Day 323 - Reoccurring Dreams

"He said he had the same dream twice where he was in front of a crowd in a theater on Broadway and had nothing to say. I added that the only way the dream could get worse was if he was in his underwear."

There I was, about ready to go on the stage and preach to our congregation. I was just getting out of the shower and my wife had come in the room to talk to me. Right behind her my kids came in and I was searching for my clothes but couldn't find them in the dresser drawers. Soon my parents are in the room and then others followed and I really should be out on the stage right now but I can't find my clothes. What would I do? I can't go out there with only a towel! 

Hopefully you have caught on that I am sharing one of my dreams (or nightmares depending on how you look at it). It is so interesting how the subconscious mind can draw on fears and frustrations while we are asleep. 

I have noticed that there are reoccurring places and scenarios that come up again and again in my dreams. It could be the mind going into auto-pilot. I am sure people who are smarter than me could explain this phenomenon. 

All that aside what we need to know is that things are on our minds that we need to address. We need to confront our fears. We have to deal with people. We must pray and fight spiritual warfare. Without these things we will add stress to our lives that will do more damage than addressing our issues. 

I can over think when it comes to addressing issues. I often prepare by running through scenarios in my mind. While I am praying my mind will wander from talking to God to having an imaginary conversation or meeting in my mind. 

Recently while doing this I stopped myself and submitted the whole thing to the Holy Spirit. I said to God that if the disciples should premeditated what they were going to say when they went before the counsels and leaders then neither should I. I also asked that the Holy Spirit would speak on my behalf when the time came. It totally worked. I didn't say some of the things I had dreamed up but what I did say was clear and effective. And I trust that apart from what I said what the Holy Spirit did was more effective anyway. 

If you are carrying worry or stress from the reoccurring daydreams or if it effects you in the night as well it is time to roll that off your back on to the Lord. He is strong enough to carry it. He will give you better dreams. They will be dreams of effectiveness, of reaching out in a greater way, of helping others and of being a blessing. One thing is for sure, you won't be standing in front of a crowd in your underwear. 

Have you had one of those stressful reoccurring dreams? What dreams has God given you?

Day 286 - Dreams I Don't Remember

"I had dreams of being in Japan at these buildings by a sea which is much like Mono lake."

I don't remember this dream. At all. The only reason it has any place is because I wrote it down. I do know what Mono Lake looks like. I have never been to Japan but I am sure I could draw a picture of what I think this dream would have looked like. 

Why am I saying all this?  Good question. Here is a question for you, are there dreams (and not the ones you have while you're asleep) that you have forgotten? 

We all have had desires and have imagined our life as successful or different than what we are living. The problem is that we forget and never get to the point of making those dreams a reality. 

So how do we do it? First of all on a practical level write it down. Give as much detail as you can. Thoughts, images, emotions, action plans and any other thing you can think to record get it down. 

Second you have to go back to it. If you write it down and never go back to it then it is just like you never wrote it down. Remember and rehearse what you dream is. Talk to others about it. Set goals and write those down to. Make reminders in a calendar or have someone keep you accountable to a time table. 

Finally just get going on your dream. Small steps toward your goal is still progress. Make an effort. Save money for it. Get what you need in supplies, information, resources or teams built. It won't be long before there is momentum and you are able to achieve your goals. 

No more forgotten dreams. Now it is time to live your dreams. 

Is there a dream that you forgot but in reading this post came back to you? Write it down and make an action plan. What do you need to know and do to achieve your dream? 

Day 284 - Keep On

"It should be out in the beginning of next year." 

I have a friend who works in the music industry who has been working on an album for years. Here we are a year after I wrote that statement and it isn't out yet. The process has been grueling but he hasn't given up. He has had every opportunity to. People have stolen from him. He has lost hours and money and time in the process. 

What makes the difference is his determination. Even though he could have quit he never did. He could have just sat down and cried and no one would have blamed him. Through it all he stayed determined. 

I believe because he pushed through and kept going that God opened doors for him that otherwise he would have never had open before. When his album releases he will have more sales and more momentum because of the delay. Isn't that just like God to turn something bad into something good? 

Keep on. If you have had delays to your dream don't stop. It could be that your set back is a set up for something good! 

What is the dream you have been working on? What delays have come and how are you handling them?

Day 122 - Stress Dreams

"I can tell the pressure is on me. I had a dream that it was the day before the event and swarms of volunteers were coming and we were setting up but the grass was all dead."

This is a pretty tame dream for me. I have had dreams that I just stepped out of the shower and was wearing only a towel and walked out on to the stage where I was to preach. Talk about a stressful dream! 

I have noticed that when the pressure is on I tend to have these types of dreams. I am not sure that there is a deeper meaning to be interpreted other than that no one likes being undressed in front of a crowd. I know for the dream I had last year I wanted everything just right for the event and my mind went to dead grass to express the concern and stress of the process leading to the event. 

The answer to all of this is prayer...and Bruce Lee.

Let me explain. The first year I did a Men's Conference at the church I wasn't able to sleep at all. I don't know which is worse, stressful dreams or not being able to sleep. You end up tired in the morning either way. Since I couldn't sleep I got up and went downstairs. My back was hurting. I brought the stress to the Lord and gave it to Him in prayer. I love that the Bible gives us permission to cast our cares on God. He can handle them when we can't. He knows them already and knows what He, or we, will do with the situation. 

After praying and casting my cares I got a massage pad on my chair to relax my back and watched a Bruce Lee martial arts movie. There is no cure for cares like prayer and a kicking karate movie. After releasing the cares and watching the bad guys get beat I slept like a baby. 

Okay, if you don't like movies maybe there is another stress relief you can use in the natural to partner with the spiritual stress relief. Exercise, journaling, music and art are all ways I release the stress of the day and get my focus off the stress and problems. 

Have you ever had a stress dream? What are some natural ways you relive stress?