MLK Jr: One Man’s God-sized Dreams Are My Blessed Reality

A few nights ago, Evie says, “There’s a man in heaven who is still teaching people today. Guess who it is? And its not Jesus…” I guessed Daddy. I guessed Grandpa. I guessed all kinds of people. Moses? Peter? Paul? “Noooo,” she replied sweetly. Then she gave me another clue. “He helps people be friends and brown and cream people be loving.”

Oh!

Martin Luther King Jr.! I love this man. He’s been on my mind all week.

She started to second guess herself. “Wait, can he still teach people even from heaven?”

Oh, yes, he can and he does! Like how Daddy is still changing lives and teaching people, even from heaven. And everything MLK Jr wrote is still teaching people.

So I tucked that sweet baby in and made some tea. No joke. THIS was on my tea bag…

God made the earth good. It’s a wonderful world. It’s a good earth. And my brother in Christ, Martin Luther King Jr., his dreams and his prayers and his tears have watered this earth and made it more like heaven.

I was raised in a public school where kids were from Vietnam, Africa, Germany, France, Mexico, and tons of other countries. Most of my friends in college were International students. I studied Mexican American culture and was the only white chick in the class. I love all my friends and all the life and love and wonder (and great food) that they bring to our table.

And really. If I think about the broad scope of history, I need to thank this lovely man for the blessed life I get to live. He was a Kingdom Come man! And his prayers and tears made the earth fertile for my life and relationships to spring up so vibrantly.

He saw a vision of heaven where EVERY tribe and EVERY tongue and EVERY nation gather around the throne TOGETHER as one Body, the Body of Christ, all singing and dancing and praising together!

And not only did he see that vision of the Kingdom—he brought it down to earth.

My home church has over 55 nations represented. The families from West Africa dress in the most beautiful, colorful matching outfits. The women from India wear their traditional clothes. I could go on about how beautiful everyone is, but the coolest part is how each people group seem to have their own strengths in the Spirit. Like their cultures lend them to discovering different aspects of the Body of Christ. Confession, spiritual authority, deliverance… It’s just incredible to all work together in the prayer room. Unity like I’ve never experienced before! Where everyone is depending on Holy Spirit to lead and everyone practices following together. It’s an intricate and beautiful dance. And it’s just a small taste of the sweetness of heaven!

Last weekend, I learned a lot about the apostolic calling. In our churches, you mostly just see “Pastor” and somehow that person is expected to teach, pastor, oversee, witness, and be the prophetic voice for a congregation. We wonder why we burn out? Only Christ is All in All. We were meant to work together and confirm what we hear as a team. That’s the 5-fold ministry. 5-fold. Like a shield of grace and protection with 5 sides.

Steve Warren taught me about this… Not 5 people. 5 fold. 5 sides. Teams of prophets listening together. Teams of pastors, shepherding together. Teams of teachers. Teams of evangelists. Teams of apostles.

Apostles. Now, that’s the one that freaks me out. You too? It’s the one nobody talks about. (Well many churches don’t talk about prophets either.) But wow. Now I understand more, and I see that even though we all call MLK Jr a preacher, he was actually an apostle. I mean. If you ask me. He shifted the culture and the atmosphere of an entire region of the whole world! And his ripple effects keep on going.

Pastor Jeff Kaiser taught me this…

Apostolic people transform culture, equipping the people of God to change characteristics of communities. They have leadership abilities. They establish things and then move on to establish somewhere else. They lay the foundation in a community so that others can build on it.

MLK Jr must’ve been an apostle! The way his lifeblood shifted culture. And because of the anointing on his life, I’ve been given freedom to have the best of friends. Thank you God for this beautiful man. Thank you for the prayers he laid up for America, that continue to be answered to this day.

His dreams and his visions have become my reality. In every state we’ve lived in, it’s interesting that God gives me two older women to mentor me, powerful women in the Spirit. One with dark skin and one with light skin. Both with humility, love, and fire in the souls. Kathy and Delrece. Joyce and Jane. I also think of the duo of Beth Moore and Priscilla Shirer. After my last church, I have lots of people of all shades of skin who pour into me. My kids have never thought twice about it. Me neither til today. These women link arms and they’re a picture of unity in Christ. These dynamic duos are the children of Martin Luther King Jr.’s dreams.

When I studied race and gender in college, I remember how they poo-pooed color blindness. But I wish we could change that because it’s not to be poo-pooed. Those scholars don’t seem to think it’s possible. But God looks at the heart, not the outward appearance. AND God gives His true followers the same eyes. Those in Christ Jesus are one. (But the world can’t always fathom the things of heaven like this, so we really can’t expect them to. We just live out our love, and they’ll either see it or not.)

“But the LORD told him, “Samuel, don’t think Eliab is the one just because he’s tall and handsome. He isn’t the one I’ve chosen.

People judge others by what they look like, but I judge people by what is in their hearts.”

1 Samuel 16:7 CEV)

Read Ephesians 2:17 on. I challenge you to read it in light of our culture today. It’s about Jews and Gentiles and how God made the two races into one family. So many people are paranoid and throwing the word racism around like mad-gunman. No matter what shade of skin you live in, people just need to simmer down, forgive, and stop bringing up records of wrongs. Love keeps no record of wrongs. I went to find MLK’s quote on love over hate to share with you, but then I stumbled on this one. It brought me to tears….

I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.-

I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Unconditional love does have the final word. His dreams are my blessed reality.

Oh Lord. Thank you for this man. If his faith and prayers can change culture so dramatically and swiftly, how can we not keep hoping and praying for more shift in our culture? With God, anything is possible!

The bright daybreak of peace… its here!!! Praise God! And the increase of His government of peace will never end! (Isaiah 9!)

I think we all just need to close our eyes and hear the words of Louie Armstrong and his rich, soothing voice… “What a wonderful world.” I’ve never heard this intro here, but its quite perfect…