Friday, January 9, 2009

Friday Challenge

Hello and welcome!

On Tuesday I blogged about watching the movie Mama Mia last Saturday night. As I was watching the movie I couldn’t help but be lifted up by the music, dancing and dreaming in this movie. This movie started a conversation between God and me.

Is there a period in our lives that it is okay to dream and then one day its not okay?

Do you have a dream, a cherished desire? Is there something you have always wanted to do? Something you have only kept hidden in your heart?

Do you have a dream…

to be married

to have children

to travel

to own your own business

to own 365 pairs of shoes, a pair for each day of the year (I had to fit this in! )

to become a pilot

to go to college

to start a ministry

to plant a church

to run a marathon

to restore an old car

to be healed

to meet someone

to restore a relationship

to adopt


Where does your dream come from? Your heart?

Who planted it there?


Friday Challenge

Dream Big

Climb up on His lap
Bring the big Book
Talk with Him
Share with Him
Dream with Him


May we Dream Big with Him!


My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.
God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Glory to God in the church! Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus! Glory down all the generations! Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!
Ephesians 3:19-21 (The Message)

11 comments:

Edie said...

This is a great encouragement Nichole. God began showing this to me over the last couple of years and now I'm in the midst of living it out.

He is able to do exceedingly, abundently, more than we can ask or imagine.

Sue J. said...

Love this passage--we just studied this at church and presented it in worship with our kids! First time I've read the Message paraphrase and it does resonate in a different way.

Why should dreaming be out of the realm of God's plan for us?! We've all heard too much fairy tale talk, perhaps, but we should revisit this with our Lord. He already knows what we're mulling over (and burying!) and mulling over (and stuffing back within ourselves!).

Where did the dream come from indeed? Who makes us sleep and wakes us up again!?

Thanks, Nichole!

The Patterson 5 said...

Nothing is impossible with God even beyond our wildest dreams! May I not miss out on a single blessing! Thanks for this inspirational challenge today! You said it was going to be big!

Kimberly said...

I had never read that passage from the Message. How beautiful!

This is a great challenge, Nichole. I have been asking Him to give me a vision for my future, to help me to dream big God-sized dreams. I need to quit looking at how small I am and realize that all that matters is how big He is!

Blessings to you as you dream big with Him, too!
Love,
K

nomore said...

thanks for visiting my blog & the great words of encouragement! I love meeting new bloggy friends!

I saw Mama Mia with a bunch of girlfriends! What a crazy, fun chic flick that was!!

I do have a dream!!! You are welcome to browse my diary (aka - blog)under the catagory of: Desires of my heart, you'll find some dear to my heart.

I also have a fun post I wrote when I fisrt started blogging called : "I don't wanna grow up!" it's dated in my Oct 2008 posts! this post goes along with the 'dream' thing too!

wow.... are those all your shoes in your blog 'header'? FUN!!! & LOL!!!

nice meeting you in bloggy world... hope to stay in touch:O)

blessings In Him, Deanna

Joyful said...

God has planted dream seeds in my heart. Seeds that are meant to produce His crop. This post goes hand-in-hand with my Pastor's new series of messages, "Live BIG".

I have a plaque on the wall in my home that reads, "DREAM IT, BELIEVE IT, LIVE IT".

Following this challenge one planting at a time,
Joy

Kristen said...

I think so many of us are just afraid to ask! He wants us to! And in doing so... our dreams will be realized and we will also learn to love the dreams He has dreamed for us even they happen to be different! He can do so much... so yes, climb up on His lap and ask!

Nichole... I also have to add, that everytime I log onto your blog and see you and all those shoes... I smile! And yes... 365 pairs of shoes... ah... I love it!

Sharon said...

We can never dream bigger than the dream giver.
Thanks for this post.
Blessings

Joy Junktion said...

Thank you for reminding us and challenging us to continue to dream. Sometimes when you become a little more 'mature' you forget to dream espcially when so many of those dreams have been dashed.

Also, thank you for your prayers regarding my husband's job and insurance situation. It is a difficult time but our God reigns and His direction is what we seek.

You are a blessing,
Cindy

Tea with Tiffany said...

Beautiful to dream with God. I've given up mine recently because I believe God wants to birth in me HIS. So far, I feel lost without it. But I trust He will breathe in my heart a new one in His time. So I wait.

PS Loved that movie and the music. I sang along. Got teary eyed even. Other than a couple scenes I wish my daughter didn't have to close her eyes too, I loved Momma Mia.

elaine @ peace for the journey said...

Big dreams. Big God. I'm landing them in the only lap that matters!

peace~elaine