Dreams in Los Angeles

 Even though this New Year, 2025, may have had a troubling start, we cannot give up on our dreams. In fact, maybe we need to rely on our dreams. Fires ravaged homes and created chaos in the Los Angeles area and recovery will take its time. Some people have a fire raging inside of them because life started with difficult times, or they have such investment in politics they cannot conceive Donald Trump as President. However, dreams exist.

Let us remember that on this day, as we celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., that we can have a dream that celebrates other people and brings them to life. Over thirty years ago, Matthew Barnett had a dream to bring the gospel to those hurting the most in Los Angeles. He went to one of the most dangerous parks in the community at one in the morning and prayed. God told him to go to the home of gang members.

When he went to the home of those gang members, he just asked how he could help. They stared in disbelief. Soon, they came to his little church. They gave their lives to Jesus, and within time, Echo Park in Los Angeles became a community that helped one another because the Dream Center remains open 24/7.

After thirty years, many have come to Jesus. Homeless veterans, families, and those from rehabilitation have had a home at the Dream Center, so it does not come as a surprise that they have become a focal point of helping the community of Los Angeles.

People help when they see other people’s dreams destroyed. The Dream Center stands as a church that brings the healing of Jesus to the people in Los Angeles. When the world destroys our dreams, Jesus can restore us. For some of us, He gives us new dreams to pursue.

Your dreams may have been smashed at the beginning of this New Year, but you can recover and let Jesus restore you. Revisit your dreams. Do they involve helping other people or do they just make your life easier or better? Follow Jesus and your dreams will match his goals for your life that will also involve loving people.

The two greatest commands can be seen in the Los Angeles area after these fires…loving God and loving people. You can only love God when you love others. So take some time and find people in your life that could benefit from your gifts and talents and persevere this year to make those goals happen. In the end, you will have a better year for it.