Too many of us stand at the dock waiting. We want the ship to be in place, the gangplank perfectly positioned, the weather just right, and an engraved invitation before we are willing to launch out.
Dreams don't move toward us, we have to move toward them. Instead of saying, "We have never done it before", say, "We have the opportunity to be first". Instead of saying, "We don't have the resources, say, "Necessity fuels invention". Instead of saying, "We don't have the expertise", say, "We will network with those who do". Instead of saying, "We don't have enough money", say "Maybe there is something we can cut".

"Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother's womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God who does all things." - Ecclesiastes 11:4-5

Successful people do not spend the majority of their time thinking about what must be done. Instead, they spend twice as much time reflecting on what they have already accomplished, and on how they are capable of accomplishing what they set out to do.

Pursuing a Godly dream is difficult. Only those who think right succeed. Successful people see failure as a regular part of success, and they get over it. Every failure tells you what not to do. When something doesn't work you need to have the attitude that you have just made a discovery! Successful people keep trying, keep learning, and keep moving forward. They win the battle in their minds, and then it overflows into what they do.

"Faith is being sure of what we hope for." - Hebrews 11:1

There is a strong relationship between our movement toward our dreams and the resources becoming available to us. Too often we want to see the resources, or have them in hand before we start moving forward. When we do that, we have neither the resources, nor the movement. We need to be like the snail that started climbing up the apple tree one cold day in February. As he inched his way upward, a worm stuck his head out from a crevice and said, "You're wasting your energy. There isn't a single apple up there." The snail kept on climbing, and replied, No, but there will be by the time I get up there!"

Over and over in scripture God sent people out with what seemed like little or inadequate resources. But when they got to where God wanted them to be, the resources needed to get the job done were in place waiting for them. Vision doesn't follow resources, it happens the other way around. First we have a dream, then we have to move forward. Then and only then, do people and resources follow, and the plan God has given us begins to fall into place. It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king's anger. He kept going because: "He Kept his eye on the one who is invisible." - Hebrews 11:27

Last night I had a small group gathering with friends from my church. Three and a half years ago, God put the dream on my heart to start a community group in my area. I prayed and I  listened, He heard and He answered. We moved forward together in a dance of sorts (Him always leading). There were times when things did not make sense. Those were the times that I sat and waited to hear from Him. There were times when I almost gave up, but then I remembered how God had given me the dream, and what he truly wanted was to bless me as I helped him to grow His kingdom. The core group of our group has been meeting weekly for almost a year and a half now. We spent many nights in prayer listening for what God had in mind for our community. Last night we had double the size with us, with others popping up left and right who want to join us in reaching out for the Lord and loving our neighbors through His truth and our service. At times it appeared that this group would never form, but God had a dream and shared it with me.

Currently God has been revealing His desire to reach out to the marginalized...the abandoned...the immigrants in our community.There are all kinds of things that seem like road blocks, but as I have prayed about them, God has moved the blockages and made a clear way for me to keep going. I truly believe that as I move in obedience, God reveals what has already been there waiting for me. Like Abraham with his son Isaac bound on the altar, when we show the intentions of our heart as obedient, God shows us the answer, the sacrificial ram, caught in the thicket...waiting there ahead of time to replace what we have bound and placed on the altar. We don't always see what God has already provided until we step out in faith, making our sacrifice. Step by step we are moving together again as he points out who, and how and when... God started a year and a half ago with telling me to "Arise", then to "Go", and most recently to,"Move". I am challenged to go into places where no one else is going. I am currently doing this alone, but God promises me the people and the resources when I obey and follow His dream, allowing it to become my dream.

Going on this mission trip to Malwai is part of this bigger dream. Although I am not certain what will come from it, God has shown me that I must go and when I do, He will reveal what I have needed all all along. It may seem strange that He would send me to Africa to grow me in places that need maturing, and then use me here in my own neighborhood, but Gods is always training us up... The ministry that he has for me here is most definitely connected to this trip. I only know what He has revealed, and I am trusting Him for the rest.

Whether starting a new ministry or  just deepening you relationship with the Lord...we must move forward with tenacity, faith, and trust. God has a dream, a well laid out plan...He will always be on the other side of it waiting with every provision, if we will only launch out for Him with joy in faith and love.