Be Unstoppable

I read this article from the New Thing network newsletter sent to my husband and I was very inspired by it.

By Aaron Monts (a New Thing leadership resident)

There is a dream within all of us that sparks our passions and our desires; dreams that keep so many of us up talking late into the night, brainstorming and picturing a different world, a different community or a different church. Yet, for so many, those dreams never become reality. They remain simple hopes that we eventually throw into the trash heap as nothing more than ideological delusions of grandeur stashed alongside the deceased dreams of days gone by; deceased dreams that could have truly changed the world and made a difference for the Kingdom. Every time we allow a dream to die, we also send along a portion of our idealism and a piece of our soul.

Why do so many dreams die? Are we not fostering the types of communities that allow us to take risks? Are we uncertain of our own abilities? Are we allowing fear to rule instead of jumping forward into the faithful arms of our Heavenly Father? Why do so many potentially revolutionary dreams go by the wayside?

Six years ago my wife, Tracy, and I had a dream of planting a church and, like so many others, we held the dream inside, not sharing it with a single soul. Time passed and the dream began to flicker and fade away as the notion of “someday” was quietly being replaced with “probably not gonna happen.” Fast-forward a couple years to today where we are making preparations to move to San Francisco to plant a church with Stadia and the NewThing Network. So, how did we get from “probably not gonna happen” to “we’re moving to San Francisco to plant a church”? Great question!

1. Tell Somebody. This may be the most difficult proposition, however it is vital. I had no intention of telling anyone until Tracy finally challenged me to, “put up or shut up!” I may have been haphazard in whom I told and whom I confided this dream in, but in the end, a few strategic people helped bring me to NewThing’s Reproducing Church Experience, which ultimately led to a Leadership Residency at Community Christian Church and a future NewThing church plant in San Francisco.

If I had never revealed my dream and desire to plant a church, I wouldn’t be where I am today. This may sound strange to some, but it’s important to leverage your relationships in positive ways so that the dreams that God has placed within your heart can have the chance to become reality.

2. Take Risks. For some, the notion of telling someone your hopes and dreams is an extremely risky endeavor, but the risks don’t stop there. It’s not only important to tell a trusted friend, but to also tell organizations. Tracy and I took a major risk by attending the Church Planting Assessment Center (CPAC) on our own dime and without the backing of any organization or group. It was extremely expensive for us to undertake on our own, however we believed that if God had really placed this dream within our hearts then he was going to begin opening doors. But not unless we were willing to take some initial first steps of faith.

I truly believe that many dreams die because we play a cosmic game of chicken with God. We sit waiting for God to take the first step while, in turn, He is waiting for us to take a risk and put our trust in Him.

3. Be Unstoppable. Our 6-year journey to this point has been met with numerous challenges in the shape of closed doors, rejections and disappointments. We’ve had plans fail and have experienced major heartache and setbacks where it seemed we would never recover. Yet through it all, God has been faithful. We have not allowed the difficulties of the present to change the course of our future. There will be challenges, there will be closed doors, there will be rejection and there will be major disappointments, but the only way your dream will ever see the light of day is if you are unstoppable. Keep pressing on, keep pushing forward and know that God will guide you to the end that he has in store.

Throughout it all know that this is a journey and that the plans that God has for you and your dreams are not there to fade away and land in the trash heap. Be faithful to God, follow hard after Him and the One who is most faithful will take those dreams to places and heights that you never before thought possible.