing to let God lead.
My prayer for you today is that God's blessings
and mercies be upon you on this day and everyday.
May you abide in God as God
abides in you.
Dance together with God, trusting God to lead
and to guide you through each season of your life.
This prayer is powerful and there is nothing attached.
If God has done anything for
you in your life,
please share this message with someone else,
for prayer is one of the best gifts we can receive.
There is no cost but a lot of rewards;
so let's continue to pray for one another.
And I Hope You Dance.

My thoughts added:
So, I say let's all dance.

On another note, close all the blinds and curtains, put on an oldie like Jerry Lee Lewis and dance your heart and pounds away - great aerobic exercise!

Anonymous said...

One of my favorite dance movies is "Strictly Ballroom." I have it on video and watch it whenever the mood strikes. I also love the dancing in the old movie musicals.

I also just discovered another recent and wonderful dance movie which I've ordered in a cleaned up version (since the original had some very intense language problems). Can't wait to watch it again!

Kay Day said...

I love to dance before the Lord - believe me, no one else wants to see it!