Training Lay Pastors - Lesson 2

Greg Rohlinger
Training Lay Pastors
PC303-02
Casting a Vision that Inspires
Lesson Transcript

If you're going to be a leader who confess to anything, great, you've got to cast a vision in people's lives. It's true in any organization, but I think the local church, first of all, deserves the greatest vision because we've got the greatest visionary leader, the one who gave us life on our behalf. Secondly, you know, we're talking about vision. You're asking people to give their time and counsel treasures, and there's no immediate payback for them. You know, so really, when you begin to think about vision, leading people and vision, you've got to craft vision in such a way and cast vision in such a way that inspires people to do not what they feel like doing, but what God has called them to do. Right? And so that's what we're talking about this session how to craft a vision, how to cast vision, how in your role to live in this one time in our church history. Because, you know, this week we're going to start talking about the multi-site in Buckeye. You know, we just signed on the building and opened escrow. Guys, I got an email. Yeah, the secret email. There you go. Got it. But yeah, I don't blame everybody. I'm assuming everyone in this room. Got it. So you didn't get secret email. Sorry about that. I get it, but I have not check my email. I mean, I think you should have got it. You should. You should do that. But if you didn't get it off before tonight. Monjack Right now. So with your home value in the right good wrong, you, it wasn't by design that they didn't get. So anyway, we're in this time where, you know, we just a year and a half ago, not even a year and a half ago, moved into this building.

You know, we spent the money game and rebuilt this. We've got Lansing out, Broadway, and we're going to go buy a building in Buckeye and we're going to build it out and we're going to launch into the campus. There it is. It is a time of vision for our church, so I'm excited about it. You know, I love when God gives us clear direction because it gives us the hill. To take. One thing that I don't like is being built in a church where all of sudden everyone's become comfortable and it's just kind of just coast and maintain. You said, I will build my church. You didn't say I will maintain my church. And so one thing that we have to fight as leaders is the desire of ourselves and their roles to be comfortable. You know, it's always nice to always take a season and breathe. Let's just breathe. Season day. We took a season off to breathe and the costume is, you know, his his character, you know, where I believe in. We're not engaged in the fight. We stopped doing what God has called us to do. And so, you know, we're always engaging in growing and reaching More people, find ways that not so you're going to get to watch as we lead the patient to a part of our email. Yes, you all got was because we want to visit the missionary leaders, first of all, to to buy. And we want you guys to know you're important. I need your leadership. Why? Most people are not going to come to me and say, well, I don't think we should be doing this. They're going to come to you because you're the small group leader, you're the pastor in the lobby.

You know, you're their ministry leader. They're going to come to you and very serious. We really be doing this, you know, is great, crazy, you know, And yes, he's crazy, but we should be doing this, you know, after years and years. You know, you're the leader. So we want the leaders to buy in. And as we cast this, you see the whole church, I believe, catch vision. It's a tricky area. It's an essential area. And you've got to get it and you've got to get it down. If you're going to lead people to go where they need to go, the first thing is you've got to develop your vision. You've got to develop your vision before you cast vision. Develop the vision. All right. Don't don't serve food. That's raw. That's what I'm saying. You know, if you serve raw hamburger, you're making people sick. If you serve a well-cooked hamburger, you're feeding them. There's a big difference. Right. And it's the same thing. Is this presentation business true? Too many people prematurely cast vision They haven't developed yet. Again, you may not have the full plan, but you've got to have the vision down of what we're called to do or called accomplish in a way long way to build towards. You know, our vision is never changes to our church now, where we've met and how we've accomplished in our style of music and how we dress. It's changed radically year to year. But those are all negotiable. Those those are not non-negotiables. The biblical mandate we have to make disciples is what we've never, never, never left from or never strayed from. That's our vision. So you got to give up your vision. Nehemiah developed a very clear vision before he went back to Jerusalem.

He knew we're going to rebuild the walls in Nehemiah. I think the priority for us is we're going to rebuild the walls animal. You know, we're going to work to rebuild the walls. And you, Mike, what about the temporary build wall? What? Nehemiah What about you ourself? We're going to rebuild the walls. Nehemiah was a one pony show, right? You know, we're going to rebuild the walls. That's what he was called to do. But he knew it because he developed his vision. Some tips there to develop your vision begin with the burden that something must be done If your vision isn't born out of something that changes people's lives, it's probably not going to be very, very pragmatic to be very passionate about it. You know it. The vision is to build a pretty building. I'm pretty, very passionate about it. You know, the vision is simply to create a nice organization. You're not even passionate. If your vision is a burden, something must be done. Lives need to be changed. People need to be rescued. You can have great passion for it. You do have to propel you. So vision begins with the burden of something my son Nehemiah heard and he wept. In the morning he prayed that the walls of Jerusalem were torn down, that the people were living in shambles and that their God was being disgraced and it burdened him so much. He said, Something needs to be done. Laura and I started for my church, not because this community needed another church, not because this community needed, you know, one more community church. We started the church because we were reaching our friends and neighbors for Christ, and we didn't have a church we could send them to. We wanted to bring our friends to church.

We want to invite our friends church. But we had. No church in the county where people with really dirty lives. People who are just on the cutting edge of living hell. You know, it's can turn life could go and feel comfortable and welcoming. Here's the thing we learned well before we started church, we went to our own churches. Most churches, the longer they've been, they speak their own language. They have their own culture. And there's clubs. They speak our language. You know, grab your hymnal. Well, if you don't have never been church, you don't want him noise and you're not sure to grab You want to grab you talk to him, though, You know about that? About, you know, we use our language, brother, sister, you know, that's culture, you know, Christian, You know the terms we use. Hey, we're having some great corn in the air today. That's fellowship. We're great fellowship. What does that mean? You know, non nonbeliever non church people don't understand our culture and our language. We walk and we have our own clubs. They feel they feel like that's a break in the game. What things? We tried to open very, very right up front and make sure that we know they know that they're the focus when they come in. They're not busting into our club. We've invited them to come worship with us and do life together and we're glad you're here. They're not inconveniencing us. I seriously visited some churches where I felt like, you know, you take an ant Melbourne chair, you know, and it was conformed to her bottom because grandpa gave it when he died, you know, and and how dare you sit in my chair, you know, And that culture is unacceptable, I believe, you know, if you're going to reach people to love the help of Christ, you've got to have church.

Obviously, I don't care if I have a seat or not. I'll stand if people are being raised for Christ. And so so you've got to break that. Even though I address you know, I remember one were our neighbors. We invited them to church. And so I don't have church close it. It never struck me to think about what any church clothes, you know. Well, he was concerned he'd have a shirt and tie. You know, he came from a cultural distance. And in church you got to have a shirt and tie and a jacket to go to church. Not the case, no. Mostly as long as you're dressed, you dress appropriately, you know. So that's good. You know, So something needs to be done. And that's why we started Paul, my church now, because we needed another church. And there's a lot of great church like me. We needed a church that was white hot. These are focused on reaching Los people and inviting them to come do life together with us. And so that's why we started. That was the brilliance of starting upon the cinema. People often give me credit for that. That was necessity. It was not my brilliant idea, my right. I thought it at first in my heart. We had planned to launch it at Millennium High School, and some obstacles came up right before about to launch. And we are broke, man. We are broke. The joke and we were heartbroken. And in our place to meet, I went around as a church so we could launch, you know, on Saturday nights in our building and getting ready to bite on that. And I remember we went to the old Wigwam outlet, if you some guys remember that and they wouldn't rent to us.

They had half the thing was empty and can't foreclosure no oriental church you know and I'm looking mouth they're going I've heard a church is in a movie theater but how carnal is that? I mean, the movie theater, right? And and God changed me. And that, you know, in movie theater became the best place, I believe, to launch a church because people in our community, that's their temple, that's where they worship. You know, they're most comfortable going to the movie theater. What are you doing Friday night? We're going to the movies. You know, people love going to the movies. And so it became it became the biggest blessing to us early on is that people felt so comfortable and they knew where we're at and they ended up being a big win. But the mission has to begin with the burden. Something must be done. Ask the right people the right questions to get the right answer. So it allowed me ask the right question, the right questions to get the right answers. This is key. If you give the sentence wrong, you're going to end up with an incorrect vision. Ask the right people the right questions to get the right answers. Now, if you ask the wrong people the right questions, you'll get the wrong answers. If you ask the right people the wrong questions, you get the wrong answers. If you're finding that nobody who who doesn't go to church is coming to church, the right question is why? Why aren't people coming to church? The wrong people to ask, are the church people you at church basically, Craig, why aren't people coming to our church? Well, the pagans on our community, they're not spiritually interested. They don't think they need God and they're all special in their own right.

You get the wrong answers. If I'm if I want to know why people are crazy, Our church people lost people. I've been in church. I go to my neighbor who doesn't know Christ, you know, what would it take for you to come to our church this weekend? Know I invited you. Why haven't you come now? You got to be willing to hear the answer. You got to go and learn. And that's tough to do. Now, now, now, if you want to find out, you know, why aren't people lasting in our ministry? Why are people signing up to serve? But they're not they're not lasting. A year later, our attrition rate is really high. You got to be one to ask tough questions. Now, you don't go to the people who are visiting, say, Hey, why do you think people are asking you, Minister? I don't know. It's the right question, the wrong people. So you go to the right people. You go to people who are serving and you ask them, okay, what what's caused you to stay a ministry? Now, here's the tough part. Our leadership. You go to the people who stop serving. You see, obviously, you know, something happened. We miss well, we're not here to judge you. We're not in return to you. I want to learn from this better. What is it that know that happened that you stop serving? Yes. Right. People, the right questions. You get the right answers. Once you get the right answers, you can craft a vision that meets that need that because you realize the burden. Something needs to be done. So also now you can begin to change that. You can say, okay, we understand, we have that, we have the facts. We ask the right people the right questions.

Now we. Get to the right answers. And now help us develop a plan to solve the problem that we have. So as leader, you've got to be wise to ask the right people the right questions, because right now I would challenge leader, don't make that your first move. You guys spent time praying. I think what I think is going on here, what's on my heart? Because if you take it, if you lead by survey all the time, 51% of people will always say something. I don't care if 99% of Americans say something is right. If God's word says it's wrong, it's wrong. Right. And so you've got to lead from your heart, too. You've got to know. But wise leaders want to build a team. So you're saying I've never taken a survey in History church. We never asked, Hey, what kind of music do you want to make and what songs you want to sing? We get 4000 different answers, you know, be 3999 upset people. They didn't get their way. Right. I will, though, go to the right people and like, I'll ask the first time this was, you know, what we did out of our service, what hit them? Why did they? But sometimes in doing that, I'll find out. They didn't understand a word we used or we used a phrase or we talked about, Hey, make sure your class this week if that's not clearly understood, what does it mean? Somebody doesn't want classes, right? You know, what's the secret class? I want to know about it, you know, so you've got the right people, the right questions to get the right answers. Now, we'll help you refine your vision. The question ultimately you're asking is what problem are resolving? What problem solving? As a church, we're solving the problem that people are going to hell because they don't know Jesus Christ.

So we're going to solve that problem. Now, if that's the problem or solving, then we we can develop a solution, a vision for how we reach LOS people and bring them into a relationship with Christ. If the problem we're solving is Christians are having good enough fellowship, we will turn our back side to the commune around this last Christ and we'll focus on people in church will say, How do we keep you happy? Have you ever tried to keep your family happy? It's impossible. Hey, what do you guys want to dinner tonight? You have four different answers, right? There's never a consensus. You know it's impossible. Our job is not to keep people happy in church. Your churches lose focus. They miss. They get have the ball. When they focus on. Keep people happy. It's easy, know? So here's the right question. Right answer some kind of and say everybody's talking about this. You know, I don't think we should just who's everybody give me names and tell me how I want everybody. I want your names. Tell me your day started out. All these people, all these people that are talking, which is gossip, what you said. And by the way, I want to talk to them face to face because I want to know their opinion. I want to hear what's going on. And also. Well, it's not really it's just me and my husband. We're talking fairly, you know, and ask the right people the right questions. You get the right answers. But don't be afraid. Don't be afraid to challenge people. You know, can if you're going to get the right vision, you've got to drill down deep. You know, you want oil, you got to drill through a lot of earth.

You want to you want to hit the gold. You know, you want hit oil. You got to drill down deep on vision. You've got to know why you're doing what you're doing. You've got to be willing to say no to a lot of stuff, whatever second. But you've got to you've got to ultimately end up what problem are we solving? What problem solving and how then do we solve that? So you develop your clear vision. For Nehemiah, it was very clear the walls are torn down, the walls of the nations defense, the walls, the nations protection, you know, they're just provision walls. So the problem we solve is that wall needs to be built. The ones you got. Why? Because the down wall is a disgrace to the nation and it leaves us defenseless. We need to rebuild that wall. Niemeyer's vision is very clear. We need to rebuild the wall. Now, along the way, some of things he encountered, he got 30 need counter corrupt leaders. He had a challenge that that was part of the vision. He you know, he dealt with some people who didn't want to get involved. That's was part of the vision. But his vision was still the same. We're going to rebuild the wall and rebuild. And that was his focus. So everything that had happened and went to the funnel of this is what we're going to do. So if our vision is you know, our vision is we're going to reach those people with love and hope in Jesus Christ, they become possible twice. Christ, We've got to we've got to then ask the right questions, get the right answers to to get the right people, the right question, get the right answer so that we can develop a vision that meets their needs.

It's why we do church the way we do. Again, the Bible sets the mandate for what a church should and shouldn't do, right? But it doesn't give us the style. It doesn't. So so in style, I think we have freedom to choose and again in style, we want to honor the Lord and everything we do. We're never gonna do anything that is with Lord. But in our style, we defer. We will defer to reaching lost people over pleasing people in our church that, you know, it's clear it's clear that that's our mandate is church. So secondly, what you develop your vision to, you want to cast vision clearly and in a compelling manner, cast vision clearly and in a compelling manner. If the vision is not clear, the mission is not very clear, people will lose focus on it very quickly. I mean, 3 hours we cast vision on Sunday. Church Normal people are not thinking about church on Monday. You know, I found it weird. People think about me on Monday. They're worried about, you know, where I live or what I drive or, you know, what I what I'm doing. You know, today, Weird people, normal people. You're focused on what? Getting your kids off to school, paying your bills, going to work, you know, where you going? Eat lunch. You know it's your life, right? Vision. A clear and compelling vision will last of the week. A vision. It's not clear and compelling, by the way, will not do not will not challenge people. It will not last. They'll get it'll get muddied in all the voice of our world, you know, the worlds loud TV, radio, family job. There's a lot of white noise in the background of life. If we want the vision that God has called us to as a church.

To be clear, we've got to clearly and in a compelling way, cast it so that people will remember it on Monday. And then we talk about that. Nobody goes back to say, but now I said them, you know very well what trouble we are in. Trouble is, you know, we're going to be attacked and killed. Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire. Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and end this disgrace. Then I told them about how the gracious hand of God had been on me and about my conversation with the King. They replied at once, Yes, let's rebuild the wall. So they began the good work. Nehemiah has a clear vision to some Nehemiah. His life up in one sentence. Let us rebuild the wall in disgrace. Let us rebuild the wall. Jerusalem and this disgrace. Clear? Yes. Nehemiah. Where we built the wall. You asking me to build the wall that's there all about what? About the temple? Having talked about that, we're rebuilding the wall, right? That's what there are folks on there. It was very clear, I'm sure Nehemiah was thinking next steps, but in his heart and mind in the first step was we need to solve this problem. We need to rebuild this wall. Now, if you're going to cast religion here, I would say use varying methods, use different methods. It cannot be the same written, spoken symbols. Anything you can do that that helps people think in different way. One of the great guises is Darius. How many servants did Ministries? Yeah. What's the what's what's the vision for the ministry? What's true? Three words. People are poor, people are priority. See, that's good vision. When you were in to be cast over here, pop people, our priority very said a year ago, a year and a half ago that the vision you people are priority pop pop.

So what do they do? Every meeting they have something about pop. They have pop rocks, soda pop, what other things? But popcorn, lollipops, everything. And it's funny because we'll be traveling somewhere. Just see some of word pop, and that's it. I got next month, right? And pop people are party. People are party. But that's a too simple phrase. But he's ingrained it in his leadership. So now the question is, if we have something that are we can do this or not, does it make people our priority? If it does, we'll do it. If it does it, we're not going to do it. There is has a clear vision. But he is like, you know, these are symbols. These are words putting things on t shirts. You know, when we come up in key points in history, we've done t shirts. Our next campaign, beginning next week is beyond. If agency 20 said God goes beyond what we can ask or imagine, we're called to go beyond beyond our walls, beyond our comfort, beyond our self. We're called to go beyond. So our campaign is simply going to be on that. That's the next year, starting the next campaign to to do the back I campus. Everybody's going to get a bracelet that says beyond on it. Why not bracelet bracelet? But the bands, the thick bands that are cool right now, you got like this hold up card like that, but it's just going to have a emblazoned in it beyond and beyond Beyond the Iron. Because if I if I can grasp the God to be our God there as what he's done for me, I can grasp it. I'm to go beyond on his behalf. That's what's all about. Beyond, beyond, beyond, beyond use.

Written, spoken symbols, anything. You know, symbols are powerful. You know, you all recognize the cocoa label when you see it, right? It's it's there. It's their logo. And they've been very clear. They said Pepsi hasn't changed our logo forever. Why it works. Sports teams have a lower you see the most successful ones. The Boston Celtics have never changed from the same forever. Right. You recognize their logo. You see that little short bald Irish guy and you know it's it's Boston Celtics, right? Symbols written any way you can and we can buy people sometimes you feel like you know people are getting tired of hearing division if people are really really getting tired of it you're just starting to begin. Right. Because they're just starting to get it. When Kevin can simply say, Pop, people are our priority, that's when you know you're getting it down. And so don't you can never overcast vision I believe I don't think they're arguably not going to talk about the walls metric if you get 26 days into the building program we had an impact do here we got everyone back at 26 days. It's a very visible task. We're rebuilding the walls. They work here. Let's rebuild the walls. 26 days in UMass together Nation matters. Listen, we're forgetting there's vision, like let's rebuild the walls in Jerusalem and in this disgrace, everybody in hands in right. Let's rebuild. I coach flag football, right? And we have to raise every kid that's ever played. Frankly, if I say on offense, they'll yell out and drop balls and now they are on defense to say, no miss flags. That's that's our rules. And then three, I'll say, have no fun. Have fun. This we're all about, right? No drop balls to mess flags.

We'll have fun because so I said so it's all about right. But it's very clear. You know, you confused kids with a lot of things. But I am very clear front office want to focus on catching the ball. When you get well, then you run. But don't worry about the catch box. If you don't catch the ball can run right on defense. No missed flags. Why? If we get flags or targets for touchdowns, don't score touches. We're going to get the ball and we can have no troublesome scoring touchdowns. Right. So it makes sense. If we win, we'll have fun. Right? So clear vision to keep it very simple, keep it very clear. Don't don't get too broad. Sometimes people get way too broad on their vision, you know, trying to cover 17 different things. I be very, very specific in your vision and it gives you an umbrella with which with to work under in the vision, provide a personal benefit, provide a person. And this or a business is really great. You know, if you're casting vision to your guys and you're asking your employees, Hey, I need everyone to give an extra 5 hours a week, non paid or paid whatever, you know, But also people, I don't want to give 5 hours more. We can't have Family guy softball, you know, the football on weekends. You know, you've got to provide a specific benefit to accomplish the task for for new my is very clear we're going to rebuild the walls you're going to have a stake in it unless you didn't build then you know, I was shaking it because you're going to have a place inside the walls. You're going to be protected and your families can be able to flourish.

There's a personal benefit, right? It was very simple, Very simple. In your business, you may ask people your actual personal benefit may be that you're going to get to keep your job, you know, and I see that in a nicer way. But, you know, that's bottom line. We're going to flourish and you're going to as our company flourishes, you're going to benefit from it, too. You're going to be blessed and you're going to flourish. Also, there is in the church here's starting really we're asking people to give up their time and their talents and their treasures for people they'll probably never meet so that their lives might be changing. They might hear the gospel. Now the personal benefit is, number one, you're faithful to the call in Christ personal life. Number two, there's an eternal reward waiting ahead of you. And number three, we get to be a part of what God has called us to do other things in your life to what God has called us to do. You want to provide a personal benefit. And it may not be very personal, but the benefit is the call to action and the part that you get the planet and the reward of doing something. And that's why, again, your celebration in your teams celebrate successes. One child giving Christ your children this last week don't go. I want to congratulate, celebrate one child, move from eternal death to eternal life last week. And I guarantee of one child that probably a family that's coming to church now, that's that's fallen behind. Right. And also you begin to celebrate your team and often people begin to celebrate that there's a personal benefit because even the guy that worked in the sound back in the booth tied to them, you did such a good job.

When the message was heard, it was clear. And that child are there receive Christ. Thank you for providing the ability for Him or her to hear clearly the gospel without bells and whistles and, you know, crackles and all that. And also in the song I said, I got to get this right, right. He sweat and because the personal benefit because that's why he's giving the time he's not giving this time because you got nothing else to do. That day I prayed and pretty much guarantee he's giving his time because he's giving life to Christ. He's heard if you're not serving your serving right, there's the agency right there. And he knows that he wants to be a part of the building human right. And also and if you can tie that in life change, you know, Craig leads a red shirt, you know, hey, you welcome the family. I see kind if you personally like them there now but you welcome this family And they they were so nervous when they came but by the middle of service they don't so control welcome it. They listen to a message they give their heart in life. Christ, whole family, kid's life. Christ in there. Come back next week. You did that from the time they drove into the parking lot when they were nervous and scared and wondering if they should just drive off to the in the service. Your partizans like also and register to go, man, this is important. And then VIP like get out in the parking lot. Let's not let people drive away. You know, I'll send you've castration of the answer something and there's a personal benefit to them because everybody likes being on the winning team. Right. And we can only dream.

I read the end of Revelation. We win. Now, the question time people were taken with us, right? I people are bandwagon fans. Everybody's rooting for the favorite team LeBron James. That's why you see all the Patriots stuff around you. Nobody knew the Patriots ten years ago. Right now we care about the Patriots then Tom Brady can't see anybody likes to root for him. So. Oh, this is just me. My, my. You see, there you go. But provide a specific benefit and then call to specific action. If you have a vision and you don't clearly call people to action, they will fill in the blank. And the big mistake leaders make is they think, well, they assume that if we cast if we tell the primary self, hey, we need to build the building, we need $1,000,000, that's a task ahead of us for the Buckeye canvas. We need to raise $1,000,000 by December 15th. That's a pretty big task. You know, I don't think Dave might be writing a check out to anybody else. Yeah, I don't know. Going to church is going to write a check agreement, have that or all that. Right. So here's if I get up to the church, we need to raise $1,000,000 by December 15th spray, we're going to come up probably 10% of that. We're going to be very, very specific. I need you we need you to go home for the next 60 days every day, pray together as a family. What is the best we can give to Got your best. Maybe $100, your best, maybe your best, maybe 10,000, maybe. I don't know. It's between you and God, but we need you to go home and pray. What can we do? And here's some specific steps.

You can have a garage sale. You can cut back on eating out when we get specific and we get very specific call to action and say, how can you be a part as we all come together? Because again, we're all in this together, how can you be a part of what God's doing? Here's some questions we want to pray about, and here's a specific action. In November 19th, we're all going to come to those church and you are going to make your commitment. You're going to bring your best offering to God. And I believe we're going to see miracle. I believe we're going to see over $1,000,000 giving that day. I believe we're going to see enough committed to pay off that campus in a couple of years. I would just give you an incredible God's I say in miracle. But you don't get there unless you want to put yourself out there. You know, again, we're putting ourselves out there, you know, as soon as soon as I sign that contract first in time that everybody's watching now, everybody should be watching all the communities. What are they serious about this other churches? And we're watching out and, you know, really, can they do this? You know, our people in our church are going to go gone really, you know, and there's a committed core. Our church is going to lead to this and we're going to see God do a miracle and then we're going to celebrate big time. And it's got to be a very clear call to action. You're gonna hear the term million dollars. A lot for the next. Over the next. Why? Here's a couple the million dollars. Sounds like a lot of money, doesn't it? I mean, it is to me.

It is to your. But really, in God's economy, it's not that big of a deal, right? Here's the thing. If it sounds so big, how big should the celebration be when it happens? You know, so that's why I love it. It seems like that's an insurmountable task. $1,000,000 and in 60 days. Are you crazy? Here's the deal. If it happens, I. What's going to happen? How big should the celebration be? How big should we celebrate and dance and sing and praise God and go to church? And how how for the people are watching and there's no way they could do that. There's no way. How much are they going to look and say why? I was not part of that? I was very, very clear. When we start to campaign, I've I'm talking three groups in here, Center one. There's a group of people You're committed. I don't even need to talk to you. You're already you're praying your best. You already knew you're doing this. You're going to keep doing that. You're going to, you know, sell whatever you can. You're going to do it. Thank you. I'm just telling you that. Thank you. There's a second group. There's nothing I could say that gets you involved. There's nothing because you're already all about money and you know it's your problem, not mine. Here's all my challenge. You don't ruin it for the rest of us. Just sit us in the corner, be quiet and just watch what God does and ask yourself why you're not a part of this. Right? You know, and that's just being honest. You have no stake in this. You know, I was taking this, right? Number three, there's the middle of our church, probably 60% of our church.

You fight in 20, 80, 20, right? There's 80% or 6% of you, you're nervous and you're scared. What, 20, 60, 2020 said that's a Yogi Berra method. Yeah. You. You're nervous, You're scared. You've never been a part of this. And you're wondering, could it happen? You could we really do this and going to require sacrifice. Here's I'm telling you to take a step. Faith, Join something. Do something you've never done before. Trust God and watch what is going to happen. And if we get that 60% mobilize again, I'll never get the 20% mobilized it up to the second point. There's just no way, you know, God's going to strike with lightning or something to get a move. It's between them and Lord. It just is. But how cool it are, 60% of us are 30%. You know, out of that 60, if we get more people, mobilize them before we've got forward motion church and we'll move forward. And, you know, that's that's the cool thing. So I'm excited about we're going to cast a lot of vision and you'll get to watch it and be a part of that. Obviously, I'm counting on you guys to lead with vision. Here's the thing about vision. Vision provides three things. It provides motivation, it provides direction, and it provides purpose. Vision provides motivation that it causes us to do things that we don't normally want to do. A little history. We got a church I mentioned ready Mark, who's one of the first guys, came Christ. The first guy came via our church. His agreement to come to church upon value is to go to another church. And they heard about us launching and he told us why. We said, I'll go because it's closer, but we have to be home in time for the football game to start.

That was his wrong. I go to church and we had an early service, so he's like, I'll go because we'll get home time football. The first week. He goes hard in life. Christ, after that, I never worried about football. He's there all weekend. He didn't care about football. You know, football is secondary in his life. Why? Motivation. Motivation will compel us to do things we want to. Nobody, nobody, nobody in their right mind wants to give more time because you're all busy and busy and everybody's busy, right? No, nobody. And their own says, Well, how can I take more time away from my family? How can I take more time away from myself? How can I give more time? Nobody will ask you, My friends, I've never written a check to the church where I am like, Well, I don't even need that money. This is so cool. We are so wealthy. We just don't even need this money. It's awesome, right? Everyone hurts. What compels people to do it? Vision. Vision. That man, this is. This is sending it on up ahead. This has been a part of having a grateful harp, a godsend in my life. It's being a part of the best thing on the planet. It's the local church. It's parents. It's a part of giving back to the Lord. It's part of saving people's lives for eternity. It's a part of filling filling heaven. How how cool is that? It provides motivation. It's different. As if you say, I need everybody in town to come down to the river. This week, we're going to fill sandbags for fun. How people are going to show up zero right now, I'm sure. Listen, there's a flood coming next week. And if we don't fill sandbags and build a levee, our whole town and destroyed, your house is going to be destroyed.

Your family's going be swept away. So I need you everybody down to the river to fill sandbags. Weeks. We can risk our town hoping to show up pretty much 80%. 20, 60. Not not last 20, though. So be home right now. We've got sandbags around our own house. Right. That's just how people are. Here's Dana. Do you get the whole town out to do it? On why motivation, motivation, motivation and what compels people to come to church early on Sunday, set out cones and stand out. 110 degree heat in an orange shirt waving cars on as they're flipping off. Right. Or ignoring your direction. What compels people to to to go up to complete strangers, walk them in the church and ask them to give them a tour and welcome in? What compels I mean, what compels people to give a whole Sunday, Saturday night and Sunday morning? To be with second graders, right. Who don't listen, who run around, who sneeze on you, you know, who make funny. What compels love? Love compels you. And the difference it makes its vision because you know that there's nothing better than building the kingdom of God. And that compels us to be uncomfortable to do that. You know, whatever it is, wherever you serve, wherever you're part of it, compels you and you leave going, you know, you got you got snot on your shirt, you know, and you're tired and your whole day shot, you know, man, that was awesome. I can't wait till next week. Why You saw life change. And that's the vision we have as a church. So as visionary leaders, we want to cast a vision. I would change your ministry. Always take it back to life. Change. It's not clean.

The worship center is preparing the worship center so that people can come and be distraction free and focus on Christ. And then you find out about the couple who is on the brink of marriage and you're married to him and you set an environment where that couple met God and their life was changed. That's where all the awesome people, honestly, they take a seriously, they take seriously their role. And there's nothing too big for God and there's nothing too small for God. He got motivation, vision. Vision is essential because it provides motivation for people to do what they don't want to do. And we've all seen or been in churches where there's no vision and people don't do anything right. The pastor does everything. That's why the pastor gets burnt out and leaves. Our church has a wealth, a wealth of servant leaders. And I'm talking to leaders. Why? Because we cast vision and it matters. And you all in this room and people around you have taken leadership and literature to incredible heights that I can never let on my own. Not even close your eyes. And for some leadership with vision, it provides direction. This is where we're going now. We may detour along the way, but this is where we're going for Nehemiah Miles. We're working to rebuild the walls. Now we may use some rocks that are lying by. We may not be able to get close over here. We may have to stop and fight one day. You know, we don't know what it is all. But here's what we're going to ultimately, we're going to rebuild the wall, presses the church, you know, probably the biggest time of vision that challenged my visionary leadership was when we bought the road, landed I-10 and brought away and then the economy hit.

You know, in May of 2007, we had the greatest giving campaign ever known to man. And we gathered at the Glenn Beck Arena with nine and a half million dollars, giving us four time, four and a half times our annual budget. Pastors were calling me from all over America going, How did you guys do that? Seriously, I it was it was world famous in the church world and what God was doing. We had a parade on our land. We had two buildings marked. Our kids were playing with the rattlesnakes was all awesome, right? Everything was there. And then the economy just tanked and we saw it right away. And not in our we saw it in our general giving, but we really saw it in in the seize the moment. I mean, it just tank right away. And people who had made huge commitments were now losing their houses, you know, And so tomorrow it's all sudden we had this 40 acre piece of land out there that we'd sold down people that we were going to build. And then we went and bought a building. And there are people there are leaders in our church who didn't make it through that, their leader in church, King said. We can't take on more debt. We can't do this. You know, we should build our tomorrow. One of them was building it and Broadway was taking on $18 million more debt. This building was 4.3. When you really begin to think about it, you know, but people couldn't separate that. We had said this land is it this land? Is it, you know, God had a detour. I still believe we're going to build a larger. But every after about every day and I stretched my hand out and I pray, God, you know, and when your time we know we trust you.

But this building came available and it was such a God thing. It was so clear to leadership of our church is what we need do. And the church rallied, but it stressed my leadership also. And they say, you know, forget about the building, forget about the land. You know, just pretend it's not their priority, you know, but we're going to buy this building. We're gonna build that. Why? It's not about the it was never about the 40 acres of land. It was never about being on time Broadway. It was always about creating more opportunities with more seats for more people to meet the love and hope of Jesus Christ. So that's the vision. So God has led us to a detour. And by the way, I'm so thankful that he led us through it before the economy crashed or when the Congress versus could you imagine if we were halfway built an $80 million building and then all that happened, we'd be, you know, a man who, you know, she's talked about, you know, Bernoulli resources before you build a building, you know, and and that's why we stop because we you know, we saw the economy sense it. And I'm so proud of leadership because we cast vision, we build the spirit. And, you know, we've gone from 2300 people. We get over 4000 people a week. Salvation is off the charts. The ministries have developed because of visionary leadership, and they provide a direction. Again, if people trust your leadership and you've clearly cast division, you can take them on detours. Moses let this ice for 40 years in the desert. I mean, that's that's tough to her, right? And again, it was their own fault, but that's what it was. Vision will provide motivation to do what we don't want to do, you know, provide a direction to go.

Even the direction changes. You know, people have been with our church for since the beginning of times. People have been with us since moved here. They've seen a lot of change, a lot of change. I mean, we've changed our worship style a few times. We change ministry styles, we've changed children, ministry names, we've changed locations of our times. We've just changed my roles changed, their roles changed. But you're saying the vision has always been the same and they see the vision being accomplished. They'll keep coming. And it is because white people are addicted to life. We love being around life change. Why it reminds us of. Our life change in our minds to what we're doing matters in our life. In your whatever you do, you you work in children, you work in youth, You work with VIP. You work with parking. You work with video, audio media. You work in small groups. Wherever you are, you're a part of the life things that happens in people's lives. Every Sunday, the volunteer tours come through the backstage, and I try to treat every one of them because I love it. It's people just sign up to go. But we've seen a huge influx in the last like six weeks of people coming their first Sunday and taking tours. Now, like I just sat in service. I'm ready. Where do I serve? I love that, right? And I want one to know it's time You're going to see hundreds of ways to serve. Every one of them matters. How aren't you reminded whether you're holding babies in nursery, your parking cars in the parking lot, your landscaping, the grounds. You're a part of the life change. It happens every week because I don't want you know, you're part of it.

See, the landscape has landscape change. I, I was a church recently. I pulled up in a parking team, me a parking spot, and I parked those under a tree. But the tree hadn't been trimmed in, like, two years or something. Right? And then she was hanging over my car, so trigger on my car, I had to slam on the tree limb and brush. Right. And I tried to close my door and the tree was cut in. And I'm like, frustrated. I'm a pastor and I'm frustrated. Probably in this church right now. I'm a first time visitor. I'm like, this has got to tell me not to come to this church. Right. You know, I mean, people think people are looking for excuses not to come in when you drive to campus nicely, landscapes of people who care here and somebody finds up in a parking spot, oh, they care about me. And if are research as well, we're we got a place for your kids. We got a place for you. Let me show you around. They care about me. You know, the building's clean. They care about the building. They care about us being here. It's clean, right? Every everything matters. And that's this. And vision provides direction and lasting vision provides this purpose, and that will sustain you for long haul. Motivation is short term, right? We'll get people out to fill sandbags this weekend for levee purposes. We're going to get people to give their life long term to what we're called to do. And, you know, we're in it. We're in a shifting culture. People don't stay in places for very long. People don't stay in things very long. And I think it's no more prevalent in the church. People are used to church hopping, church hopping shop.

You know, there's legitimate reasons to switch churches, and I agree with that. But there's this a whole culture of people that, you know how wherever we worship pastors over here, the new pastor over here, you know, the new kids minister over here, we'll just jump, jump, jump in. You know, as soon as they say that makes us unhappy, will leave vision challenges. People live lives full of purpose and that lasts for long, and that builds unity and strength within the church. So I can't you can't listen to the people around me purpose what what we're all about and we're not about ourselves. We don't ever want to give people the false sense that we're here to keep them happy. You know, I had lunch recently. The guy the is young in ministry, and he said, How do you he asked me. He said, How do you keep people happy? That I don't says nor in Scripture are jobs keep you happy? I know. But you know, like when people want something that you're not doing, how do you how do you you know, we don't we don't we tell them this what we do. And if you don't like it, there's other great Christian. Can you go find one that does what you want them to do? But that's not us. It's like, Wow, he really did that. Yeah. I mean, glass of the pastor on the day. I feel they're filling churches regularly, right? You know, I'm not ashamed or embarrassed to call people to sell out to the cause of Christ out on the cross for us. And I think I think we cheapen the gospel when we make church about keeping people happy or appeasing people or musical styles. We sell them short and we allow them to live less than what Christ desires for them.

I want to live out God's plan for my life, and I want you and I want people. I want them to fully know and live out the plan God has for life. Why would we undersell that to keep people happy? Well, you know, one day we're going to them for the throne. I think what's important here? Well done, my good and faithful servant. I don't want to hear. Nice job. You kept them happy. Yeah, I hope. House, Give me a sense of here. Well done, my good and faithful servant. I ask people who live for the cause of Christ, and that's living with purpose. So vision in your vision cast purpose. So we got to find the vision. We've got carcinogens. The third thing is Guard Division. Guard division. I got I got a French mastiff. Sometimes you got to go French mastiff, Doberman, German Shepherd on people. You got to become attack dog and you've got to guard the vision and leaders. It's incumbent upon you to guard the vision. Why? There's always people around who want to work against division vision, have their own vision. There's always people that want to work, as I call them, vision suckers. There's always vision. Suckers in the church are great people. They always mean harmful ways. But sometimes you do. But they're they're around. You can tell them because when they walk, they sound like this. Oh, because they're just sucking innovation out of everyone around them, right? They're just vision suckers. It's about them and what they want and what they what they need. And it's all about them. We're called to be all about him and last people that we're all about. So patient suckers will be will try to steal vision. Nehemiah Double vision suckers.

We'll talk those minute but vision suckers they'll make same lots of this damage I like what you're doing but so he says I like the term but what they mean is I like what you're doing. But if I'm going to stick around, you're gonna have to do this. And I really want you to do everything most churches get in crafting. Oh, okay. Well, if you want to. Yeah, let's do that. Yeah, yeah. Let's put some blood upstairs. This would be. Yeah. We don't want to leave. No, we want us out of vision. God has called us to, and we'll pray about, you know, we'll provide. Any idea though. Stuff pretty much every it is. It's great. But run it through the funnel of the vision what we have and is it the right thing for us to do? There's a million great things out there. The church is. You didn't write for us. There's great things we did early on in the church that are right for us anymore. You know, it just is. I mean, we tried to the Easter egg drop because remember the Easter drop a couple of years ago? I have one of Grace greatest lessons in our church history. Got a lesson? You know, I'd heard about church doing Easter eggs from helicopter, stole the idea and said, we're gonna drop 50,000 eggs out of a helicopter. We had, like, 3,001st time visitors for the Easter Egg Drop. Community showed up big time. Great thing, Paul on the side of the helicopter. Luckily, you know, So we dropped a great event, Right? Fun thing where everybody registered for it. We tracked the next six weeks. Not one, not one, not one of those families that came to the Easter egg drop came to church for the next six weeks.

Well, if our goal is to make our community happy with the Easter egg drops, we should do that every year. But if our goal is to make vote for Jesus Christ, we didn't see one person come from there to here. We dropped ball because we spent a lot of money and we put a lot of resources in here saying we learned we're all about, we're all about the weekend. So let's focus on getting people there on Easter weekend. And, you know, that's where life change happens. So we didn't we underneath straight drop again now so that we may try to figure out a different way to do it. But that one didn't work for mission sectors will say I like what you're doing, but then what they're saying is do it my way, make me happy. I'll tell you what, the first time, the first time, first time you bend your vision to make somebody happy. You spend the rest of your life doing that. You'll spend hours. You like doing it. And leaders, I challenge you, lead with vision. Don't spend your life bending over to people and do what they want You give you call them to do what God has called them to do and you lead with love. You care for them. I'm not saying be mean about it, but you've got to be strong about it. You know, this is what we're all about, vision, because there are there are a million points of leak in the church. If we're allowed to say things, I should be a leader. People say, well, you know, I should be a leader. Well, there's a reason you're not you know, we don't recognize leadership in you. We haven't seen passion. We have seen vision.

We have seen character. You'll be a leader at times, right? But here is our leader. Palm guy starts washing feet. I used to joke it was great when we had set up care and every leader in our church for the first seven years started on set up carrying on. And if you're not one of the lecturers across the parking lot, you're not a leader upon volunteer. You know, when we got this building, I our staff would walk around. We were just talk about what a great building was. I told him, If I ever see you, ever see you walk, pass a piece of paper on the floor and I pick it up. I'm afraid you're on the spot. And I meant it because I want people to go. Well, we've arrived. We've got a building that's beautiful and we've got a maintenance team. So something called the maintenance team. There's some paper on the floor. No, we're called to be servants. You know, if we're around too big to do the lowliest things in the Kingdom of God, we've missed our calling. And so when people think they should be leaders again, maybe they should be. But we'll see it. We'll see over time. I tried to pull those people close, watch him, see, you know. But. But when people are demanding leadership to stay, I'm early in church. And when you start a church bill, you remember this. When you start a church, every crazy person who's ever had the desire to leave the church shows up and they have every plan. Or one guy said, If I have anything to do with it, this church is going to have a parking lot for semi-trucks and we're going to welcome semi-trucks in. So the semi drivers come to church.

Nothing wrong with that. But what he was saying was my vision will be lived out. You know what I'm going to get when I want. Oh, no, know, that's not what we're called. Do you know, again, if we feel let down the line to start a truck ministry, that's what we'll do. But you know, you can't, can you, over the leadership people because they want leadership. You've got to choose their leaders. I don't agree with all the decisions. That's a famous phrase. I don't agree with all decisions. Well, welcome to the club. So my wife doesn't agree with all my decisions. You know, my kids don't agree with all my decisions. You know, that's what it is. At some point, though, if you have a heart for Christ and you trust the leadership, you'll follow their decision because you trust them. You know, there's been I've made decision mistakes in the past. I've not made perfect decisions every time. But people are blessed and I'll do my best. I will never, ever lead this church astray on purpose as I prayerfully the Lord, not the things that we've thought were mistakes. Probably like buying land rights and, by the way, are someday going to be our biggest blessings. I guarantee it. One day we're going to build up there and everybody's going to show back up. And it's going to be exciting. When you see what God does. It is a detour in God's economy. If we give him our best, he'll always work out. And people say, I don't agree. Thoughts in what they're saying is you need to listen to me more. And in your ministry, you know, you crisis need more advisors, he needs more servants. You probably don't need more advisors.

You need more people around your community doing work because you've got a lot on your plate. You know, you're you're leading a ministry, it's growing and you're reaching people and helping people. And so when people say I don't results in, what they're really saying is I should have more input, I should have more power in people who are power hungry in a local church. You know, when I think about what it means to be a leader in a local church and the accountability that we have and and what will the answer for one day, it scares the liver out of me. It makes me want to quit or honestly, I mean, because I don't want responsibility on our budget right now as millions of dollars of your bosses, I'm going to answer for every dollar spent. And when I when I look around, sometimes I think, you know, it scares me. And leadership and church should have a little bit of fear. What didn't you say I fear got right. And we have a fear to lord enough that we don't know. We're not running to get leadership. Now, what will take the leadership God has given us? To us and we'll carry it. We'll carry it best our ability. But it should be like this, not like this, right? I mean, Philippians two, Christ emptied himself. He didn't grasp being God. Something to hold on to. He let it go. People are power hungry, man. They will. They will make big problems in the church if you give them any bit of power. I made a mistake early on. I gave some positions to people who wanted positions and I try to work out, I believe, the best people. They almost derailed our church here, too.

They almost I remember they tried to run me out. They tried to me out because they thought in order to focus on lost people, in which people would focus on people outside the church. Well, vision leak vision suckers. Look, here's thing. Ultimately, little people with little of vision will always attack big people with big vision. I believe you guys are in this room because you're big visionary people and you're big people. You have broad shoulders, you carry a weight. There's no doubt. You carry the weight of people's lives on your shoulders. You care for people, you help people, you love people. You pray for people. You're there for people that's carrying a weight. You are big people with big shoulders, with big vision. There's no way you're doing what you're doing. If you're not big vision, you're not in this room. You have big vision. Here's the thing You're always going to be attacked by little people with little vision, and they'll be in your small group to be in your ministry team. And you know why? There's a better way for us to be doing our to focus on lost people. Were you to focus on this or that or, you know, the music isn't right. They'll always compost with problems. They'll always attack little people, attack big people with big vision. Here's thing there's no statue in the world. To critics, there's not Critics don't accomplish anything. Critics simply critique. We're called to build the kingdom of God, called to be a part of building the body. Right. That takes big leadership, big vision. And so I you don't listen to the little people, little vision to attack you because they're they're an evil one is great. He is so good at putting them in your path when you're out at the store, you know, when you're at a restaurant, even a church on the weekend, I believe Satan sends people church.

I believe he sends people to church to cause dissension, cause disunity to be little people a little bit, you know, attack big people, big vision. So I challenge, you know, the vision recall to be strong, confident, know that I and our staff, we have your back and you leave the station. I will always guard your back. Always take your back when you leave the station because little people always attack it. You can't listen. You know, I there's great people who don't go to our church anymore, who love to say negative things about our church. To me, I don't listen to I song ideas. I'll go to football, right? And go, yeah, I always go to church. But yeah, great. How great. Like, you know, too busy, too busy doing God's called me to do. Right? Go to church, go do what you feel like. Do. Here's the thing, my man. He starts to cast vision and first thing he says. But I replied, The God of heaven will help us succeed. He replied to The people are wondering, Can we do this? The God of heaven help us succeed. We, His servants will start rebuilding as well. But you have no stake or claim in Jerusalem. I love that vision saying We're going to get this done. And there's no doubt because God has called us to it, we're going to get this done. I'm not sure exactly how we're going to. I'm not sure exactly. I'm not sure I'm not thinking Nehemiah. I was like, I get my day timer, 52 days. That's my plan, has got 52 days of building plan. Just happen to be 50 days, right? But Nehemiah led through the challenges have been you you have no stake in this little people and little vision.

You have no stake in this. Nehemiah is enemies, man. Trust me, the evil one will bring. Some people will be set against your ministry, against your leadership, and they will attack. But when send out and Tobias and the Arabs ammonites and that ash tonight's heard that their work was going ahead and that the gaps in the wall of Jerusalem were being prepared repaired they were furious why they needed Jerusalem got strong in the inability to attack and overrule Jerusalem was not going to happen over this or it's not going to happen. So they set themselves up against the wall. I mean, who's against a city being rebuilt? The enemies of the city? Who's against the kingdom of God being built? The enemies of the Kingdom of God, who's then looking at the world, who we call reach the world. So that therein lies our conundrum. Right there lies the challenge we've got to reach. People are set against the things that God now God is working in their hearts and he's he's softening their hearts and he's telling solidarity. And I believe it's a beautiful thing when our message matches up with what guys are doing at heart and people are ready. And it happens every week. Every week, people got the fresh start with God able to give their heart life. Christ in every one of the stories in Miracle. Yeah. I mean, if you ever want to be renewed and encouraged in your ministry, just go stand at the fresh. Start with God. They want to. We can just listen to the stories of life change. Listen what's happened in people's life, You know, pull out of baptism, sitting and watch baptism just live for me in change. It's incredible that we could be part of.

It amazes me every week that God allows us to be a part of what he calls the church. You know, his body is bright and I'm so overwhelmed that we get to be a part of it. It amazes me. I don't know how it happens every week. I mean, I used to stand out on the curb over a desert and you never see people just come driving into the center and all the cars row, by way with people. And I just what brings them back every week when incarnation I'm in football on it's beautiful weather why do you feel come out because of the presence of God, the blessing of God on his body and bride the local church So what better place to be and what better place to work? And it matters. People are set against it. They're not set against you. They talk about you. They can make up things about you. They can say of things. Ultimately, they're not against you. They're against God. They're against the kingdom of God being built. And that's their issue with him. So I challenge you guard against that, guard against vision sectors, guard against drift. Drift happens in any ministry. The longer lasts, the easier it is drift. You know, we're at a point where when thousands of people every week and we know the bills are going to get paid pretty much, you know, and it'd be very simple to say, let's just breathe. Let's just breathe. But, you know, one of the things that always strikes heart I mentioned is David said it was springtime when kings usually go to war. David got up from his nap. I mean, that's a whole lot of bad right there, you know? I mean, he lost.

He stopped working towards his purpose, and now he's taking naps. I mean, nothing at all in naps. I can't go kill him. But when you're starting to take naps, when you're supposed to be at war, I mean, you've missed the boat, right? You've stopped. There's vision, drift and winter's vision drift. There's problems. And that's, you know, David didn't start out to have his parents shiver. He drifted. He got lazy. A lot of defense is down. All sudden, boom in his life. That's not for us to deter, to be say, we're here. This is kind of chaos because we know we know 4000 people are going to show up as we can. We know that the bills are probably going to get paid. We you know, we know that, you know, some people get, say, this weekend, but that's not what God has called us to, does not call us to play safe. He's called us to risk everything, to keep advance. And that's what this book, our camps are all about. That's what our next camps will be all about. We've got to keep advancing the kingdom of God. We've got to guard against certain. By the way, the best way to guard against drift is to engage in battle. People who aren't in battle get lazy, right? People who are forgot. We're fighting and fighting against the forces of evil. They get lazy in starting out, you know, jerks about this or that, passionate at all times. You're always back. How do you deal with all the complaints about music or how do you deal with this? Not I don't ever hear those. I, I mean, I'm sure they exist and I'm sure some somebody probably is getting yelled at in the lobby somewhere.

They. But I'm too busy for that. I'm not going to listen to me argue about musical style or, you know, what are kids or, you know, church colors are, you know, whatever it is, we got way too big a stuff in hand. And the more you keep the vision focused, the more you keep against it. Keep a hill to take. I mentioned earlier Rhino one time somebody said, we haven't tried anything great, forgot, you know, we were seeing Drift, we were seeing staff attrition, we were seeing church attrition. We were seeing our lower numbers and salvation and baptisms. Why? There was no focus on vision. We got we got kind of soft on the vision for a while. And so you got to be strong on the vision. Keep, keep trying. There's a next hill to take, the next old take. There's next. I still for us, it's not a commune. We're going for Christ. It's it's launching more churches, it's helping more orphanages in Haiti. There's more hills to take, and it's got to require sacrifice. Nehemia I love this. Make this one of your life verses symbolic, combining the Arabs and the Ammonites. Ashleigh They're trying to get Nehemiah to a meeting. Why? So they can send them up to kill him. But he says, You need my six, We're three. So I replied by sending this message to them, I am engaged in a great work so I can't come see as it's allowed me. I am engaged in a great work so I can't come. Why should I stop working to come and meet with you? I love that man. That's just bull. That's right. Why should I stop work and come with you? I think God loves you and everyone has a great plan for your life.

There are always people who want to take your time. You've got a very limited amount of time and you're working and you're leading in the church and you got your family and you've got activities. You've got to be very wise about your time. Do not give your time to wasted things. Don't waste your time on little people with little vision who simply wanted, you know, who need to know more information or, you know, need your information inside of my in or not. Right now, I tell you don't don't waste your time to waste time. And I'll say it don't waste your time on people who simply want to want to critique or want it. You don't want to have them there. There was a piece to it. You could better invest time in your personal health, your family, be meeting with somebody who's on a journey to knowing Christ, developing leaders, whatever it is, always do. That last thing I challenge you to do is and here's the great thing. Yes, this is the thing only Christians have, unless part of it we expect God to help us, expect God to help us know where we're facing this daunting task of $1,000,000 in 60 days to build another campus. There's a crazy thing God's going to help us do. But God wouldn't happen, Right? But God will, right? God can make this thing happen, says Nehemiah. 615 So on October 2nd, the wall was finished just 52 days after we had begun, when our enemies in the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized that you're inside of me. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God. I love it. By the way, with Mission Drift, Nehemiah had to stop 26 days in because the people forgot, like, What are we doing now? What are we doing? We're rebuilding the wall and only got rebels about Saints Week.

So just now personally captains you've got to keep just a but why is important because lives are at stake turnings is at stake and so when you remember why you're doing what you're doing, your incarceration clearly and compelling to people and keep them focused on what we're called to do.