[.ca] The Dream Giver: Eps. 1 & 2 -

on fulfilling your destiny:
"The Dream Giver" was one of my favorite of Bruce Wilkinson's books, and I found it quite profound, though because of the charming style it is written in, I have known of people who have read it superficially and completely missed the point of it; These teaching "Sessions" give an in-depth exposition of the principles laid out in the book, and will inspire and guide you to be all that God intended you to be, if you are willing to get out of your "Comfort Zone", conquer your "wall of fear", and mostly, to listen to His will, and do His bidding. Most of us have had a dream for our lives since childhood, and for many they remain unfulfilled. It takes a lot of courage to step out of one's "Comfort Zone", journey to "Borderland" and face those who tell you "it can't be done", only to wander in "The Wasteland", and battle the "Giants of Defeat". It's a process those who have succeeded in following their destiny have gone through, and fewer still have passed the ultimate test, which is to give their dream to God, letting Him be "The North-star of your life". Dr. Wilkinson gives examples of people who have spent years in the Wasteland, where God sharpens the skills you will need for the attainment of the Dream. King David is one, and Joseph another. Joseph learned to manage Potiphar's household, and then the jail he was thrown into, before he was ready to manage the land of Egypt, and these are examples to remember when we feel defeated by the dryness of our circumstances, should we be wandering in that Wasteland, and most of us have spent time there. Though Dr. Wilkinson rambles a bit when recounting his time in Africa, there is a lot of food for thought in these stories, on the journey to "become the person you were called to become". This set of 8 "Sessions", at approximately 286 minutes, are filled with honesty, humor, and invaluable life lessons. Dr. Wilkinson's teaching is always Bible based (though in this series unlike the "The Prayer of Jabez", "Secrets of the Vine", and "A Life God Rewards" teaching tapes, he does not quote directly from the Bible), and contains timeless truths, and tells us that ultimately "a dream is filling a need that God places before you" for others, and teaches us to be "a good steward of that dream".

Outstanding:
After reading the book and also listening to the book on CD, I couldn't help but purchase the DVD as well. I wanted to live the "live version" of the Seminar. For over four hours I was glued to the screen. It was simply powerful. However, I give the DVD 2 stars (two) as far as the "container" (the dvd) is concerned but, 10 stars (Ten) Stars out of five for the "Contain"(the message). Notice that the "Stars" I have given for the Contain(the seminar as delivered by Bruce Wilkinson) supercedes by far the limit of Stars. It is because for 4 hours and 46 minutes Bruce Wilkinson just brings "God's power and Revelation" to you in outstanding way. I was disappointed by the "Container" because the seminar was loaded on a double-sided DVD instead of on one sided dvd or two DVDs. You need to flip the DVD to see part two which makes deterioration of the material very easy if you don't use extreme care to handle it. (Perhaps the distributor wanted to save money. The truth is, I would have paid $50 or more for this). The dvd in its current format can be scratched at any given moment while loading one side or removing it in order to flip it over for part two which, happened to me. Nonetheless, I strongly recommend this Jewel. It helps me understand better what I couldn't understand in the book. Once again, Bruce Wilkinson just provided us with a Fantastic revelation of what God wants us to do in this life. Ten Stars to The Dream Giver. I also purchased The Prayer of Jabez and Vision of the Leader. They are all in he same one-sided dvd's but excellent Seminars. Appearances by: Rick Warren (author of A Purpose Driven Life), Kirk Cameron (Left Behind Series), gospel superstar Kirk Franklin, radio personality Delilah, John Tesh, George Foreman and many more.

Not what I expected:
I generally like the work of Bruce Wilkinson, but this DVD was not worth finishing. I found the entire concept to be vague and found no basis for what makes a good dream that is worth persuing and one that is not worth persuing. I do not recommend it.