Dreams
Planted in Eternity
The
news came as a shock. Randy Johnston*,
a man of God, a prayer warrior and a friend died unexpectedly at age 60. Randy was the picture of vitality but now he
was gone. My connection with Randy came
because Randy was a dreamer. As a
passionate layperson Randy envisioned how his skill as a businessman in the
clothing industry could integrate with his love for the children in the (Latin American ChilcCare) LACC
schools in the Dominican Republic where he visited often.
His passion inspired me to keep on dreaming. As I sat quietly in his memorial service a
few days ago, a question lingered in my mind: “Now that the dreamer is gone,
what of the dream?”
Perhaps
it was too little sleep. Perhaps it was
an Immanuel Kant kind of contemplation, “Is the dream real without the
dreamer?” Maybe my recent trip to
Branson to see Joseph (the dreamer) or our planning for the 2014 Caribbean
Retreat at the Dreams Resort had me fixating on dreams. What of the dream? Before the inquiry disquieted my spirit, I
knew the answer! Pastor John Bates
called for testimonies of people whose lives were impacted by Randy’s
life. After the sixth testimony, I
knew. Randy had planted his dreams in
others and his dreams will outlive him!
If
you are a dreamer, make sure your dreams will outlive you. Entrust those dreams to others. As Paul said to Timothy: “And the things you
have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people
who will also be qualified to teach others.” (2 Timothy 2:2) Randy’s dreams are alive and well. God help us to be people who plant dreams for
eternity.
*Duane
and Julia Martin are AGWM missionaries to Mexico currently at CINCEL. Julia is Randy Johnston’s daughter.
