What Should We Dream?

On the wall, here, just above my desk, there is a collection of Post-it notes, which create a collage of sorts, composed of quotes and ideas. For several years now it has been evolving, sometimes expanding, other times contracting. Now and again I will come across words in the passage of some book, which will bring me to a halt. They demand my attention and challenge my thoughts. I stop reading just to give them their due contemplation. Perhaps in those moments my heart is conditioned particularly to hear these words and, for this, I collect them, desiring not to loose them. I scribble them down and place them there up on the wall. And I come back to them, every so often and consider their importance and profoundness, constructing additional thoughts upon them. 

Over time, though, sometimes certain of these words become stale and they loose their significance to me. Maybe my heart changes, or perhaps my mind. Whatever the reason may be, the result is the same: they become common, and so I subtract them from the wall. Some have lasted and some have not. But from that collage there is one quotation that I hope to keep, placing it before me wherever I reside, and binding it to whatever desire or passion that may carry me on through this life. It is a quote by C.S. Lewis which comes from his quintessential treatise, Mere Christianity. He states

"If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next."

Pause. Let this sink in.

What is the purpose of our ministry? What is the purpose of any ministry? We have been challenged to dream together. To dream alone is no longer acceptable. We are a community built around Christ, and if we are his body, then our minds can no longer be our own, and neither our desires. So what will our dreams be? What will their focus be upon? 

What could we hope for, if not to change this world? But be warned that if we focus our efforts on the wrong things we may end up building an empire of our own. This cannot happen, for we are called to build up His kingdom. This community is not our own. It is God's. What we do and say will be for his glory, if we choose to lead a legacy that will last. Now, if you dare, drop the goal of acquiring more and greater wealth. Shed the American dream and dream a little bigger. Dream a little more intentionally. If we want to impact this world, we must first think of the next. So, dream of an everlasting kingdom built of light, if you can even picture it. Dream of an eternal home free from death and suffering. Dream of the pure worship of the King that bled and died for your soul. Dream of Him, the most glorious, and highest of any thing that you could ever dream.

Jesus, from his sermon on the mount, spoke these words:

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6.19-21, ESV)

Pause. Let's let this sink in.

A Vision for our Future . . .

"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes to make it possible."

— T.E. Lawrence Seven Pillars of Wisdom

Do you tend to dream in isolation or in community? Are your dreams for the future spent on your self . . . your goals, your ambitions, your comforts, your securities? Or do you dream of being a part of something much bigger than that? Something, perhaps, much more meaningful. I've been having a wrestling match lately with my own dreams. I think we all long for meaning, for our lives to count for something big, but often we limit the scope of that meaning by dreaming selfishly. I'm guilty of that. Self tends to cloud my dreams.

But lately my dreams have been much more grandiose. Perhaps more worthy of sharing with the public. I no longer dream in isolation, but in and for community. I dream for this community . . . Middletown & the surrounding region of SW Ohio. I dream for my family; Lisa, Malachi, and Michalyn, to be a part of a faith community at Towne Blvd that changes the entire surrounding cultural landscape. To be that church on the hill that radiates the light of Jesus Christ, propogates His glorious gospel, and contagiously and tangibly loves the people of this community. A church that produces passionate disciples of Jesus Christ who in turn reproduce themselves by making other disciples. A church the community looks to, not hides away from.

You see, 30-40 years ago, this church had a vision to bless the brokenhearted, to minister to the marginalized, to welcome the wounded, and to embrace the disgraced. Every Saturday an army of volunteers mobilized to knock on the doors of this community. And with each knock came an invitation. Over 800 children were regularly bussed onto the church property where they were loved and cared for. If their bellies were empty, they were given food. If they were cold and in need, they were given warm clothing. As for the army, many of them are still sitting on the pews at Towne. Although their work is not finished until the Lord receives them at home, the mantle was passed. And now it is in the hands of a new generation. It's our time.

But isn't it true that we are of the generation of "entitlement'? Don't we expect to be given . . . not to give? Are we not so inoculated with "us" that all of our dreams & goals are filtered through the old "self"? You know what I'm talking about . . . the part of us that the true followers of Christ are called to die to daily. The one that rears its ugly head every time we are on the brink of a major spiritual breakthrough. The one that we allow to hijack the dreams and vision God has for our future as a community of faith. So it is with "self." And we continue on . . . dreaming in isolation with moderate but mild thought given for the sake of others.

I recently shared all of this along with a vision for a better engaged future with both the young adults and students at Towne. Some of you will have to wait and see what that entails. VIsion inspires. Implementation actualizes.

Everything on this blog is under construction at the moment.

We have NO idea what we are doing...