Jason.
Jason.

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Jason is the founder of Ignite Student Ministries, a dynamic ministry igniting youth, young adults and university students to passionately pursue Christ and transform society in high schools, work places and universities around the world.

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If You’re Going to Dream, Dream BIG

Jason VanaJason Vana

I started Monday’s post with a simple statement: I’m a dreamer.

I need to correct myself.

You see, I don’t want you thinking that I’m an average dreamer – wanting just a good job, nice house with the white picket fence and the standard American 2.5 kids (really, what is .5 of a kid??). I don’t lay awake at night dreaming about seeing Ignite reach 100 students at Monmouth College, or seeing a few university students in Opava, Czech Republic come to know Christ. I don’t want just a few small ministry groups at a handful of colleges, or a marketing business that only brings in a few hundred a month, or an average family.

I don’t have average dreams.
I dream BIG.

I want to see Ignite grow to thousands of universities in hundreds of countries around the world. I want to see millions of young people – both high school and college aged – empowered to fulfill their potential in Christ. I long for the day when we see Ignite Beijing, Ignite Praha, Ignite Sydney, Ignite Moscow, Ignite…well, you get the point. I want to see Ignite groups started at high schools, in businesses (hey, young adults need Jesus, too). I want to open retreat centers, ministry training centers, local community centers, even orphanages around the world. I want Ignite to be hosting at least 12 mission trips each year (once we’re in multiple countries that is). I even have my eye on a building in Monmouth right now that would be great as a free drinking-alternative hang out for college students, along with providing us office space, a coffee shop, and a place to host larger worship services.

I haven’t even mentioned the churches I want to see Ignite help start, the ministries I want to see birthed in the hearts of my students, or some other dreams that I’m keeping close to my heart right now. I don’t want people to unintentionally try to tell me it’s too big.

As I said, I dream BIG.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us… – Ephesians 3:20

I have this crazy idea that if I can think it, if I can dream it, if I can ask God to do it…He can do more.

Will I all the dreams I have for Ignite come to pass? Maybe.
Will every dream, every hope I have for impacting the world happen? I hope so.
Will I be alive to see it all? Probably not.

And I’m ok with that, because it’s bigger than me.

I believe if you’re going to dream, dream big.

Too often I’ve heard people limit their dreams. They start something – whether a church or a ministry or a band or business, hobby, family, book – and immediately put limitations on it:

  • “If our Sunday service reaches 50 people, I’ll be happy”
  • “I know I will never sell a million copies of this book, but that’s okay”
  • “As long as my kids never do drugs or get pregnant outside of marriage, I’ve done my job”
  • “I know this band will never sign a record deal, but that’s cool”

We limit our dreams, we put boundaries around what we want to accomplish, we reach for the clouds instead of the stars…and say we’re just being realistic.

Maybe those limitations are right. Maybe the church you start will never reach over 50 people. Maybe your book won’t be on the New York Time’s Bestseller List, maybe your band never will sign a record deal…

But if you can’t even imagine that happening, if you can’t even dream bigger than mediocre, if you don’t even have it in you to ask God for the big things…they will never happen.

So if you’re going to dream, dream BIG. You may never accomplish all your dreams, but at least you were willing to shoot for the stars…and maybe, just maybe, you made it over the clouds and reached beyond your limitations.

Jason is the founder of Ignite Student Ministries, a dynamic ministry igniting youth, young adults and university students to passionately pursue Christ and transform society in high schools, work places and universities around the world.