We talk with best-selling author Ken Gire about his book, Divine Embrace…
Ken, you talk about the “dance with God”, tell us about that.
As I was listening to a piece of music, called the Emperor Waltz, I was struck by the fact that in the beginning it had very light, easy to follow notes, followed by this strain of music that was ennobling to listen to, followed by a distant movement in the dance. Then in the end, there was a rousing crescendo that brought tears to my eyes.
It struck me there was something of a parallel to our relationship with Christ. Our life here on earth is dance lessons for that one great moment at the wedding feast with the lamb (the celebration described in Revelation 19).
There are moments in our lives where God leads us from one set of rhythms to a new set of rhythms. That’s very true in my own life, through transitions — relational, vocational, theological — and sometimes those old rhythms must be broken before the new ones can be established.
You write that dancing is more than getting the right step; above all it’s about joy. What do you mean by that?
There’s a certain joy in the dance that’s related to the precision of the steps, and the exhilaration of being swept away. But I think the joy of the dance is not being swept away nearly as much as it is being swept away by Him.
It’s the delight we see in His eyes as we’re locked in the embrace that is the source of our joy. It’s a delight that is not dependent on perfection; it’s the delight that comes from having a relationship with someone you love.
Ken I love the metaphor, “we are not alone, not lost, but we are being led somewhere with music playing in the background.” Explain that concept.
I use the term ‘rhythms of grace’… I believe there are places the Lord Jesus is taking us on the dance floor; as we surrender control of our life, there are places He wants to go, people he wants us to meet, and gifts He wants to exchange. These rhythms are hard to hear sometimes, but if you retrace your steps you’ll hear something of that melody.
Doesn’t our busyness affect that dance?
Yes. I think it’s almost impossible to fall in love when you’re busy. You need these spaces and pauses in which to reflect on the life of another person. Actually what happens when you fall in love is that the love “makes spaces” and pushes itself into your life and forces times of reflection.
How can Marriage affect our dance with God?
If we can’t pull off a dance there (in marriage), I don’t see how we can pull off one in terms of our relationship with God. I believe our relationship as husband and wife is meant to be a visual aid of what our relationship with Christ is meant to be like.
Is the dance only reserved for fully devoted followers of Christ?
Jesus said in John 14:21, he who loves me will be loved by my Father and I will love them and I will disclose myself to them.
I think Christ reserves that intimate disclosure for those who have committed themselves to him. I don’t think He’s indiscriminately intimate with people; I think He’s indiscriminately giving of Himself in terms of giving Himself to all people, and offering forgiveness to all people. But I think in terms of intimacy, He’s intimate with those who have wanted to be intimate and have committed themselves to Him.
Copyright © 2005 Marriagetrac.
Ken Gire is the author of more than twenty books, including The Divine Embrace, Windows of the Soul, The Work of His Hands, the Moments with the Savior series, and the Reflective Life series. Two of his books have been awarded a Gold Medallion. A full-time writer and speaker, Ken is the founder of Reflective Living, a nonprofit ministry devoted to helping people learn how to slow down and live more reflective lies so they can experience life more deeply, especially life with God and other people. Ken is a graduate of Texas Christian University and Dallas Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Judy, have four children and three grandchildren. They live near the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, in Monument, Colorado.
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Jim Mueller
Jim is the founder, with wife, Sheri, of Growthtrac Ministries as well as Program Director of GrowthtracRadio and the architect behind marriagetrac.com. Jim holds a B.S. in business management and is a facilitator for PREPARE/ENRICH, the most widely used customized couple assessment tool. He has authored numerous articles, interviewed leading relationship experts, and Christian artists, and has contributed to Dr. Les Parrott’s book, The Complete Guide to Marriage Mentoring. Jim has worked for more than 15 years to help premarital couples and married couples build and maintain healthy relationships.
