Our Dreamer's Night Results

First of all, I am sorry that I did not get a new post on yesterday (Friday, January 21, 2011).  I was quite busy during the day, so I decided to wait until I had some free time today.

I thought I would share with you the results of our Dreamer's Night Service, held last Sunday evening.  I think we should keep these items as matters of prayer.  As we do, I am sure God will light a fire of inspiration to those that are according to His will.  All of the dreams are great because their focus are to bring glory and honor to God.

These types of dreams are more than just wishful thinking.  They help to open our imaginations to the possibilities of God through the faith of His people.  The first order of business at our service was to leave our limitations at the door.  Ten in all were listed.  These limitations often block our ability to dream of the possibilities through God.

Limitations are always human in nature, and are determined by the capabilities of our own talents and resources.  Here is a list of limitations that we agreed would not be our first line of discussion:

Limitations

-      Money

-      Traditions

-      People Resources

-      Time

-      Lack of Faith

-      Fears

-      Perceptions

-      View Point

-      The Facility

-      Masks

After listing the limitations, we then proceeded to our dreaming session.  Keep in mind many of the ideas are related to the potential of purchasing Saint Christopher's Church.

Dreams for Ministry at New Life

-          Replace the building

  +Windows, +padded chairs, sound-proof rooms, enlarge Sunday School area, Games room, larger kitchen (auto dishwashers) , heat, AC, Nursery, Library/boardroom, paved parking lot with canopy, fenced-in playground, BBQ area, outdoor speakers, outdoor services, community garden, digital colored sign, close in the ceiling, multimedia room, baptismal tank, van for church transportation, Shelter, New Life Christian Center, Help Line, storage areas, gym for youth, room for social activities, upgrade sound system, open air concert, youth music ministry, grand piano, facility for performances, inviting entryway, Library, daycare, venue for community functions, playground, games night facility, free community suppers, full-time youth pastor, Bible studies for community, Community Men’s Breakfast, Prayer Room, Seniors complex, Bill to renovate sanctuary, and new washrooms.

Please keep these results as a matter of prayer.

Blessings,

-Leo

We Have a Dream

Wow!  Dreamer's Night went very well!  I am so happy with the turn out and the results.  Praise the Lord!  We are great dreamers at New Life; which means (at least in my books) that we collectively have very active and creative minds for the Lord.  This of course is by no accident.  God, the master Creator, created us to be creative in His own image and likeness.

Taking time to dream of 'what could be' allows us to stretch our minds beyond the limitations of what we might consider to be impossible, and to get a glimpse of every possibility in and through God.  Wow!  That sure is a mouthful. But it is so true.  "God makes molehills out of mountains."

This kind of sheds light on the verse of scripture that says, "If you say to this mountain, be cast into the sea; and through faith it will be done."  Not that the mountain is going to magically lift up and literally disappear into the sea just because you said some magic hocus-pocus spiritual words.  But God blesses us with the creative abilities and spiritual gifts and talents to literally move mountains.  No other living creature has been blessed with this 'created in His likeness and image' ability.

I love the little "Canadian Moment" which is occasionally on TV.  It shows two men in downtown Montreal, standing on the shore of the Saint Lawrence River.  They are the planners for Expo 67.  One is a dreamer,.....the video explains the rest very well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVj4Ql8gye8

We have such dreams for New Life Baptist; and they are more than just wishful thinking.  Our dreams are from God.  He starts us off with dreams that may seem like they are beyond the scope of our possibilities, so that when narrowed down into visions, He and only He has complete control of them. 

If our dreams started out restricted by our own limitations, (and we listed several of them on Sunday evening), then we have control.  And whenever we have control of anything that we do for God, the end result seldom ever turns out into its full potential for God's wonderful glory.

So let's enjoy our dreams and leave the rest to God to turn them into doable visions to His honor and glory.  Remember: God loves to "show up and show off."

BLessings, and keep the dream alive.

-Leo