What's your vision

     I read a story once about an elderly lady who lived in a small valley, hemmed in by towering mountains.  All her life she had wanted to make a trip over to the other side of the mountains, but there had been too much to do, too many babies to feed and care for, too many cornrows to hoe.  Now she was a great grandmother, with nothing but time on her hands.  One day her lifetime dream was granted.  Her grandson came and offered to take her to the otherside of the mountain.  She rode up to the top of the mountain, but just before they reached the summit where she could look down in the valley below, she told her grandson to stop.  Her grandson responded "But Granny, you have always wanted to see the other side of the mountain.  Why don't you want to see it now?"  Granny responded "Yes, sonny.  I did, but I have spent so many years imagining the beauty of the sight that I just could not stand to be disappointed.  Drive down, and let me keep my dreams."
 
     Like Granny, many people and many churches miss the opportunity to see what is on the other side.  They get a glimpse of what God can do, but because they are too involved in what is going on or too comfortable with their surroundings, they miss the chance to see what God can really do with them.  As a result too many of us and too many churches are content to live in the valleys of human experience and never venture any further. 

     For this reason, we need a vision.  We need a vision from God and a vision for God.  I have been in situations where I have had a glimspe of what God could do only to be brought back down to the valley because of my own failures or the lack of vision of others.  Either way the vision was never experienced.  I long to see what God can do when we are completely dedicated to Him and the purpose He has for our lives.  What about you?  Do you have a vision from God that transforms you and your thinking or are you content to stay in the valley of your dreams?  It is my prayer that you will not be like Granny.  Take the challenge.  Discover God's vision for your life.  It will change you and will change those around you.  Do you have a vision that God has given to you?  I would love to hear what God has revealed to you and perhaps others would as well.

Determine the right vision

      One of the hardest struggles we will have in determining a vision for our life is how to discern between good ideas and God ideas.  We do not usually have any problems choosing between good and bad, but we do have a problem choosing between good and best.  We normally will choose the easy way because it does not require as much from us.  We like to be able to handle everything in our own abilities and in our own power.  As a result we never venture to have a vision that truly challenges us to be all that we can be in Christ.  For that matter, many churches experience the same thing.  They never venture past what they can do so they never truly experience what only God can do.

     So how can we determine between a good vision and a God vision.  A vision from God will eventually feel like a moral imperative.  You will not be able to get it out of your mind.  A God vision will become such a part of your life that you will be compelled to make it a reality.  In fact the vision becomes a burden in your life.  I remember when God began revealing His vision for my life so many years ago.  I struggled with the idea that God was purposing in my life to be a pastor.  I battled for several years with the idea even trying to run from God in the process.  However, something had gripped my heart to the point that I could not find inner peace.  Finally, when I surrendered to the call of God upon my life and His purpose, I had a peace that I could not describe.  Even as I have been in difficult times in the ministry, the one constant has been the original call God had placed on my life or the original vision He had given me.  I sensed that if I did not live according to that vision then I would be disobedient in my actions.  It was a moral imperative for me to live according to that vision.  It has not always been easy, but it has always been right.\

     A second way to determine between a good vision and a God vision is that a God ordained vision will be in line with what God is up to in the world.  A God ordained vision is never about us.  It is a hard concept for us to grasp simply because we are so self centered and self seeking.  We want things our way and we want them now.  However, we lost our right to devise our own agenda and our own plans when Jesus came to be our Lord.  When we begin to get in on God's vision for our life we will soon discover how we fit into God's divine plan. 

     Regardless of the vision God has for your life it is tied to a greater vision that God has for the world.  You are an important piece to God's overall plan.  You fill a unique purpose and God has placed you in a position that no one else is in.  We are all placed in the paths of people at places that only we inhabit.  Only you work in your office in your particular desk.  Only you sit in a particular spot at a desk in school.  You are the one who lives in your house in your neighborhood at this particular time. 

     Whether you are a housewife, a banker, a construction worker, a student, a retailer, or even a pastor you are a part of God's greater vision for the world.  I challenge you to examine your own life and your situation and begin to evaluate what God is showing you.  Don't be afraid to take a critical look at yourself, but also seek wisdom and counsel from others as well.  God will either confirm or correct your vision.  Remember your desire is to discover God's vision not a good vision.

Vision

      Yesterday I started to talk about capturing the vision that God has for our lives.  If we are a child of God, then we need to be in step with the vision that God has for us.  He has a clear mental picture of what we could be and what we sould be.  But not only does He have a vision of what we could be, but He also has a vision of what we could and should do.  The secret is getting in on God's plan.

     As stated yesterday because we were purchased by God we exist for His good pleasure.  We are His and we are to glorify Him in our lives and in our actions.  Everything we do is to be about God and His plan and His purpose for our lives.  Until we discover this purpose, we will never truly find fulfillment in our lives. 

     We often quote Ephesians 2:8-9 which talks about being saved by grace through faith and that it is not by works.  We love this verse because it teaches that there is  nothing we can do to merit God's favor or to earn our salvation.  Our salvation is all up to God and the grace He freely bestows on those who believe.  Yet we very rarely read verse 10 of the same chapter.  Consider Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."  We are God's workmanship, we are His masterpiece.  He designed us.  He shaped us.  He created us and He recreated us. 

      You are God's masterpiece.  I think it was Chuck Swindoll who said that if God had a refrigerator your face would be all over it.  I know what you are saying "I don't feel like a masterpiece.  I don't feel very special."  Don't be decieved by your feelings.  God's Word says you are His masterpiece.  Since you are God's masterpiece it means you are a product of His vision.  God has determined in advance what you could be and should be.  You are the outcome of something God envisioned.  Through Jesus Christ His vision has been brought to reality and God continues to shape you and transform you into what He designed you to be until you reach completion.

     However, the vision is not complete with just looking good so we can hang on God's refrigerator or His wall and he can brag to everyone in heaven about His masterpiece.  God had a vision that we would be doing good works.  For this reason, God shaped us and formed us with particular abilities that no one else is able to do.  The reason being is that God has a particular purpose for your life.  He is constantly shaping and transforming you so that you can be the person He designed you to be.

     God has a vision for your life.  He has a clear mental image of what you could be and should be as well as what you could and should do.  The sooner we grasp this truth, the sooner we will see ourselves moving into the land of abundant living.  Jesus said I came to give life to the fullest.  The only way we can enjoy life to the fullest is to get in on God's plan for our lives.  He has a vision and we need to be captured by His vision for our lives.  Then and only then will we fulfill His purpose for our lives.  I pray that you will start now to discern God's vision for your life.

What's your vision?

     These next few posts I would like to write about vision.  Everyone needs some type of vision of their life.  God's word states that God has a plan for our life.  I know you have probably heard this statement before but  you still have not been captured by God's vision for your life.  Yet, I believe that if we can get hold of the vision that God has for our lives it will change the way we live, it will change the way we feel, and it will change everything we do.

      So I want you to grasp that God has a unique vision for your life.  Andy Stanley in his book Visioneering offers a great definition of a vision for the purpose of our discussion today.  He states that a "Vision is a clear mental picture of what could be fueled by the conviction that it should be."  That is a pretty powerful statement.  Vision is what could be and what should be. 

     The reality is that God has a vision of what your life can be and when you get a mental image of the way it could be and it should be it will change your life.  According to Stanley there are four things that vision will weave into the fabric of your life. 

     First, vision sparks passion.   A clear focused vision allows you to experience the emotions that come with the vision even before it happens.  Even the most seemingly insignificant task suddenly becomes exciting when it is attached to the greater vision.  Picture in your mind a teenager going out on a date that has a vision of what that date will look like.  Perhaps he thinks this will be the first time I will get to hold her hand.  Or maybe he thinks this might be the night I get to kiss her.  Or maybe tonight is the night I will fall in love.  A lot of excitement and emotion goes into that vision and they have not even went out on a date yet.  Vision sparks passion.

     Second, vision creates motivation.  I remember when I was a pastor in Baytown, Texas that a tremendous storm hit the area.  There was so much rain that the San Jacinto River began to rise above its banks.  People were afraid that they were going to lose their homes, so they formed teams to build dikes made of sand bags.  One thing for sure about dike builders, they are a motivated bunch.  A vision of preserving your home will give you great motivation.
     Show me a person who lacks motivation and I will show you someone who has little or no vision.  They might have ideas, but probably not a vision.  The reason being is that vision gives motivation to a person's life.  Vision is why you finish your training so you can do your job.  Vision is why you complete your education so that you can accomplish your job.  Vision is what gets you through all the classes, the routines, and the exercises that give you the skills to accomplish the vision.  You are motivated by your vision of what could be and what should be.

      Third, vision gives direction.  Vision sets the ball in motion.  Vision sets direction for your life.  It also simplifies the decision making process.  Anything that moves you toward your vision receives a green light.  Anything that moves you away from your vision receives a red light.  We start getting serious about the direction we are taking when we see what could be and what should be.  Without a vision we have no moral compass.  Without that moral compass we will make foolish and even stupid decisions. 

     Finally, vision provides purpose.  Vision is what drives you to get out of bed every morning.  You have something to do.  Vision makes your life an important link between the current reality and what could be and what should be.  Vision connects you to what is and what could be and what should be.

     Now I know what you  are thinking, "great all I need is another self help blog."  You may have read many self help books or heard many motivational speakers and you don't want some pastor giving you advice on how to improve yourself.  You are stuck in your situation and no amount of vision is going to get you out of the rut you are already in.  Well I am not a self help guru.  Half the time I do not even know how to help myself, so I would not pretend that I have any wisdom for you.  However, I believe that unlike non believers who can chart their own future, our future has already been charted for us.  Because of what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross we have been bought by him for his good pleasure.  He sets our agenda and not us.

      The sooner we recognize this fact, the sooner we can get in on God's vision for our lives.  Stanley states that honoring God involves discovering his picture of his vision of what our lives could and should be.  So stick with me the next few days as we take a journey together and discover a vision.  Not just any vision, but the vision that God has designed for us from the beginning.  God's Word says that "all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."  If all your days are already written down by God, don't you think it might help you to get in step with His vision for your life?  I look forward to what God is going to reveal to us in the next few days.  I hope even now you are trying to grasp a vision of what could be fueled by the conviction that it should be.  Let's look ahead and see what God has planned for us.  Hope to see you there!

   

To the right is the first church where I served as minister

of everything, but preaching.  I worked with the youth, education, children and whatever else the pastor desired for me to do.  Unlike some who entered into the ministry in their early 20's, I was almost 30 and had two small daughters living at home.  I learned a lot at this little country church even though I was only there for 11 months.  This was the church where I conducted my first funeral.  It was the church where I learned how organize a Sunday School and children's worship.  It was also the first place I offended someone in the church. 

However, this post is not about me and my humble beginnings in the ministry, but about this little fellowship of believers.  It was located in between to growing communities.  Within a half mile of the church were older homes valued below $100,000 and newer homes over a million dollars.  Yet for the most part the church was still in a rural setting though that was about to change.  The pastor of the church was bivocational and needed help ministering to the needs of the church and so the church called me to help.  We talked about the future of the church and how we were going to reach the growing population that was around us.  People would drive by our little fellowship to attend churches as far as an hour away, churches such as First Baptist Dallas, First Baptist Plano, Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas at the time.  Our little country church had many good qualities but few if any noticed our the little church.

Something had to be done to help the church meet the needs of the people and become a church that was relevant to the community around them.  The growth was coming to the area and the church wanted to be ready when the people moved to the area.  I eventually left this little church and moved into the pastorate, but I continued to follow the ministry of this fellowship of believers.

This little church knew that something had to happen if they were going to reach their community with the gospel.  So in a leap of faith they purchased a piece of property down the street from the existing building and eventually built a new building to reach their community and minister to the needs of others.  It was a big step of faith for this group of believers.  They were not a wealthy church.  In fact most of the people in the fellowship were living on a fixed income.  They were blue collar workers with a handful of business men.  There was only one Adult Sunday School class and one youth class.  There were only three classes for children and we still had a cry room for babies in the back of the church.  Yet this church took an incredible leap of faith and built a new facility.  They sold the existing building to a Lutheran church and erected a state of the art facility that was comparable to other facilities further away.  Today the church is vibrant, relevant and ministering to the needs of the growing community.

They had a vision of what God wanted to do and step out on faith to make that vision a reality.  William Carey, the father of the modern day missions movement onced stated that churches are "to attempt great things for God and expect great things from God."  This body of believers believed in a big God and moved forward to do big things.  I pray that as  you read this post you will be encouraged that with faith you can do much more than  you ever imagined.  God wants to accomplish great things with you and in  you if you will only believe and step out on faith.  Or perhaps instead of stepping out on faith, it needs to be leaping out on faith.  With God nothing is impossible.  Have you dared to do the impossible today?  Oh, by the way below is the picture of the church today. 

  

Meeting the needs of others

This past weekend was a good weekend for Lynwood Baptist Church, where I serve as pastor. We are a small group of believers gathering together in the Fox River Valley to worship and serve our Lord. We are strategically located on the main thoroughfare between Oswego and Yorkville, Illinois. This past week we were able to help one of our own who is going through a difficult time during this economic downturn. They did not come to us, seeking help, but we were made aware of the need and we wanted to try and help. The early church in Acts taught this as they shared all things in common and no one in the fellowship had any needs that were not being met.

We decided that we would take up a food collection for the family so that they would at least have food on the table. We made the request on Wednesday through email and word of mouth. Of course we did not include the family in need in our correspondance and no names were ever mentioned. I showed my lack of faith as I thought we might need to give the people several weeks to gather enough food. I wanted us to be able to provide the family several bags of groceries to get them through a couple of weeks. However, my faith was much smaller than I could imagine. The people moved by the Holy Spirit provided so much food that we could barely get everything in my car to deliver. I do not know how much was gathered, but it is safe to say that they will not be buying food for a few months. Generally speaking when a church family is presented with a need the church will rise to the occasion to meet that need as best they can.

My wife and I delivered the food to the family and were moved by their humility and gracious heart. They were totally unaware that we were meeting this need for them and their attitude reflected their surprise. However, they also revealed their love for God and others by the words that they shared. They were wondering how they missed the plea to help another family. They remarked to one another during the worship service that had they known of the need they would have provided help as well. What an example for all of us to remember. Even though they were hurting and struggling, they would have still helped another family in need.

The church is the body of Christ in this world in which we live. We are to physically put action to our words. If someone in the church family comes to us with a legitimate need and we can help to meet that need we have a responsibility to do what we can to help. We are His hands and we His feet. Sometimes that might mean giving money or food. More often it will mean being their during a difficult time. It will mean offering an encouraging word and a comforting presence. It will require weeping when they weep and rejoicing when they rejoice. We will need to be involved in people's lives. We cannot meet other people's needs if we do not know they have a need.

Do you know someone in need? How are you helping to meet that need? God has given us so much and we have a responsibility to use His resources to help others and honor Him. We have been blessed so that we can be a blessing. The Bible says that people will know we are his disciples by the way we love one another. Love is a verb. Love is something you do not talk about. The Bible says that God demonstrated his love for us. How are you demonstrating your love for God and your love for others?

What can the church learn from Walmart?

Yesterday we looked at Walmart to see if there was anything the church could learn from this very successful franchise. It is one of the few businesses that has been able to maintain a profit through these tough economic times. We discovered yesterday that we can learn from their parking, their greeters, and their signage. But there are a few other things we can learn from them as well.
Generally a Walmart is very clean. There are some exceptions to the rule, but for the most part they maintain the cleanliness of the store. I notice this fact when I have visited other similar stores. Perhaps it is a flaw of mine, but the cleanliness and the neatness of a store enhances the shopping experience. Walmart has invested a lot of money in the way they design the store and the way that the merchandise is displayed. They are clutter free and the floors are kept clean. The bathrooms are always clean and there is a log that reveals the last time the bathroom was cleaned. Now think of the church you attend. Is it clean? Is it free of clutter? Are there things lying around that have not been used for months and sometimes years? Are the rooms well organized and designed for learning? Are the bathrooms clean? Is the outside of the building pleasing to the eye? By this fact I mean that the paint looks good the yard is weed free and trash free. Even older buildings can look great if they are maintained properly. All of these things make an impression on people when they visit the church. If a church facility does not smell good, does not look clean and is full of clutter the impression that people will get will be that the members do not care about the church. Walmart does a great job of providing a pleasant atmosphere where people can shop til they drop.
However there is more we can learn from Walmart. Walmart provides what people need for everyday living. They do not pretend to be Macy's are Dillards or even J. C. Penneys, and they do not try to compete with those type of stores. They sell stuff at lower prices that people need on a general basis. If you need it you can pretty much find it at Walmart. If you need food, it can be found at a Super Walmart. If you need pet supplies, you can find it at Walmart. Need clothes? Yep, Walmart has that as well. Need some tires? Check! Need some hardware? Check! Need some craft stuff? Check! Need a prescription? I think you get the point. Now here is the application for the church. When a visitor comes to a church can they find what they are looking for? Does the church have a nice, clean, fully equipped nursery for the babies? Does the church have appropriate Bible study classes for the children and for the various age adults? Are there opportunities for people to serve? Are there activities for their teenagers and their children? Is the worship setting inviting and encouraging? Is the message relevant to the times? There are numerous other things that could be mentioned, but the point is that when people come to the church is there something for everyone? When visitors come to the church they should be able to discover what they are looking for and not have to go to several different places to have their needs and wants met.
Ultimately people need the gospel. They might not come to the church knowing that at first, but they come looking anyway. If we can help them find what they want, then maybe we can show them what they need. The church must do whatever it can to make the people feel welcome and comfortable in the church. By so doing we will be able to provide them with the good news of Jesus Christ. How is the church doing? Paul said it well when he said I have become all things to all people that I might somehow win some to Jesus.
There are other things we could learn from Walmart and I have just scratched the surface. Perhaps you have some other ideas that you would like to share. I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas.