Praise for
The Dream-Centered Life
We all aspire to do great things, but sometimes we lack the passion to make them happen. The Dream-Centered Life gives us a blueprint to help us discover our motives and overcome barriers that can derail our dreams. I encourage you to read this book and find your dream.
J OHN C . M AXWELL , author, speaker, and founder of the John Maxwell Company
Discouragement can peek around every corner and extinguish passions and dreams. Bask in the refreshing light of encouragement from Luke Barnett as he navigates the amazing plans God has for every dreamer.
R OMA D OWNEY , actress, producer, and president of LightWorkers Media
In The Dream-Centered Life, Luke Barnett reveals the secret to making your dreams come true: drawing closer to God and depending on him each step of the way. Luke inspires us to take our God-given dreams seriously and then shows us how to bring them to life with Gods help.
C HRIS H ODGES , senior pastor of Church of the Highlands and author of Fresh Air
The Dream-Centered Life is a must-read for anyone who wants to see their calling fulfilled. Luke Barnett challenges you to stand up, wipe off the dirt, and climb out of the predictable to find your dream.
J OHN B EVERE , author and minister at Messenger International
Luke Barnett believes we can create our future and it starts with a dream. He then inspires us to dream bigger. His practical and spiritual way empowers us to believe we can dream and see it come to pass. If you want to see great things, read The Dream-Centered Life.
C ASEY T REAT , senior pastor of Christian Faith Center and coauthor of Renewing the Mind 2.0
Dreams are the substance of all great achievement. Im thrilled that my friend Luke Barnett has written such a practical book on the importance of dreaming and the process through which our dreams become reality. Luke has lived what is taught within these pages!
B ISHOP D ALE C . B RONNER, DM IN , senior pastor of Word of Faith Family Worship Cathedral
Everything of value starts with a dreama God-given vision of our greater purpose. This book will teach you how to dream again and how to take the steps needed to make those dreams a reality.
T ODD M ULLINS , senior pastor of Christ Fellowship Church
The only dream that is fulfilling and worth pursuing is a God-given dream. Luke Barnett lives out his God-given dream daily, and in this book he clearly explains how you, too, can get your dream back.
R ICK B EZET , lead pastor of New Life Church of Arkansas and author of Real Love in an Angry World
This book challenges readers to live a life with purpose. Luke lays out simple steps we all can take to allow God to restore our dreams.
J ENTEZEN F RANKLIN , senior pastor of Free Chapel and New York Times best-selling author
My brother, Luke Barnett, is a perfect example of how to dream big! The Dream-Centered Life offers great examples and instruction on how to believe for big, God-based dreams for your life.
M ATTHEW B ARNETT , cofounder of the Dream Center and New York Times best-selling author of The Cause Within You
God-given dreams are possible and should be sought wholeheartedly. Lifes challenges can derail our aspirations. Luke Barnett helps readers get back on track to living out Gods amazing plan for their lives.
M ARK B ATTERSON , New York Times best-selling author of The Circle Maker and lead pastor of National Community Church
T HE D REAM- C ENTERED L IFE
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, ESV Text Edition (2016), copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked ( ASV ) are taken from the American Standard Version. Scripture quotations marked ( KJV ) are taken from the King James Version. Scripture quotations marked ( NLT ) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Trade Paperback ISBN9780735289659
Ebook ISBN9780735289666
Copyright 2017 by Luke Barnett
Cover design by Mark D. Ford
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published in the United States by WaterBrook, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.
W ATER B ROOK and its deer colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Barnett, Luke, author.
Title: The dream-centered life / Luke Barnett.
Description: First Edition. | Colorado Springs, Colorado : WaterBrook, 2017.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017013308 | ISBN 9780735289659 (pbk.) | ISBN 9780735289666 (electronic)
Subjects: LCSH: DreamsReligious aspectsChristianity. | Joseph (Son of Jacob)
Classification: LCC BR115.D74 B35 2017 | DDC 248.2/9dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017013308
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Contents
To my family
My wife, Angel, you have stuck with me from the beginning of this journey and kept an incredible inspirational attitude through the ups and downs. You have been a tremendous source of life and encouragement to me for the last twenty-three years.
My daughters, Aubrey and Annalee, you are so full of life and bring such joy to your mother and me. Annalee, I love your inner drive and persistence. When you set your mind to do something, you do it! Aubrey, I love your creativity and how you bring life and energy to a party just by walking into the room.
Mom, youre an overcomer and a fighter. You taught me to never give up and to always keep looking forward to the future.
Dad, youre the one who taught me that anything is possible when you partner with God in dreaming. Ive watched you live your life to its fullest, enjoying every single moment of each day. Your love for life, especially in your later years, has motivated me to want to pattern my life after you and someday be the man you are.
Introduction
W hen I was a kid, if you had told me I would one day stand on the platform of my dads church in Phoenix, accept the baton representing his ministry, and take leadership of the church I had grown up in, I would have laughed until it was clear how ridiculous your suggestion was. There was no way I was going to be a pastor. A golfer, maybe, if I could continue to improve. Or maybe a businessman, a consultant, or a CEO. But a pastor? In the church my dad built? No way.
Yet there I was in front of thousands accepting essentially my life commission. My mom was there, and Dad, of course. My wife, Angel, stood right beside me. This was as close to a formal ceremony as you were likely to see in our church. Part of me was in awe that God had brought me to a place of actually wanting to follow my father in ministry. Another part of me wondered if I would wake up and realize I was having a kind of tailor-made nightmare.