You may say I’m a dreamer, well I’m not the only one… -Imagine, John Lennon
Yes. We did it again. Packed our bags and invaded strangers’
(now dear friends) homes. Only this time we were in America and the toilet
paper goes in the toilet. And the water is potable.
The GPS sought Gainesville, GA, while Donald Miller read A
Million Miles in a Thousand Years over the car stereo. Audio books seem to be
a road trip tradition for April and
me. However, this book’s beginning was somewhat delayed by our own storytelling
and bouts of laughter… We were headed to Project Searchlight, a conference
for those who participated in missions with AIM, specifically the World Race. A
time to take what we’ve learned this past year, experiences we had, injustices
we witnessed, hearts that were broken for the lost and hurting, and develop a
dream that God is awakening within us. We then take that dream and work towards
making it a reality.
Awaiting the results for the Squad Dance Off
Going into it, I considered Project Searchlight to be little
more than a squad reunion and a chance to hear from a few good speakers.
I stand corrected.
PSL took me from a place of “huh?” to “uh huh,
that’s right.” And what I mean is I went from having a floating bubble of
random ideas and no clue what to do with them to casting a vision for myself
and my future (both immediate and distant) and formulating it into something
tangible, some kind of starting place.
There is a little group within
Adventures in Missions called “Kingdom Dreams.” This band of dream catchers exists to help
people discover, grasp,
build, and execute their own kingdom dreams- a calling or vision God placed in your
life that’s for the kingdom, as big as the kingdom, that brings the kingdom.
God-sized dreaming, folks.
Through anointed speakers (guest and in-house), community
worship, networking, coaching, an opportunities fair and even “speed
dreaming,” alumni racers like myself were able to, on some scale, develop
their kingdom dreams. Whether it was publicly speaking out a dream for the
first time, booking a plane ticket to Thailand, or anything in between, dreams birthed
realities.
Worship in the parking lot between PSL sessions
So here it is, my God-given kingdom dream, or at least what I’ve gotten
thus far…
The mandate: fill the earth with His glory
The action: Using my voice and my pen, I will speak
for the voiceless, I will raise awareness for those who don’t know, and I will
exercise my influence to call forth others into the dreams God has for them.
Write. Mobilize. Tell. Train.
The first step in this kingdom dream is an apprenticeship with
AIM. Beginning in March, I will be working in the marketing department as a copy
writer/social media/recruiter apprentice. This requires not only relocation to
Gainesville, but also a support-raised
salary. I hope to receive training and gain experience, as well as
live in intentional community. This won’t simply be practical job experience,
but spiritual growth and stretching, as well. I want to get people off the
couch, out of their cubicles, away from their smart phones and on the field.
Through this apprenticeship, I will play a part in mobilizing feet to move,
hands to heal and hearts to love. This will be the side of missions that few
people see, but an important role nonetheless.
Looking to this next chapter with anxious anticipation, I’m
excited to see where God takes me, how He uses me and how I’ll develop my
gifts, grow my faith and, ultimately, bring Him glory. He cleverly orchestrated
the happenings of the past few weeks and I can’t deny where He’s taking me
next.
My challenge to you, readers, is this: find your kingdom
dream.
Ask God to reveal it to you. Pray, pray, pray. Speak it out. Speak it unto
faith. If it seems to big, good. If it’s too much for you to handle, great.
This is God-sized dreaming, we’re not supposed to do it alone.
“You don’t find the will of God, you ARE the will of
God.” -Andrew Shearman
Gig Em World Race!
Aggies represent at PSL
P.S. To all you Racers out there- past, present, and future: I
strongly recommend you attend PSL. It’s worth your time, I promise. Plus, there’s
free food. Hello!
