Are You Dreaming Big Enough?

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Photo of Tommy Barnett. “If I could live my life over again, I would dream bigger dreams, and I would take bigger risks,” is Tommy’s response when often asked by pastors what he would do differently in his life. The question of “what if it’s God?” occupies his big dreams of impossible roads. From his 67 years of ministry, Tommy Barnett, well-known leader, author, and founder of the Dream Centers shares the most miraculous events he’s witnessed after asking “what if it’s God?” One such miracle was witnessing 6,000 people give their life to Christ after he took the chance to ask Johnny Cash to sing at the World’s Greatest Sunday School, even after Johnny sang about drinking beer for breakfast.

“I thought ‘they’re going to run me out of town. I have violated all church history.’”

HOW JOHNNY CASH CAME TO JESUS

One day in 1964, Tommy was preparing to preach at a revival night in Nashville, Tennessee, but changed his sermon when he saw June Carter and Johnny Cash walk in the church. Instead, Tommy preached on “What should profit a man if he should gain the world and lose his soul?” It was a message that pierced the heart of both Johnny Cash and June Carter. After the service, Johnny came up to Tommy and said, “Reverend, I enjoyed that message. I’m going to think over what you said. I need to think about my future, my life. I’ll be back.” Johnny and June came back to the church the following Sunday, and when the invitation to accept Christ was given they both came forward and surrendered their lives.

After the service, Johnny came up to Tommy and said, “Reverend, I enjoyed that message. I’m going to think over what you said. I need to think about my future, my life. I’ll be back.”

WHAT IF GOD USES JOHNNY FOR REVIVAL?

A few months later, Johnny came to Tommy’s hometown in Davenport, Iowa for a concert in the Masonic Temple. After the concert, Tommy went backstage. With only a security guard and a thin curtain separating Johnny from the people, Tommy asked the guard, “Would you tell Mr. Cash, there’s Tommy Barnett out here that wants to speak to him?” From the other side of the curtain, Tommy heard a voice say, “Send the Reverend in.”

Tommy went backstage and presented to Johnny his vision of hosting the World’s Greatest Sunday School in a nearby stadium that seats 30,000 people. “If you sing and I preach, we can have the greatest Sunday School attendance ever,” said Tommy. Without hesitation, Johnny replied, “I’ll do it!”

Without hesitation, Johnny replied, “I’ll do it!”

He brought June Carter, the Carter singers, and Carl Perkins. He brought his entire band and two semi-trucks filled with sound equipment and instruments–everything needed for a great concert. On that day, the arena was packed for the largest event in the history of Davenport. Before the concert, Johnny asked, “Pastor, would you mind if I would sing one secular song? I want their hearts to be open. And I don’t think they came to only a religious concert.” Tommy nervously said “sure” knowing that in the company of classical Pentecostals and Evangelicals that could be a bad idea.

Johnny opened the concert with the song “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” and one of the first lines in the song was, “And the beer I had for breakfast wasn’t bad so I had one more for dessert.” Tommy said, “They’re going to run me out of town. I have violated all church history.” But, it went over big.” Johnny and the others continued the concert with religious songs followed by Tommy’s 15 minute sermon about “How to be Free.” During the altar call, Johnny sang “Come home. Come home. It’s supper time.” Tommy witnessed, what he now calls, one of the greatest events in history as over 6,000 people crowded to the front of the baseball stadium by second base, repeated the sinner’s prayer, and gave their hearts to Jesus Christ.

“It was like a Billy Graham crusade.”

WHAT IF IT’S GOD?

When dreaming big and taking risks, Tommy encourages us to ask, “What if it is God?” Unless we decide to dream big and take the opportunities given to us, we may never know if it was God and could lose the chance to see the impossible become a miracle.

“With any adventure, God has always spoken to me with an opportunity, a possibility. And I would look down the road and say, ‘That could be God. I’m not sure. But what if it is God?’”

‘That could be God. I’m not sure. But what if it is God?’”

Hear more of Tommy’s stories of the greatest miracles in his life, including what happened when a little girl fell six stories from the Dream Center in the dark of the night and if a certain fast-food franchise truly did name their restaurants after him. Listen to the full episode and subscribe.