Saturday, August 30, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
Welcome Dreamers
Well, after a long summer, it is time to start writing, reading, thinking, creating, praying, singing, laughing, crying, and dreaming again. I did all of that during the summer, but at level 3 1/2. I have four days until classes, and I'm at about level 7. Hopefully by mid-semester I'll be at level 10.
Speaking of levels, my dreams reached a higher level of creativity and prophesy over the summer, hence the name of my new blog Rêveur des Rêveurs. For those of you who are French impaired, that means Dreamer of Dreamers. Truth is, I've always been a dreamer. As a child I had vivid dreams, most of them beautiful, but some were quite scary. As a teenager, my dreams lingered from night into day. My best dreams happened on school busses and toilet seats. Now, my dreams exist in both the spiritual and natural world. That is to say, I have been blessed by God to see many of my dreams come true.
Since being at Seminary, I look at everything theologically. What that means is that I look for the Scriptural witness to help me to understand or approach any given thing. Dr. Boesel (and other theologians) would call it God Talk and the God Talk done by most theologians is based on either Scripture, Tradition, Reason, or Experience. My primary method of interpretation (hermeneutic is the high tuition word to insert here) is based on Scripture. Occasionally I will use Experience and Tradition. I don't often use Reason, mostly because I have seen God work in ways that defy human reason. Reason would have you believe that there is no God. Faith stirring in my heart says, " yes, God is real, real in my soul..."
Back to dreaming. The Bible recounts many stories of God speaking words of comfort, chastening, and conviction through dreams. Prophetic dreams are a result of the action of God's Spirit. In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter, quoting the prophet Joel, says, "‘ And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,Your young men shall see visions,Your old men shall dream dreams.'" We learn from this passage (pericope is the high tuition word to insert here) that dreams that produce fruit in the Kingdom of God are a direct result of God's indwelling Spirit that He pours on His people. We also can see from the life of King Saul (as written in 1 Samuel 28) that when God's Spirit departed from him, Saul stopped hearing from the Lord in his dreams. Joseph's vivd dreams made him despised in his family, but ultimately was their saving grace during the time of famine. Daniel freed himself from defilement and distraction and heard a word from the Lord for King Nebuchannezer. From Abimilech in Genesis to Solomon in 1 Kings and Joseph in Matthew, God has been speaking to His people (through dreams) when they are at rest.
That is an interesting concept to me, one that speaks to my character in so many ways. I find myself with something to do at all times. I am busy beyond belief. Even now my to-do list extends beyond one page in my planner. It isn't even the first week of school and I already have four jobs. Plus, I have personal projects that I'd like to get done. Like I said, I am busy. Thankfully, God speaks to me in the most profound ways when I am at complete rest–slowed down to complete stillness of heart, mind and body. It makes me wonder... Is God speaking to me all the time, but my hearing is dulled by my busyness? Does God wait until He knows He will have my undivided attention to speak to me? Don't get me wrong, I hear gentle whispers from God throughout the day, but the deep, powerful, life-changing visions come only when I am at rest.
I invite you to get into this new blog. Dream with me. Day, night, imagined, or real...just dream. I also invite you to think about when you receive the most powerful words/images from the Lord? If you, like myself, find your dream antennae and spiritual senses dulled by the busyness, I challenge you to get quiet and still before the Lord to hear a word while your eyes are wide open.
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