PART 2: Creator of the Arts; Designer of the Artist
In the days following, my life changed dramatically...and quickly. In fact, it changed so much that my parents were concerned I had become involved with a cult. This somewhat makes me laugh now; though at the time it was a bit troubling for my parents.
Fortunately, it wouldn’t take long for them to realize the noticeable transformation they were seeing in me...was not the result of the coercion of man nor the manipulation of religion...but instead it was the powerful work of the Holy Spirit.
Within a couple of weeks of walking down that church aisle to dedicate my life to Christ...I had not only experienced a radical change in my life; I had also become actively involved with that drama troupe Tim had told me about that first day I met him.
Here, is where my real journey would begin!
In the company of some of the most amazingly strong followers of Christ, I would be introduced to the idea that I could use my gifts to both worship God AND further His Kingdom. It was a radical concept and my perception of the arts and how they could be used in the Church and in the world would be forever altered.
Up until this point, I had very limited understanding and experience in using my gifts for God, other than singing with a small band when I was at my childhood church. This lack of knowledge positioned me for all that God had in store ahead...
Jesus was now on the throne of my heart...a blank slate awaiting His transcriptions...and the Holy Spirit was about to start re-writing
some of my life’s chapters.
Perhaps it would be more accurate to say He was going to breathe life into some of my previous experiences in order to create a new story for my future. I was about to embark on an adventure that I could never have imagined for myself.
That first year I gained a strong foundation in the drama troupe, Cutting Edge Players. Both the leadership and the troupe members were instrumental in building the foundation for all that I am today...both as a follower of Christ and as a Kingdom Artist. I will forever be grateful for their investment in me.
Cutting Edge’s creative expressions supported ministry within the church as well as outreach into the community. I loved ministering to both, but our work in the community particularly touched my heart. I think part of that was because I so recently had come out from the lying entanglements found in the world and into the true liberty only Christ can bring...and I wanted to offer what I had learned to those still caught in its web.
It seemed to me the arts were able to break through the language barrier often found between that of the world and the Church.
In fact, it seemed to open doors that would open no other way. I’ve come to believe the Arts truly do have their own language...a language that often bypasses the intellect and touches the heart in ways nothing else can...
My heart soared during this time like no other up until that point. I was able to dance, sing, act...I was able to love God and people with everything He had gifted me. Truly I was fulfilled in ways I never thought possible. I was walking in my destiny, and of this I was confident.
About eight months into my new journey, the church leadership approached me asking if I could create a dance for an upcoming Christmas program. They had only recently formed a choir and had decided to rent an auditorium at a local high school and create a special Christmas event for the church. I was ecstatic! A REAL full-on dance...a production...for the stage!!
Everything I had trained for...and then left behind... God was bringing it back to me!
I was told I need only choreograph and direct the piece; the church would send me the dancers! There were other dancers at the church??? How could I have not known this?? To say I was excited would not even begin to touch what I was truly feeling! I was going to use my choreography and teaching gifts...for the "big church" and Jesus!!!!
Not knowing the skill level of the dancers with whom I would be working, I choreographed a piece that I considered to be at an intermediate level...and waited for the day of our first rehearsal.
One by one the ladies arrived...there were about eight of them as I recall. This was my first opportunity to work with a group of dancers since leaving college and my heart was pounding with anticipation...
I greeted everyone and then quickly jumped into a warm up and choreography. Not having a dance studio or mirrors, we met in the church lobby. At the time it was one of the bigger and more open spaces available. I stood at the front with my back to the dancers and called out the choreography as I demonstrated the first few counts of eight. I then quickly turned around to see if there were any questions before moving on….
The blank stares should have been my first clue...!
I could tell they looked a little unnerved, but I was new to them and thought that perhaps my accent was too thick for them to understand me. With a smile I said, "Let me show you one more time a little more slowly." I turned around and ran through the same counts of eight one more time. It was fairly simple and I was sure they would get it this time, and we could quickly move on. However, upon turning around I soon found they were just as confused as the first time...perhaps even a bit more.
At that point I thought to ask how many years of training everyone had under their belts. I quickly discovered that NONE of them had what I would consider formal training. In fact, I was soon to discover most hadn't even mastered a pivot turn (For those of you who don't dance, this is in general terms a turn without traveling).
At this moment, I had my first epiphany...
The church's definition of a 'dancer,' is
slightly different than mine...(smile)
Poor things....here I was shouting out "glissade, glissade, assemblé...." These would be basic terms for a trained dancer, but quite confusing for anyone else, I'm sure! Needless to say, if I wanted to put something on stage of any quality and not destroy the esteem of these beautiful young women in the process, I was going to need to re-think this piece quickly. I don't know if any of you are familiar with the saying, "Ribbons cover a multitude of sin..?"
It's true. It was not all that I had initially dreamed it would be, but it was exactly what it needed to be at this stage of my journey.
Though the ‘technique’ was not what I had hoped for...the heart of these precious ladies was
beautiful beyond compare.
They worked hard and gave all that they had...not because they needed to impress anyone...simply because they wanted to worship Jesus and bless His Church. This was yet, another new concept to me. Coming from a semi-professional background, quite honestly, the atmosphere can oftentimes be pretty competitive and even nasty! "Everyone out for themselves," might be a good description of what I had experienced in the arts community up until this time.
The technique of my little 'dance troupe,' was not to 'my standard,' but the attitudes were like a breath of fresh air that moved my heart in ways I had never experienced.
I can remember standing there and thinking...."What if the technical & artistic excellence of the world would collide with hearts that are yielded and empowered by the Spirit of God... I could only imagine the potential and impact it could have on not only the Church, but also the world. Surely, wasn't this what God had intended? After all, hadn't He chosen us as the instruments through which He would reveal Himself to our world? Was He not the creator of all things...including the arts? Was He not only the giver of our gifts, but also the molder of our hearts?
Surely, as the creator of the arts and designer of the artist, God has created us for excellence... in our technique and in our heart's attitude.
Something was beginning to birth within me...
To be continued....
Exodus 35:10 (NIV) "All who are skilled among you are to come and make everything the Lord has commanded."
I Peter 4:10 (NIV) "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in it's various forms."
Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
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