a waking dream

“I had a dream I could fly from the highest tree, I had a dream.” 

– Priscilla Ahn, Dream

It’s that time of year when we dream. When our thoughts are focused on new beginnings. It’s a time of hope, of forward thinking, of ambitions… of creation.

I think about all that I want to create this year. It can seem overwhelming.

This last year I read through the entire Bible cover to cover for the first time in my life. Wish I could say I had done that before, but dare I say that was my greatest accomplishment of 2014? Quite possibly.

Reading the entire Bible always seemed like such a daunting undertaking. But really, it isn't... when you take it one day at a time. 

So I've been thinking about my goals for this year, and I have realized that not only do I need to set yearly goals, but I need to set daily goals as well. 

After all, in the beginning God himself created… one day at a time.

And also, in the beginning God created (Genesis 1:1). He didn’t sit. He didn’t ponder. He didn’t just imagine, dream about, and hope for creation.

No. He got to work. And He created.

There’s a quote I love by Aristotle that says this:

“Hope is a waking dream.”

I interpret this to mean: it’s great to dream. It’s lovely to dream. It’s necessary to dream. But then it’s time to wake up and get to work!

In regards to Michelangelo retelling the story of creation on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, Philip Yancey and Tim Stafford so wisely point out:

“Creativity is work.”

This year my motto will be: “Dream. Wake up. Get to work. Repeat.”

our "safety" that brings us to safety

I had a dream the other night. I was riding a 4-wheeler... like this one I grew up riding as a kid. (I know. This photo is ridiculous. Sorry I'm not sorry.)

So in my dream I was driving on sand, but instead of the familiar flat terrain of Texas, I was trekking straight up an incredibly steep mountain. The sand made it quite difficult to gain traction. And what made it even more difficult was that I had four of my friends on the back of the 4-wheeler, hanging on to me for dear life.

I had to use every ounce of strength I had to hold on.

The key to this "dream 4-wheeler" was like the key on a seadoo - you place the end that starts the engine over a knob of sorts, and secure the other end to your lifejacket. That way if you fall off, the knob part pops off and cuts the engine. So in this way, the key acts as a "safety."

But in my dream, I forgot to attach the key to myself. And when we came to the longest, steepest stretch, I couldn't hold on. We all slipped off, and the 4-wheeler went on without us for a moment... and then came crashing down.

I braced myself for impact. And then I woke up.

I feel like this dream is a metaphor for life. When we find ourselves attempting to scale mountains - steep and sandy - if we haven't attached our "key" in a manner in which it can act as a "safety," if - or rather, when - we fall, it's not going to end well.

God has given us this incredible gift of life, but He has not guaranteed it will be easy. We will face trials. We will face obstacles. We will face mountains with steep and sandy terrain.

And while we aren't guaranteed there won't be mountains, we are guaranteed this: the Lord will be our "key" and He will be our "safety" - if we attached ourselves to Him. 

He won't allow us more than we can handle. We may fall, but He will be there to "cut the engine," to save us from being crushed.

"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair." - 2 Corinthians 4:8

Let's not rely on our own strength to traverse mountains. We can't do it on our own. We can't bring our friends with us. He have to allow Christ to pull us, to carry us, and ultimately, to save us.

But we must first attach ourselves to Him - to seek Him, to rely on Him, to trust Him.

"He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered." - Proverbs 28:26

He will be our "safety" that brings us to safety - even when we fall.

"The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom." - 2 Timothy 4:8

taking a step in faith

Jack Johnson has sung about it...

"Don't let your dreams be dreams."

Denzel Washington has spoken about it...

"Dreams without goals remain dreams, just dreams, and they ultimately fuel disappointment." 

A Proverbs has been written about it...

"Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth." (Proverbs 10:4)

In life, it's easy to stay in a safe and comfortable place. It's easy to get complacent, satisfied with the status quo.

But if you think back to the most memorable times in your life, the times of greatness, were they not the times when you did something big, something scary, when you took a bold step in faith?

I've been developing an idea for a web series for a while now. Like well over a year. And while I enjoy writing the episodes, while I am excited about the project, it has taken me longer than I'd like to admit to actually make a bold move in creating it. 

I wondered:
- How will I ever get the right team together who are willing to work for no/minimal pay?
- How will we get the equipment we need?
- How will I get it edited on a budget and still have it look good?
- How will I get all the graphics, sound effects, and music put into it?

I think God often calls us to step out into the unknown before he works things out. After all, if we could see everything laid out perfectly before us, well, there wouldn't be a thing called faith.

In Joshua chapter 3, Joshua and his people are trying to cross the Jordan river, a huge, wide, vast, deep river. They knew where they needed to go, where the Lord was leading them, but they didn't know how they would get across. Oh, and they were carrying the huge Ark of the Covenant, too. But something crazy happened....

They put their feet into the water... and the waters stopped. The river dried up. And they walked safely across to the other side.

The Lord was faithful. But they had to act in faith. Sometimes God calls us to step into the water, to take that first step, before he will provide a way.

I don't know about you, but I've spent enough time waiting - for my agents to get me auditions, for people to hire me, for success to find me.

I have spent enough time waiting. I think it's time I take a step in faith.

I still have a lot of uncertainties about how my web series will pan out. But I have taken the first step. I have found a director and an associate producer. We have filmed a pitch video for Indiegogo to raise some funds to shoot the first two episodes. And already so many of the pieces are falling into place.

But are they really falling into place? Or is God putting them there?

I'd like to think the latter. I have been praying for God to work behind the scenes and help bring together all the right people and tools we need for this project. While there are still many unknowns, I'm taking that first step.

I am so inspired by this short speech Denzel gave to a group of young actors. In it he says:

"Between goals and achievement are discipline and consistency." 

"It's not how much you have; it's what you do with what you have."

I am in between my goal and achievement. I am disciplined and determined to make the most of the resources I have. Won't you help my dreams not be dreams?

a promise worth battling for

I am a firm believer that God uses dreams to speak to us. He did it in the Bible after all. Why wouldn't He still do so today? I had a particularly vivid dream the other night that I feel was easily a message from the Lord:

I dreamed it was my wedding day. My groom was at the church waiting. All I had to do was get there...

After a slew of frustrating events - such as getting drenched in a downpour and much other chaos - I was finally alone, dressed and ready. There was just one minor obstacle. I had to navigate through some seriously dangerous wild animals to get there. I'm talking whirlpools of dozens of sharks and all sorts of dangerous creatures from snakes to jaguars. Yet somehow I managed to do it. 

It was now four minutes until the wedding. I was seemingly homefree. Perfect timing. I jumped down from the ledge where I stood, ready to make my final stretch to the church. And that's when a lion that had apparently been sleeping nearby, awoke. And he seemed very much interested in devouring my flesh. 

the narrow road.

I have been praying a lot recently about serving. What is my ministry? And within days a good friend of mine approached me with this program called "Pearls" to mentor to young girls about purity - not only saving yourself for marriage but remaining pure through dating.

My heart immediately responded. Yes! This is something I am so passionate about, something that has been a huge part of my life, something I so desperately want to share with other girls who are just starting to navigate the world of boys, dating, and relationships.

I couldn't wait to dive in and read through this book and get my own ideas going about the topics discussed. And shortly into it, I read this passage. It's a girl's dream that the author of "Pearls" said she believes is from the Lord.

I couldn't agree more.

She dreamt she was standing at a fork in the road and knew she’d have to decide which road to take – the narrow or the wide one. She looked down the narrow road and knew it led to what looked like heaven. The narrow road wasn’t what you would expect; it wasn’t difficult, with steep cliffs or rock. But it was narrow and long. Also, she didn’t see any others on the road. She knew that if she went that way her trip would resemble a marathon.