dream a little dream... or a big one

The MOPS Convention this year in Dallas, was packed full of speakers that spoke to right where I am particularly at this point in my life. The highlight for me was hearing Erwin McManus speak twice (once to all 5,000 of us, then again in a smaller seminar) about what he calls Living Wide Awake. McManus is the pastor of the largely diverse Mosaic in L.A.

I have been deeply motivated and encouraged by what I heard from him... So I thought I would summarize my notes here, so I can read this later and be reminded of what he said. Actually, there isn't a day that goes by in this last month that I haven't thought about it. Basically, he states that there is a dreamer/hero/adventurer in all of us, but we let fear/failure/doubt creep in a squelch those dreams. The world needs us to live our most heroic lives. This topic made me so excited because I have so many dreams just waiting to leap out of me and run at any given moment, but I tell myself that I can wait to see a few of those dreams come to fruition after my kids are grown... and at this rate, that's gonna be another 18ish years! That doesn't sound so good to this "gimme it now" kinda gal. He mentioned that we shouldn't use our life as our excuse. We tend to live the life we are obligated to live, rather than the life we were created to live. Of course, that's not to say that we neglect the life and responsibilities we have and chose.

So what dreams do I have??? Oh, there are so many to choose from! Well, for starters, I dream of my children/family seeing that the world is bigger than our home and community. I dream of them knowing the struggles of others and doing something to impact their world. I dream of writing. For years I've dreamed of writing children's books or non-fiction books for moms, women, or families. I dream of being the home that my kid's friends want to hang out at. I dream of visiting the east coast with my family and visiting Independence Hall, Civil War battlefields, Plymouth, Jamestown settlement, and Washington D.C. when the kids are older.

I could go on....

McManus mentioned that we are "busy creating a safer world for our children, instead of a better world." This one hits me right in the gut. How true is that? Well, it is for me. What our children are becoming is the environment they live in. That can be for their benefit or not. We train our kids to fulfill their duty, rather than their dreams. Ouch. Are we cheering them on in their dreams? We need to, or they will lose them. We have outrageous dreams as children until we grow up. My Drew, who is the dreamer, has a new job of his future almost everyday... Lego designer, inventor, president of the U.S., bathtub cleaner, astronaut, you name it... he wants to be it! I love that he sets no boundaries for himself, what would our lives be like if we did that for ourselves? What dreams are waiting on the other side of fear? What you fear, McManus states, establishes the limits of your freedom.

What dreams still haunt/prvoke you? Are you listening? God is still waiting for you to embrace them. All of the creative capacity in you will not emerge if you don't give in to God's calling. One of my favorite quotes from his seminar... "There are things you must do that God won't do for you... and there are things God will do for you that you can't do."

If your greatest dream became a reality, would the world become a better place? Yes, yes, and yes. But of course, my dear old friends fear and doubt come along and have a tea party on my brain, then move down to my heart and camp out. Hmm... I think it's time I broke up with them. :)

So since coming home from Convention this year, my outlook has taken a new turn. I've ventured into areas I've only dreamed of venturing into. I've started submitting articles for publication through MOPS. And (gulp) I've started writing a book or two. We're looking into possibly adopting or foster parenting in the future. (Then I keep thinking about how nuts that sounds... but maybe it's more about how other people may perceive it. Why do we do that to ourselves??? The collective "they" already think we're nuts for having 4 kids, then we'll just be nutsy-er, more nutsy, or bananas I guess.) I'm so thankful God gave Erwin McManus those words to speak. His newest book, "Wide Awake" is out and speaks on this very topic. I bought it for Jeremy, had it signed, and we're starting to read it together. I'm sure it will be much more food for thought. And maybe you'll hear more about it later. :) Here's the text from the back cover:

The alarm sounds. Your feet hit the floor and carry you into another day. But what does that day hold for you? Will you be punching your card at work, catching up on TV at home, and crashing into bed before you rinse and repeat the next day? Or will you dare to dig deep and discover the incredible potential lying dormant within us all?
In Wide Awake, Erwin Raphael McManus challenges us to put an end to all the sleepwalking and settling, for each of us was created by God for a reason. He has called you to live as Jesus did - a heroic life, void of monotony, teeming with danger, adventure, and the unknown. Living wide awake is about realizing that the world desperately needs you to live up to your potential.
There is a future that needs to be created, and it is waiting for us all to wake up and get out of bed. The alarm has sounded, and it is time to shake off the slumber.
It's time to live, to create, to imagine, to dream... Wide Awake.

So while we're on the topic... What are those dreams of yours that are waiting to jump out and be fulfilled? Please share, I'd love to hear them.