John Jacob Astor arrived in America in 1783 a penniless immigrant from Germany. Yet within a few dozen years, he grew to become America’s richest man. How?

Astor acquired his enormous wealth in real estate, finding that the smartest way to invest was not to buy the ‘hot’ properties everyone else was bidding sky-high. Rather, he would quietly buy cheap properties directly in the path of growth of a major city.

He then merely waited until the growth pattern reached his properties, causing their value to soar. Then he’d sell, take his proceeds and buy much more property – again at cheap prices – a little farther out from the city and repeat this process over and over.

His secret was wisely anticipating where the growth would occur, and being there when it happened. Hockey great Wayne Gretsky once stated his secret: “I don’t skate to where the puck is, I skate to where the puck is going to be.” Seeing ahead is vision. And without vision, the people perish. Ask God to show you what you need to prepare for in your life.

Tags: investing, plan, success, vision

This week I had to drive to Ft. Wayne to visit someone in a hospital. All the way down I-69 other cars were spraying slush up onto my windshield. When I sprayed the windshield washer fluid up onto my windshield, only fluid from the passenger side came out. The wipers cleaned the passenger’s side window just great, but only smeared my side even worse.

Apparently, some debris has clogged the driver’s side tube obstructing the flow of fluid. Now, I wonder how long that was the case. I haven’t used that fluid since mid-summer, I suppose. If we don’t need it, we don’t waste it, right? So when I really needed it, it wasn’t working.

Routine maintenance is needed in our automobiles, furnaces, and lawn mowers. Whatever has working parts needs routine maintenance.

How is the maintenance on your spiritual life? Is it working like you want or is something clogged? You only notice its clogged when you use it and need it. Worldly debris can get wedged in there somewhere and we need to clean it out.

What’s clogged in your life?

Tags: clean, maintenance, vision

A man called his neighbor to help him move a couch that had become stuck in the doorway. They pushed and pulled until they were exhausted, but the couch wouldn’t budge. “Forget it,” the man finally said. “We’ll never get this in.”

The neighbor looked at him quizzically and said, “In?”

Could it be that we can’t work with someone because they don’t know what we’re thinking? My wife and I have this problem often. I’m talking about one thing and she’s talking about another. We finally come to the place where it dawns on one of us that we’re misunderstanding something. I’m pushing one way and she’s pulling another.

That problem that you have with the other person just might be a miscommunication on your part. Sometimes we just need to start over and spell out our vision. Which way are we trying to go, anyway?

Tags: division, humor, unity, vision

Ever wondered why a pigeon walks so funny? It’s so that it can see where it’s going. Because a pigeon’s eyes can’t focus as it moves, the bird actually has to bring its head to a complete stop between steps in order to refocus. So it proceeds clumsily – head forward, stop, head back, stop.

In our spiritual walk with the Lord, we have the same problem as the pigeon: We have a hard time seeing while we’re on the go. We need to stop between steps – to refocus on the Word and the will of God. Our walk with the Lord needs to have built into it a pattern of stops that enable us to see more clearly before moving on.

That’s why God established a Sabbath rest periodically. Its also why “Daniel…knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God” (Daniel 6:10).

What built-in breaks do you plan into your schedule that help you refocus?

Tags: focus, rest, vision

Walt Disney passed away when Disneyworld first opened, so his widow was asked to speak. She was introduced by a man who said, “Mrs. Disney, I just wish Walt could have seen this.” She stood up, then simply said, “He did,” and sat down. Visions are powerful.

Moishe Rosen teaches a one sentence mental exercise that’s an effective tool in dreaming. It simply involves completing two sentences:

If I had:_________________________________

I would:_________________________________

If you had anything you wanted – unlimited time, unlimited money, unlimited information, unlimited staff – all the resources you could ask for, what would you do?

Your answer to the second question is your dream. What is your dream?

Tags: dreams, vision, Walt Disney

The success of the Coca-Cola Corporation is due in large part to the vision of its leaders. Robert Woodruff, president of Coca-Cola from 1923 to 1955, boldly said during World War II: “We will see that every man in uniform gets a bottle of Coca-Cola for five cents wherever he is and whatever it costs.”

After World War II ended, he said that in his lifetime he wanted everyone in the world to have tasted Coca-Cola. Quite a vision!

When Jesus challenged his disciples to “Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations”, He was setting and grand goal for the church. How’re we doing?

Tags: coca-cola, goal, vision, World War II