Dance Devotional Introduction

RandiDancing Devotional

Creative Movement Activities to Activate Your Spirit

Introduction

Every person experiences connection in their own way. 

Some can hear a song and then immediately be able to play it. 

Others can turn the page of a textbook and photograph the information with their mind through sight, and never need to open to that page again. Still, others must actually touch the equipment and take tactile practice for everything to click. We as humans engage with and respond to life and relationship experiences in different ways.

I find that I express more of the height, width, depth and length of my inner life 

through physical movement. I was endowed with the aptitude and even felt the necessity to dance rather than being confined to words, singing, tears, laughing, smiling and writing alone. 

Dance or creative movement as worship is the idea of giving all you have. Most of us will speak, write, think, type, and dream of what we think and feel. The movements from these actions are confined to the face, mouth, arms, wrists and fingers. When you commit to creative movement or dance, you enter into a place scientifically more vulnerable (as in singing your feelings as opposed to talking them out), which connects to your innermost being; consisting of your heart, soul, and spirit. These invisible parts of you are on display in the physical realm, when you creatively move and dance. It is easily more honest as you approach the activity as opposed to speaking or typing something because it is a present performed physical poetry committed and seen by you, others or maybe just your Creator alone. You can't take it back. You can't type "delete" or correct the sentence of what you dance. It is immediately art, published as live poetry. It is the visible verse you contribute from your existence on this earth to Your Creator. 

For those who fear the way they look or take too much pride in the way they look; creative movement can be as simple as raising your hands, lying prostrate on the ground, hugging someone you held a grudge against, feeding a child, laying hands on the homeless as prayers and blessings echo off your lips. In the Holy Bible, the words from the original Hebrew and Greek text that translate to "praise" and "worship" in English indicate a strong context of physical movement including lying prostrate, spinning, waving, clapping, feasting, walking and dancing. It is historically, culturally, and humanly appropriate to dance regularly for spiritual health, which overflows into physical, mental, emotional and relational health. In an honest space, where your inner self can express what you had been longing to release and what you did not yet even know was inside of you that needed to be released and known, you find spiritual activation. A knowing of Truth and a being known by Truth. Of course, this is done before God regardless if you are aware of Him or not. He receives it because it is honest (done in Spirit and Truth) and that's where you'll find Him.

Note from the Author

Please note that I have woven together some of my favorite translations, interpretations and paraphrases of scripture together in these devotionals. When you read through a portion of scripture there will be many interruptions (i.e. (), {}, [], <> etc.) to indicate which translation each part of the wording is from. I have used my own creative license to insert portions of other translations within another translation. The purpose of this was to provide more experiential context and ease to connect with the meaning of the scripture (like an intimate and private prayerful meditation session). If this formatting is too overstimulating for you, or if you would be willing to take the time just to familiarize yourself with the tried and true appropriate translations, I encourage you to use your own Bible (i.e. ESV, NIV, NASB etc.) while opening to the designated scripture. I know that these specific songs chosen for each devotional currently lend well to the theme we are unraveling, but you are by no means required to utilize the chosen song, to complete the activity if you want to find your own. I do strongly urge you to at least read the lyrics of the designated songs like you would take in a piece of poetry. 

I did not have any intentions to go about putting together a devotional. The Holy Spirit of God within me, inspired me to write these things with the understanding that by my writing them with His leading, I would go through a journey with Him. He wanted me to know Him more and practice choosing to be with Him and become accustomed to being in His presence intimately, vulnerably, honestly, and intentionally while leaving filled and longing for more of Him above everything else in this world. In this, I cannot keep a good thing to myself. It is by the same Spirit that I am encouraged to share this relational process with you. How The Spirit of God communes with each of us will be experienced differently person to person. Even though the reflections of each devotional are written from God's point of view, I am in no way claiming that those words literally came out of His mouth. The reflections are my best prayerful effort at communicating what He has revealed to me personally and I hope in Christ that they resonate in your Spirit as well, being based off of meditation and study of scripture. 

Suggested Instruction

Each devotion is within one of three sections and each section divided by seven days. It is not imperative for them to be done in order or even in just one day, but you will also be blessed by the order it is currently in if you feel lead to go through consecutively. My personal suggestion is to do one devotional as many times within one week as you can. 

If you devote one devotional per week, you can meditate on scripture and practice being in Yahweh's presence for a full year by doing the following:

• Journey through every devotional twice (44 weeks)
• pick your favorite section to journey through a third time (51 weeks)
• pick your favorite devotional to journey through a third time (52 weeks / unless you picked section 3 which will cover week 45-52)

There will be a 

• theme title
• the artistic scripture interpretation for you to read (preferably aloud) and 
• meditate on  
• followed by the name and artist of a song with lyrics included.
• (you can find on youtube or other music sources) 
• [YouTube, iTunes, Spotify etc.]  
• then dance/creatively move along to the song (playing it again) as your response to the reflection portion of the devotion.
• the key words in the reflection portion in purple font indicate action verbs for you to utilize while responding with movement
• think of this activity as activating what you just spent time reading and meditating on
• think of this activity as the equivalent to someone dear to you saying, "I love you" and you wouldn't just stand there and smile (though you could), but you would most likely feel in your gut to show them that you receive what they have shared with you by responding "I love you too" or hugging them.

Your time in one devotion entry could look similar to the following:

1. Skip ahead to locate the song title and artist. Prep the song to play.
2. Read the scripture aloud.
1. (as well as a relied upon translation as an outside source to confirm meaning)
3. Meditate further
• Highlight parts of the scripture that stood out to you.
• Take note of what the Holy Spirit is personally revealing to you in the Scripture.
4. Play the prepped song while reading the lyrics.
5. Read the reflection portion.
6. Use the purple highlighted portions from the reflection to inspire your dance response of worship using the provided song.

• Links to Dance Devotionals

• Day 1
• Day 2
  
• Day 3
  
• Day 4
  
• Day 5
  
• Day 6
  
• Day 7