The Romance Dance

The Romance Dance

SUNDAY We made another simple discovery today. It takes a bit longer than an hour and a half for four women to get ready and out the door. Missy and Mary did not have time to eat breakfast and Missy applied her makeup in the car. We were on time for the Atlanta Bethel prophesy team. Pretty much on the dot on time. Whee.

Image from ibethelatlanta.org/site/index.html

The church meets at The Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC) building on Hunter Road.

By the time we arrived, the worship band was already practicing, the chairs were set up, the children's area had all the signs posted, the coffee table was set, everything seemed in its place, and peace had pervaded the place. We waited in the lobby along the front windows for Hector and his team to arrive.

On one wall in the lobby hallway there was a map of the Atlanta area with the home groups pointed out. I did not count them as we waited but I saw that these home groups are going to explode and pop like popcorn all over the city. An ember has blown across the city and it is catching the whole area on fire. Later, after worship, I saw a huge flock of birds who were at first congregating on the ground, get stirred up by the presence of the Holy Spirit, which caused them all to take off in flight all at once and scatter, filling the sky, and in every direction, across the city.

image from aaccessmaps.com/show/map/us/ga/atlanta_metro_sw

Then one by one, we went in to a room for the first part of the Dance lead by Daddy God. For those readers who may not be aware of this, the Bible refers to God, who is our heavenly Father, as Abba Father. Abba is a term of endearment and can be translated Daddy. So Daddy God began The Romance Dance with each one of us, one by one.

The words of prophesy for each of us were accurate, and reflected what we already knew of one another. And embellishing the fabric of our gifts, were seed pearls and sparkly sequins of detail that took our breath away with more amazement, excitement and anticipation. Not only did Daddy begin the Romance dance. He gave us fitting clothes to wear for the occasion.

image modified from skyjules.com/mirrored-cloud-wings/

Before the service, the Intercessor team surrounded us like a rope to pray over us and gave some more words of prophesy and encouragement. We were well taken care of, as the Bethel people are kind and hospitable, and procured seats in the third row in the center. Worship was beautiful. The presence of God could tangibly be felt in the room. I recorded a brief clip of one of the songs we sang. If I can figure out how to post it here, I will, so you can experience a piece of the dance for yourself.

The service was excellent and I felt honored to see what the Spirit of God is doing in this group of head over -heels- in -love -with- Jesus Christians. They are up to big things; the supernatural is normal and extravagant generosity makes sense. The Lead pastor acknowledged our presence, along with other notable visitors in the room. It was not necessary, but we were honored in the presence of the congregation. We felt welcome all over again. We happened to be come the day the introduction of the new pastor and his wife, who had only arrived from Redding, CA a few days earlier with their 4 daughters, occurred for the whole church. They shared their hearts and in a nutshell, what I see, Daddy God is romancing this group of people too. They are heading toward huge things.

The constant comfort of a daddy image by Missy Smith at Bethel Atlanta

I did not want it to end, except for the rumblings of our bellies. As the intercessor team prayed for anyone desiring prayer up front, we were introduced to several more people as we made our way out the aisle. One of the women, Suzanne, walked past me to talk to Lesa and as she did I felt and saw a big container of power go past. When the opportunity presented itself and I knew the timing was right for it, I gave her a word of prophesy about this. I felt like the words coming out my mouth were packages of power, pointed and marked for a bulls eye. The packets of power feeling confirmed one of the Words I got only minutes before. The Dance continued. I called Suzanne our first fruits. She was activated this day as well.Glide. Twirl. Do-See-Do.

Suzanne sent another beautiful lady out to the car to get a special book to give to us.She felt God was going to use us to go deeper into intercession and wanted us to have this book. She came back in drenched from the downpour outside. Sacrifice. Love. Generosity. Dance, step, twirl.

We ended up not being able to find the restaurant we intended to go to (GPS took us on a wild goose chase, but we got to see the city and pray over it and experience the beauty of mid town.) On our second attempt, we finally came to the recommended burger joint.

I have been on the look out for cowboy boots but never saw any. I was reminded that I do not need to force anything to happen.

Grindhouse Killer Burger

Most excellent veggie burger I have ever eaten, made from two kinds of beans and quinoa, smothered in grilled onion, mushrooms and swiss. The salad was made from deep leafy mixed greens, pickled red peppers and blue cheese crumbled on top with other bits of raw veggies on top. Everyone else had real beef burgers.  The Romance Dance swayed on.

We went into the downtown area after lunch and intended to walk around the area but a downpour kept us from our initial plans and we found a two story Target instead, parked in the adjacent parking garage. I have never seen women get so excited about a two story ANYTHING let alone a two story Target. We loved the shopping cart escalator device. As big as Newport News and Hampton are, I still felt like a little country girl in the big city as Mary and Missy experienced abandoned delight at these simple pleasures.

We discovered The Container Store was across the street so we went. It stopped raining and the dark heavy clouds did not deter us from going. It is basket heaven over there. It began raining again as we made our way back to the parking garage, so we ran into CVS to find postcards. As we waited for the rain to let up some, I connected with and loved people near the front door. Step, sway, twirl.

Once back into the car and on the road again, the GPS took us through winding roads through the old money parts of Atlanta where the homes for sale are on the market for over $10 million dollars. (I know because I looked on the Realtor smart phone ap.) It was like a ride in a park. Glide. Spin. Slide.

Outside the city, heading toward Alabama, the city scene made way into hills, forests and fields, wound over rivers, expansive gray skies and green upon green monochromatic landscapes. I never realized how beautifully hilly this area is. Twirl. Glide. Gaze.

Alabama opened with at least two National Forests, one after the other, against the backdrop of the mountains to the west. Swing. Glide. Swirl. Breathing free.

The hotel was only an hour and a half from Atlanta, midway between our next destination. As we rounded the bend past other hotel chains, much to Missy and Mary's delight, we saw our hotel, and peeking just above the roofline, was the Mellow Mushroom road sign, a beacon to the pizza place they have been romanticizing the whole trip for Lesa and I, who had never heard of it. And then the familiar orange and black shield: Harley Davidson was right next door, in between the Mellow Mushroom and our hotel. A little further down the road, an Antique Mall Shop and a nail salon, all within walking distance. We will have a few hours free time later and can use them in any way we want. Sashe. Turn. Glide.Swirl. Spin.

We fellowshipped as a team in the whirlpool hot tub at the hotel after dinner. Slide. Twirl. Dip.

What else could we do as a response to His Romance Dance but soak in His sweet goodness and love and return it right back to Him in praise and thanksgiving? Ending the day with Communion and prayer, capped off by sweet slumber, we were kissed by Daddy God all day in a Romance Dance that swept us off our feet and captivated our hearts again and again.

image by Missy Smith Communion in Alabama