God-sized Dreams

Where Dreams Set Sail

Where Do Dreams Come From?

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Today, we introduce you to a God-sized dreamer, named Jennifer Wagenmaker.  She is the visionary behind the women’s conference, Legacy.  Jennifer, a married mama to five boys, knows all too well what it’s like when the journey becomes hard.  Here, she shares a little of her story:

It was the early months of 2011 when I began to feel the pain again.  It had been a while for me.

Life was spiraling out of control or at least it felt that way to me.

“Not again Lord.  Please, no.  I can’t do this.”

I was newly married to the man of my dreams.  He had come as my knight and shining armor just a few years before and he was equipped to rescue me from all of my distress.  And let me tell you, I had tons!    I was a single mom to three boys after going through a divorce at the age of twenty-nine.  The details of my past would help to make sense of my wounds but they weren’t as easy of a fix as it would seem.

I needed the real thing.

My knight would not be able to eliminate the pain of what was still haunting me even if he tried his very best every single day of the year.  As hard as he tried, the walls still began to form and the further away from him I went.

I was so broken.

Only God could heal me.  Only God could truly fix the darkness in my soul.  He had walked beside me my entire life and only He felt safe to me.

I picked myself up and crawled into His lap.  He whispered to me, “My daughter, I have a plan, keep moving.”

Over several months, I spent time in the secret place of His presence and I found true healing.  I would never be the same again.

The broken places in my heart from my past caused me to seek Him.  As He brought me healing, He fueled me with His dream for other broken daughters just like myself.

Kingdom dreams come from our broken past.  What the enemy once tried to steal, God redeems. (<==== Click to tweet.)

Revelation 12:11 says “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.”

Where do you hurt? What have you been wounded from?  What keeps you up at night?

Tell somebody.

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Jen-Wagenmaker

 Jennifer Wagenmaker is a sold out, committed, and radical believer of Jesus Christ.  As the visionary and founder of a conference ministry called Legacy, she is fueled by the dream deep within her heart to reach women all over the world.  Jen has a strong desire to share with others the freedom that she has found in Christ by sharing her own story. She is the mother to five amazing sons, Blare, Andrew, David, Keegan, and Jude.  Jen is very active in her church, Jericho Road, where her husband Eric is the worship director. She wrote her memoir called, ‘Becoming: All that God created me to be.’ You can learn more about Jen and follow her on her website.

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We invite you to link up your God-sized dream posts below.
Rather than give a prompt, we’re opening the weekly link up to ALL God-sized dream related posts!

Share your dreaming journey on your blog and link up with other God-sized dreamers.
{For those who don’t have a blog, we invite you to share in the comments or on Facebook.}
We only ask that you keep the linked posts God-sized dream related and that you link back to this post.
{Click here for a link to the photo above.}



Comments

  1. If you aren’t willing to share the meat of a story and just write an ambiguous ‘pain’ story, what is the point? How can anyone relate to that? Share the details and REAL pain of how your life unfolded & how God got you through. If you aren’t willing to share, maybe you aren’t really healed.

    Reply

    • Hi, Patricia. It’s understandable that not every post will resonate with every reader, which is why we have many different voices on this site. Not to mention, it can be difficult to get into too much of the “meat of the story” in a single guest post. We provide the links to the guest author’s blog/website/social media, so you can find out more about their story, if you’d like. 🙂

      On a personal level, as someone who has been healed (from more than enough to fit a whole book!), I know God has a good plan for when I am to reveal parts of that journey. Because of the ages of my children, there are some areas I can’t get into yet. Rather than being a question of being healed or not, it’s obedience to how/when God is calling me to reveal those, you know? (But, oh mercy! Do I have doubters myself! Comes with the dreaming territory!)

      Hope that helps a little, Patricia, feel free to email me anytime…

      Reply

  2. Nothing is more beautiful than witnessing God draw near to His broken daughters in their pain. ( For His glory and for the deep love He has for His children) I’ve watched him redeem Jen’s pain and restore her so that she CAN dream and DO big things for the Kingdom of God. Here is a link to Jen’s book where she gives a more detailed account of her story. It is a wonderful read. http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-All-That-God-Created/dp/0985991704/ref=tmm_pap_title_0.

    Reply

  3. Thank you for sharing your story with us Jennifer! Stories of pain redeemed are a beautiful thing…and now you are living out your God-sized dreams…it’s reassuring that there is always a plan for the pain.

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  5. While I am curious about the details of your story, Jen, I know that it’s hard to get into all the nitty-gritty in a 500-word post! But, I do love how you make the big-picture point that only God can fix the darkness (or sadness or confusion or hurt) in our souls. It’s so basic, but something I can never hear enough, especially when I’m struggling.

    Reply

    • The best part of my story is the redeeming aspect of what He is still doing in my life today. I almost forget sometimes now where He has brought me from. Forever grateful.

      Reply

  6. Thank you for sharing your words with us, Jennifer! It’s such an important point you make: our husbands are human, and they can’t “save” us. Oh, but what our great God is yearning to do for us. I appreciate your encouragement in this post.

    Reply

    • Thanks Mandy! Yes, God is the One who sticks closer than any brother (or sister). He’ll never leave us or fail us. What a comfort this truth is on days when darkness invade.

      Reply

  7. Jen,
    I’m fist-pumpin’ and shouting “hallelujah!” after reading your post. The details of our stories DO NOT matter; it’s the surviving solely by Grace that makes our experiences relatable to so many. I believe we should lead with Grace. I believe we should finish with it, too. The reality is that everyone of us has a chapter (or several) of our lives that we wouldn’t want read aloud.

    Thank you for sharing your words and your heart with us here. May you continue to find shelter under the shadow of His Wing and may we walk together, broken but healed, towards Him.

    Never stop chasing Grace and Peace,
    Chelle

    Reply

    • Wow Chelle – Your words are so powerful. Almost made me cry (a happy cry). Thank you for such warm embrace on this site . I am honored that ya’ll were willing to share part of my story. Bless you.

      Reply

  9. God healed me too from many hurts and destroyed life. In his presence I found healing and love and comfort! He is good.

    Reply

  10. Wow, such a powerful post, Jen! And just like Chelle said…the details do not matter. The minute I read your words, I was nodding in agreement, because girl, I’ve been there… right where you described-that bottomless pit that threatens to swallow you whole. It truly is the grace of God that has brought each of us through, and I’m so grateful that you were brave enough to write the words you did. Thanks for opening up your heart to all of us!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. […] Linking-up today with God-sized Dreams. Come grow with us as we encourage each other. I wanted to be married for as long as I could remember. I dreamed, prayed and obsessed about who the man of my dreams would be. There was a lot of heartache on the journey to my husband. But, when God opened my eyes to His plan and man for me, it felt as natural as talking a stroll down a familiar tree-lined lane. Of course it wasn’t all springtime and roses, but it was good.As I was finally able to legitimately plan a wedding I had a strange feeling. You see, for many years, I had longed to put feet to my wedding and marriage dreams, but I couldn‘t because it wasn’t the right time. Now, that it was time, I had to remind myself that I could dive in and plan freely because now the dream was a reality. Has that ever happened to you? Has God brought a lifelong dream to fruition, but it took your brain awhile to realize that you didn’t need to suppress the dream any longer? You could act on it, with confidence, because it was time.Here’s another scenario, have you ever been sure of a God-sized dream, but when the time came to act upon it, you got scared and were tempted to run? This happened to me regarding our adoption journey. For years God gave me scripture and promptings to adopt. The desire to adopt grew and grew until I felt like I might explode if we didn’t start the process soon. When God clearly led my husband and I to begin the process I was elated, but, not far into our journey, I started to get scared, “What if?” and “Did I really hear Him clearly?” and “How are we going to do this?” It didn’t take long for God and my husband’s pep talks to get me back on track, but I was surprised by my emotions. This was what I had been waiting for, for years. I could finally put feet to this dream, so why was I wavering for even one minute? I think one reason, we are tempted to waver, is that our God-sized dreams are usually a big part of who we are. They are vulnerable. They are valuable to us. A precious pearl that we hold close. It might not seem so special to everyone else, but we know where the pearl came from and the depths from which it was retrieved. When it’s time to put that pearl on display, we can be tempted to recoil, to hide it again. We have so much invested in this dream, the cost is great for it not to happen, but also for it to happen as well. If the time has come, for you to finally step into a God-sized dream, let me encourage you, and me, to take a moment to reflect on how far He has brought us. It has most likely been a bumpy journey, with twists and turns and unexpected detours, but, here you are.  As you stand on the cusp of this dream, remember that it is okay to be scared, to have hesitations, but don’t let those feelings keep you from taking this step into this land that you’ve been dreaming of. We are cheering for you! With God’s lead and help, you can do this. And when you do, you shine bright for His glory.Coming Into View I can feel itjust over the horizonI can see ita glimpse of what’s to comeI can taste itthe promised joy’s appearingI know in my heart that this is the hourWaited so long for this to happenand now that it’s here I’m a little scaredBut there comes a time when the waiting stops,and you take that step, faith-filledI can hear itthe sweet applause of heavenI breathe it inthe fragrance of Your graceI’m amazedYou’ve entrusted this to usFinally, it’s all coming into viewWaited so long for this to happen and now that it’s here I’m a little scaredBut there comes a time when the waiting stops,and you take that step, faith-filledTake My hand, let’s goLet’s embrace the unknownLet’s walk this out, not looking backFinally, it’s coming into view.-Katie Reid, Track #14 from my Echoes of My Heart album (you can purchase it here). […]

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