Dancing

If A Tree Falls Down… Am I Still A Hippie?

Posted on by lainamunoz

This blog is brought to you today by the letter ‘P’ and by conversations with Krysia.

Hillsong College and Church is as inspiring as it is challenging. My faith has been polished and solidified in many ways, one of which is my belief in creation and heaven. This week my goal for writing was to order my thoughts enough to explain some things that are dear to me and invite you to share your thoughts as well.

I find several of our favorite verses to quote from the Bible are often the beginning of beautiful passages that we remove from their context; not always, but sometimes we do; and sometimes we miss the point.

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18 (Such a pretty verse, often quoted to make you feel good about life when you’re going through crappy times)

But then we look a little further down…

“For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.” Romans 8:19-21 (NIV)

To this passage my friend posed the question, ‘what does it mean for creation to wait for G-d’s children to be revealed? Is creation waiting on US, do the trees know more than we do?’ (ish). I responded instantly but I don’t think I knew what I was talking about until half way through what I was saying. I told her that I think it means creation itself knows who the worshippers are and when they will be born. I think some foliage might be waiting for the right photographer to be born so that it can start growing because it knows at some point they will collide and together create an image that will draw multitudes to worship. I think some birds hum specific songs in worship to G-d in front of specific people, songwriters, who will notice and translate it to human terms. I think heaven is a lot closer than we think. We know that we will worship fully there – but maybe creation has already figured out how to worship fully HERE.

“All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.” Selah” Psalms 66:4 (ESV)

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.” Psalms 19:1 (ESV)

In Teamnight Thursday we saw images of snow being blown over the road by the wind. The question asked to US is, do we dance when no one is watching? The snow dances across the road and I can’t help but believe it is in praise to the One who created it uniquely, and not for a show for man but for G-d alone, not for instagram. Nature in many different forms has found it way to praise G-d.

If a tree falls down in the forest and no one is around to hear it, is it still worship?

Have WE dulled down the cries of creation to a human sound? When a tree falls is it because it is so moved at what G-d is doing in the earth that it has to bow before Him? An avalanche is nothing more to us than the sound of a mountain shifting and snow falling at 200 miles per hour (320KM) but is that really just the way the snow knows how to cry out?

I’ve always veered more towards the side of being a hippie and I know that… but something inside me likes to believe that just maybe heaven isn’t this far off place in the clouds but possibly it looks more like a redeemed earth. Maybe heaven looks like US joining with an ALREADY CONSISTENTLY PRAISING creation to be with G-d and give Him all the praise He deserves.

What does a redeemed earth look like? What is dirt when it is no longer dirty?

It’s soil.

I believe we are here now in this beautiful place to get glimpses into what an environment of praise could look like. Next time you get woken up by a bird singing or get annoyed at how hard it’s raining stop and think about the last time you were moved to sing or overflow with what is inside of you. What if all the dirt on the earth was redeemed – and became soil – and we saw life all over the earth?

This is open to opinions obviously, this isn’t theology just thoughts. I’m a tree hugger of sorts and I feel like that is clearly reflected here.
I just figure if the Bible tells me that creation is waiting on me for something – I might as well be aware of it.

 

Shall We Dance?

Posted on by lainamunoz

Let’s begin todays post with the solid proven fact that: dancing is wonderful.

It is good for your heart and face. Try dancing without smiling, or at the very least laughing at how ridiculous you look. I’ve always been told I’m a natural at dancing (humble brag) – which I absolutely credit to the partners I’ve danced with. For New Years Eve 2014/2015 (seriously, which year do you write if its New Years Eve?) a group of us went swing dancing.

We learned the basics and were then let loose into this dance culture of being asked by anyone and everyone if we cared to dance (except Jason, who was mackin’ on ALL the older ladies). What amazed me is how well I could follow the seasoned dancers. And, not just because of my lightly latin’d blood but because it’s easy to follow good leaders.

It’s also easy to follow when you let go.

Dancing has a beautiful and unexplainable balance between structure and letting your body flow. Specifically swing dancing, the girls would have to hold their arms firm against the arm and shoulder of the men they were dancing with. Even in their resistance to keep form they were still leaning into the hold the men would have on their back to guide the direction and steps in which they would take.

Even in the resistance they were leaning in.

G-d has been speaking to me for a while about this thought of dancing – of joy. Before I left the US of A one of my friends spoke over me to a fear that I had of returning to the arms of G-d. He told me I was acting like the prodigal son, in that, I was walking back not only to G-d, but to His heart with a fear that the encounter would be confrontational… my friend reminded me that the encounter would be a dance – as if the moment when my heart was finally aligned with Christ it wouldn’t be this overwhelming, smothering hug but he saw me begin to dance perfectly in step with the Father and find the flow of structure and forward movements along with the beauty of being with a faithful, seasoned partner who I could just let go and follow.

I find swing dancing to be one of the most beautiful dances that the dancers can dance – but, I’m a sucker for dances that require two. It’s been a while that G-d has been inviting me by different means to dance with Him; to allow myself to learn His steps and trust that where HE guides me will be beautiful. I didn’t grow up dancing or really have any formal training but it IS something that I enjoy and I think G-d knows that. I think He knows what speaks to my heart because He formed my heart. He knows that a large part of me dancing with Him was full of my healing. It was full of me coming home.

I was recently introduced to a song and more importantly I was introduced to a story of healing. I watched this woman’s story as I was walking on a treadmill at the gym and began to cry. G-d reminded me of all the times He asked me to dance with Him while I was healing, little did I know that He was offering me the strength to receive joy, hope and peace. Her name was Amanda, she suffered with an illness that left her in a wheelchair and only in the house of G-d and in worship was she able to find herself strong enough to just praise. In her moments in church and in the presence of G-d she found healing and hope, she found her step and began to dance with the Father and what a beautiful thing her story is!

One of the things that this wonderful woman said that, “Dancing was everything that being bed bound wasn’t” – Dancing represented to her nothing that her sickness knew. Freedom, joy, love, a smile, strength, laughter and peace. Dancing with Christ is everything that hopelessness wasn’t. Dancing with the Father is everything that depression can never take away. Dancing and learning the steps of G-d is something that confusion can never take ahold of. Dancing with the Saviour is something that death can never challenge. Healing is found when we dance with G-d. In many more ways than one.

“Now hope is a much easier thing because I’ve seen G-d come through… because I know how faithful G-d is.”

It’s unreal how many times I’ve seen Jesus come through for me. It’s unfair how many times He has invited me to dance with Him and I’ve turned Him down. But, His forgiveness is sweet and His love is big.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FPUFx3EPw0 – The Story

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSi3jEXU3Zg – The Song