Visioneering

It's one thing to have a grand idea--a vision.

It's another thing to achieve the vision.

Most of the time, the "vision thing" is the work of God in and through one individual. In my experience, visions are not given to groups. Visions are communicated to groups (who then either buy-in or don't) but they are not given to groups (except through the communication of the vision by the one who has received it).

The achieving of the vision, making the vision concrete, is usually God working through a team made up of people who are either captured by the vision or are willing to follow the person to whom the vision has been given.

Those who are given a vision and then effectively communicate it to others so it can become reality, engage in the practice I call visioneering.

The church building above is located in Hato Mayor, a barrio outside Santiago in the Dominican Republic (which is a very interesting name when you stop and think about it!).

It is the concrete expression of a vision that was given to a man named Pedrito Marmolejos, who lives in the barrio of Hato Mayor and would not live anywhere else. Pedrito has a ministry, as well as a vision. He has a burden, placed on his heart by the Lord, for the people of his community--that they would have a place that represents the Good News of Jesus right in their midst.

The vision is for a place where children learn that they are valued and valuable; where adults experience the restoration that comes through Jesus; where songs are sung and lives are changed; and where hope abounds.

The photo above shows some of the work that was done since last July, when some Horizonites (along with some other -ites) joined Pedrito's visioneering efforts. He spoke of the walkway that would bring people to the door of the building. When he told me about it last summer, I could only see it in my mind, sure that my vision was not the same as the one Pedrito was trying to communicate. Now that I've seen his vision literally expressed in concrete, all of the pieces have fallen into place and Pedrito's words make so much more sense.

Last summer I walked by faith. Now I walk by sight, with my faith strengthened.

Because we are made in the image of our Creator and wired with creativity that springs from His Spirit, I believe every person is called to engage, to some degree, in visioneering--taking a God-given idea and finding a way to birth it, bring it into being. Every one of us is called to a unique visioneering task, contributing to the mosaic of life that sings in worship to our Creator.

Now that's a vision, too.

It's time to do some visioneering, don't you think?

We are all fellow visioneers. May our visioneering honor the Visioneer who makes it all possible.