examples of busting someone’s
dream. I squirm to think about it, but
it’s an automatic reaction for some of
us, and we must train ourselves out of
it. The good news is that people can
change. Back when Dad was starting
the Dream Center in LA and the
whole concept was new, everyone
was telling him not to go. One man,
a close friend of Dad’s, said, “You
don’t need to go to LA, Tommy. It’s
just going to wear you out and take
away from the work here in Phoenix.
I’m concerned about you.”
Within two years that very man and
his son gave $2 million to save the
Dream Center from being closed
down because of needed structural
upgrades. He went from being a
dream buster to a dream lifter. We
can all do the same.
Your Family and Closest Friends Will
Often Be Your Most Challenging
Dream Busters
When I fasted and got the dream of
God for our church, not everyone
was as excited as I was. Nobody
came right out and challenged
me, but a few leaders and
close associates were obviously
unenthusiastic. Sometimes they
patted me on the back and said
things like, “I’m glad you have
something you’re excited about.”
dream as I was? Couldn’t they see
th e future of our church?
I came to believe that sometimes
God allows dream busters to be our
own close friends and family for a
season. He does it to test us. When I
first became senior pastor at Phoenix
First, I often sought wise counsel from
older mentors I trusted. Their wisdom
had kept me on track for many years.
But as I grew as a leader, I began to
feel that often their voices conflicted
with my dream.
For example, when I laid out the idea
for a multisite church, one men¬tor in
particular tried to discourage me out
of genuine concern for me.
“Do you really want to do this?”
he asked. “Phoenix First is a huge
campus with so many ministries
impacting so many people. If you try
to have other campuses, it means so
many more headaches. It might steal
your overall impact.”
I had to wrestle with that, especially
when the multisite idea seemed
dead in the water. I also respected
this man a great deal. Then one
day it dawned on me: God had
given the vision to me, not to my
mentor. It didn’t make this man my
enemy, but it tested my faith in the
dream. He was not called to lead
the church toward this dream in this
That hurt my feelings more than a
season. He hadn’t prayed and fasted
direct challenge! How could they not about it. He hadn’t seen the vision so
be as excited about this God-given
strongly in his mind’s eye. I had. It was
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