Great Florida Outpouring – The Jump Shout Boogie

This is a video of Heather Clark’s warfare dance at the Lakeland Outpouring on June 2, 2008, I believe it was. I cannot believe the uproar I have seen in the blogosphere and on You Tube over this. For the record, I believe it is an awesome piece of prophetic worship. Heather just released a new album of live worship from the Outpouring and you can find it here (it’s really good!)

Heather has offered an explanation of the meaning behind the dance for those who do not understand prophetic worship:

The fact is I left the key board with the single intent of just dancing before the Lord. I was on the STAGE cause I was leading worship. And as a matter of a fact I was wishing that the camera was not on me. At first I was trying to move around back and forth so that they couldn’t catch me. As I danced I felt in my heart a call to the body of Christ to rise up as the army of God and take hold of the promise land that is ours, standing against every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of Christ.

So let’s break this down for a moment. I will watch on the video and go through. First part, dancing energetically around the stage, stomping and spinning. Here is my response to that
There are some scriptures that use the word “rejoice” (gul) that have the meaning – TO SPIN AROUND UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ANY VIOLENT EMOTION, USUALLY REJOICE OR FEAR, be glad, joy, to go around in a circle.

Psalm 9:14, “I will rejoice in Your salvation.”

Psalm 13:5 “But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.”

Psalm 16:9 “Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope.”

Psalm 21:1, 31:7, 32:11, 35:9, plus 35 more references.

PART 2 GOING BACK AND FORTH WITH MY HEAD DOWN. I have heard some complain that my head was down… that’s cause I didn’t actually want to be seen. I would have done the same dance before the Lord if I was at the back of the church. I felt an intercession and a warfare type dance forming in me.

PART 3: FEW ROBOTIC MOVES AND THEN SOME ARM SWINGING. This was was 2 things. um, well one I was catching my breath and trying to just wait on the Lord if I should go into what I was feeling which was to call the body to war. At THIS POINT, teh dance went from being me before the Lord to me before the people because there was a “message” to it. In order to receive that message, the people had to see it. The second thing was me transitioning into the prophetic part. A picture was coming to me of like being in a battle field.

PART 4: Robotic moves. I am a modern dancer and so for me those types of movements are very militant and “strong”. They require a lot physically and in my mind I am thinking of the armor of God, blocking the arrows of the enemy, shield of faith.

PART 5: Around 2:05. I do some grabbing motions. In my mind I am praying and speaking to the enemy with motions saying “give that back. That’s mine” There are places where the enemy has come like a lion seeking whom he may devour and there are things in our lives that have been robbed. As the body it’s time to take them back.

PART 6: Up to about 2:19 this is if you are watching the same youtube as me…I am doing some more grabbing. Very strong violent type motions. I am thinking “The Kingdom of God suffers violence and violent take it by force!”

PART 7: About 2:39. I hit my own wrists and then open my hands. I am praying for the chains to come off the body of Christ that they would be set free.

PART 8: from there i go into pulling motions again. I am pulling back that which the enemy has stollen and sometimes that’s a hard fight so I am doing it with tension in my arms.

PART 9: more robotic stuff, hide my head. i am thinking that when we fight we need to not only be offensive but defensive and remember the armor of God. The helmet of Salvation to protect our minds. I am doing shielding motions.

PART 10: I walk away and mean to end… you can believe this or not but when I turned around and put my hands together I THOUGHT I was going to do one more pulling motion and my hands came together in the shape of a gun and I felt the Lord “blessed be the Lord my God who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle!” Maybe if it would have been a sword motion it may have been less offensive. It was a modern way of saying/praying that the enemy will be taken down as we use the “sword” of the spirit (only I used a gun but meant the same thing)

I know my eyes look very intense but like I have said before I wasn’t out picking flowers. I felt like I was in a mime type word for the body of Christ saying we are in a very intense battle of light and dark. It IS a battle zone out there and we must be aware of the enemy’s schemes. I felt like I was “hunting” out the places where the enemy tries to hide and firing against them.

I meant it completely symbolically. I didn’t think I was shooting people. I didn’t “see” any demons. I didn’t even think that the motion was specifically pegging off some spirit. I just meant it like – this is the posture that we should have. To be aware of the enemy.

Then I go crazy and it’s like the victory after a war.. “the horse and rider thrown into the sea!” It was a celebration of our victory in Christ.

So sure, I’ll give you this… it’s not like your regular church dance. I am sorry that it offended you. I think with a little explanation it could have been better received by some of you. The bible says that when we speak in tongues in public there should be interpretation so that the body can be edified. Art can sometimes be like that. It’s a language that not everyone understands and with interpretation it can edify and without it… well you see the results.

I could have toned it down a bit and got the same message across and I will be more aware of this in the future.

And about it being on the stage and drawing attention… if someone had a prophetic word they would not stand in a room of 1000 people and whisper it. They would go to the mic and speak it loud so all could hear. If the word is visual, it would need to be seen.

My heart is never to draw attention to myself and off the Lord but my heart is to call the body to a place of greater awareness.

As for my doctrine and beliefs they are on my website for anyone to read. Do i agree with everything that people believe that I minister with? no. Not the pentecostals, the baptists, the methodists, the vineyard, the renewal churches…. we’re not going to find anywhere someone/something that we completely agree with. I think that Lakeland consists of very hungry people, desperate for God, seeking a touch a miracle a healing. They seem to be finding that in Lakeland.

I, for one, would hate to see you “tone it down.” It was great and there was a tremendous anointing in it. Rarely have I seen so many religious spirits manifest through one four minute dance. Heather has been called every name in the book on the internet over this. Thanks, guys, nothing like a little hatred to make the world just want to flock to the church.

Again, her response on another site:

Well, everyone…. Thanks for your thoughts. It’s interesting to listen to everyone sit on the seat of judgement yet NOT ONE of you has emailed me, contacted me, asked me a single question about the dance. Thanks for jumping to conclusions though!

Many people feel justified in what they are doing because they are contending for the faith or contending for doctrinal purity. But scripture is clear about some things. Jesus said, “If your brother sins AGAINST YOU, go and show him his fault, JUST BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU.” (See Matt 18:15-17). Paul said in Gal 6:1, “If someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently.”

When Peter was in error and promoting false doctrine in the Galatian Church, Paul confronted him. He did not write letters about him to the apostles in Jerusalem, he did not publish his discernment of Peter’s doctrinal error abroad. He got in Peter’s face and solved the problem. He wrote about it after the fact that others might learn.

When there was a contention over Paul’s preaching to the Gentiles, which many Jewish believers believed to have been heresy, the Council at Jerusalem had a meeting with Paul and asked him to explain himself. They did not write to all the churches about Paul before they had spoken with him.

James writes about wisdom.

James 3:13-18

13Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

17But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

Think about what you have seen on the Internet. Think of the tone some of it has taken. What kind of wisdom is it demonstrating?

There is no license in scripture for the current Jump Shout Boogie – Jump to conclusions, Shout at the brethren and Boogie all over the Internet to share your “discernment.” The Body of Christ can do much better than this.