Was it just a daydream?

January 14, 2025

I was sitting in the living room at Mandy's place where the house church I belonged to was meeting. One of the elders was speaking on some topic. I was bored, so my mind began to wander and I had the following daydream:

I needed to talk with my father about something, so I went to the castle where my father was the king. I walked across the drawbridge under the portcullis hanging above the gate and into the courtyard. Two guards in armor were standing by the castle entrance, and they ignored me as I reached to open the door and enter the castle. I walked down the hallway where other guards were silently standing at attention on either side of the hall. I approached the door to the king's chamber and looked up at the guards standing silently on either side of the doorway. I slowly opened the door and looked into the room.

The king was hunched over his table together with his counsellors. They were discussing important matters while examining some papers on the table. Realizing the king was too busy that I should interrupt him for such an unimportant matter as mine was, I turned around and left the room, quietly closing the door behind me.

With my head hanging and feeling sad, I walked slowly back down the passageway and out through the castle door. I walked across the courtyard, under the portcullis, and onto the drawbridge. But just as I was about to step off the drawbridge, I remembered something:

Wait a minute — he's my FATHER!!!

I quickly turned around and ran back through the gate into the courtyard. The guards saluted me as I approached and opened the castle door for me. I ran down the hallway and the guards on either side briskly saluted as I ran past. And when I reached the door to the king's chamber, the guards standing there opened it and waved me in to enter. I ran into the room where my father the king was busy conferring with his counsellors, and I shouted "Dad! Dad!!"

The king immediately straightened up and looked straight at me. Then he brusquely waved away his counsellors and told them to leave the room. Pushing his papers aside, he lifted me onto his table and putting his arm around me, said, "Son, what's wrong?"

I can't help wanting to cry whenever I remember this daydream. I'm crying right now in fact, even though this happened many years ago when I was a young man who had only been a Christian a few years. It was my first powerful experience of the fatherhood of God, and the effect it had on the others in our house church — I think someone had asked me what I thought about the topic being discussed, and when I didn't respond they realized my attention had been elsewhere — but when I told the group what I had been just been daydreaming, the effect on them was electric: "Whoooaaahhh!" most of them said, leaning back on their sofas in amazement.

That felt nice.

At the end of our house church service, one of the elders asked if I would like to bring the message the following Sunday. I said yes, and I spent that whole week trying to think up more parables (made-up stories that taught a lesson) I could share with the group. Well, the following Sunday finally arrived, and the church members looked on with smiling expectation as I began sharing my parables...

They were hugely disappointed. My thought-up parables were contrived and lame, and I felt more and more embarrassed as I shared them under the increasing frowns of the listeners. Needless to say, no one thanked me at the end of my sermon.

That didn't feel nice.

Some thoughts and analysis

Clearly my experience had been more than just a daydream: it was a revelation of the Father's love. One might expect that such a revelation would have had a deep and lasting effect on my understanding of the Fatherhood of God and my relationship with Him.

It didn't. I was still the same insecure young man afterwards: passive, unassertive, lacking in confidence, full of self-doubt and plagued with anxiety. My revelation didn't "take" in my innermost being and had zero impact on my spiritual growth as a young Christian. Why?

Perhaps it was because I already understood that God was my Father and that He loved me, for I knew I had eternal life because of what Jesus had done for me on the cross. So my daydream didn't really tell me anything that I didn't already know.

But I think the real reason my daydream had so little impact on me was because of my relationship with my earthly father. I loved my dad, and I know he loved me too; he proved that in so many ways when I was growing up. But my dad had his own struggles with insecurity that affected his behavior towards me and which left me feeling uncertain about his love for me. For example, dad could be demonstrative in showing affection by giving me hugs and expressing admiration for my achievements. But he could also be sharp and cutting with his words, calling me a jerk when I did something stupid or withdrawing in coldness whenever I rejected his advice. Because of these mixed messages I received from him, I found it difficult to approach my father whenever I needed something, fearing he might reject my request. But whenever I did ask him for something, he almost always gave it to me.

I think this confusion I experienced regarding my earthly father's feelings towards me probably carried over into my relationship with my new Father when I became a Christian. The first part of my daydream seems to confirm this, while the dream's ending shows my Heavenly Father's true feelings towards me. But just as my dad's demonstrations of affection could be negated by a single expression of his criticism, my assurance of God's love towards me was similarly precariously balanced at this point in my Christian life. After all, what if I don't live up to my Heavenly Father's expectations? Will He still love me? And yes, I was aware that Romans 8 says there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. But what if I sometimes still walked according to the flesh instead of according to the Spirit? Was I truly in Christ if I struggled so often with sin in my life?

These kinds of arguments raged through my mind in the early years of my Christian life. Truth is, even though I had become a convinced Evangelical by that point, all the sound doctrine I had learned didn't really help me very much — and this despite having read all six volumes of Martin Lloyd-Jones's commentary on Romans and memorized much of the first eight chapters of Romans in the original Greek!

In a future post I'll explore this question of why experiences of God's love don't always help help us grow spiritually. But for now, let me just conclude with one final, and I think very important, observation concerning my house church daydream/revelation. I believe that the most fundamental reason why this particular revelation had so little impact upon me personally is because it wasn't actually intended for me: it was intended for the others who attended that house church meeting. My daydream was a gift from the Holy Spirit, and such gifts are given for the common good (1 Corinthians 12:7) not to bring the person who delivers the gift high regard from others or boost their self-esteem. But none of us in our house church understood this as we were all die-hard Evangelicals: good, solid Christians, but limited in some ways by our cessationist theology. So when I shared my daydream with them, the elders reacted by thinking I must be a gifted teacher and invited me to bring the message next time. And since among Evangelicals being a gifted preacher is often viewed as the sina qua non of being a committed Christian, I readily assented to their invitation — and was then deeply hurt by their reaction on the following Sunday.

Fortunately I now have a better understanding of what the Christian life is supposed to be like, some of which Ingrid and I have tried to describe in our free book Simple Kingdom: Discipleship. But I'm telling you, it's been a long, hard journey, and I'm looking forward to reaching the finish line. Because then there won't be any more questions —I'll see Him face to face.

Take care, and be filled to overflowing with the Father's love.

—Mitch

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A prophetic word for Canada's small and mid-sized businesses

September 3, 2026

Sometimes prophetic dreams are easy to interpret. Sometimes they're more difficult. Ingrid's dream back in April about how the direction our Canadian government is taking under Mark Carney will signficantly change our relationship with our southern neighbor was easy to interpret . Her most recent dream builds upon that earlier one and is a bit more difficult to understand, but we think we've got it puzzled out. Here then is Ingrid's latest dream, more or less in her own words: "I saw a man in what looked like a black-and-white photo from the 70s. He was stocky in build, but short, maybe 5 foot 6 inches. He was wearing a coat and his face looked old and drained. He reminded me of a businessman, either American or Canadian, and he seemed to want to smoke a cigar. As I looked at him the words 'all things unto himself' came to mind." That's it. What does it mean? Well, first, it very probably does mean something . Why? Because God has promised that his children (hey, that's us!) will see visions and dream dreams ( Acts 2:17 ). And both Ingrid and I have had a number of dreams from the Lord over the years, some of which have warned or guided us in making decisions, while others have given us glimpses of things that would soon happen. So we have a bit of a track record as far as receiving and interpreting prophetic dreams are concerned. And with prayerful pondering we think we know what this present dream means as well. Here then is our interpretation: Owners of smaller (5' 6") businesses here in Canada (and probably in the USA too) should accept the reality that they'll need to become more self-reliant ("all things unto himself") to keep their businesses going in the stressful (overweight, smoking, face drained) times that are coming upon Canada's economy. While this interpretation seemed fairly obvious to me when Ingrid first shared her dream with me, one thing did puzzle me: the phrase "all things unto himself" in her dream clearly seems to reference Colossians 1:19-20 which says "God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him [Jesus], and through him to reconcile to himself all things , whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." But what does reconciliation have to do with this dream? Now some might eagerly jump in here and say, "Aha! The dream means that God is soon going to reconcile Canada and the US on all these trade issues! Good times are going to return and everything will go back to the way they were before!" But this is really justwishful thinking, and the Bible tells us how easy it is sometimes to prophesy what you want to happen (see Jeremiah 28 ) instead of what is going to happen. But the question still remains: what about the verb "to reconcile" in this verse of Colossians that Ingrid's dream seems to reference? The Greek verb here is αποκαταλλασσω and it only occurs in the New Testament, which makes it hard to pin down its exact meaning. The word is usually translated as reconcile in English translations of the Bible . But this New Testament verb is built upon the more frequently occurring verb καταλλασσω which in Classical Greek (starting from the time of Herodotus) usually means reconcile, make peace, or settle with your enemies. In Plutarch however, who lived around the time of the New Testament, the word can also take on economic meanings like exchanging currency or trading in gold. Trading, see? Anyways, remember that the gift of prophecy always has three parts: revelation, interpretation, and application. And application is what's most important i.e. how one should respond to a prophetic word. The application here is that smaller businesses in Canada that have relied for decades on buying and selling goods and services with the USA need to realize they are going to have to work hard to become more self-reliant (more reliant on our internal Canadian markets and new international markets) instead of relying solely on the good will of our neighbor south of the border. And the same is probably reciprocally true for SMBs in the USA, though with the American economy being so much bigger than ours the SMBs down there have more options available as far as markets are concerned. (Image: Ennui by Walter Richard Sickert - Ashmolean Museum, Oxford - 1917-18)

Taking a break for the summer

July 13, 2026

Hey everyone, summertime is short here in Manitoba so we're taking a break until September 1st. Be sure to come back then to check us out again. In the meantime feel free to browse our books and blog and other free resources for helping you grow your fellowships. Blessings! Mitch and Ingrid

The kitchen sink

June 18, 2026

By Mitch Tulloch Here's another God Story for those of you who read our blog. We love telling these stories from our life because people can learn from them that God is real and that He loves you and has a plan for your life . A few months ago our kitchen sink got plugged and wouldn't drain. This was a real problem for us because not having a working sink in the kitchen makes it hard to prepare meals and wash dishes! So we called a rooter service and they sent a guy who tried to clear it, but his drain snake wasn't long enough to get all the way down to the blockage. (Our kitchen is on the upper level and our house has several levels.) He then called a second guy who had a 50 foot (15 meter) snake and we anxiously waited for him to arrive. The new guy discovered that our main sewer drain also seemed plugged, so the first thing he did was clear that. Then he used his snake to clear the problem with the kitchen sink and was successful. Fixing the problem, which involved calling two plumbers, took almost the entire day and cost us more than six-hundred dollars. Argh! So we thought the problem had been solved, but then yesterday I noticed water starting to pool in the kitchen sink again. I turned off the tap and the water slowly drained away, but it was clear that there was a partial blockage down at the bottom of the drainpipe that connects under the kitchen sink. Oh no, I thought. Will we have to spend hundreds of dollars on the plumber again? Is this problem going to start recurring frequently? Will we have to tear open the basement wall to expose the drainpipe to fix it? How much will that cost?? My glass was quickly becoming half-full, not half-empty. In other words, I was fearing the worst. Better try to fix this myself first if possible, I decided. So I poured some Drano into the kitchen sink drain, waited a half hour, and then poured a bucket full of hot water into the sink. The water pooled and drained ever so slowly. Rats. What to do? I told Ingrid about the problem and I could tell from her expression that she was worried too. I texted our friends Ken and Bonnie and asked them to pray about our situation. Then I sat down and worried. After wrestling with my anxiety for a while, I thought: Wait a minute. Isn't God my Father? Hasn't he promised to help us in times of difficulty? Now what was that promise He gave me about a dozen years ago...oh yeah, it was this: My hand will be constantly with him, he will be able to rely on my arm. (Psalm 89:21, Jerusalem Bible Translation) So I prayed, "Lord, I need your help. You said your hand will be constantly with me and that I can rely on your arm. So please show me how I can fix this problem." And immediately two things came to mind. The first was that it would be best to wait until morning when the drainpipe has fully drained before trying the Drano approach again, and this time to pour a whole 2.3 liter bottle into the drain because the blockage is way down in the basement and there's a lot of meandering pipe between the sink and the blockage. The second thing that popped into my head was the phrase "boiling water." Aha, I thought: a pail of hot water from the bathtub faucet is at most about 50 degrees Celsius, but a big pot of boiling water heated on the stove will be near 100 degrees so it should have a much greater dissolving effect on any gunk blocking the drainpipe. So was that God who put those thoughts into my mind to help me unplug our drain? Of course! How do I know? Because of His promise to us in James 1:5 which says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." Anyways, the next morning I got up early, poured a whole jug of Drano into the sink, put a big pot of water on the stove, waited 30 minutes, and poured the boiling water into the sink. It went down pretty fast. Then I filled up a big bucket of hot water from the bathtub and repeated. The sink drained quickly. Then as a final test, I put the stopper in the sink and filled it right up with hot water and pulled the stopper. The water went down like a stone falling from the sky. Thank you, Lord!!! Lessons learned Reflecting on what happened, I can think of five things that I should remember when problems like this arise: First, remember the promises that God has given you! These may be Bible verses that have "jumped off the page" when you read them, knowing that God specifically means them for your attention. Or they may be prophetic words given to you by others, or words the Holy Spirit has spoken into your heart directly. Whatever way God speaks to you, write it down so you won't forget it, and read them over periodically to keep them fresh in your heart. Second, ask your brothers and sisters in Christ to pray for you! Ken and Bonnie are our longtime friends, and the four of us have walked through many difficulties and challenges in life together. That's what belonging to the Body of Christ is all about: Christians helping Christians because we're members of the same Body. And when one part of your body (your arm, for example) is in pain, your whole body feels it and wants to help. Third, face your problems with courage. A few years ago I was facing some serious difficulty and felt overwhelmed. I turned to the Psalms and was reading one of them in the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, when I came across the word ἀνδρίζου (andrizdou) which is usually translated in English as "be courageous" or "take courage" but literally means "be manly" or better "be a man!" That word really spoke to me at the time, and it helped me successfully face the difficulty I had been experiencing with confidence and courage, knowing that God was on my side. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31). Fourth, address issues before they happen. I used to be a terrible procrastinator, and still am sometimes. I had set a monthly reminder in Outlook that I should use Drano on the kitchen sink once a month, but having put off doing this for several months look what happened. But I've learned my lesson (I hope) and am going to be more serious about maintaining our kitchen sink now. Once a week I'll heat a pot of water on the stove and pour boiling water into the sink. And once a month a whole jug of Drano is going into it. Finally, don't forget to worship and pray. After we went to bed yesterday, Ingrid woke up worried in the middle of the night. So she began singing an old Vineyard worship song to herself: Lord I will put my trust in You And I will not faint Lord I will put my trust in You... ( lyrics for song ) Then Ingrid prayed and asked the Lord to give her a pleasant dream to quell her fears about the situation. And he did — she fell asleep again and slept soundly, and towards morning she had a wonderful dream about us being with her family laughing and having fun together. Look at how much our heavenly Father loves us, who are His children through Jesus! Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me. (Psalm 54:4 NIV)