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What Mandisa taught me about changing the world through dance.

So I walked in on Mandisa dancing. 

Please don't tell her I told you this :) but two weeks into the Girls Night Live tour, I walked in on her back stage. 

It was dark and she didn't see me but I saw her in the corner, in the dark, by herself, dancing her heart out. Not a reserved “I love Jesus courtesy” dance but a “I just won the lottery” kind of dance.

It was crazy and a little awkward because I didn't know what to do (quietly walk away or be like "hey, busted?") BUT it was in that moment, then and there that I knew that my new friend, was a world changer. 

Not when she was on stage dancing, or when she was bling-ed up, or even when she was talking about Jesus. 

No. 

I knew she was a world changer when she was dancing back stage, in the dark, when there were no microphones, stage lights, smoke machines, or adoring fans. 

Just her and Jesus dancing. Arms up, jumping and everything. 

Man, what a humbling reminder of what it's about. 

I don't know about anyone else but my natural bent is to "dance" when I hear “lights, camera, action”, but what God has been teaching me in the last 12 years and what Mandisa reminded me of that day was that God is more concerned about my dancing back stage than how I respond on stage. 

In other words, when it comes to doing extraordinary things for the Kingdom of God, God is looking for back stage dancers not rock stars. 

Is Mandisa a rock star? Absolutely. Saw her kill it 32+ times this spring and I mean she killed it every single night. 

But that was not the best part. The best part of the tour in my opinion was never her great voice, vulnerability, encouraging words or mad dance skills.

The best part was knowing, if you turned off all the lights, she'd still be dancing because what you see on stage is a reflection of what you don't see on stage. 

Wow. I love that. Love, love, love it.

Don't know about you but I want to be a "back stage dancer" for Jesus. Lights or no lights, I want to to be caught "dancing" for Him. I want my public life to be a reflection of a private reality.

I want to love Jesus when no one is watching. I want to be kind, patient, compassionate, graceful, forgiving and generous when the lights go off and I'm alone in a dark corner. 

How about you? 

How's your back stage dancing? What's an area where you want to be a better back stage dancer? (integrity, compassion, joy e.t.c) 

Tell us of a time when you caught someone dancing back stage (i.e someone walking the walk when no one is watching). 

​(New to the blog? Join over 800 people and click here for email updates. It takes 10 seconds and all the cool kids are doing it. :) Also, here are some posts you might be interested in: 
1. Pimp my trashcan: when Jesus doesn't care if you tithe or cuss. 2. Dear reader, you are NOT that special -God.  3. Dr Phil, hot sauce mom and your nosey friends.)