Dream # 2 -- The Disappearing Feedlot

Sunday, October 2, 2011

I promised you two dreams.  Here is the second one.  It came to me on the first Sunday of October, 2011 and that morning turned out to be the last meeting of our attempt at planting Living Water Fellowship in Butte.  Our son, John, had moved to Canada in June, hoping to get established in a job before his wedding, so Ruth and I were once again working alone.  We were becoming aware that we were reaching the end of our strength to continue, but I was reluctant to bring it to an end out of discouragement.  I didn’t want this effort to end on a negative note and had asked the Lord to give me positive guidance – even if that meant He wanted us to continue our (now seemingly futile) effort.  What follows below was actually a waking dream that came to me during my quiet time that Sunday morning.  Here is the description I wrote down in my journal:

In this dream I had been working with a ranch/feedlot operation, but the business had been sold.  When I came to work that morning everything had disappeared – all the livestock, fencing, buildings and managers were gone.  All that was left was a bare, dirt field of dry, puffy, powdery dust.

There was one large building left in the back of the lot.  The small house next to it came down as I watched.  The large building was being gutted and converted into some commercial activity.

Most significant was that all that was left was dry, powdery dust.  Even the manure was gone!  Feedlots are all about manure and it can’t just be hauled away.  Yet only dry, lifeless dust was left.  Even manure has life in it!  I believe this dream carries meaning that extends beyond the end of Living Water Fellowship, but for me that morning it became God’s indication that the church plant was over.  Our church plant had become a lifeless field.  Thus this dream became that positive divine guidance I was looking for.  After sharing it with Ruth we decided to let that morning be the last and so came the end of our vision.  It was bittersweet.  Bitter because we had worked so hard for no return.  Sweet because the burden was now lifted and we could seek a new direction.

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The Lord gave me two follow-up dreams that helped convince me that this dream covers more than just the end of Living Water Fellowship.  I’ll share them in my next post.