Dream, Imagine, Create

There is a small group of people, mostly from my church, who have decided to meet together and encourage one another in their dreams and passions in life, and to see what new adventures develop from it, be they entrepreneurial, ministry focused, personal, or whatever.  We have begun writing down our dreams and desires and constructing vision boards.  

Although I like to consider myself a bit of a dreamer, I have found myself feeling very tentative about putting my dreams on a vision board, and even wondering what my dreams really are.  My struggle has been to allow myself the freedom to dream, and to turn my imagination loose.  I have been seeking the Lord about all this, and asking Him to set me free in this area.  The Creator of the Universe lives in me, and He gives me creative dreams and visions. Why am I so afraid to dream? 

In the course of my conversations with Him, a song came to my mind that I sang once years ago.  It is called "Dream Before You".  I leave you with a link to the song as I begin to allow myself to dream, imagine and create with His inspiration...

 

~~Check out the song here~~

Dream Before You by Kate Miner  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I come to dream before You, and give You the hope of all my days

I lay my dreams before You, let them be a sacrifice of praise, praise, praise, and worship to Your name. 

(chorus to Dream Before You)

Snow, Family & Love

At age 10, the snow fall was thick as I looked outside my door,

At that moment, I thought, what is this good for?

 My next thought was, this will never do,

When I am grown, I'll live where it's warm & leave all of you.

 A few years ago, I moved to Florida, a cozy warm place,

The bugs are huge and crawl fast, as if it's a race.

I made some good friends, my daughter & husband did too,

We found a church home, and great jobs, whoohoo!

My family was far away now, on several holidays we didn't arrive,

My dad became ill and we missed the last Christmas he was alive.

My mother-in-law became ill, just after dad had passed,

She said, "take my home" but surely her time on earth was more vast.

The doors opened in West Virginia, soon after her offer came,

All the doors in Florida closed, we could no longer remain.

We moved to her home, a mile from where we previously lived,

Three months later she passed on, no more love to give.

Now, as the snow drifts to the ground from high above.

I thought, why am I here, oh yeah family, I'm here for love.

one hot mess

Lord I need you
I come to you tonight with a home that has gotten off track.
We have storage rooms that have not been entered in months.
There are out dated labels and time wasters.
Lord help me to remove those things that come between us,
The things that steal me from my children and my husband.
I want more of You and Your purpose to fill our home.
Spill into every nook and cranny, every little corner Lord.
Help this hot mess of a mama stay focused on you.
Lord I need you

The Death of Hope

Image from:  http://gypsyjulesinmysoul.blogspot.com/2012/04/phoenix-from-flame.html

         
The Death of Hope

The mind Reels at the mere concept

Our souls recoil from the thought

Although its occurrence is not

As Rare as we like to imagine

We need not fall into despair,

Or mourn its sad demise over-long,

For Hope is the Phoenix of the Spirit

Rising from its own ashes, Flaming

With new strength and ardor,

Its joyous rebirth as Remarkable

As the loss of its Annihilation

Eternity dwells in its Golden, Searing Wings

Standing.

I don't remember her real name.  Could be Sarah, Cindy, Sally....  It is sad really.  Let's go with Sally.
     Sally started Rossville mid term.  She had a broad forehead and very large far sighted glasses that made her eyes look like vast pools.  She was instantly known solely as Tweety Bird from that point out.  At first, I felt badly for Sally.  The teasing was much the same as what I had endured when I was new.  I am shamefaced to say that part of me was relieved to be left unnoticed for a while.
     Things continued at a tolerable level until a girl, I will call Ella, to disguise her real name, ramped it up a notch.  Ella, Sally, Ella's friends, and I were in the locker room after PE.  I heard Ella proclaim loudly that Sally stank personally and badly.  I had noticed no odor, but she swore it.  Sally started to cry and ran to the toilet stall area of the locker room.  Then Ella followed her into the bathroom, peeked in at her, and reported what she saw to the other girls.  Who then in turn reported it to the most viscious boys in our school.  The poor girl went from being Tweety Bird to a more horrible name.
 

I did nothing.  Nothing at all.  I watched.  Cringed.  Refused to be a part of it.  But that all added up to

 NOTHING.

     Moving back to Lafayette brought me back in contact with Rossville people again.  My dentist went to school with me in my class.  But being around them again brought up the painful memories of Ella and Sally.  There is nothing to be done about it now.  Sally left after one semester of that nonsense and I've not seen Ella.  But it made me think of places and ways I can stand up now.  What I have come up with is making sure the homeless that come to my church for warmth and doughnuts are greeted in a friendly way and included.  Donating to charities that fight for justice and stave off hunger.  I hope that I have become a person that stands up and fights for justice for the downtrodden.  

     The hardest parts of our past and most shameful memories can make us that much better as people if we face them and learn from them.

What really matters

If it were up to me, the evening news would not be viewed on our television very often. I prefer the "ignorance is bliss" approach because the news discourages me. I think our founding fathers would be dismayed to learn that a mayor can dictate how many ounces a soda can contain, and our heavenly Father's heart must break over our legalization of abortion and physician assisted suicide. When I am tempted to be in despair over the direction it seems our country is heading, I try to remind myself that my hope is in the Lord, not my beloved country. The first time I was old enough to vote in a Presidential election, the candidate I voted for did not win. The next day one of my sixth grade students accepted Christ as her personal Savior. It was a vivid reminder that politics pale in importance compared to spiritual, eternal matters. A look around the world reveals that in some countries, such as China, the church is flourishing despite regulations and persecution. If our country is going to pot (possibly literally), I pray that the Lord will use this to bring about spiritual revival - that Christians will grow stronger in their faith and many more will come to know Him as Savior. Politicians and even countries will come and go. Only what's done for Christ will last.

in case of emergency

in our darkest hour
if we need saintly power
Break me.

where I'm brittle and I'm shy
with the sirens wailing by
Break me.

I don't have the discipline to tame
my self for your dear name
Break me.

a wretched, miserable, willing heart
may be all you have right at the start
Break me.

the start means nothing if the Ends
are saved by He who condescends
Break me.

I Cannot Say

I cannot say what Your plan is for me                        

I am the Blind

Groping for Your hand to lead me

Let not my struggle to reach You be in vain

For without You I am Lost

The Darkness overwhelms me

Confusion will be my food

And I will starve while the world

Feasts on my despair

Safety is not found

In the world’s beckoning arms

In its eager grasp, I perish

While it laughs at my demise

You are the Light

Take my inadequate hand in Yours

Draw me close, and open my eyes

So that I may see You,

And find Truth in Your Sight

Safety is found only in Your embrace

In my Creator’s Hands,

I Flourish

Take my Not Enough

And make it More than I could imagine

I cannot say what Your plan is for me

But it is Good