The Dare Dreamer Movement by Julene Fleurmond

On Dream in Soul I interviewed Marvin Sapp, pastor and Gospel artist whose latest album “Here I Am” has made a historical mark at No.2 on the Billboard 200 charts. Read and click below for the interview.

Here I Am: Interview With Marvin Sapp

Marvin Sapp’s latest album “Here I Am” has reached No.2 on the Billboard 200 chart, making it the highest debuting Gospel release ever.*

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“Here I Am”

Within the resounding success of his latest album “Here I Am,” and the breakthrough his previous project “Thirsty,” Marvin Sapp is still down-to-earth, thankful and even surprised at how his music has been embraced. Among the accomplishments he stays continually grounded in the purpose of his mission to reach the masses. As the senior pastor of Lighthouse Full Life Center Church in Michigan he stands firm in his creed “I am a preacher who happens to sing,” and presents both his messages and music with powerful, life-changing Word and truth.

“Here I Am” his eighth album, recorded live last October, is filled with heartfelt encouragement and a mix of musical arrangements from more traditional gospel to the more contemporary. The project and messages within are sure to be enjoyed by a range of people, clearly shown by the album’s surge to the No.1 position on Billboard’s Gospel and Christian charts and No.2 on the Billboard 200.

Marvin Sapp chatted with Dream in Soul about the vision behind the album, and also shared some Soul Dreamer Inspiration about ministry, industry, talent and calling. Read and listen in to the conversation below:

Dream in Soul: Hi Pastor Sapp, thank you for taking the time to speak to me today. Can you talk about where you are now since your last project “Thirsty” and what inspired you to create this new project “Here I Am”?

Marvin Sapp: Well this record “Here I Am” is just a tad bit different than “Thirsty.” “Thirsty” is a little more worshipful than this record. There’s worship on it, but this one is not only worship but is also a record that really strives to encourage and enrich, and to talk about personal identity, as pertaining to personal identity in Christ.

So many times we feel as if we are inadequate and that we don’t possess any abilities and skills to be able to accomplish the goals that God has set for us to accomplish and go after. “Here I Am” just speaks to that whole concept of people really understanding that man looks at the outward appearance but it’s God who looks at the heart, and how we don’t need people to define us.

DS: Definitely, the song “Never Would Have Made It,” touched a lot of lives and had great success. Did you come into this new project with any type of expectations, fears or hopes?

DS: Definitely, I know the song “The Best in Me” was very also popular when it came out. Were you surprised at how successful it is right now?

In honor of Women’s History Month, here’s a tribute for women everywhere – “Every Woman.” (The poem and graphics below were part of a project I created for a Women’s History Month celebration I had the opportunity to chair at the University of Miami.)

The last two stanzas were added in 2012 and inspired by my friend Kara Norman, founder of Empower Her, Inc. She is truly making a mark by inspiring girls and women through her work: http://www.empowerherinc.com.

Every Woman

by Julene Fleurmond

Every woman should learn
To look past her imperfections
To nurture the essence of her spirit
To embrace her own reflection.

Every woman should live
Never compromising herself
To dream dreams that are impossible
To know when to ask for help.

Every woman should know
That within her are the seeds of greatness,
That she is loved by a Love even greater
And that she is too blessed to stress.

Every woman should believe
That she is divine royalty
Placed on this earth to leave a mark,
To share her heart and write history.

Every woman should walk
In purpose, grace and confidence
Because she has the power to impact the world
And change begins with a single step.

In my research for my project to create a youth program, I’ve come across and been inspired by role models who think out of the box to motivate young people, especially those youth who might be going through tough circumstances. Check out these videos below of some stories I’ve come across:

Ron Clark Academy

I’ve written of Ron Clark before in this post about the video, “You Can Vote However You Like,” by his students and his efforts to inspire youth to learn in creative ways. Check out this video below introducing his school Ron Clark Academy (Picture above from the Ron Clark Academy website):

Capital Prep School From CNN’s Black in America

This segment from CNN’s special Black in America 2 introduces Principal Steve Perry at Capital Prep School in Connecticut, who motivates students to reach higher:

Chicago Hope Academy

Here’s an inspiring story of the principal of Chicago Hope Academy who helps teens going through difficult circumstances:

In the past few years I’ve done several projects for Black History Month events and specials for different organizations. Here are a few of my favorites:

YBS Black History Makers

A few years back I designed a Black History Month project for a youth website YoungBlackStarz.org, to inspire young people to learn about great figures in history as well as young people today in entertainment who are making positive strides.

Here are some of the interviews we did with the teens and tween performers on the site:

Interview with Justin Martin (Actor, “A Raisin in the Sun”)

Interview with Rhyon Nicole Brown (Actress, “Lincoln Heights,”)

Interview with Chelsea Tavares (Singer, Actress, “Nickelodeon’s Just Jordan”)

Interview with Nickayla Tucker (Actress and Singer, “Law & Order SVU”)

Interview with Blake Hightower (Rapper, Actor, “Everyone Hates Chris”)

Interview with India Scandrick (Singer, Dancer, Actress, “Lion King on Broadway”)

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Woman With a Dream Ida B. Wells Barnett: Crusader of Freedom

Ida B. Wells Barnett was a journalist and pioneer of freedom in the 19th century. This project (click here to view) was actually the first website I ever created in high school for a multimedia contest that was aimed at chronicling the life of a leader in history. My two friends and I created the site to show the history of African Americans in America and how Ida B. Wells fought against injustice through the power of her pen. The site actually won first place in the competition and the opportunity allowed us to contribute to the National Urban League’s publication that following year.

“Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”

– Ida B. Wells-Barnett, (1862-1931) Anti-lynching crusader, suffragist, women’s rights advocate, journalist, and speaker

During the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century in America, many injustices rang out in the hearts of African Americans. During this time of intense turmoil including lynching, discrimination, and violence, a passionate woman with a courageous and determined spirit rose up to battle the injustices in society. She led a national campaign against lynching that opened the eyes of the nation to the horrors taking place in a land that had supposedly guaranteed freedom for all citizens.

Through fiery articles, unwavering speeches, spirited marches, and compelling actions, this woman risked her own life to save the lives and freedoms of others. She was a woman with great hope that inspired her to take action to change history instead of passively letting events take their own course. Her name was Ida B. Wells-Barnett.

Check out the cute, creative critters on the custom-made dresses above by young entrepreneur and fashion designer Zoë.


Stay tuned for an upcoming interview on DreamerENT.com with Zoë (pictured to the right), a 17-year-old high school student and fashion designer. She started creating hand-made dresses, shirts and accessories for friends a few years ago and soon began to get so many orders that she started her own business. Her success and creativity allowed her to win several entrepreneurship awards, and she even recently got to visit the the White House! In the interview she’ll tell us how she got started and will give tips for other aspiring fashionistas and future CEOs.