If you go to The Bridge, you’ll notice that we will say the same things over and over again.  We repeatedly say and remind ourselves about what is important to us.  Like vision. The reason for this is that “Vision Leaks.”  That’s one of the things we say @ The Bridge.  Vision Leaks.   Our vision is to be an outwardly-focused church.  This means we focus on honoring God and not doing church for us, but for God and for others.  All too often, a church, which starts with a focus on God and letting others know about God’s love for them, begins to turn inward and focus on itself.  The vision has begun to leak.  We begin to create programs and opportunities that benefit the members, attenders and insiders, and lose sight of the fact that the church is “God’s Plan A'” for reaching the world (see Ephesians 3:10).  We begin to lose the healthy balance between developing our own faith and sharing that faith with a world that desperately needs, hope, help and healing. The vision is leaking.

By reminding ourselves that “Vision Leaks”, it will hopefully help us keep our vision in mind of being “outwardly-focused” – to live our lives and do church with God’s perspective and God’s heart for people.  We don’t take the best spot in the parking lot at church when it’s available.  We leave it open, so maybe, just maybe, a newcomer to church finds it open and has an easier time getting into our building for church on Sunday.  We avoid speaking Christianeze (using words that only someone who has been in church for 80 years and has a seminary degree would know) and instead use language that everyone relates to and understands.  We use the Bible not as a hammer to nail people for sin, but understand that we all struggle on a variety of levels and share God’s truth with love  (Ephesians 4:15) and grace so that we build a bridge into lives and not walls that further separate us.  We get to church early so we can greet people as they come and make a new friendship.  There are a zillion ways to be outwardly-focused.  And that’s the vision.  And it will leak.  So we will keep repeating it and hopefully fill it back up again.

Vision leaks.  What’s the vision?  Be outwardly-focused. Live a life not so inwardly and self-focused but is concerned about the lives around you.  People are hurting.  They need help.  They want hope.  We have it.  Live the vision.

And, I would love for you to comment with ways we are being, or could be more outwardly focused as a church or as an individual.