25 Small Things That Can Make You Happy and Give You A Great Sense of Delight!

1. Eating your favorite ice cream
2. Taking a walk at the park with your someone special
3. Staying up late at night to stare at the stars & the moon

4.  Going to your favorite vacation spot

5. Showing kindness to strangers
6. Feeding someone who is hungry
7. The birth of a child
8. Spending quality time with your parents
9. Dancing to your favorite song in the rain 
10. Playing in the snow
11. Preparing your favorite dish
12. Training your dog a new trick
13. Wearing your favorite color

14.  Reading a well-written and good book

15. Receiving an unexpected first kiss from your crush
16. Your first date with your daughter
17. Teaching your son the art of baseball

18.  Reading a new novel or poem by your favorite writer

19. Watching the movements of ocean water
20. Writing a handwritten letter to the one you love
21. Dreaming about the future & your best life
22. Praying for a friend for comfort and peace
23. Walking barefooted at the beach in the cool of the night
24. Playing hide and seek in the dark
25. Calling off from work to help a friend move

“Three more endorsements: ‘Theological Education & Christian Scholarship for Human Flourishing'” (my forthcoming Book)

I am more thankful to receive three more endorsements from three friends: Dr. Michael Bird, whom I have been reading since my old days of seminary; in fact, I have been following Michael since 2005 when I was working on a Th.M. in New Testament at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. I can always count on his scholarship and turn to his writings when I want to drift away from the faith. A faithful Christian thinker and a robust New Testament/Theologian and interpreter of the Bible! I especially like his humor and his ability to humanize people and create cross-cultural friendships.

Pastor William Dwight McKissic Sr. : My former pastor, while a student at SWBTS, has instilled in me more passion for the people of God and his heart for justice and faithfulness to the Bible have made me a better Christian and thinker. My wife and I always looked forward to another Sunday sermon and weekly Bible study from Pastor Mckissic’s charismatic and exegetical preaching and teaching; what a great communion and fellowship we enjoyed at Corner Baptist Church during those years in Arlington, Texas!

Dr. Ronald Charles (professor at the University of Toronto), one of foremost biblical scholars from the Caribbean and a great exegete, has been a constant companion to me in writing this book. He would often remind me to pay attention to the text and its application to contemporary life issues in this broken world (“Celucien: What does the text say?”). What a great friend and mentor!

In a previous post, I acknowledged my appreciation to my friends and professors David Bundy and Sègbégnon Mathieu for endorsing the book. Thanks again, mes amis!

Here are the five written endorsements I received from Pickwick Publications; I am currently working on the index for the book (348 pages) and hope to get it done before I return back to work in August.

***The good Lord has been good to me and my family and has carried us through the storms and trials of this life. Glory, majesty, and praise to the triune and eternal God!

“Before You Say Goodbye”

Come away with me to paint the oceans of the world
with the colors of our tears.
Run with me to the music studio
to record the final beat of your heart,
and I will write you a new song on a mountaintop.

Come away with me to bury in the deepest sea
the kiss that sealed the two lives.
To smell the last rose of our first valentine,
and we will salvage the hidden leaf in the garden
that interlocked the two hearts.

Come away with me for a last walk in the fields,
To play hide and seek in the dark
Let’s run quickly to the Art Shop to get a tattoo in the night,
and you and I will light the candle on the moon

to give hope to an empty memory in plain sight.

“Louder than Silent Words”

I am writing this poem to broadcast my silent words.
Deeper than spring sex in the midnight rain,
Stronger than The Valley of the Kings,
Your tenderness restored the broken cheek of the moon.

I am writing this poem to give a voice to my deepest feelings.
Hidden in the bosom of the Nile River,
Stretching tight across the porch of the heavenly sanctuary,
Your kindness calmed the impatient wave and quieted the storm.

I am writing this poem to build a room where my soul belongs.
Gentle like a winter night in October,
Covering the highest point of the Himalayas,
Your heart is not a closed border to me.

“A New Poem, 5 Giveaway Books”

My new 3-stanza poem is called “20 Pearls of Light, 7300 Raindrops.” I wrote it very late last night and finished it early this morning. I am giving away five copies of the Spanish translation of my new book, “El Catecismo de la Nueva Vida para Niños: 100 Preguntas y Respuestas para enseñarnos a vivir en paz y en buenas relaciones en el mundo.”

2 Basic Rules to win the book:

1. Leave a comment below describing in four to five sentences what you think the speaker in the poem is talking about; in other words, what is the overarching message of the poem?
2. Choose one or two figures of speech or literary imagery in the poem and tell us the idea they convey.

*** The winner (s) will be announced Friday evening, July 8.

“20 Pearls of Light, 7300 Raindrops”

20 pearls of light created a spectacle of a newborn moon
To shy in the womb of a fallen tree
In a desert of vain delights and risky joys
A new union was made by the gods of the marching forests
It remains for seven thousand three hundred days.

20 falling raindrops moved at the speed of the turtles in the sky
Agitated by the river of the sun
To form a wandering cloud,
rested in the gentle hand of the yellow lake
At a time when the angel of rain and thunder created a new season of wonder
It sustains two hundred forty months of life and fidelity.

20 autumn leaves migrated from the dazzling wings of the green stars
To link up under the same shadow, the gentle care of a light fortress
A forever rose hand-dipped in pure platinum joy,
nested in the deepest parts of two lovers’ weary souls.
Built an alpine garden, a love made out of a mountaintop rock
to resist mortality and emptiness, against the perilous forces of time and nature
It moves forward for twenty eternal years.

“An E-Romance Song for Young Lovers”

My new one-stanza poem, “An E-Romance Song for Young Lovers,” celebrates online dating relationships that might lead to strong committed love and sustaining romance.

I saw your smile at a distance on an E-harmony profile.
It exploded in me like the Purple Rain’s electric guitar.
This new feeling traveled in my dancing flesh for a thousand years.
The rhythm of your secret lives made me a lust of the imagination.
You became my idol, the love song of the night.
On the other side of my pain,
I bid farewell to mountains of loneliness.
You made me dream of a new season where harmony and passion never end.

“Update about My Forthcoming Book on Jean-Bertrand Aristide”

My publisher (Fortress Academic) just informed me that my book on Jean-Bertrand Aristide (“Aristide: A Political and Theological Introduction”) will not be published as an e-book unless I can get permission from Aristide himself. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to get a hold of Aristide and a reply from him. She noted that my book will be published as a hardcover, then as a paperback in two years. I do not know the publication date yet. I will let you know when the publisher tells me.

When we contacted the French publisher, Editions du Seuil, that published the original texts of Aristide in question, the editor informed us that Editions du Seuil does not have the legal rights to give permission to republish electronically excerpts from Aristide’s texts in my new book. (It is actually one book: Dignité, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Christophe Wargny, Editions du Seuil, 1994; English translation: Dignity. Jean-Bertrand Aristide (1996). Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press). The legal right of this particular text is reserved to the author: Dr. Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

***I received this response after a three-month process of going back and forth requesting permission from publishers to reprint materials in my forthcoming book on Aristide. Interestingly, I finished writing the first draft of this intellectual biography (“Aristide: A Political and Theological Introduction”) on Aristide four years ago.

“The Eiffel in the Night”

I am extremely bored in this very long 9-hour plane ride to Miami from Lisbon, Portugal. Thus, I watched for the 23rd time, “The Lord of the Rings.” 😂 😂 😂

I was reflecting upon my recent trip to Paris and its intellectual traditions, great literature, and the great monuments, museums, and treasures (Le Louvre, Palace of Versailles, Eiffel Tower, the Notre Dame Church, Arc de Triomphe, La Seine River, etc), as well as the great civilization and humanist ideals imperial France had built over the many centuries and its ambivalent connections with the TransAtlantic slave trade, Africa, and the Black world, especially my native land of Haiti. Hence, I wrote a new poem and called this song of love, alienation, and lament “The Eiffel in the Night.”

“The Eiffel in the Night”

We are the Eiffel of the night.
Gesturing the body in Black to the beat of Senegal drum,
floating desires in a Parisian night club: the incense of Black joy.
To the gaze of the great Black Kings of the Nile,
to create a new beginning in the West.
The pyramids above, from the land of Kemet,
paved the way for the Louvre of glory.
Drops of Black blood in the Seine River enlighten the City of Light.

We are the Eiffel of the night.
Black beauty and love from the womb of the magical city of Ifẹ̀,
the movements of African spirits caress the Tower at night.
Sugar of delight nourished life in the city for centuries.
From slave plantations of the New World, Ayiti freedom in Black gave a speech about dignity and life in the dark.
The breathe of Black ancestors haunted the City of Light.

We are the Eiffel of the night.
The rainbow of the Tower calmed our wounded love.
We fashioned with our Black hands and strength this Eiffel in the night.
Through silent words, many days of no love speech, we became wanderers in the city,
and the wonder of love on a Parisian night.
You and I, the Tower of light and of joy, will create a new palace where love will reign as King and Queen in the city of “Sun King.”

“In the Hills of Lisbon”

Lisbon is a city of hills. I wrote this poem while in the airplane–on my way back home from Lisbon. I was inspired by the beauty, the Tagus River, the Sintra Palace, the old monuments, and the sightseeing of the old city of Lisbon. I called the poem “In the Hills of Lisbon.”  The main idea of the poem is that I experienced love as an unending gift in the hills of Lisbon.

“In the Hills of Lisbon”

In the hills of Lisbon, I offered you the gift the great king denied you long ago.
The waves of the oceans created the rhythm of Sintra.
Behold, attentive birds moved gently to cross over the other side of the Tagus River,
and found rest beyond the movements of the city.
Leading the way to the mountaintop, singing parrots guided me to search for you, the “treasure” in the hills.
You are veiled in majesty as the new crowned Queen.

In the hills of Lisbon, two strange hearts made a pact
to hold hands, while trafficking in the city.
Walking by the sea, we are touched by unending love for the first time.
We said, “We will submit our young love to the sanctuary of Christ the King.
On the old train to Sintra, they exchanged a vow for eternity.
I confessed, “You are the gift of the hills of Lisbon that will never fade.”

In the hills of Lisbon, beauty and desire gave a life of union,
a ring that closed two borders,
the river and the ocean sealed with a kiss from the pearl of raindrops…
I vowed to live in harmony with you,
You said, “I am creating new dreams for you and me.”
In the hills of Lisbon, you became the gift that gave love another chance.

“Dr. Jack Cunningham: The Man Who Inspired Me to Become a Professor”

The guy in the photo is called Jack Cunningham. He is 80+ years old now. Dr. Cunningham inspired me and empowered me to become a College Professor. He marked my life through his passion for teaching, his breath of knowledge, and his deep commitment to student learning and the intellectual and spiritual growth of his students. As an undergraduate student, he became the most influential educator in my life and a model of excellence, grace, and piety. I wanted to become a “Model Professor and Educator” like him, and that has been my passion because of his transformative teaching and creative pedagogy.

For my undergraduate degree, I went to a small Liberal Arts Christian College in Panhandle Florida. Professor Cunningham was my Education and Leadership Professor. I may have taken three to four classes with him. He was a Master Teacher, absolutely a passionate and energetic one. What I observed the most about him was his humanity, incomparable hospitality, profound interest in students, and his non-negotiable promotion of the dignity of all people, especially that of his “Black and minority students.” There were just a few of us on campus.

He started to call me “Professor Lou” (I believe he was the one who gave me the nickname) in the very first class I took with him. He gave me books to read, pushed me to go to Graduate school, and mentored me throughout my undergraduate years. He was the first one to have written a letter of recommendation when I applied for the Masters degree in Philosophy at the University of South Florida (USF), and he also wrote a splendid letter of recommendation for me to pursue my Master of Divinity and another brilliant one for my M.A. at the University of Louisville. He had great expectations of me and taught me with great patience how to think cogently, write clearly, and how to cultivate the life of the mind and the life of faith.

I miss him very much and wish to visit him soon.