Daring To Dance With God

Read an Excerpt

Introduction

Don't you want to dance?

I do. I want to be swept away on a cloud of music and laughter. Iwant to experience the sheer bliss of waltzing and gliding acrossthe room to the sound of an orchestra in full swing. And not justwith anyone. No, I want to dance with the one who inventeddancing. I want to dance with God.

And guess what? He wants to dance with me.

And he wants to dance with you too.

This book is designed to help you hear and accept God'sinvitation. He's been offering it to any who will listen eversince Jesus paid the ultimate price on a hill outside Jerusalem.

But understand this: the dance to which God invites you is notone of the physical realm—moving your body is a snapcompared to getting your spirit's movement in time with God'stempo—no, the dance to which this book is dedicated is adance of the heart, a dance of the soul. It's a dance that willchange your life.

What's that you say? You've never considered dancing with God!

Maybe you've been persuaded that real Christians don't dance,that walking with Christ means sacrificing passion. Maybe you'vebelieved that fits of passionate praise or flights of spiritualbliss are fashionable only for new Christians or possibly forlate-night prayer sessions at a revival.

Or perhaps guilt and duty have come like masked bandits andstolen your joy. While you sing "Will It Do, PreciousLord?" these thieves whisper that it won't. Armed with oughtsand shoulds they drive many into quiet desperation. Whoamong us has not lain awake wondering, "If only I had donemore . . . "? After all, how dare we spend a moment smilingand dancing while others aredying lost? "Be ye joyfulalways" ends up being retranslated as "Grin and bear ittill Jesus comes."

Or possibly you're just plain scared. Exuberant expressions ofpraise and joy can rock a good, conservative Christian back onhis heels. And abuses of our freedom in worship have convincedsome believers that the Puritans were right: too much celebratingof God's goodness turns the spiritual brain to mush. EveryHallelujah! is another step on the path to "sloppyagape" and "cheap grace."

Those obstacles are familiar to me too. For a time they kept mefrom accepting his exciting invitation. Yet, late at night, inthe quiet of my heart, I couldn't stop wondering if there wasn'tsomething more—something fuller, richer, and deeper.

For a while I accepted my misery quietly and put aside any dreamsof dancing with God as fantasy. Don't pity me for this. You see,I had no idea how miserable I was. If you had asked about myburden, I would have responded like the country mule who, whenasked by the city mule how he stood the weight of the huge packon his back, replied, "What pack?" After all, fewaround me seemed to have any more joy than I. And the few who didwere suspect. They obviously didn't know that Christianity wasserious business.

But praise God for good news: the fruit of the Spirit is stilljoy. And we can and should experience it every day. What a reliefto know that we are not called to be miserable! If real joy isnot vibrantly alive in your faith each day, it's time youprotest. If you have shared the feeling that there must besomething more to your faith, take heart and read on.

But before you flip to the table of contents and look for achapter called "How to Get Happy Fast," understand thatno quick-fix formula for happiness can ever bring the depths ofspiritual joy that Paul describes as "peace that passesunderstanding." Spiritual freedom and renewal can only comethrough the power of the Spirit. God must be given free reign inour hearts to relight the flame and rekindle our delight. Only hecan transform a religious routine into a joyous ballet.

And he will only do it on his terms and at his tempo.

He demands that we open ourselves to the unexpected, theunpredictable, and even the unexplainable. The Bible is full ofinstances where God chose to work in outrageous and shockingways: Walls fell down. Water stood up. Bread sprang from theground. And the sun stood still.

And the days of his surprises are far from over.

So if you have grown accustomed to an orderly and predictableChristianity, I understand that turning the God of all creationloose within you can be an unsettling concept. But trust him. AsJesus said, he will not give you a snake if you ask for a fish.

Whether the well of your soul has been dry for a long time or youjust want a little more passion in your piety and spring in yourstep, renewal and refreshment are available if you will take timeto seek them. I pray that the simple biblical principles andsteps you'll find in this book will help you venture out onto thedance floor and into his arms.

I have divided this book into three sections. The first sharesthe five basic steps of celestial dancing. This may be especiallyhelpful to those who feel they've never experienced the depth ofGod's presence. Section two prescribes cures for five spiritualdiseases that can steal your joy and hinder your dance. Thosewho've been sidelined by guilt, tradition, pride, or fatigue willfind healing there. The final section addresses dances for themost difficult times in our lives—those times when dancingwith God seems virtually impossible. In short, the goal of thisbook is to open your eyes to the daring possibilities and thewonder of dancing with God. Take it as a gentle nudge, urging youonto the floor, encouraging you to take those first awkwardsteps. Soon you'll be swirling and twirling to the variousrhythms of life in the security of his arms.

So go ahead. Step into his embrace. He doesn't want us to bemiserable. He just wants to dance . . . with you!