Is this God's will or just my fantasy?

 A 48 Days Podcast listener asked:  Where can I get $1 million to create a major ministry event in my community? 

Where does someone get that kind of money? I have prayed about this, the dream won’t go away.  But the money isn’t

falling out of the clouds either. I have talked to a professional fundraiser and he told me since I have no history in this business, no one would contribute to this. I talked to a woman who is in business to find sponsors for major musical events and she said the same thing.

The city told me they didn’t have that kind of money for this sort of thing.  I talked to the city manager and he just smiled and said “That’s nice, keep me posted. ‘

I make a meager salary and live check to check so I have no savings.  I certainly don't have credit cards for that amount either. And at my age I don’t want to owe the money to anyone.   Still Believin

******************************************************************************

My answer:

Dear Believin - Wow - I applaud your enthusiasm.  But my response is going to be much like what you've already received.  In as much as I love new ideas - and certainly big ideas - I just don't see why anyone would want to put the money up for this.  If you had the money you could just go ahead and do it and not have to convince others.  We see that being done all the time by wealthy people.  But for someone else to "donate" or "invest" is quite a different scenario.  If someone is going to donate they are going to have to believe that this is an endeavor that surpasses all the other worthy causes we see daily.  

• Is this more important than building fresh water wells for starving people in Africa or saving teenage girls from sex slavery in Indonesia?  
• Is this more important than building a new church in Haiti?
• Will a company that donates money get enough marketing exposure to outweigh a series of ads on local TV?
• If someone "invest" the money - what is your revenue model for giving them a big return?  

Here in Nashville we have Opryland Hotel where they do an amazing Christmas show every year.  It attracts thousands of people and takes them months in advance to set it up.  And of course they are a big company with the financial resources to do this - knowing it will draw thousands of people who will then spend money on the property.  I would encourage you to find a similar organization and event where you are and volunteer to be involved.  That will give you some firsthand experience and an opportunity to build your credibility to maybe do an event of your own in the future.  

Dreaming and believing are certainly the first steps in doing something extraordinary - but then comes building a plan that you can execute.  

Continue nurturing your imagination, your dreams, your enthusiasm and your faith -  and just reshape those to a plan you can make a reality.

******************************************************************************

Dan is the author of the New York Times best-selling 48 Days To The Work You Love , No More Dreaded Mondaysand the newly released Wisdom meets Passion. He has been a guest on CBS' 'The Early Show,' MSNBC's 'Hardball with Chris Mathews,' Moody MidDay Connection, and the Dave Ramsey Show. Dan has spoken at the White House Christian Fellowship, and is in high demand at national conferences on aging and changes in the workplace, and at universities and churches.  Over 130,000 people have subscribed to his weekly newsletter, his 48 Days Podcast consistently ranks in the top 3 under Careers on iTunes, and the 48Days.net business community is viewed as an example around the world for those seeking to find – or create – work they love.