Vision

“Vision asks leaders, ‘What do you see?’ To answer that question, leaders identify needs unmet, hurts unhealed, and tasks undone. Through visioning they see the gaps between what is and what could be.”

This quote (forgot where it came from) hangs on my office wall. It reminds me to look for the needs and hurts of individuals within whom I serve – children and families. It also helps me to remember to focus on the importanat tasks that need to be done. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the work of something and forget what the vision of it was to begin with.

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Significant living in each day

Just started a book, “Butterfly in Brazil” by Glenn Packiam. It’s about using your life today, in the here and now, to make a difference. One qoute in the second chapter stood out to me and has been on my mind since I read it.

“We can’t bottle up our passion, energy, and dreams of action until we’re on the right stage. If we try, we will get there only to find out that all the greatness has leaked out. If we try to save our vision for the perfect day, we’ll lose it.”

The chapter goes on to talk about if we wait for us to arrive at that moment of greatness – when we complete school, when we get that job, when we go on that mission trip, etc. we are living the moments as stepping stones. We will only be living each moment at half speed and God wants us to take what is stirred in our hearts today and live in the here and now. Instead of waiting for great things to happen, we should ask God, “:What should I do about this idea now.” When we wait for the moment of greatness to happen in our lives, we miss the opportunity in every day to do something significant.

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Check your language

On of my biggest pet peeves is to listen to pastors or teachers who speak in “christianese.” The language that Christians use. We need to understand our audience, whether children, teens, or adults and make sure we’re not using our elite country club language in explaining spiritual truths to them. Make sure the terms you use aren’t unique to the church or Christianity. Remember the adage – KISS – “keep it simple stupid.” Assume that someone in the group you’re speaking to is a non-Christian and you are probably confusing them with terms like “consecration” and ”living body.”

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