The Ohio Independent Baptist, April 1999

I Lte o am, Y\ b Tom Wolf I ' , 1,H)n c,sL'nt1,1l tt, ~u1, I\ al? l "h1 s th~,u~ht ,h,ppcd n1c dead 1n Ill) tr :.h:"s .l!'- 1 \\ l' ' "cd l' ll ,, 1ll1ng tny \.·nn1p,u1 · s n11,,1\)tl ,t.\lcn1cnt I k.nC\ \ th.it a 1111:~ion ,t.llcn1L'nt I a ,, 1dcl) u. cd tool 1n corpo– rJtc \1ncr1 ·.1. hut \\ h,H nhout 111\, ~ t.1n1d, ·s n11~sion? Is vision or n1 is:ion c~scnll,ll lt) the survival of lhc fan1ily? H,1d ,,c. ,\S .. 1 fatntl!. defined\\ hat ,vc ~·,Jn~H..lcred tt1 he the rno~t 11nportnnl th in~. lt) u~ > Ho,, \.\ ere ,, c planning to 111,ull tho.'.'-e , ,,Jue" and pron1i c · of God 1nh.) ()Ur ' htldrcn 's It, c · ) \\'he re \\ ere ,,c going. ho,\ ,vere ... ... \ \ C POJnu to oct :::: ::: ~ there. 3nd hov.· \\ ou Id ,, c k.no\ ,, hen ,, c arr1 \ cd? True ,·1..,1on 1. I c, o k 1 n g at Ii f e ... th1 ough GoLr , eye ·. Gl)d ha~ already ...-men+ ask ing the g irl s quc ·ti on about what they thought was rno · t in1portant Lo our fa intl y. They needed lo share in the vis ion o they would cnse a le cl of accountabilit y, not ju t to each othe r, but to the ir Lord . We hung the fir. l d raft on the refri gerator and edited it many time be fore we a ll ag reed on the final copy. We c lain1ed one e r c o f cripture in partic ul ar , John 17: 2 1. and fron1 it we created a logo: "ONE R WE ." It graces our va n liceHse pl ate a · a con tant reminder of our unit y a a family a nd God ' plan for o ur li ve . de · 1 ~ncd h1 .... n11~!:lt t) n for the fan1il\ \\' hat \\C Front row: Lyndsey, Tom & Nancy Back row: Chelsea, Morgan & Tara From the la t part o f our famil y mis ion statement , God pierced our heart fo r world mis ions. It says that "we will then rni ni ter lo others, refl ecting our faith in Christ. ,, - n~cdcd to do \,\ a take owner hip of it! Ha, ,n~ a , 1 ·ion i more than e en- ... ual : 1l i · c r1 tical to a ·con1pl i hi ng God · · be · t Toda 1 our n1i · · ion tatement i d1 pl .. 1~ cd 1n a pron1inent location, j u t a ~lo:c. and the I raelite kept a jar of manna a a memorial of God' provi- 1on A \\ rllten tatemc nt provide a trame\\Ork for the family to 1nake de ·1 ion~ and prove a a compa for the hard choice:. tephen Covey , in hi hook.. Se\ en Habirs of Highly Effecti\'e f 1.11111/1e5. · av ll ·o well : "If famili e - can ~ define v.hat their live are about. it ' · amazing hov.. n1uch more wi dom and ...... per pecti\e they gain on their li ve ·, and ho"' ea y it i to ay no to the unimpor– tant ch1ng .' ' \\·e are exhorted to "be o f the ame n11nd LO\.\ ard one another:'"knowing that a hnu e d1, 1dcd agai n t it ·elf cannot ·tand.'' ..\ n11 ,ion taten1cnt allov.: · u to evaluate all thc1t \.\ e do to keep our focus and vi. ion ahgncd v. 1th v.. hat God desire of us. .... Throu~h our famII\ m1~ ion tatement, , '"e realizej \\hat wa rno t important lo God · full-time mi · ionary ervice. Today \\e find our elvc on the journey of a hteumc. 1n full unity. We have ju t entered pre-field m1n1 try as God prepare u.... t rcaLh the people of Cape Town, ':> uth Africa. \\'e ~tarted the proce s ove r a ummer vacauon. As \\.e were driving a long h1!'!hwa\ st retch. I tarted '-' '-" , Sounds like the great commi s ion. And indeed it i . When we are united as a fami ly we can' t help but reach out to a lo t world who needs to hear about Je u and Hi av1ng grace. by Brian Kenyon L ife i too hort to wa te time on projects and activi ti es that have no eternal per pective. We sing songs like, "Eternity's Value in View," ye t many of u wander aiml cs ly, wa ting many preciou year doi ng nothing for God. If I were to a k you. why do you cx i t and how do you wan t to be remembered when you die, what would you say? It i onl y when I can c learly articul ate the an wer to these quest ion that I wi ll begin to Ii ve wi th direction and focu . If I bel ieve the chief aim of man is to glorify God, then I must ask what brings glory to Him and how I can make the mo t of the time He ha given me on this earth . The Apo tic Paul helps us to di tingui h what bring glory to God and how he him elf stayed focu ed on that task. It i from Paul that I adopted my own life's purpo e statement. "And we proclaim Him, adrnonishing every rnan Our Family Mission "ONER WE" M ore than anything else, it is our desi re that this WolfPack be built around God's plan, purpose, and pleasure for the fami ly. We will honor Him in everythi ng we do, because "ONE R WE" in spirit and purpose. We are committed to worship, prayer and personal growth, and will make them a priority in our daily habits. Our purpose is to support and encourage one another, be united in love, and to trust God in all that we do. We promise to cultivate a loving, honest and respectful atmosphere in our home, where we have fun, grow closer to each other, and our Savior. As a family and individually, we will then minister to others, reflecting our faith in Christ. and teaching every man wi th all wi dom, that we may pre ent every man compl ete in Chri st. And for this purpo e also I labor , striving according to His power, which mighti ly work within me" (Colo ian l :28-29). I found the an wer to why I exis t and how I can bring glory to God in the e verse . I exis t to proclaim Christ, confront sin , and teach godly wisdom to men so that we wilJ be mature disciples of Christ. When I wake every day and remem– ber my reason for existence and purpo e fo r that day , I won tt be distrac ted and grope aimle ly for what God de ires of my li fe . I will look forward to each new day Lo accompli sh God ,s will for my life. A li fe with a focus on ministry for Chri tis a life that counts for eternity.