Do You Have a Dream? Monday morning would be a great time to do a little dreaming. But we face the challenge of doing this dreaming with our eyes wide open. Certainly, the faith-filled leadership of Marquette University had something different in mind for this day than a collective sleep-in.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a preacher as much as a political leader. And he took seriously the Biblical call to justice, peace and reconciliation. So, perhaps we should observe this day by keeping our alarms set to wake up at the regular time.

Then, we can spend the rest of our day dreaming with our eyes wide open. When we dream with our eyes open, we see both the promise and the challenge of faith. If we dream with our eyes open, perhaps we will have time to contemplate the community that surrounds us. We will encounter the gaps that separate the world which is and the world which should be.

When I dream with my eyes open, this is what I see: One in three students in Milwaukee Public Schools lives in poverty according to the U.S. Census. The median household income for families living in the zip code that surrounds Marquette is $14,782. In this same area, only 24.3 percent of the adults have received a high school diploma and only 11.6 percent have received the bachelor's degree that most Marquette students are seeking for themselves (U.S. Census, Claritas, Inc).

When my alarm wakes me up on Monday morning, this is what I will see. However, as a member of the Christian community, I see beyond these gaps. I see the world that the Old Testament prophets described and Jesus revealed. I dream of a community where race, ethnicity, gender identity and socio-economic status are not requirements for membership.

We dream with our eyes open because our faith promises that all of this is possible. As members of the Marquette community, we stand in the gap. Literally. Look east. Look west. What do you see? Gaps in income, education and job opportunities. It's time to start dreaming with our eyes wide open.

Set your alarm on Monday and be sure to wake up. Because the impossible is possible. Unless, of course, we keep dreaming with our eyes closed.,”Rev. Brad Brown is the Lutheran Campus Pastor “

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