Mission/Values – Worship Dance Ministries

Align Yourself with God’s Purpose for your Dance in 2016

Position your dance ministry for greater impact in 2016.

Join me as I host Marlita Hill, author of the revelatory book, Dancers Assume the Position.

Ministry comes through your dance and provides something specific to God, the individuals watching you, the church you serve in, and the body of Christ at-large. However, ministry does not happen through dance just because you are dancing. In this four-part teleseminar, Marlita Hill will share from her book, Dancers! Assume the Position, to help you:

– Construct a clear picture of the your ministry as a dancer

– Identify the mindset necessary for effective ministry

– Collaborate with God in the various areas of your ministry, including songs choices, choreography, and ministry opportunities

– Clearly trace what the dancer contributes to God, the individual, the congregation, and the body of Christ

– Draw a clear distinction between the activity of dance and ministering through dance, so that God can minister through you, unhindered, and in the fullness of His power.

Fortify your assignment for 2016 with the support and encouragement of a seasoned teacher and fellow dancers.

Join us for this first complementary class or register for the full 4-part series.

When:
Saturdays: January 30, February 6, 13, 20 7:30 – 9:00 AM PST, 10:30 AM-12:00 PM EST

Where:

On your phone or computer (just dial or link in)

register free teleseminar — Click to register for the first class for free

Ten Things Worship Dancers can Learn from the School Dance Team

This weekend I went to watch the local high school dance team perform. They had advertised in the local paper. We’re new in town, so I don’t exactly have a full social calendar, the ticket price was right, and I love dance in most forms, so off I went. Their performance inspired me, made me think, and convicted me as well. So, I’ll be writing a 3-part blog post this week:

Part I – Ten Things Worship Dancers can Learn from the School Dance Team.

Part II – What I Wish Every Dance Team Member Knew

Part III – What We Worship Dance Leaders Can Learn from the School Dance Team Continue reading “Ten Things Worship Dancers can Learn from the School Dance Team”

How Do You Know if You are Called to Dance?

Are you called to dance ministry? How do you know if you are called? What if you aren’t called? In this 6 minute video, I teach from Lynn Hayden’s DVD “Called to Dance” (available at www.dancingforhim.com) where Pastor Lynn shares her own testimony of being called to dance, helps worship dancers answer the question, “Am I called to dance?” and answers many other questions that dancers have asked her over the years. In this video, I share teaching from “Called to Dance” as well as my own testimony of being called to dance.

At the heart of this video and of being called to dance is being in relationship with God and being in His presence. If we spend time dancing before the Lord in private, it will show when we dance in front of others.

I’ll be creating weekly 4-6 minute videos with teachings from the Dancing for Him course I am taking this year. If you would like to receive notices about these uploads, getting bite sized teachings on dance technique and dance ministry leadership, subscribe to my YouTube Channel.

What I can offer you

I was recently challenged to really consider the people I’m called to serve, what their needs are, and how the gifts and experiences God has given me can benefit them. I started writing and, right away, it was like God was pouring into me what He wanted me to offer you. So, take a look at the questions below. If one of them speaks to you, I believe the Lord has given me something to offer you. Read more to find out what that is.

1. Do you know and love Jesus and have a longing to dance but doubt you are qualified?

2. Do you have years of dance training that you want to learn to use to honor the Lord?

3. Have you been trained in the art of dance, its biblical basis, and are you experienced in leading others?

4. Last but definitely not least, are you a parent with a child who loves to dance who wants to nurture their love for dance in a Christ-centered environment?

1. Do you know and love Jesus and have a longing to dance but doubt you are qualified? Let me first say to you that you are not too old or too young to bless the Lord by dancing before Him. You don’t have to have years of training to join the dance. You can begin right where you are at. What you think is clumsy and awkward is a beautiful offering to the Lord, if it is offered in love to Him. You are more graceful and beautiful thank you know. Your dance can soften hearts, move mountains, and invite the presence of the Lord.

I specialize in choreographing simple movements than anyone can use to worship the Lord. That’s how I was invited into the dance. A woman, who used simple everyday movements in her choreography, invited men, women and children of every age and skill level to join in worshiping the Lord through dance. So, that is my passion, to activate others who have a heart for dance and don’t yet have the movement vocabulary to express it.

I’m working on a project right now called “Worship in Motion – Devotional Dances.” These simple dances have been designed so that anyone can do them in the morning hours to offer their bodies to the Lord.

Also, if you live near me, watch for local workshops. I have one this weekend. Learn more here. Whether you want to learn to worship the Lord in private or have a desire to lead the congregation as a worship dancer, you will go home equipped with new vocabulary, biblical understanding, and tools for worship.

2. Do you have years of dance training that you want to learn to use to honor the Lord? I can teach you the biblical basis for dance and the heart of worship dance. In my worship dance curriculum “And a Child Shall Lead Them – Ten Worship Dance Lessons for Children,” I instruct teachers, leaders, and parents how to lay a biblical foundation for dance for their children, how to build a vocabulary of worship, how to dance the scriptures, and how to keep a kingdom mindset through it all. The book has clear lesson objectives, lists of songs to choose from, photos, lists additional resources, and two short videos that come with it that include teaching by me, live footage from my classes, and photos of signs and gestures that you can incorporate in your own choreography to tell God’s stories. You can take this curriculum, add dance technique teaching, and have a rich, Christ-centered worship dance curriculum.
In addition, if you live local to me, I would love to partner with you in dance workshops. I would love to partner with someone who could offer more dance technique while I teach the biblical aspect of dance, dance ministry, and simple movements to use in worship.

3. Have you been trained in the art of dance, its biblical basis, and are you experienced in leading others? Praise God. I invite you to come alongside me as I invite others into the dance. I love to connect new worship dancers with the people and resources to help them grow. I know I don’t have it all, and I love to work with others who have skills and knowledge that can help me and others. I would love to partner with you in equipping women and children to worship through dance. (By the way, I know worship dance isn’t just for women and children. It’s just that I feel especially called to this group of people because who I am, how I dance, and what the Lord has put on my heart.) Let’s share resources and ideas. Let’s get connected if we aren’t already on Facebook. Comment on my blog, share your wisdom and expertise and invite others to your website. Let me know if you would be open to being interviewed for my blog.

4. Last but definitely not least, are you a parent with a child who loves to dance who wants to nurture their love for dance in a Christ-centered environment? Get my worship dance curriculum, “And a Child Shall Lead Them – Ten Worship Dance Lessons for Children.” I wrote this book for people like you. While I have sold many of these to dance ministry leaders, you were on my heart and mind when I wrote it. This book was written for parents to use at home to lay a biblical foundation for dance with their children and to invite the joy that comes through dancing Jesus into your home. The lesson plans are laid out for you. The movements are simple. There are pictures and videos to guide you. And you can even hand the book to your older child and let them go.

If you live near Sherwood, Oregon, of course, take a look at the classes I offer locally. They are a joy. Here’s what one mother said and it captures what I pray happens in the classes I teach: “I cannot begin to tell you how much my daughter enjoyed the dance class. She came home dancing every week! It was so worshipful and wholesome….the perfect way to experience dance in a Christ-centered environment.”

If one of those questions described you, let me know. Share in the comment section, let me know more about what your needs are. As the Lord opens doors, I would love to serve you.

Our Advent Worship Dance – 4 Things I Learned

The dance team that I lead at Sherwood Presbyterian Church had the privilege of dancing in worship last Sunday. We danced to a song called, “And a Child Will Lead” by a friend and one of my favorite artists, Douglas Eltzroth. It was such a joy and an honor, and the Lord taught me some important lessons in the process. Here they are:

1) Sometimes Less is More: The last two times we danced, we had 8 dancers, this time I started with only myself and 3 others. I couldn’t help wondering if it would be a bit of a letdown for the congregation, if we were going backwards as a ministry. But I chose to take to heart and rest in something I heard Pastor Lynn Hayden of Dancing for Him Ministries teach: We need listen to the Lord about each dance, not thinking we have to out do each previous dance, but knowing God works uniquely in each one. Of course, He did have a perfect plan for this dance. Because there were only four of us, I had more time to work with each person on the team. We got to really work through the kinks in the dance. Scheduling was much simpler. We were able to schedule an extra rehearsal easily when we found we needed it. There was an intimacy, focus, and unity to this group that was powerful as well as a joy for me as a leader. In this case, the Lord chose a small group, and less was more.

2) Trust the Holy Spirit with the Choreography and Dancers: I saw the Holy Spirit working through the process of choreographing and forming this dance. When I first envisioned thus dance, I saw five dancers (working with an odd number often works better with staging), including a young child. But four agreed to dance, the two children were more young ladies than small children. The young child I felt would be perfect couldn’t commit to the rehearsal schedule and so declined my invitation. So I choreographed for four. I loved what God have me for the four of us. Two weeks before dancing, I could still see this young dancer in the final part of the dance. Her part would be short and simple, but powerful. So I asked her mother again if this young girl might be up for participating in the last few rehearsals. She was delighted. When she entered, she commanded the stage and there was a collective gasp from the congregation. Something about this young girl who danced with power added a critical element to the dance. The Lord knew what He was doing all along. She didn’t need to be at all the rehearsals (in fact her absence freed the rest of us to work our our parts of the dance). She was available when we needed her and completed the dance. Choreography is a process, The Lord doesn’t reveal everything at once, but he knows what He is doing. I learned to trust Him and be flexible.

3) The Devil is in the Details, so Be Diligent about Details: If we have prepared well in the large things, the Enemy will try to derail us through the small things. Because of some complicated staging issues with the worship team, we decided not to do a run through of the dance on stage the morning of our worship dance. We warmed up and practiced in another room. I gave my iPod with the song to the sound tech and talked him through all the details about what we needed from him. But I didn’t have him run a sound check. I know, you’re thinking, “Are you kidding? What were you thinking?” Honestly, I think it was the people pleaser I me that didn’t want to trouble him. (Satan know our weaknesses) The sound tech didn’t think we needed to play the song, and I went along with that, not wanting to be a pest. When it was time to dance and he started the song, the music was barely audible. The sound technician raised the volume, but we had missed the 8 counts of the song. The song had a dramatic beginning, one I was not willing to miss (one that isn’t recorded on the video – another lesson for me about details). I did not let this derail us, though. Without flinching, grimacing, or showing distress or annoyance, I turned around and said, “Can you back it up, please?” We started over, and it was quickly forgotten. Nonetheless, it was a lesson for me: Do a sound check, always. Don’t leave room for the enemy to bring trouble.

4) God is Greater than the Details and Greater than the Enemy. The dance had the impact we prayed for. The team loved dancing, we worshiped, Jesus was present, and ministry happened. A first-time visitor at our church approached one team member afterwards, hugged her, and said, “I’ve always wanted to see a worship dance.” The Lord prepared a gift for this visitor long before she visited. Not only that, the woman asked the team member (for whom I had prayed that morning that the Lord would encourage her that day and affirm her as a dancer), “Have you been dancing ever since you were a little girl?”

A man in our congregation said to me, “Dance has never really spoken to me, but what you do with the children moves me deeply. I can’t really explain it.” The Lord had been present and had touched him through the dance.

In I John 4:4 it is written, “Greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world.” God is greater than the enemy and His grace covers our shortcomings. He desires to touch and bless people through the dance, and if we are submitted to Him, His purposes prevail even if not every details is perfect. Glory to Him.

What has the Lord taught you recently about preparing to minister? Please share in the comments (the comment button is at top, just before article). I would love to hear, and it will help others.

The choreography for this advent dance was inspired by the dance on the Veils and Dance DVD

Is God tapping you on the shoulder?

I used to think that prayer was about me tapping a very busy God on the shoulder and saying, “Lord, _______ is hurting. Please heal her,” or, ‘Lord, __________ is under spiritual attack. Please defend him.” But I’m learning that prayer is more about God tapping a very busy me on the shoulder and saying, “Amy, I want to heal ___________ and I want you to speak it into being.” Or, “Amy, _____________ is under spiritual attack. I’m ready to release power, and I want you to declare my victory in his life.”

When a friend and teacher, Cathy, shared this understanding of prayer with me, it changed the way I prayed. I began to see that prayer is not so much about me convincing God to act in the world as it is about me releasing the authority He has given me through Jesus to bring about His kingdom, to do the good works He stands ready to do in people’s lives.

In John 5:19,20, Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.”

In light of this, prayer is more about listening to the Father to find out what He wants to do, and then speaking it into being. If I am willing to listen, to be attentive for that tap on the shoulder, that quiet thought that pops into my mind, for that nudging of the Spirit, I get to be the vehicle He uses to bring healing, deliverance, encouragement, provision that He wants released in someone’s life.

Listening in prayer is much more of a challenge to me than talking. Early on in my marriage, my husband admitted that he didn’t really like praying with me sometimes because I pray so long. Ouch. That hurt. My husband is much less wordy than I am in prayer. Instead, he spends more time listening to God. When he does speak, his prayers are powerful and effective. From him, and from my friend Cathy, I’m learning to listen for what the Father is up to. Instead of telling God what I need Him to do in someone’s life, I need to listen for what He wants to do into their lives. Then I can pray with confidence, speaking into being His plans to bring about His Kingdom. Sometimes a scripture comes to my mind and I pray it for a person. Other times, I don’t hear anything specific. In those times, I can just say, “Lord, I say ‘Yes,’ to whatever you are doing in that person’s life.”

Some of you have shared specific prayer requests with me, and I am praying for you. I’m working on not just voicing my hopes for you, but listening to what the Father is doing in your life. If you would like me to pray for you, please let me know.

Thank you to those of you who are praying for the dance classes I am teaching now. I have sensed God’s Spirit at work through your prayers.

Let me know how I can pray for you.

God has called me to lead a prayerful dance ministry. One of my favorite verses is John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

When and only when we stay close to Jesus and His word, we bear fruit in ministry and in our personal lives. That’s what I want – fruit (lives changed, Jesus’s character and love revealed) that will last.

My focus over the next month in Worship Dance Ministries is going to be teaching on prayer and on praying.

I think it’s an incredible privilege to be able to secure help from the God of the whole universe and even greater honor and responsibility to speak His will into being in the lives of others through prayer. God has given us access to all the riches of His power and authority through prayer in Jesus’ name. I love that.

I pray for you in a general way, if you have subscribed to Worship Dance Ministries. If you would like prayer for something specific, please let me know.

If you pray for me this week, please pray for God’s Spirit to work in a special way among the children to whom I’m teaching worship dance right now.