A recent bout with the flu had me snuggling up to NetFlix over the past few days. I encountered an entertaining dance film of the BBC persuasion called 'Street Dance.' It follows a group of street dancers who, through a string of events, are forced to include some ballet dancers in their crew. These dancers must come together to perform (and ideally win) a street dance competition in the UK. They name their new dance crew "Breaking Pointe," a combo of words to indicate breaking the traditional dance rules, and including pointe, as a well-known form of ballet dance. Usually street dance, with its many styles of hip hop, break-dancing and the like would never include a style of dance as structured and rigid as ballet. My love for dance, with an interest in both styles of ballet and hip hip, and growing affection for all things British set the stage for me to love this film. I highly recommend it.
The name of the dance crew of this awesome movie (if I do say so myself) has summarized the place I've found myself in at the end of almost four months in California. I have been studying Jesus abroad, in a sense. I've learned a lot about the Bible, the story of translations and how they came to be, contextual truths of \scripture with regard to early church culture, and so much more. Then comes the stuff you learn outside of the classroom: where your trust lies, the ugly truths about what you believe and why, the hidden fears you didn't deal with or even know you had, etc. Certain journeys and processes can happen in your own home and church culture. However, my journey has led me here, to this very place of Redding, California... to a home and lovely group of ladies who now make up a life dance crew called #567.
I've had to face some core beliefs that aren't so pretty. You know the ones shaped by your dysfunctional childhood and corresponding defense mechanisms to survive? One of the core values (lenses through which you see and base your life on) of the school of ministry I attend is that 'God is good.' Pretty basic, right? Well, I learned that I agreed intellectually, but there were some areas in my heart where I struggled, unknowingly. I've been through my own series of circumstances, ups and downs, and discovered that at my Breaking Point - the point where I thought I would lose it all - is really the point where I deal truthfully and find that impossibilities, fears, and lack don't separate me from a God that is good. I finally know about myself, that no matter what happens (even failure), something has happened to my heart so much so that I could never turn away from what Jesus has done for me or the relationship He's invited me into with Him.
This is the promise I hold onto when all else seems to fade away -
... He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor fosake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]
So we take comfort and are encouraged and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me? - Hebrews 13:5-6 (Amplified)
