I dreamed of my mother standing at the base of the podium at graduation. We hugged, she congratulated me and said, "It's time to put it all together now." The night of my dream, she had been in a grave for years.
Awaking to remember my mother in a grave makes me want to stay in bed. Remembering my dreams helps me get out of bed. I earned degrees to equip me to chase my dreams. I dream of using the Gospel to serve human populations at the intersection of faith and public health.
Gospel means good news. Seeing my mother at my graduation was good news. Her words were a riddle until I reread the good news of Jesus Christ in Mark 1:19:
When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets.
Preparation of the nets stirs images of putting them all together. Before and after fishing, anglers took the time to arrange the nets. A mended net was good news to fishermen.
A degree in hand would have been good news to my mother. "It's time to put it all together now," meant my accomplishment is for what is yet to come. Before I get out of bed, I have to remember my dreams.
I dream of serving first responders with the Good News of Jesus Christ. I have been volunteering as a police chaplain for three years. I've seen things that made me want to stay in bed. My cops see much worse but get out of bed everyday to come to work. My dream is be a full-time missionary to first responders of Lansing, MI.
Putting it all together requires me to raise support. I get to gather a ministry team of 60-85 people that will partner with monthly prayer / financial support. Inviting people onto my team is a form of mending my net. Reliant helps me put it all together.
Reliant is a 501c3 focused on sending Christ-centered missionaries to fulfill the Great Commission. I am raising support and hear "no" almost as much as I hear "yes". Rejection makes me want to stay in bed.
Remembering my dreams helps me get out of bed. My dream is to use the Gospel to serve human populations at the intersection of faith and public health. A police department is a human population, serving a larger human population.
Jesus used mended nets to change the world. I am trusting Him to use me among cops to change a city.
It's time for me to put it all together.
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