vision

"Where there is no vision the people perish."

The guy who pulled together the book of Proverbs knew what he was on about. And he had that enviable ability to put in a nutshell what ordinary mortals (and especially preachers) generally take two or three paragraphs to say.

Vision.

Without it, the good man says, you hit a dead end. At best you drift. Mostly you die.

We need vision. No doubt about it. And today's seen me spending a fair amount of time on hammering out a second attempt at articulating our vision.

It's easier said than done.

Vision derives from the Lord. Most of the time in the Scriptures 'vision' involves all sorts of different people catching a sight of God.

The bottom line is always this - vision involves our seeing God.

But, in particular, our seeing what God is doing at any given point in time.

We've tried to make just this our starting point.

Not what we might like to see - our hopes and dreams and finest aspirations.

But what we see him doing. Where we see him heading.

Jesus himself once said that he could only do "what he sees the Father doing." He couldn't (and he certainly wouldn't) do anything else. Only what he sees the Father doing.

So that's what we've been working at. Prayerfully. Together, as a Leadership Team.

Seeking by the help of the Spirit of God to discern what it is that he's doing. Here. And now.

And being able to say, on the back of all that, where it is that we see ourselves heading. Vision.

There's a great story told about Walt Disney, who died some five years before Disney World in Florida was completed. On the day of opening in 1971 someone remarked to one of the top guys in Walt Disney Studios, a man by the name of Mike Vance - "Isn't it too bad that Walt Disney didn't live to see this?"

To which Mike Vance replied - "He did see it. That's why it's here!"

That's what vision is like. We learn to see the future.

Craig Groeschel wrote a book called it not so long ago. (Yes, you read that correctly, that's the title: and I think he says at one point, if you have to ask what it is, you probably haven't got it). In the book he says this -

"Many churches (and organisations) have a vision statement. But in reality they have no vision. Just because you have words on a banner, a website, or a business card doesn't mean your leadership has a God-given vision. ...

"Without a vision, people become comfortable with the status quo. Later they grow to love the status quo. Eventually, they'll give their best to protect what is, never dreaming about what could or should be.

"They need a vision with definition.

"Here are some of the problems of the visionless ministry. Where there is no vision:

• most ideas seem like good ideas: this leads to overprogramming and burnout


• there is nothing compelling to give toward: this leads to a consumer mindset instead of a contributing mindset


• organisations become focussed inward: this leads to a slow and painful death


• instead of working together, people compete for resources

"Many churches today are visionless. They've drifted. ..."

We don't want to drift.

We need that God-given vision: that ability to see what God is doing and then making that what we're committed to doing as well.

So a fair bit of today it's that which I've been working on. Seeking to put into words what we're all aware God is doing among us here. And doing it in such a way that it'll act as a signpost to the future.

And, reflecting back on all that today has involved, I see that much of the rest of my time has been spent in addressing some of the problems that arise from (a) following through on that vision [change is never easy for anyone] and (b) not having clearly articulated the vision to others [and so leaving them in the dark as to why such changes are taking place].

Here's how Craig Groeschel finishes off his book -

"I've shared with you three prayers that are an important part of my life. I'm wondering, should they have a place in your life?

"Stretch me.

"Ruin me.

"Heal me."

And then this as his final prayer for his readers -

"May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done."

That guy's got it, for sure. When you have it, everyone can tell.

We want it.