Turning Vision Into Action is another book I am currently reading. It was written in 1996 by George Barna, head of the Barna Research Group.
In the book, he obviously talks about vision. He says vision is a clear and concise mental portrait of a preferable future, imparted by God to His chosen servants, based on an accurate understanding of God, self, and circumstances. Did you catch all that? Again, vision is a clear mental picture. It is a picture of a preferable future. It is imparted by God to His servants. And its based on an accurate understanding of God, of your self, of your circumstances. Vision is tangible to the beholder, he says. And it motivates and directs a ministry. It filters information. It serves as a catalyst in decision making. And it measures progress.
That’s quite a mouthful, but I think he’s right. When you have a vision from God, for your life, you orient everything around it. Every dollar, every hour, every person you meet, every book you read becomes an important piece of the puzzle. And you try to arrange that puzzle so that it looks like the picture you have in your head.
Here’s my current problem. I have ideas and they’re starting to come together. But I don’t have a vision. I don’t have a CLEAR…AND…CONCISE mental portrait.
But I want one. So I’m going to pray and see if God will give me one.
Omer Redden 