We are hard at work writing our new book about the needed reformation of prophetic ministry. We will share a number of encounters with the Spirit of the Lord that we have had, which will be scattered throughout the book. They will all follow this same outline pattern as the one below. We thought our friends might like a teaser. This is one of the vivid spiritual dreams Terri had at the very beginning of our time in Kansas City in 1987.
Crack in the Foundation Dream —Terri’s Dream
The Encounter
Not long after we had moved to Kansas City, I had a dream that stirred something deep and sobering in my spirit.
I was standing before a church building, gazing at the cornerstone of its foundation. Carved into the stone, clearly and unmistakably, was the word:
GRACE
But as I looked closer, I saw a large diagonal crack running straight through the middle of the stone. It split the word, and with it, the foundation.
Then the meaning became clear.
On one side of the crack stood works-righteousness—marked by legalism, extreme asceticism, and a pressure to perform. It was grace distorted into merit—a relationally detached, heavy spirituality that appeared so super-holy.
On the other side was licentiousness—a permissive, detached distortion of grace that led to ethical compromise, rationalizations, excused fleshly outbursts, relational violations, and a slow drift into indulgence without authentic contrition.
Both sides were operating under a false grace. And isn’t it strange that such seemingly opposite mindsets can sometimes operate simultaneously in a person or a group?
Both had strayed from the Gospel’s true center.
The final detail was piercing: we had become a part of a ministry literally named Grace Ministries!
What It Meant at the Time
This dream was a divine alarm bell. It made clear that even ministries that speak often of grace can, over time, fracture the foundation when they veer toward extremes.
One side crushes with shame, the other numbs with indulgence. Neither flows from the true heart of Jesus.
One side makes people earn what can only be received.
The other side squanders what was bought at infinite cost.
The true grace of Jesus—His empowering presence—was missing from both distortions. And the foundation itself needed a fundamental rectification.
How It Formed Me
This dream became a spiritual compass for our many years of ministering in Kansas City. It taught me to listen not only to what’s preached but also to watch what’s practiced. It gave me language for tensions I had long felt but couldn’t yet articulate.
It taught me that formational distortions often hide behind doctrinal facades.
It also reminded me that formation matters. What’s modeled becomes what’s multiplied—and if the cornerstone is cracked, everything above it leans.
Key Life Lesson
Distorted grace builds unsafe foundations.
One crushes the soul with pressure; the other dulls it with permission.
But true grace is neither legalism nor license.
Grace is found in the person of Jesus Christ Himself—full of truth and tenderness, mercy and maturity.
Scripture Echoes
• “No one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” — 1 Corinthians 3:11
• “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means!” — Romans 6:1–2
• “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” — John 1:17
• “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God…” — Hebrews 12:15
• “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” –Galatians 5:13-14
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