Awake, O Sleeper.

So I've been needing to do this blog for....well...since July:)

And when I say "needing" I mean it. It's not that I want to, but I need to.

 This may be difficult to understand once you find out that this blog is solely dedicated the reason behind Awakening. It's a dance people. It's a simple dance. It's a step forward. It's a landmark. It's a story.

First, dive into the lyricism of the song that melts my heart -
In our hearts, Lord, in this nation
Awakening
Holy Spirit, we desire
Awakening

For You and You alone
{{Awake my soul, awake my soul and sing}}
For the world You love
Your will be done, let Your will be done in me

In Your presence, in Your power
Awakening
For this moment, for this hour
Awakening

For You and You alone
Awake my soul, awake my soul and sing
For the world You love
Your will be done, let Your will be done in me

For You and You alone
Awake my soul, awake my soul and sing
For the world You love
Your will be done, let Your will be done in me

Like the rising sun that shines
From the darkness comes a light
I hear Your voice and this is my
Awakening

Like the rising sun that shines
{{From the darkness comes a light}}
I hear Your voice and this is my
Awakening

Like the rising sun that shines
Awake my soul, awake my soul and sing
From the darkness comes a light
Awake my soul, awake my soul and sing

Like the rising sun that shines
Awake my soul, awake my soul and sing
Only You can raise a life
{{Awake my soul, awake my soul and sing}}


Pretty awesome. The simplicity of the words make it what it is. And don't forget the awesome "hillsong-ish" build up at the end. You know what I'm talking about. It's a powerful, powerful song. And in South Africa I choreographed an entire dance to it in the middle of the night. I'm not sure how this happened, considering I'm the hip hop teacher...not the contemporary teacher not the modern teacher and for sure not the ballet teacher. I think this dance was a just simple reminder that God likes me to dance. Any kind.


QUESTION. Why was I awake in the middle of night? Why was I dancing in the driveway like a fool? Why wasn't I sleeping like everyone else? Why wasn't I resting because 4am comes pretty early? Why did I know it was important to do this? Why wasn't I afraid of the monkeys chillin in the nearby bushes?


ANSWER. Complete and utter happiness. Sleep did not matter.


So let me take ya back.


That night we had team time in the garage, yep you read right, the garage. This was the night that everything changed. I decided to let go of everything and everyone that had ruined me. It just didn't matter after this night. So I grabbed my iphone and head to the driveway where I was just dancing. Just a happy dance party in the driveway until 3am, no big deal. Over the next few weeks I decided to write all the choreography down, which kinda sucks to do if you're a perfectionist. At first I used red for a formation change, then I accidently used the pink marker...so then I had to start the whole thing over again because then I would be mad that there was pink where there was supposed to be red. Trivial stuff right? After I wrote it all down in my little dance journal, it's a place where you write down your dances:), I thought about who should perform it. Certainly not me, that would be a joke...I gave up other genres of dance a long time ago and that would just be uncomfortable. So I thought of Company Abundance and how I wanted to share this with them. Most in high school, but all so mature and lovely.

picture credits go to jennifer blessing :)

So I taught them the dance when I came home from South Africa and Holland. And it was really cool that Suzanne gave me the chance to teach them something besides hip hop :) They all showed up in there sweat pants and kicks which made me proud but then we learned the worship piece instead...

you can watch the rehearsal at this link:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1493732313246

This was after two rehearsals, they've performed it once so far. They're actually doing it this weekend too! But yes, even though I "gave" them this dance it's really personal for me. The song title itself is what describes my time in South Africa, an absolute awakening. These are the verses I shared with the girls before I set the choreography, each verse is relevant to my awakened heart and the vision for the dance.

"Awake, O Sleeper, and arise from the dead and Christ will shine on you." 

Ephesians 5:14

"But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." Ephesians 2:13

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you." 

Isaiah 60:1

"So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth." 

Revelation 3:16

"Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light and the earth will give birth to the dead." 

Isaiah 26:19

"You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs; you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance." 

Psalm 66:11

So anyway, if you saw me perform this (the one and only time) at Life Church a few months ago, see Company Abundance dance it, or just watch the video... just know that it is a declaration of redemption. 

[[finding life after what was thought to be death.

seeking joy after what was thought to be eternal sadness.

experiencing love after what was thought to be a lifetime of pain.

dancing in order to portray an awakened heart...

from the tips of our toes to the depths of our souls]]