Over three
decades ago, Robert Dale wrote a book entitled To Dream Again. Later he wrote its sequel, Keeping the Dream Alive. The books targeted churches facing a
plateaued and declining spiritual energy. The premise was a church did not have
to decline into ultimate death. It could make decisions, perhaps both costly
and painful, that would lead to renewed life and a strengthened focus upon its
primary mission. It revolved around remembering the initial dream of why it
existed and the possibility that dream could live again.
I am getting
older (big news there!). Within the next decade I will have become enrolled in
Medicare, moved from full time to part time employment, and hopefully moved
beyond a mortgage. During that same time I expect there will be health changes
among the family, perhaps even the loss of members of the older generation.
Though I will do what I can to slow my own aging process, stopping it is not
one of my priorities. Continuing to live out my dreams is.
I have
already taken that first step in daring to dream again. Sure, I have a bucket
list, and it contains far more than I would ever be able to accomplish even
given another 100 years. The list contains getting additional education
including learning to speak at least one foreign language fluently. I would
love to spend multiple weeks on archaeological digs and explore the prominent
sites of early American colonial history.
I want to
read the collected works of our nation’s founding fathers and the primary
writers during the Civil War. The presidency of Harry Truman fascinates me as
he dealt with issues of ending World War II and the conflict between civilian
and military power involving General Douglas McArthur. Reading only one
Shakespearean play since high school is a tragedy, and as everyone knows
reading The Lord of the Rings only
ten times is not nearly enough!
Dreams must
never be restricted to the fancy of children or to starry-eyed, young lovers.
We grow old, as one sage said, only when our regrets begin to outnumber our
dreams. Living under the control of the One who is true life will lessen our
regrets. (John 11:25-27) Living with his
promises as our foundation will keep our dreams alive. (Matthew 28:20; John 14:3,
15-18, 23)
Recently I
put my first literary contract in the mail, signed and dated. For many years I
have considered putting my dreams into a form that could be shared with others.
In 2014 it may actually happen. The size of the book and its expected total
readership will keep me humble. Pride is not on my bucket list. I can say,
however, I kept my dream alive.
People stop
living when they stop dreaming. This is not deeply philosophical. We dream of planting
flowers when spring arrives. We dream of picking that first ripe tomato of the
summer. We dream of the beauty of trees
aflame with color with the arrival of autumn. We dream of the wonder of a white
Christmas. Call it anticipation because it may be out of our personal control,
but such thoughts still give birth to dreams that make us feel alive.
Churches are
no different in this respect. Dr. Dale understood that churches grow older, but
they don’t have to die. Aging brings changes in a church, but death need not be
inevitable. Churches can dream again. Churches can return to the vibrancy of
their youth. They can return to the times when taking risks were to be eagerly
anticipated with faith in God instead of avoided as being “impractical”.
Each day is
a gold mine guaranteed to produce riches if we are willing to go into the mine
and put in the work, take the risks, and use the resources God has provided.
The surprise may be in that we do not find gold, but rather precious stones.
God allows us to dream and will work with us to fulfill the dreams that match
his own for us. There we find the true fulfillment, when we learn to dream the
dreams he has dreamed for us. (Jeremiah 29:11-13)
