Dream With Me

“All dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, making them possible.” – T.E. Lawrence

Every now and then, an old-timer—one who has clearly been dreaming—approaches me with a question: “Why don’t we have stuff for old-timers?” It’s a good question, and one that is usually accompanied with an important affirmation: “We have amazing programs and opportunities for young people—without question one of the great strengths of our life together in this place. Imagine if the same were true for the young at heart.” Some of you have approached me—dreaming out loud:

“You always talk about how the Wilderness Trail is totally awesome. And when the kids tell their stories, the rest of us get really excited—and kind of jealous. What if we had a version of Wilderness Trail for adults?”

“My wife and I have always wanted to dance, so we’re taking lessons. I’m learning how to waltz, and I’ll dance at my daughter’s wedding. What if we danced at church? Ballroom dancing, contra dancing, line dancing—and what about clogging? I heard our pastor is a blue-ribbon clogger!” It’s true. I’m a blue-ribbon clogger. Our team won blue ribbons. In the sixth grade.

“What if we played games? Out in the courtyard we could play bocce ball, corn hole, badminton, and throw horseshoes. And we could have groups inside playing cards or playing board games. I heard the Holy Land group played cards in the airport because their flight was delayed three days.” It was actually a nine-hour delay, but we did play cards in the airport—and it was fantastic!

“Our youth go on great mission trips. They not only go places like Pittsburgh and New Orleans and Washington, DC and Gatlinburg, but they also do mission projects locally, right here in our backyard. We are always inspired by their commitment to give up weeks of their summer vacation to serve others. What if our senior members had cool mission trips—far away and close to home?”

“What if we rented a tour bus? I’ve heard some churches will charter a bus and go tripping. We could go to the Grand Ole Opry, or Dollywood, or the Smithsonian museums, or the Atlanta Aquarium—maybe an Atlanta Braves game. I’ve heard that there are amazing restaurants on Duluth Highway.” It’s true. The restaurants on Duluth Highway are amazing.

“What if we had music makers for adults?”

Keep sharing your dreams. Let’s be dangerous—let’s dream with our eyes open—and watch the possibilities come true!  Eleanor Roosevelt said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”