DANCERS!

ASSUME THE POSITION

THE ROLE & IMPACT OF THE
KINGDOM DANCER IN THE FIELD

M A R L I T A

S .

H I L L

Dancers! Assume the Position

The Role and Impact of the Kingdom Dancer in the Field
Marlita S. Hill
The Kingdom Artist Initiative
Find us on the web at http://marlitahill.com
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Copyright 2014 by Marlita S. Hill
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Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible. Scripture quotations marked AMP
are from The Amplified Bible. Old Testament Copyright 1965, 1987 by the Zondervan Corporation. The
Amplified New Testament Copyright 1958, 1987 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture
quotations marked NKJV are from The Holy Bible, New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson.,
Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Greek and Hebrew word definitions are from The New Strongs
Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible Expanded Edition, James Strong, ed. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2001).
Unless otherwise noted, word definitions are from Websters Third International Dictionary of the English
Language Unabridged, copyright 1993 by Merriam-Webster, Inc.

ISBN 978-0-692-25341-0

Printed in the United States of America

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
To my Mom (Pamela Watson) and Dad (Ronald Hill), thank you for being amazing parents.
To my bro-ham (Ronald), lil scrappy (Neshea), and my mini-me (Jannelle), I love you guys
very much!
To my Besties: Nycole, Elaine, Cristina, Fifi, Tamie, Michelle, Elisa, Charlotte, and Elizabeth, I
love you ladies more than I could possibly say. Thank you for being such amazing women!

I would like to give a humongous THANK YOU to Pastor Barrajas, Fifi, Charlotte, Amelia,
Keverlie, Collette, and Charissa for taking the time to read my manuscript and give me
feedback. Your input was invaluable and I pray that God would multiply the seed of time
you sowed into this project and grant you a mighty harvest. Thank you for the many words
of encouragement and the amazing conversations.
Patricia Reedy, you told me Dont wait. Do it all. Your mentorship and friendship have been
so timely over this past year. Our conversations and the questions you have posed to me
have helped me shift the way I see myself, embrace who I am, clarify my place and
contribution to my field and my network, expand my expectations of what I could do,
identify my message and audience, and most of all, take ownership of my value as a
woman, a Christian, an artist, an educator, a writer, and a leader. Thank you for welcoming
me into your life and into the Luna Dance Institute family.

Pastor Hoss, you are such a man of God, and such a man of integrity. I thank you for your
friendship and for welcoming me into your family. Thank you for always making yourself
available to speak to me when I need it. I honor you, sir, and I pray Gods blessing and favor
continually increase on your life and your family.

Stacy Meadows and LaQuin Snowden, You will never fully understand what your leadership
and instruction has done in me- how it has forever changed the course and quality of my
life. Thank you for undertaking the necessary life sacrifices that enabled you to hear from
God and so diligently pour into my hungry spirit. I am forever grateful.

Bishop and First Lady McClendon, Thank you for being such leaders of integrity. Sir, the
student in me loves and honors you with every fiber of my being. I will never be able to
thank you enough for teaching me how to study the Word, question and prod it, how to be
methodical in connecting and applying it. Your love and joy of studying the Word and
unpacking its richness have been contagious. God has had me under your tutelage for 18
years and I praise Him for every moment of it. You have been the iron He has used to shape

and sharpen my iron. I honor you, sir, as my spiritual father and I am proud to be your
daughter. I love you both!

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

v
vii

CHAPTER

A GIFT & AN ASSIGNMENT

ONE

Revealing the Designation

The Business of Service
Dance Ministry in Grace
A Presented Disposition

3
9
12
14

CHAPTER
TWO

GOOD SEEDS IN THE FIELD

23

KINGDOM CONTENT

27

KINGDOM CONDUCT

31

Kingdom Artist Initiative

32

INTERACTING WITH OTHERS

Salt of the Earth
Light of the World
The Fragrance of Christ
Exhibitors & Dispensers of the Love of Christ

35
36
39
44
47

CREATING, FACILITATING, & SUPPORTING ART

50

ATTENDING TO OUR CAREERS

Healthy Desire vs. Destructive Lust
Staying Connected to Our Source
Make It Plain
Whatever You Say

57
61
64
65
66

CHAPTER
THREE

FINDING YOUR PATH

69

The Call of God

The Season of Briefing
Leaving DNA Evidence of Whos Been in the Room
Conclusion

73
77
81
83

APPENDIX

Whatever You Say

85

iv

INTRODUCTION
I was first introduced to ministry through dance in 1994, by a group called The
Hush Company.1 Since then, I have set my life to understanding how dance serves God,
the individual, the congregation, and the body of Christ. This was the focus of my first
book, Dancers! Assume the Position: The What, the Why, and the Impact of the
dancer's ministry. As I have grown and matured in my understanding of ministry, I have
simultaneously studied to grow as an artist. As I have continued to mature artistically,
God has increasingly opened doors and granted me influence outside the church. This
increase in opportunity has been accompanied by a burden for artists in my same
position.
In 2014, I am viscerally aware of my assignment to the Kingdom dancer, and more
so, the artist. Some of them function in congregations, some outside the church
paradigm, and others, like myself, function in both. The past decade has experienced a
tremendous influx of dancers leaving their secular occupations and dedicating their
art to the Lord. There has also been an equally conspicuous outflux of dancers taking
their art and their God into culture and education. More than ever, Christian dancers
are going into professional careers in academia, entertainment, and concert dance.
Increasing numbers of Christian colleges are offering Bachelors, Masters, and Doctoral
degrees in dance. In this time, we are seeing the Christian dance community make
noticeable expansion into the Great Commission: engaging with all groups of people to
demonstrate and declare who God is, occupying culture and its systems, ideas, and
infrastructure to set forth His kingdom order. In all of these contexts, each of us seeks
to better understand how ministry transpires where we are, in what we do. Each of us
desires to know how to conduct ourselves, do business, interact with others, create art,
and make career decisions in a way that glorifies God, advances His kingdom, and
honors the integrity of the artform. That is the focus of this book.
Dancers! Assume the Position: The Role & Impact of the Kingdom Dancer in the
Field endeavors to contribute to the discussion of faith and art through its exploration
of two questions:

A Los Angeles based dance ministry directed by Stacy Meadows and LaQuin Snowden. I
ministered with them for eight years.

1. How do we navigate the intersection of our faith and our art in a way
that dignifies and honors both God and the artform?
2. What does that intersection look like when we are creating art,
managing our careers, and interacting with others?

The discussion of faith and art is a centuries old conversation. The discussion of
faith and art in culture has just as rich a legacy. Predecessors including Francis A.
Schaeffer, Andy Crouch, Jeremy Begbie, Matt Tommey, Steve Turner, Hans R.
Rookmaaker, Makoto Fujimura, and so many others have laid tremendous foundation
establishing three basic convictions:
1. Christians should be engaging in culture and presenting work outside
of the church building and context.
2. Christians should be presenting art of excellent caliber in the
marketplace, as we represent an excellent God.
3. Art made by Christians should contribute the Kingdom perspective on
all parts of the human experience, which extends beyond salvation
and the cross.
This book assumes that we agree on these basic convictions as it climbs upon their
shoulders to venture into the next part of the conversation: We have stepped out into
culture. Now what do we do?

vi

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

Dancers! Assume the Position is so biblical, so wellorganized, and so well-articulated, that everyone in leadership
or aspiring to enter ministry should have this book in hand. I
would suggest that you read it three times. Read it rapidly to
grasp the wealth of information. Then, read it thoughtfully to
understand its principles. And finally, read it intentionally to
put the information and principles into practice.

Pastor Phillip Hoss, New Life Church, Temecula, CA

Dancers! Assume the Position is part of our mandate to provide instruction that
establishes and restores a reverence for what we do, an understanding of why we do,
and excellence in how we do ministry through dance. This book, however, is not a
training manual. It is a study guide. It is information that establishes a context and
challenges you to ponder, discover, and frame your place within that context. This book
is a lens that, from now on, will target and focus how you see and define yourself as a
dancer in the kingdom, and a kingdom dancer within culture.
Take this information and meditate on it. Talk about it. Commune with God over
it. Study the scriptures provided and take them into your prayer time and bible study.
Visit our website and consider the reflection questions. Incorporate them into the
training for your ministry. After you finish reading this book, read it again. And read it
again and again. Set aside time once a year to re-read it as a ministry in order to refresh
and realign yourselves in relationship with God, and in the assignment He gave you.
There is so much more that God wants to show you about your dance in Him more
than I could ever possibly set my mind to comprehend or my hands to write. Use this
book to help you assume, and maintain, your position.

vii

A GIFT & AN
ASSIGNMENT
CHAPTER ONE
Our relationship with God is the fountainhead and
anchor of our gift, ambition, and contribution to society
and culture. It is the lens through which we see, create,
and occupy as artists.

For in Him we live and move and have our being; as even some of your [own]
poets have said, For we are also His offspring. (Acts 17:28, AMP)

The relationship between God and His children is multi-faceted. Each facet
requires both parties to fill different roles and attend to different responsibilities as
the context of their interaction changes. Sometimes, the interaction between the
two is as Father to Son. Other times, it is as Savior to redeemed, Creator to
creation, or King to ambassador. In the first chapter of Jeremiah, we receive a look
into the enterprise facet of this relationship, in which God and His children interact
as Visionary to steward.

Revealing the Designation

Jer. 1: 4-5, "Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Before I formed you in
the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a
prophet to the nations."
Knew (yada): In part, it means to "turn the mind to something," giving
thought and attention to it.
Sanctified (qadash): "to be set apart and prepared"
Ordained (nathan): "to put in one's heart, to inflict or impose." To
"impose" partly means "to cause to be burdened with, to force one to
submit or come into accord with."
In this disclosure, God informs Jeremiah that his life is one of purpose and
consequence. This information shifts Jeremiah's understanding of his life into a
context bigger than he could have previously imagined or accepted. God first
reveals Jeremiah's existence to him as a life formed on purpose. He lets him know
that he was not created by happenstance, nor was he to live by it. In fact, much
consideration, planning, and investment went into both bringing him into being
and establishing him to be. He then reveals Jeremiah's life to him as one brought
forth in purpose. He introduces him to the reason that has been set to shepherd
the course of his life, which for Jeremiah, was to serve as a prophet to the nations.
Finally, God shows Jeremiah that he is an individual that has been meticulously
crafted for purpose. From his natural abilities, to his personality, to his tendencies,
God informs Jeremiah that his life and his person have been fully equipped and
designed to fulfill the destiny set before him. God was so thorough in equipping
him, that He even filled him with the desire and burden for his purpose, which
would continually draw Jeremiah toward it for the rest of his life.

Jer. 1: 6-8, "Then said I: Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.' But
the Lord said to me: Do not say, I am a youth,' For you shall go to all whom I send
you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces,
For I am there to deliver you,' says the Lord."
After receiving knowledge of God's plans for him, Jeremiah has the reaction
we all do and proceeds to inform the God who made him why he is not qualified to
do what is being asked of him. Jeremiah is afraid that he lacks the skills, experience,
and knowledge needed to successfully complete this great task. God quickly
corrects him and proceeds to put him at ease, showing Jeremiah that the only thing
he needs to supply for this endeavor is himself. The only thing God asks him to
bring is his availability to go where he is directed and speak what he hears. Still,
God recognizes that Jeremiah feels undeserving of such responsibility, authority,
and trust. He also recognizes his fear that others will be bold in their opinion of him
as undeserving and unqualified, and that they will disregard him because of it. So,
He encourages Jeremiah not to worry about anyone else - not what they think, not
what they say, nor how they feel - because in the end, this is all about the two of
them. It is as if God is saying to Jeremiah: This started with you and I, it will end
with you and I, and I will always be there to deliver you. Just go where I lead, and
say what I say. I have taken care of everything else. I put you on this road and I
intend to make sure you reach its end. In these simple instructions, God begins to
teach Jeremiah how to operate and prosper in his assignment.

Jer. 1:9-10, "Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord
said to me: Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you
over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy
and to throw down, to build and to plant.'"
In this disclosure, God shows Jeremiah the executive vehicle he will use,
the source of his efficacy, and the objectives of his efforts as a prophet. When God
puts His hand on Jeremiah's mouth, He shows him that he will execute the task of
prophesying with words. He teaches Jeremiah that his vehicle, words, has a zone of
effectiveness. The parameters of that zone are God's words, at His leading. As long
as Jeremiah employs his vehicle within those parameters, he will experience power
working with the words he speaks to root out, pull down, destroy, throw down,
build, and plant.

Jer. 1:12, "Then the Lord said to me, You have seen well, for I am ready to perform
My word.'"
God asks Jeremiah what he sees. He replies that he sees an almond tree.
God then responds with the words above. In His answer, He reiterates the source
and zone of effectiveness for any words Jeremiah will speak in his assignment: only
Gods word will be performed. As long as Jeremiah speaks God's word, he will
experience a response of power to what he has spoken. With this reiteration, God
is gently cautioning Jeremiah to always remember that he does have a gift and an
assignment, however, only Gods presence filling His gift will enable him to fully
complete his assignment.
Jer. 1:13, "And the word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying What do you
see?"
In response to this question, Jeremiah replies, "a boiling pot, and it is facing
away from the north." In verses 14-16, God informs Jeremiah about:
- who he is sent to: all the families of the kingdoms of the north, and
- the condition his assignment will address: the arrogance and wickedness running
rampant throughout that population.
Each purpose has a particular group of people its assignment will target and a
particular need, situation, or condition it will address amongst those people. Jesus
was called to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Peter was called to the Jews.
Paul to the Gentiles. Pauls assignment was to make the Gospel understandable
and available for the Gentiles because it was previously only for the children of
Israel. For Moses, it was delivering the children of Israel out of bondage and
getting them into their own land.
In verse 17, God warns Jeremiah not to let anything prevent Him from
doing the two things he was instructed to continually position himself to do: to go,
and to speak where led. God also speaks, again, about faces. What is significant
about faces that would lead God to speak to this issue twice? On the face, you can
see what someone is saying, thinking, and feeling. It is representative of opinion
and communication. People, however, do not have the only faces that speak to us.
Circumstances and situations also have faces, and they speak to us just as clearly as
people. God is basically telling Jeremiah: Don't ever be moved by what a person or a
situation says more than you are moved by what I say. I am the Author and Finisher
of this endeavor and I, through you, am the only one who has the power to make
4

anything happen in it. Their opinion has no power, and I will not allow my purpose
to be stopped in you because of anyone's powerless opinion. In verse 18, God shows
Jeremiah how he has been positioned and the authority he has been given to
address the arrogance and wickedness in the families of the kingdoms of the north.
In verse 19, He closes this interaction assuring Jeremiah that his success is eminent
as long as he functions within the given parameters. As long as he stays in the flow
of God's authority and power when he opens his mouth, nothing can prevail
against him and the purpose for which he was known, consecrated and ordained
will be surely accomplished. And so it was for Jeremiah. And so it for us. In this
encounter between God and Jeremiah, we see what happens when a child of God
is introduced to their purpose and commissioned to their assignment. As God gave
Jeremiah information about his purpose and assignment, so will He do with us.
- Each of us have been foreknown, sanctified, and ordained to a purpose
and assignment.
- Each of us have been made on purpose, brought forth in purpose, and
fully equipped for purpose.
- Each of us has a gift that will be the principle way we execute our
assignment.
- Each of us has a particular group of people who will be the focus of our
assignment.
- Each of us has a particular situation, condition, or need our assignment
will address.

We have established that there is a gift, a main vehicle, in each of us that God puts
His finger on and identifies as the thing He will use in us to get an aspect of His
purpose accomplished in the earth. You are reading this book most likely because
you recognize God has put His finger on your dance. In the rest of this chapter, we
will delve further into this working relationship to expand and clarify our
understanding of ministry - what it is and what it looks like in general practice,
particularly through dance.
As we proceed, let us first agree on a working definition for dance in this
capacity. For the purpose of our discussion, I will refer to what we do as dance
5

ministry, or ministry through dance. Usually, this term is used specifically in

reference to dance occurring in congregational settings as a part of praise and
worship. For our purposes, though, I expand the term to include dance happening
outside of the church paradigm - in academic, entertainment, concert, and
community contexts. You may be wondering how ministry could happen in these
settings, as it tends to be something that we relegate only to those on pulpits or
missions trips. We find it hard to conceive how we as a choreographer, dancer on
tour, administrator, or professor could function in ministry to the same degree as a
preacher or evangelist. We tend to view the relationship between our dance
careers and ministry in three ways:

- A mindset that sees career and ministry as mutually exclusive because of where we
dance. How can our dance be used for ministry if we are a backup dancer for Miley
Cyrus? If we choreograph for Justin Timberlake or Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet?
How about if we teach a jazz funk or heels class at Broadway Dance Center or The
Edge? What if we are the development or artistic director of a dance company, or a
professor teaching choreography or feminine sexuality in modern dance at a
university? Because it functions outside of Christian settings and does not deal with
Christian subject matter, this mindset struggles to see how it could possibly be in a
ministry assignment in these contexts.

- A mindset that believes that being Christian is enough for us to do as we see fit with
the dance. This thinking looks at dance presumptively, ignoring the responsibility to
account to God for how and where we use His gift in us. It overlooks the need to
consult with God or comply with Him in any part of the process. With this mindset, we
do a lot of things for God, giving Him what we think He wants. However, we never
speak to God to find out what He actually desires. Or, we neglect to see the importance
of considering Him in our dance life at all.

- A mindset that understands that the dance is a vehicle used to fulfill ministry, whether
we use it to perform, teach, choreograph, administrate, or run a business. This view
understands that God is the God of the whole world and everything on it, and in it.
Thus, for the Christian, there is no secular vocation. It understands the need to be a
participant and contributor in all parts of society, culture, and daily life to display and
declare Gods goodness and sovereignty where we are, as we are led. This mindset
6

understands that dance is a doorway to conversations, interactions, demonstrations,

and influence for Kingdom purpose. It is imperative that we recognize, even as God
opens doors for us in cultural industries, that we are being sent forth in an
ambassadorial/ministry capacity. It is equally imperative that we understand what
that means and the responsibility it entails.
What does ministry through dance look like? Further, what does it look like in
those of us on assignment outside the 4-walls? The Spirit of God gave me the
following definition: Dance ministry is the process of using dance as a vehicle to carry
out the act of ministry. This definition brings to light a very important distinction: the
dance is not the ministry and the ministry is not the dance. In fact, they are two
separate and distinct entities. Dance ministry is actually a relationship created by the
coming together of ministry and the gift of dance. This same relationship between
ministry and gift exists for every vehicle used for ministry. Preaching, for example, is
the relationship created by the coming together of ministry and the gift of speaking.
The function of worship leader is the coming together of ministry and the gift of
singing. Separating the two begs for clarification, as dancing does not necessarily mean
we are also ministering. Though God has called us to it, the dance is only the vehicle we
have been given to use in fulfilling our ministry assignment. If dance is the vehicle, what
is the ministry?
When we talk about ministry we like to present it as this deep and ethereal
experience, as if revealing its simplicity diminishes its relevance or potency. But it is not
what many of us have thought it to be, and much simpler than we have supposed.
From the encounter between God and Jeremiah, we received a glimpse into its basic
anatomy: our action according to Gods word, at His leading. Now, we will take a
deeper look.
A preliminary word study reveals that ministry is basically the rendering of service.
Its various Hebrew and Greek definitions differ in the type of service rendered, where it
is provided, who renders the service, and who directs the service. But, at its bare
essence ministry is plain and simply service. Websters Unabridged Dictionary defines
service as an act done for the benefit or at the command of another. A servant is a
person in the employ and subject to the direction of an individual or company; [one]
that serves the purposes of another. To serve is to be of help in bringing about, to be
of use, or answer the needs of. These definitions reveal two characteristics of service:

1. It serves to benefit and assist in someone elses purpose.

2. It is generally performed at the command or direction of that person.
7

There is a difference between service and effort. Effort is the expenditure of energy to
accomplish some objective.2 Where effort expends energy to accomplish some
objective, service expends energy to fulfill a directed task. To demonstrate the
difference, lets say I ask you to hand me a hammer. You hand me a screwdriver. Have
you served me, or have you made an effort towards me? Both handing me the
hammer and the screwdriver are expenditures of energy, but service requires that your
energy be applied to producing what I have directed or requested. What, then, would
serve me? For you to hand me the hammer, to hand me what I asked for. This principle
of what I asked for is central to the discussion of ministry and can be further
illustrated by looking at the nature of the service business.

The Business of Service

The essence of operating a business in the service industry is to proceed as
directed. These businesses are built around the wants and needs of customers,
which are made known through the services they request. They are different from
retail businesses where consumer goods such as books, food, clothes, and music
are sold. Retail businesses, like Vons Supermarket, Target, and Barnes & Noble are
stocked with consumer goods and they operate on customers selecting the goods
they want and purchasing them. Service businesses, like Kinkos, mechanics, and
hair salons have no consumer goods to sell. They sell their services (styling hair,
fixing cars, or making copies). These businesses do not produce any products
until a customer comes in and purchases the application of their service.
In retail, customers come for products that are already assembled, packaged,
and ready for purchase. When I go into Barnes & Noble, all that is required of me is to
make a decision as to whether or not I want to purchase the books or CDs they have in
stock.
Conversely, service businesses offer the raw materials I need to produce what I
want, and from them I purchase specificity: the application of their skills and materials
to generate a product or result that has been tailored to my request. For instance, I
want 50 custom-made invitations for my party. A retail business, like Target, will have
50 invitations in their store, but they wont be custom-made because generalization is
the nature of retail. Instead, I will have to choose from the selection of pre-made
2

www.dictionary.com

invitations available in their store. To get the specific invitations I want, I would instead
go to a service business, like Kinkos. However, Kinkos will not have 50 custom-made
invitations sitting on a shelf there, either. To get my custom invitations, I have to tell a
Kinkos employee specifically what I want on my invitations, how I want them designed
and laid out, and that I want 50 of them made on green paper. Upon receiving my
instructions, Kinkos will then employ their skills and materials to produce not just
anything, but specifically what I ordered. If I come back to Kinkos to pick up my order
and they give me 40 invitations on red paper, they have not done their job because
their business is to employ their resources in compliance with the specifications I, the
customer, requested.
In this regard, God is our customer and our business is to employ our resources
(gifts, talents, and abilities) towards providing service in compliance with His
specifications. This implies a first step. Like a Kinkos employee, we must first consult
with our Customer, through prayer, to see what He wants us to use our gifts to
accomplish for Him through our assignment. As a child of God, there is an assignment
attached to our dance, regardless of the context in which it is created or presented.
Even when we function in the vein of art for arts sake, there is still a Kingdom
agenda connected to the gift. Until we understand what God has purposed for our gift
and move according to that mandate, we are just active. We have a job or a hobby; but
we are not yet functioning in ministry. Ministry is service; and it requires that we first
know what is being asked of us, and that we use our resources to proceed as directed
by that request. Being saved and loving God does not automatically transform what we
do as artists into ministry. For our art to be a vehicle for ministry, we must bring it into
alignment with the purpose and assignment God attached to it when He put it in us.
That looks different for each of us as we all have different paths, even though we may
share the same vehicle.
At this moment, some of you may be experiencing thoughts along this line:
But, I don't desire to be a minister or to get into ministry. I want a career in dance.
In light of how we tend to perceive ministry, it is understandable why such a
thought would occur. However, this discussion is neither about becoming a
minister, nor getting into ministry. This discussion only seeks to point out that we
are already ministers unto God. When we received salvation and accepted Christ as
our Lord, we received Him as Lord over every part of our lives. We became a royal
priesthood, according to 1 Ptr. 2:9. As priests we are to minister to God. In the Old
Covenant, priests ministered to Him by bringing burnt offerings, lambs, goats,
wheat, etc. In our covenant, we minister to Him as priests by bringing ourselves as
offerings that will live for Him (Rom. 12:1). In Heb. 10:5-7, Jesus speaks to the
Father's desire for a body to do His will. We are now that body, of which Christ is
9

the head (Col. 1:8). Part of that ambassadorial ministry function we inherit when
we become part of the body is to live incarnationally, as Matt Tommey describes,
"erasing the boundaries between heaven and earth,"3 where we are manifesting
God in, among, and through all parts of our lives. As the body of Christ, a great part
of our ministry is to make ourselves available to such an existence. Scripture gives
us insight into the manner of ministry God is seeking from us. In the artists life, it
will inform how we engage in our art.
Jer. 7:22-23 (AMP)
For in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I did not
speak to your fathers or command them concerning burnt offerings or
sacrifices. But this thing I did command them: Listen to and obey My
voice, and I will be Your God and you will be My people; and walk in the
whole way that I command you, that it may be well with you.
1 Sam. 15:22 (KJV)
And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and
sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better
than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

Hosea 6:6 (AMP)

For I desire and delight in dutiful steadfast love and goodness, not
sacrifice, and the knowledge of and acquaintance with God more than
burnt offerings.

Eccl. 5:1 (AMP)

Keep your foot *give your mind to what you are doing+ when you go *as
Jacob to sacred Bethel] to the house of God. For to draw near to hear and
obey is better than to give the sacrifice of fools [carelessly, irreverently]
too ignorant to know that they are doing evil.

From his teaching on "Incarnational Creativity" - December 2014 in The Equipping Center from The Worship
Studio

10

Mk. 12:28-33 (KJV)

And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning
together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him,
Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The
first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one
Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all
thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first
commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than
these. And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the
truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love
him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the
soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is
more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

Now before you get excited, lets see how God determines if we love Him.

Jn. 14:23, 24 (NKJV)

Jesus answered and said to him, If anyone loves Me, he will keep My
word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make
Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words;
and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Fathers who sent Me.

Dance Ministry In Grace

When I first started studying and writing on this subject, I proceeded to make
the case that obedience is what God is seeking from us, using the above scriptures to
substantiate this truth. However, it became necessary for me to revisit and restructure
how I presented this section after receiving revelation and understanding from
instruction by Bishop Clarence E. McClendon.4 He taught about understanding and
4

Bishop Clarence E. McClendon is the Senior Pastor of Full Harvest International in

Gardena,CA. http://bishopmcclendon.com

11

living in our covenant, about understanding how God relates to us and how we are to
relate to Him based on the covenant we live under a better covenant built on better
promises (Heb. 8:6). He further impressed upon me the importance of having the
correct understanding of my partnership with God and understanding where, how, and
why obedience fits into that relationship.
Referencing 1 Cor. 10:11, he explained that the Old Covenant is for our
instruction and our example. Consequently, everything in it is to be understood by us,
but not everything is necessarily to be performed by us, as it was done then. For us, the
Old Covenant reveals principles that teach us something about our God. What it shows
us, though, must be understood through the relationship we have with Him through
Christ, as those living under the New Covenant, having received all the benefits of
Christs death, burial, and resurrection. God has never wanted us to just obey Him. He
wants us to believe Him, understanding that obedience is a natural by-product of
belief.
The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Vol 1., explains
that belief (gr. pisteuo) refers to a personal relationship with a person or thing which
is established by trust or trustworthiness. I found it striking in the first four verses how
much God desires to commune with us, not to just bark orders at us. He desires for us
to know who He is, what He wants, what Hes involved in, and what pleases Him. He
desires the true intimacy of a relationship with His children. Many times, because God
is not visible to our natural eye, we forget that He is still a person. Yes, He is Supreme
Master, Creator, and Lord of the universe but He is still a person, and we are in
relationship with Him, the person. He does need our obedience. However, the
obedience He is after is one borne out of believing Him and coming into agreement
with Him through our actions because we believe Him. He is not after obedience as we
have traditionally understood it, nor as it exists in the Old Covenant: an obedience
borne out of obligation, to try to earn His goodness, to try to get something from Him,
or for fear that He will punish us or take something from us if we dont obey Him. From
Gods stand point, our obedience is a matter of creating agreement within a personal
relationship established by and in trust, not about exacting subservience. If He just
wanted subservience from us, He would have created us like the angels, who have no
choice but to obey Him when He speaks. Yet He didnt.

12

GOOD SEEDS
IN THE FIELD
CHAPTER TWO

We are, first, children of God, then artists. As such, we

have an ambassadorial responsibility to contribute the
Kingdom perspective and demonstrate Kingdom living by,
with, and through our art.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and
glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Mt. 5:16, KJV)

13

Mt. 13:24 (KJV)

Another parable put He forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of
heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field

Mt. 13:36-38 (KJV)

Then Jesus sent the multitudes away, and went into the house: and
his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of
the tares of the field. He answered and said unto them, He that
soweth the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; the
good seed are the children of the kingdom...

In the church, there is a long-established contention about whether we are to

interact with secular society and culture. There is even greater dissension about
how. Segmenting the life into spiritual and secular parts has left Christians trying to
navigate this duality, wrestling with whether, and how, to choose between the two
or integrate them. This balancing act is all the more difficult for those called out
into society and culture, especially in the arts. Make no mistake about it, though;
we, as Kingdom citizens, are to unapologetically be in vocations of culture, society,
and daily living outside of the 4-walls of the church. Though we may be outside of a
symbolic building, we, as temples of the living God, take our faith and our God with
us wherever we go. Thus, for us, there is no duality; nor is there such a thing as a
secular vocation, as we are the church. Dancers, the art we create, facilitate, and
support is to be a part of the cultural dialogue, and we are to be doing it
excellently.
Invading Babylon 5 looks into this mission of infiltrating every aspect of
society with the Kingdom perspective, transforming these spheres as we are
worked into them. In it, Bill Johnson asserts, In order to understand how to invade
Babylon, you must first understand that you are called and equipped to invade
Babylon. The writers point to seven spheres, or mountains, that we are to be in:
1. Church
2. Family

Invading Babylon: The 7 Mountain Mandate, by Lance Wallnau and Bill Johnson

14

3. Education
4. Government and law
5. Media (television, radio, newspaper, and internet)
6. Arts, entertainment, and sports
7. Commerce, science, and technology

This chapter looks at several essential questions:

1. What does ministry look like through our dance in commercial, concert,
academic, and community settings?
2. What do we make art about as Christians? How does our relationship
with God influence how we go about creating it? What functions does it
serve in culture and society?
3. How does our relationship with God influence how we make decisions
about our career?

There is a large spectrum of how we are used as seeds sown in the field. Some of us
present overtly Christian messages through our dance. We dance in a group of
Christians to Christian songs. Others of us operate more covertly. We may be a
group of Christian dancers and our content has Kingdom underpinnings, but is not
overtly doctrinal. We may be a group of Christian dancers doing strictly abstract
work, engaging in art for arts sake. We may be the only Christian in a group of
dancers, not dancing about anything remotely having to do with our God or our
faith. Wherever you may fall along the spectrum, you are needed. Your artistry and
your content are needed to contribute the Kingdom perspective to cultural and
societal conversation and to shed light on a more excellent way of being an artist
and citizen. How do we do this? We will answer this question through the lens of
content and conduct.

15

16

KINGDOM CONTENT
In exploring our content, there is a fundamental issue we must settle
before going further: Does everything Christians produce, and every interaction we
have with people, have to lead to someone getting saved before we leave each
others presence? Is the only plausible end for our art and interaction to evangelize
and convert them? Did every interaction that Christ had center around the singular
goal of moving people towards salvation? If you believe the answer to be yes, you
hold a valid belief, but one that prevents such rich opportunity to display the
wonders and joy of our God and faith in a more meaningful and sophisticated way.
My conviction is that the answer to each of these questions is no.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (KJV)

To every [thing there is] a season, and a time to every purpose under
the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a
time to pluck up [that which is] planted; A time to kill, and a time to
heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep,
and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to
cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to
embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a
time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend,
and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time
to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

The word time in this passage is the Hebrew word, eth, and it includes
experiences, events, occurrences, and occasions. If it is acceptable to laugh, then it
must also be acceptable to engage in things that make us laugh. If all we ever
explore in our art is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, where is the
stimulus and occasion to engage in raucous laughter? Following this line of
thinking, these times expressed in Ecclesiastes open up the whole of the human
experience for us to explore. The key is exploring them from a mindset illuminated
by our relationship with Christ and the word of God. We are not obligated to force
all our artistic content into an evangelistic frame; only to share, question, and
celebrate life from a Kingdom perspective.
17

Steve Turner6 delineated a range for content explored by Christians in the

arts. His concept is made up of five circles contained within each other. The
outermost circle represents art that does not suggest an obvious worldview. This
kind of content is about the spirit of play with no thought of higher meaning. It is
the realm of abstract art, art for arts sake. The next circle in represents art that
dignifies human life and introduces a sense of awe and wonder about being alive.
This realm explores beauty and appreciation. The third circle represents content
that carries an imprint of clear Biblical teaching, but is not uniquely Christian,
exploring subjects like love, peace, and forgiveness. The fourth circle speaks to
content that is still not exclusive to the Christian experience, but explores the
Bibles primary theological themes creating art that draws inspiration from the
teachings of original sin, human moral freedom, the spirit realm, etc. The
innermost circle in Turners five circles speaks to content that explores subjects
unique to the Christian gospel. He explains,

Deists can talk about a creator God, Jews can talk about the
importance of the law, Muslims can talk about obedience,
atheists can talk about human dignity, New Agers can talk about
spirituality. But only a Christian can talk, with personal
conviction, of the life, miraclesdeath, resurrection, and
ascension of Christ. Only the Christian can talk about the need
for repentance, [biblical] faith, and [Kingdom] discipleship.7

With Turners circles, we are free to question, prod, examine, enjoy, and poke fun
at the complexities, hilarities, nuances, and absurdities of being human and relating
to God. We are free to explore a moment in time and leave it unresolved. By Gal.
5:22-23 (KJV) we know that the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, *and+ temperance. One
could spend a lifetime just unpacking these dispositions and how they play out in
our everyday lives in relationships, daily tasks, work life, family, etc.
In 1 Cor. 3, while chastising the church at Corinth, Paul highlights the reality
that not every encounter is a harvest encounter. In some, only a seed is planted. In
others, a seed that was previously planted is watered. Still, in others, it is time to
harvest, and salvation is received. In both the planting and watering occasions, the
6
7

In Imagine: A Vision for Christians in the Arts, 2001, IVP Press, 83-88
In Imagine: A Vision for Christians in the Arts, 2001, IVP Press, 88

18

parties leave each others presence without the forced conclusion of someone
being immediately enlightened, turning away from their wicked ways, and receiving
Christ as their personal Savior. This scripturally accepted reality is seldom reflected
in our art and we have paid dearly for it in quality and relevance. Salvation is the
door. Christs death, burial, and resurrection are the hinges. Facilitating people in
receiving a relationship with Christ is one of the most fundamental goals, but so is
living a victorious, fulfilling life in the dailyness we navigate every moment here on
earth. These practical aspects of life need just as much attention, or else we have
people that dont know how to function once they get into the house.
Freedom from the obligation to bring all explorations to a salvation
conclusion allows us to ponder a question for the sake of the question. We can
articulate our relationship with God, our experiences with faith, and our
ponderings of the Christian walk in clever and provocative ways through metaphor,
allusion, parable, symbolism, allegory, and implication. We have felt, and many
times been taught, that we needed to be direct in our communication, to get to the
point of the matter quickly because the only thing of importance was how many
souls we led to Christ and brought to church. Many times we dismiss subtlety
fearing accusation that we are watering down the Gospel, or are lukewarm about
our faith. However, Scripture shows that overtness and confrontation are not
always the most effective means for sharing the Gospel or simply building
relationships. Turner speaks to the need to exercise wisdom to know when to
introduce mention of God or Jesus.

We do not need to overtly refer to God in everything we

create. Not even every book in the Bible refers to God. Jesus
surely didnt mark all his carpentry with a relevant saying, and
Paul didnt embroider memory verses on his tents. Christians
need wisdom to know when it is appropriate to mention God
or Jesus Christ. There is nothing more disconcerting than when
an engaging piece of work suddenly lurches into explicit
theology without any apparent connection. Its as if the author
has discharged a responsibility rather than reached a natural
conclusion.8

Imagine: A Vision for Christians in the Arts, Steve Turner, 58

19

Ecclesiastes, Psalms, and Proverbs are poignant examples that Kingdom truth and
principle can still be robustly communicated without direct mention of God. The
Kingdom mindset underpins everything we produce, it frames our perspective, it
influences our choice of activity, and it permeates our daily practice and artistic
process. Am I advocating for us to take any mention of God, Jesus, or other
Christian verbiage out of our art and conversation? Absolutely not. I am merely
making the case, should you be led to create art that does not contain them, that
there is biblical precedence to support you.
God leads gently with a still small voice. He presents His word and then
steps back, leaving us the space to choose. We are called the salt of the earth, the
light of the world, and the fragrance of Christ, all of which are passive agents. Even
when we are led to be direct and overt in sharing the Gospel, we are to still be
gentle in our presentation. Bishop Clarence McClendon9 has said that people dont
have an issue with our God or our gospel; their issue is with the ways we have
presented them. The reality is not everyone will receive salvation through our
efforts. There are people who will never come to our church. There are those who
will never willingly receive Christ as their Lord. If we only measure our usefulness,
success, and fulfillment by conversion rates, we are missing out on a life God
intended us to also be curious about and enjoy, not just work.

Senior Pastor of Full Harvest International in Gardena, CA www.bishopmcclendon.com

20

KINGDOM CONDUCT
As we look into our conduct, the question before us is what does ministry
look like through us when we are on tour, in the boardroom, or at the audition?
How do we conduct ourselves as ambassadors for the kingdom of God in those
settings? I want to examine our conduct in three areas: in interacting with others,
in creating, facilitating, and supporting dance, and in doing business and making
career decisions.
To begin this conversation, I want to share a vision the Spirit of God gave
me called the Kingdom Artist Initiative (KAI).10 The KAI Fellowship is a gathering
place for Christian visual and performing artists with careers and ambitions in the
concert, commercial, academic, and community sectors. This fellowship provides a
way for us to come together in prayer and open dialogue to learn how to create
art, conduct ourselves, do business, interact with others, and make career decisions
in a way that glorifies God and advances His kingdom. We do this with the full
recognition that each of us have different assignments that take different paths
and manifest themselves in different ways. Therefore we commit to encourage and
support each other in the glorious liberty of our Lord Jesus Christ while we walk in
the standard of Kingdom excellence.
KAI is made up of eight tenets that describe a mindset that serves to guide
our artistic and career decisions.

10

Join us at http://facebook.com/groups/kaifellows

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Kingdom Artist Initiative (KAI)

SALT / LIGHT / FRAGRANCE / LOVE
1. We understand that our careers are part of a Kingdom agenda.
In addition to being excellent artists, we understand we have been sown into our
industries to be salt, light, fragrance, and love to the people and institutions around
us as we contribute the Kingdom perspective and demonstrate Kingdom living.
2. We commit to put Him first in all things.
Recognizing that we have been sown into our industries for reasons and purposes
established by God, we commit to do it His way.

3. We have decided that having His presence and power is more important than
our pursuits and ambitions.
In committing to do it His way, we decide that there is no career opportunity worth
compromising our walk and our relationship with Him.
4. We acknowledge God as the Author and Finisher of our gift, vision, and
ambition.
We understand maintaining fellowship with our Source is necessary for our gift and
vision to thrive, and for our ambition to stay balanced. We are not losing ground in
our career when we rest in His timing and follow His leading even if it goes
against personal, conventional, or industry wisdom.
5. We determine that everything we produce will honor Him, His word, and our
covenant.
We determine that our artistic process and the art we create will line up with the
word of God. We will be led by the Spirit of God as we create, perform, present,
facilitate, and support art.

6. We will be anxious for nothing.

We determine that only the Spirit of God will influence the decisions we make
about our art and career. We receive that He is our source and that He has carved
22

out a place for us. We, therefore, refuse to be fearful, anxious, or envious about
our gift, its expression, or our careers.

7. We align our reasons/motives for being there with His reasons/motives for
having us there.
We determine to be of one heart and one mind with God concerning our ambitions
and motives for pursuing our careers and industries.

8. We allow room for the diversity of expression, breadth of approach, vantage

point, and language.
We support each other and celebrate the diversity and multifaceted expression of
God through each of us.

We will examine Kingdom conduct in our three identified areas through the
lens of these tenets. Before we dive fully into this subject, though, there is one
thing we must absolutely settle: God brings us into a finished work. It is so vital that
you accept that the vision you have of yourself as a dancer, arts administrator,
choreographer, or professor is from Him. Not only did He put the vision and desire
in you, but He considers the matter already settled. If it is already settled, we are
free from the responsibility of trying to make the vision we see happen. Mt. 6:10
tells us to pray, Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, in the earth, as it is [already]
in heaven. From Gods standpoint, your success and ultimate achievement as an
artist is already mapped out and accomplished. We have to walk along our path
always mindful that, in God, our success is assured. He has gone before each of us
and prepared both a place and a way for us to get to that place and make it a
reality in our lives. Our journey is to find out the place and the way He has
prepared for our gift, anointing, and assignment and set our lives toward it. We are
to acknowledge Him and He will direct our steps.11 When we commit our artistic
life to Him, He gives us His thoughts and makes our plans successful.12 We see
ourselves in that vision so clearly and we feel it so viscerally because our spirits
have locked onto the heavenly reality that what we see already is; it just hasnt
arrived here yet.

11
12

Prov. 3:6
Prov. 16:3

23

Concerning the vision we see for our personal and artistic life, it is never a
matter of if it will happen. That vision is already as real and sure as needing air to
breathe. No matter what it looks like, if is never the question. The only questions
are of timing (when), place (where), and method (how). Our energy, then, should
not be in trying to make the career we envision happen. We need to realize it is
already happening. Our efforts should instead be towards getting direction from
the Spirit of God on how to obtain it and how to proceed once we get there;
because getting there is inevitable. How will you get there? What will you be like
when you get there? What will your environment and relationships be like on your
way there, and by the time you arrive? Will you have left destruction behind you or
an oasis? Settling this within yourself is key to walking in everything else we will
discuss from this point. Exhibiting Kingdom conduct will be just about impossible if
you dont first accept that in God, it is already settled. Otherwise, all of your
resources will be exhausted in trying to get your vision to happen, instead of simply
receiving that it is, and bringing it from where it is to where you are. Here is an
example to demonstrate this point:

I am picturing myself as a millionaire. The reason I see myself as a millionaire is

because my aunt recently showed me a bank account in my name and told me that I
was one already. At the time she tells me, I dont have two nickels to rub together.
When I hear the news, I have several choices. I could 1) accept what she says as
truth, 2) not believe her that it is already in the bank but go out and still try to make
the millions, or 3) ignore the whole thing, but always be wondering.

If I do not believe my aunt, but still set out to become a millionaire, I will
spend all my time, resources, and energy trying to find the best and fastest way to
earn a million dollars. This will make me have to work harder, worry more, and
fight against bigger obstacles because I am doing all the work to make it happen.
However, if I accept my aunts news as truth, the only work I have is to find out
what bank the money is in, when I can take possession, and what I have to do to
get access to it. There is nothing for me to be worried about because it is mine. The
account is in my name and no one else can have it. No matter how long it takes to
get it, no matter the obstacles I encounter in getting it, I know that it is there, I
know that it is real, and I know that it is mine. Therefore, I keep moving towards it
in that assurance because it is not a question of if I will get the money, but of how
and when. If I am confident that the million dollars is already mine and that I will
actually take hold of it, I can be at ease for my own life, and thus, look beyond
myself and be helpful to others. I dont have to be cutthroat, deceptive, or withhold
information out of fear that helping others will diminish my chances of making my
24

millions. If I know its mine, I dont have to make compromising decisions in my

career that I think will get me to my million dollars faster.

INTERACTING WITH OTHERS

KAI Tenet #1: We understand that our careers are part of a Kingdom agenda.
In addition to being excellent artists, we understand we have been sown into
our industries to be salt, light, fragrance, and love to the people and
institutions around us as we contribute the Kingdom perspective and
demonstrate Kingdom living.

The Kingdom artist understands that their career is a strategy God uses to sow His
good seed into the field of society and culture. They also understand that they are
sown into that field to minister life into it and exhibit Kingdom culture. Part of the
way we minister into the field is through our interactions with others. God may
lead us to pray for people who may never know we did. They may never find out or
realize that we are a Christian at all. He might give us influence with co-workers
and lead us in what to minister to them. Sometimes God will lead us to say things
to people that dont sound like our normal Christian conversation, but He gives us
Kingdom language. We also minister by operating in our gift, even if we are not
dancing to Christian music or anything related to Christianity. We determine that
our life and our dance will be used to worship God. We hold the ability to invite
Him to be glorified in what we do. You might be in a dance about everyday subject
matter for an audience of non-Christians, but God reaches out to someone through
your worship and they are drawn to you. They might not understand why, but you
have been given an open door to speak into their life.
The Bible lets us know about four functions the Kingdom child serves when
relating to people:

1) Mt. 5:13 We are the salt of the earth

2) Mt. 5:14 We are the light of the world
3) 2 Cor. 2:14-15 We are the fragrance of Christ
4) We exhibit and dispense the love of God

25

By examining the functions and attributes of these elements, we can extrapolate

how we are to serve the people in our companies, on tour with us, in our
classrooms, etc.

Salt of the Earth

Salt is an interesting element. It is necessary for life to thrive and its
usefulness extends into all parts of human life, from water processing to agriculture
and highway preparation.
Functions and Attributes
1) Salt is a preservative. A preservative is an agent that keeps an object safe from
injury, harm, or destruction.13 It prevents decay, infection, and spoilage, as in
curing meat. When revealing his identity to his brothers who had sold him into
slavery, Joseph informs them that God had sent him before them to preserve them
in Egypts great famine, and to save their lives by a great deliverance. He goes on to
assure them that he will nourish them and keep them from poverty.14 God was
willing to honor Abraham and preserve the entire wicked city of Gomorrah for the
sake of ten righteous people if Abraham could find them.15 You and I have the Spirit
of God living inside of us, emanating out of us into our environments. His presence
and all of its impacting power go with us wherever we go. In Dt. 11:24-25 and Josh.
1:3, God tells us every place the soles of our feet go shall be ours and that there
shall be no man able to stand before us. We do not war against people but against
powers and spirits that influence and affect the people. Through the finished work
of Christ, we have victory over depression, addiction, etc., and we can stand against
those spirits and prevent them from bringing injury and destruction to the people
and institutions around us. Through praying and interceding for our dancers,
coworkers, students, managers, agents, and companies, we usher in the preserving
power of the Spirit of God as we stand in the gap. Like He did with Abraham, He will
regard them for our sakes.

2) Salt can be used to prevent things from being able to grow or produce. It was an
ancient custom to sow a defeated city with salt so that nothing could grow there.
Abimelech did this in Jdgs. 9:45 when he defeated and seized the city of Shechem.
In our environments, in the lives of our friends, and in our businesses, we can
13

Websters Unabridged Dictionary

Gen. 45:7-11
15 Gen. 18:32
14

26

declare things illegal that do not line up with the word of God. Mt. 18:18 tells us
whatever we bind *declare illegal+ on earth will be bound [declared illegal] in
heaven, and whatever we loose [declare legal] on earth will be loosed [declared
legal+ in heaven. Through our prayer, intercession, and declaration, we have the
authority to put our foot down, salt the earth and declare not in this company, not
in these dancers, not in my friends life, not in my students, not in my staff. If it
does not line up with Kingdom protocol, God has given you and I authority to
release our salt and stop it from remaining and producing.

3) Salt can promote growth when used as a fertilizer. It increases the productivity
of the soil by supplying nutrients or making existing nutrients available. Prov. 10:11
says the mouth of a righteous man is a well of life. The words we speak stimulate
life in people, situations, and environments. Prov. 10:21 says the lips of the
righteous nourish many. By the words we speak to the situations and people
around us, we act as a fertilizer helping to stimulate and bring forth the productive
things in them. Our words, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, stimulate life by
releasing the spiritual nutrients they need to thrive. The encouragement we give
them may be a scripture, but it may be some practical career advice or other kind
of affirmation. As we said earlier, the words God gives you to speak wont always
come in the form of traditional church language. He will speak to them in the
language and verbiage that they can best receive and understand. This means that
we have to be open to Kingdom communication which involves all parts of life
not just church life. We have to believe that He gives us what to say and how to say
it,16 that our speech, when led by Him, is seasoned with salt and we know how to
answer every man.17
In researching salt, I came across some interesting information about its
attributes:
- It enhances the flavor already present in the food to which it is added.18 Jn. 1:9
(KJV) says the true Light (the Father) lighteth every man that cometh into the
world. That word lighteth is the Greek word photizo and it means to bring to
light, render evident, to enlighten spiritually, and to imbue with saving
knowledge.19 Every man born into this world comes with a sense of dual
citizenship, feeling that they have a connection to something that is beyond this
physical, temporal world. That is every person, not just every Christian person. This
16

Jn. 12:49
Col. 4:6
18 Wikipedia.com
19 Blueletterbible.org
17

27

is why religions of all types are so prevalent: because we all have this nagging sense
that there is another part of ourselves that we must find and connect with to be
fully whole. It is as if we all came into this world holding a key with a note on it
saying come home. We spend our whole lives putting this key into random doors
until we find the one our key opens. Even atheists acquiesce to some larger force
be it fate, reason, coincidence, etc. 2 Cor. 4:4 speaks of the minds of unbelievers as
being blinded by the god of this age lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ,
who is the image of God, should shine upon them. Still, just because they are
blinded to the Gospel, it doesnt mean they arent still searching to find the door to
their key, be it money, sex, work, relationships, etc. They just cant see that Christ is
the door. Rom. 11:29 (KJV) tells us the gifts and calling of God are without
repentance. The NKJV says they are irrevocable. Whether a person ever
acknowledges and accepts Christ as their Lord, the gifts God put in them still
remain. As salt, when you and I interact with them, we stimulate those gifts and we
stimulate that awareness that is in them, even if we never see them get saved.

- Salt has the ability to impact and affect change in its location.20 It makes its
contribution and is gone. It dissipates after fulfilling its purpose.21 This speaks to the
craftiness and unobtrusiveness of salt when it is used prudently. Mt. 10:16 (KJV)
says Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise
as serpents, and harmless as doves. Bishop McClendon taught that the wisdom of
a serpent is that it has the ability to get close enough to you to affect you without
you ever knowing its there, until it is too late. The Dictionary of New Testament
Theology, Vol. 3 tells us though we cannot see salt added to food, it can be tasted.
Salt, or its absence, cannot be kept from the knowledge of the eater. It will be
noticed by the tongue.

- Salt interacts with the thing it wants to change. It goes into food and changes it
from within.22 Your presence impacts the lives and environments you encounter.
There is supposed to be evidence in you, fruit produced by you, and changes in
environments and situations in response to you that make having you around
better for everyone. They may never recognize youre a Christian. They may not
recognize that the source of your impact is Christ in you. Some will just say things
like I dont know what it is about you, but things are just better when youre around
or I just like having you around.
20

Wikipedia.com
Saltinstitute.com
22 Saltinstitute.com
21

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FINDING
YOUR PATH
CHAPTER THREE

As dancers, we share the same artform. Still, each of us has

been graced to house that expression in different contexts,
engage in it using different methods, and speak through it to
address different issues.
from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint
supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its
share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. (Eph. 4:16,
NKJV)

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Throughout this book we have established that 1) we have been

given a gift, and 2) there is an assignment attached to that gift that will
serve to give witness to who God is, and establish and expand His kingdom
in the earth. We have also established that our ministry is to hear God
concerning our dance and proceed accordingly. Before we can proceed to
anything, though, we first have to know what He has for us to do. You
might be asking How do I find out what He wants me to do? I know I feel
compelled to dance but how do I find out my assignment? Or you might be
saying Ive never thought about how I could be used by God on tour, or as a
technical director, or presenter. Well, how do we come to know the
assignment God has given us to accomplish with our gift? In answering this,
let us first look at three principles:

1. God brings us into a readied work that is set for its finish.
Everything our assignment will actualize into is already created and
planned out, leaving us to simply show up and proceed as directed. Despite
knowing this we tend to deal with our assignment as if it were something
needing to be created, made from scratch, and more, as if we are the ones
that need to do the creating. But, God actually brings us into a readied
work that is set for its finish. What do I mean by this?
In clothing and furniture manufacturing there is a term called
finishing, which is an entire process unto itself. In these terms, the finish is
the work required for the completion of the final touches. A finisher takes a
particular product in its conceptualized, but unassembled form through a
process that produces what we eventually see at the store or in a catalog.
Their job includes the finishing steps of shaping, assembling, adjusting,
smoothing, painting, polishing, cleaning, and decorating23 the item upon
which they are working. By the time the product gets to them, the color
paint they will use has already been determined, as well as the shape it will
be, what pieces will be assembled together, the decorations that will be
carved into it, what it will be used for, etc.
Likewise, the work God calls us to is already conceptually developed,
but unassembled in the earth. It already has an identity, specific aim and
purpose. It already comes with a course of action. By the time we get
involved, what that work is and is to look like has already been determined

23

Websters Unabridged Dictionary

30

and planned. Its various parts are ready and waiting. It doesnt need to be
created or thought out, just assembled and finished.

2. Just so shall you make it.

Ministry is service. It is action done at the direction of another, and
more, action that corresponds to the instruction given by another. If that is
so, there must first be instruction upon which to act. As the finisher simply
produces the already determined specifications for a product, so we are to
find out and produce the already determined specifications for the work
God has assigned to us.

3. Our general call to dance is different from what we are individually

assigned to do with the dance.
Ps. 119:105 (KJV) says Gods word is a lamp unto our feet and a
light unto our path. Bishop McClendon explained that a lamp is a general
wash of light, which illuminates everything in a room. This is the general
direction we, as the Body of Christ, are all commonly travelling. A light, he
explained, is a more focused, sharper source. A flashlight does not light an
entire room but instead only lights the specific object or area upon which it
is focused. Within the macrocosm of dance ministry, it is important for each
of us to seek out where God is pointing the flashlight for our particular
course and assignment.
If I am hosting a party, everyone coming to my party shares a common
purpose: getting there. However, within that common purpose of getting
to my party, each has a specific, different path and method. Some will take
the bus, some the car, others will fly. Some will use the 101 freeway and
others will use the 5 freeway. Others will take side streets. Some will come
in SUVs and others in compact or luxury cars. These specific paths and
methods of achieving the common purpose are like the diversity and
specificity of our individual paths within our common purpose in the dance.
Your ministry to God is the rendering of your obedience to what He
showed you, specifically and individually, and that will look different than
my ministry to Him.
With these three principles in mind, let us now examine this
process by which God establishes us in ministry.
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Step #1: Perceiving and Understanding the Call.

Though we can generally sense when the call of God has come to
us, we do not always quite understand what it is or what to do next. Well,
what is calling? And what is Gods intention concerning it?

The call of God

Although there are supernatural aspects to it, calling, or the call
of God to you and I is still a very practical and discernible interaction.
Some time ago, the Lord began to answer some questions I had about
calling and the process of entering into public ministry. Most of us have
heard the phrase many are called, but few chosen. I, too, had heard this
but I didnt understand the difference between them. I tried to
understand it by looking up the Strongs definitions, but I still was
unclear until Bishop McClendon clarified it for me one day while
preaching. He said the chosen are the called whove waited to be sent.
About a year later, the Spirit of God led me to Mt. 22:1-14 (NKJV) and
began to explain to me what that meant:
And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and
said: 2 The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who
arranged a marriage for his son, 3 and sent out his servants to
call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were
not willing to come. 4 Again, he sent out other servants,
saying, Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my
dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are
ready. Come to the wedding. 5 But they made light of it and
went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.
6 And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and
killed them. 7 But when the king heard about it, he was
furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those
murderers, and burned up their city. 8 Then he said to his
servants, The wedding is ready, but those who were invited
were not worthy. 9 Therefore go into the highways, and as
many as you find, invite to the wedding. 10 So those servants
went out into the highways and gathered together all whom
they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was
filled with guests. 11 But when the king came in to see the
32

guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding

garment. 12 So he said to him, Friend, how did you come in
here without a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
13 Then the king said to the servants, Bind him hand and
foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there
will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 14 For many are
called, but few are chosen.

This parable is mainly about response to the Jews for their refusal to accept
Jesus Christ as the prophesied Savior and Messiah. But within that, it is also
a very revealing illustration of the process of calling, the response to it, and
the consequences of not going through this process correctly. The setting
for this parable is a wedding feast which the king is throwing for his newly
married son. Various people throughout the community have been invited
to the wedding feast. The king instructs his servants to bring the invitees to
the feast but they reject his invitation. He then instructs his servants to go
out again and bring back anyone who is willing to come. The servants go
out and bring people back to the feast, both desirable and undesirable, but
all willing. The king comes in to welcome his guests and, out of all his other
guests, he notices a single man who is not wearing a wedding garment. He
confronts the man about his inappropriate attire and the confrontation
ends with the man being thrown out of the party and into outer darkness.
Jesus then concludes the parable with this statement: For many are called,
but few chosen. What does that statement mean and what does it have to
do with calling?
I began to study the words called and chosen and I found some
interesting things. The word called is an adjective and it describes those
who have been invited.24 An invitation is a request [for one] to participate,
be present or take part in something.25 The call of God, that pulling we feel
toward a particular area, is God extending an invitation to us. It is Him
simply notifying us that He wants us to be a part and a participant in
something with Him. His initial request for our participation is not a request
for us to do anything but show up. At that point, all He is seeking is a
conversation. This can be better understood if we apply it to receiving an
invitation to a party.

24
25

Strongs #2822
Websters Unabridged Dictionary

33

When we receive an invitation to an event, the information it

provides is only general information, like the date, time, place, and address
of the event, the occasion, and sometimes the attire and parking
instructions. That small piece of paper is only designed to alert us that our
presence has been requested, to tell us generally what for, and where to go
to participate. It does not provide any more information for us to do
anything with, except confirm or deny our participation, and show up at the
event. The real interaction happens when we get to the party. Likewise, the
call of God is Him asking us to simply show up for a private party of two. It
is Him alerting us that our presence and participation has been requested,
telling us generally what for, and where to meet Him.
Much like receiving a party invitation, calling comes with some
degree of information. Though we understand that the only thing we are to
do with the information given on a paper invitation is to simply show up
where we have been invited, we somehow fail to apply that understanding
to calling. Consequently, with the general and limited sense we have about
why God wants to meet with us, we run out and try to do something.
Perhaps this is because we have not understood that all calling meant was
that God simply wanted to meet with us. The call of God is a call to
conversation, not a call to activity. Therefore, we must recognize that there
are still other preparative steps before we actually do anything.
I remember Bishop McClendon teaching about calling. He said,
when God calls out to you, He wants you to do the same thing your
mother wanted you to do when she called you. That one sentence
clarified so much for me. What did our mothers want us to do when they
called us? For us to run out and go do something? No. They simply wanted
us to come and see what they wanted. The same is true for God. Imagine
my mother said to me Lita, come here. I need you to go to the store. How
silly would it be for me to jump in the car and drive to the store before I
even found out what she wanted from the store, or even what store she
wanted me to go to? And yet, many of us find ourselves in this place. God
informs us that He wants us to go to the store so we jump in the car and
drive to the store, not really sure if were even at the right store, or what
we are there to get. Again, the part about the call of God we misinterpret is
that it comes with some sense of why Hes calling us. If we dont fully
understand the intention of His calling, we think that generally knowing
why He called us is all the information we need to go and fulfill the reason
He called us, even though a real reason has not yet been disclosed. It is
obvious that it is ridiculous to run to the store before fully understanding
34

what the person who called us wants us to get. Hopefully, in applying this
same reasoning to ministry, you can see that more than just a general
knowing is necessary. But, understand, general information is all calling is
intended to provide.
In writing this chapter, a thought occurred to me. I began to
wonder if some of us sincerely believe that moving forward under only a
general knowledge is an act of faith, where as we go, God will guide our
steps. There is a huge difference between the calling of God, where He
wants us to come, versus Him giving us the explicit directive to go, and
telling us that He will give us more instructions as we go. These are two
completely different situations. Unless He specifically tells us to go, and
that He will guide us as we go, He is expecting us to come to Him for
understanding, instruction, strategy, and insight before we go to do
anything. Faith is not ignorant. It has a clear picture of what it is seeking to
accomplish. There is a huge difference between acting on faith, and acting
without any sense of direction. When David was trying to bring the Ark of
the Covenant back to Israel, he thought he was moving in faith. But didnt
Uzzah die as a result of participating in Davids faith move? Why? The
Bible says it was because they did not consult God about the proper order
in which to bring the Ark back. Faith is action put forth in agreement with,
and according to what God has said and instructed, not simply blind hope
that He will bless whatever we attempt.
It can be very difficult for us to sit with God and let Him give us
further clarity when we get that first glimpse of destiny that occurs when
He calls us. This zeal and impulse of wanting to go out and immediately
start doing is completely understandable. It is wonderful and I am
absolutely positive that He loves it. However, zeal without direction, again,
is like going to the store and realizing that you dont know what youre
supposed to do there. This quickly leads to frustration, disappointment,
distress, and a lot of guessing, wasted time and energy.

Step #2: Answering the Call

Weve established the nature and purpose of calling as being
invited to talk with God about an assignment. (I am oversimplifying here).
Jesus said, Many are called, but few chosen. The word chosen means

35

to proceed out of what has been shown, disclosed, or revealed.26 Do you

remember how Bishop McClendon related the called to the chosen? He
said, the chosen are the called whove waited to be sent. To send
means:

To dispatch (a person) in a specified capacity

To propel or discharge with an aim
To throw or direct in a particular direction
To dispatch to a specified destination27

If you notice, being sent involves aim, specificity, and particularity. When
someone is sent, it is to a specific destination or objective. The sent person
knows where theyre being sent and what theyre being sent to do. As we
progress from the state of being called, to the state of being chosen, what
is shown, disclosed, and revealed to us will have aim, specificity, and
particularity.
Continuing with our store scenario, my mother has called me and
said, Lita, come here. I need you to go to the store. What do I do? I simply
go to her and I ask her what she needs from the store. She tells me she
wants me to buy her some paper. Though I now know she wants paper, I
still only have a general sense of what she wants. This is much like the
general knowing that God wants us to do something in the dance. A critical
question arises here: with what I know so far, do I have enough information
to know when Ive gotten the right paper? Many of us get messed up here.
We may see that no is the obvious answer in this scenario but our
dealings in our assignment with dance show that we have believed the
answer to be yes, that God wanting us to dance is all we need to know.
Only further clarification will enable me to be sure I get the right paper.
What type of paper does she want? Theres writing paper, wrapping paper,
tissue paper, paper towels, napkins, and tissue. Theres lined paper, seethrough paper, and colored paper. How big should the paper be? How
much should I get? Does she want it from Michaels, Vons, or Wal-Mart? Is
she going to pay by cash, check or credit card? Does she have coupons?
The same degree of specificity needed to get something as simple
as paper is also needed to fulfill our specific assignment in the dance. Like
26
27

Strongs Exhaustive Concordance

Websters Unabridged Dictionary

36

paper, there are many things, besides knowing God wants us in dance, that
need to be clarified. Does He want us to join a company, start one, or
assume the lead in an existing one? Is it community based? Is it outreach
focused? Recreation focused? Are we to teach, choreograph, or be in
administration? What is the focus of our work? Who is our work designed
to reach? Is our ministry to be set up like traditional dance ministries, or is it
to be a place where we teach dance and God moves through our teaching
and the fellowship?
It is a critical misstep when we dont answer the call and we
neglect to show up to the private party. To be sent is to be discharged
towards a specific objective. God tells us I want you to do something with
the dance, and we enthusiastically say, Okay, and were out the door.
But, even within the dance there are different and specific objectives.
Remember, the dance is only the vehicle used to accomplish what He will
disclose to us.
Once God calls us, how is it that we come to know what specific
destination or objective He has in mind for us? Specificity is only disclosed
in the ever-so-vital private meeting, the season of meeting with God that
occurs when we answer the call. What actually happens is we go through a
season of briefing.

Dancers! Assume the Position:

The Role & Impact of the Kingdom Dancer In the Field
ISBN: 978-0-692-25341-0
Purchase at marlitahill.com and Amazon
Contact me at kaifellowship at gmail.com
Website: http://marlitahill.com
Join me at Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/marlitahill
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