An Advent Meditation

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. 

For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed. I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

Isaiah 61:1-4,8-1 (KJV)

At the beginning of His earthly ministry, as recorded in the fourth chapter of Luke’s Gospel, Jesus boldly declared his mission, drawing on the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…” In his declaration, Jesus cites the impetus for His work. Like the prophet, Jesus is clear that His motivation and power are a direct result of the presence of the Holy Spirit moving in His life. Sadly, during this Advent and Christmas season, too many people—including some in the church—are being guided by the spirits of materialism and consumerism. In His declaration, Jesus also explains the nature of His work—to preach good news, to free people from broken heartedness, captivity, and bondage, and to unleash joy that has no bounds in the lives of God’s people. On the surface, this season has the appearance of freedom and joy—Miracle on 34th Street on the television, bright lights on Christmas tress, and gifts overflowing. However, for many it is a season when depression and loneliness strike, sadness at the thought of a loved ones passing creeps in, and anxieties about skyrocketing credit card balances abound.

As we prepare to celebrate the coming of the Christ child, and continue to our work in the Kingdom of God, I wonder if we could avail ourselves to be guided solely by the Spirit of the Lord and if our work would be about the inherently liberating power of the Gospel? Perhaps then we would experience God causing “righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.”

(c) Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah, written for Bethesda Baptist Church of New Rochelle, Advent Meditation Book 2011

Think on These Things...

The will of God will never take you
  Where the grace of God cannot keep you,
  Where the arms of God cannot support you,
  Where the riches of God cannot supply your needs,
  Where the power of God cannot endow you.

The will of God will never take you
  Where the spirit of God cannot work through you,
  Where the wisdom of God cannot teach you,
  Where the army of God cannot protect you,
  Where the hands of God cannot mold you.

The will of God will never take you
  Where the love of God cannot enfold you,
  Where the mercy of God cannot sustain you,
  Where the peace of God cannot calm your fears,
  Where the authority of God cannot rule for you.

The will of God will never take you
  Where the comfort of God cannot dry your tears,
  Where the Word of God cannot feed you,
  Where the miracles of God cannot be done for you,
  Where the omnipresence of God cannot find you.

Author Unknown

Plain and SImple...

Sometimes, I get to a place where I have to cast off the complex, in favor of the simple. Sometimes my fancy language and eloquent speech needs to made plain. Sometimes my words fail, but I feel like I must say something. Sometimes I have to come to the end of myself--my intelligence, ingenuity, creativity, and ability to keep things under control--to arrive at a place where I fully recognize the sovereign power of God.

In times like these, I cling to the great hymns of the church--those sacred songs that have shaped the faith of our worshiping community. Those sacred songs continue to shape my faith (and theological understandings), even today. This morning, the refrain that has been echoing in my soul is: I need thee, O I need thee; every hour I need thee; O bless me now, my Savior, I come to thee.

It find it ironic that while we (as a church), have been dealing with the theme, "Moving from Tradition to Intimacy" that I have been moving toward a closer relationship with God using the disciplines and traditions of old. All that is to say, here is the hymn of the morning...

I need thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
no tender voice like thine can peace afford.

I need thee every hour; stay thou nearby;
temptations lose their power when thou art nigh.

I need thee every hour, in joy or pain;
come quickly and abide, or life is vain.

I need thee every hour; teach me thy will;
and thy rich promises in me fulfill.

I need thee every hour, most Holy One;
O make me thine indeed, thou blessed Son.

I need thee, O I need thee; every hour I need thee; 

O bless me now, my Savior, I come to thee.

Words: Annie S. Hawks
Music: Robert Lowry

Think on These Things...

When I dare to be powerful—

to use my strength in the service of my vision,

then it becomes less and less important

whether I am afraid.

Audre Lorde

Think on These Things...

"God has established marriage for our welfare and enjoyment. Marriage makes sacred the union between man and woman and offers to each the opportunity to grow in more complete manhood and womanhood."

...taken from the "Alternate Marriage Service #1" in The Star Book for Ministers by Edward T. Hiscox.

Hiatus...

hiatus |hīˈātəs|noun ( pl. -tuses ) [usu. in sing. ]a pause or gap in a sequence, series, or process :

Friends, I am going on a blogging hiatus for three weeks. Really, it is more than that. I'm taking a break from all unnecessary usage of technology—Facebook, TV(except news), telephone, etc—so that I can still myself and reconnect with God. I am also taking this time to buckle down and focus on my schoolwork. My desire is to have a strong finish and right here, right now, I feel myself losing footing. I'm also taking this time to embark on a new endeavor--something I will report in about when I return. So, as the good church folk say, "Pray for me as I continue to pray for you."

Peace, until next time,

Donna Olivia

Think on These Things...

Think on These Things...

I find, in being black, a thing of beauty:

a joy; a strength; a secret cup of gladness.

Words: Ossie Davis

Images: Chester Higgins, Jr.

No Greater Love...

“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another. (John 15:9-17 NKJV)

Think on These Things...

Truth tellers are not always palatable. There is a preference for candy bars. (Gwendolyn Brooks)

Think on These Things...

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see...& sometimes your only available transportation is a leap of faith."

Hebrews 11:1 NIV

Margaret Shepherd

Image taken from http://miketodd.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c65c453ef010536d4981b970c-800wi)

Think on these things...

So, as I was ironing my clothes yesterday, I noticed the writing on the label sewn into the dress I was about to put on. Even though I opted to put on another outfit, I was affirmed; I was reminded. In the words of the songwriter, "I believed it, I received it, I claimed it, It's mine..." Let it be yours too...

Think on these things...

Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track. Don't assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life! (Proverbs 3:5-8 MSG)

Think on these things...

I came across this Haiku written by Sonia Sanchez yesterday. It is from the book titled, Like the Singing Coming Off the Drums. Think on these things...

what is done is done

what is not done is not done

let it go...like the wind.

A Video Meditation: The Gospel of John

I created this video meditation for Dr. Melanie Johnson-DeBaufre's New Testament class at Drew Theological School in the Spring semester of last year. Images by yours truly. Music by Shai Linne of Cross Movement records. As the Apostle Paul says, "Think on these things..."

Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay...

In 1967, just days before his death, Otis Redding recorded the following lyrics:

I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay

Watching the tide roll away
Ooo, I'm just sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time

Well, this evening, after a long day at work and a difficult reentry in the world of exercise, I sat in the backyard in a swing close to the lake and just watched. I wasn't alone. Jack, a three-year old beautiful black lab was sitting next to me as I stroked his head and told him about my day. As we were sitting, instinctively I began singing that Otis Redding tune. I sang it a few rounds until it dawned on me; I wasn't wasting time. 

At that moment I had a revelation. My spirit echoed the words of Habbakuk: But the LORD is in His holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him (2:19-20). As I sat, looking out on the lake, I was overwhelmed by the presence of God. The trees, the lake, the vast sky, and everything else in my view was in fact the temple of the Lord. I had been talking with Jack, but I got quiet. My head got quiet. My heart got quiet. My soul got quiet. There was a stillness that is reserved only for the reverence of Almighty God. 

I wasn't wasting time. I must admit, I have bought into the lie that if I am not doing something that I am wasting time. Well, my definition of doing 'something' has changed. Even as I sat there, seemingly doing nothing, I was acknowledging Almighty God. In that moment, I  actually discovered time. It was a time like none other. It was devotion time. It was prayer time. It was worship time. It was praise time. So I sat, and took it in. And Jack did too!

Balance... (Accountability pt. 2)

balance |ˈbaləns|

noun

1 an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady: slipping in the mud but keeping their balance | she lost her balance before falling.

• stability of one's mind or feelings : the way to some kind of peace and personal balance.

• Sailing the ability of a boat to stay on course without adjustment of the rudder.

2 a condition in which different elements are equal or in the correct proportions : overseas investments can add balance to an investment portfolio | [in sing. ] try to keep a balance between work and relaxation.

I want balance in my life--I am tired of living in extremes. During the past two years, I have managed to be a scholar/student par excellence while totally abusing my body. Truth is, I am either a junk-food junkie or a health nut. I am either like Jackie Joyner Kersee or like Mr. Potato Head. I was thinking about India.Aire's song "Back to the Middle." I don't know if I've ever been there, but I certainly want to be there in the middle. Look at the definition of balance above. The words that jump out to me are upright, steady, stability. The sentence that caught my attention most was, "she lost her balance before falling." My God—I don't want to fall, and Lord knows, somedays I feel my foot slipping. 

Folks are talking about sustainability when it comes to the planet (and I get with all that), but right now I am more interested in sustainability when it comes to me life. The truth is, if doctoral work is in my future, if I am going to be a student for the next 5-7 years after I leave Drew, then I have to figure out how to stay on my "A" game (engaging the mind) while being a good steward of my body and spirit. I want to be the "me" that God created and called me to be. I want to know who I really am, and embrace it. I have come to terms with my body—my fleshy, womanly body. I've tried it, and size 10 is not for me. My optimal self, my humble self, and my healthy self is a curvaceous size 14. I want to live a long healthy life for God, myself, my future husband, and our future kids. I want to be a preacher/scholar who cares for her temple. So, below is a plan for what I think balance looks like in my life now, and some elements that I would love to look up 50 years from now and still be doing.

Operation Balance (Summer 2009)

Mind: Prepare daily for GRE exams by studying vocabulary and math before bed. Make time to play while in Gallatin/Nashville: swim, visit museums, parks, and eat great food!

Body: Sleep 8 hours each day, take a multi-vitamin daily, eat 5 fruits/vegetables each day, and walk 45 minutes at least 3 times per week.

Spirit: Open my ears to the word and direction of God by adding journaling and meditation each morning to my daily routine. 

Again, I type all of so I can be held accountable. Ask me how things are going? Lovingly encourage me. I promise to do the same for you...

Change of Tune...

            The tune to which my life plays out has always been do be do be do...  In other words, I am a doer. Anyone who knows me, well or peripherally, knows that I am a doer. I won't go into all of my doing here (my head will start to hurt), but let's just say in the last year I've had seven or eight simultaneous jobs while carrying 15 credits at school. I am a doer. Sometimes I wonder why I do so much. Perhaps it is people pleasing. Perhaps it is restlessness. Perhaps I do not know how to say no. Perhaps it is the way I understand my value as a child of God/human being. Perhaps I need a change of tune.  

            In fact, Dr. Heather Elkins would say that I need to change my tune, so "be-ing" comes before do-ing. Be do be do be... It sounds awkward. It seems out of step. I'll have to learn a new dance, but  apparently, that is the memo that God has been sending me over the last two months. God has been whispering and shouting, in the day and night, through written word and song, in my heart and from the mouths of others that I need to be still and know that he is God (Psalm 46:10). I am fully aware that I am moving into a new season in my life, where being still and knowing God is the order of the day. It is a new thing for me, but I am confident that it is the right thing for me. So, I've pared down my class schedule, my jobs, and my extracurricular activities. I am going into the Fall just be-ing, so I can discern what God would have for me to be do-ing.

            Here is where God's wicked sense of humor comes in...Yesterday, my roommate and I were running errands. On our way back into our apartment, we stopped in the foyer at a box of books. Being the book junkie that I am, I had already scavenged the box for good finds. (one such find was Loving the Body: Black Religious Studies and the Erotic edited by Dr. Anthony Pinn and Dr. Dwight Hopkins.) She wanted to stop and take a peak, so we did. As I looked through again, I noticed a book that I had not seen on my first hunt. I picked it up and chuckled to myself. Thoughts danced in my head: Ok, God, I get it! OK, God, I'm going to slow down. OK, God, you win! OK, God, be-ing, be-ing, be-ing! The book that I held in my hands (that is now in the suitcase I will take with me to Tennessee) is Mediations for Women Who Do Too Much by Anne Wilson Schaef.  

Just in case I did not get it, God sent a message loudly and clearly—a message that I can meditate on 365 days of the year.