Dreamland

Intro

What I love about being in kids ministry is hearing of the different dreams that kids have.

FUTURES DAY.

Honour Seth + Olivia.

My Dream as a Kid

When I was a kid my mum paid for me to do acting classes.

One day our acting teacher asked the class, “Why do you want to do acting?”

We went around the circle and kids were saying stuff like, “I want to be in Nickelodeon… I want to be a movie star… I’m just here because mum made me do it…”

When it came my turn I said, “I want to do acting because my dream is to become a pro wrestler in the WWE.”

I was never a fighter but I liked the idea of acting big and strong and seeming as though I could fight.

Because who knows when you’re at school, if you can just appear as though you can fight - nobody’s going to mess with you.

I knew that WWE drew in huge crowds to watch grown men pretend to hurt each other over some locker room beef.

Sandwhich humour.

So as long as I didn’t actually get hurt, I was in!

What held me back from really pursuing that dream were 2 things:

a) I was too nervous in front of audiences.

b) I was a terrible actor.

We had an annual show that we had to do and I had one line in the entire 2 hour play.

In class we had to reherse our lines. I was so nervous for my one line that I would pee my pants. Not enough that it would drip, but just enough that you could smell it.

Whenever someone would say, “Ewww who peed their pants?” I would always pin it on the kid next to me.

Eventually I put an end to that dream and moved onto the next.

———————————————————————————————————————————-

Teenage Dreams

As a 10-year old I went to my first ever live soccer game - ADL UNITED!

I was so immersed and captivated by the atmosphere that I decided I wanted to pursue a soccer career.

I joined a club and year after year I moved higher and higher levels of soccer. At age 14, I enetered a program that would help college coaches in the US scout me and offer me scolarships.

Around that same time, I ruptured my ACL and was told by doctors that the chances of me recovering and playing at a high level again post-surgery are slim - due to how my body was built.

STORY OF UNSUCCESFUL PRAYER.

BLESSING OF WAITING LIST.

MIRACLE.

SPAIN.

Now I’m a kids pastor…

Proverbs 16:9 (ESV)

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

———————————————————————————————————————————-

The Reality of Dreams

The dream of becoming a pro wrestler or pro soccer player may be in the grave, but the one dream that’s never faded from my childhood until now is to one day have a relationship with my dad and see my dad find Jesus.

STORY OF MY DAD.

Joseph the Dreamer

One of the people I resonate with in the bible is Joseph.

He was a 17-year old who was given a literal God dream of becoming a ruler.

The reality is that our dreams will more than likely cause us pain, suffering and heartache.

Can a dream really exist without this?

More specifically, can a dream from God exist without this?

———————————————————————————————————————————-

Other Thoughts

Genesis 37:5

Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more.

Whenever there’s a dream, there’s opposition.

The enemy hates when you have a dream that you go after.

He’ll do everything in his power to stop it.

Through discouragment, heartache and difficulty.

Joseph didn’t just have a dream from God and do nothing with it…

He also spoke about it, which meant he believed in it!

Whatever God puts on your heart, get excited for it, believe in it, go after it, but also expect opposition.

My dreams of being used by God to impact people and to have a relationship with my dad faced massive opposition.

Joseph’s journey and include passages of God’s favour over him.

e.g., “Joseph then went through this… but Gen. ** tells us that God’s favour was on him.”

———————————————————————————————————————————-

Don’t give up your dream!

It doesn’t matter how difficult life gets, or how strong the opposition is that you face, or how far away your dream seems. If it’s a dream from God, if it’s His will and His purpose NOTHING CAN STOP IT!

I haven’t seen my breakthrough yet, but it doesn’t mean the story is over.

———————————————————————————————————————————-

God makes all things work together for good!

Joseph had no idea that the challenges he faced were actually what brought him closer to the fulfilment of his dream.

The enemy will try to discourage you through the challenges you face to make you quit.

But those very challenges is what God is using to help fulfil your dream.

Romans 8:28

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

We will experience things that make it feel like our dream is over.

But God says this is just part of the plan.

This scripture is the biggest checkmate to the enemy.

*GET A CHESS PIECE*

Joseph says to his brothers… what you intended for harm…

Three parts of the journey:

Given the Dream.

The Struggle of the Dream

The dream seems distant and unreachable.

Glimpses of fulfilment (God’s favour with him).

Human response (tell the Pharoah about me).

3. Dream Fulfilled.