The Dare Dreamer Movement by Julene Fleurmond

You are browsing the archives of 2008 September.

Essence is having an event to help and inspire young women to pursue their dreams.
The Essence Young Women’s Leadership Conference is for college students and recent grads and will feature a number of speakers, celebrity panelists, and Essence editors including:

Conference dates and locations:
Atlanta GA on Saturday, November 1, 2008, and
Washington, DC on Saturday, November 8, 2008. Both events will take place from 9 am – 6 pm.

To find out more and to register, visit the website: http://www.essence.com/microsites/ywlc

Kim Burrell is a truly amazing Gospel singer whose music transcends genres. Her widespread influence resounds throughout the music industry, even outside of the gospel arena. According to a biography online:

“Burrell was featured in a half-hour MTV special “From The Church To The Charts” in conjunction with the gospel themed motion picture Fighting Temptations. Among those who count Burrell as an influence are such contemporaries as Jessica Simpson, Beyoncé Knowles, Faith Evans, Mariah Carey and more.There are many instances of established artists who laud Burrell:

• Chaka Khan deemed Kim Burrell “one of the most interesting voices I’ve heard in a long while.”
• After expressing an interest in gospel music, pop singer Nelly Furtado purchased Burrell’s Everlasting Life on recommendation from Destiny’s Child’s Michelle Williams.
• In a recent interview on XM Satellite Radio, Harry Connick, Jr. said of Burrell, “if she’s not the greatest musical mind I’ve ever been around, she’s certainly up at the top of the list.” Burrell appears on Connick, Jr.’s most recent album

I saw an interview with Kim Burrell on TBN a few months ago. (Her interview is three-fourths of the way into the video.) In the interview she talks about totally and uncompromisingly devoting her talent to God.

One of the things she said that inspired me was that God could have used anyone to minister His word to the world and that if she didn’t keep her heart close to God He would find someone else to do the job. She said candidly that it was His grace and anointing that made her successful today. The message I got from this is that it is not about us or how great our gifts are, but about bring glory to God, what God can do through us and why He gave us our gifts.

I read something similar on Tyler Perry’s website some time ago. In a message he wrote this March he said:

“Sometimes I feel so unworthy because God could have chosen anyone to do what He’s doing for me, but to know that He trusts me with it is a huge blessing. And to see that the people in the Bible that God used were flawed and ordinary people, except for Jesus–we all know that He was perfect. To see that and learn it helped me to become so much stronger

Watch the interviews below with Kim Burrell to get a closer glimpse at her beautiful spirit and touched by her captivating voice.

“Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
(more…)

I’ve recently launched a special project for young people to feature and inspire people who are living their dreams vibrantly, and who are pursuing them with passion. Dreamer ENT will be a special resource featuring interviews, resources and inspiration that will help inspire teens and tweens get their dreams off the ground and into the air, soaring. I created the site because as a teen myself it was mentors who helped me in starting my business and go to a wonderful college, and I wanted to share opportunities with others.

Visit DreamerENT.com for our first features and interviews…

Check out some of the latest posts below:

Interview with Young Entrepreneur Jasmine Lawrence

Jasmine Lawrence is a young successful entrepreneur who has definitely been soaring and growing toward her dreams. It all sprouted when she was 11-years-old, after she mixed together natural ingredients to create her own hair oils for her broken, damaged tresses. By age 13 her hair was flourishing, and she was selling her hair products to friends. At 15 she shared her story with Oprah and other major news outlets, and began discussing distribution deals with Wal-Mart – all while striving to get her homework in on time.

Now at 17-years-old, Jasmine’s natural beauty care company Eden BodyWorks has bloomed immensely, and she hopes to bring it to even greater heights. She recently graduated from high school, and is studying computer engineering at Georgia Tech. She’s also featured in the film Ten9Eight: Shoot for the Moon (that we wrote about in a previous post) featuring young entrepreneurs. Watch Jasmine below in a clip from the film:

Jasmine spoke to Dreamer ENT about her amazing experiences, what motivates her to keep going, and how other young people can bring their dreams to fruition…

Click Here to Read Our Interview with Young Entrepreneur Jasmine Lawrence

Want to be the next E. Lynn Harris? Essence Magazine invites you to showcase your story-telling skills in the 2009 ESSENCE Short Fiction Contest. The contest was announced a few months ago but there’s still time to make the September 30th deadline for entries. Click here to learn more about the contest.