Holding a Dream

As far back as I can remember I have been a dreamer. I used to dream about playing professional sports and spent endless hours playing imaginary games in my back yard avoiding would be pine tree tacklers and hurdling wheelbarrows that stood in between me and the game winning touch down. I spent hour upon hour pitching in imaginary championship games to my pitch back spring loaded net which catapulted the baseball right back to me either as a grounder or as a pop fly.
My dreams were not limited to the athletic arena. I loved to write and especially loved creative writing assignments given in school. Little did I know then that my love to write would eventually turn into a passionate call from God. Somebody asked me the other day if I was an author? Another man standing next to me answered that indeed I was on my behalf when he saw me hesitating to answer. Using the word author sounds so formal. I rather see myself as someone who loves to write.
It was with that love that I began a dream in my heart to write the book Behold the Faithfulness of God many years ago. That book was written with tears, soul anguish, forging through trials and adversity, and great joy over the course of about two years. It was a labor of love written in my office here at FBC Paradise, while on our family vacation at a resort, and most of all in my favorite prayer cabin located outside of Palestine, TX. I wrote and wrote dreaming of the day those manu scripted pages would one day become a book. I typed pages on a computer and wrote on a legal pad on back porches, tucked away corners in restaurants, and hidden away in private retreats all the while clinging to my dream in my heart.
I prayed and prayed as other people began to touch my dream. I am referring to people like Charissa Fishbeck who read and edited the manuscript. I am referring to people like my pastor Charles Roberts, former college president Dr. Don Newbury, and Leighton Flowers who is the director for youth evangelism and Super Summer here in Texas. Each of these men read the book and offered their endorsements in written form for the back cover as well as valuable suggestions for improvement. I am referring to the men and women who make up the board of directors for No Compromise Ministries which serves as the primary vehicle which I write and publish books.
The book was sent to the publisher where there was more waiting as further editing and source verification was needed. The first cover design was rejected by the No Compromise Ministries board members unanimously as we felt the cover did not convey the message of the book forcing us to delay the whole process even further while another cover was designed. One of the most frustratingly painful times for the whole dream was waiting on God for provision to get the book printed.
The story is too long to go into at this point but in one day God provided all that was needed to get the book published after well over two years of praying and waiting. I received an email from our church treasurer informing me that someone had donated $9,000.00 anonymously for the printing of the book and on the same day I had another gift of $500.00 given for the same purpose. All the waiting on the dream of seeing that book printed seemed closer than ever.
The waiting continued though as I faced more obstacles. There was miscommunication with the publisher delaying the release date. Yet the promise of my dream coming true was closer than ever. Early in December of 2008 I received word from the publisher that we had finally gone to press and the books were scheduled to be shipped early in December. This was delayed because the publisher was overcommitted. After this delay I received a phone call that the books were shipped by a freight trucking company and I could expect their arrival within three business days. Three days turned into five and I was forced to cancel my first scheduled book signing. I received another phone call that the books had been held up in customs coming across the Canadian border where they were printed. This delay cost me another book signing.
I prayed and prayed and prayed. I had scheduled another book signing for December 17th and been assured the books would arrive that morning. I waited in faith praying all morning believing God to deliver those books. A huge ice storm up and down the east coast caused delays and once again I was forced to cancel another book signing.
Dejected I went about the rest of my day but still believing that the day was coming soon when I would hold my dream in my hand. By faith I could picture the cover of the book and see the book in my hands almost feeling it though my dream was delayed over and over again.
Yesterday afternoon while enjoying a school Christmas party with our youngest son Turner, I received a phone call from the freight company telling me that my book was three hours away. Three hours turned into five hours but right in the middle of preaching last night at church I saw the truck roll up through the glass doors at the back of the sanctuary. Several men sprang into action and unloaded the sixty boxes of books. I stopped in the middle of preaching and someone gave thanks to the Lord for getting that book to us in His perfect timing. As soon as the service ended I went across the street to where the boxes were being stored and gathered several books in my hand.
It was a very special moment between the Lord and me as I held my dream in my hand. All the years of delay and obstacles only made me all the more grateful for my dream being fulfilled. God put it in my heart to give all the money for the book to the FBC building fund to help us relocate as a church, so the church has prayed through this dream with me each step of the way. My dream had nothing to do with financial gain but the building of God’s kingdom. I have prayed for months that God would spread that book by word of mouth and asked God to sell a million copies with all the money going to help this church relocate. I also prayed that God would send this book all over the world.
Let me conclude by telling you how God is working the second part of that miracle already. The truck driver last night was an unbeliever from the Ukraine who now lives in Canada. The men who helped him unload the boxes of books last night had the chance to witness to him and when he asked if the book was some kind of holy book they responded by saying that it was the kind of book that can change your life. They gave him a copy to read when he got a chance. Just like that the very first book to go out went out internationally. I was also stopped by a lady in our church this morning who is very passionate about missions. She told me that she will be purchasing copies of Behold the Faithfulness of God to send to Romania where she has been on two mission trips.
It is a beautiful thing when God allows you to live long enough, to pray patiently enough, and persevere long enough, until He allows you to hold your dream in your hand. I know many of you have been waiting on the Lord for a long time. You have prayed until you have no more prayers left to pray. You have waited in faith and fought off doubt. Still your dream has been delayed. I want to encourage you to not give up. Keep believing that you will hold your God inspired dream in your hand. You will see it come to reality if you do not give up. [Ps 27:13-14] “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.” [Gal 6:9] “Let us not lose heart in doing good for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”
Take it from one who waited on his dream to come true for years. God does make dreams come true. Just this past week I witnessed God provide two families with miracle vehicles and one family with a miracle house. I loved what they said. They all desired to tell their stories to encourage others to keep trusting by faith. God is not a dream taker but a dream giver. Your dream might have been delayed for reasons you cannot understand. I am asking you to stand by faith and believe for the day you will hold your dream in your hands for the glory of God. It’s all about Him anyway. [Heb 11:1] “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” By faith possess your dreams and hold them in your heart until the day God allows you to hold them in your hands.
As for me I have other dream books to write. I believe God will put each of these books into the hands of readers all over the world and He will get the glory for all of them. If you wouldn’t mind from time to time could you pray that God would also allow me to hold those dreams in my hands too? I will be glad to pray with you about your dreams if you want share them with me.