Category Archives: Tour 1 – Summer 2011

Dec16

Who is the Dream Tour Team?

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I’m Teri.  The Dream Tour is my Kingdom Dream.

The dream involves two important components.  First, to head out on the road to inspire, equip, and challenge dreamers across the US.  Secondly, to take a team along and intentionally coach them in their personal Kingdom dreams.

I take a new team with me for each new leg of the tour (alumni are invited too.)  I hope to create a path for team members to experience God in incredible ways.  And to help them build networks, clarify dreams, define next steps and have a lot of fun while doing it.

Meet the teams who have gone so far…

                                                                Dream Tour #1 Summer 2011 – Leah, Emy, Ashley

We keep our core group small.  But, sometimes that number can grow for short periods of time.  We had 12 people on the Tour at one point this summer.  (See slideshow for more pics.)

And here is our crew from the Tour #2 Fall 2011.

Lisa, Teri, Lily, Rebecca

We meet hundreds of really, really cool people and find out about their dreams.  We work hard.  We get to see some of the most fabulous places.  We get to do some super fun stuff.  All the while, we find out just how faithful God really is.

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It’s time to gear up for Dream Tour #3 Winter 2012.

We’ll kick off from Gainesville, GA around the 10th of January for about 6 weeks.  We’ll focus on Florida and Texas and wherever else God leads.

I’m looking for a new team.  Here are the “requirements”:

  • Love God and others as we work through our brokenness
  • Expect God to show up in miraculous ways even when struggling with doubt
  • Be willing to live out of a backpack (See The Way We Roll)
  • Be willing to move around a lot
  • Be willing to pray, serve, and have a lot of fun

What do you get out of it?

  • An adventure
  • A deeper faith and relationship with God
  • Lots of new friends
  • Many stories to tell
  • To be coached in the next steps toward your personal dream

Sound interesting? 

Shoot me an email. Tell me about yourself.  Let me know your dreams.  We’ll talk and see what happens.  Who knows, you might be climbing into a van in January and going on an adventure!

Jul21

A Lifestyle

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The first leg of the tour is done.  I’m reflecting on it as I take some time to find out what God says is next.

Ashley said something while we were on the tour that keeps rolling around in my brain.  She said, “Teri, this isn’t about doing a ministry, this is about being a lifestyle.  The Kingdom dreams lifestyle.  Living out what God is calling me to do every day.  I wouldn’t want to live any other way.  There is no other way to live…really live.”

Emy said, “We’re taught to work hard to get stuff so that we can live life.  But we stop and realize we lose life in the process.  There is more and I’m getting a chance to live it.”

Leah said, “Mom, I don’t want to waste anymore time living for anything else but what God wants right here, right now.”

These young women were traveling in a car with a broken air conditioner in 95+ degree weather, they shared a small tent that barely fits all three of them, lived out of a backpack, got lost, ate whatever can fit into a cooler, battled bugs, showered in campground showers, and poured themselves out to love on each other and others.

Their lives have changed, their hearts have come alive to a deeper purpose than their own comfort, in 6 weeks on the road.

Kingdom Dreams is not the dream of of these young women.  They have other dreams stirring in their hearts.  They went along to serve my dream.  What they found is the Kingdom dreams lifestyle IS their dream.  It’s not about doing ministry, it’s about living a lifestyle.  A lifestyle that says, “Lord, whatever, whenever, however as You will in my life, right here and right now.”

What’s your dream?  Is it about doing ministry or about living a lifestyle?

Jul2

The Final Analysis

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  • Was on the road for 6 weeks
  • Drove 8,000 miles between 2 cars
  • Visited 8 states
  • Stayed in 16 different cities
  • Set-up camp in 6 campgrounds
  • Hung out with 5 super-cool families
  • Helped facilitate 4 workshops
  • Met over 350 new people
  • Explored dreams and passions with dozens of dreamers
  • Battled about a zillion bugs
  • Went through two and a half cans of bug spray
  • Yanked 5 ticks off Ashley (Ashley 5 – the rest of the team 1 – she wins)
  • Was stranded for 3 hours waiting for a flooded car to start again twice in the same state
  • Dislocated 1 bumper
  • Posted 40 blogs
  • Shed tears of joy and brokenness
  • Laughed until our sides hurt and whatever we were drinking shot out of our noses
  • Diffused gallons of sweat through our pores
  • Prayed for loads of people who would let us pray for them

In the end analysis, the tour experiment was a success.   We learned to love God and each other more.  We loved our neighbors and connected with our brothers and sisters in significant ways.

We’re not sure what the future holds yet.  We know there are a lot of people out there in America who are languishing in a prosperous yet purposeless life.  That is not okay with us.  Too many dreams are dying in our hearts.  Too much of God’s Kingdom dream is going without being realized.  Something needs to be done.

Right now, we are seeking and praying about the next steps for the tour.  Please pray with us.

“It is not the magnitude of our actions but the amount of love that is put into them that matters.”

Mother Teresa

Jun5

Photo Log and Sunsets

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We’re back in Gaineville for a few days to attend a wedding, regroup, recoup, and reorganize.

Here is a few photos from the trip so far.

The Group at Stone Mountain (sans Glenn who is taking the pic)

Stacie, Clint, and Jenna at the Atlanta workshop.

Our youngest tour members; Caleb and Lily.

The serve team at the Atlanta workshop

Our mobile office in the sunshine...

Our mobile office when raining...

Small group discussions at the Birmingham workshop.

Our group sorting donated clothes in Alabama.

Sunset by the campsite.

May25

Playing Catch Up

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SO, I wanted to blog every day while on this tour.  Obviously that hasn’t happened.  So, I thought the first thing I’d do is bring you up to speed…quickly.
  • Headed out on Friday afternoon.  Here we are with last good-byes at AIM.
  • Battled Stone Mountain when trying to drive in our tent stakes.
  • We unleashed our most dangerous weapon – Ashley with duct tape! She won.
  • Got the honor of meeting up with the VanGO girls (more on these ladies later.)
  • Walmart and three carts of supplies later, we were ready for our first workshop.
  • Workshop was success!  Dreamers dreamed.  Coaches coached.  Connections were abundant.
  • Team was stoked at the potential of what God wants to do through our dreams. Here’s a look at the workshops.
  • Celebrated with hotdogs and music down by the lake.
  • Sabbath day on Sunday.  Met Jennifer as we were hanging out at Stone Mountain Skyride.
  • Campfire and prayer with fellow campers, Connie and her grandkids.
  • Monday, tore down camp.  Conquered the mass of “stuff” and streamlined even more.
  • Met up with two more tour folk – Seth Jr and Erin.  Drove to Alabama.
  • Set up camp and headed down to Birmingham to meet some wonderful people in a park.   Some were homeless, some had been homeless.  Some had big dreams, some dreamed of not being homeless.
This brings us up to yesterday – Tuesday.
Yesterday, I was feeling the pressure of falling behind in my tasks.  My to-do list was growing and my time was slipping away.  I confess, I was stressing.
God intervened though.  We spent about an hour of “my precious time” worshiping and praying together.   I’m pretty sure the hour spent at His feet was more productive for my soul.  After that time with Him, I was at peace and much more effective when I did start chopping away at my task list.
Last night, half the team drove north to Fort Payne to meet up with some AIM people and our contact there who are working with the teams who come in to rebuild the lives and homes there that were devastated by the tornado.
(The other half of the team went south to Birmingham to spend some time with some guys in the heart of ministry down there.  I’ll let them tell their story.)
For me, the story yesterday was about reaching beyond our tasks lists.  Reaching for something more in the midst of our stress.  Realizing that spending time with the Lord as the first thing on my task list does work.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”  Matthew 6:33
May22

Stop One – Atlanta, Georgia

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Ashley

We have been on the road since Friday afternoon and had our first Kingdom Dreams Workshop on Saturday. Today was a day to explore Stone Mountain and see the sights … and explore.

Friday we rolled in, had our last meeting in the office with the full Kingdom Dreams staff, hopped into the cars and the tour began. We grabbed lunch and drove to the camp site. We pulled in got registered and admired our smallish campsites. We systematically decided how to best set up camp and began the tedious chore of pounding stakes into the ground of Stone Mountain. After thirty minutes of pounding, and a many failed attempts, we gave up and left the tents not properly secured to the ground.

Camp was set.

The next morning we were up around six and on the road by seven. We got to the venue that was hosting our workshop and got to work. Doors opened at 8:30, and suddenly, I realized why I was there. We saw people come together and talk about their dreams. As soon as they talked about their dreams they came alive. They stopped worrying about who they knew and got excited about taking the process step by step. People made connections that would launch them off into a whole new world and met coaches who would take the next step with them.

Their dreams became more than dreams the moment they started talking about it. I saw dreams such as destroying corruption in governments, preparing high school students for stepping into the next thing with God, going to Haiti, and using art work to heal the brokenhearted.

We are excited to be packing up camp and heading to Alabama in the morning!!

May19

Twas the Night Before

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Teri

I’m taking a little breather in between packing to write. Funny how my muscles seem much more sore with each move?

Our day started off with taking just about every article of clothing we had to the laundry mat by 9am. After a little over two hours, 16 loads of laundry, a small fortune in quarters, and a river of detergent – we were done.

We met them on the way out of the laundry mat.

Our first encounter with wonderful people, even before one tent was pitched. I had seen them there before, but today I knew I was supposed to talk with them. Of course, their questioning look as four of us walked out with mountains of clothes in our arms opened the door for explanation. I told them about the tour and what we wanted to do; inspire, encourage, connect, and dream big.

Sandra, Vicky, and I talked about how important it is for Christ-followers to dream and then DO. That church is not an event we attend on Sunday but The Church is a people who follow the way of Jesus. They seemed inspired. I gave the URL of our website and they promised to pray for us. And then we prayed together, right there in the laundry mat, six of us, hand-in-hand and heads down.

I was inspired – by them, by their faith, by their prayers. And my car isn’t packed yet and the tour hasn’t “officially” launched. Can’t wait to talk to more wonderful people once we shove off tomorrow…

May15

What’s Next Papa?

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Teri

We’re heading out on the tour this week.

Preparations are being made. We’re packing up our gear and packing away what we won’t take. The storage unit is ready to be filled. Tents are rolled up neatly. We’re going through our checklists and checking them twice.

I find my emotions teetering from fear of the what if’s and then bouncing to the thrill of the possibilities. My heart mostly lingers on the possibilities.

After six months of pondering, planning, refining, worrying, dreaming, and re-planning – it’s here. It’s time.  Now, I just have to go and do, and trust God.

Our team is excited, ready, and dreaming of who they will get to meet. Hopefully, we’ll get to meet you?  Maybe you might share your dream with us? Maybe you might allow us to pray for you? Maybe you might pray for us? Maybe God will work in the space between us and do something miraculous?

Maybe dreams might be discovered and launched as we step out in faith?

“This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike ‘What’s next, Papa?’” Romans 8:15a The Message

May12

The Tour Begins…

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Ashley

I am heading out on an adventure that doesn’t make sense,
to find dreamers,

dreams,

and people who want to help

because my dream is to tell stories. To tell the stories that need to be heard. The stories of men, women, and children that live in shelters, sleep on the street, or don’t have enough to eat. The stories of people who are suffering. The stories that most people don’t want to hear. The stories that make people walk away. These are the stories that have my heart, not because of the story, but because of the people.

Do people still dream? Do dreams still exist? Do people want to help?

Kingdom Dreams is proof that people still dream, dreams still inspire us, and people do want to help. Go to the Kingdom Dreams website and read the case studies. Read the Dream Blog and hear the individual voice that each dreamer has. Learn about the dreamers and dreams. Follow them as they take the next steps in pursing their dreams.

If you are a dreamer, fill out the dream form. If you want to help, apply to be a coach or volunteer.

Get involved.

The Kingdom Dreams Tour begins May 20th, in Atlanta, Georgia.

We are hitting the road for a couple months searching for dreams, dreamers, coaches, connections, and stories. I will be blogging daily while we are on the road.

Check out the Kingdom Dreams website.