Vision 2007

As a school leader vision is a serious ingredient in 21st Century education.

Have you ever experienced the power of vision…or lack thereof?

Have you dreamed about what the future might hold for you? How about for the Central Body?

T.E. Lawrence once said:"All men dream but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds awake to the day to find it was all vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for the many act out their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible..."

Lynn Anderson wrote:“About 350 years ago a shipload of travelers landed on the northeast coast of America. The first year they established a town site. The next year they elected a town government. The third year the town government planned to build a road five miles westward into the wilderness.”In the fourth year the people tried to impeach their town government because they thought it was a waste of public funds to build a road five miles westward into a wilderness. Who needed to go there anyway? Here were people who had the vision to see three thousand miles across an ocean and overcome great hardships to get there. But in just a few years they were not able to see even five miles out of town. They had lost their pioneering vision.

With a clear vision of what we can become in Christ, no ocean of difficulty is too great. Without it, we rarely move beyond our current boundaries and situations.

Bill Hybels tells this story about vision:“It started like so many evenings. Mom and Dad at home and Jimmy playing after dinner. Mom and Dad were absorbed with jobs and did not notice the time. It was a full moon and some of the light came through the windows. Then Mom glanced at the clock. "Jimmy, it's time to go to bed. Go up now and I'll come and tuck you in later." Unlike usual, Jimmy went straight upstairs to his room. An hour or so later his mother came up to check if all was well, and to her astonishment found that her son was staring quietly out of his window at the moonlit scenery. "What are you doing, Jimmy?" "I'm looking at the moon, Mommy." "Well, it's time to go to bed now." As one reluctant boy settled down, he said, "Mommy, you know one day I'm going to walk on the moon." Who could have known that the boy in whom the dream was planted that night would survive a near fatal motorbike crash which broke almost every bone in his body, and would bring to fruition this dream 32 later when James Irwin stepped on the moon's surface, just one of the 12 representatives of the human race to have done so?

Finally, Bob Logan includes these thoughts: “Vision: the capacity to create a compelling picture of the desired state of affairs that inspires people to respond; that which is desirable, which could be, should be; that which is attainable. A godly vision is right for the times, right for the church, and right for the people. A godly vision promotes faith rather than fear. A godly vision motivates people to action. A godly vision requires risk-taking. A godly vision glorifies God, not people.”

As we begin a new year Central is on the brink of greatness for the cause of Christ in northeast Kansas.The vision that the leadership has developed will be communicated to the congregation in the next few weeks. It is a bold vision, to be sure…not for the faint-hearted or short-sighted. Indeed, the changes we will make in the coming months will cast the vision for this church for the next 5-10 years. But be warned. Even though Central has eagerly pioneered throughout its history, it would be all too tempting to sit back on our laurels, and, as the great European explorers and settlers, decide that arriving at a destination meant the need for no further exploration. Instead, let us begin again, charting a path into the unknown for the Central Church!

In your worship and quiet time this week, think about the idea of vision, and what great things have been done throughout history, when groups of people have come together for a common cause. Imagine the great number of people that have been blessed here over the decades and the countless others who will be touched in the future because of the changes we will be making. Seek God’s will this week for this massive endeavor and what role(s) He will have you play in order to achieve it.