Did you know it’s air-conditioned in California?

It’s remarkable weather in the summer.  It ranged from 52 -77 degrees the whole time we were there.

DREAM weather.

Combined with dream memories, sights, smells, sounds, and so much more!

It was a trip we had started planning 11 months ago.

And it is a reminder of why I will continue to dream – God sized, Kingdom centered, hopeful dreams – to change this world,

one moment,

one person,

one conversation,

one child,

one memory,

one hug,

one photograph,

one word written,

ONE dream at a time.

A dream trip doesn’t just happen.  It doesn’t just magically fall into your lap.  It takes planning, finances, a willingness to let go of “all the responsibilities” and allow the world to spin, without us in the mix, and it takes saying, “YES, we are worth this and our kids are worth this too!”

15 days.  Away.  Just the 7 of us.  A long flight away from our home, our responsibilities, ministry, tasks, phone calls, crisis situations, and all the daily carrying and caring that we do.  We were in rest mode and it was all about memory making with our kids.

We have done family vacations before, and we have had some very special times away – NC cabin, beach condos, mission trips to Bahamas and Nicaragua, and many others.  What made this one even more special though was all of us, flying across country - fully committed to the full 15 days to rest, play, and simply be together.

Our twins had never flown before.  Gloria, age 7, was most excited to get to go potty while riding in the plane.

Dalton, her twin brother, was telling everyone he could – “We are going on a plane.  AND it’s gonna FLY!”  He had been on planes at Air Shows, but they didn’t seem to fly all too well.

We had never flown with five kids.  Or with 15 bags.  Nor had we ever rented a 12 passenger van.  Or had 15 whole days to just explore and discover the day’s special memories.

My favorite part of vacation is NOT having a schedule.  We didn’t even know what hotel we were staying in our first night.  Yes, some would say, “that’s just dumb”.  And we would say, “we didn’t have to know.”  And that’s the best part.

This is a vacation I will remember for LIFE.  I pray my kids remember it too.  We saw some breathtaking sites, and we laughed some enormous belly laughs, and we colored, and surfed, and climbed cliffs to get to the beach, and saw Elephant Seals on my 41st birthday, and the list is endless.

Here are 5 Reasons I Will Keep Dreaming:

1. My dreaming reminds my husband how important it is for the two of us TOGETHER to keep God’s vision and dream building in site.  We love what we do in ministry.  As a pastor’s family, the pressures are huge – even suffocating at times.  And seeing what God places in our hearts as dreams and goals, and seeing them come to completion, is so refreshing and encouraging and is a reminder that He has us here for His reasons and His grand purposes.

2. My dreaming leads my kids to see – in Christ, truly, anything is possible.  They got to watch Mommy work extra hard this past year - taking some big risks in my new coaching business – so I could help pay for our trip.  They saw me write a book, have my first Leadership event, and several other firsts.  And I am grateful they are watching.  I know the plans He has for them, and they are BIG!

3. My dreaming demands me to lean in hard to the power of Christ in me.  When I choose to move out of the comfortable, easy, every day norms, and walk instead into the unknown, not so easy, God-sized calls on my life, I need Him more and I trust Him more deeply.  Doing this big trip is not a normal for us.  Making the extra income to do the trip was beyond the unknown.  And it worked, because God led it.  And it was scary to get there, and absolutely so worth it.

4. My dreaming allows God to blow me away with his unending, undeniable, unfathomable blessings that He has for me every single day.  I miss them though. On normal days, I just go through life, blind to the powerful gifts He has for me, and for all of those in my life.  When I keep dreaming, and trusting Him for more, and for what is not yet seen, I get to be absolutely floored at what He has created for His children and what more He has for us to contribute into the lives of those that don’t yet know Him.

5.  My dreaming reminds me that fun and fear can go hand in hand, and that this life on Earth is a one time gig.  Making the most of each day and investing in what lasts – ministry, marriage, memory making with my kids, modeling for others the value of receiving God’s gifts with an open heart, instead of resisting and fighting it – and that this life is FUN and even though there are moments of fear – He is with us, for us, and cannot be against us.

So, that trip you’ve been planning for five years, that book you’ve had in mind for ten months, and that life you’ve been wanting to live – go LIVE it!  Dream it.  Our God is a generous Father, ready to blow you away with what He has for you – His kids!  He’s not short on time, cash, or inspiration.  We like to pretend there’s a shortage, because that keeps us from having to live out the risk and the fear part of dreaming.

But, this summer for me was proof: I will keep Dreaming!

What dream have you put on hold long enough?  Or what keeps you from choosing to even see the possiblity of living outside your ‘normal’? 

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