INTRODUCTION

“Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again. . . BUT God can put Humpty Dumpty together again. We can help him build a fence around the wall to keep Humpty from falling again.”

Emerge Counseling Ministries

Declaration

In 2007 I began to ask the Lord to piece together the broken pieces of my fragmented career goals.  Beginning as a dancer and touring the academia and work industries to earn diplomas and certifications; I found soul isolating brokenness.  I began looking for something that would draw the pieces of the puzzle, or my broken Humpty Dumpty, together.  The vision of serving the Lord gave me simply did not have a specific career path.  I decided that pastoral counseling training would help me become better equipped for collaboration with therapists and clinicians. I see it as an essential key to unlocking my future. It has.

A Path to Physical & Emotional Sanctuary

Movement and Worship are important tools for all people.  People need to know that their bodies are wonderful instruments that can help us learn and communicate with God, with ourselves, and with others; while movement/exercise is the most underused antidepressant available.  

The Lord has often brought to mind the model of worship outlined in the design of His temple of old.  I’ve come to use it as a way to instruct and talk about movement.  The introductory lesson has validated this path to physical & emotional sanctuary.

1. The Outer Court – Dancing for Others

The outer court is the public platform for conducting preparation for worship.  It’s visible and available for all to see.  Supplies are accessible and the general public can perceive who is there and what they are doing.  

I’ve come to liken this to the platform or stage of the performing arts aspect of worship.  Those who are anointed are drawn here and they come to the temple to offer their talents.  Artists who are drawn to the Spirit of the Lord will proceed into the next court.  Those who are seeking the Lord can observe and form decisions about their faith by allowing their hearts to open.  There will be people who come to the Lord because of their observations of the outer court.

2. The Inner Court  – Dancing for Ourselves

The inner court is a place of inner preparation for worship.  It is a teaching place.  In the model of worship we know the Lord is working in our lives and in our hearts to bring deep knowledge of His character and His healing power.

This  court can be likened to the classroom.  When those drawn closer to the Lord come into the inner court of His temple they hone their talents.  Learning about God’s sovereign hand in their experiences can produce love and desire for holiness. Artists who allow this spiritual exploration will learn discernment in the acts of faith and obedience they are called to. They will also practice the talents they have.  Those seeking the Lord will begin to understand the ways of God’s Spirit.  There will be people learning the life skills they need to build scripture-based fences to protect themselves from harm.  

3. The Holy of Holies – Dancing for God

The Holy of Holies is an intimate experience.  The true-self can emerge to experience the presence of God and the peace of Christ.  All can dance, praise, play instruments, speak poetry, and offer themselves.  It’s for Christ alone.

Those who enter into this holiness experience true sanctuary.  The artists who allow themselves to enter such a raw and bare environment are built in the Lord’s wholeness.  They will seek vision from the Lord about their passions. Those who have sought the Lord can move from mere milk to feeding themselves valuable nutrients.  They are equipped to with eyes to see and understand the temple experience with confidence of the love and power of Jesus’ resurrection.  Some will work again in the inner court to know how to sharpen their talents.

4. The Recessional

While each of us would like to remain and bask in the delight of God’s holiness; we are on this planet and must emerge as people filled with the purposes of the Lord.  We take this fueling of the Lord and come back through the inner court and to the outer court as people of purpose.  This anointing acts as charisma and draws others toward the temple again.  

When we use the model of the temple as a training method for artists, they can better understand the reasons they sense His calling.  Exploring this model lends data for endless conversation. 

Using the principles

The tools of ministry are eclectic; however they are anointed. There is a need for movement and arts in a world culture that is changing quickly.  The arts remain a universal language for intimate communication. The core values of hope, correction, promise, and acceptance paramount in helping people.  

The Vision 

Sanctuary is the word I’ve always used to talk about my work.  We are, in fact, the temple of the Lord.  I envision a time when providers of healthcare, clinical therapists, and patients will include movement plans, art therapies, and expressive therapies in their plan of actions.  As this is still such a challenge in terms of being billable, I believe that individual and group expressive arts facilitated programs will partner with clinicians and host opportunities for hurting people to find the steps to their dances.