Here is a great article written by Abiah.com that talks about the vision of Bill Bright, the late founder of Campus Crusade, and how the Jesus Film project was funded. We too can write the vision down that God gives us and see provision come as we obey God. This is a great year-end exercise that we can use as an individual or as an organization.
YEAR-END EXERCISE
The propensity of the majority is to react. The prevailing desire to please causes many individuals to adapt in order to accommodate others. The same is true in business. The result is a loss of identity, the compromising of our brand, and a migration to non-threatening mediocrity.
Greatness stands out. It is different than the ordinary, it is bold and distinctive. But the trend is always toward the center, and great people as well as great companies lose something over time when their focus is shifted away from vision to all the obstacles that prevent achieving it.
In 1979, Bill Bright, the founder and former president of Campus Crusade for Christ, commissioned The Jesus Film, a feature-length documentary of the Life of Christ. It was the first step of a multi-phased plan to share the gospel with the people of the world.
The vision was staggering. On a planet with a population of over 5 billion many responded with shrugged shoulders seeing the project as being too big, too expensive, and impossible to execute.
Undeterred, Bill assembled a team and together they created a strategy that led to the successful completion of the goal. Within a 15-year window over 5.1 billion have viewed the film in almost every country in the world. Translated in 786 languages, The Jesus Film quickly became the most widely translated film in history.
Bill Bright lived in a different world. He could “see” millions watching the film in their own languages. These people lived in cities and in jungles; some were easily accessible and others required arduous journeys into some of the most remote villages on earth.
Bill Bright went to be with the Lord on July 19, 2003. His vision had been realized; millions had embraced the Christ of The Jesus Film.
Keeping your focus requires articulating it. As you end the year, why not take a few minutes to respond to the following questions:
1. What would be different 10 years from now if you were totally successful in fulfilling your life’s mission? Be specific in your response.
2. What would your customers or clients look like in ten years? How would they be different because of the services you provide?
3. How would the community in which you live be different? How would the world be different if you were to achieve total success?
4. What will your company or ministry look like in 10 years?
Success begins with a clear vision and the best way to bring clarity is to write it down. This is the essential beginning of a process that will lead to objective assessment of where you are and the development of a brand and strategy to take you where you want to be.
Along the way you’ll be invited to compromise, to lower your expectations. You might hear that “it can’t be done” or “you must be more realistic.” Bill Bright was told his vision was far too big and Thomas Edison failed over 6,000 times before perfecting the light bulb. When a young journalist approached Edison asking “Why do you keep trying to make light by using electricity when you have failed so many times? he responded, “Young man, don’t you realize that I have not failed but have successfully discovered six thousand ways that won’t work!”
The pathway to success is arduous. The majority in the world refuses to pay the price for achievement but there is little to enjoy apart from the faith, energy, and hard work that is required to gain it. Will you follow or lead? That’s the question to ponder as you approach the challenging year ahead.
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