Speaking in the Light – 6-2

Dreams are God’s reminders that we don’t have to live only by what we can see in front of us now, but we can choose to follow Him into what can be, if we only agree to close our eyes and open wide our hearts.
From the time that I was old enough to remember, I have always had the ability to see beyond what was physically visible before my very eyes. It was like there was a whole new world always available to me and I didn’t have to work very hard to discover it.
It was as if I never had to be coaxed to use my imagination. If anything, it was almost as if I had to be anchored to what everyone might call the “real” world because I was always so willing to venture and wander my way into the arena where dreams really do come true.
Back in 1965, long before anyone even thought of reality television, I would live like my whole life was being watched by a caring and committed audience. When I began kindergarten, as a shy and timid five year old, I actually used to hum my “Rudy Show Theme Song,” while I rode the bus to school, as it would be my cue to begin another personal broadcasting day.
To everyone around me, I appeared to be a reserved introverted child, and even my wonderfully caring teacher, Mrs. Osborne, would be lucky to even know what my voice sounded like. But in my parallel universe, I never shut up. I was a singer and performer and everyone around me actually loved me and liked being around me.
I also had my own radio station where I was the disc jockey and would sing every record on the countdown under many different names. And I had my own baseball league where I played out every single game of the season, playing all the positions mind you, and again doing so under many different names and personalities, and even kept very detailed records of every player who only existed in the league of imagination that was oh so very real to me.
I guess what I am trying to say is while my parents would worry about me because I was so content to spend hours and hours playing by myself and on my own I never felt alone. For in my heart, I know now that God was stirring up and constructing a future for me that I could believe in, even if I was the only one.
The Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:1 that “Faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what we do not see.” When I came to the point in my journey where I made a personal commitment to having a relationship with God when I was 15 years old, faith came quite easy for me.
I had no trouble believing God and trusting Him to do what He said He would do. I had experienced God’s presence all along my journey up until then, so finally getting to know Him rather than just being fed facts about Him, was a welcome and joyous revelation.
As a matter of fact, it helped me come to terms with my offbeat upbringing because now with the Lord in my life and His unconditional love cemented in my heart, I felt like the real me was finally given permission to come out of the dream world and live and move and breathe in the everyday realm.
It was like I could finally shout out, “Hey world, here I am!”
And the quiet and shy kid burst out of his shell and finally was singing and shouting now for all to hear, right here and right now. And God called me and enabled me into the ministry where I have spent most of my adult life speaking my heart to people in crowds of all ages, shapes and sizes and backgrounds, in places all over this big old world. I didn’t really have to learn how to do it, it was my dream to share my love and His love with people all along and God was gracious enough to give me the proper avenue to see it come true.
And I have also spent a good chunk of my life on the radio, another ability that God blessed me with from the time I was five, but allowed me to see it then so I could do it now. When I have been behind that microphone in the recording studio, it has never taken me much of an effort for me to see the faces and the lives that I have had the chance to speak into.
I saw them then, when I was a little kid and they weren’t really there, so it was a snap to see them now, especially since they were really out there.
I share this all with you because I am sensing a new stirring of another dream about to be unveiled on the very near horizon. For the last 13 plus years, I have had the privilege of writing my thoughts down and sharing them with you via this weekly instrument called “Speaking In The Light.”
It has been a genuine labor of love because I know that I have been given a great gift in that what I do for a living in my work, has never really ever felt like work to me.
I love it! I love all of it! I am living my dream come true and recently, I am feeling like God wants me to compile all of these offerings into a book of some sort. It is funny to a degree because I have never had the desire to write a book, but I have always felt that it was important to share what I see and have learned along the way with the hope and prayer that it may truly help or inspire somebody else to not only make it through this life- but to rise above it and stay fully alive no matter what, no matter who, no matter where.
I share this dream with all of you because I think it will be fun for all of us to see what He will do and how He will make it come true! I also share it with the desire that it will light the fire in somebody out there to stop waiting for faith to become sight and to start walking now- even if all the pieces aren’t in place yet, they are put together in your heart and soul and spirit and that is where every great work must begin!
So dream on, and see what happens! Dream on and watch a miracle take place! Dream on, and let faith provide the fire. Dream on, it is why you run this race! Dream on and then live it with your eyes wide open and your heart fully engaged! Ready, set, dream on!
Write Pastor Rudy pastorrudytlc@comcast.net
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