Wake Up—God’s Talking to You

A Bible teacher with a passion for studying dreams tells of his lifelong interest in what he believes are unique messages from God.

In this debut inspirational guide, Fernandez writes of how he thinks that God has used dreams to speak to believers from Old Testament times to the present. He recounts famous biblical dreamers, including Pharaoh from the Book of Genesis and Pontius Pilate’s wife. He notes that while dreams came to believers as well as nonbelievers in the Bible, only nonbelievers required interpreters to say what their dreams meant. “There is not one record of a man of God needing an interpretation,” he writes. He shares some of his own dreams and provides his own ideas about their meanings. For example, he once dreamed about a big rig on a snowy street and recalled imagery of snow being pushed up against parked cars: “The truck was the Devil, and the snow was the world, with its indulgences, sexual immoralities, and various things the world has to offer,” he writes. He believes that the snow in his dream also represented the temptations that leave people feeling trapped. Readers who view snow as a symbol of purity, however, may have difficulty associating it with indulgence and immorality. For beginners who want to study dreams, he believes it’s important to remember that “you will interpret your own dreams,” and he cautions against consulting psychics—or anyone asking for money—for help. Writing down dreams is critical in studying them, he says, and he suggests keeping a notepad, pencil, and even a tape recorder near one’s bedside. A couple of times, he even mentions having a dream that he was unable to interpret. Fernandez proves to be an amiable teacher in this book. Although he’s fascinated with dream interpretation, Fernandez makes it clear that he believes the study of dreams should never replace Christian disciplines such as Bible reading and prayer: “Dreaming is the dessert in my relationship with God,” he writes. However, his writing might have benefited from a stronger edit to catch typos, and the tone is a bit too casual, using terms such as “ya know,” “yeah,” and “folks.”

Although this Christian-themed guide lacks specific how tos, it may still inspire readers to pay closer attention to their dreams.