Hush, Hush, Somebody's Calling My Name...

Hush, hush somebody's calling my name
Hush, hush somebody's calling my name
Hush, hush somebody's calling my name
Oh my Lord, Oh my Lord what shall I do, what shall I do?

Sounds like Jesus, somebody's calling my name
Sounds like Jesus, somebody's calling my name
Sounds like Jesus, somebody's calling my name
Oh my Lord, Oh my Lord what shall I do, what shall I do?

I'm so glad, troubles don't last always
I'm so glad, troubles don't last always
I'm so glad, troubles don't last always
Oh my Lord, Oh my Lord what shall I do, what shall I do?

This African-American spiritual, simply and beautifully, communicates where I am today—August 1, 2011. A year has passed since that sacred convocation of ordination took place. A year has passed since the laying on of hands. A year has passed: I have waded in the baptismal waters, given thanks at the table, and committed the dust of humanity back to the kindred elements from whence it came while spirits soared. A year has passed: There have been triumphs and trials, mountains and valleys, laughter and weeping. A year has passed and all I can do is get quiet. The Psalmist wrote, “Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him” (Psalm 62:5). Hope. Aspiration. Expectation. If I am going to be prepared for what is to come—if I want to know what shall I do—then I ought to get quiet in the presence of God. He's calling my name and I've got to hush so I can hear...

And so, for the next month, I am going on praycation with Bishop Vashti McKenzie. On her blog, she describes praycation in this way:

Praycation is a spiritual discipline vacation from your ordinary prayer routine. It is a 31 -day step away the ordinary without catching a plane, boat or train. It is a journey from where you are right now to where you can be in Christ Jesus through prayer, praise, silence and study. This journey can be taken in a matter of seconds and minutes.

I invite you to take a praycation. It has been said that prayer changes things. I don't discount the validity of that statement, but more than changing things, prayer changes me. And I don't know about you, but I want to be changed—transformed—into the woman that God created and purposed for me to be.

("Hush, Hush Somebody's Callin' My Name" is a traditional African-American spiritual song. The author is unknown.)

Vision Board...

Last week, in my Monday Morning Reflections, I wrote about creating my vision board. After a week of reflection, cutting, reading articles in Essence and Glamour (glossed over the first time), more reflection, and pasting...I present to you my 2011 vision board.

For now, it sits on my desk in our home-office (you know, the one that I vowed to spend time in getting stuff done). It is two-sided. One side is devoted to my vocational goals; The other to my emotional, physical, and spiritual self. There isn't much else to say...they speak for themselves. Enjoy!

What the Scale Doesn't Say (part two...sort of)

One of my sista/girl friends emailed this to me earlier. The subject of her message was "This could help us tremendously with our Weight Loss Goals." In the body of the message she wrote, The correct way to weigh yourself:



I think she might be on to something...

- Posted using BlogPress on the fiercest device ever...the iPad!!!

Monday Morning Reflections...

I know most people don't care for Monday mornings, but I have to admit, I absolutely LOVE Monday mornings. Perhaps it is because my week flows a bit differently than most, so Monday mornings are usually a time for a wee bit more rest, a burst of domestic energy (vacuuming, anyone?), and a renewed commitment to my goals (spiritual, vocational, physical, etc.). Plus, Monday functions in some ways as my official Sabbath, so I usually plan to do something nice for myself on Monday. So, what's on for today, you ask?

On this particular Monday, I plan to lounge at the pool before the impending rain makes its appearance, get a mani/pedi (these yellow toes are NOT working for me, though they seemed like a good idea two weeks ago), and create a vision board.

It dawned on me last week, as I taught a digital art class during our Vacation Bible School, that my feelings of purposelessness and stagnation are a direct result of my creativity being put on a shelf and being unclear about where God is leading me and what I desire in my life. Last week I had energy, on the inside and out, that was amazing (even with over 100 screaming children running around). Being with the children reminded me that my creativity is important, that I LOVE being in the classroom, and that there is so much that God has in store for me to be and achieve.

Back to vision boards. I created my first vision board when I was living in DC. They are simple to create. All you need is paper/poster board, a glue stick, some magazine, and--for me--my Bible, some good music, and the capacity to be unafraid of my dreams. Oh yeah, a pair of scissors can be helpful, but they aren't necessary.

I can recall the last vision boards I created. I made five of them, each four by six inches in size. One simply had the word "love" pasted all over it from different sources and included the words of the Apostle Paul found in 1 Corinthians 13. The second had the phrase, "something beautiful is about to happen" juxtaposed next to a recent picture of me. Another had an image of my five-year old, sassy self, surrounded by words about strength, courage, and the power of using my voice. Honestly, I cannot remember the others, but I do know that there was something affirming and motivating about seeing those vision boards hung on my wall. Sometimes I would stand in front of them, intently listening to what they had to say to me. Other times, they would whisper sweet somethings to my soul, gently encouraging me to be the woman that God created me to be.

The prophet Habakuk was given these instructions from God:
“Write down the revelation
and make it plain on tablets
so that a herald may run with it.
For the revelation awaits an appointed time;
it speaks of the end
and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait for it;
it will certainly come
and will not delay. (Habakuk 2:2-3)

Creating a vision board is my way of writing the revelation/vision for my life. I must tell you, my vision boards have evolved over the years. My first board, some ten or so years ago, had an image of a big sparkly wedding ring, some luxury car, and dollar signs. As I've matured, they have included less of the stuff of life, and more of the qualities and characteristics I desire for my life. I traded a ring for righteousness, bling for beauty, and a car for compassion.

During the periods of winter--when the vision is growing out of sight--the vision board reminds me that a seed has been planted. Memory and speech have tremendous power. So much so, that I have taken to writing my name "Reverend Dr. Donna Olivia" in as many places as I can. I may not have the PhD yet (part of the vision), but seeing my name written in such a way pushes me to press through the application process, to trust God with the language requirements, and to make all that I pray/say/do/think part of getting me to that place. Don't get me wrong, a doctorate degree can be understood as part of the stuff of life--a degree that comes with the trappings of status and privilege--but for me it is less about the title and more about the places the title affords me access to, namely the hallowed halls of the academy where I hope to teach in a way that impacts the witness and growth of Christ's church.

My question for you, dear readers, is: Do you have a vision for your life?
If so, is that vision inspired/breathed by God? Have your written/drawn/painted the vision? Is it in plain sight?
If not, why not? Are you afraid to dream? Have you listened for God's voice concerning your life's path?

I would encourage you to create some kind of vision board. It can be as simple as a list and as elaborate as a poster...but do it, and put it somewhere where you can see...

Think on These Things...

A quotation from my latest read, Anonymous: Jesus' Hidden Years and Yours by Alicia Britt Chloe...

Life does not sleep—though in winter she retracts all advertisement. And when she does so, she is conserving and preparing for the future. And so it is with us. Seasonally, we too are stripped of visible fruit. Our giftings are hidden; our abilities are underestimated. When previous successes fade and current efforts falter, we can easily mistake our fruitlessness for failure. But such is the rhythm of spiritual life: new growth, fruitfulness, transition, rest . . . new growth, fruitfulness, transition, rest. Abundance may make us feel more productive, but perhaps emptiness has greater power to strengthen our souls.

- Posted using BlogPress on the fiercest device ever...the iPad!!!

Anniversary Reflections...

It is hard to believe, but three-hundred and sixty eight days have passed since hubby and I made a covenant with God and each other in marriage. On Saturday we celebrated our one year anniversary. It has been salubrious and sublime.

It has also been fun and growing and—in the words of rapper Keith Murray—the most beautifulest thing in the world! It has also been challenging, in the best possible way. The rhythms of married life are quite different from that of single life. I've learned as much about myself as I have about my hubby in this year: We've laughed together, cried together (ok, I've cried and he has wiped my tears), danced together, made decisions together, and—most importantly—we've prayed together.

On Saturday evening we watched our wedding video. We relived our vows. I was reminded of the promises I made aloud before that great cloud of witnesses, and the ones I made to my love.

I thank God, everyday, for my hubby and for our union!

Think on These Things...

There is privilege—and sometimes pain—in living the sermon before actually preaching the sermon. (Or in my case, in living the Bible Study before actually teaching the Bible Study.)

These are the words that God just spoke into my spirit.

While these are not comforting words, they are reassuring words. Today has been a rough day. No reason in particular, but rather an amalgam of stuff intensified by what my ace-boon C Alma aptly labeled the "post-vacation blues."

I've got it bad.

Last week I maxed and relaxed, swam and tanned, sailed and kayaked, galloped and climbed in beautiful, sunny Ocho Rios with hubby extraordinaire. Not that New Jersey isn't beautiful and sunny, but I am mourning. My mourning has left me tired and unmotivated. All that would be well and good except I am teaching not one, but two Bible studies tomorrow.

But thanks be to God, He meets us where we are.

Somewhere round about 3:00 a.m. on Monday morning, I work up frantically grabbing for my iPad. I was up for about two hours meditating on and asking questions of the Apostle Paul's words in Philippians 4, specifically the fourth through the ninth verses:

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. (NKJV)

By this morning, my selective amnesia had set in and I forgot about the joy of my musings on the Word. I forgot that my Bible Study was ready in my head and heart and just needed to be transcribed in a cohesive format onto the page. I forgot that though there may be things weighing heavy, that God is at hand for an unleashing of His peace. Instead of rejoicing, instead of praying about those things that are weighing heavy on my mind and heart, instead of inviting the peace of God to enter in and surround me on all sides, I mulled and brooded...on the couch...in my skivvies...

And then God spoke to my heart. How can you encourage the people you teach to rejoice when you are choosing to mourn? How can you expect my peace to permeate your life when you aren't completely releasing all of your concerns to me? Ummm, where is your thanksgiving? How about shifting your thinking to all things just, pure, noble, lovely, virtuous and praiseworthy?

As always, God was right.

And so, I am grateful to have spent six awesome days with my husband in Jamaica. I am grateful to have a home and vocation to return home to. I am most grateful for the love of God, which always meets me where I am, picks me up, and gets me moving again. And in this moment, I am glad that I can be a living witness of what happens when one rejoices in the Lord, always...

(and oh yeah, I'm glad to be writing again...)