Teach Me to Dance

"Teach me to dance to the beat of your heart
Teach me to move to the power of your Spirit
Teach me walk in the light of your presence
Teach me to dance to the beat of your heart"

"Teach Me to Dance" lyrics by Greg Holland

As we did with Alpha last Spring, Beth and I started off our first !TNT! meeting this semester playing this song from a CD called Devotion by the African Children's Choir. We encourage the children to get up and dance and "get the wiggles out" before we get started. In the past, we have had few takers (other than our own daughter). This week, though, we had one new boy from our church and two new girls who first made connection with us via our VBS up in the Village.

I am no dancer, and in fact I grew up in one of those kinds of churches that viewed most dancing as sinful (unless, maybe, it was the Virginia Reel). It isn't easy for me to get up and move to music if anybody is watching me, even if they are young kids. But I needed to set the example, so I was up and moving to the music, and eventually they all got into it, sometimes even dancing with me.

I tend to approach life in a rather academic way, and I often confuse things of the spirit with things of the mind. I tend to think of discipleship as something that is taught, like algebra or history, but it is really a lot more like learning to dance, watching the Teacher and trying to move like he does.

"I ain't no Moses but I ain't no clown"

I thought I should provide a bit of commentary on the song I posted last night. Though it made for a great title for my first blog entry in several months, I DO enjoy stories of the sort described, and I tend to follow the "Esther S. Cape School of Conflict Management" (as I spoofed in a skit for the Young Peacemaker's curriculum a couple years ago), the verse that really caught my attention was the one involving Joshua. I don't typically see myself as a Joshua-type figure (partly due to the lack of Moseses in my life), but I find myself in leadership roles and I feel I need someone telling me, "Be strong and courageous" (Josh. 1:6-9). I don't feel like a leader, I don't want to be a leader, I've not always had good relationships with leaders. Part of it, I'm sure, has to do with growing up in the anti-authoritarian 60's, when everyone in leadership roles was thought to be evil or corrupt, part of it has to do with failed father-figures. Whatever contributes to it, I have this dislike/distrust/dishonoring attitude towards authority. And yet--as Pogo observed all those years ago--"we have met the enemy and it is us!" I can't say older white men in positions of leadership are all bad because I am one (unless I just want to be bad and make an excuse for it). Whatever my father or step-father did to me, I AM a father now, and it's up to me to be the best father I can be. I've been appointed as the Director of Christian Formation at my church, and people are counting on me to be a disciple of Jesus and a discipler of others (which I should be anyways, just be virtue of being a Christian, but having that title really clinches the deal!). I ain't no Moses, but that's no excuse to be a clown. There's work to be done and "Christ is counting on me."