Thursday, October 28, 2010

I Dream of raising up students to become Kingdom leaders

I dream of High School students becoming extraordinary Kingdom leaders in their universities and workplaces. I really believe that if we invest our time, energy, knowledge and leadership into our youth, they will change the world around them. If we can raise up a generation that isn't afraid to challenge the status quo and ignore stereotypes, they will surprise the world into investigating the Jesus that leads them. On top of that, if we can find and train committed Christian leaders to be our doctors, teachers, lawyers, politicians, construction workers, janitorial staff, television executives or movie stars, our world will be a much better place for everyone.
- M

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

I Dream of teaching childbirth classes in church and secular settings...

I dream of a world where pregnant and birthing women, their families, and their babies are treated gently and with respect. A world where the culture of birth is not one of fear. One where there is a sense of awe and trust in God's incredible design. I see a clear spiritual battle going on in the realm of childbirth and I want to speak up for what I believe deep in my heart to be truth. I have joined the board for a Canadian advocacy group, I write for the group's blog, and I am working toward certification as a Christian Childbirth Educator. I dream of teaching childbirth classes in church and secular settings, and I dream of teaching girls Christ-centred maidenhood classes. I want girls to enter womanhood knowing just how fearfully and wonderfully their female bodies are made! How strong and powerful and well-designed they are- not cursed and broken as our culture so often tells them.
- D

p.s. I'd love to connect with the dreamer who has a similar dream!!

I Dream of going back to Africa

My big dream is to go back to Africa. I went last year for two months and saw South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia. The biggest regret I have from the trip is that I did not take in any service opportunities. I really have a desire to go back and spend more time out there and actually do something with myself rather than just sight-see, which was amazing, but looking back I would have loved to do something with a purpose. If riverwood is heading out to Swaziland again this upcoming year, and it happens to be after the university year, i would love to tag along! Watching the Swazi-team presentation that one Sunday really solidified the fact that i NEED to go back. I guess my even bigger dream is to one day live in Africa...
- C

I Dream of my headstone reading...

“He loved God more than his family, and his family more than what he did. In all things he was relational – loving and loved.”

- K

PS… I dream of Riverwood having a small group for performing, visual and other artists.

I Dream of having peace with God.....and I'm living my dream!

As a young girl my dream was to have peace with God. That dream has grown and is best articulated by Paul: "That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings" (Phil 3:10). I am living God's dream for me and if none of my other dreams come true this will be enough.
- A

I Dream of starting a software development company

My big dream is to start a massive software development and technology company in Winnipeg. The size of RIM, or Microsoft. And I don't want to do it for any monetary reasons or fame. The main reason I want to do this is to improve computer science education in Winnipeg and Manitoba by investing as much as possible in our computer science and technology programs. Winnipeg is the perfect city to create a technology hub in Canada, and we could create so many jobs, and show how beautiful software and technology is to so many people. It would just be wonderful.

My other big dream is to buy a huge plot of land and build two homes on the land. One for me and my wife and son (and soon to be another God willing), and another for my mom and my dad so they can retire and live with us and never have to work again.

Those are my big dreams. I know they are small in comparison to God's plans, but I think they would truly make a difference in the world.
- M

I Dream of helping the less fortunate stay warm in winter

Me and two friends want to do a "program" called Warming Up Winnipeg. We all have hearts for the less fortunate people living in Winnipeg and it breaks my heart to see some of them in cold Winnipeg Winters without mittens, toques or scarves. We've decided to take an afternoon or evening and a trunk full of mittens, scarves and toques and hand them out to those who need it. Were also planning on getting a travel "box" of coffee to give as well. I am so excited about this project and would appreciate just some prayers about it and to ask God not only keep us safe as we do this, but to help us show God's love to those who need it. :)

I don't know how big this could go or how successful it could be but I'm really excited and feel God cheering me on!
- D

Saturday, October 23, 2010

I Dream of encouraging people

Wow….was out and about today….and something smacked me in the face….no it wasn’t a person…..it was…….something….

Is this my dream or a nudging? How do you tell the difference? I don’t know. But I feel God calling me to be an encouragement to others….in word…..but more-so in deed…..God is calling me to be more aware of others around me and their needs…..and make it less about me…..…..the more I show love to others….the more I will receive love….the more I help others….my spirit will be helped……..interesting.
-D

I Dreamof Serving in Swaziland...and adopting a child internationally

I have several Big Dreams. They all have one thing in common. Feeding, caring for and sharing Jesus' love with the less fortunate, orphaned, widowed, stranger... Of course I always want to take God's leading and try to make sure I'm acting within His will for me. 2 big parts of this dream are serving in Swaziland (short term on the trips but also long term if that's what He wants) and adopting a child internationally. After looking into adoption, I must admit, I became overwhelmed and discouraged and let that dream be shattered way too soon. This series is making me be more determined and 'courageous' in working toward that dream again, with lots of prayer, of course. I appreciate any and all prayers regarding these dreams!
- L

I Dream of Uniting with my siblings

When I was a baby I was given up for adoption. I grew up knowing that, and I never tried to find out anything about my birth family for fear of hurting my adoptive family. I am now 64 years old and my adoptive mother has passed on. I recently placed an ad in Good Times magazine, and I have been successful in finding some of my birth family. I have learned that I have two sisters and a brother living in B.C. and several cousins, etc., living in Saskatchewan. I have been in contact with an aunt and a cousin who are willing to help me in this quest. I am in the process of writing to my sisters and brother with information as to who I am and my dream is that they will accept me as part of their family. I want so much to be able to meet and talk with them. I have gone from being the baby of a family of six to being the oldest child of a family of four. My birth parents have both passed on, but I would love to unite with my siblings and get to know my niece and nephew. God has blessed me in helping me get this far, and I am praying that He will help me follow through. This is an exciting and a scary prospect for me.
- D

Thursday, October 21, 2010

I Dream of Breaking Free

I actually had to think hard for my real dream and I don't know if what I am about to share is it or not. I have a lot of wants, like places I want to travel to and things I want to experience, but are those THE dream? I don't think so. I've always wanted to contribute in a big way to whatever it is I am doing, and I believe God has made me capable of doing that.

Currently, I am awaiting an appointment to go see a specialist where there is a remote chance I have cancer in my thyroid. I also recently changed jobs where I left a safe environment with lots of close relationships and moved to one where everyone is in a silo and they do not get along well. So, before I can get there I have to believe I deserve it, that I am capable of it. Sometimes life can beat you down if you let it and I am going through a phase of that right now.

Can I dream right now? I want to break free of this attack and pursue writing with a passion. But by the time the day ends I am too tired to dream and actually my sleep is where I experience most of my attack in the form of strange and negative dreams.
I have had this dream of being a writer for as long as I can remember but I feared it would end up in the pile of other dreams I had as a child - being a wrestler, baseball player or lawyer. My life has taught me that what I want to do, where I end up, and where God may want me are three mostly mutually exclusive concepts. Each position even though I fell into them has provided its own rewards and has added to a unique skill set that has me acknowledging that God may take me somewhere I could not even have imagined.

My other dream is to be free of these doubts, to feel more confident and in charge of my destiny, to have a total confidence and zest for life, a real carpe diem kind of guy.
- T

I Dream of marrying a wonderful man

I have two big dreams that kind of go together. My dream is to meet a wonderful man to marry. It seems so difficult to meet guys with the same values and interests, but I know he's out there, and with Gods help I will find him. One thing I would love to do with a spouse is see the world - that's my second big dream because I love to travel :)
- E

I Dream of bringing God's promises to the inner city

The dream God has placed on my heart is to see a place in the North End of Winnipeg where people of the community would want to come to hear about God’s promises and to learn about life skills. Over the past year I have met so many amazing people, young and old in the North End of our city. I have also seen the brokenness and the hurt that is so prevalent in every inner city.

I just got back from a conference at a Hip Hop church in Tampa, Florida and have seen some examples on how an effective inner city ministry can be done. I was inspired and challenged. I can see now that this dream in real and that God has given it to many people across the world.

My dream is to be part of the solution in any way possible. I am moving forward on this dream and as I walk forward God will have to direct my steps because I can’t see more then 2 steps in front of me.
- T

I Dream of learning 7 different languages

I have a dream to learn and speak 7 languages and somehow use them to encourage people to become the person they were created to be. I am currently working on my 5th language. 2 of the ones I speak need some refreshing and I plan to work on that next.
My dream also includes traveling the world helping people. I have done a few short term missions trips and plan to do more in the future. My next trip is to a country and people group that God has placed on my heart to pray for. According to the statics less then 1% of the people in this country are followers of Christ. About 5% are muslim and this group is growing. They have a good language program so I am planning to go there and learn the language and then see where God leads as to further involvement.
I know I am where I am today because of the people God placed in my heart that have encouraged and supported me. I grew up in a poor home and we didn't have much. And with God's help I have achieved the dream of getting an education which seemed impossible. And I want to encourage others to pursue their dreams to become all God created them to be no matter what the obstacles.
- A

I Dream of a Society that doesn't consider divorce

I have had a passion for marriages for many years now, I dream of a society that doesn’t already consider divorce before they’ve even been married, where ‘starter marriages’ aren’t an expectation, where children don’t have to choose between happy parents and together parents. I have dreams of providing so many resources, from better pre-marital preparation to marriage maintenance, in the form of classes, books, support groups, even building a romantic get-a-way that is not too far from the city and affordable. But first I dream of bringing my own marriage to a healthy place, I have a dream that marriage is much more than this and that my husband realized this too.
-L

I Dream of going to Swaziland

I would like to travel to Swaziland and visit each of the families that use the care point. I would have them tell me their story. I would photograph the families candid. Then when I get back I would make a book that told all of the stories and had pictures of everyone. I would have this book printed and sell it through Riverwood, and have the proceeds go back into our support of the care points. Thats it. I know it will take some time to do it, but I will get the funds to be able to do it. I just have to ask god for the wisdom and have faith that he will lead the way.
- T

I Dream of a day that North Main is filled with release

I have a dream.....that North Main would be filled with RELEASE....from the substitute of drugs and alcohol and all the other fillers that seek to lie and destroy the beauty of the aboriginal people...
- C

I Dream of developing a childbirth service company

My dream is in the field of childbirth services- to support women AND men(their needs are often overlooked) as they become parents, and journey through the transition of pregnancy, labor, birth, and life with a newborn. My dream is to develop a childbirth service company, Sanctuary Birth Support, that offers doula services (this part of the dream is going on already) and childbirth classes that are fun, interactive, relevant, and ministering to the spiritual side of people, challenging them to consider God as their Creator and trust in Him. I am a certified birth doula(like a personal servant or tour guide through laborland). My husband and I took Lamaze training together, researched and wrote 4 unique classes. We continue to fulfill certification requirements, but it is so difficult and we have such limited time... We could also teach in Spanish(we both speak it) to immigrants here in winnipeg or in Mexico and other latino countries.(If we get our courses translated) Pray that God would bring the right people to us as we set up practicums and launch our classes in 2011. Also pray for strength and discpline, there is a ton of work involved on our part!
I am very encouraged by this series and hearing your dreams!

Friday, October 15, 2010

I Dream of my family being reunited

Well about 15 years ago or so due to circumstances beyond my control and my
husbands we lost our children one by one to FACS (IN ONT. better known as CFS here).
My dream has always been to see my girls, my grandchildren and my husband together again...you know talking to each other...visiting..spending a holiday or two under the same roof...unfortunately husband won't talk to any of them,,,my oldest won't talk to either one of us or her sisters...the two younger ones talk to me but I'm not allowed to do it when my hubby is home...its a mess..everyone so hurt even me...I learned to listen to my two younger ones and forgave them..hubby won't...will you pray for me as I do everyday sometimes 100 times a day for God to give me, my husband & my kids the courage to take that step to heal my broken family...I know without God's help it will never happen...I know in my heart this will happen someday.

- D

I Dream of making a dent in the human trafficking industry

I lead a Christian human rights group in Winnipeg. We are looking at human rights and social justice issues in our city and across the world and are involved in activism. I want to address the issue of human trafficking and sexual exploitation in our city, and feel God has put it on my heart. I want to be able to do what pastor Garry Lahotzki did, to take some people and go out into the streets at night and confront the men who are buying these girls and exploiting them. It is a very controversial idea and probably not very safe, but following Jesus wasn't ever meant to be. My big dream is that God makes this possible, that there will be other Christians who will want to take this on and that we can make a dent in this horrific industry. If people are interested and want to get in touch, they can email solidarity101@hotmail.com
- T

I Dream of going back to school

My big dream is to go back to school and take  the Addictions and Community Service worker Diploma program. I want to give back to help those that are in the same situation I found myself in when I hit my rock bottom over 3 years ago. I have learned that if you humble yourself to admit that you are powerlessness over your compulsion/ addiction, you find that  there is a person / team of people who are willing and waiting to help/ encourage you heal and change the patterns. I want to strive to  be that individual that will be there to  help make that step to encourage change by going back to school .

- N

I Dream of being a music examiner

My dream is be an examiner with a music exam board (Royal Conservatory or Conservatory Canada). I have been playing around with this idea for a few years, but never had the courage to look too far:)
Thanks for the "push" to see where God would have us take our dreams! I have now started the process and look forward to what may come of it!
- L

I Dream of being One with God

Sometimes we have to let God's dreams be bigger than our dreams for ourselves or our world.

I've spent a lot of years 'dreaming' and have no problems coming up with big plans, big ideas and world-changing opportunities.  For some people that comes easily - the execution comes easily, the connections come easily and the results come easily.   What doesn't come so easily is asking God what is "good" in those plans and how does that compare to his "best" plan for me?

I've let go of my dreams because I know they are tainted by people, places, unholy motivations and experiences all around me.  If I truly believe that this world is not my home, I have to trust in God's ultimate plan for my life and not become so pre-occupied in the DOING that I forget to do the ABIDING.

This is scary stuff.  Each and every day brings new opportunities for me to say "Well Lord, this isn't what I would have chosen for myself, and I can see a way out of this by choosing A, B or C  but I won't.  I won't choose what I can see because I need to trust in what I can't see, in what I can't do, and in what I can't think". 

When I don't SEE things happening, I panic.  I think to myself  "oh, no, I'm wasting my life"....and yet, in quiet moments with God he assures me that it's when I'm NOT DOING but instead trusting, that he IS DOING.....it doesn't mean I can sit around and do nothing, but it does mean that I have to be disciplined in such a way that I am in minute by minute conversation with Him.  Not choosing my own thoughts or ideas, but following HIS.

Allowing God to cleanse my motivations in this profound of a way results in a deeper connection to God's ultimate dream for me.  HE is the Grand Designer of my life.  HE is what I need to be plugged in to.  Spending time with HIM is the only thing that is going to connect me to the ultimate dream HE he has for me (and that he created me for).

I now dream of one thing.  Of being ONE with HIM.  In this life.  So that HE can completely and fully work through ME.  And guess what.....?  He already is.....

In this moment, I am freed from anticipation, I am freed from stress, I am freed from worry, I am freed from guilt, I am freed from bondages that have held me to my worth coming from my activity.  I am free to enjoy this moment.  Right now.  Understanding fully that Jesus died, not so that I could chase some well intentioned idea or thought, but so that I could be freed to let Him live in me.

- A

I Dream of being a foster parent

I have had two dreams from the time I was about 11-13 years old.  The first one was for my husband and I to be foster parents.  Well since the husband dream has not happened (that's actually a third one!!! :-) ), I have decided to just do it so I have.  I am just waiting for a child match and then I will be a foster mom!  The second one is to write a book about my journey of being adopted and how that has shaped me into the woman that I am today.  The second dream terrifies me to my very core which is why I have started and stopped it over and over.

That's it for me, that's my I have a dream speech.

- K

Thursday, October 14, 2010

I Dream of running a home daycare


The seed was actually planted a couple of months ago and once I spoke of it - it was exactly like the play - everyone discouraged me and made me second guess myself and honestly it worked.  That is why I thank God for Riverwood Church as this topic was so fitting for me and frankly God's divine timing as there is no doubt about it - I know it is His will - for me to run a home daycare... now how it will all come together is beyond me but right now I am just looking at evening courses - trying not to waste any more time. Maybe somewhat of a 5 year plan - something I've never actually had before and just letting the negative comments bounce off me and trusting God to show me the way... which he is.. a computer was just given to me a few months past.. that's a start I guess.
- D

I Dream of my husband and I attending Capenwray in Australia


My husband's dream is to attend bible school.  My carnal dream is to visit Australia.  <If we merge the 2 dreams, that makes Capenwray in Australia, perhaps?>  We're in our mid-thirties, and settled into our careers, so it'd be a big leap to leave everything and do this, but it's a dream.  My other dream is to play piano for a Christian band & do this as a career.

Enjoy the dream-collecting!
- M

I Dream of helping people improve their health physically & financially


I want to start a club which will provide opportunities for people to improve their health physically and financially , and also provide opportunities for peope to enjoy fun activities together.  I'm hoping to help especially people in the community of Elmwood, including newcomers to Canada, but open to anyone.
- L

I Dream of Losing Weight

My biggest dream and desire is to finally commit to reducing my weight.   Food has been my comfort since I was a child when my mom passed away at age of 42. This event turned my world upside down, back then there was no such thing as grief counselling  and with a Catholic upbringing the message I understood was God was punishing me. I began to over-eat as a way to comfort and protect myself.   Today I am 44 years old and weigh 277 pounds. Carrying this burden has made me lethargic , lazy and very un-happy.   I’ve tried dieting and exercising, but it’s really hard work and I give up.   My knees and legs are always sore, my heart pounds and I am usually out of breath from just walking. I am unable to kneel to wash the floor or weed the garden. So far my blood pressure, cholesterol and general health is fine, but I know it’s only a matter of time if I don’t do something soon. My father passed away from a heart attack/stroke 2 years ago and my mom died from cancer.  I know I have to make changes but I don’t know how, I don’t even know what to pray for. My dream is to be productive, happy and healthy by reducing my weight. 
- L

I Dream of teaching English overseas

I have many, many big dreams but the BIG one is to take a year off school starting Sept. 2011 and go and teach English overseas in South Korea, Italy, Spain, etc. I've had this idea for a little while and I just think it would be so amazing. I've connected with a few people who have previously done it and they say it completely changed their life and they just had a blast of a time. I've also started reading into how this sort of thing is done and it really isn't that hard; common to my initial beliefs. The only problem is that I'm not sure if my parents will allow me since I'm only 19 years old but it's worth a try. If not next year, before I'm married, I'm going to do this because it just sounds like an absolute amazing experience and something that sound like it would be so much fun.  

Well, that’s my big dream for today and I will make it reality; its just gonna take a heck of a lot of convincing on my part for my parents. 

- L

I Dream of Revolutionizing Media

I'm 17 and a first year student at the University of Winnipeg. My dream is to revolutionize the world of media and consumer marketing. I aim to change the way commercials are presented to the public, and to remove sexual references and exploitation from the world around us.

I have no clue as to how I am going to do this, but I will do this. I'm currently studying in a Creative Communications joint program with the RRC and I have a fiery passion to make ART the forefront of our media world, not sex!

Thank you for hearing my dream. Your dream especially interests me as well. You have my support!
- B