Saturday, January 29, 2011

JUMP INTO THE GREAT UNKNOWN

JUMP INTO THE GREAT UNKNOWN!

The lure of excitement
The hesitation of uncertainty
The curiosity that saves the cat
I pulled myself up – by the bootstraps, if you please
Gentle ripples on the surface of such a calm and still pool
The love plunge is made wholeheartedly into life’s pool
Basking in the glow
The pool’s astir
I am creating my reality

A jump into the great unknown
Trusting the ground would materialize under my feet or
Trusting I would develop wings and soar like the great eagle
It’s a step of faith
Angels on every side
Angels coming from different angles
Rich experiences catalogue my life
Victory is a certainty for I have faith in the process
Oh! The lure of excitement
The curiosity that saves the cat
You never know until you try
You never know until you step off
A jump into the great unknown
I live in Wonder-lure

What Could Be and What Should Be.

The Difference Between What Could Be and What Should Be.
Vision

Most people only see what could be. They say things like, "If our church did ___________ then it could be ____________." We spend way too much time talking about what could be. "Our church could be bigger. Our staff could be larger. Our congregants could be more giving, loving, caring" and the list goes on.

Could. It's almost a useless word (to me). How much of our energy is focused on what could be.

Should. Now there is a word that "Should" be in the churches vocabulary. When one has a vision for something, there is no Could. There is only Should. Could presents an Idea. Should casts a vision. Where Could presents an opinion, Should shows a way.

Should does not say "If" or "If only". Should says, "Let's do it. Let's find a way. Whatever it takes." Could sits on the sidelines and complains about what could be while Should carries the ball through obstacles and hurdles that most people would never consider approaching.

Should is passionate. Should is on fire. Should makes comfortable people uneasy. Should messes with the status queue. Should is Vision.

There is a significant difference between the outcome of Could and Should. When you begin to focus on Should, Could get's lost. Could cannot operate in the same realm as Should. When Should is in operation, Could grows silent.

Should is not what could be. Should is what must be. One man said "Give me liberty or give me death." Now there is Should. Could would say, we could have liberty if only this and that and you get the picture. Should however, say's there is no other option. There is no other recourse. No backup plan. Do or die. Liberty or death.

What Should be for your church in the coming New Year? Many churches are going to spend much time in planning session focusing on Could in the coming weeks. How many though will focus on Should. "We could do _________ this year, but we really Should do __________.
My prayer and hope for your ministry and church for the coming New Year is that Vision will ignite in your own heart and the hearts of those you minister to in a way that it never has before.