Blog Archives - The Remarkable Blog

When there are no lights.

11/16/2020

Last night we came home to complete darkness. As we neared our home, we noticed the entire side of our street had an eerie stillness. “The power must be out,” my husband said in his nonchalant way. “Ugh” no heating pad on my shoulders tonight I thought. As we entered the house we both headed to our preferred methods of light. Yep, I went for candles. He went for the big guns, battery powered room lighting. You would have thought it was the White House.

Time lapsed slowly as we both groped around trying to figure out the, “What next?” Refrigerator—hummmm, what will keep? How long? Ahhh, need to connect the generator to the freezer, so we don’t loose anything. Don’t open the refrigerator. How long will the water be hot? Oh that’s right its gas. Well, thank God. Next plan? Take a shower and go catch up on my homework. Homework? Yes, I am taking some classes and I have a lot of reading to do. Tried that—won’t work. Not bright enough. Need more lights to read without eye strain. Okay, I will go ahead and do the Blog for tomorrow. I go to get on the internet and you guessed it. No WIFI. Okay, I will just type it on a Word Doc and copy and paste it into Weebly in the morning. So, here I am.

What I learned from this experience. We are creatures of habit. Make habits work for you not against you. Be a problem solver. Prepare in advance. Purchase things that prepare you for your future. We had back-up batteries, generator, alternate heat sources, ice chest, lanterns, candles, and cell phones. We were fine. My computer was 100% and worse come to worst, I could charge it in my car with my handy adapter. We were going to be okay.

Then, I thought about utter darkness. I thought about people dying and going to hell with no options. Hell, where there are no alternate sources of light and never dying flames. “God who would want to go to hell?” I don’t think anyone wants to go to hell. I do however, think people want what they want, more than they want God; and the result of that choice is they don’t go to heaven. To refuse to admit we are a sinner and accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and then, live accordingly is a choice. Make that choice and we are forever in the light. Fail to make that choice and forever be removed from the true source of Light—Jesus Christ.

ACTION STEP: Prepare now for a bright future. Consider a power outage as a wake-up sign that, we can’t take the invitation to come to Jesus as an open invitation that lasts forever. No, one day it will be too late to accept the invitation. One day the lights will go out for our mortal body and the ability to choose will be over. Choose now. Don't allow yourself to be deceived in the encompassing darkness that surrounds us.

Friday the 13th in 2020????

11/13/2020

I am not the least bit superstitious, which is defined as (a: a belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation b: an irrational abject attitude of mind toward the supernatural, nature, or God resulting from superstition.) We have not been given a spirit of fear and we are no longer ignorant. That being said, it is just another Friday on the calendar. Today, is another opportunity to show the love of God in word and deed, and to continue our pursuit to look just like our Creator; by becoming all we are destined to become. Today, vow to love for God is love.

On the other hand, I do believe numbers are significant. In the Bible we see the number seven as the number of completion. We see the number six as the number of man. We see the number four means to rule and reign. Ten is the number of test. When we start seeing double digits it changes the meanings of numbers somewhat. The number thirteen is symbolic of rebellion. Anything contrary to the word of God, and the will of God is rebellion. Past the test and refuse to rebel against God and His word or His ways.

ACTION STEP: Check yourself to see if there be any rebellion in you. When you read the word you will find that, we are to let God be God. We are to allow God to be the just judge. We are to depend on God to fight our battles. God is for us. Who can be against us? Live a life of love. Satan rebelled against God, and God threw him out of heaven, it was not the other inhabitants of heaven that threw satan out. God fights for Himself. We are called only to love. Vow to love. Love will never fail. Praise God and watch your enemies be scattered.

Daily habits determine destiny.

11/12/2020

Joshua 1:8
"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."

I've read my Bible daily now for years. It has been a life changer, but I wanted more success in a few areas of my life. Mainly, I wanted more finances personally and professionally, because of where and what I was called to do. Deep inside of me I knew God was calling me to do more, and help more people.

Daily habits determine destiny. What we do daily determines our future. The principles of God will produce the miracles of God. We don't want to need a miracle everyday, just to survive. The Lord rejoices in the prosperity of His saints. I want to make the Lord very, very happy. You and I don’t determine our future, our daily habits do. Here is a formula I learned from Dr.Keith Johnson. He is America's #1 Confidence Coach. The formula is this 1H x 7D x 5Y = 5%. This means that one hour a day, seven days a week, what I do for five years has the potential to make one reach the top 5% of their industry--better than 95% of others. When we are that much better, people would rather hire us or pay for our services. I had never heard this put this way. I knew that what we do everyday matters, like the foods we choose or brushing and flossing. However, for some reason this registered with me this time in a more concrete way.

When I thought about what I have been doing with my life over the past thirty years, I realized I was probably well within that 5% of people that could offer others something truly valuable. So, why wasn't I doing better financially? I believe I am learning the answer to that question and I am beginning to see the changes.

ACTION STEP: In just a few more months I will be looking for ten people to coach for free. If you want to be one of those ten then, be the first ten people to email me at [email protected] with your email and why you want to be coached. Leave me your contact information. I am excited to begin using what I am learning.

Paying tribute to our Veterans-Thank you!

11/11/2020

2 Timothy 2:3-4
"Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

I grew up with a military influence in my life. As a child I played 'Army' with the other neighborhood children. When the weather was bad, I played 'Army' with my little brothers toy Army men in our living room. As I got older I watched as my brothers and their friends one by one would leave home and join the military. My father, and two of my brothers served. My step father was air-force for 40 years. My little brother is a major and even my Spiritual Father is a purple heart veteran.

I expect most of you have heard there will be a war to end all wars. In fact, that’s what was said about World War One but World War Two followed shortly after the first. I want to assure you the final war has already happened and the victory has already been won. The forces of darkness, which are so full of deceit, have deceived themselves into thinking this war hasn’t taken place yet. But, in fact, this battle has taken place more than two thousand years ago on the hill of Calvary.

In the last two thousand years there have been many wars so you might be questioning my logic however, I stand by my reasoning, what is necessary to end war has already been accomplished. Spiritual influences are the primary factor in the instigation of war. The principalities and powers which rule the darkness of this world are the spiritual backbone of hate, pride, ambition and fear which lunge nations towards war.

The spiritual battle which took care of these dark forces was acted out in the greatest demonstration of Love ever to exist. 1 Corinthians 2:8 tells us if the rulers of darkness had known what was taking place on the cross, they would never have crucified the Lord of Glory.

Many Christians who are aware of the Biblical mention of the battle of Armageddon are led to believe this battle in the valley of Megiddo, will be the final war. However, this Armageddon battle will just be a shadow of what has already taken place when Jesus was placed on the cross to redeem mankind.

We have much to rejoice about because we are already on the victory side. We remember all those who have gone before us, to provide for us the level of freedom we have in this world but the Greater One has provided freedom for eternity.

On this Remembrance Day, we are reminded of the horrors of war. I certainly do not make light of the unbelievable pain and hardship, which results because of war but, the terror of the wars of this world are only a shadow of what Jesus went through in order to secure our eternal freedom.

Let us remember Jesus, is the one who paid the price no one else could. He’s the One who made the ultimate sacrifice. He had a choice and was willing to do it all for us.

1 Corinthians 11:25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."

Think about this today as you remember the Veterans. "All gave some and some gave all." This saying is attributed to the Korean War Veteran and purple heart recipient Howard William Osterkamp from Dent, Ohio. Howard served in the Army from 1951 to 1953 during which he experienced heavy combat in Korea with his unit, the C-Company, 5th Regimental Combat Team. Here is the link to the video below if it does not show up click here or view in your Browser. https://youtu.be/_48_gHGSCRM

ACTION STEP: Be proud to be an American. Keep in mine the price that was paid for our freedom. Thank a Veteran today! Then, join me and pray to God, to bless America.

The Bible Speaks

11/10/2020

"The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me;
it has hands, it lays hold of me."
Martin Luther

The Gospel changes lives. It causes us to turn away from idols and turn toward God. When repentance takes place lives change and people become passionate. The more word I get on the inside of me the more opportunities God brings me to model my life to others. Opportunities come because God says so, not because we are so great. Make others great and the by-product will be you become greater. If you don't see the video below view in your Browser or click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8cJQMU9Q-U Let it play as you read the Blog and let it minister to you.

ACTION STEP: I can not tell you how much the Word of God has changed my life. The Word of God took hold of me and changed me from the inside out. I want to make you jealous in that you will take the challenge to take hold of that which has taken hold of you--the Word of God.

If you asked me the one thing that has made me successful in marriage, mothering and ministry I would answer, "The Word." The answer is always the Word. Regardless, of the question the answer is still...the Word.

The Power of Ten and the Tithe

11/9/2020

"Coaches are personal change experts who help others unleash their potential, take massive action, and fulfill their destiny."
~Keith Johnson, America's #1 Confidence Coach

Colgate became a deacon. He gave not merely one-tenth of the earnings of Colgate's soap products; but he gave two-tenths, then three-tenths, and finally five-tenths of all his income to the work of God in the world. During the later days of his life he revealed the origin of his devotion to the idea of tithing.

America has always been the most giving and generous nation in the world. Giving causes the getting. No giving~no getting. Ignorance is not bliss, it's painful and purposeful. When we find out what we don't know there is an opportunity to change. There is no way one person can know it all. There is however, someone who knows what we need to find out. I am personally at a point in my life where I want to increase my knowledge in financial success. Perhaps, it is because of the beautiful faces of my three grandchildren that make me want to leave a legacy not just of my faith, and life, but of my wealth that God has promised me.

ACTION STEP: The first step in any growth program, is to do what you know to do. Then, step to two is to find out what you don't know. Today, I challenge you to take the first step. If you are in partial obedience then, you are still in disobedience. I believe the best of people, so I challenge myself first to bring out the best in me, and then help others to bring out the best in themselves. God so loved He gave. Let's all take that first step. Begin today to tithe.

Waiting sometimes last a long time, but it's worth it.

11/6/2020

The Forge

At least as important as the things we wait for is the work God wants to do in us as we wait…
Picture a blazing hot forge and a piece of gold thrust into it to be heated until all that is impure and false is burnt out. As it is heated, it is also softened and shaped by the metalworker. Our faith is the gold; our suffering is the fire. The forge is the waiting: it is the tension and longing and, at times, anguish of waiting for God to keep his promises…
Taken from Waiting: Finding Hope When God Seems Silent by Ben Patterson Copyright (c) 1989 by Ben Patterson. Published by InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL. www.ivpress.com
Psalm 130

1 A song of ascents. Out of the depths I cry to you, LORD ;
2 Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.
3 If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
5 I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.
6 I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.
7 Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. 8He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

No one is waiting anymore. I just talked to a friend about Halloween. When we were little, we rarely got candy. The reason Halloween was such a big deal is we never got candy. Today, kids get candy everyday. They go through the check out line, and just throw something up on the belt, and we pay for it. There is no waiting for candy. When I was a kid, I got clothes I needed for Christmas. Things like socks, and a new toothbrush were in my stocking. We got oranges and nuts, because they were special. Now, we can buy produce in season and out. There is no waiting, but nothing has any real value. God is still waiting. He is waiting for us. He is waiting for His word to be fulfilled.

My husband just told me this morning, "Honey you know all the prophetic words you have spoken for all these years?" I said, "Yes." He said, "They are about to be fulfilled and many are already coming to pass." I thought to myself, "Wow, God some of those took a long time." I knew in my spirit that it was worth the wait. Waiting on God is part of the maturation process for Prophets of God. We hear, then we wait. It is in the waiting that we keep wanting. We keep wanting what God has, We keep waiting to hear His voice. I personally, look forward to each day because each day, I wake up waiting on Him. (If the video below does not show up click this link or view in your Browser. https://youtu.be/3gjXBMC8-oM )

ACTION STEP: God is not surprised at anything or any one. God is all powerful and He is in control. As we wait, it is critical that we keep our sense of humor in the fullest meaning of that word. When laughter goes, so does hope. When God reaffirms his promise to Abraham and Sarah, he restores not only their faith, but their ability to laugh as well. One goes with the other. Only the laughers can believe. Only the believers can laugh. The only thing worse than waiting is waiting without laughing.

12 Tribes of Israel-#12 Benjamin. This is the last in this series.

11/5/2020

This will conclude our study of the 12 Tribes of Israel. Below is a slide show. It is the first time I have tried to include a slide presentation. If your link does not work try opening this Blog in your Browser or click this link: https://www.slideshare.net/acyulo/the-tribe-of-benjamin Just put your cursor over the slide and it will change and then also enlarge in size.

Son of my right hand.
This represents our will power and victorious nature and the leader in us. What our will sets out to do, it will be accomplished. The flea on the ear of an elephant may say it wants to go to Florida but the Elephant wants to stay in the jungle. The Flea is our head, but the Elephant is the heart. It is out of the heart that the issues of life flow not out of our heads.

God gives us the ability to choose and go after what we want.

Faith is what pleases God and moves His hand to do the impossible. We have been given the dominion in the earth. The right hand is known for power and strength and might. It signifies success and victory. Patience matures Gods strength in my life. Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father. We are seated with Christ in heavenly places. We are the younger brothers and sisters of Jesus.

Benjamin is also the power of my name! There is power in the name of Jesus. Jesus has given us the authority of His name.

What does your name mean? It is linked to your destiny. The name Joseph-means He shall add. Joseph the Dreamer certainly did add to the lives of his brothers and fed nations.

Your name will explain a lot about who you are and what you are called to do.

ACTION STEP: In closing, Jacob forming into Israel is not an overnight transition.
The power of the 12 is extremely important and accomplishes much. A complete Israel will be used to build many altars together, win many battles and claim the land for an inheritance for the whole.

Hubris is the characteristic of excessive confidence or arrogance, which leads a person to believe that he or she may do no wrong. The overwhelming pride caused by hubris is often considered a flaw in character.

Now is not the time to be proud and arrogant, but to humbler ourselves and let God fight for us. There are more for us than against us. Rise up, children of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. Let the Tribe of Israel arise.

God Bless America

11/4/2020

2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV
"if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

Taking a break from my regular teaching to pause and pray for this great nation. I love America. I love its people. I love our freedoms and the God we serve. I just want to state here that we still don't know who won our election. There is still time to pray. I plan to focus on prayer today. I will finish the series on the 12 tribes tomorrow. Please take time to pray with me today. God hears our prayers.

12 Tribes of Israel #11 Joseph-The Dreamer in you.

11/3/2020

Genesis 49:22-26

22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:
23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

The story of Joseph has fascinated every generation of believers because it provides such a dramatic presentation of themes that we can all identify with. A kid whose mum dies in childbirth. Raised by his dad. Who dreams of accomplishing something significant with his life, but who gets into such strife with his brothers that they plan to kill him. At just age 17 he’s sold as a slave and dragged off to a foreign land. He suddenly starts to do well. Then he gets into strife with his boss when his boss’s wife accuses Joseph of trying to rape her. He’s condemned to spend years in prison. Once again he has to live with hopes awakened and then hopes dashed. It's pretty hard to see how Joseph continued to nurture those dreams through 13 years of increasing strife and misery. Then suddenly out of nowhere he’s elevated to power in Egypt so that its his brothers have to come crawling to him for help. Sweet revenge or mercy - what will it be?

It's such a great story full of raw passion and trickery, political conniving and sibling rivalry, love and hate, jealously, lust, ambition, courage and cowardice, judgement and grace - it's all there. In one sense Joseph is the hero, but the lead actor is really God - as through the twists and turns of Josephs story we also see God’s story unfolding. What seem to be such disastrous reversals from Joseph's point of view are turned into opportunities for God to advance his purposes. And so we are invited to examine and interpret our own stories in the light of these insights. Could it be that this same God is working his sovereign purposes out even in the twists and turns of our stories and even in spite of the personal struggles and wider political maneuverings and rumors of war that we live with? If ever we need reassurance about what faith looks like in the midst of adversity, then here's another example to put alongside the book of Job, for us to live in and be encouraged by.

And so today we’re thinking about the first full chapter of Joseph’s story as it's related in Genesis chapter 37. Two themes dominate the story of this chapter: The power of family and the power of dreams.

There is no question that the families that nurture us have a powerful influence on our lives. The role models that our parents provide for us imprint a strong stamp on our lives, and this is clearly evident in the life of Joseph. Although, when I say this sort of stuff as a preacher I feel like I am tiptoeing into a minefield. Many Christians today talk about the importance of family and the need for family values in a context where the view of nuclear family that they promote as being God’s biblical pattern doesn’t correspond very well with the actual circumstances of many people today. When we start talking about family in church, for some people it can feel more alienating than helpful. Moreover, it doesn’t correspond with the actual families that we meet in the Bible either.

The Bible presents us with all sorts of patterns of family life. Much more often we see some view of extended family, rather than a picture of mum and dad and two kids and a dog or cat and a backyard. Personally, I don’t believe we can talk about a typical family based on the pictures of families we meet in the Bible. I think we can talk about some principles that we are encouraged to apply in our families, but there is certainly not just one neat biblical pattern for families.

The patriarchal families of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob make that very plain. Abraham is talked about as the father of our faith and of Islam and Judaism too, a nomad married to Sarah whom he loves dearly and who yearns for children but for years is barren. In desperation, Sarah talks Abram into sleeping with her Egyptian maidservant Hagar in order to have a child. Only once she’s pregnant, Hagar and Sarah get into deep strife. Not exactly what we would promote as a model family here. When Sarah does get pregnant and Isaac is born, strife in the family is multiplied down generations. Here are the origins of the struggle between Muslims and Jews and Christians even today.

Isaac marries Rebekah in a marriage arranged for him by his dad Abraham. Isaac and Rebekah have twin boys: one is Jacob who will become Josephs dad, and the second Esau who is a hunter and outdoors man and who is his father’s favorite. Rebekah favors Jacob because he’s the one who gives her cuddles and stays home and helps with the cooking while Esau runs off all over the country. So Rebekah sets things up so that through deception Jacob gets the blessing that Isaac had prepared for Esau. A deep resentment grows between these twin brothers because of the way they have been forced to compete for their parents affection. Esau gets so mad that he plans to kill Jacob, and even turns against the father who had favored him.

Favoritism and the unfair treatment that accompanies it, inevitably give rise to jealously and resentment. And so it may seem strange when it comes to the story of Jacob and his own children to find him showing the same kind of favoritism to one son ahead of the others when he had suffered so much from the bad consequences of this himself. And yet we read this in Genesis 37:3-4

"Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he had made him a long robe with sleeves. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him."

Of course there is also a long story behind this. Jacob as a young man fell in love with Rachel. But her father forced Jacob to work 7 years before he was allowed to get married, only for her father to substitute Rachel's less attractive sister Leah on his wedding bed and then force Jacob to work another 7 years for Rachel. But although it was Rachel that he really loved, it was Leah who had the children - 4 sons, in fact. Rachel was beside herself with grief, and so she got Jacob to sleep with her maidservant and produced 2 sons. I response Leah got Jacob to sleep with her maidservant so that she bore him another 2 sons. And then Leah produced another 2 sons and then a daughter. Whoever said the Bible was boring? These are the bits they don’t teach you in Sunday School.

Finally, we are told in Genesis 30:22 that God remembered Rachel and listened to her and opened her womb. Joseph was born with his name meaning “may he add.” So it's not hard to see why Jacob loved Joseph so much. This was the long awaited first son of Jacobs first love, after so much anguish and disappointment.

Then suddenly Joseph and Jacob are really thrown into each others arms because as we read in Genesis 35:18 Rachel dies giving birth to a second son Benjamin. Jacob and Joseph find consolation in each other. Rachel got what she had yearned for for so long, but then was suddenly denied the opportunity to enjoy it. The old man was grief stricken and Joseph was a living reminder of the one he had worked for so long and loved so much but now lost.

No wonder that Jacob lavished his love on Joseph then. But it was still a foolish thing to do if done at the expense of also loving his other sons. All our children need to know they are loved and special to us, even if it is in different ways for different children. We need to be careful because they are often so sensitive to unfairness, especially in these days of reconstituted families where the relationships get so complex and both parents and children feel pulled in different directions. Then again, they're not much more complex I suspect than the circumstances Joseph and Jacob lived in.

From this story, some lessons are very clear. Firstly, I would say forget polygamy. We'll leave the question of whether from a biblical point of view it can be justified or not to another occasion. Who wants to walk into the midst of the sort of competition for affection that Jacob found himself contending with? Not me anyway.

Secondly, there is no perfect family and we need to stop beating ourselves up because we don’t match up to some impossible ideal. With one notable exception, God’s work is not done through perfect people, just available people in spite of our imperfections. Some people seem to be trying so hard to be good parents that they would be better just relaxing and being human and letting their children be human too. It's not intensity that children crave, but intimacy and security - living in a safe and loving environment.

Thirdly, our children do inherit what we invest in their lives. On the positive side, I think this should provide us with a lot of reassurance, particularly in the area of faith journeys. It's so hard for us to know how much of what we think is important is really rubbing off on our children. We can get agitated about this, particularly as they go through those times of rebellion and asserting their own independent identities, and especially if they do it in a very determined and aggressive way as some are wont to do. It's so easy for us to think that all we have tried to do is wasted and had no effect. But it's far too early to conclude that. I’m convinced that far more has been absorbed than is ever apparent at times like that. And moreover, it is often the fighters for whom those values will become most precious because they are the ones who really put them to the test.

At the end of this chapter Joseph is just 17 and has been sold as a slave and is on his way to Egypt. How will his faith survive? There won’t be anyone in Egypt to reinforce it. What sort of deposit has been invested in him already? Well, as the story unfolds it turns out to be plenty. With God’s help it is more than enough. Not because he came from such such a remarkably model family - in many ways as we have already seen it was quite dysfunctional. I haven’t even mentioned the rape of Leah's daughter and all the murder that followed that, nor the fact that one of Josephs brothers ends up sleeping with his daughter in law because she dressed up like a prostitute by the side of the road.

But the point is this: there was all sorts of nasty stuff happening here, but there was also real faith too. God honors that, and we have to trust him that it does make a difference. Only then will we be free to let our children and young people find their own way without becoming excessively agitated and protective. That’s counterproductive with our attempts to control only pushing them further away. Sometimes we do have to learn to just let go and let God.

Right now as there are lots of students in the process of leaving home for the first time. There are also lots of parents anxious about these very issues. Some of those lessons about learning to let go aren’t easy. For those of you who are students, it is good to express appreciation for the homes from which you come and to know why parents worry, even as it also good that you do learn to find your own way in the world. Because family can be a mixed bag with another whole set of expectations and pressures that we need to set behind us. We are not only shaped by the best in our parents, but also by the shadow side: the compulsions and control mechanisms that try to bend us into shapes that we were never meant to be, and that cause us to act dysfunctionally, sometimes becoming just what we determined we would never be.

I hate those moments as a parent when you open your mouth to say something to your kids and it’s the voice of your mum or your dad that comes out of your mouth saying something that you once vowed you would never to say. Part of the shaping that we have inherited is the making of us, but another part will be the breaking of us if we don’t resist it. And resist we must where we hear the voice of Jesus calling us to become someone different to what the other voices say. Asking for discernment to recognize what the voice of God is saying among the clamor of other voices is one of the most important lessons we can learn. Otherwise we end up trying to live out obligations that have been heaped on us but without freedom or joy. Even when we realize this, it may require patience as some lessons take time to learn. It also requires courage when we are challenged to become someone we haven’t been before. It involves a struggle to break out of the straight-jacket that we have found ourselves imprisoned in.

That’s where I think the other lesson from Joseph's story comes from: Nurturing a dream for a life of significance. I think that we all need dreams to live for. Jacob obviously encouraged in Joseph a sense of destiny. He treated Joseph as special and children need that although not in the sort of way that invites resentment from other members of the family as it did here. Joseph clearly dreamed dreams that reinforced this sense of being specially selected, dreams which he told his brothers about. You can certainly question the wisdom of this, especially when we’ve already been told in Genesis 37:2 that Joseph had got his brothers backs up by telling the father about the bad things they had done. Was he just a tell tale or did he have a precocious moral sensitivity? I’m inclined to think both. He clearly does exhibit a strong sense of right and wrong in the story that we will explore next week, and we can learn from that. But he was still pretty dumb in saying what he does to his brothers in Genesis 37:6-10 He said to them, “Listen to this dream that I dreamed. There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright; then your sheaves gathered around it, and bowed down to my sheaf.” His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Are you indeed to have dominion over us?”

So, they hated him even more because of his dreams and his words.
He had another dream, and told it to his brothers, saying, “Look, I have had another dream: the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him, and said to him, “What kind of dream is this that you have had? Shall we indeed come, I and your mother and your brothers, and bow to the ground before you?”

People full of self praise are usually deeply wounded and in need of help if they go around broadcasting these sorts of dreams. Most of us probably have some sympathy with Joseph's brothers. The arrogant little so and so. He even got up his father’s nose too. But later events suggest that there was more to it than that. Joseph did have a gift for dreaming and interpreting dreams. He needed to know there was truth in this, because he would need to return to this in the days of anguish that lay ahead. Although it may have been quite naïve and very unwise to tell it the way he did, and we need to be careful about how much we talk about what we know to others, especially confidential things that other people have entrusted to us but also things that we think God has shown us, because if it's premature or not likely to be understood in the right way it's giving pearls to pigs as Jesus warns. But when it's young people dreaming big in their naïveté. We have to be ready to forgive them their excesses. It's great that their idealism is intact and that they do dream dreams and approach life full on, even if it does seem so unselfconsciously self assured and lacking in humility and there is a hard and unbending black and whiteness about it at times. I would much prefer that in young people to a premature cynicism that has ceased to believe that we can make a difference any more, that’s lost all motivation towards change. Joseph had no such self doubts like that, just supreme confidence. Only time would tell if it was just delusions of grandeur or the real thing. He clearly still had a lot to learn about discernment and wisdom.

It is a dangerous business dreaming out loud.
It is good to dream, but not all dreams are good, and even the good ones need dealing with wisely.

There was nothing to be gained by Joseph sharing his dreams, and plenty to be lost. You can read the rest of the chapter to see trouble it got him into, but fortunately God’s vision for Joseph transcended his teenage mistakes.

Joseph would desperately need those visions of what might lie beyond to sustain him in the tough times that lay ahead. We all need dreams that make the effort and expense of working at years of study worthwhile. We also need dreams that promise much more that than just security in a career - a sense of destiny that God is at work guiding us towards the highest and best use of our gifts and talents, and that something of eternal significance is being worked out, even in the midst of the most uncomfortable and the most mundane. Joseph is going to need to know that in the days ahead - we all do.

Here is a link to the video if it does not show up below or view this in your Browser: https://youtu.be/osZztOBzkDk. This video starts with music so you can fast forward to the play and then the preaching. I thought is was very interesting.

ACTION STEP: Keep your dream alive. Even if you have been hurt by your own flesh and blood, keep doing what's right. Remember our times are in God's hands. If God gives you a dream there will be opposition but hold on. Pits and prisons often lead to palaces. Don't despise where your dream takes you, it is preparation for your providing provisions for a hungry nation. Correction brings elevation. Age is not a disqualifier, neither is gender, class or whatever you have concluded disqualifies you to fulfill your God given dream. Who God says you are is what counts.

Much of this information is taken from: Dream Big Despite Family Dysfunction - The Start of Joseph’s Story (Sermon Notes) Sermon Notes / Produced by Individual TOW Project member