By The Rev. Dr. Carl Grosse

At the most recent Mission Committee meeting, Tracye Robertson (the moderator) headed toward the close by asking if any of us had dreams for mission. I love the question! In what’s called the “brief” counseling and consulting method, I learned it as the “magic wand” question: “If you had a magic wand, what would you change this [relationship problem, mood disorder, organizational challenge] into?” Tactically, this type of question opens up important participation, allowing others to reveal key information in a low-risk condition. For me, I just enjoy thinking about my own dreams and hearing those of the people in the room. 

Some dreams are achievable, while others are not. Denise and I have occasional conversations involving dreams of how we’d like to live down the road. Most of them involve a significant financial windfall, like winning the Powerball. We usually end those conversations with the Blondie song, “dreaming is free”.  The dreams help us understand each other better, which itself has value. Knowing those dreams can shape real planning, factoring in what each of us might gain or give up with a particular decision. Dreams might put something on the table that wasn’t there before, presenting us with options we would not otherwise consider.

The recent series on torah passages might seem restrictive and limiting. So is gravity. One might conclude that the rules God set up don’t make life much fun. Of course, that’s the oldest pitch in the world and exactly how the serpent caught Eve. What Jesus did was not abandon the rules, rather He dreamed of what true followers could do with them.  Real innovation happens when the focus shifts from what is lacking and what can’t be done, to what we have and what can be done with it. Guided by the love of Christ and the Kingdom rules (which might be different than some of your own opinions and preferences), start dreaming about what you can do with what you have. Share those dreams, maybe you’ll find others with similar dreams, maybe you’ll discover new ideas you hadn’t thought of. Maybe you and this church might find a new direction down the road. And remember, dreaming is free!