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Text Box: Most preachers I know have a preaching calendar to assist them in planning out the messages they will preach. Some have a six month calendar, others a twelve month, but the idea is to be looking out ahead and having a plan. There have been times in my ministry when I have been able to plan sermons out months and months in advance. While I wouldn’t have the details of the message that far ahead, I would have the rudimentary ideas and the scripture passage(s) selected. In our last newsletter issue, I wrote just a single article rather than my normal two. I was so moved about my upcoming sermon on the stewardship of your dreams that I just had to write about it. In fact, Judy had a hard time squeezing in all that I had written in just the one article. Like many preachers, I find the Lord leads me to preach from my passions. While there is a time to teach from the pulpit, more often then not, I am moved by the Holy Spirit to challenge and inspire the congregation. I was really getting revved up the last couple of weeks for my message on dreams.

Text Box: As happens every so often, the Lord was using that message to speak to me, as much as to anyone in my congregation. Now, that is not to say that it was not for anyone else, because several folks in the congregation were clearly moved by the Holy Spirit, too. But what I experienced, in fact I am still experiencing, is that God wants me to go a new direction in my spiritual walk with Him. Rarely, in fact, never for me personally, has God ever asked for change that was comfortable or easy. This is because He asks what is not possible within our own abilities, but rather what requires us to give ourselves completely to Him and to His plan for our lives. Right now, God is implanting a new dream in my life and it is frighteningly huge. I am both exhilarated and flat out scared to death. The dream God is putting within me is so far beyond anything I could possibly do that I cannot help but cave in to His wishes. It is so huge that I cannot walk away from it because, frankly, I want to have a front row seat to see what happens.

Text Box: Hence, the title of this article. This article is about what I preached on last Sunday -- the stewardship of our dreams. God was leading me to preach to myself. I did not see it coming, even up to the close of the service, but it hit me like a freight train during the days of this past week. Forgive me if this seems a bit melodramatic, but I won’t give you any details of this dream just yet. It is still very much in its infancy, as far as how I understand it. There is still much prayer and wisdom and insight that I need from the Lord to take even a first step, but I know that I cannot linger, either. I have yet to clearly see the timetable, so unlike my preaching calendar, this has not yet been clearly planned out. Would you please pray with me for God’s wisdom and insight regarding this dream? As it becomes clearer to me in details and substance I will share it with you through our newsletter. But in the meantime I really covet and appreciate your prayers. God is up to something and it is huge. May God richly bless you as you serve and build His Kingdom!

When The Preacher Preaches To Himself!

by Pastor Dave Bassett

Psalm 147:1

Praise the LORD.
How good it is to sing praises to our God,
how pleasant and fitting to praise him!

Text Box: Pastor Dave’s book “Have I Got A Secret For You!” is available for purchase at a Christian bookstore near you, as well as on our website. Click here for more details.