Like this:

If you want 2010 to be better than 2009 was then you need to focus your life. We talked about the importance of focus on Sunday.

Focus is what gives anything power & intensity. So it’s no mystery why the Bible talks about focusing your life…

I ask God… to make your eyes focused and clear, so you can see exactly what it is God is calling you to do. Ephesians 1:18 (MES)

Without focus your life will be about as powerful as the sun in Alaska these days… not much power… not much intensity. But with focus your life will make a difference.

If you want your life to count, you must focus it. Rick Warren

So how do I focus my life? I’m glad you asked! About 12 years ago Judy and I attended a Franklin-Covey seminar (she had to bribe me to get me to go) called “What Matters Most”. At the time I was a youth minister at a church that I didn’t really fit into (the people were great… but I just frustrated most of the leadership because I had ideas about how to do church “different” in a church that liked things the way they had always been).

The seminar taught me the importance of focus. I had been living my life without much real direction (you may be thinking to yourself, “self… he seems to live his life without much direction now”! Compared to others that may be true but you should have seen me then!;0). The leader walked us through the exercises we’ll be doing in the next week or so and it changed my life.

One of the exercises was to write down (don’t forget to actually write this down… the writing of it is very important) our biggest dream. He said, “if you could do anything you wanted to do what would it be? Don’t think about money, time, or any other constraint… dream big!”

I was struggling at the church I was currently working at and my main frustration was that I felt the people who needed God the most were being prevented from getting to Him by “churchy” people who already knew Him. So this is what I wrote on my 3X5 card:

I would start a church that accepted everyone exactly where they were & loved them the way Jesus loves us, no matter their age, race, and culture. No matter how they looked or what problems they had.

I didn’t know why he had us write it on a 3X5 card but after lunch we had to hand them in. I got really nervous when he started reading the cards out loud! I was NOT in a church seminar… I was in a Franklin-Covey seminar with business professionals in southern California. I expected audible snickers when he got to mine. But instead, when he finished reading mine people just kind of sighed (as though they were thinking, “that kind of place would be great… but creating that kind of place would just be impossible, wouldn’t it?”)

Turns out God can do anything… even (maybe I should say especially) the impossible. It wasn’t until about 5 years later as Judy was going through our old planning stuff that she remembered what I had written that day. She looked up at me and asked if I remembered what I had dreamed of? After we talked about it for a couple of minutes she said, “you got exactly what you wrote down… I hate you!” (she doesn’t really hate me… in fact she adores me… I’m the light of her life… but don’t tell her I said that, ok?)

I don’t know what makes writing this stuff down so powerful… but it is. So today I want you to write down YOUR dream. Don’t think about all the reasons you could never do it (and don’t let anyone else tell you why it could never happen). Just dream and while you’re at it dream big! One of my favorite verses in the Bible is from Ephesians 3:20… remember this while you’re dreaming big…

God can do anything, you know- far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

Ephesians 3:16-19 (MES)

For today write down your dream… then we’ll start tomorrow working on the tools that will help you to move toward your dreams with God’s help.  Just remember… focus can be dangerous.  It can lead you places you never dreamed of… but I guarantee they’ll be places you won’t trade for anything.

Peace.

Ed

Advertisement