6 Cycles of Family Cultivating the Dream

6 Cycles of Family 

Cultivating the Dream

There is a prophetic dream, desire in all of us

which will take a life time to discern and fulfill

I remember my childhood dream.

I knew God loved me.

As a boy I heard a missionary preach

about the Great Commission…

 I knew God was calling me.

 I went to the altar and in a small prayer

room I knew I was to change the world.

 

I was certain that night I was called to Africa,

 maybe because I was a big animal lover and my

Hollywood hero was Johnny Weissmuller, the greatest Tarzan.

As an adult, after receiving the Baptism in the Holy Spirit,

 I dreamed of taking the Gospel, with power, to the whole world.

In 1979, I went to Africa to fulfill the dream.

And my dream was shattered!

I realized I was called but my understanding

of the dream needed to be adjusted.

Through the years, I found out I was a pastor.

In those days, Pastors came from seminaries.

I came from a broken home, unable to read

when I graduated from high school.

I did not aspire to be a local pastor,

I understood the dream to be to the world.

For 30 years, I lived the dream as a pastor.

When the season of full time Pastor

came to an end, my dream was shattered!

But my dream that God loves me and He

has a call for me is now bigger than ever.

God has shown me the congregation He

has given me no longer has four walls.

My church is not limited to a street address.

I remember God saying to me for 30 years

you preach the message of Kingdom living,

now demonstrate how it works.

My dream is still big.

 In fact, as I see it now I will need to live to the age

of at least 120 to fulfill the dreams in my heart.

It is the dreams that keep us alive.

Every child is born with dreams from God.

Psalms 37 so wonderfully encourages us to dream.

It says… “Delight yourself in the Lord

and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Dreams are desires.

For the one who delights in the Lord two things happen…

One God gives us the desires, dreams of our heart.

But maybe the greater truth is the Lord

places those desires or dream in our heart.

There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.

That means those who dream God loves them

will always find encouragement from God.

I have to say the times I have found discouragement

in my life were the times I did not see the dream clearly.

Seeing the dream clearly and living

it fully takes trust in the Lord.

As parents, encourage your children that God

loves them and has a purpose, future, hope for them.

Always encourage them to follow that dream

even when their understanding of the dream

does not seem to be working out as they thought.

The steps of a good person are ordered by the Lord.

Psalm 37:23

So don’t let your children worry when

darkness seems to hide the dream.

Encourage them to keep dreaming of the

Lord’s love for them and every step of the

journey gives us a better understanding.

All of us have misconceptions of God and our call.

 So expect the Lord to take you places that

reveal them so you can know the truth.

From time to time ask your children what is their dream.

Help them through wise council

and prayer to keep the dream alive.

 “Trust in the Lord and do good;

dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

Delight yourself in the Lord

and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

  

 Do this and the Lord will bring reality

to even the impossible dream.

Keep the dream alive.

There are 6 cycles for a family to navigate 

“Cycles of family life”

The marriage

Bearing children

Raising children

The empty nest / launching new family

The declining years

Death in the marriage

Family cycles should be a great experience for the whole family

Scripture Reading

Psalm 37:3-7 NIV

3 Trust in the Lord and do good;

dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

4 Delight yourself in the Lord

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him and he will do this:

6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,

the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;

do not fret when men succeed in their ways,

when they carry out their wicked schemes.