Friday, July 6, 2012

Resources for Dreaming, & Dreaming About Dreaming.

Part 1: Resources for Dreaming

In preparation for the coming year I have been filing through the cabinets of my brain, the pages of many books, and the nooks and crannies of the interwebs. If you are serious about acting on what the Lord has put on your heart and would like some more wisdom and direction, or if you want to know what this whole fluffy dreaming thing is really about, here are a few things that have given me the necessary kick in the pants:

If you are the visually-inspired type, check out my Dreaming board on Pinterest. I encourage you to make your own! My Dreaming board just puts me in the right place to ruminate on possibilities and think outside the box.

Some great titles (most of these, with reviews and ratings, are on my Dreaming shelf on Goodreads):

 

A Million Mile in a Thousand Years // I've always loved Donald Miller and I can relate to the way he thinks and writes. Don shares his memoir of how he started to change his life after realizing his life was boring. This is a great starter, an easy read, hilarious, touching, and will prod you to get off the couch.

(all images from Google images - hopefully this doesn't defile my journalism degree)

Dreaming With God // This is probably the best book I've read through so far about what dreaming with God looks like. If you want to learn more about the creative wisdom of God, read this. Bill provides context through stories from his life and from the patriarchs of our faith. It's all about partnering with God and revealing who He is to the earth through every sphere of influence.


Dream Culture // This book is the idea that really catalyzed the process of dream coaching for me. Dream Culture is a great book with activation exercises and questions to get you thinking about what you were made to do. It's easy to follow and immensely practical. Eric and I helped lead a trip to Bethel Church in California this past spring break with UGA Wesley and we met with one of the authors (Andy). He went through a couple of simple exercises with us - critical thinking and inner healing - that really got me started with what I'll be doing this year.

  

Face to Face with God and When Heaven Invades Earth // Again by Bill Johnson (I really respect him, so naturally anything he writes is extremely credible and edifying to me), these are about how experiencing the Lord personally and partnering with His purposes flow together. Face to Face with God is about hungering for His presence; When Heaven Invades Earth is more about living out what we are called to. There are a lot of similar themes between these two. The people at Bethel really practice what they preach and I LOVE learning from their community's experiences and beliefs about the nature of God.

  

Always Enough and Compelled By Love // If there's anyone who knows what it means to know and fulfill the desires of God's heart, it's Heidi Baker. This woman is living the Great Commission through the outflow of the first commandment. Always Enough chronicles the Bakers' experience of loving the poor and how the Lord has always provided for them. Compelled By Love goes through what the Beatitudes have looked like on a daily basis in their lives.

Books I have yet to read but are next in line
(or just seem interesting enough to recommend)


     

The Creative Habit and  The War of Art and Bird by Bird // These are next on my books-to-buy list. They all deal with making art a discipline (TCH), overcoming creative blocks (TWoA), and for all you aspiring writers out there, offering wisdom on how to write with a specific step-by-step guide (BbB). If you are a creative who wants to intentionally invest in your gifts, I have heard different writers and teachers recommend these ones over and over.


 

Put Your Dream to the Test // I just ordered this book and it's probably the one I'm most excited to read. It's an aspect of dreaming that I've been hungry for - refining my dreams. The 10 questions are questions of: ownership, clarity, reality, passion, pathway, people, cost, tenacity, fulfillment, and significance. I bought this one because John seems to really combine theory with practice, which I'm a huge fan of because I need balance.


The Dream Giver // This one is written in the style of a parable - "Ordinary leaves the Land of the Familiar to pursue his Big Dream." I bought this one because it sounds like everyone's life (including mine).


Heavy Rain // Like Face to Face and When Heaven Invades, this is another Bethel book centered around the theme of awakening the world. I've only read a few excerpts from this one but I LOVE how Kris Vallotton thinks and teaches. Kris also talks about how renewing the mind of the church (i.e. our thoughts about eschatology) will change how we live out the Good News.


Fiction to inspire you


The Alchemist // This one has been a bestseller for a while now. It's not a Christian book but is definitely the classic tale of man going after his dream. I love reading secular fiction that reminds me of the truth that eternity is written on everyone's heart.

Honestly, you can read anything. Every book has the imprint of the dreamer within (especially the current dystopia trend in today's literature - they are all about dreaming for a better world).

Do you have any recommendations for that dreaming part of us (especially fiction)?

//

Part 2: In which I dream about dreaming...

(art by Katie Daisy - this quote is my current inspiration for dreaming; the Lord is haunting me with this beautiful question)

When Clay and I first met recently to discuss what this year will look like, he asked me some helpful questions. One was, "How does this [dream coaching] tie in vocationally for you?" I told him that, sadly, I am not confident about a whole lot of things, but I am confident about dreaming and helping people dream. I told him that I didn't know exactly how it figured into my life (and will never be able to say that about most things, because things change, and that's okay).

Last year I starting to invest in one of my first recognized dreams, which is to have a photography business. I've also recognized within my heart the desire to counsel others (it's half of what we do at Wesley through discipleship), and last year realized one of my mission statements for life: "To reveal the beauty of the Lord, to know the Lord and fulfill the desires of His heart --> to fulfill the desires of His heart through partnering with Him, dreaming with Him, and calling things forth from the hearts of His people." Needless to say I am a flipping advertisement for "look how I have learned so much about myself through Wesley!"

One of the struggles I've had in pursuing photography is a question I can't stop running into - "How is this significant? Is this worthy of Jesus? Is anything? Is this really where He wants me; can I really impact the world through this; is this really part of the Great Commission for me?" (Yes, I realize that's actually six questions, but honestly they are all the same to me.) I haven't been able to figure it out because I LOVE taking photos, editing them, and really getting to know and bless people with my gift (Rule 1: Always pay attention to what you love). At the same time, I know that I can't expect or put the pressure on any dream to fulfill my entire life calling (That's Rule 2: Beware of idolatry) because that is only JESUS' role.

So, tie in photography, dreaming, and counseling, and I thought... Well, what about dream coaching the couples I photograph? And then throw in writing and it's like... So why don't you blog about it?

So look. I figured out my whole life purpose. Guess I'm done now.

Okay, kidding, but you see my drift. It will never answer the question, "Is this worthy of Jesus?" because I can only answer that with my life. BUT, this newfound wisdom and insight does give me clarity and even more excitement about my life with Him.

So that's where I am. Dreaming about dreaming. I'm going off Dumbledore's quote - "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live." I will dream and I will live. Amen.

Signing off,
Autumn

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