Interpreting Dreams
Before ‘living the dream’, discern God’s dream.
In this season of unrest, it's helpful to see conflict as a clash of dreams. Mediators and negotiators must be skillful at interpreting dreams in order to find compromise.
The Church's role is a bit different. Our unique contribution is to interpret and introduce God's dream. How can we know God's dream? We study Jesus. Jesus is the clearest image of God we have ever been given. His dream for every situation will include words like 'love', 'dignity', 'forgiveness', 'self-denial', and 'peace-making'.
Once we discern God's dream for a situation, we can look for ways to introduce it. God's will in God's way. That's life with God together for the world.
Three Holy Habits
Tune in, enter in, and join in. Three habits for spiritual formation.
The life of a Jesus follower can be difficult and demanding, but it’s not so hard to describe. Consider these three holy habits—called holy because they define a life that is set apart to God: Tune in, Enter in, and Join in.
Tune in — Concentrate
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Proclaim the greatness of the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together! The Lord has done great things for us. We are glad.”
The world distracts and our hearts are prone to wander. In the busyness of life, we need to develop a habit of seeing—focusing our attention on God who is sovereign over us and over all things. We grow in our awareness that we live life before God’s face.
Enter in — Immigrate
God is inviting us in. “Enter my kingdom!” “Become part of my family!” In God’s kingdom, all things are made new. We’re given a new identity and we are made part of a new culture. Over a lifetime, we need to figure out what that means. And then adapt. We should live with an ever-fading accent. God’s kingdom is becoming more normal, less foreign in our lives.
Join in — Participate
As we grow into our new identity and culture, we are to become participants in Kingdom activity. We learn to see what God is doing to love and pursue others, then join in as his ambassadors. God’s work of redemption and restoration must become our work too, by his grace and through the power of the Spirit.
Surprise Ending
If you are embarking on a journey, it’s wise to first know your destination.
The life of a Jesus follower is described as a journey.
Journeys have destinations. What is ours?
Common answers: Heaven or Christ-likeness.
Better answer: Intimacy with God.
- love
- Holy Spirit
- humility
- church
- politics & society
- mission & witness
- holiness
- parable & metaphor
- identity
- eternal life
- doubt & deconstruction
- leadership
- grace
- justice
- scripture
- spiritual life
- advent & christmas
- poverty & compassion
- imagination & creativity
- technology & ai
- knowing God
- human dignity
- faith & trust
- incarnation & cross
- kingdom of God
- community
- reconciliation
- spiritual formation
- epistemology
- prayer
- gratitude
- culture
- creation & nature
- discipleship