There is something heartfelt and immediately piercing about praising God with movement. There is a part of ourselves, our physicality, that we have neglected in our worship. And because of it we have lost touch with our emotional souls; our movement and our emotions are intricately linked. It is hard to lie and keep the world out when you are engaged in authentic movement. I have found that some of my most honest and vulnerable moments have been when I have used movement as a form of worship. Our bodies, our movements, I think, are that last piece in our worship; the piece that connects it all together. I cannot express how freeing it is to use dance and movement to pray and worship God, and at the same time, I cannot express how hard it was to get to that place. It is not natural for us to be open and vulnerable with each other. It is not natural to be uninhibited in our emotion and movement. So we have learned to worship unnaturally: keeping everything inside locked up tight. But I don’t think God wants us to worship only with our voices; I think we glorify Him most when we are authentic and honest with each other. And I think that we could do that better if we all learned to move a little more; to dance a little more. David danced, after all, as did Jesus. So why can’t we?
I just love hearing Hill sing. She is a wonder and a unique! Her voice is like a tapestry, with its many layers and there is a soulfulness to her delivery that draws me into worship. She and her husband Dominic are CA project leaders in Aix en Provence at a church called International Christian Community of Provence (ICCP).
She also operates a business there that is fantastic - I feel no hesitation plugging it for her. It is called WineInProvence and is ranked #1 for Things to Do in Aix en Provence and the greater Provence region by Trip Adviser. Here is their website: Wine in Provence
The video below was produced by one of my colleagues in Madrid, Spain, Kelly Crull. Their project (called Decoupage) seeks to reach out and live out tangible gestures of love to the artistic community of that amazing city. Kelly shared the same story at our last event and I am so please to be able to push it out a bit. I really think you'll be amazed!
Here's a question I am interested in: What books, articles or blogs have you seen or read that address the arts and creativity in the church (besides Art and the Bible by Francis Schaeffer)?
I really liked how we talked about the tragic gap in class today and finding the middle ground between being a cynic and idealist. It’s too easy to become engulfed by the bad and lose sight of the good, or on the other hand to focus only on the hope and good and ignore the pain that is so real and thriving. One of our visitors in class today talked about entering into the pain and while you keep sight of the hope, it is important to recognize how real the hurting is.
This is difficult at times for me. I am in my senior year and don’t know what I’ll be doing after college. It’s not that I don’t have any ideas; it’s just that I have so many of them and I’m not sure where to start. My major is music ministry and while I love being involved, this probably wouldn’t be a career for me. I’d like to work a little in health care, especially assisted living homes. For some time I have also been interested in going into music therapy. I would love to work with both children and adults and help those people who do not have the ability to easily express themselves in writing or through speech. For so many of them, music is something that just clicks. It is remarkable to watch these people who struggle so much in everyday life become truly alive through music. The hesitation is in opening myself up to all the pain. We talked about compassion fatigue and that is a big struggle for me. God is always with us and for that I am daily thankful. I know if this is where He leads me, then He will help me make it through. It’s easier said than done. There won’t always be good results and it might not seem like I’m doing much. Sometimes trust is one of the most challenging things.
I came across this of my daughter on the net and thought I would pass it along. I know you will probably think this next statement is biased, but she is beautuful in every way! If you knew her, you would excitedly agree! I hope you like the clip.
These are the coolest and eeriest pictures of winter along the Spokane River. The river is absolutely raging right now creating a misting effect over the falls. That coupled with the current cold snap has created some amazing images. You can check the article out at Spokesman Review.
Robi and I went to a movie a few nights ago entitled “Get Low.”
It’s a bit of an Indie film starring Robert Duval.
The story revolves around the character Duval plays who
happens to be a recluse. What he wants is a funeral, but not your normal
funeral.He want to have one before
he dies. Something that many of us might want…to be spotlighted before we
stop breathing.The problem,
however, is he can’t find anybody to talk at the funeral–at least positively.He has been a crotchety old geezer for
too long…or so it seems.
Without giving away the powerful center of the movie, let me
say that there are incredibly powerful themes about shame, guilt and
restitution and finally forgiveness. When the movie ended Robi and I sat in utter
silence because we were so moved. It is definitely worth watching and has astonishingly redemptive accents.
Walter Brueggemann: The Prophetic Imagination, 2nd Edition I love Brueggemann's thoughts and writing. I read this book years ago and just finished reading it again with my Theo-Reading Group. One of the most helpful books on discerning how the prophetic works both biblically and practically. (*****)
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