"The difference between excellence and mediocrity is vision...period end of story.  If you want to be mediocre then don't have a vision." Dr. Jerry Falwell

"Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others." Jonathan Swift

Is there anything more disheartening than aimlessly living life, no purpose, no goals.  I am personally learning the importance of finding, having, owning, and living out God's vision for my own life.  As we search the Bible we find great men and women of God who found God's vision for their life, and it was ALWAYS out of reach of human abilities.  At some point the strength, resources, or personal abilities fell short and the person had to depend on God to fill in the void where they were deficient.  It is in this "place" where God works and where I want to live.

Why is important to find God's vision for your life?  Because God's vision for you is what He has created us for, and because it always takes faith to carry this vision out.  May every believer seek out, find, and live out God's vision for their life.  We are limited, not by our abilities, but by our desire to find His vision for us.

We are people that believe that telling a lie is wrong.  We want others to tell us the truth and we get really upset when they don't.  We are all about the truth and then there are times when we flat out lie.  All of a sudden lies are justified and the truth just doesn't seem to be so important.  It is in those moments that we truly determine whether the truth is really important.  The same is true about living by faith.

Living by faith requires one to find God's vision for their life.  Most of the time the vision will be something that we will have no idea how to obtain, but that is exactly what God wants us to realize.  We can't do it without Him.  It is great to read stories about other great men and women who have realized God's vision for their life, but it is time that we realize God's vision for us, and without faith it is impossible.  Let's stop living off the great stories of the past, and create new stories and see what God will do through us!

I just got back from Dr. Falwell's funeral and have had some time to reflect on his life, traits that defined his life that absolutely amaze me.

Dr. Falwell believed that there was nothing that he couldn't accomplish as long as God was in it.  Even his life verse Philippians 1:6, "Being confident of this very thing that he that began a good work in you will perform it until the day of Christ Jesus."  Every time I saw him on TV either CNN, FOX, etc. I always wanted to laugh when I would see New York, Washington DC, and then there was LYNCHBURG, VA.  "Can any good thing come out of Lynchburg?  Yet I believe that even the place is a testament of God at work.

Dr. Falwell believed in confronting the culture with the truth, the gospel of Jesus.  I liked the comment that Franklin Graham made at his funeral (paraphrase) He believed that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven and an Almighty God. That’s controversial. He believed in the inerrancy of scripture. That’s controversial. He believed in the sanctity of life. That’s controversial. He believed in the establishment of the family, and who would have ever thought that would be controversial? He believed marriage should be between a man and a woman. That’s controversial.

Dr. Falwell was an inspiration to all who knew him.  I realize he was is one of those figures who you either loved or hated.  But to me he is one who stood for God's Word and for that I loved him.  He will be missed greatly.

In my life I have figured out something, that it is much easier to be thankful for the things that God has given me, than to be thankful for the things that he has not given me.  Realizing that everything that I have, I have because He has given me, and everything that I don't have is because God has decided that I don't need it.  That is hard for me to swallow.  Some of the greatest temptations in my life is when I try to overstep my boundaries and go for things that God doesn't want me to have.  It is a lot like the story we find in Genesis where  Eve wanted something that God didn't want her to have, and she overstepped her boundaries.  God didn't want her to have it because of His love for her and didn't want her to be enslaved by sin.  This may be hard to believe but God knows what is best for us, even more so than you and I.  Trust Him, he promises that He will never fail you.

It is that time of the year where we make our New Year's Resolution.  The big ones are always lose weight, get a better job, even spend more time at home with the family and these are all good resolutions.  Let me tell you my personal goal for this year, to lead more people to Jesus.  I have just finished a book called "Breakout Churches" by Thom Rainer, and I have absolutely been convicted, inspired, and found new committment to reaching the lost for Jesus Christ through His Church.  Rainer started out the book by saying "It is a sin to be good when God has called us to be great...It isn't called the Good Commission, but the Great Commission."  This year I challenge all of you to share your faith more bodly and with God's power.  Make 2007 a Great year by truly making a difference in someone's life by sharing the greatest gift ever, knowing Jesus as their personal Savior.

Watching TV the other night I heard someone say that Christianity is just so narrow-minded because "they" say that it is the only way to get to heaven, and if you aren't a part of their little Christian "group" then you can't go, that is so unfair to all of the other religions in the world.

It is true that Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life and that no one comes to the Father, but through me." (John 14:6). However, a closer look at His plan of salvation may reveal that Christianity is not as narrow-minded and unfair as you may think.

First of all, how unfair and narrow is Christianity if everyone is welcome? God says that He doesn't want anyone to perish, but that all to come to Him. Salvation isn't an American thing or a Chinese thing, but salvation is a message for everyone in the world (John 3:16- "For God so loved the world").

Secondly, the Bible says that everyone gets into heaven the same exact way. This isn't about whether or not you are better than someone else. You don't get into heaven because you went to a "Christian" church; you go to heaven because you trusted in Jesus (Acts 16:31, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved".)

Finally, the price has already been paid. You don't have to DO anything to become a believer, God will accept you just as you are (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). The price of salvation was paid for on a cross 2,000 years ago, and the salvation message is still the same (1 Corinthians 15:4, 5- That He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures). This is the gospel by which you can be saved.

So if everyone is welcome, everyone gets to heaven the same way, and the price is already paid for, then how narrow is Christianity really?