Crazy Dreams and Shaking!

Sunday evening I had to sit down and journal all of the crazy dreams I have been having lately!! I think there have been at least 4, if not 5 in a row, and the one thing I am amazed about with them is how specific they seem! I've never really thought much about dreams, as far as meanings behind them and things like that, but recently I've been asking Father if there's any revelation He would like to impart to me to please let me know!! Check these out...

Dream #1 was last Wednesday or Thursday night....I was in some kind of hospital hallway in front of some elevators talking to a young hispanic girl. She was quite a bit shorter than me, kind of a stocky build, wore a black hoodie sweatshirt and had the sides of her hair pulled back. The conversation basically amounted to me evangelizing to this girl, sharing with her about Jesus and having a relationship with Him. When she decided she wanted to make this decision, we went over to a little 'nook' area with a couple waiting room chairs with a table and lamp to visit some more. She was asking all kinds of questions about why do bad things happen to good people, will life be easier once she receives Jesus into her heart, is being a Christian easy, etc. I don't remember all the exact scripture I quoted to her, but I remember telling her the story of Adam and Eve, and how sin entered the world thus bringing about the fall of man. We talked about how receiving Jesus doesn't equal having a life of ease, and how the Bible states that in this life there will be trials in this world, but how Jesus himself said to take heart for He has overcome the world. I explained to her how becoming a 'Christian' is more than just a label and security to be able to have a ticket to get into heaven, it is about having a relationship with the God of the universe who wants to be intimately involved in our lives and wants to demonstrate His love for her. I remember telling her a lot of scripture from the book of Romans, especially about how there is no condemnation for her now that she has received Christ. Very cool dream!

Dream #2 the following night (I actually had 2 dreams this night b/c I got woke up once)....The first dream I dreamt that Ken and I had moved into a house that was identical to my parent's house, only it wasn't there house. Weird I know, only in a dream!! ;-) Anyway, we thought we were going to have to move in with whoever was living there, but were excited that we got to be there by ourselves. At the end of the driveway, Ken, the girls and I were hanging out with about 8 orphans from Africa (as far as I could tell). Ken was sitting in a lawn chair and we were all playing and having so much fun together. I was talking with Ken about a particular child who we were planning on adopting at some point. Then the dream ended with me leaving everyone because I knew they were in good hands with Ken and went for a walk around the block! Dream #3, or the second one that same night, was Ken and I renewing our vows!! The part of the ceremony with us actually doing the vow renewal didn't last very long, and when we were finished we ended up sitting toward the back of the chapel (in this building there were lots and lots of chapels, kind of like a funeral home, but it wasn't). Looking around in my dream I saw some hispanic people but I think I knew that there were also people of other nationalities sitting in the pews during the service. I'm not really sure what was going on at this point up front. Some really good friends of ours were there too, and the guy's wife went and put on her wedding dress. Her husband asked if it was for him and she said yes and he knelt down and praised God saying "thank you Father for your redemption!!". Then our service got out the same time the other ones were getting out of their little 'chapels', including Life Church which apparently was able to fit into one of them in my dream!! :-)

The fourth dream I found very interesting. In this dream, we were in the country of India in the hut-home of an elderly Indian lady. It was just Ken and I and the kids. I was frustruated about the differences between hospitality styles in this lady and myself but Ken basically told me to get over it, LOL! Then Mikayla climbed up into this lady's lap and the lady brought her up to her shoulder and Mikayla laid her head on her shoulder and fell asleep. Then later somehow I ended up in some kind of shopping mall but we were still apparently in India. I was asked to go outside with some special gloves on and collect some samples of some kind of moon rocks or something that had fallen from the sky!! When I began to make my way out though, I couldn't because there was a huge earthquake. When the earthquake finally subsided, I went outside. I was with some of my friends from church surveying the damage. All the buildings (which looked just like the new strip mall area here off of 119th where Michael's and Ulta and Off Broadway is) had ended up having the outsides of them shaken off; like if there was stucco, it had been shaken off, or siding, or bricks or whatever it had all been shaken off. The trees were dead and the grass was dead and the sky was grey. That is really all I remember about that dream. The interesting thing is that Ken and I had gone to church with my parents (my church from growing up) and Pastor Gary had preached out of Haggai. He referred to Haggai 2:6-9 which says "This is what the Lord Almighty says: In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord Almighty. The silver is mine and the gold is mine, declares the Lord Almighty. The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house, says the Lord Almighty. And in this place I will grant peace, declares the Lord Almighty."

Later on I did some more studying, specifically about the dreams I had been having. I knew about the verse in Joel 2:28-29 that says "And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people, Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days." I continued reading through into chapter 3, which talks about the judgement of the nations. What specifically stood out to me was verses 9-16: "Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors! Let all the fighting men draw near and attack. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weakling say "I am strong!' Come quickly, all you nations from every side, and assemble there. Bring down your warriors, O Lord! Let the nations be roused, let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all the nations on every side. Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full and the vats overflow-so great is their wickedness! Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine. The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will tremble. But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel." These verses refer to the judgements of the nations, where when it says the "harvest is ripe" it speaks of those who have turned to evil instead of God. I got to thinking about this though, and I thought, yeah the harvest is ripe however right now for those who would be willing to hear of the message of Jesus and the love He has for them! I think that God is starting to awaken hearts to Himself, for people to either become serious about their relationship with Him or not, or to know Him for the first time. It speaks in Hebrews 12:27 how what can be shaken will be shaken, and what cannot be shaken will be all that remains. Verse 28 goes on to say though that we, as believers, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, should be thankful to God and worship Him with reverence and awe, for He is a consuming fire!

I pray that during the times of shaking even in my own life (and really in the not so far off future!) that I can perservere and remain steadfast. I pray the same for my brothers and sisters in Christ as well. "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:23-25