At church yesterday the pastor referenced a book called The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson. The book is written as a modern day parable of a man seeking to fulfill his God-given dream.
I have not read this book (but intent to give it a read when I get the money and time), but would love to hear from you if you have read it.
There seems to be some criticism on the internet of the book's ideas, mainly stemming from the term "dream" and how it can be misconstrued as living your own dream rather than the life that God has intended for you to live. This point was briefly brought up by the pastor and he made it clear that as far as his use during the sermon, the term "dream" was to mean the plan that God has for your life.
I thought this book sounded interesting, as was the sermon, and it stuck with me for a couple of reasons. First, the theme fits nicely with the theme of this blog: taking a risk in life because that is what life is about, rather than living in the safety of comfort and familiar (words brought up frequently in the book from what I can tell).
And second, it made me begin to reflect on what God may be wanting me to do with my life and whether or not I am listening to Him and if I will be willing to obey. Am I really where God wants me? How will I know what God wants from me for certain? Do I have the courage to leave the harbour if that is what God wants? If I am to be honest with myself I think I would have to say that I am not certain that the life I am living now is what God really wants for me. But I don't know for certain. My walk with God recently has not been what I know it should be which is not ideal for hearing His voice and certainly is not helpful when it comes to listening to His voice.
Where I am heading with this post is here:
1. If you have any comments about The Dream Giver or Bruce Wilkinson let me know.
2. If you want to share ideas about God's plan for your life and how I, or other readers can support you, then please share.
3. If you could pray for me and my walk with God that would be appreciated. I have been convicted recently to do better in this area and could use your prayers to help me stay motivated and avoid backsliding. I realize that my own prayer and Bible study will be essential in order to hear God's voice in my life and for me to want to listen to Him.
4. I posted this fairly personal post with the hopes that from time to time you will hold me accountable to item 3. I know many of my regular readers are Christians who will be more than happy to help me out with this. I have found that making goals and intentions known to others is important to succeed with them.
God Bless.
P.S.
The last evening before we left my parents house we were playing a game called "Quiddler". I played the word "AA" and was told my next post needs to include this word.
I have no good way to work the word into this post but here is what I have found out about the word.
AA [ah ah]: A type of lava having a rough, jagged surface. It is relatively slow moving in its molten state, advancing in the form of massive blocks with fissured and angular surfaces that ride on a viscous interior. The blocks range in size between the size of a football and the size of a house.
Further understanding of the word comes when compare to the word
Pahoehoe: A type of lava having a smooth, swirled surface. It is highly fluid and spreads out in shiny sheets.
: Basaltic lava having a smooth or billowy surface.
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2 comments:
Jon,
I hope this is the right forum for me to say what I am about to say. If not, delete it.
For one thing I always find it easier to communicate through a keyboard than in direct conversation, because I think I write better than I speak.
I believe you are right where you are meant to be at this time. If not, then God does not answer prayer.
The message at St Paul’s on Sunday was about Joseph’s dealings with his brothers when they came to him for food, not knowing who he was (Gen 45). Afterward I prayed with a couple of friends (oddly enough, their names are Myrna and Bruce Wilkinson, but not the one who wrote the book you mention). I wanted prayer that God would show me the next step in His will for us. As you know, we feel we would like to return to Edmonton. In fact, as I discussed with Eva, for a time I have felt, sometimes strongly, sometimes not so much, what I believed was God’s calling us back there. It was Myrna who drew a parallel between God sending Joseph to Egypt, and us going to Edson. Joseph was sent so that, in God’s time, he would be able to provide for his family. We firmly believe we were taken to Edson for the very same reason. You are now through university, (and I believe you were prayed through by, among others, your family and Jen’s). I know it was many years of struggling, but I believe you are now doing what you were born to do – teach. For this moment, you are where you are meant to be. You are serving God right where you are by loving and providing for your family.
Colossians 3:24,25 comes to mind, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
You have found a new church, and it is there that you might get involved and fulfil your desire to serve. Find an area where you can step in, make use of your gifts and fill a need. Your spiritual life and your career can coexist in parallel. As you know, for years I worked in the truck accessory business and facilitated Alpha Courses, both in church and in jail. If you have the gift of teaching, and a desire and ability to mentor youth, put these skills to work at your new church. I believe it will be crucial in the times ahead to give our young people a firm grounding in the essentials of the faith.
Those are my thoughts for now. I started this piece at a more civilized hour of the evening, but I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep, so it is now a ridiculous hour of the morning. I will post now and head back to bed.
TakeCare,
Love to all,
Dad K.
Hi Jonathan
After thinking about this off and on all day I guess I'll weigh in on this since you decided to go public with your thoughts.
First, I don't know anything about the book. I would say Bruce Wilkinson is a reputable writer in most peoples' opinion. I believe he is the writer of the book, The Prayer of Jabez. I have another book of his about the vine and the branches from John 15.
As for whether you are doing what God wants you to be doing, I have a few(hopefully related) thoughts. Leaving the harbour, risking, etc., does not necessarily mean giving up teaching or moving to some exotic locale. It does mean taking risks to live out God's will(as in my sermons on the biblical Jonathan). Perhaps what you are feeling in this regard is what you mention--presently not walking as close to God as you should, not having that intimacy, not hearing His voice. Risking according to God's will also involves getting involved in ministry to and/or through the church.
God does not waste anything: pain, training, money, opportunities, and so on. Therefore I also believe that God has you where He wants you, at least for the time being. He has allowed you to train as a teacher. He has given you the opportunity to get experience and get licensed and pay off bills. Take some time to soak in these things while at the same time seeking God(not just His will, but God Himself).
You know that I didn't stay long at what I trained for(youth ministry), but my training wasn't wasted. God just did some redirecting after a couple years and moved me to pastoral ministry that I never dreamed I would ever do.
Since you asked, I will certainly gladly help with some accountability in your walk with God, church attendance and potential ministry. Your Mom and I do regularly pray for you and your family and we will continue.
Love,
Dad
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