Dream Big

Posted in Serving on May 16th, 2008 by Administrator| | .

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to his power that is at work within us.” Eph. 3:20

That verse to me is a challenge from God. It is almost as if God is daring us to out-dream Him. Our imagination is a God-given ability. Our dreams determine our lives; they define our lives. We need dreams because they are psychologically healthy. If you don’t have a dream for your life then you are not really living – you’re just existing. Without dreams you won’t go far in life.

Kids have unbelievable imaginations and dreams. I loved teaching Character Education for Mrs. Poper’s 5th grade class at Ford Elementary. Listening to the children share their dreams reminded me of all the dreams I had at their age. I wanted to play for the Big Red Machine and be the next Johnny Bench. I wanted to lead my high school to the Sweet Sixteen boys’ state basketball championship in Kentucky. I wanted to replace the legendary Cawood Ledford as voice of the Kentucky Wildcats.

Why is it that when we become adults we lose the capacity to dream big? The older we get the more we lose the capacity to dream. Everything that God wants to do with your life will start with a dream. He gave Noah the dream to build an ark. He gave Moses the dream of leading his people out of bondage. He gave Paul the dream of taking the gospel to places where it had never been heard. I love the words that Paul used in Acts 26:19 when he stood in front of King Agrippa.

“I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven.”

Dreams come from burdens. All of the dreams that God has given me have come from the burdens that He has laid upon my heart. It bothered me that a local school was dead last in reading and writing. So I started DreamBuilders, a mentoring program in the Acworth Housing Authority. It bothered me that kids who live in weekly rental hotels and trailer courts were being left out at Christmas time; so, we partner each year with the Joy Foundation and two local high schools to take those kids Christmas shopping. It bothered me that the City of Acworth didn’t have a veteran’s memorial, so NorthStar partnered with the city in building the new veteran’s memorial at Patriot’s Point. It bothered me that over 14,000 special needs children didn’t have a playground or a ball park to play on. We are just weeks away from breaking ground on the first ever special needs sports complex.

The biggest dream that God gave me as community pastor for NorthStar Church was to make NorthStar the first call for help in the community. Last week we got a call from MUST Ministries for help. MUST Ministries feeds 1200 hungry children every day over the summer and they have asked NorthStar Church to sponsor three days. This is one of the biggest acts of kindness that our church has ever taken on.

To feed 1200 children for a day we are going to need:

40 volunteers to provide 30 bologna and cheese sandwiches.
20 volunteers to provide 60 individual applesauce’s.
20 volunteers to provide 60 brownies.
20 volunteers to provide 60 juice boxes.

My prayer for you is to join me in claiming God’s promise in Ephesians 3:20: that you will develop a burden for his people so that He can share with you the dream that He has for your life.

Marlon

One Response to ' Dream Big '

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  1. Chris Hutcheson said,

    on May 21st, 2008 at 10:54 am

    Marlon, you are a true inspiration in my life. The words you wrote on dreams and how a few words from your mother gives you confidence, is true of you as well. You give me confidence that everything will be okay. I would follow you into battle any day, because I know the source of which you get your strength, Jesus Christ! Thanks for being a light, a beacon for which we all can follow. I count you among the few men who inspire, challenges and makes me a better person. The community is so much better for you in it. Let me know where the next battle is and I will suit up.
    Your Brother in Christ, Chris

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