The Recreated Dream

The twelve words in Proverbs 3:6, “​​In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths” changed my life. You have heard that one key truth from God can absolutely change your whole life and it happened to me. 

Look at this verse and draw a line after the first six words. We tend to live on the wrong side of the line. I have been a pastor for 30 yrs. When my dad, Tommy Barnett,  obtained a building in one of the worst areas in Los Angeles, he began looking for someone to pastor the church. I was the son of a pastor who had one of the first mega churches in the nation. I grew up thinking I would follow in his footsteps. But he had an opportunity to save a church from being taken over by their bank and he didn’t want to lose this church. Sometimes we save something instead of being called to something.  At 20 years old, I took over leading this church that no one else would pastor. My dad assured me it would be for no more than three months. He gave me his sermons and promised he would not keep me there forever. We’re still looking for a pastor to take over 30 years later! The ministry I am speaking of is the Los Angeles Dream Center. 

I was so scared. The 18 people in the church loved me because I was young but we experienced revival in reverse. We dropped to two in attendance in six months. I felt like an absolute failure. We had no momentum. It was a broken dream. One night as I cried to God, He told me to stop crying and go to Echo Park. I thought He was just going to finish me off that night but instead I took a 7 hour prayer walk. I saw the tents on skid row, drug addicts and those who were abused. I watched people being arrested in the park.  I saw thousands broken and in pain. In this park is where God gave me Proverbs 3:6. He told me to forget about being a success and focus on being a blessing. He said to love what He put in my hand and use it. 

Back at the church, I took my office desk and placed it outside on the sidewalk. I began giving away whatever food I had. I gave away candy to the kids. God told me to take drug addicts into my house. He told me He called me to be revolutionary, doing what I couldn’t do in order to make room for the miraculous. I started living joyfully with whatever God gave me. I began to tell people they can dream again. I invited them to come to church and read the word of God with me. That was the program. Your plan will never be perfect. 

But, in all your ways, He will direct your paths. God will do His greatest work when you start standing on the right side of the line of that verse. You think you’re broken. You may think it is the worst season of your life. But this is when you are in position to start dreaming from God's heart. The great thing about a broken dream is that something amazing happens. In my brokenness, I started dreaming things I never thought I could. These were dreams from rock bottom. Dreaming from rock bottom, you can dream dreams you never knew you had. 

A person becomes dangerous when all they have is a dream from rock bottom. It was wild. We began bussing people from skid row and whatever the audience was doing was what I preached on. If they beat each other up, I preached against violence. If they passed drugs around, I preached against addiction. It was the ultimate freestyle preaching. God told me to love what I had and to celebrate and use it. Love what you have on the way to where you’re going. In the next six months, we got up to 48 in the church, 90% of whom were homeless. Our ushers were all convicts. They cried when I asked them to serve. And God used me. He created a new thing from brokenness.  

Soon we had grown to 600. We lost ourselves into what we had and what God presented to us. At 22 years old, I prayed for a new building. Driving down the highway near the Hollywood sign, I saw a huge 400,000 square foot hospital. It was owned by the Catholic church and was for sale. It had been empty for eight years and was being use to make horror films. I went in and told them I wanted a tour and would like to make an offer. They didn’t take me seriously and wouldn’t let me tour. I found an open door and snuck in. When God gives you a dream, sometimes you’ve got to go gangster for Jesus. I gave myself a tour with one eye on Jesus and one eye on the guard who was trying to stop me. God told us to watch and pray! 

When we met with the nuns seriously, we told them the plan was for a church that would be open 24/7. The church would be for the hurt and broken and those who are not measuring up. It would be open for everyone. Liquor stores are open 24/7 and drug dealers work 24/7. We wanted to build a church that was never closed. The nuns loved the mission and told us to make an offer. In spite of an offer from movie makers for 16 million, they accepted the offer of 3.9 million if we could get it paid off in 18 months. We were so surprised. We had gone in with 1% faith and God said “Ok, good enough!” 

When my dad and I had a chance to review the pros and cons, it was all cons and no pros. If God is recreating your dream, the pros and cons don’t have to line up. God will make up the difference. Are you at rock bottom? Dream from there, based on inspiration and the heart of God. 

When we got the building, we had 18 months to pay for it. Nothing got paid in the first year and we were receiving hate mail saying I had compromised my dad’s ministry and that this was a huge mistake. I actually agreed with them. We had six months left. Sometimes you’re going forward with shuffling and doubt. But you still move forward in the curiosity of what God has ahead. If you are moving forward, you have faith that is greater than your doubt. 

There was one guy in my dad's church who was very negative. He had authored some of the hate mail.  He called one day and I did not want to take the call. I finally called him back and he asked me about the vision for the Dream Center. I visited and I gave him a tour. He tearfully apologized and confessed he had been doubting the dream. He begged for forgiveness and admitted he felt he’d been standing against God. He then wrote a check for one million dollars. He was easy to forgive! Money began to flow and we were in for good. 

I do have to say, I’ve tried to retire five different times. Wanting to quit is a sign of success. It means you have something to quit. Everytime I leave and travel down the highway to a certain Dairy Queen, God has asked me to just give Him 24 hrs. When I throw in the towel, He just gives me another one. There are times you don’t have momentum. But, hang around long enough and something good is going to happen. 

We now have 700 people living in the building. Judges are sentencing people to 40 mos at the Dream Center. These tough guys come to the Dream Center and are loved into Jesus where it’s the cool thing to live for Jesus. They become soft and flexible to change. They are caught up in the flow where everyone wants to do good. Everything we’ve done at the Dream Center was not in my five year plan. These dreams came from brokenness and I’ve learned to love who God loves. There is so much need. 

God is in your recreated dream. Just when you think it’s over, God can reset the dream and you’ve really just started. What died needed to die. At the Dream Center, we ask each person who comes to us what their dream is. Often they are baffled by this question. They just want to get clean. However, we know that where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint. If they have a dream, they have something to live for. The world will cancel you but our God loves broken people because it gets them to the best place, where dreams can be recreated. 

One of my favorite redemption stories is a man who was famous for being homeless. He lived under one of the bridges for 20 years. It was like his life verse was “I shall not be moved”. I tried every day. I bribed and offered and cajoled but he remained mean and distant and wouldn’t talk to me. Then, one week, a youth group came to volunteer for us. One young girl from Ok had heard about him and wanted to go bring him to the Dream Center. I wanted to tell her I had tried everything and if I couldn’t get him to come, no one could. But my dad taught me, in ministry, if someone tells you they’re going to do something, but you think they won’t be able to do it, let them try. They’ll either do it or realize they are on the wrong track. Well this young one went to the man under the bridge and invited him, nodded and smiled and told him, “you’ll come”, and finally grabbed his hand and brought him to the Dream Center. She explained the her leader taught them you have to compel people to come to the house of God. She compelled him to come to the Dream Center for a meal. He came everyday for his meal but wouldn’t stay for prayer. I told God, “He’s just using us.” But God told me, “If you want to be a bridge of hope to the world you’ve got to allow yourself to be walked on. You can use anything. I’m using you.”  Finally the man expressed a desire for the rehab program. Never give up on people. They’ll surprise you one day. He signed up and he did great. Homeless Barry graduated from our rehab program, attended Bible school, and is on staff. He preaches weekly and serves in our detox center. 

A recreated dream is the best of life. It taps into things you didn’t know were there. There is beauty in rock bottom because you only have one thing left. God's cause will always be greater than man’s dream.  Nobody is too far gone. Church is the most inclusive place where you can come and be loved on. We thought we were finished in the pandemic. But God meets you at your point of rationale. I told Him we were done and He said, “Well, if you're going to retire, leave the way you started. Go out fighting. Go back to the sidewalk. Serve no matter what. We put food in the trunks of cars and we had a handful who came to receive the first day. But crowds formed and increased and things happened as thousands of cars showed. Then food showed up. We served five million meals for a whole year. I did this in a retired mentality. Hang on long enough and you’ll get your second wind. People saw what was happening at the Dream Center and began giving. There were no office hours. Phone calls were taken on the move. At one point we needed $50,000 for payroll. Kanye West called me and asked  “Are you giving food out in Jesus name?” When I told him yes, he said he was giving us $50,000. Pat Robertson called to encourage me and then gave $250000. Your miracle is always in the next step you think you can’t take. 

Your dream hasn’t died. It’s just being recreated. The in between times determine your miracle. If all you do is what you can do, then you get the glory. We’ve been left for dead so many times. Doubt is real. Fears happen. Faith is taking that next step. Despite what you’re going through, you’re here. That’s faith. Showing up. Smoke is the start of a mighty fire. God is with you. God destroys no one at rock bottom. He recreates you. God wants your broken pieces. Give him your rock bottom moment and broken life and He will make something amazing out of it.