Dream again, Believe again

Yesterday we sang a song, and 4 words seemed to stand out from the rest. “Dream again, Believe again”. Ten years ago, I wrote about “My Dream” and recently included it in my blog. But I am aware that I need to keep dreaming. Yesterdays’s dream is not adequate for today. As we sang that song, I felt that God was saying to me that it was time to dream again.

Dream Again

I dream about mankind being restored to the people we were meant to be; people created in the image of God. I dream about an end to poverty, an end to disease and especially an end to the injustice which I see all around me. That dream pervades everything.

• If I write about Capitalism, I must see a world ruled by love, and not by greed, selfishness and fear.

• As I write about modern slavery, I must be angry at the unjust ways that the human society treats its own members.

• In writing about disease, I can be encouraged by the efforts of scientists working to eliminate some diseases, but indignant that the health of Africans is a lower priority than Americans or Europeans.

Professional dreamer?

I don’t want to become a professional dreamer. I have some experience of the world. I have read so many books. My mind is buzzing with the theory of compassion and justice. But the danger is that I write about yesterdays dream, and though the words may be true, passion will be missing.

I’m asking you to dream again

I believe that God is asking me to dream again. It is my responsibility to do the dreaming. I must not wait passively for a dream to just ‘arrive’. But this is not just for me! You, my readers, are also included. Will you determine with me, to dream again?

Believe again

Dreaming without believing is just a nightmare! The other night I had a very confusing dream about being lost in London. But I woke up and knew it was just a silly dream, I didn’t believe it at all. If we dream of a better world, we had better believe it!

There is a lot of difference between mental assent and really believing. We can so easily say that we believe something, but a voice within says “Oh yeah”. Dreaming and Believing go hand in hand.

In the last few years some of my theology has been turned up-side down. Some things that I believed in my head were challenged. Beliefs I had held since a child were not compatible with my conviction as to the goodness of God. For example:

• I no longer believe that God would subject an unbeliever to everlasting torment in Hell.

• I no longer believe that things are going to get worse and worse and that all God could do would be to destroy the world.

My dreams for a better world could be regarded as unrealistic, and utopian. But combined with the right beliefs, those dreams can be true and in accordance with God’s plan for mankind. If we are to dream of changing the world, we had better believe that God wants that too!

Beliefs to base our dreams on

• God is good, and wants the best for every woman, man and child.

• God’s plan is to save the whole world and restore mankind to what we were meant to be.

• God created us in his image. The potential is enormous.

• The kingdom of God, initiated be Jesus Christ, is in the process of growing from a seed to a mighty tree. It may have a long way yet to grow, but we can be a part of it now.

With these beliefs firmly in our minds and in our hearts, there is no limit to what we are going to dream, and see in reality in the future.

No Limits, No boundaries.

On Sunday morning, Derek Brown talked about this song, by Israel & New Breed,  and said so much more than I have written here. The complete song goes like this:

I’m not a man, I cannot lie.
I know the plans for your life,
I’m asking you to dream again, believe again
and take the limits off of me.

No I’m not a man, I cannot lie.
I know the plans I have for you
they’re my design,
so I’m asking you just to hope again and trust again
and take the limits off of me.

All I’m asking is take the limits off,
take the limits off,
release me to accomplish what I promised you,
take the limits off me,
take the limits off,
release me, release me

No limits, no boundaries.
I see increase, all around me,
stretch forth, break forth
release me, enlarge my territory.

Take the limits off
take the limits off
release me release me.