Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Mark Atteberry is the award-winning author of eleven books.  He has been the preaching minister of Poinciana Christian Church in Kissimmee, Florida since 1989.  A popular speaker, he has preached and led workshops at countless churches, conferences, colleges, and retreats.  He is married to Marilyn, his high school sweetheart.

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The Caleb Quest

Nelson Books

Contents

Foreword.....................................................ixPreface......................................................xiii1. Assessing Your Dream......................................12. Dream Killers.............................................213. Getting God Involved......................................354. In the Fullness of Time...................................515. Your Part in the Process..................................676. What to Do When Your Dream Comes True.....................89Discussion Questions.........................................99Acknowledgments..............................................105Notes........................................................107About the Author.............................................109

Chapter One

You see things and you say, "Why?" But I see things that never were, and say, "Why not?" -George Bernard Shaw

I PICTURE THE MEN ASSEMBLING LATE ONE evening, emerging from the shadows to gather around a crackling campfire. They probably didn't know why they had been called, and some of them may well have felt irritated at the interruption of their evening's activities. But the summons had come from Moses himself, and that was enough to set them in motion. From all corners of the camp they came, twelve men in all, one from each tribe, the brightest and the best.

I can imagine Moses greeting the men one by one, renewing acquaintances and asking about wives and children. Perhaps the men were also greeting one another and whispering among themselves, speculating as to the reason why they were called. I'm sure they didn't have to wait long to find out. Having made the rounds, I picture Moses stepping toward the fire and asking the men to be seated. He probably thanked them for coming and then told them, without any hesitation, that he was calling upon them to undertake an important mission.

They would be sent as a team across the Jordan River and into the land of Canaan. Their job would be to spy out the land that God had promised to give the nation of Israel. As discreetly as possible, they would head northward into the hill country and evaluate the enemy cities, their fortifications, and the quality of the land itself. They were also instructed to bring back samples of the fruits and vegetables so the people of Israel could see for themselves that it was a bountiful land, one that would meet all of their needs when the time came to move in.

As Moses laid out the plan, I'm sure excitement passed through the group like an electric current. The sense of adventure that resides in such men needs only a nudge to set it spinning. If the customs of our day had been in vogue at that time, they probably would have been congratulating each other with high fives and pumping fists. I wouldn't be surprised if Moses had to temper their enthusiasm with a solemn reminder that it would be a dangerous campaign, lasting many weeks.

I picture the men dispersing quickly after the briefing. No doubt they were anxious to share the news with their wives and to think and pray about what lay ahead. Because they had lived for so many years as slaves in Egypt, none of them were experienced soldiers. Oh yes, they were plenty tough and capable. Hard labor and the crack of a whip across your back will make you as tough as a two-dollar steak. But none of them had any experience in clandestine operations. My guess is that, in spite of their outward expressions of machismo, they all did some tossing and turning that night, wondering how the mission would unfold and how it might change them.

Looking back, it's clear that one of those men was changed more than any other. His name was Caleb, the son of Jephunneh. What happened to him during those forty days of undercover work is something that happens to almost everybody, sooner or later: he found his lifelong dream.

What's odd is that he apparently wasn't looking for it. Over the years I've often heard it said that young people in particular ought to look for a dream. Books have even been written about how to find your heart's desire. But when Caleb stepped out of the Jordan River onto Canaan's fertile soil, there's no indication that he had anything on his mind other than fulfilling his mission.

Oh, how quickly and how dramatically our lives can change!

The moment he set his eyes on the hill country of Hebron, his heart began to pound like a hammer in his chest. He'd never seen a more beautiful place. And though it was inhabited by a race of giants, he began to imagine living and raising his family in those beautiful hills. The mere idea thrilled his soul and painted a thousand pictures on the canvas of his mind. And every one was a masterpiece.

As I've studied Caleb's story, I've come to the conclusion that the best dream is the one that finds you, rather than the one you have to find. I wouldn't dare suggest that a dreamless person shouldn't go looking for one. Perhaps many great achievers had to search for their dreams for many years. But when you are blindsided ... when the vision of something you'd like to be or do knocks you off your feet, you have every reason to believe it will become the great, driving passion of your life. And it's those great, driving passions that stand the best chance of coming true.

If you're a lover of the ocean, you're probably familiar with an artist named Wyland. He is the world's foremost painter of ocean art and is even listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for having painted the world's largest mural. It's a breathtaking ocean scene on the front of the Long Beach Convention Center that is-are you ready for this?-one-fifth of a mile long!

What's interesting is that Wyland was born with a clubfoot and endured eleven surgeries before his seventh birthday. Because he was unable to run and play with his friends and siblings, he often sat in the house and drew pictures. He demonstrated a special talent for art, but he never thought it would become his life's work.

Until one day when he had a head-on collision with his dream.

In 1971 he was visiting relatives in Laguna Beach, California. His aunt drove him to the beach and he sat there, staring out over the water. Suddenly and unexpectedly, two enormous whales broke the surface in a majestic display of power and grace. To this day, Wyland says that moment was a turning point in his life. Something about the sheer beauty of that scene made him want to use his artistic talent to help people understand and appreciate the wonders of the sea. He reasoned that if people came to love it, they would want to protect it.

As of this writing, Wyland has painted more than eighty public murals, which he calls Whaling Walls. These murals represent more than 64 million square feet of art, for which he has cheerfully donated his labor and at least eighty thousand gallons of paint. In addition, there are almost a quarter of a million Wyland collectors in seventy countries. Oh yes, and did I mention that he has also written five books and is working on a science curriculum with the Scripps Oceanographic Institute that will impact millions of school kids?

Every time my wife, Marilyn, and I visit the Wyland Gallery near our home, we are reminded of what...