Big ideas make the world go around. Most of us humans spend so much of our time surviving that we forget to dream. Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, in the midst of a persons development into maturity, he stops dreaming. Just stops. I wonder why we equate adulthood with ‘putting away your childish imagination’?
   What if you could combine the wisdom of maturity with the imagination of early childhood ? Yeah. What if ? I think most of us stop dreaming because dreams usually leads to disappointment. Disappointments are painful. Thus the equation becomes
(Dreams = Pain). So we stop dreaming to avoid pain. But maybe pain is an important part of the dream process. Pain is not to be avoided but embraced. It’s a bit misguided to pursue pain but a wise person looks at pain as a transformational part of dreaming.
   I’ve met a few dreamers in my life, and I’ve read about many others. And I have concluded that dreamers are a strange breed indeed. But this world would be a dark place without them. Most things that inspire us come in the form of some dreamers idea or action or word. Dreamers think about doing the impossible. Dreamers attempt the impossible. Dreamers fail at their attempts and dreamers accomplish things that were once considered impossible. And then they inspire a new generation of dreamers.
   The original DREAMER said on the first day of creation, ‘Let there be light". And there was light. On the very first moment of the very first day HE attempted the impossible. HE did what had never before been done. HE forever ruined us for the ordinary. And the spark of the Divine is still burning in the heart of each of us. But most of us never notice.
   Ordinary people can dream. I know this because on the outside each person appears to be ordinary but on the inside there flickers a flame of the IMPOSSIBLE.
   Dream A Big Dream.

   A few years ago I was invited by the leader of our Fellowship to be a part of his cabinet. It’s a largely honorary position among a group of some of the most innovative Lead Pastors in the Assemblies of God. In 2008 Dr. George Wood, who is the head of the AG, was at Journey dedicating our new campus. That’s when he invited me to join the group. I’m really glad that he did because  I spent Sunday, Monday and Tuesday with some great pastors at the Cabinet meeting in Dallas.
   On the first night, I ate dinner with Dave Roever. He was badly injured in the Vietnam War and has since turned his misery into an international ministry. Dave will be speaking at Journey in May 2011. It will be an event to remember. He’s a real war hero and he told me some pretty amazing stories. I also sat next to Charles Hackett, the former head of US Missions for our Fellowship. Charles and I talked church planting for an hour or so after dinner. He’s 78 years old and a very innovative thinker.
   During the day we listened to some incredible leaders speak about transformational change that’s coming to the 21st Century Church. I’m encouraged about the future of the church. The next generation of believers that we are reaching now will have the technology and resources to reach the entire world with the Good News. But first we must reach THIS GENERATION. Which is the reason for this post.
   During the early morning session on Tuesday, Rod Loy spoke about children’s ministry. And he said a few things that captured my imagination. In fact I’ve been thinking about it ever since. To paraphrase Rod, THE BATTLELINES HAVE SHIFTED. The church must wrestle for the hearts of elementary aged people. If we are to reach this world with the message of redemption, then we must succeed with sixth graders.
   Imagine that, the fate of the world is in the hands of 12 year old children. Yeah, imagine that.