Dream Sharing

January 3, 2010 by 6 Comments

With the arrival of the New Year, have you allowed yourself a few minutes yet to think about your dreams for the coming months? Most folks consider what their goals may be, but I think dreams have an added dimension, a depth of emotion, that business-like goals may lack. Dreams hold a piece of our hearts.

One of my dreams this year is to give our daughter Kelli and our son-in-law-to-be Jake a wonderful wedding celebration — and memory — they will treasure for the rest of their lives. I can think of several specific goals I need to work towards in order to bring that about, but the overarching dream, the desire of my heart, is to bless them. Yes, my heart is stamped all over this dream.

I have other dreams, too, and though not all can be shared publicly, I can share them with God. And so can you. He knows us, and He knows our dreams. The psalmist David said, “O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar… Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.” (Psalm 139:1-2, 4)

I can think of no one better than God with whom to share our dreams. Have you talked to Him about yours lately? If not, take a few minutes for a dream sharing session with our Heavenly Father — and if you have time, leave a comment and share a dream that your heart is stamped all over. Let’s give the phrase “Dream Team” a whole new meaning!

“…pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” Psalm 62:8b

Flickr photo by Patrick Doheny, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: Above and Beyond, dream, new thing, vision

An Anniversary Close To My Heart

May 25, 2008 by 7 Comments

Two years ago on Memorial Weekend, our family and friends gathered to share in one of the happiest days of our lives — the marriage of our daughter Kristin to her beloved Shawn. Since these two love each other like crazy and have a knack for enjoying life already, their two years of marriage have flown by in a happy blur. They are currently on vacation and emailed the picture above from Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Another neat memory to add to the happy blur of their lives :)

Kristin and Shawn’s anniversary actually brings up a host of wonderful memories of their wedding weekend. Family and friends arrived from all across the country and beyond — one of Kristin’s bridesmaids came from London and another from Ecuador! A work crew composed of family and bridesmaids transformed a great reception hall into beautiful perfection. At the rehearsal dinner, I relaxed in marvelous reprieve from being in charge. And then on wedding day when we finally made it to the church and then on to the party (you can imagine the craziness that transpired in the hours leading up to that!), our dreams unfolded before our eyes. Moments of contentment and joy swept over me one after another.

Words really do fall short in describing the joy I felt that day — and in the days since as I think back on that chapter of our lives. What a blessing it was, what a dream come true, to be able to give Kristin and Shawn a wonderful wedding celebration to mark the beginning of their lives together (thanks to Shawn’s parents for their help, too!). The beauty, the fellowship, the fun…all turning into precious memories we can savor for a lifetime.

The greater blessing, though, was seeing the Lord bring these two together. For years I had prayed for a husband for Kristin who would love God above all and love her the way He intends — and He answered that prayer in Shawn. That was the biggest blessing, the biggest dream come true. And I’m sure Shawn’s family feels the same way about Kristin. My heart still overflows with thanks to God for blessing our precious kids with each other.

So “Happy Anniversary”, Kristin and Shawn! Your special day, May 27th, will always be close to my heart.

“Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” Psalm 106:1

Filed Under: blessing, dream, family, joy, memories

Sneak Peek

April 16, 2008 by Leave a Comment

Don’t you just love getting a sneak peek of something yet to come? This past weekend when Don and I were at Mom and Dad’s, we took a little trip down to Branson to check out the lodges where our extended family will have a reunion the end of May.

We got to take a look, inside and out, at the beautiful vacation homes where we’ll be staying. They’re perfect! The resort itself is still in development, but the homes are ready to go — and so are we :) The living and dining areas will be spacious enough to accommodate our crew when we all gather in one place. Now we just have to wait for the gathering date. I can see us all there now and can hardly wait!

This sneak peek reminded me of another time I got to take a glimpse into a future destination. Several years ago I attended a 50th anniversary celebration of the church I grew up in. Lots of fond reunions took place that day.

I got to once again be with the “kids” I ran around with in grade school, high school, and college. My first softball coach, who also happened to pastor the church way back when, was there, as well as the preacher who married us. Sweet fellowship ruled the day, and when we praised God that evening in worship together, I felt like I was getting a taste of heaven. What joy, what contentment filled my soul. The feeling of family couldn’t have been stronger.

Would you like a glimpse of heaven today? Revel in what the Bible has to say about our future home:

“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem…prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain…’ Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.” (Revelation 21: 2-4; 22:17b)

“Jesus answered,…’whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.'” (John 4:13-14)

Ahh…eternal life in heaven. Let’s linger a moment at this sneak peek… Can’t wait to see you there!

*Flickr photo by Lodewijk van den Broek, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: church, dream, family, heaven, travel

The Possible Dream

February 10, 2008 by 4 Comments

I confess — I’m hooked on American Idol. Don is, too, though he might not want to admit it. We’ve been watching and pronouncing our own living room judgements since the second season. We didn’t discover the show until season one’s finale, or we probably would have jumped on the Idol bandwagon earlier.

We’re obviously not the only ones the show has struck a chord with — no pun intended :) Sounds like millions tune in every week. With my competitive streak and love for music, this show is right up my alley. To make things more interesting, Ryan and the judges do their best to keep the drama going throughout the season.

They’ve just finished airing the audition shows, and those always provide plenty of laughs. What in the world possesses people? Granted, there are several great singers that get their golden tickets to Hollywood, but the majority leave my ears cringing. (Can ears cringe? Mine do during Idol auditions!) I’ve decided these people must have absolutely no ear for music and simply don’t know how bad they sound. Kind of sad, pathetic, and funny all at the same time.

You’ve got to hand it to all who try out, though. They’re definitely putting themselves out there. Taking their shot at making it big. Basically, American Idol is the American dream at work. Anyone (within a certain age range) can try out, and some will indeed go on to succeed and find fame and fortune. That’s probably one of the big reasons the show is a hit. We like to see ordinary, everyday folks like ourselves achieve their dreams, and watching it unfold makes for great tv.

As I mentioned earlier, there are age limitations on this particular American dream, but I know about another opportunity — another dream — that is open to all. God offers to forgive our sins (yes, we’ve all done wrong things) and to give us eternal life in heaven with Him if we will believe in His Son Jesus and ask Him to be our Savior and Lord.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16 KJV) That’s right — eternal life for “whosoever”, for anyone. And Romans 10:13 tells us that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Wow. A dream that is possible for anyone and everyone. I’ve called on the name of the Lord. Join me, won’t you?

*Anybody else out there watch American Idol? Confess it with a comment :)

*Flickr photo by BestWDW

Filed Under: dream, fun, Gift, salvation, sin
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