Sharing Our Stories: How a pastor's dream changed America

A Pastor’s Dream that changed America
A guest post by Kristen Terrette

He was a pastor first.

This sentence has run through my mind for years.

After working on the manuscript since early 2016, my Young Adult novel, See You Monday, released on April 30 with Elk Lake Publishing. That’s five years of writing, editing, and rewriting. It’s also a long time to mull over a certain scene.

Parts of the novel slip back into the early sixties. And one scene takes us to August 28, 1963—the day the March for Jobs and Freedom was held in Washington D.C., and where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech.

I want to discuss this day and this great man but decided an excerpt from my story will help me explain. In this part of the story, we’ve just read about 10-year-old Sandy (who’s now a grandmother) watching the news coverage of the March and Dr. King with her family. Now, back in “present day,” Grace (Sandy’s 17-year-old granddaughter) can’t believe her grandmother witnessed the speech on live TV.

Excerpt from See You Monday:

~ Grace ~

“Mimi, I can’t believe you watched the speech live.”

“It was fantastic.” Her hand went over her heart.

Grace turned to her mother. “Mom, we talked about it all last week on its anniversary.” She turned back to Mimi. “Apparently, there were like 250,000 people there. The ‘I Have a Dream’ speech was voted the most well-known speech ever. Dr. King even won the Nobel Peace Prize.”

Mom poured herself another cup of coffee. “I had to read and watch it in school too, you know. Back in the nineties.”

“Dr. King spoke with such passion.” Mimi took the plates from the table and walked to the sink. “I’m shocked to find we, as a society, forget a major part of his background.” The plates made a clanking sound as she put them in the sink. “Remember,” she pointed at Grace, “he was a pastor first. We forget his speech was laced with many Bible verses.”

Mimi took a deep breath and gripped the sink’s edge. “I’ve read interviews from people who were there in the crowd, and I’ve watched his speech many times since I was a child. Did you learn he veered from his typed-out, prepared speech about twelve minutes into his, roughly, sixteen-minute talk?”

Grace interjected, “Yeah, and we learned Mahalia Jackson, you know the famous gospel singer, yells to him around the twelve-minute mark, ‘Tell ’em ’bout the dream, Martin! Tell ’em ’bout the dream!’”

Both adults hooted at Grace’s high octave voice. Mom said, “My, how Mahalia could sing.”

Mimi started again. “Yeah. And Clarence Jones, a good friend of Dr. King, is quoted numerous times recalling how he turned to the person next to him and said, ‘These people don’t know it, but they’re about ready to go to church.’ And King’s speech, from that moment on, was completely adlibbed using the ‘I have a dream’ phrase, which he had used in a few other speeches before. Clarence Jones said Dr. King’s ‘whole body language changed.’ He went into preacher-mode.”

She came to the table and sat down. “If you watch it, you’ll see Dr. King doesn’t look down at his typed speech once he utters the words, ‘I have a dream.’ His words even speed up.”

Her full-on storytelling-mode had Mimi’s hands moving, and her elementary school librarian skills showed off in her voice, also echoing the mannerisms of great-grandma Johnnie. “I’m convinced if you were to ask Dr. King what happened then, he’d say the Holy Spirit took over. He recalled Scripture to pour out on, what … now 250,000 people? Did you know the sound speakers at the Lincoln Memorial were damaged right before Dr. King spoke? And Robert Kennedy ordered the Army Corps of Engineers to do whatever it took to fix them?”

Mimi’s voice seemed to heat up. “Dr. King was His.” She pointed to the ceiling. “God used Dr. King to inspire change. Change without violence. Change done with love.” Mimi took a long slow breath. “I’m sorry, girls. I’m a bit fired up.”

Grace released the breath she’d been holding. “It’s okay. I’m fired up, too.” If a rapid heartbeat is an indication. “And, you’re right.”

~ End of excerpt from See You Monday ~

Can you imagine the scene in D.C.? Witnessing the Holy Spirit pour out on 250,000 people in Dr. King’s words?

Having marched for miles in the sweltering heat and singing hymns together in large groups along the way, the captivated audience gathered at the base of the Lincoln Memorial and spread along its Reflecting Pool. They would have heard the soulful voice of gospel singer, Mahalia Jackson, minutes before Dr. King took the stage. And, since they were a churched generation, they would’ve recognized the Bible verses uttered in his glorious speech. Frankly, they would’ve known Dr. King was preaching. They would’ve even expected it.

Because the people knew Dr. King was a pastor first.

Generation Z, which accounts for today’s high school and college students, are the most unchurched group ever. Studies show only 4% of this generation holds a biblical worldview, and 13% consider themselves atheists or agnostics. If you were to type into an internet search “Generation Z, unchurched, and/or spiritual,” you’d see numerous articles discussing this topic. They are the largest group in the world needing to be reached with the Good News of Jesus Christ. If you are a parent of a Gen Z’er, then your home is literally a mission field.

As I watch and read about more racial injustice and disunity, I can’t help but wonder how different our country and world would be if this young generation knew Jesus. If we, as parents, mentors, teachers, coaches, and family members did our job by helping these young people know God by getting them to church on the weekend, providing them with a biblical foundation, and guiding them into right relationships with other believers.

The momentum of the sixties faltered somewhere, but I believe it’s trying to pick back up again. This is amazing news, and I pray my children see change and are a part of it. In fact, this very generation (Z) is known for its desire for social activism and pushing for equality. But, in my opinion, all of this done without God is a failure from the start.

What are your thoughts? How can we be a part of helping Generation Z know God and push for the change Dr. King believed in?

And on a lighter note, where were you when you first heard Dr. King’s iconic speech? 

~*~
Author Bio:

Kristen's passionate about storytelling and helping people take their next steps in their relationship with Jesus.

She lives forty-five minutes outside of Atlanta, GA. where she served as a Children's Ministry Director for many years. With the support of her husband and two children, she now stays home writing fiction and non-fiction.

She also serves on the women’s leadership team at her local church and writes for Crosswalk and Wholly Loved Ministries. You can check out her articles and novels at www.kristenterrette.com.

~*~
Back Cover Blurb for Kristen’s new novel, See You Monday:

Senior year. The homestretch. 

Honor student, Grace Warner, had it easy. Popularity, friends, attention from her crush, even a soccer scholarship offer—if only she can figure out her senior project to graduate on time. Getting approval to write about someone’s life-changing event, Grace recruits her sassy grandma as her mentor who can’t wait to tell the crazy story from her childhood.

Events in the early sixties are words in history books to Grace, but her grandma lived them. She witnessed the civil rights movement in full swing, desegregation becoming a reality in her southern town, Martin Luther King, Jr. moving the country with his iconic speech, and the country coming to a halt when President Kennedy was assassinated.

Grace loves finding out her family history but didn't know the project would have her noticing hardships and prejudices at her school she hadn’t before. When the homecoming court is announced and new kid, Jacob Horton, is nominated as a colossal prank, it brings Grace to a choice, much like her grandmother years before her. God is about to use her in a miracle if she chooses correctly. If she fails, a life could be lost.

Buy See You Monday online on Amazon:

~*~
Connect with Kristen:
Website - www.kristenterrette.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/authorkristenterrette/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/KTerrette
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kterrette/
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16252020.Kristen_Terrette
BookBub - https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kristen-terrette
Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/kterrette2/

Sharing Our Stories: The Beloved Community

Beloved Community
A guest post by Dr. Angelle M. Jones

“He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 

– Luke 10:27 (NIV)

As we approach the celebration of MLK Day, your thoughts may turn to Dr. King’s dream of a Beloved Community. His was a narrative of a collective community. A community committed to embracing the philosophy of nonviolence. A community where its inhabitants share the wealth of the earth and where the coexistence of racism and poverty are no longer. A community where by engaging the principles of nonviolence, conflict or international disputes are resolved peacefully. It has been said that to Dr. King, the enactment of Beloved Community was as realistic as the racist world in which he lived.

My personal vision of Beloved Community developed as the result of years of longing for an authentic multiracial and multiethnic worshipping community. I envisioned a sacred space where Christians embraced and lived reconciled with one another the way the Kingdom of God is portrayed in Scripture. I saw a sacred space where in spite of what took place outside, inside, loving God also meant loving your Black or White neighbor as yourself. When I think about the many communal experiences I’ve personally encountered, I realize it was the authenticity of loving relationships developed in those spaces that brought me joy. On the other hand, the effects of racism in that same space have affected not only the way I see and experience community, but at times it caused me to fear the possibility of believing genuine relationships between Blacks and Whites could ever exist.

Today, intentional racial reconciliation happens as I do the work of loving my White neighbor as I love me. As I reflect back to my first experience of allowing a White person to enter into my relational space, I am almost embarrassed at the level of resistance extended. My dear friend of now thirty some years, approached me in Bible college after hearing I was having car trouble. She offered her help in getting me to class.

As a new Christian who had recently spent five years of college studying African-American studies, finding myself in a multiracial/multicultural church was the last place I thought I would worship or find authentic White folk for that matter. After only a short time, because of some of my initial encounters at the church when Whites turned away after the pastor asked everyone to reach out and touch or hug their neighbor, I immediately distrusted my friend’s motive. The more I resisted, the more she insisted she could pick me up for class. We laugh about it today because in reality neither of us was intentionally trying to befriend or hurt the other. She was just being her naturally giving self; I on the other hand, was naturally protecting myself from further discrimination, which had become a normal way of life, now in and outside the church. Her intentionally reaching across the invisible color line to offer help, was all it took for me to risk letting my guard down to finally accept her invitation.

It has been theorized that since slavery in America, social categorization of race construct, and superiority and inferiority complex theories have been used by Whites to subjugate Blacks and other minorities. As a result, this social construct has through the years caused Blacks and others since slavery to continue to be looked upon as inferior to the majority race in this country. For this reason, years after the physical and emotional traumatization of Blacks, many African-Americans still carry the scars from slavery, while trying to deconstruct the myth of being inferior.

This trauma has affected how Blacks often respond when approached by Whites. Even when Whites may have good intentions, Blacks subconsciously may be wondering, “What is your real motive?” or asking themselves, “Is the person just trying to relieve themselves of guilt by doing something nice for a Black person?”

Even against the resistance posed, this White woman who is now one of my dearest friends, pressed to make a difference in someone’s life. More importantly she did it without allowing color to be a barrier. Although our relationship may have been divinely orchestrated by the Holy Spirit, we did have to obey the promptings to allow this organic friendship to develop between us. What may have started as an unplanned relationship, at some point we had to become intentional for it to flourish authentically.

In light of my personal journey with my friend, I learned that the opportunity for genuine fellowship between Blacks and Whites will only reach its maximum potential when the participants are intentional about loving the other as they love themselves. By allowing this sister in Christ to be the authentic and genuine person that she was and remains to be after years of friendship, I am a better person and I believe she would agree, so is she. We have had countless discussions about race, how we grew up, our parents, and how all these factors have made a difference in how we view one another.

Even though we are both Christians, we found having a lot in common still did not keep us from running into challenges as we grew to learn about one another. I am sure we would both admit that our friendship has weathered the racial storms of the decades since our first encounter. Through political debates, church traditions, ministry, life and other major differences that we faced as we were becoming the women we are today, we are both better because of the other. More importantly, we have modeled authentic Beloved Community for our friends and families.

As we celebrate this upcoming MLK Day, there is only one way to capitulate the seemingly shrinking imagery caste by Dr. King. If nourished, the sixty-year-old vision will remain alive to never die. As we strive to authentically love one another, one life, one church at a time, may Beloved Community prevail. 

~*~
Author Bio:

“Inspiring and Motivating With the Power of Words” 

Angelle M. Jones believes that the power of words inspires, and motivate to bring about transformative change individually and collectively. 

Angelle originally hails from Cleveland, Ohio. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in African-American studies from the University of Cincinnati. Angelle has a master’s degree in Theological Studies from Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia and an earned Doctorate in Ministry on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, and his philosophy of The Beloved Community from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.

Her ministry career began as a staff member of the Northeastern Ohio Billy Graham Crusade in 1994. For twenty years, as founder and director of In The Spirit Ministries, Inc. she led teams on mission outreaches throughout the world. From 2007-2012 Angelle served as Missions Director of New Salem Missionary Baptist Church in Columbus, Ohio where she currently resides. Angelle is founder and director of GlobaLife Coaching and Consulting serving as a Life and Transformation Coach and Church Consultant.

In 2016 Angelle authored and self-published her first book, Happily Never After. Along with sharing words of hope by sharing her writings on her social media platforms, she has been published in Vantage Magazine which is a literary source for faculty, students and alumni of Columbia Theological Seminary, and Ready which is a cutting-edge online magazine addressing current events and trending socially relevant topics for women.

Angelle is the mother of an adult daughter. She is a grandmother and great-grandmother.

~*~
Connect with Dr. Angelle:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angelle.m.jones.5
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abundantgrace1/
Website: www.globalifetransforms.com
Email: globalifeconsultants@gmail.com

Honoring A Man of God (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) today, and celebrating his legacy

Let's leave this world better than we found it!

Hope for your heart is right here in this beautiful call-to-action song performed by Danny Gokey and Kierra Sheard. It encouraged and inspired my heart. 

Would you please listen to it?



Great song, eh? It really opens the conversation to talk about injustice in our world today and inspires people to want to make a change. 

But let's not stop the conversation for change there! Let's do more than talk about making a change to fight against injustice and oppression, let's DO something about it by following the example of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. We need leaders like him today. People who are NOT afraid to speak against wrong and help people make the right decisions. 

God loves us ALL. It's time we do too.

Fix Your Eyes on Jesus

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee.” ~Isaiah 26:3 (KJV)

Earlier this year, it made me so mad when someone told me in the midst of my emotional pain, “I know it hurts but let us fix our eyes on Jesus (Christ).”

I disregarded her advice until tonight when I looked at what I’ve been overlooking for months—a Bible verse that I keep taped onto the screen of my computer. The verse is found in Isaiah 26:3 and it reads, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee.”

So, what does that mean?

It means that no matter how much hate and injustice this world hurls at the oppressed, we must focus on Jesus and keep a heavenly perspective because when you look at the bigger picture, you realize that everything we go through on this earth is temporary and will not last forever. Read 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (MSG): “So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.”

It’s so important to believe and remember that Earth is not our home. If you believe in what God’s Holy Bible says about our life and eternity, you know that the troubles of this world are temporary; Jesus WILL return to take His faithful followers home to heaven and He’ll console us for what we went through on Earth (Revelation 21:4) and we’ll spend eternity with Him. It’s going to be beautiful, ya’ll. So hang in there!

Meanwhile, what are we to do while still experiencing life on Earth? Are we just to sweep injustice under the proverbial rug and carry on as if it doesn't matter? No! The Bible doesn’t say to condone or agree with injustice. The Bible says: “This is God’s Message: Attend to matters of justice. Set things right between people. Rescue victims from their exploiters. Don’t take advantage of the homeless, the orphans, the widows. Stop the murdering!” ~Jeremiah 22:2-3 (MSG)

God requires ALL of us to “do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with our God” (Micah 6:8, KJV). He even advises people who have servants who society would says are beneath them. In Ephesians 6:9, God says, “Masters, it’s the same with you. No abuse, please, and no threats. You and your servants are both under the same Master in heaven. He makes no distinction between you and them.”

So in the midst of depression, oppression and injustice and all the emotional trauma it causes, I’ve realized that the best way to survive it (in addition to speaking out against it and finding good way to promote peace and harmony) is to as that prayer warrior I know said, “Fix our eyes on Jesus.”

Is it easy? No! 

But, Is it worth it? Yes!

So does fixing our eyes on Jesus mean that we are supposed to accept injustice and tolerate abuse? No! God doesn’t call us to be silent as we fix our eyes on Jesus. He calls us to live peacefully with everyone and renounce injustice! We are to defend the defenseless, be a voice to the voiceless and be a light for Jesus Christ in this world.

Perhaps the best approach to eradicating injustice and healing hearts is found in the words of the great Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” We are to love one another like God loves us.

I want to be a light for Jesus Christ and drive out darkness. I want to drive out hate with love. I hope and pray that this blog post touches your heart and that you’ll be inspired to drive out darkness with light; drive out hate with love.

God bless you!

Sincerely,

Alexis

P.S._ Here are two songs by Christian musician Scott Krippayne that aligned with my message to you in this post: “Every Single Tear” and “The Best is Yet to Come.”