Dream

For the past seven weeks, I have had the privilege of meeting with about 100 other women of all ages to rush the throne room of God and ask "What do YOU want to do with our lives?" We are taking a week at a time to talk through our people, our scars, our gifts, our passions, our places, and how each of these things fits into God's larger story of saving the world from itself and from Darkness. What a blessing these seven weeks have been! I am so thankful for my small group that has prided honesty over keeping up appearances and chiseled away my fears from God's Truth. I just finished the homework for my last class tomorrow, and I realized some great things I am taking away from "Dream", most of which were not what I thought would come of this class.

First, I was blown away by God's timing in the events of my life coupled with the start date of the class. I had signed up for the class before I had committed to returning to Thailand, before I had even had the request to return. Originally, I had signed up because my frustration with God's purpose for my life was rising higher in my soul each day and I was restless with my position in the world. (<Sidenote: My purpose and your purpose if you are in Christ is to love God and love others. How one does that and how one makes disciples is the unique journey of "Dream.">) When God blessed me with this Thai breakthrough and this new trajectory in life was placed before me, the reasons I had signed up for the class were no longer relevant. So, I came into that first Tuesday night with pretty much zero expectations except that God was going to move!

Second, I have always loved meeting with women of other ages. To see how the Holy Spirit has staked out along the road of each woman's life is remarkable. I have never been too prideful to take advice or to seek wisdom from other women because gosh! I certainly have never had it together enough to run well in this life on my own (although, I have convinced myself otherwise at many points).  So, my first night sitting in between a 40-year-old longing to meet the spiritual needs of her secular social groups in Austin and a 20-year-old International Studies major looking to change the face of poverty in the lives of orphans in India, was Cloud Nine epitomized. God is moving and is asking us to run well with Him!

Third, Jennie Allen is a gift. If you've never heard of her: go here. Not to put her up on a Christian pedestal at all, because she, like the rest of us, is juggling a lot and is on most days just a bit over the edge of crazy! I say to get to know her work because she preaches truth and has displayed how someone's gifts, passions, scars, people, and places have encountered the humbling larger story of God in such a real way to give hope to other women wanting to run well in this world. She is a gift.

Fourth, this larger story of God that I have been speaking of is straight up CRAZY! "Dream" has been looking at just one man in the Bible, Joseph. We have read and studied his gifts, his scars, his people, his passions, and his places in detail and WHAT A STORY of faith, growth, and obedience. God's purpose to SAVE MANY LIVES was accomplished in a man who began as a snotty little brother. As a part of the class, we drew a timeline of the events of the world as told by the Bible, and when we placed our approximate 70-80 year lives (give or take some years) on that timeline, we could barely see them. To literally be launched backwards, into space it felt like, to look at my place in the world was necessary. It made me realize who cares where I live or who hurt me or what is left of my body at the end of it all, because I am here for a mere breath and to run this race well is all that matters. Returning slightly closer to Earth, I completely realize the importance of using my gifts and surrounding myself with the right people and living into the gifts and scars I am given as not to waste this time, but the point of the timeline served its purpose to say "STOP WALLOWING IN DISPLEASURE AND WORK OUT THE GOOD WHERE YOU ARE NOW!" The harvest is plenty and the workers are few.

Lastly, as I look to Thailand and to my future set before me, I have been asked to dream. Given all of my gifts, all of my passions, all of my scars, all of my people, and all of my places, I am seeing that God has been ready to launch me for a while and now I am ready to run. Today is not a monumental, life-changing moment. Today is just reminding myself of Truth, that God wants to display His glory over all the Earth and He wants me to do this while loving people above myself. No big! Just kidding. BIG! The last question of my last homework for "Dream" asked me to describe how I could use all that I have have been given to display His glory and prosper people. This was my answer:

Open a space for people to relax, laugh, think, create, watch movies, cry, eat corporately, build relationships, study the Word and do life WELL in community.

For those of you that know me, respond to my dream. Encourage me and chisel away the fear of man. Share your dream and let me do the same for you.