In this week’s episode, I confess my most recent blunder related to the podcast – in real time – and use my mistake to share some reflections on the journey God has used in my life to uncover my God-shaped dream. It isn’t a formula; our dreams don’t really work like that. My hope in sharing these steps (beyond lacking an interview and still wanting to have something to post today) is that you’ll find yourself somewhere on this continuum and gain some insight about what you might need next in the journey toward your God-shaped dream.
IF YOU HAVE EVER WONDERED ABOUT THE PATH TO YOUR DREAM, THIS WAS THE EPISODE FOR YOU.
Here’s the list I reference throughout the episode.
Steps to Uncovering & Pursuing Your God-Shaped Dream
1. Know your value and worth in Jesus
2. Believe He created you for a purpose
3. Investigate your gifts, talents and life experiences that inform the identification of your dream
4. Recover from the shame that keeps you in hiding or in fear
5. Realize and own your true identity
6. Build a set of internal and external tools to keep yourself returning to your identity in Christ
7. Examine your dream and why you SHOULDN’T pursue it
8. Pray with open hands about your dream
9. Determine your next steps
10. Consider where you’ll find the support you need to keep taking those steps
11. Figure out what information and/or training you lack and where you might find it
12. Be honest with yourself about what help you’ll need to recruit to keep going
Please leave a comment below or jump over to my Instagram to share about where you think you are on this list and what might be helpful to you in getting through that step and moving on to the ones that lie ahead for you. I can’t wait to hear your reactions!
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MENTIONED ON THE SHOW:
Not mentioned on the show, but these were all very helpful resources for me:
Praying God's Word: Breaking Free from Spiritual Strongholds by Beth Moore
Believing God by Beth Moore
True Faced by Bill Thrall, Bruce McNicol and John S. Lynch
SCRIPTURE:
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
~ Psalm 139:14 (NIV)
MAIN TAKEAWAYS:
What happened to this week’s interview [2:15]
Turning my waste of a morning into fruit (or at least asking God to do that) [6:12]
What journey have you been on that you can help others walk through? [8:48]
Step 1: Know your value and worth in Jesus [9:16]
Everything else will fail us at some point [9:30]
Step 2: Believe He created you for a purpose [10:16]
There is a calling upon our lives for His Kingdom [10:46]
Step 3: Investigate your gifts, talents and life experiences that inform the identification of your dream [10:53]
Step 4: Recover from the shame that keeps you in hiding or in fear [12:28]
More about shame and the impact it has had on me [12:52]
As long as I held shame, I was incapable of seeing God’s goodness in how He created me [15:03]
Step 5: Realize and own your true identity [15:55]
Your good and righteous Father loves you deeply and your identity rests in Him
Step 6: Build a set of internal and external tools to keep yourself returning to your identity in Christ [16:20]
Step 7: Examine your dream and why you SHOULDN’T pursue it [17:03]
If you were to start today, what would your obstacles be 6 weeks or 6 months from now [17:36]
Step 8: Pray with open hands about your dream [19:20]
The dream originates with Him; it’s for His people and His Kingdom [20:09]
Step 9: Determine your next steps [20:39]
The podcast was part of my dream, but it wasn’t the ultimate dream [21:03]
The language I’ve put around my dream [21:10]
Step 10: Consider where you’ll find the support you need to keep taking those steps [22:05]
What this has looked like for me [22:48]
Step 11: Figure out what information and/or training you lack and where you might find it [23:39]
God is bigger than logistics [24:38]
Step 12: Be honest with yourself about what help you’ll need to recruit to keep going [25:24]
The story of my four careers from college to podcasting [27:18]
About pouring my creativity into other people’s dreams [31:03]
So many starts and stops [32:37]
A request for your comments about this list [33:32]
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