Dad ’ s voice was packed with so much confidence that it stunned me . I almost took a step back — that ’ s how strong the contrast was between my callousness and his conviction . His eyes were closed , but he was “ looking ” out over that field . And he was still talking .
“ I see a place where thousands of people will hear the gospel for the first time and be saved . I see marriages being restored . I see the hungry being fed and the naked receiving clothes . I see a dream center where people can elevate themselves out of poverty and learn to dream again . I see future generations being raised up to hear God ’ s voice and change the world for His glory . I see a Bible college and a camp and a school — people from all different nations and backgrounds discovering God ’ s purpose for their lives and worshipping Jesus together .”
Oh , man , I thought . He ’ s not fooling around . This isn ’ t some kind of lesson . He really sees it .
He really did see it . I know that because everything he shared with me in that moment exists today , and even more . It was built on that very same plot of undeveloped land in North Tulsa .
What I learned from that experience is that we often need to “ see ” things on the inside before we can see them on the outside . We need to “ see ” things internally — we need to see with our minds and hearts — before we can see them externally .
I ’ m not talking about just church stuff . Anything of significance that has ever occurred or been accomplished throughout human history started internally . It began in a person ’ s mind and heart .
Think about technology . Way back in the 1870s , Thomas Edison saw in his mind what a light bulb might look like — what it could be and what it could mean for humanity . A light bulb existed in a person ’ s mind before it existed in anyone ’ s home .
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