Joints

"As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love." ~Ephesians 4:14-16

   Last week each track was sent out on "mini-outreach," where we each went to a different location to spread the love and joy and ministry of Jesus Christ. Our dance track went to a town 4 hours north of Alesund. It was quite beautiful-Norway's roads are incredible to travel on. You are driving right along the sea, watching the waters move in different directions. The mountains have snow covered peaks and are dotted with colorful homes and buildings. There's fishing gear along the coast, and thin, elegant trees all along the roads. Sometimes there was snow and ice as we traveled. Snow lying in long yellow and green grass in so beautiful! 
      While we were there, we were in charge of the program for a youth club on Friday night. The youth club is pretty much a youth group, though more open to non-Christians. This night we were doing a prophetic improv dance. This meant that Paulien had picked a song and we were going to dance to it, but we had no choreographed dance moves. We were just to move with the movements that were on our heart to do, or dance to whatever message or impression God would give us as we yielded ourselves and our bodies to Him. The night before, Thursday, we talked about who should do the dance. I suggested we practice what we'd been learning to do more-hear God's voice corporately  So we each prayed that night and in the morning, asking God who should do the dance. 
     We got together in the morning and each named who was put on our heart to dance. Everyone got someone different! One dancer, Emily, got a picture of a silhouette not a specific person. We asked, God spoke, now we needed clarity! So we prayed again for a few minutes. People still had the same people, but there was also this new sense of doing it together. God showed me all those who were named were supposed to do the dance, each of us showing a different part of God's heart. I was so pumped! God allowed me to understand that the silhouette Emily saw was displaying that anyone could dance, anyone could fill in that shape, because each would bring Jesus-we bring the same heart, but display different characteristics of God and different passions through each unique dancer. Then I realized how beautifully this all fit into the verses in Ephesians I had read earlier! God excites my heart when he puts these things together. :o) My head joins my heart and I am in unity with myself. (!)
     Friday night we danced, and it was such a glorious display of God's love for the youth there, our love for God, and the importance of each individual part-working together in love. I can't say every specific way the dance showed all of this-but God definitely knew what He was doing. ;o) At one point in the dance Emily came and started dancing with me, God had put on her heart the need of "connectedness." I too felt this need-my heart was moved to be there for my fellow brothers and sisters. I picked up Emily in my arms and spun with her. Our two dancers who were not presenting said that moment was very special. I love that I can create "special" moments with others for Jesus and because of Jesus! Every individual part is needed to work properly in our body of believers-every joint supplies a part of this body, with Christ as the head. Since being here at DTS God has just shown me with increasing clarity how much he roots for the individual within a community. (And the community supporting the individual-yep-it's a circle.) If you are a Christian, you are part of a beautiful family of special, united individuals. Believe it-receive it! Know-your joint counts! :o)