Dear Ministers...

 

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. ~ Gal. 6:10 (NIV)

Dear Ministers:

     God sees how you dressed in your frocks, cassocks, class A’s, suits, and  robes, smiled nice and preached a good word on Sunday mornings, and then talked about the people horribly afterwards. 

     You’re human. He understands. People have problems, they can be difficult to deal with. They are all kinds of things. 

     But... He’s not pleased.  One good thing about churches mostly being closed is that a lot of the people you look on with disdain are not presently being subjected to your mishandling. It’s for their benefit as well as yours.               

     When the church doors reopen, some will return because of loyalty, some will come back because they don’t know any better, and some will choose to stay away because they have had an entire year to see you as you really are, human. They will pray for you and move on. They will pray that you see the light, and they will pray that you learn to love those who are not like you. Then, you will see the Kingdom of God. 

Selah.

Selah...Pause, and Reflect!

   

I cried to the LORD with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah

Psalm 3:4 (NKJV)

     Selah is a mysterious word, found only in the book of Psalms. But what does it really mean?

Selah may be a marker of a mood shift, or a transition in thought. Selah may mean to hang, referring to measuring something by hanging it on a scale to determine its value. Selah’s consonants may be an acrostic signifying either change of voices or repeat from the beginning.(1)

     For the first time in our lives, this coming Easter/Resurrection Day will be done very differently. Due to the pandemic and chain of tragic events, churches cannot meet as usual. There has been a definite mood shift, a transition in thought. We now have time think about the things we have been doing, and consider our need to continue or even stop. The elaborate programs that we spent weeks preparing, will not be held, at least not right now. We pray for God to show mercy on us, and that He would remove the plague from our lands. Hopefully, we have taken time to pause...and reflect.  One day, churches will reopen and people will begin to gather again. Some of us will pick up our routines where we left them, and present our programs on another day. Or will we? Have we learned anything? Will we do things differently, or go back to business as usual? Here are some things to consider:

     Not by our choreography, beautiful garments, dynamic flagging, dance theology and flawless technique or lack of it..not whether we call what we do ministry or performance, what colors we wear...mattahs or crowns, whether we wear shoes or dance barefoot...everyone will know that we are Christ's followers because of the way we love one another. The way we are kind, truly uplifting, and encouraging. The way leaders treat their groups in public as well as behind the scenes when no one is looking, the way we handle money with integrity and honesty, the way we relate to other ministries who are more or less accomplished than we are. It’s about doing away with elitist attitudes and competitive mindsets, because there's room for everyone. It’s not our place to determine who God called or not, it's The Holy Spirit's job to set people apart at their appointed time. How many have we wounded because of our disdain towards those who didn't measure up to our standards when we saw them dance?

     Let's go back to the heart of worship and love others...treating them as we want to be treated. The white elephant has been sitting in the room for a long time and we have been dancing around him. He’s in our way! Let’s move him out and make room for The Holy Spirit to move as He pleases, through us all!

___________________________

Footnote: (1) www.praypsalms.org. "What Does Selah Mean?"

Each One, Teach One...Don't Forget the Teens!

   

You are my king and my God; you give victory to your people.

Psalm 44:4 (GNT)

     A recent video from a church service in a large metropolitan area has gone viral. In this video, several young ladies dressed in fatigue t-shirts and jeans are dancing to Jay-Z's The Story of O.J.. In fairness, I went on You Tube, objectively watched the music video and carefully listened to the lyrics in order to express an informed opinion about what I was seeing and hearing, as we were required to as college students when we had to attend dance concerts, view films, watch plays, and read articles, some of which we agreed with and some which we did not. We still had to look for certain elements that stood out to us, find the message the artist was attempting to convey, and determine its relevance for the time in which it was expressed.  Art can be very controversial, and its inherent value often lies in its ability to make people uncomfortable.
     Does this mean that The Story of O.J. belongs in a house of worship? Definitely not. However, I understand Jay-Z's cultural references employing black & white cartoon characters to portray Nina Simone singing Four Women, as well as social commentary surrounding racism, colonialism, colorism, the whole dilemma of O.J. Simpson forgetting where he came from, the Heisman trophy debacle,  and no matter how many touchdowns he scored, and what he did (or didn't) get away with, society still sees him as a "------", as well as the rest of those who need to be put in remembrance. He addresses economic disparities between the Jewish community and African-Americans and why many of us are still impoverished, the systematic murders of young black males, and the gentrification of Brooklyn and eventually, Queens. Jay-Z informs his audience that he has taken advantage of his own financial opportunties and put his money to work for him, allowing his money to turn over, make more money, and successfully fund his own work, evidenced in record breaking sales of his album weeks before its official release date. He clearly made his point.
     Young people listen to Jay-Z and can relate to his music, and while the church is in an uproar about the pastor using this medium to preface his sermon, were there more appropriate songs that could have been chosen to get the point across? Probably so. But more importantly, what message is being taught to the youth who were part of the sermonic presentation? Could things have been done differently?
     What more of our churches could possibly do better is to listen to the youth, hear what they are saying, offer intelligent and non-judgmental, biblical answers to their questions and show them something other than the duplicity they have been so accustomed to seeing from many of us. We can see the inappropriateness in much of what they do, but we can't blame teens for what they don't know when it's our responsibility to teach them, or expect for every young person to change what they are doing simply because we disagree with it. Imagine what our churches would look like if each of us who were concerned about what's happening with the youth could become a mentor, a teacher, or a Christlike example to one or two young ladies or young men? Suppose ministers really considered the content of what they allow in the sanctuary when trying to creatively prove a point? What could happen if we really understand what it means to be led by The Holy Spirit everything that we do?
    There are no simple answers to any of these questions, because in reality, we don't all read our Bibles the same way and no matter what anyone says, there will always be someone who can find ways to justify what they are doing, and many more who will support the actions of those who do.
Art is a powerful tool for communicating The Good News of Christ. Let's be responsible and learn how to use it correctly, and as we do, give the youth an opportunity to learn and grow along with us!
   

   
   

Put it in Writing!

The Lord gave me this answer: “Write down clearly on tablets what I reveal to you, so that it can be read at a glance. ~Habakkuk 2:2 (GNT)

     Wow! It's been like forever since I've blogged, but I kept my promise to only post when I had something to say. I was appointed as dance ministry leader at church, so we have been working on getting our ministry revamped, up and running since the beginning of this year and are off to a great start.
     There is a lot of good information online and in books about how to get a dance ministry started in your church, so I won't restate everything, but I will share about the process that we went through. First, we approached our pastor and asked permission to have a dance ministry; he in turn referred us to the Minister of Music. After much prayer and several planning meetings to discuss the vision, mission, purpose and scope of the ministry, including our name, I was formally introduced to the church as the leader of the new dance ministry and we started sign-ups at our information table that included brochures, information flyers, streaming video and treats for anyone who came by with questions.
     Next, we e-mailed everyone who signed up to notify them of our start-up date with all pertinent information as to what to expect, what to wear, and what we would be doing at our first meeting. At our first rehearsal, we introduced the vision again, had prayer, scripture reading, and did a short warm-up and combination to get an idea of what people would do with movement they were given. We chose not to  have auditions for our ministry.
    This leads to the one of the most important parts of getting a dance ministry started, which is having a ministry handbook that clearly states all expectations, rehearsal times, dress code, code of conduct, and any other important information that you want dancers to know. They can refer to the handbook at any time if issues arise. Your handbook should always be reviewed by the leaders you work with, in our case, Minister of Music and Senior Pastor for approval, and any revisions are always to be checked in with them. The reason for this is, in case of a conflict, everyone has the same information and all resolutions will be fair and "by the book".
     It probably will take many weeks to develop your handbook, so take your time, make sure everything in it is biblical, practical, reasonable, and agrees with the vision and core values of the church you attend.  Make sure you are completely familiar with the doctrines and practices of your church so that you don't incorporate elements that are not part of their regime, although you can refer to other ministry handbooks to see how they are arranged, and the types of information they contain. Be comprehensive without being too lengthy.  Make certain that your handbook is written to accommodate basic reading and comprehension levels. If you need help in editing, ask someone to look over your draft before submitting it for approval and revisions.  You can also add clip art or pictures to give your handbook more eye appeal. In the back of your handbook, have two copies of your ministry agreement page, one signed copy for your files, and that remains in the book. If there are minors in your ministry, make sure that a parent or guardian also signs the agreement. Please note that a signature is neither a contract or binding legal document. It simply indicates that they have read the handbook, and agree to abide by the rules of the ministry.
    You will find that putting all expectations for your dance ministry in writing helps to maintain a safe environment and keeps a level playing field for everyone, including the leaders. In this way, all are held accountable to the same rules. So...put it in writing!
    Please enjoy the first ministry presentation from Resurrection Sunday by A.C.T.S. of Grace Liturgical Dance Ministry:

   

Happy New Year!

Happy 2017! I took a break from blogging, but I'm back! I promise to be more present this year. Here is a repost from last January. Keep worshiping Christ!

   If you won’t plow in the cold, you won’t eat at the harvest.

Proverbs 20:4 (TLB)

 I recently attended a program where someone I knew was going to minister in praise dance. We both knew that she had a love for dance, and was called to dance for the Lord, but had challenges with taking advantage of available resources that would help her learn more about what she was called to do. Her work and life schedule was extremely busy, so she bought a DVD to work on at home and never got around to it. Every time she was invited to a workshop or class, she was always doing something else...still she had a love and a calling to dance.
     At the program, she was beautifully attired and had prepared her heart with prayer. The music started, and then something went wrong. She froze. Not knowing what to do, she began moving randomly and nervously until the music finished. That had to have been one of the longest 5 minutes of her life!
     Afterwards, she realized what had gone wrong. She hadn't prepared herself  with knowledge beforehand. All of the opportunities she had to learn about her ministry weren't taken seriously. Although she meant well, the message didn't get to the people due to lack of preparation. That day, she learned that it takes more than emotion to bring a message in public ministry. We can all learn a lesson from that experience.
     In the first week of the New Year, let's prepare ourselves for what we plan to do. If a class is needed, please go. If there are no local classes or transportation available, many ministries offer DVD's for sale at reasonable prices. If funds are tight, There are short instructional videos on YouTube that can be watched for free. There's never an excuse for lack of preparation! Even on short notice, if you have been practicing already, you can minister a dance with God's guidance based on what you already know, that will bless people. If you are really serious about ministry, you'll find a way to prepare yourself to be effective, or wait until you can make the time commitment. You don't have to be a professional dancer to minister in dance, but it's necessary to know something about what you are doing, so that your message is clear. Very few people are able to do this without some type of basic knowledge of movement. But, if you want to learn, there is lots of information that is easy to find. (You can type in "dance ministry instruction" in your web browser or on You Tube, and many pages will come up). If you are looking for dance ministry resources, please look at some of the links on the blog page that may be of interest. Be prepared in 2016!

     Here is a wonderful example of what being prepared for ministry looks like: Please enjoy the 13:46 Dance Ensemble from Maryland!

   

Be Careful...

   

      By now, most of us in the worship community have heard the announcement from Israel Hougton about recent events in his life. The responses from many in the church range from support and prayer to downright condemnation, while others are not quite sure what to do. But I have news...God has already told us what to do.

     In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul speaks about the Israelites who followed Moses and the consequences of their actions that displeased God. They all started with the same spiritual food and drink, but somewhere along the way they started doing their own thing, which caused calamity to come upon them. After describing their fate, Paul reminds us that what happened to them were examples written down as warnings for us, and the modern language tells us to check ourselves if we think we are standing. In other words, if any of us feels that we would never do any of the things that the Israelites were involved in, think again...

  

 These things happened to them as examples for us.

They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.

If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

~1 Cor 10:11-13 (NLT)

     There is nothing that one individual has gone through at one time that hasn't happened to another. Only God knows why people make the bad decisions that they make, even when a way of the situation is always available. It's not our job to figure that out for anyone, but it is ours to learn from their mistakes. It's not our place to censor or judge them, it's our place to humble ourselves and remember that the same thing can happen to us. No rational thinking person wakes up one morning and decides to do something that will destroy their family, ruin their reputation, and bring their ministry down. There is always a path to destruction that starts at a blind spot. What's yours? 

     Avoid the temptation to speculate, tear down or have a "holier-than-thou" attitude when you hear about someone who has sinned. The enemy is always looking for opportunities to knock us down from our high place. He's looking for you, too. He's watching to see what he can use, who he can send your way to take you out and shame you. He hates the worship of God; He hates God and all people; He hates when people worship God. His goal is to steal, kill and destroy completely, including those who lead others to worship God. Don't help the enemy!

     Selah…

   

Be Prepared!

Happy 2017! I took a break from blogging, but I'm back! I promise to be more present this year. Here is a repost from last January. Keep worshiping Christ!

   If you won’t plow in the cold, you won’t eat at the harvest.

Proverbs 20:4 (TLB)

 I recently attended a program where someone I knew was going to minister in praise dance. We both knew that she had a love for dance, and was called to dance for the Lord, but had challenges with taking advantage of available resources that would help her learn more about what she was called to do. Her work and life schedule was extremely busy, so she bought a DVD to work on at home and never got around to it. Every time she was invited to a workshop or class, she was always doing something else...still she had a love and a calling to dance.
     At the program, she was beautifully attired and had prepared her heart with prayer. The music started, and then something went wrong. She froze. Not knowing what to do, she began moving randomly and nervously until the music finished. That had to have been one of the longest 5 minutes of her life!
     Afterwards, she realized what had gone wrong. She hadn't prepared herself  with knowledge beforehand. All of the opportunities she had to learn about her ministry weren't taken seriously. Although she meant well, the message didn't get to the people due to lack of preparation. That day, she learned that it takes more than emotion to bring a message in public ministry. We can all learn a lesson from that experience.
     In the first week of the New Year, let's prepare ourselves for what we plan to do. If a class is needed, please go. If there are no local classes or transportation available, many ministries offer DVD's for sale at reasonable prices. If funds are tight, There are short instructional videos on YouTube that can be watched for free. There's never an excuse for lack of preparation! Even on short notice, if you have been practicing already, you can minister a dance with God's guidance based on what you already know, that will bless people. If you are really serious about ministry, you'll find a way to prepare yourself to be effective, or wait until you can make the time commitment. You don't have to be a professional dancer to minister in dance, but it's necessary to know something about what you are doing, so that your message is clear. Very few people are able to do this without some type of basic knowledge of movement. But, if you want to learn, there is lots of information that is easy to find. (You can type in "dance ministry instruction" in your web browser or on You Tube, and many pages will come up).
     If you are looking for dance ministry resources, please look at some of the links on the blog page that may be of interest. Be prepared in 2016!