For your convenience, this space is reserved for websites that will enhance the monthly Encouraging and Equipping meetings. Updated each month following class.
OCTOBER 2008 WEBLINKS:
“VISIONEERING ~ Living With The End In Mind"
~ Intentionally Building Christ-Centered Families for Impact
~ Developing a Family Vision/Identity Statement
~ The Need to Envision Multigenerationally
“Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it;”
~ Psalm 127:1a nkjv ~
VISIONEERING: is the engineering of a vision. It is the process one follows to develop and maintain vision. ‘Vision’ is a clear mental picture of what COULD be fueled by the conviction of what SHOULD be.
The Christian family must always begin with the family in mind - not a personal vision statement; that is the way of the world ... to make the family conform and support the autonomous vision of the individual. The Christian family begins with the family vision.
A CHRISTIAN FAMILY VISION STATEMENT answers these questions:
1.) What are the roles You have assigned to us in the Christian family?
2.) What is it, Lord, that You would like us to accomplish as a family?
3.) Lord, what kind of a family do You want us to be?
4.) We know that our time together on this earth is limited. We know that You have a plan for us. What do You want us to do specifically? What have You given us that You want us to turn around and help others with?
5.) Based on the answers to the above questions, how would we define our unique family identity and task in this life?
”Then the Lord answered me and said:
Write the vision and make it plain on tablets,
that he may run who reads it.
For the vision is yet for an appointed time: but at the end it will speak,
and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it;
because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”
Habakkuk 2:2-3 NKJV
That is an awesome command with an awesome promise!
Writing the vision for our family is KINGDOM WORK! Do it!
QUOTABLE QUOTE:
“Everybody ends up somewhere in life. A few people end up somewhere on purpose! Those are the ones with vision. Where there is no vision, the people perish. IF you can’t ‘see’, or envision where you are going – where you want to go down the line, you will float and flounder and end up somewhere outside your mental map….
Visions are born in the soul of a man or a woman who is consumed with the tension between what IS and what COULD BE. Anyone who is emotionally involved – frustrated, brokenhearted, maybe even angry – about the way things ARE in light of the way they believe things COULD be, is a candidate for a vision. Visions form in the hearts of those who are dissatisfied with the status quo.”
~ Andy Stanley ~
What shapes your thoughts, shapes your life!
The online resources below will help to clarify and augment our lesson in class. Please avail yourself of these helpful resources. The Internet is an incredible tool. Master it so it works for you - not against you.
For the Christian, there is little room for anything but ‘black and white’, ‘right and wrong’, ‘for and against’. Jesus makes this clear in boldly stating: “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.” (Matthew 12:30 nasb)
A biblical/historical account of ‘post-modern relativism’ – there’s nothing new under the sun:
"You are a king, then!" said Pilate.
Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to Me."
"What is truth?" Pilate asked. (John 18:37-38a niv)
Because I mention Pastor Alistair Begg and his radio program specifically in reference to an excellent gospel message, I wanted to highlight it for you so you can treat yourself of this treasure. It is not the typical easy-cheesy ABC’s of how to ‘become a Christian’.
