Potpourri

Okay so here is the latest --- I got the internship at Harvest UMC near Bradenton, Fl. Yippee!!!! I got the call yesterday afternoon from the pastor and it looks like I will be back in Florida for the next 12 weeks after I finish this semester. My first day will be May 17. (The only thing about that is I will miss my classmate from high school preach that Sunday. That's also the weekend of my 20-year high school class reunion.) Let me just say this is what I prayed for. I prayed for God to help me to make connections. This pastor, Catherine Fluck-Price, is the chair of the Board of Ordained Ministry for the Florida Conference. Now if that ain't a connection, I don't know what is . . . Keep me in prayer. This promises to be an exciting summer. Maybe I can get some of my friends to drive over and come hear me preach. I'll preach at least twice while I'm there, possibly more . . .

. . . Speaking of preaching, I delivered my third sermon yesterday preaching on the 2 Samuel 1:1; 17-27 text which was about the lament or song that David wrote about Saul and his best friend Jonathan when he learned that they were killed in battle. The gist of the sermon focused on how David was able to stay focused on the heart of Saul even though Saul sought to kill him. I'm always amazed how the sermons manifest, particularly when you stay up all night. I say that because most often I am not really aware of the process to compose them, nor do I have a particular structure in mind for putting them together. But of course my classmates seem to think so. It's only after their careful analysis and critique that I am able to see how the sermon came together. I didn't even look at as a sermon that explained how David became "a man after God's own heart." But I guess that's exactly what it was -- at least that's how my classmates saw it.

. . . I participated in my first communion service this past Tuesday and that was interesting. Of the many things I have done in the church, giving communion wasn't one of them. I believe I have a whole new reverence for the Eucharist and ultimately what it means to share in the Lord's Supper. It feels quite different to be on the offering end.

Breezing through the night . . .

People think when you're in school you have time on your hands. You really don't, but I took some time last night to do something out of the ordinary -- at least for me. In the late night hour, around 10:30 p.m. (after I left work) I took off on a motorscooter with one of my seminary friends flying . . . or riding high through the streets of downtown Atlanta and it felt GREAT!!! There I was in the cold of the night making my way, rounding curves down Ponce de Leon when I thought to myself, "I am actually riding on the back of this thing on my way to I have no idea where." For a moment, I thought about the reading assignment I had to complete for my 9:30 a.m. class and the radio interview I needed to listen to. I thought about how this had to be one of the craziest things I've done. And in the next moment, the thoughts vanished. This ride, which was supposed to last 45 minutes turned into a 2 1/2 hour adventure. We stopped by a place to watch the rest of the Cleveland Browns football game and the Portland basketball game. We later drove to Barley's to shoot two games of pool (I'm pissed that I lost!) before jumping back on our bike to ride out again.

It was a freedom I haven't experienced in a while since being here. For just those few hours, I forgot about the responsibilities, the obligations, the late night hour and even the cold breeze of the dark night and just lived. For just a few hours, as James Baldwin suggested in his novel Fire Next Time, I took notice of what everybody else was doing and went in the opposite direction.

And it felt sooooo good!

Obama win means . . .

Here is what I know for sure now that Obama is President:

That today, I ceased to be invisible because when the world looks at Barak and Michelle Obama, they will see me.

That today, I ceased to be irrelevant.

That today, my voice is no longer inaudible.

Pushed to the forefront

I just got one of the biggest compliments Saturday -- a member of the Uhuru Dance Company, here asked me if I would consider joining the dance troupe. Needless to say, I was blown away. I mean, this was my second class and it's not like I was trying to bring attention to myself. I was actually hanging in the back, trying to get back into dancing regularly, be more of an observer than anything. But the invite brought a few things to mind -- that's it's not really neccessary for us to do the work of bringing attention to ourselves or the hard work we do. God, in his own, way, will put us out front and introduce us to the right people at the right time.

That same hanging back I had attempted to do in that dance class was the same thing I have been trying to do at Candler, but to no avail. It seems as though people have been seeking me out to become a participant in this, that or the other. So what I thought would be a year of getting acclimated to being back in school is turning out to be a year of leadership building. I'm now a member of the Sister Circle Coordinating Committee, a member of the Candler Women Coordinating Council, a participant in the chapel's dance ministry, the black student caucus dance ministry and a member of the intercessory prayer team. And this doesn't include the ministry I'm building at M.U.S.T Ministries, the homeless shelter where I minister and council residents every Tuesday. (Whew, that's a lot, particularly when you see it in print!)

My aunt says it's Proverbs 18:16 being fulfilled: "A man's gift makes room for him and will bring him before great men." Maybe. I am speaking at a banquet Tuesday night to members of the committee that gave me my scholarship. I'm told about 100 people -- that I should get to know -- will be there. I am honored that I am among those asked to speak and share the story of my journey to seminary.

Wish me well. They gave me 3-minutes. And anybody who knows me, knows talking for only 3 minutes will definitely be a challenge.

What I meant to say on Tuesday . . .

1. A funky $17 faux black leather crop jacket and $10 hobo bag is the perfect cure for Old Testament blues.

2. I tried out my first hairdresser on Saturday and let me say, just because it's Atlanta doesn't mean that every hairdresser got skills. That visit was another stress altogether.

3. I experienced my first worship service in the park Sunday and I'm still on a high. The morning was crisp, the praise team was singing and jamming and we were all up and praising while the Mallard Ducks were swimming on the pond in the background, creating a scene reminiscent of the one in my First Bible Story Book of how the Garden of Eden looked. The only thing missing from the service was a good old fashioned baptism. I just knew the pastor was going to have us don some white sheets and head wraps and start singing, "Take me to the water. Take me to the water. Take me to the water . . . to be baptized!" We had a cookout instead. That was great because I love a good barbecue!

4. I think there is a theme emerging now that I'm here in seminary . . . and it's always centered around food. Hmmm

5. Kudos to the cute guy at the gas station who helped me get closer to the pump. I could have waited an entire hour for gas instead of 45 minutes and missed the season premier of "Hero's". I hope I can take at least an hour out to see my favorite show this season.

6. I'm finding seminary is a cure for many things -- like television addictions. I don't know what Nikki and Victor are doing on the Young and Restless, Stephanie and Eric on Bold and the Beautiful or Clark Kent on Superman or who Tyra is cutting from America's Top Model. Somebody needs to give me an update or better yet. . . I'll be paying a visit next week to the woman in Emory's Student Union. She at least has the soap opera update.

7. I noticed I'm becoming one of those stressed Atlanta drivers, who either forgets to use or uses her turn signal too late. (I gotta change that quick!) The traffic here just begs for you to grip the wheel and hold on for the ride -- especially at 6 a.m. in the morning. And don't let there be construction going on. . .

8. For a young lady who didn't want to be assigned to the homeless shelter to do ministry work (I wanted to go to the women's prison), I'm now finding my way and niche at M.U.S.T Ministries in Marietta. And I'm loving my assignment. The ladies and I are having a ball talking and praying with each other, so much so, they want me to start a support group for them. So, in two weeks, every Tuesday night, we'll be lighting our candles, sipping our tea and having real talk as we kick off our Waiting to Exhale Women's Support group.

9. My first Old Testament test is coming up on Tuesday.

10. The sound of the African drums are calling my spirit. Let's hope I can make the jam session on Saturday. Still need to find a new lapa. But my feet are ready to dance!