Lesson #2 –If God gives you a dream, wake up and work with the dream team
At one of our monthly executive meetings mid last year, Emeka Ofia, our Mentoring Director, made a remarkable comment. He said, “I don’t think God is going to take Christ Lifeline Ministry beyond where the Executives and Partners are willing to go.” There was a brief silence as those words reverberated in our minds. I’m sure every other executive member was doing what we have been trained to do over the years i.e. checking to see how that statement aligns with Scriptures. As I pondered more on that statement in the following days, I could not help but appreciate the importance of teamwork in fulfilling divine mandates. I also recalled how God put together the current team in the Ministry.
The first 3 years in Christ Lifeline were very passive because the team was not vibrant. During this period, I always gave excuses to God for why I thought I was not the right leader for the mission and why it would be better for me to work with established ministries. At the time, we only shared monthly electronic messages to a few friends via Yahoogroups, and this was done chiefly in a bid to “quench” that constant yearning God had placed in my heart. By 2006, the “palliatives” weren’t working anymore as I began to get not only yearnings, but warnings. The particular warning that got me scared happened in Asaba, Delta State ofNigeria. In the bathroom of my hotel room, I heard God say – I gave you an assignment and you neglected it, yet you keep asking me to lead you to where you will be of service to the body of Christ. So out of frustration, I started to think about teamwork.
Who should I discuss the vision with? Who would understand the enormity of this task and be willing to work with God in this capacity? Who would not laugh at me or take me to be a joker (after all to some, I cracked more jokes than I quoted scriptures back then)? These were some of the questions I pondered on. The first person that came to mind was my fiancée (Busola) who is now my wife; the minimum I expected from her was to believe me. Then I thought of two pastors on campus that I believed were very good Christians and very unlike some other seeming “vainglorious” campus pastors. They are Ifelayo Ojo and Adeyiga Awomuti. I had separate meetings with them to share the vision of Christ Lifeline and also invited them to join me in the execution and it appeared that the best days of my life started then. There was this joy and fulfillment I experienced whenever I pondered on the way they believed in the vision and promised to work with God in executing it.
By January 2007, we had our first outreach program tagged “Mission Exhibition” and there were about 50 people in attendance. Surprisingly, 40 of them decided to partner with the Ministry and completed our Partner’s form. This was a critical turning point in the Ministry; we had a bigger and better team to do the work. Since then, we have had hundreds of Partners from 5 continents join this team of men and women that extend the help of Christ to nations and support platforms that attract others to Christ. We do not underestimate the work of God in putting the Christ Lifeline team together because like John Maxwell once said – “a great dream with a bad team is nothing more than a nightmare”. Please join us in giving glory to God!
– Tope S. Aladenusi
Join us at our 10th anniversary celebration taking place at Bellus Court, 7A Akin Adesanya Street, Off Town Planning Way, Ilupeju Lagos by 2pm on 20 July 2013. If you would like to attend, please send an email to info@christlifeline.org so we can send you an invitation letter.
I never knew it had happened to someone else until I heard the song.
Shattered dreams, shattered dreams
Nothing I planned had turned out right,
Shattered dreams, shattered dreams,
My life without Christ is shattered dreams
As I listened, my mind went down memory lane, years back. Very early in life, I had already laid out plans of what I wanted out of life. I saw my classmates failing exams; I was always coming out in flying colours. Some fell sick and had to drop in class; my ill-health cases were never severe. Some of my colleagues lost their parent that early. Others struggled to eat thrice a day; I always whistle with filled stomach. I could still remember my classmates that died.
It seemed I was untouchable. Life was treating me fine. My plans were working out. I thought it would continue, but I was wrong.
Like a fierce wind, coming first as a gentle breeze, life troubles came upon me. My health started failing me. Before I could settle that, my academics careened down the slope. I saw my dream of a blissful love-life drifting away like the mist in the air. Things were falling apart. All efforts to fix back my life proved abortive.
Helpless, I watched my hope for living ticking away. My very existence was at stake. That was when I shouted for help from my Maker. Jesus came to the rescue. When He told me to surrender and follow Him, I willingly obeyed. And I was saved. Then I understood that all my plans without Christ were nothing but shattered dreams.
– okenna igbokwe