You Do the Dreaming....Let God be Your Guide (Double Bonus GUMY Week)

 

 

“We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.”

Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”

Genesis 40:8

 

 

What is your dream?

 

Do you dream of being a professional athlete?

Do you dream of writing a novel or of winning an Oscar for acting?

Do you dream of going to college - of falling in love?

 

What is your dream?

 

Regardless of your age or level of maturity - you have a dream buried deep within your soul; one that pokes at the corners of your life and seeks to be fulfilled.

 

So, what are you doing about it?

 

Are you working toward fulfilling your dream: practicing daily your sport of choice, taking writing or acting classes, studying in school, identifying the qualities of a Christian partner?

 

Or are you just wishing after the dream...hoping that it may come true but not actively pursuing your dream?

 

The fulfillment of a dream takes bits of both points of view.

You must dedicate yourself to the hard work needed to drive toward your dream.

But, you also need to have hope - and not put pressure on yourself to barrel ahead toward your dream  - steamrolling everything and everyone in your path.

 

Dreams are a blessing from God.

They are a gift that can help guide us down the path He has destined for us to follow.

But they aren't a one-time deal: "Here's your dream - now go figure out how to make it come true."

 

Often, the dream God plants in you as a small child or a young adult start as a seed - an inkling toward what God plans for you. Those seeds act as a catalyst to move you in a direction. But, before you listen to the seeds - you must first seek God's direction on where the next seeds have been planted - and where your path is headed.

 

We must confirm our dreams - and the path they are leading us down - with the giver of dreams.

 

We all have dreams. Do not interpretations belong to God?

 

You have a dream - what is it?

Share it with God.

Allow Him to guide you down the path to what the fulfillment of that dream is.

 

The end of the road for the dream you have today is greater than even your wildest imagination can create. ...

 

You just have to let God interpret the meaning of your dream.

 

Scripture

Psalm 106:1-5

 

Quote

Occasionally in life there are those moments of unutterable fulfillment which cannot be completely explained by those symbols called words. Their meanings can only be articulated by the inaudible language of the heart.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

GUMY SUMMER CHALLENGE

DOUBLE BONUS CLUES

 

hey gang - so this week is a double bonus since we missed last week...

 

There are TWO clues for this week's prize...which means you will need to give me BOTH on Sunday and keep track of BOTH for the final challenge.

 

Best Wishes, Courtney

 

Clue #1(click on this link): What is MLK's dream for how his children what his children will be judged in the future? by their....what?

 

 

Clue #2: Mother Teresa's final quote in this clip says that we should not be disheartened by failure as long as we have....what?http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Mother+Teresa+Quotes&view=detail&mid=6226EBA3CAEF21F7C9446226EBA3CAEF21F7C944&first=0&FORM=NVPFVR

Invitation in the Hands

See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands

Isaiah 49:16

Our hands are amazing tools.

They can hold a hammer to pound nails. They can fly across a keyboard and type a novel. They can lift their fingers to a shoulder and offer unspoken comfort. We use our hands for nearly every activity in life.

Hands can create masterpieces, show love, offer nourishment and play games.

But one set of hands offered salvation.

When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals
Luke 22:33

Jesus gave his life; allowed himself to have nails driven into the palms of his hands so that we might be released from the burden of sin. With each pounding of the nails your name, my name, all of our names, written in the palms of his hands, were washed clean by the saving grace of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.

Our names are engraved on the palms of the LORD's hands. And with the nail scarred hand, Jesus reaches out to each of us and offers us a relationship of reconciliation with God the Father. Our invitation is engraved by a nail on his hands.

"I asked Jesus how much he loved me, and he said, "This much..." and he opened his arms wide as they nailed him to the cross..."

Jesus offers you an engraved invitation to spend your life with him. All you need to do is reach out your hand to his and accept the invitation of salvation.

Scripture
Isaiah 49:15-17

Quote of the Day
God loves us the way we are but too much to leave us that way.
Leighton Ford

Question of the Day

How are you going to use your hands today?



Safety in the Fortress

Long ago, fortresses were built to protect rulers from enemy attacks. The key to a good fortress was the ability to see your enemy coming for miles away so that you could prepare a strategy for attack. The fortress itself would often be designed to withstand hundreds of warriors, cannons, slings, arrows, even fire. Fortresses were designed to make the inhabitants feel safe and secure.

The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

(Psalm 46:7)

God gives us a place of safety and security. He is our protector from the enemy.

When we truly reside in God's presence, we have time to prepare for the inevitable attacks from the world and from our own sinful nature. In His presence we learn how to make better choices so that we are able to fend off the slings and arrows thrown at us.

God is our mighty fortress. He protects us from all sides and keeps watch for us so that we might rest.

In His loving embrace, we fear no evil for God will always protect us.

He is the lone impenetrable fortress and in Him we find peace.

Scripture

Psalm 46:1-7

Quote of the Day

Prayer is a strong wall and fortress of the church; it is a goodly Chrisitan weapon

Martin Luther

Question of the Day

Just like Superman, where would you build your fortress of solitude to be with God?

 

Don't forget GUMY 5th Sunday Fun for GUMY JR/SR's

If you are planning on going to RULE 3 RSVP By Friday, October 28th...that is this Friday :)



God is...

 

God is grace. God is love. God is justice. God is peace. God is hope. God is joy. God is...

 

God is FORGIVENESS.

One of the greatest attributes God has is His willingness to forgive us when we go astray.

Each day we make mistakes: big mistakes and little mistakes. We sin against God and we sin against the people in our lives.

We could wallow in that sin and allow the guilt to overtake us as individuals - - many people have - - but instead we know that we can go to God and seek out forgiveness, and we can be confident in knowing that He will give it.

God is willing to grant us the freedom from our sins - to give us the forgiveness we need - we just need to go to Him and ask for it.

Being forgiven allows us to be open to the love God has for us. Forgiveness gives us the room in our soul to allow God's joy to seep into our being and it grants us the peace we need to live each day with hope for tomorrow. Forgiveness from God gives us a desire to see the rest of the world treated with justice and mercy; and to give grace to those who maybe do not deserve but who need it.

Forgiveness frees us from the bonds that Satan puts on us and allows us to look toward God free from the mistakes of our past.

Forgiveness is a mighty gift from God.

What sin are you holding on to from which God can release you?

He will set you free.

Scripture

Psalm 130

 

Quote of the Day

“At the moment at which I admitted my sin and asked for God's forgiveness, He gave me the deepest level of understanding of mercy that I could ever have imagined.” Penny Bragg

Question of the Day

How does knowing God will forgive you make you feel?