Dear Friends,
Today’s Milk Can continues a series exploring the questions; “What is vision?” and “How do we get it?”
In the book Visioneering, Andy Stanley lays out twenty building blocks for God’s Blueprint for Developing and Maintaining Vision. In this series I will use Andy’s work as a springboard for our learning together.
Building Block #1: A Vision Begins as a Concern.
Psychologists say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. The process of forming a vision begins with realizing that life can no longer keep going the way it is going. Whether it is getting out of debt, changing careers, moving to a new place, growing in our marriage, or any number of other areas in our life, change will not happen until we realize something different has to happen. As Christians we believe the prodding for change in our lives, more often than not, comes as a product of the Holy Spirit speaking into our lives.
Stanley says that, “A God-ordained vision will begin as a concern. You will hear or see something that gets your attention. A thought related to the future will generate an emotion. Something will bother you about the way things are or the way things are headed. Unlike many passing concerns, these will stick with you. You will find yourself thinking about them in your free time. You may loose sleep over them. You won’t be able to let them go because they won’t let you go” (19).
In the process birthing a vision God will begin to grow in our souls a desire and direction for change that begins as a concern or need that must be met.
In what areas of your life are you feeling tension for change right now?
Blessings,
Stephen
Quotes taken from:
Stanley, Andy. Visioneering. Sisters, Or: Multnomah Publishers, 2005.
