Dreaming in Church

Humans are created as dreaming creatures and have been interested in the meaning of their dreams for thousands of years. This book offers tools and guidelines to help you work with your dreams as a practice of your Christian faith. Drawing on biblical and historical references as well as modern research, the book outlines ways to better understand your own dreams and gives practical advice for beginning and leading a dream group. The book also discusses how other contemporary spiritual practices, such as lectio divina, journaling, and meditation, can inform your dream work and vice versa. Dreams are not a secret code and will not necessarily improve your life forever, but they can serve as a valuable source of insights and inspiration in your life. This book will help you reach a deeper understanding of yourself and your faith through working with your dreams. ""This is a delightful book that provides a unique insight into the relationship between the church and dreaming, both being places where a person can find a personal experience with God and obtain guidance and nourishment that they can apply to their professional, social, and spiritual lives."" --Bob Hoss, Director, DreamScience Foundation; Former President, International Association for the Study of Dreams ""This book is an outstanding introduction to religious and spiritual ways of working with dreams. Reverend Nelson distills a wealth of personal experience in teaching people about the deeper potentials of their dreams. Filled with practical guidance and wise insights, Dreaming in Church should be required reading for anyone interested in an applied pastoral approach to dreams."" --Kelly Bulkeley, author of Dreaming in the World's Religions Geoff Nelson is a spiritual director and retired Presbyterian pastor living in Whittier, California. He has forty years of experience working with his own dreams and twelve years of experience leading dream groups in churches and other settings. His DMin dissertation addressed the benefits and challenges of conducting dream groups in local churches, and he completed his training as a spiritual director at San Francisco Theological Seminary.