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On Monday during my meditation hour, I remembered the words of a Queen Mother Elder who, along with her children, loved me and journeyed with me through my teen and young adult years. Ms. Bernice Snell, a wise and fierce lover of God, shared her personal stories and proverbs with me. I sat on the floor, always eager to listen, and soaked it all in.
“You are a Designer’s original,” she said often, “You won’t ever fit in because God has called you to stand out. You’re different and you’re always going to be different because God has something for you to do.” The replay of this memory was so real that I could see her face. I felt the same vibrational leap that surged through my body as a teenager. Sixteen years later, I offer you this liberating wisdom: You are a Designer’s Original! Take off the restraints. Be. Love. Create—as only YOU can! WithLove-InPeace-ThroughGrace "In the grand scheme of things, your life, regardless of pain and difficulty, is an unfolding miracle. Your life is the coming of a dream. Your life is the co-creative component of the Divine birthing process that happens within human consciousness and lived experiences [...]" -Kanisha Billingsley
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I’ll go if I have to go by myself (have to go by myself)/I’ll go if I have to go by myself (have to go by myself)/If my mother (won’t go)/If my father (won’t go)/If my sister or my brother (won’t go)/I’ll go if I have to go by myself (have to go by myself) This morning, as I worshipped, I was reminded of the song above, led by The Stiggers Sisters back in the 90’s at Pilgrim Baptist Church. This call and response selection took root in me in ways my teenage-self did not have the vision to see at the time. Sojourner, there are purpose induced steps you must take alone. There are multiple seasons wherein you will find yourself seemingly surrounded with people but internally you know that isolation has happened upon you. DreamSeed, do not fret. You know how to live, to move, and to have your being…alone. In fact, as an interdependent creature, you already have within you the intuition, wisdom, and tools necessary to co-partner with God and to [re]birth yourself. Going forth alone, without past comfort zones, enablers, and certified crutches, requires courage. For the past three years, the word COURAGE has greeted me every morning. The sticker is adhered to the mirror in my vanity area. I literally cannot see my eyes. All I can see is COURAGE. This sticker was a part of the commemorative USPS stamps for Rosa Parks. I have since used all the stamps and the COURAGE sticker remains as a daily call for me to rise, to be, and to do. Do not despise the days filled with more 'you + God time' than your prefer. These days are shifting and sifting you so that when the assignments come you will have wisdom and balance similar to that of our Elder and Exemplar of Faith, Jesus. He chose to walk in love without conditions and without ever edifying himself above another (as a god) or below another (as one lacking self-love and a healthy self-definition). Jesus was always defining himself as God’s chosen-beloved and the son of man in spite of folk’s responses to him. I appreciate John’s Jesus, who after displaying great power, embodied an even greater wisdom and restraint. When he discerned the folks he served desired to make him their king, he fled away from them into isolation. “Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself” (John 6:16 RSV). The power to navigate external pressures and the willingness to refuse idolatrous worship comes only through seasons of going it alone. You + God… Sojourner, go forth courageously withholding nothing!!! WithLove-InPeace-ThroughGrace #AREYOUCONNECTED #Dreamer #Birther #Creator #DreamersUnite "In the grand scheme of things, your life, regardless of pain and difficulty, is an unfolding miracle. Your life is the coming of a dream. Your life is the co-creative component of the Divine birthing process that happens within human consciousness and lived experiences [...]" -Kanisha Billingsley Karen is beyond the camera’s eye but her sister is visible to us. And although we cannot see Karen, I infer from her sisters nudging that perhaps she was a bit timid and shy. Maybe Karen was nervous about singing in front of the standing room only coliseum. Her sister uttered two words decipherable only through lip sync and accompanied by a beat keeping hand clap: "Go on," she said. And Karen both receives and follows her sister's instructions. Karen takes the microphone. She stutters initially. Then, while walking forward, she offers a soul stirring verse replete with octave changing vocals like only she, THE Karen Clark Sheard, can do. I wonder if perhaps in that moment she wrestled with issues of worth(ful)ness. She, being the youngest, was up to bat behind her preaching, singing, and prophesying sister, Dorinda Clark Cole. I wonder if she questioned her abilities. I wonder if she asked herself, "What will people think of me?" I wonder if she feared being rejected in those moments preceding her forward movement. Hmmmm... Join me as I follow THE Karen Clark Sheard’s lead. Imagine God clapping Her hands while keeping the beat that you will need to offer your best most authentic self to those to whom you are assigned. And then God looks into your timid eyes, and says, “Go on.” Now take your place even as you tremble and stutter. Open your being and deposit all that we need to come true. #Dreamer #Birther #Creator #DreamersUnite #AreYouConnected http://www.dreamlifefellowship.org/join-a-courageous-crossing.html www.facebook.com/dreamlifefellowship.org WithLove-InPeace-ThroughGrace "In the grand scheme of things, your life, regardless of pain and difficulty, is an unfolding miracle. Your life is the coming of a dream. Your life is the co)-creative component of the Divine birthing process that happens within human consciousness and lived experiences [...]" -Kanisha Billingsley *Fear breaking steps take place at 3:41-4:48 SAAAAANNNNNGGGGG Mrs. Clark Sheard  It has been my tradition (former tradition) to rehearse every single thing I do not have as I consider a new endeavor and wrestle with birthing a new creation. This method is counterproductive when it is not balanced with affirmation of what is already available. Sojourner, if you default to excuses and risk aversion in your dreaming-planning processes, this two word inquiry will radically shift your thinking: SO WHAT?
We all have a set of competencies and natural talents. There are things you can do that absolutely baffle me. If I tried to implement a plan using your unique strengths, your vision, and your methodology without honoring who I am and my own set of unique traits, I would fail because I can NOT be Y.O.U.! There are 7 billion people sharing this Earth with you. Whatever lies beyond your particular scope and your particular skill set is out there waiting for you to call for it. No one knows what you need until you say so! The next time you start wasting valuable energy wrestling with what you do not have stop yourself mid-stream and say with embodied performance, “So WHAT? (Shrug your shoulders).” And then start a list entitled “[It] Is Already Provided.” This list is sure to unveil the resources your vision requires. Next, share your list with the folk who have proven themselves as covenant community with a heading entitled: “Can You Connect Me With [It]? Do You Know Where I Can Find [It]?” You do NOT have to have it all. You are NOT expected to have all the answers, all the questions, all the details and logistics your vision requires. But all of [it] exists somewhere in many forms and All is available and willing to assist you in coming true! Inhale…Exhale…Now, let us know what you need! WithLove-InPeace-ThroughGrace www.dreamlifefellowship.org http://www.dreamlifefellowship.org/join-a-courageous-crossing.html www.facebook.com/dreamlifefellowship.org #SAVETHEDATE 03.08.2015 #AREYOUCONNECTED #ACOURAGEOUSCROSSING "In the grand scheme of things, your life, regardless of pain and difficulty, is an unfolding miracle. Your life is the coming of a dream. Your life is the co-creative component of the Divine birthing process that happens within human consciousness and lived experiences [...]" -Kanisha Billingsley Sojourner, pack your bags. You will not return to your comfort zones. A comfort zone is a mental conception that is often subconscious and associated with safety and security. One's comfort zones or comfortable boundaries are cultivated over time. The idea of a comfort zone or safe space is projected onto people, places, and things. For example, some people refuse to try new hairstyles, new foods, new venues, new relationships, and new techniques because they “already” have the “sure thing” that works well every time. A comfort zone is neither good nor bad unless it is attached to an unhealthy dynamic. In general, comfort zones are neutral until one chooses to stretch and to grow. Comfort zones can become detrimental when one’s life is dictated by imagined threats, ignorance, and dangers instead of real facts and your own unrealized potential. “He stepped out. Unsure. Surrounded by darkness. Pressed within the winds. Thunder rolling. Lightning clapping. The boat was rocking. I imagine his closest friends were sounding the warning alarm, “Peter, stop! Don’t do it! Where are you going? What is that anyway?” "In the grand scheme of things, your life, regardless of pain and difficulty, is an unfolding miracle. Your life is the coming of a dream. Your life is the co-creative component of the Divine birthing process that happens within human consciousness and lived experiences [...]" -Kanisha Billingsley
Sojourners, Happy New Year!!! I hope this post finds you well in health and whole in Spirit. Birth the dream in 2015! Yes that one. You know that thing you have imagined and conceptualized for so long that when you bring in up in conversation your intimate life partners roll their eyes and inquire, “Okay but when?” Yes that dream! Birthing that dream in 2015 requires willingness and courage.
The transition from preparation-expectancy-manifestation is ripe with various emotions and difficult negotiations. Go forth knowing that you know what you know. In the midst of fluidity and ever changing variables such as people, geographical location, color schemes, budgets, and dates, remain confident that your purpose is constant. The work you are commissioned to do and your overall life vision are non-negotiable and inevitable. Uncertainty is par for the course. We don’t know every detail nor are we privy to exactly how things will unfold. However, we can choose to rest in blessed assurance knowing that the Designer of Dreams has secured the vision. Even when oppositional resistance appears, against all forms of negativity, God with infinite wisdom, has secured the vision. And [it] is so!!! God is able + the dream is possible…but are you willing? Are you courageous enough to push? “I had to face up to the purpose that I had chosen and declared before I came to this world. I was reluctant to do certain things and realized that to promise to do something before being born does not necessarily mean having the courage or the willingness to do it […]. I realized that there were difficulties involved with pursuing one’s life purpose (65-66).”--Queen Mother Sobonfu Some in The Spirit of Intimacy: Ancient African Teachings in the Ways of Relationships WithLove-InPeace-ThroughGrace "In the grand scheme of things, your life, regardless of pain and difficulty, is an unfolding miracle. Your life is the coming of a dream. Your life is the co-creative component of the Divine birthing process that happens within human consciousness and lived experiences [...]" -Kanisha Billingsley On Monday, I opened a box from my childhood and found a lesson that I taught as an adolescent. I was on program to do the Sunday school review (as noted on this handwritten three page, front and back, exposition on Abraham) entitled “Giving All.” First let me state publicly how my younger self preached me all the way under the foundation of my house (I digress). Here’s what I wrote on trust, Swift transitions are the most challenging. Unanticipated changes and unexpected crisis often shake the core of our being. During the turbulence, expect disequilibrium. During the chaos, trust fluidity. During the pain, embrace the unknown.
Sojourner, with exponential growth comes exceptional encounters. Position yourself to learn who you are and who you will be. Even as your faith waivers, trust and expect to journey within a new internal landscape replete with increased awareness, expanded consciousness, and unearthed potential. WithLove-InPeace-ThroughGrace "In the grand scheme of things, your life, regardless of pain and difficulty, is an unfolding miracle. Your life is the coming of a dream. Your life is the co-creative component of the Divine birthing process that happens within human consciousness and lived experiences [...]" -Kanisha Billingsley Imagine your Creator walking alongside you every day. Where ever your feet trod either doors open or new pathways unfold. Where are you going? What are you doing? And how are you living?
"No" does not exist as a definitive option and failure does not exist as a destination. These responses will lead to necessary detours and newly revealed possibilities if you do not allow disappointment to obstruct your vision. The answer is not ever “no” to your dream. The relevant answer is “not this way” “not with me” “not here” and/or “not yet.” Failure is not viable. In actuality, failure is communicating “not in this form” “not through these means” “not with these components” and/or “not in this state.” "No" is not an answer and failure is not an alternative. Sojourners, we have transitioned into the second half of the year. What are your plans? What are you pressing into? #WithLove-InPeace-ThroughGrace "In the grand scheme of things, your life, regardless of pain and difficulty, is an unfolding miracle. Your life is the coming of a dream. Your life is the co-creative component of the Divine birthing process that happens within human consciousness and lived experiences [...]" -Kanisha Billingsley |
A Life Giving Moment is the meditation featured on Archives
May 2015
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