Dancing With The Star
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.” (Luke 2:8-14)
I have never watched Dancing With The Stars, but from what I have gathered, celebrities are paired with professional-quality dancers and are evaluated by viewer votes and a panel of judges. A few summers ago, the four Higgs took a series of ballroom dancing lessons, which was really fun but probably didn’t qualify us for the TV show. Regardless, we all love to dance and believe that, when done appropriately, it is thoroughly biblical.
Luke's’ narration of the shepherds’ experience in the Christmas story does not mention dancing, but I’ve got to think that when “a great company of the heavenly host” showed up in the sky, they weren’t just floating up there with somber looks on their faces. While I don’t know the answer to the proverbial question, “How many angels can dance on the head of a needle?,” I do believe that the myriad of heavenly creatures who appeared in the heavens along with the created stars were quite passionate and effusive in their praise of God for the privilege of witnessing the hinge point of history: the earthly appearing of the “Bright Morning Star” (Rev. 22:16)
A few months ago I went to an IHOP Awakening Service with Lilly and Levi while in Kansas City for a few ministry assignments. These unique services started over a year ago, after God “showed up” on campus in a very unusual way, the end result being deliverances and healings of all varieties over the ensuing months. While sitting in the back of the room as 1500 or so mostly twentysomethings worshipped, I happened to notice a man with cerebral palsy walking across the back of the room. My immediate response was a prayer: “God, what’s up with a crippled guy walking around in an awakening service where healing is supposed to be happening?” I prayed for the guy for the next several minutes until he disappeared in the crowd. Later, after a significant time was spent corporately praying for the sick, we returned to worship that was punctuated by healing testimonies from those in attendance. Well, all of a sudden the guy with cerebral palsy showed up on stage, testifying that God was healing him of his disease, and he had just ran (around the auditorium) for the first time in his life! Whoa.
I’m not saying that the guy got healed because I prayed for him. I am saying that he got healed, by Jesus, and after his testimony and the worship resumed, I ran down to the front of the auditorium and danced like crazy before the Lord (like David in 2 Samuel 6) as my own act of grateful worship. Very undignified of me. There was another guy even more “mature” than me who, for his own reasons, was doing an Undignified Dance as well. I wonder what the twentysomethings thought when they saw the old(er) dudes freaking out. Actually, I don’t wonder, nor do I care. Maybe they were amazed at our agility. Then again, maybe not . . .
When Jesus stood up in the synagogue and read the Isaiah 61 scroll that was His job description (see Luke 4), He described the whole gospel: not only eternal life, but also healing and deliverance and freedom here and now. He later instructed His followers, through an angel, to communicate a similar message: “Go . . . and tell the people the full message of this new life.” (Act. 5:20) I think the heavenly host knew this full message was coming, and they were pretty fired up about it. I am too! And sometimes I even dance to the Son. I call that a Sondance.
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I am running out of space once again, with so much more to say. Yikes. I will try to be succinct:
• Every year about this time you are asked to consider LINC in your year-end giving. Well, consider yourself asked (ha). Year-end gifts have always comprised a significant portion of the LINC budget, and this year they will be a huge help as we transition from LINC to Sondance. LINC ends on 12/31 and Sondance begins on 1/1, so gifts to LINC must be postmarked before the end of the year. If a check comes in a LINC envelope but is written to Sondance, that works for 2011; I will get Sondance envelopes out soon.
• Bulk mailing costs have risen significantly, and preparing the mailings has become much more time-consuming. So, Sondance will produce newsletters a little differently: hard copies will arrive via conventional mail on a quarterly basis (March, June, Sept., Dec.), while during the other months they will be distributed electronically (via email or blog) only.
• There is a place on the new Sondance blog - http://sondancers.blogspot.com. - where you can sign up for our electronic newsletter. Since I have valid email addresses for only a small portion of the LINC mailing list, please use the blog - it will hook you up with Constant Contact, an online service that will manage Sondance emails and distribute electronic newsletters.
• The blog will also provide more details about the switch from LINC to Sondance, stuff I write that doesn’t fit in a newsletter, ministry and family photos, and probably much more.
• When I resigned as director of the Portland Youth Foundation several months ago, I started a PYF Ministry Council meeting by playing a song by Willie Nelson, “Turn Out The Lights, The Party’s Over.” I thought it would be a lighthearted way to make the announcement . Well, most in the room responded with glazed looks because they had never heard of the song and didn’t get it - when Willie recorded it, most of them weren’t even born! This time I’ll do it differently . . . thanks for praying for, and giving to, and hanging with the Higgs for 18 amazing years . . . thanks for reading close to 200 LINCLetters . . . but don’t turn out the lights on us, the party’s still going stronger than ever, it’s just switching to a different venue, and we believe the best is yet to come!
Happy Jesus’ Birthday from LINC Ministries and the Higgs!!
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