Earlier this week, I posed the question on Facebook:
If you were to receive a ridiculous amount of money with no strings attached, what would you do?
Sitting outside at the turquoise table, reading the responses made me smile. Some of the answers were fun and silly – I mean it’s Facebook, right. Most of the people who responded shared a passion and, whether or not they intended, a big God dream.
I have lots of big God dreams. One of them involves sharing more with you about the crazy things only God could do when a girl puts a turquoise table in her front yard. That particular big God dream is meant to be told another day.
As I sit staring across the top of my computer screen I see a beautiful, vacant lot. It’s not really vacant, it’s a double lot that belongs to our neighbors, just caddy corner from us. Years ago, the family used it for glorious gardens. Families age and seasons change and since we’ve lived here, it’s been tended less and less. The land is not unruly or unsightly, just dormant with potential.
I call this lot my secret garden.
For years I’ve dreamed of community garden. Some days I can see the rows of tender baby lettuce and bright green onion shoots so clearly I have half a mind to water my dream. The vision continues with long wooden tables filled with neighbors celebrating the fruit of their labor under twinkle lights on an endless summer evening. Conversation flows, peals of laughter echo throughout the ‘hood. Heirloom tomatoes are sliced and passed from hand to hand on a chipped platter drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with garden herbs. Someone thought to bake bread. Another sliced lemons for the jugs of water needed to wet whistles from so much talking. Neighbors who live behind closed garage doors emerge and come alive in the garden. Our diversities, preferences, religions, beliefs, politics are not hindrances but cause for celebration when we gather at the table in the garden.
The chain linked fence would be open. Replaced with an old iron gate flanked by benches filled with baskets for gathering organic produce, a bicycle or two with woven baskets to carry the goods to and fro from expectant kitchens. Garden work is hard. But, many hands make light work.
I’ve shared my dream with various neighbors and friends over the years. At this point there are more obstacles than answers. But, the way I figure it, if God can move mountains with a speck of faith the size of a mustard seed, what’s a few obstacles? Plus, I happen to know God’s rather fond of gardens.
Faith is not believing God will, but that God can.
A girl can dream, can’t she?
Pretty please won’t you share one of your big God dreams?
Love it! Makes me wish I lived in your neighborhood so I could help make it come true!
Thank you, Lindsay. We have a long row to hoe so to speak. But, the dreaming stage is certainly exciting!
You call it a big God dream, I call it a God Dare. Same thing just different ways of saying it.
I love your idea with all my heart and if I lived in your neighborhood I’d be there digging and planting and sharing right along with you!
My big dream, my God Dare is to start a mentoring community, the older mentoring and sharing, encouraging and loving the next generation. I haven’t shared this anywhere but with God. But your turquoise table dreams have me spilling mine here today.
I truly believe your dream will be reality. Keep calling those things that are not as though they are and watch what God will do! Xoxo
Oh Kate! I love dreaming with you. And, I’ll be cheering and praying for your GodDare – you are already a mentor and the community is growing. YAY God. Love you.
Love this, Kristin… it makes me smile because just this morning I was trying to figure out how to pull our neighbors together for dinner, and then started dreaming about a community garden in our sideyard. Someday perhaps… we believe God has placed us here for a reason and it’s not incredibly obvious quite yet what (who) those reasons are.
Thanks for dreaming big dreams with God. And I love your turquoise table. 🙂
Kristi – I wish you and I could have a good, long chat at the turquoise table. Me thinks we’d be chatting for a very long time. 😉
Hello fellow Kristin with an “i”!
My really big God-Sized Dream is to own a horse farm. My husband rode growing up, I took lessons here and there, and it’s our daughter’s passion. I am always so relaxed when I am at the barn and even grooming her pony is stress-release. I would love to do that and further my writing. Just thinking about it, amazes and inspires me to give it over to God and see what He’ll do with it !!
Kristin
Oh Kristin. Won’t it be exciting to see how God uses your passions. God loves family and the fact that he’s yoke y’all with a shared love of horses? Makes me giddy. Like giddyup giddy! Keep me posted I can’t wait to hear more…
Kristin I absolutely love this and I must have missed ts question on FB. I pray that God blows your mind with making this come to fruition. I want to see that garden and that feast from the laboring together. Oh I too have a big God dream, but one I want to tell you about in a conversation. Love you!
Kamille
We are due a long chat, friend. Now you’re just teasing me with the waiting. 😉 I love your #sharethetable movement and am grateful we are kindreds.
Beautiful–your plan and your heart! Praying God moves mountains and ant hills to make it happen!
Thank you, Sandra. I want you and the boys (the three littles and one big!) to come feast at this table one day. Love you all.
I’m so glad you’re dreaming!
Dreams are good, aren’t they friend? Got any of your own you care to share? Love you!