Whose Dream Are You Living?

Even though it was over 30 years ago, the conversation still stands out in my mind. He was a seminary student recruiter making a campus visit to the college at which I was teaching. We were having coffee at Mr. Fables on Michigan Avenue, Grand Rapids, MI. I asked the recruiter, "With a seminary M.Div. degree, why is it that you are a recruiter and not serving a church?" His reply startled me: "I wanted to be an attorney, but my father discouraged me. 'They'll eat you alive,' he said. 'You should be a pastor.'" The recruiter went on to say something like, "I took this recruiting job for a year. Then I'm going to law school. I had been following my father's dream for me, rather than my own." The above conversation came to mind when I read Michael Hyatt's blog, "Are You Living Your Own Dream or Someone Else's?" Click here to read it for yourself. He asks three questions. Am I living my own dream or someone else's? If we are not careful we can unconsciously be following the agenda of someone else for our lives. This can happen if we do not take full responsibility for our own life-directing decisions. What is my dream? Sometimes in an effort to please those who are important to us, we put more weight on their input than on our own understanding of our talents, gifts, calling, or vision. What is it that we believe that God is calling us to be and to do? What are our passions? If money were not holding us back, what would we do? What can I do to move in the direction of my dream? What are the substitutes for achieving our dreams that we should start rejecting… one at a time… from the smallest to the largest? What are a few baby steps that could move us in the direction of our dreams? Whom could we ask to be accountability partners (coaches or mentors) so that we are certain to make progress in the direction our dreams? Last Sunday, CLC participant Chris Hall was installed as Commissioned Pastor of Elevation Church, Wyoming MI. As a construction coordinator with Habitat for Humanity, he chose Church Leadership Center to move him toward his dream (calling) of becoming a Commissioned Pastor. He wanted a practical, "tool box" approach. After his commissioning he conducted four baptisms. Segments of the service are portrayed below. Church Leadership Center works in partnership with pastors, churches, and other ministry groups to prepare congregational leaders for advanced levels of service. We do this by means of assessment interviews and reports; personalized training plans, classes, and certification so that participants are able to increase their effectiveness in all areas of church life. Click here for more information. To view videos about Commissioned Pastors and those who support them, click here. To read previous blogs, click here.