Expressions of Worship

I am so blessed to have a wife who loves God with all her heart and loves to express herself in worship by dancing for the Lord. I waqs so impressed with her dancing for the Lord that I asked her to dance on our wedding day. She danced to a song called "Dance With Me" by Paul Wilbur. You can see a picture of her dancing at our wedding below. Since it was a six minute song she told me I would have to join her for the last minute, which I did. When she dances solo she dances as led by the Spirit and it is a wonderful thing to behold. While on a date last night at a Chinese restaurant (of course), I asked her all about her call to become a worship dancer. Below you'll find the story of her call in her own words.

(Cary's call to dance) In 1992, I attended the Feast of Tabernacles at Christian Retreat in Bradenton, FL with my pastor and his wife. During the eight days of celebration, the Lord broke my heart over Israel and called me to be a worship dancer. Having two left feet and the coordination of a fish out of water, I knew God had quite the sense of humor. I was obedient, however, and in 1993 I was asked to dance with the Christian Retreat dance team during the eight days of the Feast of Tabernacles as well as at a women’s conference. After months of grueling practice, I was nervous but so excited. The very first night while doing a very fast circle dance with nine other dancers, I came down wrong on my left foot and I heard and felt the snap in my ankle and knew immediately it was broken. I attempted to get the dancers to my left and right to release me so I could hobble off the platform, but they didn’t and I heard in my spirit the Lord telling me to continue dancing. I was in tears because I was in great pain, but I said “OK” to God’s prompting. I was basically trying to dance on just my right foot so I was really just hopping around in a circle with the other dancers. I then accidentally came down on my left foot and I heard and felt another snap, and immediately the pain was completely gone. I was able to finish out the other three dances that night and the numerous dances the next seven nights. God had healed me through my obedience.

I later formed a dance team with my pastor’s wife at our church in Englewood, FL and we became “Hearts of Praise.” I had the opportunity in 1994 and 1995 to be the dance minister for Christian Friends of Israel on two tours to Israel. I cannot explain the depth of feeling that went through me as I danced for the first time in Israel at the church in Cana where Jesus performed His first miracle! I also had the incredible experience and privilege of dancing on Mount Skopus overlooking Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives, at the Garden of Gethsemane, the Garden Tomb, along the Jordan River, and on the banks of the Sea of Galilee.

Cary Dancing by the Jordan River

Cary Dancing at Mt. Skopus Overlooking Jerusalem

Cary Dancing at our Wedding

It has been my prayer and deep desire for a number of years to once again be in a dance team, and I have had the honor and privilege of bringing together three precious friends to form AMBC’s dance team. I prayed and asked the Lord what we should call ourselves, and the Lord just kept prompting me to retain the name “Hearts of Praise.” It is my deepest hope and desire to be able to not only introduce worship dance to my “family” at AMBC, but to be used of the Lord to encourage men and women alike to freely express worship to the Lord in this way. There is such sweet intimacy with the Lord during times of free worship like this, and I truly feel I am dancing for an audience of One. Below are a few pictures from the dance team's first perfomance at AMBC.

There are many ways to express yourself in worship and dance is one of them! I am grateful to have a wife who worships!