LEADERS ARE PURPOSEFULThat’s why John Stuart Mill was correct when he said: “One person
with a dream is equal to a force of 99 who have only an interest.” Poet Carl
Sandburg made the same point by saying: “Nothing happens unless it is first
a dream.”^6
“Small dreams do not infl ame the hearts of men.”^7
(Bill Bright)It is great visions and great dreams that create great leaders! Also, great visions
attract great people. That’s why a leader tends to attract people proportionate
to their vision. Small visions attract small people; big visions attract big people.
Too many people, even Christians, dream small dreams. Paul Powell rightly
observed this about many church leaders: “Our preachers aren’t dreaming.
That’s why the church is such a nightmare.”^8 There’s a lot of painful truth
about that observation of much of the church today!
“Make no little plans, for they
have no power to stir men’s minds.”^9
(Paul Powell)I believe that God wants us to be big dreamers for His kingdom and
glory. If we can accomplish all of our dreams through our own human
abilities...efforts...education...hard work – then they are probably not
“God-size dreams!” Great leaders want to dream dreams that are so BIG
that only God can accomplish them. That way only He gets the honor
and glory through them. My friend Franklin Graham learned this lesson
from one of his spiritual mentors, Bob Pierce. In his book Living Beyond
the Limits, Franklin says this:
Possibly the greatest lesson I learned from Bob Pierce was something
he called God room. This was a phrase he coined that simply means
recognizing a need bigger than what human limitations can meet.^10Principle: “A leader attracts people
proportionate to their vision.”