Soundtrack of my life: 2011

I didn’t blog yesterday! D: So i’l; have to do 2 today or something!

So, I was sitting here wondering what to blog, and then I thought about the soundtrack of my life. My life has a certain rhythm; apparently, the way I conduct myself has a sort of dance to it – from walking along to getting in and out a car. I love music. I love to dance. Here are the songs that have got me through 2011.

(N.B. These albums/ songs may not have been released in 2011, but they are ones that I have been listening to. I will list the album/ song and then give a clip of one song.)

So here goes, in no particular order, the stickandgooniverse soundtrack of 2011.

20 albums that got me through 2011

All things bright and beautiful – Owl City 

The sound of the seasons and new friendships. Also, a flashback to when I saw them live. A must have album!

Is for Karaoke – Relient K

Some excellent covers from one of my favourite bands of all time.
Hands all over (Deluxe Edition) – Maroon 5

Catchy tunes from misery, to runaway, to moves like jagger. I think its their best album yet.
The head and the heart – The head and the heart

I discovered this band when I saw them live. They are a soothing and sweet sound, like honey to one’s ears. They are the soundtrack of my summer, alongside Death Cab for Cutie.
Codes and Keys – Death Cab for Cutie

One of the best albums of the year. Death cab changed their setup a little bit and it makes them sound even better!!! So many good songs! And they are brilliant live!
Love Shine Through – Tim Hughes

A great album of worship songs. Heartfelt.
Michael – Michael Jackson

I know it had a lot of criticism, but I happen to like this album. It grows on you every time you play it.
Response – Phil Wickham

Phil Wickham. Amazing. Need I say more?
Soul Survivor Worship Remix – Soul Survivor

For all you christian hiphopopotami out there. Or if you like a good tune.
Supernova – 29th Chapter

29th Chapter’s final (and best) album.
Volume One – She & Him

Melodic, dreamy and sticks in your head.
Volume Two – She & Him

Even better than volume one; reviving a  style of music that was feared lost. It is lovely. Awwwww.
Wasting Light – Foo Fighters

FOO FIGHTERS are back with a pumping rock soundtrack! It is a winner!
We are the free – Soul Survivor

So many good songs, so little time…

10,000 Reasons – Matt Redman

Music to stir your soul.
Light the Sky – Soul Survivor

Last year’s album; tunes that are relevant to today.
Spirit Break Out – Worship Central

Another powerful worship album.
Danger Days – My Chemical Romance

It feels like a teen-rock rebellious album. Its good! Apparently, a lot of peeps don’t like it. I did though.
Siberia – Lights

I saw lights live last year. They are good! If you like electronic stuff, try this. (REPPIN’ THE TORONTO!)
Christmas – Michael Buble

Ho ho hold up! A christmas album? Yes! Because its christmas on sunday. Check this out its fab.

 

Stickandgooniverse Top 40 songs of 2011

 

The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie – Red Hot Chili Peppers

RHCP are back and on the attack! Listen to that funk-ay bass!

Faster – Matt Nathanson

I discovered this in a starbucks! Its happy and catchy!

Give Me Everything – Pitbull

the sound of parties.

Buzzin (Clean Version) – Mann ft 50 cent

Catchy. See above.

Paradise – Coldplay

Para para. Para dise. dun dun dundun dun. dundundun dun dundundun dun. para para paradise. Every time she closed her eyes.

Just a friend – Booker T Jones

OH BABY  YOU. YOU GOT WHAT I NEEE-EEEDD! But chu say he’s just a friend. Another starbucks discovery. I like the piano!

Just Can’t Get Enough – Black Eyed Peas

I just cant get enough of BEP.

Home is a fire (Ulrich Schnauss Remix) – Death Cab for Cutie

A good remix of a good song

Dr. Worm – Relient K

They call him dr. worm. I don’t know why. He’s a good song!

California Soul (Lincoln Lawyer Remix) – Marlena Shaw & Ya Boy

Feelin’ like the lincoln lawyer as I roll in my car.

107 Degrees – Citizen Cope

A laid back song. Good for chilling!

Louder – DJ Fresh

The sound of new beginnings. And fake swordfights. Its goanna get its goanna get its goanna get louder!

All of the Lights – Kanye West

Rapping with my sis!

My Last Song I Sing For You – Raph Oyelade

lovely song! Also, I know the guy!

E.T. – Katy Perry ft Kanye West

I don’t know how I came to like this. It just happened…

Calda Estate (Dove Sei) – Raphael Gualazzi

Learning Italian and grooving to the piano!

Party Rock Anthem – LMFAO

Because, quite frankly, everyday I’m shuffling.

Pumped Up Kicks – Foster the People

The sound of night travel.

Oh Boy – She & Him

She & Him lovin’ !

Stereo Hearts – Gym Class Heroes ft. Adam Levine

Love this song! Stuck inside my head like my favourite tune.

Angels – Owl City

I recall singing this with my friend in a spar shop. Why? Who knows!

Doors Unlocked and Open – Death Cab for Cutie

A song that I taught myself on the piano. It was the sound of my summer.

Rocketeer – Far East Movement

Spring tune. Looking to the future.

On the Floor  - JLO

I know its jlo but its the sound of parties and being with friends. And showing everyone how I could breakdance, and suddenly becoming popular!

The Ballad of Mona Lisa – Panic! At the Disco

A tune for walking through town

Love, Selfish Love – Patrick Stump

I miss fall out boy. And then this came out and I was happy!

Arlandria – Foo Fighters

one word: TUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNE

Ghosts – The Head and the Heart

I love the style of music.

The World As I See It – Jason Mraz

A taster of whats to come on the ol’ Mraz front next year! Sweet song!

Who’s That Chick? – David Guetta ft Rihanna

Don’t know how I came to like this either. But I did. Who’s that chick?

Forever – Wolfgang Gartner ft Will.I.Am

Got this stuck in my head for weeks. I was shocked at the video and so will not post it.

Check it out – Will.I.Am ft. Nicki Minaj

Great track based on video killed the radio star. (Couldn’t find the radio edit on youtube sorry)

Yeah 3X – Chris Brown

Check out that dancing! ( I think this is the clean version)

Alpha and Omega – Israel & New Breed

Powerful. Great. I love this song.

Endless Hallelujah – Matt Redman

Great song about heaven (sorry about sound quality)

Love Shine Through – Tim Hughes

Another great worship song from Timmy H!

Here I Am- Kevin LeVar & One Sound

Love performing this with the pentecostal gospel choir.

I Will Run – Freddy Rodriguez

as above.

There is a King in You – Donald Lawrence & Company

as above

God is Able – Hillsong

The best Hillsong song of the past few years.

 

 

So there you have it! The songs of 2011! Hope you enjoyed them as much as I did!

 

I will sing!

It is now over a week since I dipped my toes in the sea of blogging. Having thoroughly tested the water, its now time to jump in and swim about a bit. From standing with both feet in the water, I’ll take a running start and gracefully jump into the wordy waters. I’ll soak in synonyms, marinate in metaphors, and do other things with words that people do at times like these. If you aren’t following my train of thought here, yes I am still talking about blogging. However, what I am trying to say in more eloquent terms is that today is the day I go public and start telling people about my blog! HAHA!

Despite the fact that I haven’t told anyone about it yet, you may be interested to know that my blog has hailed to 2 different American states already, and has been liked by a few people!

So, back to the task at hand.

(Firstly, i’d like to point out that the guy in the picture up there isn’t me. Its a picture of Death Cab for Cutie that I took a couple of months ago when they performed live at the Academy. WOOP WOOP DEATH CAB!!! They’re great! Check them out!)

This year, I am doing the Soul Survivor Bible In One Year programme. Its not the first year that they have done the program – it started last year. (However, I must shamefully admit that I got as far as Christmas last year and then gave up Heres to a better run this year!! ) The program consists of an old testament passage, a new testament passage and a psalm or proverb each day. Its really good, and I heartily recommend it! Soul Survivor even have their own wordpress blog that you can look at, which gives you the passages and a reading guide at thebibleinoneyear.wordpress.com . Check it out! It broadens your mind! And its also nice to hear another person’s interpretation of the day’s passages!

Usually, before reading my bible, I like to try and still my heart, focus on God, and pray that He speaks to me through the passage(s). This morning was no different.

Today’s reading included a Psalm – Psalm 13 to be exact. I like the Psalms because they’re songs and poems to God. Some of them are just proclaiming how awesome He is, whereas others are a cry for help. Others are just like AHA! moments penned down. Here it is:

Psalm 13

New International Version (NIV)

    For the director of music. A psalm of David. ¹ How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
² How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?³ Look on me and answer, LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
⁴ and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

⁵ But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
⁶ I will sing the LORD’s praise,
for he has been good to me.

New International Version (NIV)Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

As you can probably see, Its a bit of a cry for help. King David is writing in the first half of the psalm something along the lines of (to paraphrase) “God, help meeeeeeeeeee! Please! I’m having a bit of a crisis here! Please answer me… or I’ll die! and then my enemies will be like ‘showed him lol’”. Yes, I admit, i’ve used a bit of artistic license here – I don’t think lol is a phrase used in any bible! But you get what I mean don’t you? It all helps paint the picture. King David is having a bit of a flap and he really needs God here. Did you get that? Good. Lets continue.

So, I got this far and nothing had really spoken to me from the Psalm. So I read on… and BAM! There it was! HIYOOOOO!

Lets take another look at verses 5 and 6 shall we?

 ⁵ But I trust in your unfailing love; 
   my heart rejoices in your salvation. 
⁶ I will sing the LORD’s praise, 
   for he has been good to me.

Wow. Even though David was having a major freak out (or ausflippen, if you feel like saying it in German), he decides he’s going to put his trust in God. He has faith here that God will sort his problems out for him. And David even writes that his heart rejoices in the salvation he has been given through God! He’s so happy and grateful that he knows the God who created him and can sort out his problems! And he’s equally happy that he can call on God, knowing that God will answer his prayers! David finishes the psalm with verse 6. I think this is the nicest verse of the psalm. “I will sing the LORD’s praise, for he has been good to me.” Wow! He doesn’t mess about with his words here – he cuts right to the core! He knows God has been faithful to him in the past, and he knows that God will remain faithful forever! So what does he do? He vocalises it! He sings! What a lovely way to be.

I read this and I got to thinking about why I sing to God and why I lead worship on a sunday morning. And to be quite honest, its for the same reason as King David – I just want to thank God because He’s been good to me! It made me think of a song which also sums it up quite well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRyTP7XwIL4

The song is called ‘Because of Your Love” and I think it was originally written by Al Gordon, one of the founders of WorshipCentral. It has a great bassline, and the lyrics really sum up why we worship God!

The chorus goes like this:

Because of Your love/ Theres dancing in my heart/ Because of Your grace/ I am free/ Because of Your faithfulness/ Theres a song that must be sung/ I will sing/ I will sing/ Because of You

There is an overwhelming fire that burns in your heart when you know Jesus. A thousand rivers could not quench this fire! Nor could the power of all the rainstorms of Britain! (Trust me, there are megaloads of rainstorms here!) And when you ponder upon what He has done for you, and what He continues to do for you every day, you just can’t help but praise Him. I might even praise Him right now!

I’ll let you into a secret. Sometimes, I just suddenly feel moved to sing praise to Him and bust some funky moves! I get right into it, because I want God to know how passionate I am about Him, and how grateful I am that He is a part of my life. So I worship, and I worship HARD! And then other people walk in the room. It can be awkward sometimes, but you gotta do what you gotta do! You’d be surprised how infectious it is as well! It spreads like wildfire, and before long, there could be a small crowd singing and dancing in worship alongside you! Theres something wonderful about people worshipping God together. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it sure is something to behold!

I’m thankful to God for what He has done for me. I’m thankful to Jesus, that He gave Himself to save me, and that He loves me unconditionally. I’m thankful to the Holy Spirit that He lives in me and works through me. I’m thankful that God even bothers with someone like me!

I try to worship God daily. Be it through song or dance or whatever means possible, I will praise Him because of His everlasting, unfathomable, unfailing love.

This Sunday, I will be leading worship at church.

I will sing The Lord’s praise, for He has been good to me.

Live like the world will end tomorrow

 This morning, as I was preparing for worship, I heard something that made me think.

But before I get into that, I’ll give you some context , in the style of Worship Central’s 10 Questions blog:

1) Where are you right now?

At home, sitting on the couch and enjoying a hot beverage.

2)What’s in your pocket?

Nothing at all.

3) Latest set list?

Holding Nothing Back (Tim Hughes), Happy Day (Tim Hughes), I Lift My Hands (Chris Tomlin), My God Reigns (Abundant Life Church/ ALM:UK), The Lost Are Found (Hillsong)

4) Last album you purchased?

“All things bright and beautiful” – Owl City. Support christian musicians!

5) Best piece of advice you ever received?

Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit.

6) How do you stay sharp?

I do my daily bible readings and pray, and I try to worship every day (rhyme there was unintentional). I also look at new music and dance and art styles, to look for things I can try to bring into church.

7) what do you do 5 minutes before you lead worship?

I’m usually chatting to the rest of the band. Then we have the pre-roll video, followed by a quick psyche up and a quick pray.

8 ) Biggest worship horror moment?

Being told mid song (whilst my hands were raised) by one of the other worship leaders that my flies were undone. Whoops!

9) How would you define worship?

The overflow of a joyful heart and soul bringing thanks to God.

10) Encouragement to worship leaders?

Firstly, be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. He can do things you can’t even imagine. Secondly, If you want to start a movement, you have to be the movement. Thirdly, be yourself. Don’t let people look down on you because you’re young.

So theres a bit of context for you. Now back to the headlines.

Straight after morning practice, the worship team goes upstairs to this little room to pray. Perhaps we’re trying to mimic the upper room from the day of pentecost (Acts 2:1-21). I don’t know.

I sometimes call it the prayer chamber, because its a funny little room; its like a batcave or something. Anyway, we were all praying this morning when one of the worship leaders said “Play, sing and dance today like its your last Sunday on Earth. Its not, but…” and before he could get any further, someone else reminded him that it could in fact be the final time we led worship. Don’t get me wrong, i’m not trying to be morbid here, but nobody knows when their time will be up. And so he returned to saying “It could very well be your last time leading worship today, so give it your all and worship like it is your last time”. It got me thinking about King David dancing and worshipping God with all his might, and so I thought, ‘go on then i’ll go for it’. And I did! (I mentioned yesterday about the dance moves I was thinking of introducing and I did try some of them).

Even though I had a dry throat and was losing my voice in practice, I prayed it through and with the help of God (and a pre-emptive flask full of apple and elderflower juice) I was able to sing and dance in the service a heck of a lot harder and better than I did in practice. I was going to make it count! And if that service was the last time that people were going to see me, I wanted them to see that I was going all out in worship to give God the glory. Because He deserves it!

But in a sense, why should it stop there? Sure, that was one good service that went well, but why should we just reserve our best praise and worship contributions for when we have just been reminded that death could be imminent? Jesus conquered death, so why should we worry about that? We have the same power that conquered death living in us! That in itself is something to dance about and shout out! (Wow i’m really on a roll today with unintentional rhyming).

It is good to live each day like its our last, because it pushes us to give the best of ourselves, and thus, as a byproduct, make the greatest impact in those around us. They see our passion for God, and it leads them to the place where they feel they can express their passion for God. An example of this is that dance is slowly coming into our church.  BUT! BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT! I would like to stress, we should not be living in fear of death, because A) Jesus conquered death and it now has no hold on us and B) worrying will not add another hour to your life; instead we should live audaciously, spreading God’s word the best we can in case we are called home tomorrow. It is better to tell people about Jesus and give your all, than to wait it out and fade away. At least that way, you can truthfully say you tried to show other people Jesus’ love, rather than you were going to, but the right time didn’t present itself. And now that time has gone forever and you’re trapped in the chains of maybe as the words “should’a would’a could’a” torment you endlessly. As they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. You have to be proactive, you have to live loud; Shout it from the rooftops, flash mob it, tell it over coffee – whatever your style is and however you ‘roll’, make sure you tell others about the love of Jesus before it is too late. Live each day like the world will end tomorrow – if you don’t tell people when you have an opportunity to, they may never get the chance to hear your message again. Lead by example.

AYE! No one knows when Jesus will come again, so we must live each day like tomorrow will be the day He calls us home:

1 Thessalonians 5

New International Version (NIV)

1 Thessalonians 5

The Day of the Lord

¹ Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, ² for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. ³ While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. ⁴ But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. ⁵ You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. ⁶ So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. ⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. ⁸ But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. ⁹ For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁰ He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. ¹¹ Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

New International Version (NIV)

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

I would like to stress here that it is of the upmost importance that we tell others about God and His love for us. It is literally a life and death situation, but  we have the advantage of being able to  show others how they can choose life. Go tell the world of the things Jesus has done! And don’t forget, once you accept Him as your Lord and Saviour, He lives within you forever! He will never leave you nor forsake you! Brilliant!

So, to conclude:

Live loud; live crazy; be outrageous; be courageous. Scream it out; shout it out; write it; post it; text it; perform it; live it. No-one knows when He will return, so we must tell others about Jesus’ love until that day. We must be extravagant worshippers, and we must live out our lives to reflect the glory of the Lord. Show the joy of your heart to the world.

Live to make God famous. Live to make the name of Jesus known. Live like the world will end tomorrow.

Living Loud; An Audacious Outlook

This morning a thunderous tempest of torrential rain falling from the darkened skies awoke me abruptly from my slumber. I sat up and gazed out my window at the outpouring of the clouds and it made me want to smile. Although rain is not uncommon in at this time of year (or any time of year for that matter! ha!), it seemed almost refreshing to hear the force of the water pounding the floor. I’m not quite sure why! Sometimes I just feel like running through it just for funsies. And I’m not even that big on running! Its better than driving through such heavy rain I guess.

After a brief period of contemplating aquaplaning and its possible effects on the car, I returned to thinking how lovely the rain is and what a blessing it is. I say this because where I’m from, people are always complaining about the weather; more so when it is rainy. They complain when its hot, when its cold, when it snows, when its windy, when the sun is radiant in the sky; you name it – they complain about it. In my opinion, rain is a welcome blessing because I know that people in other drier countries  pray for rain but scarcely find it. We have a bountiful supply of rain! It helps our crops grow and subsequently makes our country beautiful. So much greenery! I thank God for the rain. It shows His power (the force), His love (how it helps people) and the beauty of His creation (self-explanatory).

The whole incident got me to thinking about how loud the rain was. It was so loud that it woke me up! Perhaps it was ordained to give God praise in its own way. It got me thinking of these verses:

Luke 19

³⁷ When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

³⁸ “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

³⁹ Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

⁴⁰ “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

New International Version (NIV)

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

In this passage, the disciples are praising Jesus and the Pharisees (big religious people of the time) were not at all happy with this. They were all like (to paraphrase) “Hey! we don’t like this! take charge of your peeps! Grrrr!”. They were trying to silence the disciples and claim that they were wrong to praise God, but Jesus replies smoothly with “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out”. And THAT puts them (the pharisees) in their respective places. Whilst pondering upon this passage, it suddenly struck me – perhaps as many people were asleep and were silent, the rain was crying out and causing people to worship God. Well, it worked for me! haha!

This year, whilst I was at SOUL SURVIVOR (if you’re interested the website is www.soulsurvivor.com/uk ), we sang songs such as “Dancing generation”, “Dance Dance” and “We will dance (for Your glory)” and, as the song titles suggest, we danced. There is something special about dancing in worship before the Lord – its like you’re giving more than usual; It is more than just raising a hand in worship – it is truly the art of losing yourself in bringing God praise. And at that festival I wondered why we couldn’t have fluidity and energy like that at my home church. Why did dancing seem like it was seen as a sin? I in no way endorse that view – I heartily enjoy a good dance! Take that party rock anthem for example – (almost) everyday I have been shuffling! Alas, I digress. So, anyways, back to the story… I prayed this through, because I really want to see dance in church; for people to really enter the presence of God and go all out for Him. And I’m not the only one who’s ever thought this:

2 Samuel 6

¹² Now King David was told, “The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. ¹³ When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. ¹⁴ Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the LORD with all his might, ¹⁵ while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets.

¹⁶ As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart.

¹⁷ They brought the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the LORD. ¹⁸After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD Almighty. ¹⁹ Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes.

²⁰ When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!”

²¹ David said to Michal, “It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the LORD. ²² I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.”

New International Version (NIV)

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

King David, the writer of psalms, the personification of the extravagant worshipper saw what I’ve been seeing. He knew that the presence of God almighty is not something to take lightly, and so he went all out in worship.  He wasn’t even fully covered with clothes when he decided to leap and dance and jump to praise God! He saw an opportunity and he flipping went for it! And it wasn’t a botch job either, he went for it with ALL HIS MIGHT! In front of people! As a King, this would most likely have been social suicide, but he wasn’t at all bothered. He was dancing for God, and nothing was going to stop him or quench the fire that burnt within his soul. And just like in the passage I referenced earlier, where the Pharisees were trying to silence the disciples, here, Michal tries to silence David by making him feel stupid and like he’s done something fundamentally wrong.  She thought it was outrageous. And to tell the truth, it was! But thats the sort of guy that King David was! David replies to this statement by saying he did it for God and not for people, and he would continue to praise the Lord, even if it made the people around him look on him with distain. You see, the thing about worship that me and King David share a view on, is that it is for the audience of one – We don’t worship, write songs, sing or dance for people – we do it for God! I’m so thankful for what God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit have done for me, that the overflow of my soul causes me to pour out my heart to God. And sometimes, this unexplainably gargantuan level of joy that flows from my heart manifests itself through dance. But before soul survivor, i’d never danced in church; people might have seen me! I could dance at parties, but I somehow felt restricted in church. I don’t know why.

So, when I returned from soul survivor, the first Sunday that I was back at church, I was down for leading morning worship on the rota. And so, I arrived 9AM sharp (I think) and went through practice, prayed it through and prepared my heart. I didn’t expect that anything would happen; how foolish I was! You see, the thing is, when you ask God to do something (like help you introduce dance into worship), He turns up and He does it! And He doesn’t do half measures either! Its the full on experience – the realio dealio! Even though I’d prayed about it, I was sadly quite prepared for the usual occasional sway and a bit of clapping.

Then 10AM came – the start of the service. The worship started with a song called ‘Holding Nothing Back’ by Tim Hughes. This song is one of the great worship songs of our time. Despite its catchy tune and the fact it is called ‘Holding Nothing Back’, both the singers and the congregation appeared to hold EVERYTHING back! Maybe they were conserving voices, or perhaps they were to embarrassed to dance. Even when it came up to the chorus of ‘MY CHAINS FELL OFF MY HEART WAS FREE!”, the church stood still. And it always bugged me, that people were singing these words and not matching them with their actions. I hate to see people who seem to be passionate about the stupidest things (like the price of apples in Morrisons compared to the price of apples in Asda) fail to get even remotely passionate about the God who created them, the Saviour who sacrificed Himself for them, and the Holy Spirit who lives inside them. It made me so mad! And so, week by week, I was nonchalantly bringing a bit of a sway in. I know it sounds dorky, but its better than nothing. Besides, i’m a borderline introvert extrovert. Taking leaps like suddenly busting funky funky moves in church scared me. I had to ease into it. And the sway was the way that was going to happen. Or so I thought. But the song started and we clapped. And my feet began to move as I no longer felt chained to the spot where I got onto the stage. I was moving about a little bit, not too much, mind, but it was a start. And then It got to the ‘And nothings goanna hold me back” bit and my legs were moving a bit more. Then came the chorus. “MY CHAINS FELL OFF MY HEART WAS FREEEEEEEE!” And lemme tell ya, my heart felt free! Apparently I jumped! The joy of the Lord overcame me! From that point to the end of the song, although my mind was telling me “stop it you crazy fool, this ain’t goanna do nothing for your reputation”, my heart felt free and the overflow of my soul caused me to dance.

Another song in the list was’Kingdom Come’ by Hillsong United. I always felt the chorus was a bit high for a male singer, and the thought of going that high tainted my view of the song. I’ve never felt the need to sway to this tune, let alone dance – even in spite of its funky drum beat between the chorus and the verses!  But my feet had other ideas. I started to sort of bounce and sway. And then it came to the guitar solo bit in the middle and I just started body popping and doing the robot. It was like it wasnt me doing it BUT IT WAS!!! From the overflow of my heart and soul, my body danced with joy before my Saviour. And that leap of faith was strangely wonderful. I did it just for God; I wasn’t going to care what other people thought. (That said, after the service, our lights guy told me that it was great and that I should get the rest of the band choreographed, and some guy who i’d never seen before who smelled like menthol cigarettes said “loved your body popping mate”. Even though it wasn’t for them, it blessed them [I think]) Its like the first verse I referenced ^. To paraphrase – if my voice did not praise, my body broke out in dance. I love Jesus.

It was 4 weeks ago now since that morning service. Ive been ridiculed by fellow band members for doing it and have even been told “we don’t do that here”. CORRECTION – You DIDN’T USED TO do that here! Slowly, the congregation have started to loosen up a bit. And the band has a bit too. The guitars are trying out jumping and some of the other singers are beginning to dance (but more like at my sway stage). But my opinion is, if you want to start a movement, you have to BE the movement. So thats what i’m doing. I’m dancing for God, and i’m hoping to get other people to the place where they feel so joyful and comfortable in his presence that they can dance. This week, I might even bust some Michael Jackson style moves; but not the crotch grab – I will be in church after all!

Websters online dictionary gives these definitions for the word audacious:

Part of Speech	Definition
Adjective	1. Invulnerable to fear or intimidation; “audacious explorers”.[Wordnet] 2. Unrestrained by convention or propriety; “an audacious trick to pull”.[Wordnet] 3. Disposed to venture or take risks; “audacious visions of the total conquest of space”; “an audacious interpretation of two Jacobean dramas”.[Wordnet] 4. Daring; spirited; adventurous.[Websters] 5. Contemning the restraints of law, religion, or decorum; bold in wickedness; presumptuous; impudent; insolent.[Websters] 6. Committed with, or proceedings from, daring effrontery or contempt of law, morality, or decorum.[Websters] 7. Being bold, courageous, brave, valiant or impertinent. [Eve - graph theoretic] 8. Being intrepid, fearless, undaunted or gutsy. [Eve - graph theoretic] 9. Being impudent, brazen, insolent, cheeky or brash. [Eve - graph theoretic] 10. Adjective base of the adverb audaciously.[Eve - graph theoretic]
Adverb Form (audaciously)	1. In an audacious manner; “an idea so daring and yet so audaciously tempting that a shiver of excitement quivered through him”.[Wordnet]. 2. In an audacious manner; with excess of boldness; impudently.[Websters]. 3. In a heroic, gallant, bold or intrepid manner.[Eve - graph theoretic] 4. In a fresh, brash or unashamed manner.[Eve - graph theoretic] 5. In an unblushing or graceless manner.[Eve - graph theoretic] 6. In a stouthearted, brave, courageous or venturesome manner.[Eve - graph theoretic] 7. In an impudent or arrogant manner.[Eve - graph theoretic] 8. In an assertive, brazen, fearless or unflinching manner.[Eve - graph theoretic] 9. In a valiant, mettlesome or adventurous manner.[Eve - graph theoretic]

Amongst other things, I’m going to become increasingly more audacious with my worship to glorify God. Like the rain this morning (and by coincidence just a few minutes ago) was loud and made a statement, I aim to be loud and make a statement of how much I love God. And I believe I can show a little bit of this through dance.

I’m not going to care what people think because its all for my audience of one.