I have a dog that loves to run. When she runs full tilt she looks like she is hovering over the ground like a low flying plane. It’s why I call her Daisy the Wonder Dog. If I leave the gate open long enough, she will make a break for it. She really can’t help it, and I don’t blame her. When she’s running like that, she’s doing what she was made to do and it’s an absolute joy to watch.

I’ve begun a sermon series at the church called “What If”. I’m essentially asking a series of What If questions that amount to wondering what the Christian life would be like if the gospel were really true. I like the format of “what if” questions because they invite us to dream and imagine instead of making us feel like we aren’t up to snuff. I’m discovering that thinking this way is making room in my soul to believe God for this kind of life with Him.

This week’s What If was this:

“What if your dreams for your life were more than weak and misguided attempts to define yourself by something other than Jesus’ love and mercy towards you. What if your dreams for your life actually reflected the glory that God designed you for.

What if your dreams actually fit the “You” God made, instead of the “You” that has been shaped by brokenness and cynism?”

You see, I think that most people fall into one of three categories when it comes to the idea of dreaming big about your life:

1. People that don’t dream. They just exist day to day because that’s how you survive. They were either never encouraged to expect more, or life has beaten the dreamer out of them. They are constantly telling dreamers to be realistic, not because they are wise but because they are jaded. They develop a theology of suffering that does not include blessing and makes God into a petulant dictator that arbitrarily assigns destinies to people without the heart of the person ever entering into it.
2. People that are chasing dreams that have very little, if any, connection to the reality of life and what they are actually born to do. They don’t have any idea who they are so they are always chasing dreams that aren’t for them and that did not originate in the heart of God. They are constantly frustrated and disappointed because nothing ever works out.
3. People that make their dreams only about them. They exist for their own success and nothing, and no one, else. Life is all about the pursuit of personal fulfillment. The reality for this person is that achieving their dream is the worst thing that can happen to them because when they do, they always find themselves unhappy, unsatisfied, alone, and disoriented.

All three of these misses the mark completely. Each one, in its own way, settles for an idol instead of unearthing God’s dream for our lives. We allow the counterfeit dreams to become counterfeit gods. God leads us through disappointment so that the counterfeit dream can die. He topples idols, even when they are small. And in the ashes of what’s left behind He resurrects the person that He created us to be. He shows us the real dream, the true destiny, that He created us to put on display.

I’m well aware that many people that hear this who are going through something hard can get really mad. When you feel truly hopless it’s very hard to hear someone talk about hope. It’s far easier to just give in to cynicism and jadedness.

Hope hurts when it gets mixed with disappointment.

But, I think the best thing anyone can say to you in that moment is “DON’T YOU DARE QUIT. Don’t you dare.”

So don’t quit on what God made you to do. Persevere. Let the counterfeits die. And the minute you see that gate open, turn on the afterburners because you were made to run.

We are the Bride of Christ.  Loved beyond measure, with no borders to His patience, forgiveness, and grace.  We are never beyond repair. Never out of the reach of His transformation.

I believe the Church in America is being romanced by Jesus.  We are being redefined as His Bride, and only His Bride.  We are being ravished by Him – called by name.

This spoken word poem/skit reminds me of who I am as a friend of God.  I hope it does the same for you.

With the Christmas shopping season in full swing now, this is a potent reminder to find our deepest satisfaction in Jesus.  He is both The Great Gift Giver, and The Great Gift.  He is all that we need, all that we could ask for.

Materialism, which is nothing more than competition rooted in Pride, is swarming like a plague in our culture and it is never more ravenous than this time of year.  We are bombarded with attempts to compell us to compare ourselves to our neighbor, our friends, even imaginary strangers.

Bigger, faster, stronger.  Richer.  Smarter.  More fashionable.  In-the-know and in-the-now.

The antidote to this corrosive sickness, I believe, is not more restraint at the cash register.  The answer is to stir up gratitude and joy in The Great Gift, Jesus Himself.  To wonder like children at the miracle of His incarnation: the majesty of His divinity joined with the meekness of humanity.

Jesus, make me wide-eyed and amazed at the wonder of You.  So much so that all the shining and shimmering glitter of this world cannot distract my gaze.

I keep finding myself carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders, repeating “Work harder, just make it happen” like some kind of mantra of self-motivation and pride.  I appreciate this song not only for its musical qualities, but also for the gentle and sincere reminder that all of us need strength that is beyond what humanity can give.

It’s a fool that rushes in, tilting at windmills, when divine help is available to him.  God help me not to be that fool.

Abraham is a fascinating character.  He is remembered in the New Testament as a bastion of faith.  Certainly this is true of him, but when you study his story you find that there were several moments where he lost faith.  In matter of fact, he completely failed.  Twice he lied about his wife saying that she was his sister.  This lie resulted on one occasion with his wife being brought into the harem of Pharoah.  The same would have happened with Abimelech had God not revealed to him that Sarah was in fact married to Abraham.

Despite the obvious failure of these events, God bailed Abraham out each time.  Not only that, but Abraham walked away blessed.

The reason is simple.  God had made a covenant with Abraham and He meant to keep it.  Even if Abraham made attempts to derail his own destiny, his destiny was in God’s hands.

God not only owns the promise, but He also owns the timing and the manner of its fulfillment.

This is a clear picture of grace.  God has made a covenant with me, and He holds my destiny in His hands.  Despite my impatience, I wouldn’t have it any other way.