On the 15th of this month I dreamed Josie and I were trying to get somewhere we’d never been before. It was near Knoxville. I was beginning to get discouraged thinking we weren’t going to find it when suddenly I looked up and saw it. It was an old river boat that had been restored and turned into a restaurant. It sat on the river. It was called BOATHOUSE. It was about to open and a line was already forming. The restaurant was buffet style, and thus…all-you-care-to eat.

I interpret dreams similarly to how I edit writing. I recall and write the dream in its entirety, or however much I can clearly recall. I pray and invite Holy Spirit to help me understand and get the right meaning and message from the dream. Then, I look at the dream again and I edit out the unimportant peripheral fillers. Jesus taught in parables and used many metaphors to relate truths. However, the meaning of His talks was frequently missed. Even his own disciples would occasionally approach him afterwards and ask for help in understanding His message. But that is exactly what God is looking for. He wants us to be humble enough to ask. And He wants us to seek for meaning.
Proverbs 25:2, “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the honor of kings is to search out a matter.”
And just as Jesus didn’t just tell His disciples to go, but also instructed them where NOT to go. His own earthly ministry had parameters that He attempted to stay within. Plus, He warned His disciples about specific people/places that would afflict their soul with leaven. This is a ministry of Holy Spirit. He leads us. He helps our focus to see the right things by not seeing the wrong, unnecessary things.
Likewise, Holy Spirit especially helps me find the figurative Easter eggs by highlighting the important things, persons, emotions, colors, numbers, names, etc. Not every person, or item in the dream is pertinent to the message of the dream. If we’re not careful we’ll get confused in the overload, the over-abundance of what we’re trying to digest. That’s why short dreams can pack as much as longer, content-rich dreams.
Sometimes our spirit is cooperating with Holy Spirit and editing out non-essentials while we’re still in dream-state. Sometimes Holy Spirit will even help us with interpretation and understanding while we’re in the dream. I think that’s probably more typical when we’re walking in the Spirit and exercising our spirit man habitually, while we’re awake.

When people ask me to pray with them about understanding a dream they’ve had, I like them to send me the dream, written out or in a recorded voice memo. This allows me to pray over it and then read/listen to it. God will oftentimes help me to become like a plastic surgeon and I’ll feel led to do nip-tuck surgery on it and remove the unnecessary fat, and distractions. This allows the message and meaning to be found and not remain hidden in the weeds, or crowd, so to speak.

Anyway, the dream I am sharing here has already had the nip-tuck surgery and only the highlights remain.

After waking, I immediately prayed over this dream so I wouldn’t lose it but would remember it well and I’d be able to write it down and subsequently understand it. Quickly, Holy Spirit highlighted the importance of Knoxville and brought John Knox to my mind. John Knox is an iconic figure in my mind for two reasons: 1. Revival 2. Intercession. Knox is a father to the Presbyterian Church. That wineskin—Presbyterianism—has been used in many of America’s greatest revivals and revivalists. Knox was used as a firebrand for revival, reformation, awakening especially in his homeland (Scotland). Knox is also famous to us because of his pleading intercession for his place. His prayer was “Give me Scotland, or I die.” What a grand prayer coupled with unyielding desperation.

Hence, the stage was now set for my dream and the understanding of it. I was going to a place of revival, intercession, and even desperation. Along this journey, I—who represent those being called to this place, and this kind of life—grow weary with waiting, wondering if I’m going to find it. But then the encouragement pops up and I see it on the horizon.
The name was BoatHouse.
More Interpretation: BoatHouse is a house of prayer. Almost all houses of Prayer with an identity linked to the tabernacle of David have “house” as part of their name/label. This HOP also represented a prayer movement as it was on a river. Rivers are distinct bodies of water because they move. Furthermore, the place was a Restaurant…to symbolize hunger. Even the type of restaurant and its setting speak of hunger, and desire. Think about the river in Ezekiel 47 and the incrementally deeper dimensions it possessed and it’s easy to naturally relate to the all-you-care-to eat restaurant. How deep do you want to go?

So, again, this ultimately speaks to what we’re on the brink of. In the dream, it was just opening. But it was already creating hunger and excitement—a line is forming.

This dream is about revival and it’s about prayer. It’s about going deeper. It’s about going somewhere we’ve never been before. And yes, it’s a dream of encouragement.