The power of a dream
We recently paused as a nation to pay tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who gave his very life in the pursuit of achieving equality in the eyes of men. This August will mark the 45th anniversary of Dr. King’s proclamation to America, “I have a dream.” While much work remains, much progress toward achieving equality has occurred over the last four decades.
In the 1930s, two men stood in the basement of a burned-out furniture store on Chicago’s North Side. The Great Depression held the entire nation in its grip. These two men – Lance Latham and Art Rorheim – had a dream. They dreamed of winning the children in their neighborhood to Jesus Christ. They didn’t have much in the way of money, materials or training, but they had a passion that moved them to action. Little by little, through small successes and major frustrations, Lance and Art created an outreach ministry in that building. You know it today as Awana.
These two men did not start with the vision of reaching into more than 100 countries with the gospel through their ministry. They just wanted to reach the children around them. God blessed their work and by His grace, allowed it to grow and spread across the country and around the world.
We are a long way from the wreckage of that furniture store and we stand in grateful humility at how far God has brought us. Although Awana has had the privilege of bringing the gospel to children of every color, race, and nationality, our dream remains elusive. Our dream is to reach every child we can for Christ.
Can I ask you to dream with us? Will you dare to dream that you can evangelize and disciple every child that the Lord has placed within your reach? I speak from experience when I say that when you dream big things for God, you will be amazed at how much the Lord can accomplish through you.