"And I wanna dance
I wanna snap my fingers all night long and dance
I wanna move around the room just like a woman in a trance
All night, I wanna dance
I wanna wrap my arms around your neck and dance
I wanna listen to the music that's been ringing in my ears
And one day I’m gonna dance my way right outta here"
-"Dance", Caedmon's Call

I pulled out this CD the other night, "Long Line of Leavers" by Caedmon's Call. I love this song. It has a really great beat and its just fun. In college, a bunch of used to go out and go dancing when the salsa band was in town. None of us really knew how to salsa...but we always had fun. I really love to dance. I'll be the first to confess that I really do have two left feet and look like an idiot...but I love weddings because I love to dance. And that's one of the primary times when I get to do it! But I was thinking about this song and thinking about dancing and joy and all that good stuff. I've been weighed down with heavy thoughts this last week...and that is not necessarily a negative thing...but there are times when I just want to cast it all off and have things be light. I guess one would call that freedom. And honestly, Jesus is the only place I have found that freedom...freedom to know that all really is in God's hands..its not just a cliche; something I just say...its real. He really does have it. I really don't need to worry. I'm good at worrying...but if I trust, there is no reason for it.

So today, I was reading and I ran across this paragraph...it really hit me square between the eyes and challenged me. I don't live with enough joy in my life. I don't like ambiguity. I don't live like I'm in the middle of a great Love Story. But I am learning...anyhow, enjoy. :)

"History attests that religion and religious people tend to be narrow. Instead of expanding our capacity for life, joy, and mystery, religion often contracts it. As systematic theology advances, the sense of wonder declines. The paradoxes, contradictions, and ambiguities of our life are codified, and God Himself is cribbed, cabined, and confined within the pages of a leather-bound book. Instead of a love story, the Bible is viewed as a detailed manual of directions."
-"Abba's Child", Brennan Manning