Category Archives: North Carolina

Nov25

Don’t Separate – Integrate!

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It was one of those last minute GOD things when we met up with Caleb.  It was a beautiful and very bright morning in Durham.

Caleb chatted about school and his passions and dreams.  As he talked, it became more and more evident that what he was learning in school (media and film) fit very nicely with his passion for missions and Kingdom work.

He doesn’t need to choose between his Kingdom dream and his passion
for creative media.   He only has to integrate them!

Here’s his story in his words:

My dream is to take the Kingdom to the places it’s never invaded before. I want to help plant churches, connect believers, and be a part of the ministry of reconciliation. God is so good. I’m just blown away by His provision and blessing. His ways are not our ways. His plans are way better.

I’m learning that my Kingdom Dreams and my other dreams aren’t really separate. It’s all one and the same. I love film and web design. I’m good at it too. God gave me a unique perspective and I love to explore it. I used to think I’d have to choose: missions or media — kingdom or creativity. God is redeeming that! He is showing me that the dreams He has placed in me are mine to grow and develop. He loves my perspective and wants me to love it too.

I had sort of lost sight of that for a while. Then I saw Lisa Anderson‘s Facebook post about being in North Carolina. I hadn’t seen her in a while and said she should come to Raleigh. Perfectly enough, she was on her way that day with the Kingdom Dreams tour. We met at my favorite coffee shop, along with the rest of the team, and the Holy Spirit. What followed was a wonderful time of encouragement, prayer, and revival of dreams. I’m so thankful for what God is doing with this ministry.

Speaking of a different perspective…I love this picture Lily took of me!!


Oct3

Raining Cows

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Rebecca

Couch #2: Holly Springs, North Carolina. (from day three)

That’s where we are now.  But that’s not where we were this morning.  This morning, we were at the last day of the Lucas house, wrapping plastic around mattresses, eating pizza, and cajoling couches up the stairs.  Don’t scratch the paint!

God has called the Lucas family to discipleship.  Very intentional, please-come-into-my-house, would-you-like-a-cup-of-coffee sort of discipleship.  Following after the example of Jesus living day-to-day life with His disciples.

Discipleship gets a little harder when your disciples betray you.  Especially when you’re moving houses.  Even more especially when you’re moving out of a house without knowing where you’re going to move in.  Even much more especially when you’re battling cancer.  Which is what Kathy (Mrs. Lucas) is fighting right now.  What Mark (Mr. Lucas) is struggling to understand.  What Connie (Miss Lucas) is seeking Jesus’ face in the       midst of.

Dear God, bless the Lucas’s.

They were a blessing to us.  We tried, like kindergartners explaining calculus, to give a word, a prayer, a song.  Something to comfort the comfortless.  Something to try to make sense of the un-sensible.  I don’t know that we really succeeded.

But God the Father saw the intention of our hearts and decided to bless us in return.  He says He owns the cattle on a thousand hills.  I figure that means He owns all the cows in Rwanda.  Maybe more.  It’s only been three days on the road for us, and we’ve already seen Him share His cows with us.  We’re looking forward to seeing Him send more.  We’re looking forward to seeing cows rain.

Sep29

What the Unknown Looks Like

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Rebecca

We experienced our first “dream tour” gathering on Tuesday.  That’s what we’re calling ourselves.  We’re making T-shirts.  What are you waiting for? on the front.  I don’t know.  Something amazing I guess, on the back.  More details to follow.  (That’s your cue to smile.)

But that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.

What I wanted to say is what happens when Jesus walks into an American living room.

It was a Bible study we were crashing.  Twenty-odd strangers we’d never met before, singing songs we’d never heard.  They prayed, then introduced us.  We sat up a little straighter.  “Hi, my name is _______________.”  Polite smiles, blinking eyes.  Hm.  Who are these guys, and what are they doing in my living room?

And then we stopped talking about ourselves and started telling stories.  God’s stories.  And the Spirit of the Lord burst into that room.

We talked about dreams.  We met a young lady who hopes to teach teens wisdom through God’s hand moving in history.  We met another one who wants to mentor young mothers.  We met another who has been called by God to travel to the nations, going from country to country, sharing the love of Christ.  We met another who is being built up to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, bringing the truth of Christ to His Bride.  We met another who hopes to share God’s stories through music, words, and movie.

We met all these in one room.  Just one room.  How many rooms do you think there are in the United States of America?

And we didn’t just meet them.  We talked with them.  We shared and prayed and worshiped and cried and praised our Father God with them.  We got to connect a hand with a wrist, a foot with an ankle, an eyelid with an eyelash.  We saw Christ as the Head of His church come in and breathe life – breathe life! – through His body.

Do you know what it looks like when the breath of Jesus breathes on you?

That night I saw something magnificent.  That night I saw the Body of Christ.  In a North Carolina living room with white trim and tan paint.  Here.  In America.  Right next door to you.

That night God took our unknown and made it shine, radiant and beautiful, in our eyes, in our hearts.  That night He showed us the unseen.  And He did it through the faces of our brothers and sisters.  His children.  My family.

So, what are we doing on our dream tour?  Oh, we don’t really know.  If you’d like to find out, maybe you should invite us into your living room.

Jun20

The Crow’s Nest of a Dream

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Teri

I told you about the ugly underbelly of a dream.  Now, let me describe just one of the “crow’s nest” views I got a chance to drink in last week.

We stayed with some friends from at the CDM house.  Mark and Kathy Lucas take young adults into their house to intentionally disciple them in a community environment.  Discipleship is a lot more powerful when living beside others.  You can’t escape your humanness.  The “love one anothers” are much more meaningful when you share a bathroom!

Kathy invited friends over to hear about Kingdom Dreams.  Ashley, Leah, Emy, and I did a little presentation for them over the four stages of a dream:

  • PASSION – finding the unique passion God has placed in our hearts.
  • EXPLORING – exploring the possibilities – the “what ifs”.
  • BUILDING – building, planning, networking, and stepping into your dream.
  • LAUNCHING – living it out.

We gave everyone permission to dream and to dream big.  We challenged each them to name their passion or define a specific dream.  And we dreamed of the next steps together.  Each of us got further clarity on our next steps.  Then we got together as a group and PRAYED.  Nothing gets activated without prayer. 

I don’t know why – but without a dream being bathed in prayer, it’s just an activity.  When a dream is bathed in prayer it becomes activated.

That was when IT happened.  As we took the time to pray over each and every person, IT clicked.  Something ignited.  Something changed.  Something was born in each of us.

Our team debriefed over the experience a few days later.

We were all changed and ignited by seeing others ignited.  Leah and Emy got clarity on their dream and their next steps.

Ashley said, “Teri, this is not a ministry, it’s a lifestyle. This is about living the Kingdom Dreams lifestyle.  This is about being out here, giving people permission to dream, seeing their purpose come alive in their hearts, and encouraging their next steps.  There is no other life I’d rather live.”

Yeah.  I second that…

The next day, many of the participants from the night before came back to talk more about dreams.  One of them was a quiet 15 year old who sat by me and said, “I know you will touch a lot of lives.  And encourage many dreams.  Thank you for what you are doing.”  She then told me about her dream.  I kept thinking – 15 and already knows her purpose.

The view from this crow’s nest is really remarkable.