FROM: Banbury, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
ABOUT ME: Living the highs and lows of life in the adventurous pursuit of God Himself and of who I'm meant to be as the Bride of Christ.
(View complete profile)
Monday, February 02, 2009,7:22 p.m.
DREAMS
I have been noticing that I'm behind on blogging something new, and just this weekend started to anticipate getting my butt lovingly kicked by one of the friends who happens to drop by regularly. That came from Lisa, whose tender butt-kicking came all the way from Aus!! Nice. So tonight I am blogging. (And standing up.) :)
What to blog? What has been happening at Casa Baker in the last couple of weeks?
Well, I have been asking the Lord for many months now to give me dreams again. A few years ago He fairly regularly gave me dreams at night. Then for far too long I was without these God-experiences, and missed them. I was beginning to wonder if I would ever receive another dream when all of a sudden I dreamed 5 nights out of 7! People always ask, at this point in the story, what I dreamed about. I'm not so sure that these dreams started out as particularly prophetic - perhaps I've been more like Jeremiah and God has put me in training. Getting back in shape to lie down and sleep (my kind of getting in shape....). In the first dream, a close friend of mine died (which I apparently didn't know and was hearing about two months after the fact - and no, I never told him about the dream. Perhaps I will when I've dreamed that he was raised from the dead!). In the second I was in Africa in missions having lunch with a pastor from UK. In the third I was with a Mexico missions team (RCA readers, it's time to note that all our missions endeavors at the school are following me into my dreams!) at a concert where they played "Toss the Feathers" - the same Celtic reel that is played (and that I've played many times) at the start of "The Joy of the Lord". (It is interesting to note that in that dream at that concert, I tried to call this same friend who died in the first dream, since he's a big fan of the tune, but I couldn't get hold of him. Coincidence?)
In the last dream I had, however, I dreamed I was giving a car ride to a former student of mine. She graduated a number of years ago now, and since I see her rarely it was rather random (as dreams generally are). But at the end of the dream I felt distinctly that the Lord was telling me something that I needed to tell her.
Cool. And also a little scary.
I believe in the Lord's voice. I believe that He can and has spoken through dreams, even to me. I even believe in Joel 2 that promises that God will pour out dreams upon us. But to be told to go and tell someone a message from God when you haven't seen much of her in years is a little ..... risky. Risky of what? Well, pride, probably, if I'm to be honest.
You're probably wondering if I did what I was told. The answer is yes. I love having the dreams again. I want to be faithful with whatever message the Lord allows me the privilege of carrying because I want more. I want to hear His voice all the time. I want to dream of His beauty and I want somehow to be focused on Him and His voice and beauty even in my sleep. I think the key is to be ready, but also to be searching. Fixing our eyes on Jesus. Looking for every opportunity to see Him, hear Him, obey Him, and be Him to someone else.
I don't know that it's always about drive - drive to DO all the things that He asks of us. Yes, we are supposed to live the life and walk the walk. No question there, no argument from me. But I also think that at times we need to hear the soft voice of the Lord leading us to where we are supposed to be, to know that He is choosing what path and what obedience that in that moment we are to take. I really want to - every moment - be seeking Him and straining to hear His voice. When I hear it I no longer wonder what it is that I should do in that moment. His voice is in the scriptures, and He tells us over and over what pleases His heart. But He is not a silent God; He will also speak to us now, in this day and age, and guide us to the left or the right.
May we have ears to listen and hearts to dream.
As an added little thing - this has nothing to do with anything except that just after posting the above I saw it on Xander's blog. And I thought it was hilarious - enjoy!!
What to blog? What has been happening at Casa Baker in the last couple of weeks?
Well, I have been asking the Lord for many months now to give me dreams again. A few years ago He fairly regularly gave me dreams at night. Then for far too long I was without these God-experiences, and missed them. I was beginning to wonder if I would ever receive another dream when all of a sudden I dreamed 5 nights out of 7! People always ask, at this point in the story, what I dreamed about. I'm not so sure that these dreams started out as particularly prophetic - perhaps I've been more like Jeremiah and God has put me in training. Getting back in shape to lie down and sleep (my kind of getting in shape....). In the first dream, a close friend of mine died (which I apparently didn't know and was hearing about two months after the fact - and no, I never told him about the dream. Perhaps I will when I've dreamed that he was raised from the dead!). In the second I was in Africa in missions having lunch with a pastor from UK. In the third I was with a Mexico missions team (RCA readers, it's time to note that all our missions endeavors at the school are following me into my dreams!) at a concert where they played "Toss the Feathers" - the same Celtic reel that is played (and that I've played many times) at the start of "The Joy of the Lord". (It is interesting to note that in that dream at that concert, I tried to call this same friend who died in the first dream, since he's a big fan of the tune, but I couldn't get hold of him. Coincidence?)
In the last dream I had, however, I dreamed I was giving a car ride to a former student of mine. She graduated a number of years ago now, and since I see her rarely it was rather random (as dreams generally are). But at the end of the dream I felt distinctly that the Lord was telling me something that I needed to tell her.
Cool. And also a little scary.
I believe in the Lord's voice. I believe that He can and has spoken through dreams, even to me. I even believe in Joel 2 that promises that God will pour out dreams upon us. But to be told to go and tell someone a message from God when you haven't seen much of her in years is a little ..... risky. Risky of what? Well, pride, probably, if I'm to be honest.
You're probably wondering if I did what I was told. The answer is yes. I love having the dreams again. I want to be faithful with whatever message the Lord allows me the privilege of carrying because I want more. I want to hear His voice all the time. I want to dream of His beauty and I want somehow to be focused on Him and His voice and beauty even in my sleep. I think the key is to be ready, but also to be searching. Fixing our eyes on Jesus. Looking for every opportunity to see Him, hear Him, obey Him, and be Him to someone else.
I don't know that it's always about drive - drive to DO all the things that He asks of us. Yes, we are supposed to live the life and walk the walk. No question there, no argument from me. But I also think that at times we need to hear the soft voice of the Lord leading us to where we are supposed to be, to know that He is choosing what path and what obedience that in that moment we are to take. I really want to - every moment - be seeking Him and straining to hear His voice. When I hear it I no longer wonder what it is that I should do in that moment. His voice is in the scriptures, and He tells us over and over what pleases His heart. But He is not a silent God; He will also speak to us now, in this day and age, and guide us to the left or the right.
May we have ears to listen and hearts to dream.
As an added little thing - this has nothing to do with anything except that just after posting the above I saw it on Xander's blog. And I thought it was hilarious - enjoy!!
