 Many people spend lots of time looking to do something in life that they are passionate about and they qualify the value of spending their time on it by how much it will enhance their life. However, I believe the true meaning of the concepts of passion and purpose challenge us to dig deeper and ask ourselves the question, "Is my dream worth dying for?"
Of course during this time of year we are again celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And while most of the conversations often focus on his dream, what was generally overlooked was what his dream cost him. His dream cost him his life. When most people think about their dream, their are usually focused on how much better they want their life to be. And from what I have observed, most people aren't thinking about giving up the life they have to see their dream fulfilled. They pursue things that cause them to be more attached to this world than less attached. Dr. King was very much aware of what the continual pursuit of his dream would cost him. Yet he still soldiered on in pursuit of something that was more important than his comfort. He still pressed forward to do something that others said was a lost cause or not worth the trouble. He was willing to speak out against materialism, poverty, and militarism when it was very unpopular to do so. And many historians would suggest this is what brought him into the crosshairs of a Remington 760 Gamemaster, not his push for civil rights. So, what about you? Are you concerned more about living well than leaving a legacy? How much are you willing to sacrifice to see your dream come to pass? Dr. King's dream was worth dying for. Is yours?  Why We Must Inspire Youth to Dream Again What if while you were growing up no one ever encouraged you to be someone great? What if you didn't have anyone close to you say that you could do something special? What if there was never anyone around to say that you could accomplish your dreams? If that were your experience it would probably be a pretty safe bet that you wouldn't expect much for yourself or your future. In fact, you might not even think that you have a future at all. Unfortunately, many youth feel like their lives are a lost cause and not even worth living or planning for. Why? One major reason is their hope has been lost. Hope is a very powerful concept. With a lot of it, we feel like we can conquer the world. Without it, we feel like that world has conquered us. That's why Solomon writes in Proverbs 13:12, "HOPE deferred makes the heart sick, but a DREAM fulfilled is a tree of life." Having hope is a really big deal. It's not just a good feeling. It's an essential element connected to the dreams God places in the hearts of every human being in our childhood. But if those dreams are not recognized or nurtured, people end up living out what Solomon expressed in Proverbs 29:18, "Where there is no prophetic VISION the people cast off restraint…" Much of what I see from our young people today is connected to the fact that they are hopeless, which causes them to reject and disregard moral boundaries. Many of them have experienced so much in such a short time of life, including violence, poverty, sexual abuse, bullying, exploitation, and so on. Without divine intervention their lives will either be cut short through self-destructive activities, or they will live long lives of repeated regrets, failures, and ultimately unfulfilled potential. A Powerful Alternative to Hopelessness That's why we're so excited about launching Club D.A.R.E., which stands for “Dreams Are Realized Everyday.” This is a youth development movement on a mission to inspire 1 million teens to “dream B.I.G. dreams and do B.I.G. things.” We expect these B.I.G. dreams to impact their families, friends, communities, and potentially the world. To make this happen, a core part of our strategy includes the development of:
As great as this sounds, we can't do it alone. We need your help to turn the dreams of 1 million teens into reality. You can give your tax-deductible donation at this link, which will help to fund these resources that will be launched very soon.  We are in real danger of having a lost generation of young people who have given up on life. We can't let that happen. OUR future depends on their dreams.
Please partner with us today to impact our youth. To learn more about Club D.A.R.E. go to www.clubdare.org.  I dare you. I double dare you. I triple dog dare you!
I dare you to look beyond your problems to see your potential. I dare you to look beyond your obstacles to see your opportunities. I dare you to look beyond your frustrations to see your future. I dare you to look beyond your drama to see your dreams. I dare you to look beyond your guilt to see your giftedness. I dare you to look beyond your bruises to see your blessings. I dare you to look beyond your burdens to see your brilliance. I dare you to look beyond your losses to see His love. I dare you to go where no one has gone before! I dare you to grow when others are groaning! I dare you to conquer when others are cowering! I dare you to comfort when others are complicit! I dare you to be positive when others are pessimistic! I dare you to be fearless when others are failing! I dare you to be faithful when others are fading! I dare you to love the unlovely! I DARE YOU to DREAM BIG!
If you only pay attention to mainstream media outlets, you will only get a distorted, narrow, and negative image of young people from urban communities. This powerful story of Taharka Bros. Ice Cream in Baltimore is a great example of young leaders from an urban community turning their passion and concern into positive action that will not only benefit themselves but others also. What excites me even more about this story is the entrepreneurial creativity, ingenuity, and perseverance they demonstrated to bring into reality their dream of impacting their community through ice cream. I hope this inspires you...
A DREAM PREFERRED - Directed by Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing from Tribeca Film on Vimeo. The future of Taharka Brothers, purveyors of ice cream and social change, hinges on the success of a crowdfunding campaign. If successful, they will be able to grow their business by launching a “Food for Thought” ice cream truck, a literal vehicle for change. With a looming deadline, and what seems like an insurmountable goal: $28,000 in 29 days, Taharka Brothers takes to the streets to raise awareness, inspire, and turn out some supremely delicious ice cream – voted Best in Baltimore.  Our Inc. My Dream Young Boss Camp is only a few days away! We're so excited about the opportunity to pour into the lives of young people with the skills of learning how to start and grow their own social entrepreneurship business. During my nearly 10 years as a full-time entrepreneur one of the things that I have grown to appreciate are the transferable principles that I gained as a full-time employee. A few of these principles include preparation, time management, relationship building, work excellence, professionalism, and more are critical to your success as an entrepreneur or an employee. One of the curriculum we are using for our entrepreneurship camp is the first book I wrote, Dream B.I.G. in 3D. This book is targeted to young leaders who searching for their dream job or career path. The principles contained in this book are just as important for job seekers as they are for aspiring entrepreneurs. Here are 9 ways that Dream B.I.G. in 3D can help you score your dream job (or business)…
I like to say that this book will take you on an internal treasure hunt to connect your career path with your purpose. Click here to start your journey...   As our time draws closer for the start of the Inc. My Dream Young Boss Camp and our preparation intensifies, sometimes it's hard to remember why we do what we do. As we go through the checklist of all things that need to get done (and it's a long list), at times we forget that we have a real opportunity to save a kid's life or help somebody to start a new one. This camp is more than just a time to keep kids busy and out of their parent's hair. We are creating an environment where dreams are jumpstarted, ideas are catalyzed, and purpose is ignited. For many of these kids they don't have anyone in their lives telling them they can be the next great inventor, entrepreneur, or community leader. They don't have people giving them tools for life success and a means to break the generational poverty that plagues their families. When people use the term "at-risk", often it's assigned to kids who live in violent neighborhoods, come from challenging circumstances, and are in danger of falling victim to their difficult surroundings. I believe, though, that there are much more "at-risk" kids than those who live in these environments, because too many others are in danger of living life without purpose, not discovering the greatness that's inside of them, or never achieving a sense of fulfillment from having accomplished something beyond anything they could imagine. That's why this camp is so much bigger than just helping these kids start a business. It's so much greater than just helping them launch a new product or service. It's far beyond teaching them how to market to a new customer base. This experience is about helping them utilize their God-inspired imagination, discover unique abilities, and release unbridled creativity to manifest His image in their lives and the world. This opportunity is about helping them tap into their God-given potential to see things in themselves they have never seen before. This is a chance to assist them with taking significant steps toward achieving their God-given destiny. Your financial support of Inc. My Dream Young Boss Camp will provide the opportunity for our youth to dream again, to believe that they have more to live for than just making it past today, or acquiring things that only provide temporary pleasure. You are funding seeds of greatness. You are investing in the restoration of hopes and dreams. Your donation is bigger than business. Thank you for your support. 
A satisfied customer is the best form of marketing. So listen to Soraya's testimonial about her experience at last year's Inc. My Dream Young Boss Camp. We still have business sponsorships available for you to make a tax-deductible contribution to invest in the lives of at-risk youth, so they can build social entrepreneurship, leadership, and team building skills, among many other things...
 This article is from a guest blog post I wrote for Gospel Today Magazine... We all have dreams. I’m not talking about the dreams that you have at night. I’m talking about the thoughts and desires that are so much a part of you, you seemingly can’t get away from them. It’s that hunger and drive inside of you to be something more than what you are right now; to do something far beyond what you have accomplished at this point in your life. It’s the thing that you love to talk about more than anything else. Even if you don’t talk about it much, it’s still got a hold of you more than you have a hold of it. While our life’s dreams should inspire us to be and do more, they often lead to frustration when we don’t know how to transform them into reality. One of the key reasons is that God is often left out of that process. We hear people tell us to “dream big,” but if your big dream is not connected to God plans for your life, your efforts will be futile. Finish reading this article at: http://www.gospeltoday.com/blog/2015/02/15/b-i-g-dreams-require-b-i-g-prayers/#sthash.aJpZlxD3.dpuf   Did you know the manifestation of your dream was meant to be a gift from God that keeps giving to others? On the most recent Sunday night Dream Catalyst Weekly Prayer Call I taught about the Parable of the Ten Minas found in Luke 19. One of the key principles gleaned from this parable - similar to the Parable of the Talents found in Matthew 25 - is that the most significant reward for our faithfulness is not money. Instead it's responsibility that's connected to influence over people. We must recognize that the dream given to us by God comes with His expectation that through the fulfillment of our dreams our lives will continually be a blessing to others. Click here to listen to the prayer call and download the teaching notes. Have a blessed day! Feel free to write your comments below...
 We had another powerful call this week in our continuing series #YourDreamMatters: From Dreaming to Thriving. The specific focus on this call was part 2 of Grace vs. Grind. During the devotional portion I talked about how important it is for us to focusing more on "becoming" rather than "doing" or performing our way into God's grace. When you understand your true identity in Christ you will embrace the fact that you don't have to earn or perform your way into God's grace. In addition to listening to the call I also included some bonus content for you to download. Just click the link below and enjoy! /resource-kit.html  |
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