Welcome to a new series entitled Awaken The Dreamers. Based on a post I wrote last month, I was challenged to sow into the lives of people that are dream chasers. In an effort to stir up the faith in this community, I decided to feature a different person each month to share their personal story.
First up is one of my closest friends. She is one of those people that just breathes life into everything she does. She is the epitome of a dreamer and the kind of person that makes you believe that anything is possible. I knew she was the perfect choice to start this series. Two years ago, she quit a great job to chase her dreams. For the past two years she has been at the Bethel Supernatural School of Ministry in Redding, CA. This is her story. I hope it encourages you.
Cris Kerr
Recently at school I learned about dreams and was encouraged to write a list with at least 100. I started with 20 and thought they were just my own dreams and goals for my life but I have come to realize that God loves me so much that He was always giving me my dreams. His dreams, my dreams…they are one and the same. Basically, “He gives me the desires of my heart, and then He goes and gives me the desires of my heart.”
After sharing my top 20 dreams and desires with my family and a couple of close friends, their feedback was super positive. They loved my boldness to dream things that seem impossible and at the same time my ability to dreams things I know can be done in my lifetime if go after them with all my heart. Little do they know that I am definitely dreaming to my full potential.
This year, the dreams that I want to run after are: sing to presidents and kings, share my home with international students, get a tattoo as my wedding ring and feed multitudes. I feel like at some level, I can start to live out these dreams right now. For example, I can practice and improve my voice and guitar playing skills. I can share my home with students and friends that are around me this semester. I can continue praying for the amazing and honorable man that is going pursue me passionately! And I can participate in feeding people on my missions and ministry trips this year as well as get involved in ministries that include feeding the poor. In addition, I would like to start to go after the languages one – I already speak 3 languages: Portuguese, English and Spanish and I am learning French. I would like to go after Italian, Greek, Hebrew, Mandarin, German and Arabic. This year I would like to see significant improvement in my French. Hopefully get it from a 3 to a 7.
Here’s my list:
“20 things I wanna do in my lifetime”
- speak 10 languages fluently
- be a great-great grandma
- live in Greece for 1 year
- feed multitudes
- live in a solar powered house
- jump off of a skyscraper (and either fly or have a parachute
) - honeymoon in Fiji islands
- sail across the world
- clean and rebuild slums in Brasil
- make a million dollars and give it all away
- share my home with international students
- walk on water
- own an artsy coffee house where everything is free and people express themselves through music and art
- sing to presidents and kings
- get a tattoo as my wedding ring
- pay off my nephews’ education – all 8 of them
- birth girl triplets
- give girls who feel ugly amazing makeovers
- graduate from a culinary school
- meet and influence Gisele Bundchen, John Mayer, Mark Zuckerberg, Celine Dion and Queen Elizabeth
I wanted to share some of my dreams with you… and maybe you guys can write me some of yours and we can keep experiencing more of this life together seeing each other’s dreams come to true!
“I don’t dream at night, I dream all day; I dream for a living.” Steven Spielberg
What a great list! I can see I’m not dreaming big enough!
I know what you mean! When you let go of all your “pragmatism” and just get free, you’ll be surprised what you have inside of your heart!
love that list! I want my son to be an anti-bully. A big kid who rescues others
That’s one of my big life goals. hehe.
oh, and nice series graphic Tony! hehe
That’s cool dude. I’m sure he’ll have the heart of a lion. Oh and thanks, a pretty cool guy I know is a wiz at graphics.
Love this! I really believe God is going to do AMAZING things in His children’s lives this year. Something is stirring…this post was so encouraging! Thanks Cris and Tony.
Absolutely! Thanks Jen.
Inspiring! Thanks for sharing this.
Thanks for stopping by Sean.
Awesome list. I dream too small, too much. I want to dream the dreams that would take (and produce) a miracle.
Great post.
Yes! They are in you, I’m sure of it!
I absolutely adore this article, Cris Kerr and Tony Alicea !!! You guys rock !!!
Yay! Love you Ella!
Too cool! Sounds like you are well on your way to achieving many of your dreams!!
It’s never too late, April.
Wow, that sounds like a dynamic list! I’d love to honeymoon in the Fiji islands, too. Is it too late if we’ve been married for 10 years?
Oh, and the walk on water thing would be cool, too. I’ll be looking for Chris’s guest post when she does that!
I plan on having multiple honeymoons…so I say do it! And Cris will definitely get another guest post when she walks on water! When…not if.
Reading this gets me so pumped! It’s so amazing to hear from someone that isn’t just talking about doing it…but doing it, doing it big, and believing for even bigger. Thank you, Cris, for sharing your dreams and stoking the embers.
“He gives me the desires of my heart, and then He goes and gives me the desires of my heart.”
Amazing stuff. I hope we’re all able to get a hold of it.
Great guest post, Tony!
I love it! I pray that we can all be inspired and our faith breaks out of the small little candy boxes we put it in.
Great stuff! I dream big and then God says it’s not big enough. I know He wants me to dream with Him and then finally I can come close to what He imagines for me. Thank you, Chris (and Tony).
I sing this lyric all the time but I want to believe it every day: “There’s so much more”
Now I’m dreaming too… I dream of eating Cheetos.
Sometimes I hate how simple, yet wonderful my life is.
One arm around SG and the other elbow deep in a bag of cheetos. The good life indeed.
Yes, yes..
Dang, what an incredible list , Cris. Tony, thanks for letting her share her story today.
It challenges me to do something similar for myself. And, yes- not just simple, attainable ones… but also bigger dreams–ones that certainly need a little God-help.
Dream big or go home!
I’ve never compiled a list choosing instead to store them in my head. Putting them down on paper, though, would probably make them more concrete and increase my focus. This will probably happen soon.
I agree. When I wrote mine down, I felt like they became real. I hope you do it.
I think I call my dreams goals… so I have a list of 10 year goals that I am running after
This series is awesome!
I definitely do goals. I think there is a difference with dreams though. To me it’s like this:
With hard work you can achieve your goals, with God’s work you can achieve your dreams.
You made my dreams look like a post-it note compared to your “book of dreams”.
Thank you for inspiring me to dream.
Ditto. I made my own list of 25 last year. They were crazy, out there dreams. Until I gave myself permission, I didn’t even realize everything that I had inside my heart. Definitely one of the most amazing things I’ve ever done. I’m already on my way to seeing a few of them realized!
Wow, I’m completely speechless after reading this. I confess I’ve never dared to dream like this… and as a husband and father life seems to come baring down to a point where you feel like you’ll never escape the daily grind. This was a challenge today Tony, thanks.
I felt the same way the first time she shared this with me. When she first told me “my dreams are His dreams”, it completely rocked my world.
I never have had a list such as this…it may be time. I just pray my dreams and desires do not interfere or contradict God’s purpose in my life.
You have the right heart, Dusty. Your love and passion for the Lord is evident. I’m confident that God will give you His dreams and not only will they they not interfere with His purposes but they will actually fulfill them!
this is really cool and it’s something that I’ve been putting off doing for quite some time.
I think it’s time.
Michael, it is time. Stop being a slacker. :[
Besides, it would be rather cool to see who you surround yourself with.
I have made similar lists over the years. I love dreaming and dreams do come true!
Absolutely. I love how some of hers are so completely out there. Those are the ones that can ONLY be accomplished with God.
Wow…such wonderful dreams! I love how some are “easily” attainable (like the tattoo wedding ring) and some are “impossible without God” (like walking on water.) I pray you always keep that joyous attitude.
She carries it man. She’s unshakable. She is a dreamer.
I feel honored to be on your blog, Tone!! Thank you.
You are so wonderful!
Thank you for believing in me and investing in my dreams
It was an absolute honor to have you. I’ve told you this many times but I’m so thankful to have you as a friend. You have changed my life with your testimony and the way you live your life. Awaken the dreamers!
Wow! I am totally inspired to dream aloud! This is good medicine, Tony.
Cris, you are a brilliant smile in a world of frowns. Thank you for your infectious spirit!
Tony,
By the way, thank you for introducing Cris to us!
My pleasure. I’m glad she was able to inspire you. She’s definitely been a huge inspiration in my life.