Dreams: Going Up!

I had two interesting dreams during the week.

The first dream started off in the lobby of a building and for some reason I needed to go upstairs. So I go over to the elevator, but when the doors opened it wasn’t a normal elevator. Instead it was a small black cart encassed in dark glass. Somehow I just knew what to do. I opened the hatch and climbed in. The space inside was definetly cramped. Once I was inside the elevator doors closed, the cart backed away and started up. The ride was crazy. Imagine a rollercoaster inside of a building. The first few floors were normal, but as I got closer to the top I could see that these floors were under construction. My cart began to weave in and out dodging exposed steel beams. As my ride came to an end my cart zoomed down a hallway almost hitting a few people. When I got out I passed the construction foreman who remarked to me that maybe he should put in a normal elevator.

After that Ari and I were out in a field for a celebration and as we were walking along, we came across a tall black pole that was the beginning of the roller coaster that was very similar to what I had experienced in the building previously.  After taking a ride, the creator/owner of the roller coaster gave it to Ari.

Five Characteristics of Weak Leaders

From Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin, Michael Hyatt pulls out five characteristics of weak leaders.

General George B. McClellan, commander of the “Army of the Potomac” and, eventually, first general-in-chief of the Union Army…

  1. Hesitating to take definitive action. McClellan was constantly preparing. According to him, the Army was never quite ready. The troops just needed a little more training. In his procrastination, he refused to engage the enemy, even when he clearly had the advantage. He could just not bring himself to launch an attack. When Lincoln finally relieved him of his duties, he famously said, “If General McClellan does not want to use the army, I would like to borrow it for a time.”
  2. Complaining about a lack of resources. He constantly complained about the lack of available resources. He didn’t have enough men. His men weren’t paid enough. They didn’t have enough heavy artillery. And on and on he went. The truth is that, as a leader, you never have enough resources. You could always use more of one thing or another. But the successful leaders figure out how to get the job done with the resources they have.
  3. Refusing to take responsibility. McClellan was constantly blaming everyone else for his mistakes and for his refusal to act. He even blamed the President. Every time he suffered a defeat or a setback, someone or something was to blame. He was a master finger-pointer. Great leaders don’t do this. They are accountable for the results and accept full responsibility for the outcomes.
  4. Abusing the privileges of leadership. While his troops were struggling in almost unbearable conditions, McClellan lived in near-royal splendor. He spent almost every evening entertaining guests with elaborate dinners and parties. He insisted on the best clothes and accommodations. His lifestyle stood in distinct contrast to General Ulysses S. Grant, his eventual successor, who often traveled with only a toothbrush.
  5. Engaging in acts of insubordination. McClellan openly and continually criticized the President, his boss. He was passive-aggressive. Even when Lincoln gave him a direct order, he found a way to avoid obeying it. In his arrogance, he always knew better than the President and had a ready excuse to rationalize his lack of follow-through.

From Michael Hyatt’s Blog

Book Review: Priceless by Tom Davis

Good Christian fiction seems to be hard to find. And I’m not sure why. I can remember reading  Frank Peretti’s books as a teenager, my imagination was floored by the vivid pictures he painted of spiritual warfare. But that was a long time ago, and since then I haven’t read much or seen much of interesting Christian fiction. Now that’s partially my fault, for a long time I read only Tom Clancy or Michael Crighton, both great authors, but they both paint a world that is void of God and the work that he is doing. After my Dad passed away and I began to turn back to God, I gave up the things of this world that I knew held back from and intimate relationship with God,tons of  movies, pictures, and books were all thrown away. I assumed that good fiction literature was just something I would have to do without. Thankfully I was wrong, I don’t remember exactly how I found his blog (it was probably through Seth’s blog) and I don’t remember what made me add him to my google reader, but I’m very glad I did. A year ago Tom Davis released the book Scared (a book I still am meaning to write a review of :)), if you have a heart for Africa, orphans or just want to see real world example of how God works I suggest you read it.

Tom’s follow up book is called Priceless. The back drop for this book is Russia and focuses on the sex trade that seems rampant not just in Russia but in our own back yard. This book is a spotlight on the darkness that is all around us, we’ve closed our eyes to it for far too long.

The plot of the book is fast paced, I mean the first few chapters alone nearly blew my socks off, and it only gets better from there. Fair warning, putting the book down and going back to life as normal, isn’t possible, after reading it there’s something left behind. A burden for those girls to do something anything. In the past few days I’ve sketched out ideas for how I could create my own band of SEALs or Marines that would bring justice to sick men and freedom to innocent girls. I know that will probably never happen but I can dream. 🙂

I’m reminded of Eph 6:12

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. (NLT)

And the more I think about the more God puts a burden on my heart to pray, pray for the girls for protection and redemption, pray for the men who are paying to have sex with them that they will be saved, pray for the men who are responsible  that they will be saved as well. God’s agenda is to save all… That at times can be so hard to remember. Especially when it comes to harming innocent little girls even more so when you are a father of a priceless little angel.

What I liked about Priceless is that it redefines the norm. The norm is that God isn’t active in the world today and Tom’s books paint a very different picture. And that’s a message I hope continues to spread.

I’m glad to have found good Christian fiction again. Fiction that entertains, inspires, and exposes the world to the truth.

Anchored

Hebrews 6:19 – This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.

Two images beautifully combined:

(1)The soul is the ship: the world the sea: the bliss beyond the world, the distant coast; the hope resting on faith, the anchor which prevents the vessel being tossed to and fro; the encouraging consolation through the promise and oath of God, the cable connecting the ship and anchor.

(2) The world is the fore-court: heaven, the Holy of Holies; Christ, the High Priest going before us, so as to enable us, after Him, and through Him, to enter within the veil.

Estius explains, As the anchor does not stay in the waters, but enters the ground hidden beneath the waters, and fastens itself in it, so hope, our anchor of the soul, is not satisfied with merely coming to the vestibule, that is, is not content with merely earthly and visible goods, but penetrates even to those which are within the veil, namely, to the Holy of Holies, where it lays hold on God Himself, and heavenly goods, and fastens on them.

“Hope, entering within heaven, hath made us already to be in the things promised to us, even while we are still below, and have not yet received them; such strength hope has, as to make those that are earthly to become heavenly.”

“The soul clings, as one in fear of shipwreck to an anchor, and sees not whither the cable of the anchor runs-where it is fastened: but she knows that it is fastened behind the veil which hides the future glory.”

Via Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary