HTTP://WWW.SISTASEMPOWEREDBYGODSWORD2009.NING.COMWhat's Your Dream?Do you have a dream? What is it that motivates you to do what you do?In 1867, D.L. Moody took a trip to England. During that trip, Moody sat in apark talking with an evangelist named Henry Varley. Varley looked at Moody andsaid, "The world has yet to see what God will do with and for and through and inand by the man who is fully consecrated to Him." Those words ignited a fire inMoody's soul. He went on to become one of the greatest evangelists and soulwinners in the history of the church.A young divinity student named Martin read the works of Mahatma Gandhi. He wasimpressed by Gandhi's commitment to non-violent social change, and with theresults his work wrought in colonial India. Martin Luther King took thatphilosophy of non-violence and incorporated it into his deeply held Christianconvictions of justice and equality. He became the driving force behind thegreatest cultural shift in the history of the United States.In the early 1900s, motivational author Orison Swett Marden said, "All men whohave achieved great things have been great dreamers."What's your dream?This past week, we honored the legacy of Dr. King, whose words and actionsembodied the aspirations of the American Civil Rights Movement. He was already aliving legend in April, 1968 when he was tragically gunned down in Memphis. Hisinfluence only increased in death as in a very real sense he became a martyr tothe cause of justice for African Americans. The words of his final speech tostriking Memphis sanitation workers became prophetic, as he said, "I may not getthere with you, but we as a people will get to the promised land." 24 hourslater, he was dead.Dr. King's famous "I Have A Dream" speech is undoubtedly one of the mosteffective and important addresses in our nation's history. It is unique in thatit is a deeply personal statement of a very public figure. If you read thecomplete text of the address, he begins by giving an overview of the problem -that the promise of freedom in the Emancipation Proclamation has not yet beenrealized by blacks in America. But King sounded a positive note, saying he wasconfident the situation could and would be changed. He urged his listeners tonot "wallow in the valley of despair" because despite the present difficulties,he still had a dream.Reading through the speech again today, I was struck by the personal passion ofthe man, and how his dream was the singular focus of his efforts, the passionthat motivated and drove him. I was compelled to ask myself, 'what is yourdream?' What is it that fuels my passion? What motivates me to do what I do? Andperhaps more importantly, are the things that I am doing helping to accomplishmy dreams? Am I, to paraphrase Thoreau, moving confidently in the direction ofmy dreams?On a recent Sunday at my home church, we heard the story of Marlon's dream. Inour community there is no park where special needs children can play. Severalyears earlier, Marlon became aware of the need, and he thought it would be niceif there was such a place in our town, but that's as far as it went. Then Godbrought a special needs child into Marlon's family, and what had been a niceidea suddenly became a passion, a dream, and a call to action. To date, Marlon'sefforts have resulted in close to one million dollars being raised to build thepark. Very soon his dream will become a reality, and a huge blessing for specialneeds children and their families in our area.It is still true today: God does great things through people who dream bigdreams. He wants to use you and me to impact our world, to right wrongs, tobring about great change, to bring people into His Kingdom. But first, we mustallow Him to instill in us a dream that sets our souls on fire.What's your dream?
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