No Promises...

So, there was a reason that I refused to make promises on this new Blog--I knew I wouldn't have the time to blog as often as I'd like. In my perfect world, I'd wake early, pray, put on a pot of tea, read the newspaper, and then blog. Gardner Taylor said that a good preacher prepares with a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other. Well, I've got my Bible, but waking to read the paper hasn't happened just yet. I'm barely waking in time to eat breakfast.

So, what's keeping me so busy? In addition to my classes, work at the church, my position as Chapel Steward, and being president of the Black Ministerial Caucus, I am working as the research assistant for the God-Talk with Black Thinkers class at Drew. In just two days, we will be blessed by Dr. Charles H. Long and Dr. Carolyn Jones Medine, who will be presenting a DuBoisian look at politics and civil religion. Working with my shero, Dr. N. Lynne Westfield, on the project has reminded me how much I love academia.

Lest you think I'm running away from the church, I must tell you that my work at Imani Baptist Church in East Orange has reminded me how much I love being part of church worship and growth. So, as I discern the specifics of my call to ministry, I am pretty sure that I'll have one foot in both places.

What about my art, you ask? Okay, maybe you didn't ask it. I'm asking it. What about my art? That'll be wrapped up in there too. Since sharing with you that I must create or I will die, I have designed a poster and program for the lecture series AND designed my perfect worship space. It's a funny story, actually...

Dr. Elkins, my worship professor, gave us folders in the beginning of the class. She is this magical woman who knows so much it is scary and teaches in narrative. Everything is a story. She is so amazing that you could go on a field trip with her to Walmart and find God in the cereal aisle. Anyway, back to the folder. During the second week of class, she asked us to take our folders home and draw our perfect sanctuary or worship space on the inside of the folder. I must stop and mention that this was an ungraded assignment. UNGRADED. So, being the artist (and overachiever) that I am, I proceeded to cut open a shoe box, staple it to the inside of my folder, cut images and words from Essence magazine, and create a 3D model of my perfect sanctuary, complete with an ocean for baptistism, a communion table, jewels, flowers, women in the congregation, and a woman suspended gracefully in the air holding a Bible. Did I mention that this assignment was ungraded?

I don't have three feet, but I am convinced that I will end up in a place where all of my passions-art, education, and ministry-come together. Maybe it will be that worship space that I designed on the inside of my folder. I am a dreamer, you know...

Welcome Dreamers

Well, after a long summer, it is time to start writing, reading, thinking, creating, praying, singing, laughing, crying, and dreaming again. I did all of that during the summer, but at level 3 1/2. I have four days until classes, and I'm at about level 7. Hopefully by mid-semester I'll be at level 10.

Speaking of levels, my dreams reached a higher level of creativity and prophesy over the summer, hence the name of my new blog Rêveur des Rêveurs. For those of you who are French impaired, that means Dreamer of Dreamers. Truth is, I've always been a dreamer. As a child I had vivid dreams, most of them beautiful, but some were quite scary. As a teenager, my dreams lingered from night into day. My best dreams happened on school busses and toilet seats. Now, my dreams exist in both the spiritual and natural world. That is to say, I have been blessed by God to see many of my dreams come true. 

Since being at Seminary, I look at everything theologically. What that means is that I look for the Scriptural witness to help me to understand or approach any given thing. Dr. Boesel (and other theologians) would call it God Talk and the God Talk done by most theologians is based on either Scripture, Tradition, Reason, or Experience. My primary method of interpretation (hermeneutic is the high tuition word to insert here) is based on Scripture. Occasionally I will use Experience and Tradition. I don't often use Reason, mostly because I have seen God work in ways that defy human reason. Reason would have you believe that there is no God. Faith stirring in my heart says, " yes, God is real, real in my soul..."

Back to dreaming. The Bible recounts many stories of God speaking words of comfort, chastening, and conviction through dreams. Prophetic dreams are a result of the action of God's Spirit. In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter, quoting the prophet Joel, says, "‘ And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,Your young men shall see visions,Your old men shall dream dreams.'" We learn from this passage (pericope is the high tuition word to insert here) that dreams that produce fruit in the Kingdom of God are a direct result of God's indwelling Spirit that He pours on His people. We also can see from the life of King Saul (as written in 1 Samuel 28) that when God's Spirit departed from him, Saul stopped hearing from the Lord in his dreams. Joseph's vivd dreams made him despised in his family, but ultimately was their saving grace during the time of famine. Daniel freed himself from defilement and distraction and heard a word from the Lord for King Nebuchannezer. From Abimilech in Genesis to Solomon in 1 Kings and Joseph in Matthew, God has been speaking to His people (through dreams) when they are at rest. 

That is an interesting concept to me, one that speaks to my character in so many ways. I find myself with something to do at all times. I am busy beyond belief. Even now my to-do list extends beyond one page in my planner. It isn't even the first week of school and I already have four jobs. Plus, I have personal projects that I'd like to get done. Like I said, I am busy. Thankfully, God speaks to me in the most profound ways when I am at complete rest–slowed down to complete stillness of heart, mind and body. It makes me wonder... Is God speaking to me all the time, but my hearing is dulled by my busyness? Does God wait until He knows He will have my undivided attention to speak to me? Don't get me wrong, I hear gentle whispers from God throughout the day, but the deep, powerful, life-changing visions come only when I am at rest.

I invite you to get into this new blog. Dream with me. Day, night, imagined, or real...just dream. I also invite you to think about when you receive the most powerful words/images from the Lord? If you, like myself, find your dream antennae and spiritual senses dulled by the busyness, I challenge you to get quiet and still before the Lord to hear a word while your eyes are wide open.