Dream Giver by Kim Checkeye

One of my favorite books is The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson. It was given to me by a very powerful woman many many years ago. If you have never read the book, let me briefly tell you about it.

It is a story about a Nobody named Ordinary. He lived in the Land of Familiar. Ordinary had a Big Dream so he decided to visit the Dream Giver but in order to do this, he had to leave the Land of Familiar and leave his comfort zone. He met many bullies along the way and he entered into The Wasteland. Many times he cried out to the Dream Giver but he heard no response. There were times when Ordinary felt like his dream was dead but the Dream Giver sent Faith to help him.

The Nobodies came along and told Ordinary that what lay ahead was too hard and too difficult. But Ordinary pressed forward and his dream shone brighter than ever in his chest.

Ordinary had another dream. The Dream Giver asked him to come into His sanctuary. Ordinary climbed higher and higher as he followed a stream of living water. He heard the Dream Giver tell him to go to the water and then to come into the light. Ordinary obeyed but at one point in time, he could see into his heart and he was afraid. He saw things he had done, rebellion, selfishness and betrayal. He saw darkness and he cried out to the Dream Giver to give him light. The Dream Giver did and He asked Ordinary to come closer and to come higher.

Finally Ordinary got to the Land of Promise and he was overcome with happiness. His big dream was finally in reach. The Dream Giver spoke to Ordinary one more time and His words were “Give me your dream.”

Ordinary didn’t understand because the Dream Giver was the one who gave him that dream. So he questioned the Dream Giver. His response was “Yes. And now I am asking you to give it back.”

The book goes on to say how after much internal struggle, Ordinary surrendered the dream and in the end, the Dream Giver didn’t want it back, He just wanted to see if Ordinary cared more for the dream or more for the Dream Giver. After he surrendered the dream, it grew even bigger and he saw how it was part of the Dream Giver’s big dream for the world.

The book goes on to apply it to our lives and the dreams that God has given us. I highly recommend this book to all of you because God has a call on each of our lives and He has put a dream deep within your heart.

On September 11th, the Dream of Truth for Women will become a reality. It has been a dream that we have wanted so badly. We must be real and honest with ourselves that at times, we had to give the dream back to God because it was taking our focus off of Him.

There are days when we sit with women and we hear their life stories or we listen as they weep because they are going through some turmoil or crisis in their lives and our hearts break for them. We hold them as they cry in our arms or we pray for them for hope in God. We give them the Word of God because we know it is the only truth and hope for their lives. There are days when some of their stories do not leave us for weeks, months or maybe even years because they were so heart breaking.

God has put a dream within Truth for Women and for all of us who help lead this ministry. It is a dream of a place where a woman can go to receive the help that she needs whether it is resources, skills, Biblical truth or just needing someone to talk too. This dream is HUGE and the task is great. There are days when the work is overwhelming and seems like there is no way that it can ever be completed.

We have times when we desperately want to stay in the Land of Familiar and never get out of our comfort zones especially when the “bullies” and the “nobodies” come to tell us it can’t be done or to distract the work.

Yet, day after day, God made the dream brighter. God open doors and paths that no man could open. He made the connections; He put the desire deeper and deeper within.

Why am I telling you all this? For two reasons. One, you have a dream that God has given you. Don’t stop. Don’t give up! Keep moving forward and never let the dream become more important that your walk with God. Go dear one! Go and take the steps forward to see the dream become a reality.

Secondly, is to give glory an honor to God for He is mighty and absolutely amazing. He has brought Truth for Women to this point in time. He has done this great and mighty work and He has allowed us to be a part of it. Even though our hearts break for the women of the Lehigh Valley, His heart breaks even more. Even though we want to see women healed, transformed, helped and set in truth, He wants to see it even more!

Thank you Lord God Almighty for this amazing Dream that you have placed in our hearts. Thank you Father for allowing us to be a part of what You want to do here in the Lehigh Valley. Thank you for women who have put their hand to this ministry in the past, who currently help serve now and for those who are to come.

Who's Answering? by Eileen Alpaugh

“Would you do me a favor?” Depending on who’s doing the asking we may respond quite differently. To our closest friend we immediately answer, “Sure, what do you need?” Without hesitation or need of further explanation, anything within our power or possession becomes instantly at their disposal. To the one who has asked more than their share of favors and has seldom responded in kind we may be a bit less enthusiastic, “Why, what do you want?” We cautiously withhold our answer to evaluate the cost. Hopefully we have more of the first kind of relationships than the second. What a great gift and comfort to know there are those you can call upon regardless of the time of day or gravity of situation. Even greater is the honor of being known as the kind of friend who will be there in any time of need. This kind of reputation is one that is built over time, tested in a variety of circumstances and once it is earned never has to be proven again.

How do you respond to God? Has He been given the honored standing of one to whom you will respond quickly and without reservation or do you withhold your answer to calculate the cost? Has He proven Himself to you time and time again only to be met with hesitancy upon each request? Or has His faithfulness been repeatedly proven giving you the assurance you need to be able to trust in spite of what your natural mind can comprehend?

How does God responds to us? Before we knew we had a need, He provided the solution. While we are yet calling, He answers. He gives above and beyond all that we could ask think or imagine. He bends low to hear our requests. Ask of God, “Will you do me a favor?” His answer is always, “My child, I already have.”

Truth for Women is in a season of asking, “Will you do me a favor?” As we prepare to open the Women’s Center, a dream and vision of the past 10 years quite honestly we need favors. Many of you who have had the privilege of being involved with us will undoubtedly answer positively and without hesitation to the best of your ability. Those of you who are new friends may want to spend some time on our website, getting to know us a little better before making an offer. Perhaps you’d like to schedule an appointment to meet with us and see first hand what God is doing on behalf of the women of the Lehigh Valley.

We are certain that God has heard our prayers to provide workers, supplies, and finances. His answer to us is, “My daughters, I already have.” Are you someone God is inspiring to be instrumental in His answer? I trust your answer to Him will be that of how you would answer your closest friend.

For further reading:

Psalm 86:7
Psalm 116:2
Romans 5:8
Ephesians 1

Are you willing to be an Elisha? By Kim Checkeye

I have been studying Elijah and Elisha in 1 Kings to prepare for an upcoming Bible Study I will be teaching this fall. One thing that has hit me more than words can express is 1 Kings 19:19, 20 “So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, while he was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. And Elijah passed over to him and threw his mantle on him. He left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Please let me kiss my father and my mother, then I will follow you?” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?”

There are so many things to learn from these two verses that are so important for us today. The first point we see is that Elisha came from a wealthy family. We know this because he had twelve pairs of oxen that were being used to tend to the family farm. However, even though he came from a wealthy family, Elisha was out in the field putting his hand to the plow. He did not believe in being served, he believed in being a servant.

When Elijah threw his mantle on him, Elisha understood the symbolic application behind this and he immediately left the oxen and ran after Elijah. The second point we must see here is that Elisha received the call on his life while he was in his everyday work. So many times we expect to hear or see something “magical” when God calls us into the path that He has chosen for us. We expect to hear some audible booming voice coming down from the Heavens telling us what we are suppose to be doing. But in all reality, we are missing that soft still voice who is directing us in our everyday walk. How many times has God “called us” during our everyday life experiences and we didn’t hear it or see it because it wasn’t in the way we thought it should look?

Elisha didn’t hesitate or ask for a confirmation or doubt what he saw, he immediately ran after Elijah and asked permission to go back to his family and say good-bye. This is acknowledging that he is breaking from his past and stepping into the destiny that God had for him. This leads me to point number three. How many times do we get direction from the Lord but we are unwilling to break free from the past experiences in our life or break free from our natural tendencies? Ouch! I don’t know about you but this one hurts! Talk about a knife right to the heart of things. I know there are things in my life that the Lord is dealing with me so that He can transform me into the woman that I need to be for the call that He has placed on my life. To be point blank honest, that hurts sometimes. Sometimes it is scary and downright painful but in the end, being a disciple of Christ is far worth more than anything else on this earth.

This leads me to point number four. When Elijah threw his mantle on Elisha, this symbolized the passing of the anointing that was on Elijah. However, this did not mean that Elisha didn’t have to undergo some discipleship!!! Elisha had the unbelievable experience to take what he learned on the farm, being a servant, and apply it to being a servant to Elijah. Elisha was under the wing of Elijah and he was able to watch and learn from the man of God directly. What does this mean for us? God may call us but we will always have a time of training and learning from others. Take every bit of it and learn everything you can.

I thank God for my five years of being under Sally Hall during my time of serving within Truth for Women. These years were priceless as I watched and learned from a woman who was devoted to God. She taught me how to stand on the Word of God no matter what. She taught me how to grow as a leader and as a disciple of Christ. She taught me to learn from my mistakes and allow the Lord to mold me and change me. All that time was a training ground for today when I would take on the “mantle” of Truth for Women.

My question to all of you is “Are you willing to be an Elisha in this time? Are you willing to break free from your past and immediately step into a time of discipleship so you can be trained for the call on your life?”