- Mar 5, 2024
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Attempting To Fill "Satchmo's" Shoes
A year or so ago, I had the following dream. It was one of those dreams that struck you as so out of the ordinary that you simply couldn't forget it, so I immediately had to go about trying to figure out what it meant.
The Louis Armstrong Dream
I was in a room with a group of people, all blacks, and I had this trumpet in my hands. Only it was clearly not an ordinary trumpet. It was huge, like the size of a trombone, but shaped like a trumpet. I sensed it belonged to Louis Armstrong, and I was supposed to play it. But it was so heavy that it was all I could do just to lift it from my waist up to where it was upright and close to my lips. I managed to get it there with both hands and positioned it to play it, but what came out was like when you play a wind instrument but don't blow hard enough, so it just makes this awful sound that isn't really a note. More like someone just committed an indiscretion in public.
One of the heavyset black women there just chuckled a little under her breath, and I was trying to make the best of the situation, so I grinned and said something like, "There's obviously something wrong with this thing." But it was an obvious deflection to the fact that so far I was not up the task. Then I woke up.
I discerned upon waking up that Louis Armstrong here represented the Lord, and that I needed to measure up to Him somehow but was not able to yet. So I began looking into his history and quickly found out something interesting. He loved to write and sing about dreams. It was like his calling card, and his most popular works were all based on this subject. I found no less than five songs that either had the word "dream" in the lyrics or in the title itself, including Dream A Little Dream Of Me, A Kiss To Build A Dream On, I'll See You In My Dreams, and Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams (and Dream Your Troubles Away).
The connection was obvious. The Lord was essentially telling me that He wanted me to be a greater interpreter of dreams for others by manifesting more of His strength and power. If so, others would "hear" me more, because I would have a bigger mouth as it were (Armstrong received the nickname "Satchmo" because of the size of his mouth. According to one source, he had many nicknames as a child, among them “Gatemouth,” “Dippermouth,” and “Satchelmouth”).
Based on his lyrics, however, the Lord apparently also wanted me to become a greater encourager of men in the pursuit of their "dreams" in the common sense, and train them to think beyond this present world to what their future could be.
On further investigation there were actually many qualities about Louis Armstrong worth emulating. He was good natured and likable, entertaining and funny, and his positive attitude and infectious sense of humor could sometimes be contagious.
Underneath the laughter, the smiles and the encouragement, however, was someone who was quietly wielding a positive influence in the lives of others, by getting them to think about how good things could be if they just let their minds wander to the happier things of life, a Biblical command we sometimes overlook (see below). And maybe this was the most important message of all. That we seek to convey to others there is more to life than just the here and now, and that dreams can transform us from depression over our circumstances into happy souls rejoicing in the hopes and dreams of a wonderful eternity instead, at the very least.
This is what the apostle Paul and our Lord Jesus Christ before him both taught, and a lesson we should never forget if we would hope to lead happier lives, in this life and the next.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your forbearance be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.... 8 whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 And that which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:4-9)
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. 11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in Heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:10-12)
Blessings in Christ,
Hidden In Him
A year or so ago, I had the following dream. It was one of those dreams that struck you as so out of the ordinary that you simply couldn't forget it, so I immediately had to go about trying to figure out what it meant.
The Louis Armstrong Dream
I was in a room with a group of people, all blacks, and I had this trumpet in my hands. Only it was clearly not an ordinary trumpet. It was huge, like the size of a trombone, but shaped like a trumpet. I sensed it belonged to Louis Armstrong, and I was supposed to play it. But it was so heavy that it was all I could do just to lift it from my waist up to where it was upright and close to my lips. I managed to get it there with both hands and positioned it to play it, but what came out was like when you play a wind instrument but don't blow hard enough, so it just makes this awful sound that isn't really a note. More like someone just committed an indiscretion in public.
One of the heavyset black women there just chuckled a little under her breath, and I was trying to make the best of the situation, so I grinned and said something like, "There's obviously something wrong with this thing." But it was an obvious deflection to the fact that so far I was not up the task. Then I woke up.
I discerned upon waking up that Louis Armstrong here represented the Lord, and that I needed to measure up to Him somehow but was not able to yet. So I began looking into his history and quickly found out something interesting. He loved to write and sing about dreams. It was like his calling card, and his most popular works were all based on this subject. I found no less than five songs that either had the word "dream" in the lyrics or in the title itself, including Dream A Little Dream Of Me, A Kiss To Build A Dream On, I'll See You In My Dreams, and Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams (and Dream Your Troubles Away).
The connection was obvious. The Lord was essentially telling me that He wanted me to be a greater interpreter of dreams for others by manifesting more of His strength and power. If so, others would "hear" me more, because I would have a bigger mouth as it were (Armstrong received the nickname "Satchmo" because of the size of his mouth. According to one source, he had many nicknames as a child, among them “Gatemouth,” “Dippermouth,” and “Satchelmouth”).
Based on his lyrics, however, the Lord apparently also wanted me to become a greater encourager of men in the pursuit of their "dreams" in the common sense, and train them to think beyond this present world to what their future could be.
On further investigation there were actually many qualities about Louis Armstrong worth emulating. He was good natured and likable, entertaining and funny, and his positive attitude and infectious sense of humor could sometimes be contagious.
Underneath the laughter, the smiles and the encouragement, however, was someone who was quietly wielding a positive influence in the lives of others, by getting them to think about how good things could be if they just let their minds wander to the happier things of life, a Biblical command we sometimes overlook (see below). And maybe this was the most important message of all. That we seek to convey to others there is more to life than just the here and now, and that dreams can transform us from depression over our circumstances into happy souls rejoicing in the hopes and dreams of a wonderful eternity instead, at the very least.
This is what the apostle Paul and our Lord Jesus Christ before him both taught, and a lesson we should never forget if we would hope to lead happier lives, in this life and the next.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your forbearance be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.... 8 whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 And that which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:4-9)
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. 11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in Heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:10-12)
Blessings in Christ,
Hidden In Him
