Leadership Thought: Are You a Dreamer Too?

Dear Friends,

A couple years ago I had the opportunity to read the Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson. It is a wonderful little book about a man called Ordinary who dares to pursue his dream, and in the process discovers that there are a lot of obstacles involved in reaching that dream. It is a wonderful read (you can read it in a couple of hours), and I would enthusiastically recommend it to all of you.

All of this made me think of the story of the little 10-year-old boy who was selling pencils door to door in his neighborhood. When an interested adult at one house asked him the reason, he was selling the pencils, he replied, “I want to raise six million dollars to build a new hospital for the city.” Amazed, the inquiring adult exclaimed, “That’s a mighty big job for just one little boy, isn’t it?” “No,” the little boy with big dreams responded, “I have a friend who is helping me.”

I love  hanging around positive people like that little boy,  people with big dreams. I believe the world needs more of these kind of people. It needs the kind of people who are not afraid to risk, dream, and dare to tackle great challenges. That is how progress is made and history has been changed.

It was just 300 who were left from Gideon’s original army, that defeated the Midianites, and it was just 120 faithful prayer warriors in that Upper Room who after having received the promised Holy Spirit, ventured out boldly to win their world for Christ. And it was just Jonathan, with one or his armor bearers, who routed the whole Philistine army, because he knew that “Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or few” (1 Samuel 12:14).

God has never been concerned with great numbers to accomplish His will and purpose. The world needs dreamers who desire to do great things for God, and who are unconcerned about the odds because they know that one with God is a majority.

The late famous pastor, Robert Schuller, built the magnificent Crystal Cathedral on a dream. Whatever you might think of Schuller and his theology, one can not dispute the fact that most of what he accomplished for Christ was the result of his willingness to dream big dreams.

He writes, “My dreams had all come true and when the dream comes true it dies. It no longer sustains and feeds you. I have since written this prayer. ‘O God, let me die with my best dream left unfulfilled.’ It’s a profound prayer, for if I live to see all my dreams come true, I will have died before I died “ (Renew Your Life! Catch a New Dream, Robert Schuller, p. 6).

Whether at home or work, in the church, on the mission field or on the athletic field, dare to dream and dream big, for dreamers are the stuff from which success is made, and the foundation on which progress is achieved. And you know it ain’t half bad when people call you a “dreamer” for I know another dreamer. His name was Joseph, and his brothers called him a dreamer, and he didn’t do too bad for himself and his God.

Dream big dreams and make it a great weekend.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom