Raw Reflections from the Journey

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Billion Dollar Thinking

"Jeff, you are one phone call away from being a billionaire!"  A provocative friend recently reminded me that God is in charge of all resources needed to accomplish the Kingdom work that He wants to be done. 

What would you do with a billion dollars? Why even think about it?

Thus far, we've seen thousands of dollars spontaneously given 'to a mission that does some good' as one donor put it.  And over the past decade of obedience to 'do as much good for as many as possible as well as possible' we've seen hundreds of thousands of dollars provided for housing, living expenses, moving, writing, publishing.  And, by the way, worry about where it would come from never brought it our way.  The other by the way is that hundreds of marriages have been directly impacted and we dare say thousands by the teaching and coaching provided by couples we've served. The bottom line is that more has been done for more than we  imagined had we not imagined.  Make sense? 

But, my friend's challenge was a prompt to continue to dream. 

The primary value of such hoping and dreaming, I think, is because it turns limited thinking on its head.  How often have you either heard or said, "If I had more money, I could do more good" but stop short of thinking about and planning for the good that you would do?  I'm suggesting to myself (and to you if you need to hear it) to dream and plan as if to actually implement it!

Less than a year ago a friend called to ask if we would like to train Chinese Americans in all North American English speaking Chinese churches as a way to strategically multiply the ministry of marriage coaching.  "Yes!"  Then came the how.  While that isn't clear, the initiative is certainly worth thinking about and planning for.  It hasn't materialized yet, but I won't be surprised when it does.  God wills in us to work according to His good purposes.  He clearly moved in the dreamer's mind to imagine such a project and to prompt him to call.

Our audacious dreams aren't audacious to God.  More than once I've conceptualized a vision only to hear the whisper of the Holy Spirit, "I am the one who can do immeasurably more than you can ask or imagine.  Keep dreaming."

A practical reason to engage in billion dollar thinking is because people give to vision.   This is a point made in training of non-profit ministry leaders by Mission Increase Foundation, www.missionincrease.org.  The implication of this principle is clear.  If you want people to join you in vision and mission, then you must envision and communicate God-sized dreams!

What has Father put in your heart to do for Him and those He loves?  Billion dollar thinking is one way to access and activate some of what He has put into you.

blessings, Jeff