The team was hand-picked. I knew I could trust them and that they had a firm grasp on our mission. The risk was huge, but then everyone thought he understood the stakes when they volunteered. From the early days it was semi-controlled chaos. Everything was in flux but it was awesome! People were reaching out and helping each other. Teamwork was the order of the day. Leverage and execution were as normal and natural as drinking water.
In hindsight, the dream began to show minor cracks early on but there was too much momentum for anyone to pay much attention to the warning flags. We knew that the broader team didn’t understand and wasn’t engaging but that didn’t matter! We knew we were right and the story would go on. The harsh reality is that this was one of the first big mistakes that we were to make. Community always matters, no matter what the setting. Process is always more important than outcome, regardless of what is at stake. Compassion, dialogue, and open accountability do matter.
When things got tough we recruited more help but with less care. The dilemma of moving fast and executing seemed to override everything else. This was mistake number two. Nothing overrides community, integrity, and process. When flags fly they are flying for a reason.
The realities in the end were harsh. Yet I wonder if I have fully learned the lessons? Have any of those involved captured what happened and applied the story to their journey? It doesn’t matter why but when the dream is replaced by something different bad things happen! Spiritually it isn’t any different.
“What has happened is that some people have infiltrated our ranks (our Scriptures warned us this would happen), who beneath their pious skin are shameless scoundrels. Their design is to replace the sheer grace of our God with sheer license—which means doing away with Jesus Christ, our one and only Master.” (Jude 1.4)
The story isn’t over but if setting a new course doesn’t start now it might as well be.
