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07/20/2012

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Dreaming or Discontent?

A Guest Post By Julianna Morlet…

Born to Fly — Sara Evans

^^^

This was my song all throughout high school. I sang it over and over and over and it even made it into my graduation montage. I have always been a girl who lives off the ground. Always dreaming about what could be. My pastor once titled it, The Architect of Vision: one who dreams the future.

I dream the future a lot. Much to my demise, but I can’t help it. Though I love my life now and I love living “in” the now, I can’t seem to keep my mind here. It seems as beautiful as everything is, it could always be so much more; it’s getting there that always stumps me.

We all, I believe, have that dreamer living inside us and, like most things in life, she can either be an inspirer or a killer.

Recently, I have recognized there is a very thin line between discontentment and dreaming. One that I’d never seen before. I’d fallen into the trap of writing my discontentment off as dreaming, when in reality, dreaming is meant to enhance your morale, not decrease it.

Dreaming makes you feel like the world is your oyster.
Discontentment makes you feel like the world is against you.

My dreams can sometimes lead to discontentment with my current season of life. But I don’t think the guard against that is to stop dreaming. Below are some safeguards against discontentment I’ve gleaned from older women in my life who I consider “Wise and Reckless Dreamers.”

1. Talk to God
If you’re a Christian and you believe (or are learning to believe) that God has a purpose for your existence, than asking Him to plant dreams and passions in your heart is the best thing you could do! And He will do one of two things: a) Either He will give you your requests, in His timing, because they are what He has planned for you OR b) He will begin to mold and fashion and reshape your dreams and desires to fit His purpose and plan for you. I’ve experienced both, and in both circumstances, I was over the moon excited about living out the dreams God had let come to fruition.

2. Talk to Your Mentor
Having older Christian women in my life as spiritual mothers, in addition to my own amazing mother, has benefited my life immensely. They reground me when I’m about to take flight on a harmful dream, they pray over me asking that God’s grace and love will be fulfilled in my life, and they are open to talk about anything and everything I have questions about as a woman growing up. They never let me complain (for too long) and they always work out a game plan with me. Mentorship is biblical, and so beneficial for life.

*If you don’t have a mentor and want one, Good Women Project has an awesome program set up for you!

3. Start a Journal
Keep it with you and list all your dreams as they come. Sometimes little ridiculous ideas that come to us in the middle of the night aren’t necessarily the dream. But sometimes they are markers, or arrows, pointing to the bigger picture. Kind of like a road map. An idea you were all worked up and excited about last week might seem crazy and boring next week. If I had $1 for every time I said, “I wanted to do WHAT?!” while reading back over my journals, I’d be a gazillionaire! Keep track and see what sticks.

– – – – –

Lately, my prayers have been about keeping me grounded, grateful, and gracious. The magnificent thing about dreams is that they create this hope and excitement, but the curse of them is that sometimes they have the very real possibility of breeding discontentment. I’m not discontented yet, but I can easily see my thoughts going that way. Can you?

We must stop the discontent by asking what God wants for us, talking to other women who have been in our shoes, and remembering that dreaming will always be a magical part of who we are.

Juliannais a 20-something girl who spends her time either writing, singing or talking. If you could sum her up in one sentence it would be, a visionary idealist who wishes to conquer the world before her 25th birthday. She is married to her very own music man and their love story is a mix between soap opera and fairytale. She documents nearly everything in hopes to someday make a mark on this world. She is the writer behind the blog, The Girl that Sings.

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07/16/2012

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Once Upon a Dream

A Guest Post By Rachelle Rea…

Once there was a girl who told God yes.

Yes. Three letters that form one tiny word etched in ink on a rock I kept from the walk where I first whispered it. Yet yes can be a big word when breathed with the heart-voice and meant with the soul. Like a stained-glass window, that word, when spoken to an infinite God, can let in light and glory and open-mouth awe.

Once this same girl dreamed of the word go.

Go. Two letters that form an even tinier word, etched in a dream on a heart. I was inspired by Amy Carmichael, whose go meant giving up everything in India, and by Livingstone, whose go entailed following God into the depths of dark Africa. I read their stories and wondered if God would call me to go someday. Then I no longer wondered if, but when.

The dream has morphed and molded in the few short years I’ve held it close like a fresh, new pearl. Fear has caused it to shrink and shrivel. Love-light has allowed it to grow and stretch. Possibilities have put it to the test.

Not six months ago, I walked into my Sunday-school classroom before any of my kindergarten kiddos had arrived and saw the announcement. A team from my church would be going on a mission trip to Costa Rica this summer.

And I knew. My yes meant this. My go meant now.

Questions swirled within my mind until at last the only question that mattered rose to the surface. My child, will you?

Once again, this girl told God yes. And, I’m scared. And, Oh, but, what about–? And, What if there are tarantulas in the shower, Lord?

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9 (NIV)

So the last week of June I clasped a ticket in trembling hands. I boarded a plane that took me to a village on the side of a volcano, a village named Tierra Blanca. We rose at five every morning when monkeys jumped on our roof. We restored electricity to the little church, distributed clothing to the people, and spoke stumbling Spanglish with the children as we played. Most importantly, we showed, shared, and saw the love of Jesus. (And zero tarantulas.)

At two a.m. on Independence Day, we landed. Home. At baggage claim I looked at all the people gathered ’round—the team that would never be quite the same again… and I felt a little like mourning. Because I would miss them. Because I would miss the dream coming true for the first time in Costa Rica.

But then, I realized that the dream coming true doesn’t mean that the dream ends.

Rapunzel asked, “I’ve been looking out of the window for eighteen years, dreaming about what I might feel like when those lights rise in the sky. What if it’s not everything I dreamed it would be?”
Flynn answered, “It will be.”
“And what if it is? What do I do then?”
“Well, that’s the good part, I guess. You get to go find a new dream.”

My dream coming true this summer when I went on my first mission trip doesn’t mean this daring journey is over. It means I get to dream my dream in a new way. Because saying yes isn’t a one-time thing.

Once there was a girl whose dream came true. Now that girl smiles at the rock with y-e-s scribbled on it and dreams of saying yes again.

Rachelle Rea is a homeschool grad turned college girl, a word crafter who loves to watch the sunlight sparkle through the trees, and, of course, a daring dreamer. Visit her at www.rachellerea.com.
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07/13/2012

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When Your Dreams are a Nightmare

So, I’ve been pretty quiet on most of these guest posts, content to let others share their dreams without my commentary, but I feel like this one needs to have something said about it. Because when I read Amy’s post, my jaw hit the floor and all I could say was, “Whoa.” When I asked a few blogger friends to share about their dreams, I never expected any of them to delve into a nightmare. But I admire Amy’s bravery. I love that she pursued this dream that so many of us would be too afraid to pursue. And I love that she’s here today to encourage us that sometimes our “nightmares” are part of the beautiful dream God is creating of our lives.

A Guest Post By Amy Bennett…

I get a warm and fuzzy feeling when I read about people’s dreams.  They want to write a book they’ve been thinking about since they were 6 or they’d like to move to Africa as a missionary or they can’t wait to quit their job and finally be a pilot.  Most desperately want to live out their dream.  But the story of one of my God-given dreams was more like a nightmare I didn’t care to see to fruition.

I had always been on the straight and narrow.  I was the good-girl.  The honor student.  One of the first of my friends to get married.  My husband and I enjoyed seven years together until things started imploding.  Many circumstances led me into an emotional affair that was quickly uncovered but slowly untangled.

Years past and I finally separated myself from this person, my husband and I had repaired our marriage through God’s leading and I thought I could quietly move on.  God had other plans.

He gave me a literal dream one night.  In it, it was clear that I had moved on but my job wasn’t done until I shared my story.  They very last thing I wanted to do was share my story.  No one knew about the emotional affair besides my husband and three or four close friends.  My family had no clue.

I shared this dream with my close friend and for months and months, I would talk about writing about what happened.  But fear gripped me.   I didn’t want to ruin my good-girl image and was sure stop any influence I thought I had. Family would scoff at me and friends would leave me.  I couldn’t imagine how coworkers that found out may react.

Sharing my deepest, darkest secret sounded like playing out my worst nightmare.  And it’s the exact thing God wanted me to do.

Sometimes our dreams and goals aren’t self-prescribed.  And sometimes, they aren’t pleasant and fun.  But when dreams are God-given, it’s exactly what we need.

I published my eBook Entangled last November and it ended up playing out like a fairytale.  The burden of this hidden sin I had been tormented with was lifted off my shoulders and my friends, family and even coworkers rallied around me like I never had experienced.  Through the book, people’s eyes have been open and perhaps, some marriages have been spared.

Perhaps you’re like me and scared to death of the dream God has given you.  Maybe it sounds like a nightmare you don’t care to experience.  If I could say one thing, it’d be to jump and jump big.  Sure, you’ll still experience fear and anxiety but when you wake up?  You’ll realize your nightmare was a fairytale and God was waiting to sweep you off your feet all along.

Amy Bennett is a recovering perfectionist and lover of God.  She is wife to her police officer husband, Scott and mommy to two beautiful girls, Emma and Lexi and hopefully one handsome boy soon. They reside in South Carolina, in a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina with their two dogs Mattie and Tucker and a picket fence to hold them all in.  Amy spends her day writing code for a bank and her evenings writing blog posts at Permission to Peruse.

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07/06/2012

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What If?

A Guest Post by Becky Bernier…

I have always been a dreamer. I can remember at a young age daydreaming about how my life would turn out one day. I had many dreams to travel the world, find the right guy to marry, have kids by the time I was 25, own my own house, and write a book.

Many dreams have come to pass, while others have yet to be fulfilled. I sometimes wonder why my life looks so different than what I dreamt about so long ago. As a little girl, I knew I could do anything I set my mind to do. I memorized Philippians 4:13 (“I can do all things through him who gives me strength.”) years ago knowing that it would carry me through each day and realize that any dream that came to pass is all because of God’s working in my life.

I still have unfulfilled dreams and at times get very discouraged by the realization that I am not where I thought I would be. I have learned over and over not to live in the “what if’s” of life. What if I had done this differently, maybe I would be married by now. What if I had gotten my job earlier, I would have been debt free sooner. The “what if’s” of life can be a dream killer and can also cause you to lose hope that your dreams will ever be fulfilled. I believe that God takes our dreams and shows us something greater than we ever expected.

For me, one of my biggest dreams growing up was to travel the world. What I didn’t realize was that God had a plan for me to travel and gave me a heart for short term missions along the way. I always thought that because my mom worked for an airline that would be how God would choose for me to travel as much as I have. He definitely used that avenue but He also chose for me to become a missionary for two years and through that I was able to go to parts of the world I would never consider going to on my own.

I believe God is the ultimate dream giver and wants us to dream big and pursue the dreams He has placed on our hearts. They may not turn out like you thought they should but take a moment and look back at how God has fulfilled a dream. You might be surprised at how God has fulfilled that dream and made it something so much more special than you could have ever imagined.

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Psalm 20:4 – May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.

Do you see that? May God give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. He is the author of all our dreams. I believe God has so many more dreams to fulfill in my life and I am excited to see how He does it. I know one of my current dreams is to run a marathon and eventually qualify for the Boston marathon.

What are some of your dreams? Do you ever play the “what if” game?

Becky Bernier is an insurance agent, blogger, avid runner, half marathon coach and loves to encourage others as much as possible in their walks with the Lord. She’s a perfectionist who is learning it’s okay not to be perfect and to realize that God is in control and has a much better life planned out for her than she could ever dream of. You can check out her blog here.

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07/02/2012

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I Had a Dream… Once.

I’m currently obsessed with dreams. Scratch that. I’ve always been obsessed with dreams. I think that’s the root of my fascination with fairytales. But lately my obsession has been a little more pronounced. I’m thinking about dreams on a daily basis. And not just my own dreams. A blogger friend of mine just announced that she quit her day job to pursue a dream and I literally started bouncing up and down in excitement.

That’s how much dreams thrill me.

So, there’s this scene in Tangled (if you haven’t seen it yet, you need to) where Rapunzel asks some rough-looking guys in a tavern if they’ve ever had a dream. And one exceptionally scary-looking guy says, “I had a dream once.” And then, because it’s an animated fairytale, he bursts into song declaring that he always wanted to be a concert pianist. This opens the stage for all of the other guys to start sharing the dreams they never lived until they send Rapunzel off with an encouragement to go live her dream. It’s actually all very inspiring except… Except you realize that they’re still there. In the tavern. Not living their dreams.

So maybe I’m young and naive and yet to face any serious disappointment, but I just can’t imagine doing anything other than what I feel like I was made to do. I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life just getting by while the spark of a dream flickers in my heart. I can’t imagine just letting my dreams die.

That’s why the next book that is churning in my head has everything to do with keeping hope alive. And that’s why I’ve asked a few incredible ladies to share their stories with you in the weeks to come. Because we weren’t made to dream alone.  And sometimes all it takes to keep us pressing onward is a little bit of encouragement from someone who has been there.

So prepare for a month of dreams.

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06/29/2012

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A Princess Broken

I’ve already told you that I believe in other people’s dreams. I want this blog to be the kind of place where those dreams can be shared. So today I’m making room for Misty Gatlin to share about a literal dream that turned into something so much bigger than she ever imagined. That’s what dreams do.

So here’s where I ask Misty to share a little bit of her dream with you:

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m a wife, mom, high school teacher and youth leader. I’m from a tiny little town in Northeast Texas where I graduated from the only high school in the district and in a class of 78 students. I now teach in a school district which has 4 high school campuses and graduates several thousand each year. I love hanging out with my kids, and I’m truly blessed with the life God has given me.

Can you give us a synopsis of the book?
Sarah defines herself as many things; broken, damaged, addicted, and hopeless. Hurt at an early age by someone dear to her, she retaliates by living a life filled with destruction. Her past has finally caught up with her, and she’s ready to call it quits. Her story unfolds when she meets a compassionate stranger who helps her realize past decisions don’t define who she is, and what she thought was the end of her story is only the beginning. A life-changing decision is placed in front of her, and she’s forced to face it head on. What will she choose, and where will that path lead her?

Can you tell us where you got the idea for A Princess Broken?
This book came to me in a dream one Sunday afternoon. I woke up and knew I was supposed to write a blog series, and I knew 3 things about it: The title, the reason for the title, and that the main character would have crown necklace she always carried with her. I knew nothing else about it, but I started writing anyway, and it just continued to grow.

I kept wanting to change the title to A Broken Princess, but I knew it wasn’t right. The entire storyline is based off this title. This is a story of brokenness AND redemption. The princess in her was never gone simply because she made mistakes and saw herself as broken. She just had to be shown that she was still a princess in God’s eyes.

I find it ironic that I’m a writer of fiction who published a non-fiction book and you’re a non-fiction writer who felt called to tell this story. In what ways did God stretch and grow you as you delved into this new aspect of writing?
God made these characters come alive in my head. He showed me that I could write something so real that the characters could easily come alive in the minds of the readers as well. I had to learn how to write everything I saw, felt, smelled, and experienced with the characters living in my mind. That was completely new to me and took me a while to get used to. I believe this book helped me become a better writer.

……………………………………………………………..

Knowing how much God shaped my writing through the process of Beyond Waiting, I have no doubts that Misty is a better writer now that she’s completed this work of fiction. I’m so excited for the places God is taking this dream and can’t wait to hear of how A Princess Broken has impacted the lives of its readers.

Thanks for sharing your dream, Misty!

 

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06/22/2012

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Learning to Thrive {A Guest Post}

I write about dreams. A lot. You might even say I’m obsessed with them. Which is good, I think, because, in a world that has forgotten how to experience the wonder of a fairytale, someone has to believe in dreams coming true. But I think I tend to focus on the pretty parts. I talk mostly about the wonder of the actual dreams rather than the tiresome details of making the dream happen. As a friend of mine once so eloquently phrased it, “It’s not glamorous.”

So today I’m sharing my story on The Girl That Sings. Today I’m giving you a glimpse into the not-so-glamorous side of dreams. But of course I’m going to tell you that it’s still worth it. Because…

“God doesn’t call us to stand on our own; He calls us to stand with Him. He won’t put a dream in our hearts and leave us to figure it out on our own.”

So be encouraged by the girl who survived and learned to thrive. Read the story here.

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06/18/2012

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Someone Else’s Dream

I got a phone call on Friday morning asking if I could bail a friend out and watch his kids on Saturday. In my mind I knew that there were twenty other things I should probably be doing. The rest of my weekend was completely booked and the only time I had to do all those things that needed to be done was Saturday morning. I probably should have spared myself the chaos and said no, but I didn’t.

And as I was making a dessert for another commitment and writing an article until eleven o’clock at night, I started to wonder why I had over-committed myself. Why was I putting off (or rushing through) all these need-to-do, have-to-do, want-to-do things so I could watch a couple of kids instead? The answer was pretty simple:

I believe in Isaiah’s dream.

You know how you can watch a ballerina dance or a musician play and get the feeling that the person was made for this? That’s how I felt the first time I saw Isaiah do a Wild Earth Encounters presentation.

And here my friend had been handed an amazing opportunity that he could only be part of if someone would watch his kids for a day. I couldn’t say no. Because the only thing more wonderful than chasing after your dreams is giving someone else an opportunity to chase theirs.

So believe in your dreams and pursue them with everything that is within you, but never become so focused on your dreams that you neglect someone else’s. Let your friends know that you believe in their dreams and always be willing to come alongside them and show your support.

Trust me, even on the craziest days you won’t regret it.

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06/11/2012

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Unfinished Stories

Once upon a time there was a girl who weaved stories in her spare time ~ a girl who dreamed of touching the world in a way that was deep and true, poetic and magical. But this girl was told that she would never touch the world in such a way, that such dreams were made for the fairytales, and that “real life” as we call it doesn’t work that way. “Impossible,” they told her.

And sometimes she believed them.

But then there was Hope ~ a flimsy, fragile creature that alighted on her shoulder and whispered endless possibilities in her ear. And the heroine of this story had to choose between the cold reality the skeptics screamed and the joyous promise Hope offered.

The end.

Because, as Laini Taylor wrote in her book Daughter of Smoke and Bone, “The story is unfinished. The world is still waiting.”

The world still waits for hope and dreams and magical things that flutter around on fairy-like wings. The world still waits for promises kept and tears of compassion that haven’t been wept. The world still waits for someone who will step right over What Hasn’t Been Done and embrace All That They Should Do.

The world is waiting for you.

And while the unfinished story that started this post is entirely mine, you are an unfinished story, too. You’re an unfinished story with intricate details of a plot and a purpose that hasn’t been fully formed. You can write whatever you want on the pages of your life. You can choose to listen to what the skeptics scream or step up and embrace your impossible dream. And while what you should choose sounds so easy in writing, it’s hard to silence the skeptics. It’s hard to hold onto Hope.

That’s why I determined to let God finish my story. Because while I so often lose sight of the things that are important, God never does. So I promised Him that I would hold the pen if only He would guide my hand. And in light of my dangerous promise, God asked me to do something I had decided I never wanted to do again ~ at least not for a long time.

I’m working up a proposal for another non-fiction book. It’s about hopes and dreams and how God turns nobodies into somebodies, but that’s all I’m going to share for now.

After all, the story is unfinished, so I’ll have to leave you waiting.

In the meantime, go write a story of your own.

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06/05/2012

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Light Bulbs, Airplanes, and Impossible Dreams

“Fear wants to stop our stories,” Anne Jackson writes. And I think I’m going to have to read the chapter over again because all I saw was that simple sentence. So at the risk of writing something that might already be written let me tell you why that sentence stopped me in my tracks.

I think most of us are more aware of our dreams than we care to admit. When someone asks you what you want to do when you grow up and you reply, “I don’t know,” I’m inclined to wonder whether you honestly don’t know or whether you’re afraid of what you do know. Because Fear has a way of killing our dreams.

The thing about dreams is that they’re larger than life. Impossible, even. And maybe in your heart you know what you would really love to do if there were no possible way you could fail. So what do you want to do with your life?

And you’re still saying that you don’t know because the big question I just posed was “if.” I said “if” there was no possible way you could fail, but that’s just the thing. There are countless ways you could fail, says Fear. And if you fail, people are going to laugh. If you fail, you will have wasted your life. If you fail, you’ll have nothing to show for yourself but a pile of shattered dreams.

But listen closely before you close the door on your dreams, because Fear says the same thing I did. “If,” Fear whispers. “If.” And maybe all those things Fear says are true. People may laugh and your dreams may shatter if you fail. But there’s no guarantee that you will fail. And what’s the harder life to live – the life of someone who dared to pursue their dreams regardless of what the critics said or the life of someone who died having never attempted to do that one thing that beat in their heart?

One day your heart will stop beating and your dream will die with it. Unless… Unless you dared to give it life before you encountered death. Because some dreams outlive the dreamer. In fact, I would imagine that most dreams do.

Don’t believe me? Hit the nearest light switch and see what happens. What happens is all because Thomas Edison dared to dream that there was a better source of light than candles. And he burned a few candles in the process of making that dream a reality. A new friend of mine is boarding a plane back to Barcelona tonight, but I never would have even met her if the Wright brothers hadn’t quit their day job and decided to invent a flying machine.

Light bulbs and airplanes… Impossible dreams. You can bet that there were critics. You can bet that Fear screamed that it couldn’t be done. And history shows there were failures. The dream didn’t fall together in a day. There were setbacks and frustrations and things that didn’t work.

And you can bet that these dreamers got discouraged. But they didn’t let their temporary failures destroy their dreams. Because they knew in their hearts that lights were made for shining and men were made for flying and that, one day, in the not-so-distant future their dreams wouldn’t seem so impossible after all.