“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”
― C.S. Lewis
I am realizing this, my first spiritual journey of 2013, has been about restoring dreams to my life. It’s odd that God should be rebuilding my dreams in these times of gathering gloom; But then again maybe that’s not so odd. If God’s people cannot dream into the days ahead who can? Further, while this old world order may be passing away, we are about to enter into our time…the reign of Jesus. Perhaps now is the time for us to fill our virgin lamps with the oil of Spirit-inspired dreams (MA 25)!
Here are things I am dreaming and praying about:
1. For my son, Joe, to be excepted into the Masters program he has applied to and to received an assistantship.
2. For my daughter, Melanie, to be led to the right Masters program and for her to obtain a job as children’s pastor or as a school teacher.
3. For my daughter, Amanda, to see her dream clarified by the Spirit and for her to be given the fortitude to stand in the dream no matter what comes.
4. For God to lead me in the best path through a complicated issue in my life.
5. For my mother’s salvation.
6. For the supernatural healing of my eyes.
7. For financial provision and increase to help provide for my children’s college expenses, for a new car and for finances to keep the old car running until the increase.
8. For supernatural direction in my travels and opportunities to preach when I travel.
9. For” RTW” to receive 500,000 hits this year (I have been afraid to even state this dream as it seems so far out there but sometimes that is faith)
9a. For direction in joining a certain life-changing blog contest.
10. To publish the book and sell 125,000 copies (again…wicked out there to use the New England vernacular).
11. For direction to get to the next level in our compassion ministries at Cornerstone church.
12. For a team of 30 healing prayer ministers 15 of whom are equipped to lead healing prayer sessions.
13. For God’s 2013 vision for our worship teams (I have said to our congregation it is raining guitar players and song writers). God never provides things we have no use for. So I am asking God to reveal what our next step is as a worship ministry.
14. For God to give me His 2013 vision for C.cada artists community. How does he want us to impact the artistic community for Jesus? How does He want me to promote our Christian artists and help them to attain the next level?
15. To lose 40 lbs.
16. To restore my family home and property to tip-top shape.
It is a little daunting to write these visions down for everyone to see because it makes them real. It means my success or failure can now be measured; But I have realized for about a week now that telling you all my dreams was one of my steps of faith.
What dream is God building inside of you? What dreams would you like to see restored?
Today’s quotes:
I absolutely LOVE this theme…did I say that?
There is no greater love than God’s. He has loved us with an everlasting love and given us a never-ending gift.
“The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.”
― Søren Kierkegaard
I have been praying over many things these last two weeks. One of the issues I have been facing in my prayer time is the sheer volume of my prayer list.
I’ve been saying to the Lord “God I just don’t see how I can do it all.”
Over the last two days God has been showing me that I am not supposed to do it all. Not only am I supposed to call for help but I am supposed to let go of some of the things I cannot do and entrust them to the hands of others who can. It is not that I am supposed to say no to my dreams. It is that I am supposed to give my dreams away so that they can come true. Letting go is now becoming a part of my prayer list. I must ask God what He would have me give up and release into other hands. I must ask Him to help me through the process of giving up things I would like to do but perhaps am not qualified to take to the next level.
It’s interesting that sometimes seeing your dreams realized means letting them go.
Today’s quotes:
All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.
— Havelock Ellis
Some think it’s holding on that makes one strong; sometimes it’s letting go.
— Sylvia Robinson
We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the life that is waiting for us.
— Joseph Campbell
“The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.”
― Søren Kierkegaard
I lost my new boots! Just before what may be the coldest snowiest week in winter 2013 I have put my boots somewhere and I cannot, for the life of me, find them. To top it off they were a Christmas gift from my mother and now she is obsessing over the fact I’ve lost them.
It is truly amazing how little things can side track a whole day. Our momentary frustrations can easily dominate the psychological landscape, blotting out our view of God’s plans. I know if I am not careful I could lose valuable dream- reaching- time to what God calls the “little foxes”:
[Young Women of Jerusalem] Catch all the foxes, those little foxes, before they ruin the vineyard of love, for the grapevines are blossoming! Songs 2:5
When I get frustrated over something my knee-jerk reaction is to get angry and get- a- fixin’. My emotions tend to blot out the logical side of me which would ask the questions: Is this immediately important? Do I need to be taking care of this? Is this something that needs to be dealt with now?
I am learning to catch the little foxes and stop them from stealing my time and energy. I’m accomplishing this by stopping…breathing…asking the questions above…and planning from the answers to those questions rather than from my initial emotions.
Today’s quotes:
“To conquer frustration, one must remain intensely focused on the outcome, not the obstacles.”
― T.F. Hodge
“It’s a lack of clarity that creates chaos and frustration. Those emotions are poison to any living goal.”
― Steve Maraboli
“At times the whole world seems to be in conspiracy to importune you with emphatic trifles. Friend, client, child, sickness, fear, want, charity, all knock at once at thy closet door and say,—’Come out unto us.’ But keep thy state; come not into their confusion. The power men possess to annoy me I give them by a weak curiosity. No man can come near me but through my act.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
What are the little foxes that are trying to distract you from your dreams?
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”
― C.S. Lewis
The TV has been flipping today between the inauguration of President Obama and episodes of “Doomsday Preppers”. The audacity of hope VS. the end of the world. As I made lunch with my daughter Amanda and then brought wood up for the week of frigid temperatures we are about to have, I found my mind ruminating over where I fall on the hope/ despair continuum.
I know the biblical prophecies of the end are coming to pass but I have not given up my dreams. God gave me these dreams and so I am going to pursue them and see them through to completion whatever may come. In fact in light, of the coming fulfillment of prophecy I am hastening to establish those dreams in God’s power. You see I believe that God gave the dreams to be fulfilled at exactly this time and any future events in the world are not hindrances to my dreams they are only contexts in which they are to be fulfilled. My dreams and all future events in my life and the world will work together for good!
I am hopeful!
Today’s quotes:
“Listen to the mustn’ts, child. Listen to the don’ts. Listen to the shouldn’ts, the impossibles, the won’ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me… Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
― Shel Silverstein
“When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
“The very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof.”
― Barbara Kingsolver, Animal Dreams
“The world is indeed full of peril and in it there are many dark places.
But still there is much that is fair. And though in all lands, love is now
mingled with grief, it still grows, perhaps, the greater.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
As a believer do you ever find yourself giving up on dreams because of your belief that we are nearing the coming of the Lord?
Dream Big!!!!
“God first gives a man a BURDEN to see what must be done. Then He gives a VISION to show what can be done. Then He gives a FAITH to believe that it can be done. The one thing God doesn’t give is the DARING to do what must be done. You have to provide that yourself.” Owen Carr
It’s amazing what a difference a day makes.
“The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.”
― Søren Kierkegaard
What is your Jericho? What walls do you need God to knock down?
Today I met with one of our C.cada artists for a music rehearsal. This brother’s first CD will hit the stands in about a week. His debut album marks the culmination of a year-long Jericho march.
As we chatted over tea before practicing our special music for Sunday I listened to his heart about the process: the commitment it called for, the road blocks, the frustrations, the waiting, but most of all the promise! My friend has held fast to the promise God put inside of him over a year ago. He has never let go of it no matter what the road looked like. In fact we were talking about one of the very last difficulties he faced in the journey. A problem in production sent him and his partner back to the audio drawing board to remix and remaster the whole project from scratch. Instead of bemoaning his luck this musician praised God for the valuable intel he gathered in the process of having to personally remaster his own CD.
This visit coupled with the study God has me doing have revealed a very wrong mindset in me. You see, I look at my Jerichos and I see problems. They strike fear into my heart. My friend looks at his Jerichos and he sees promises. They give him faith.
I’m changing the way I think here. I am coming to see that problems become possibilities in the light of God’s promises. My Jerichos are not issues they are opportunities God is going to use to fulfill the passions of my heart!
Here are some quotes I reviewed from the first part of THE CIRCLE MAKER by Mark Batterson:
“The greatest moments in life are the miraculous moments when human impotence and divine omnipotence intersect.” Mark Batterson, The Circle Maker
” It is absolutely imperative at the outset that you come to terms with the simple yet life changing truth: God is for you.” Mark Batterson, The Circle Maker.
“God is not a genie in a bottle, and your wish is not His command. His command had better be your wish. If it’s not you won’t be drawing prayer circles; you’ll end up walking in circles.” Mark Batterson, The Circle Maker
And here is a simple song I need to meditate on in light of all this.
Reinventing the We'll 