Series:  The Heart and Soul of South Hills Church
Message: BHAGs: BIG HAIRY AUDACIOUS GOALS
Pastor Bret Johnson     Sunday, February 29, 2004

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Introduction

May 25, 1961 President John F. Kennedy stood before a nationally televised audience and said these words: “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth. No single space project...will be more exciting, or more impressive to mankind, or more important...and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish..."
--President John F. Kennedy, May 1961 

PRESIDENT KENNEDY AND THE MOON DECISION
President Kennedy spent several weeks assessing America's options for competing with the Soviets in space. On May 25, 1961, he announced the goal of landing a man on the Moon before a joint session of Congress. At that point, the total time spent in space by an American was barely 15 minutes. 

2,000 years before John F. Kennedy uttered those words, Jesus of Nazareth uttered these words:

“Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”” Matthew 28:18-20, NLT.

In 1994, Jim Collins and Jerry Porras did a breakthrough study of American corporations. Their aim was to try to figure out why some companies just consistently did better than their nearest competitors. Why, over the last 50 years has Boeing done better than McDonnel Douglas? Why has Merck been the leading pharmaceutical firm in the world?

One of the things they discovered was that the leading companies took of challenges of mammoth proportions that hurled them into leadership in their field for years and years. The Sony Corporation challenged itself to transform the belief around the world from Japanese products being cheap to Japanese products being the best in the world. MASARU’ IBUKA, FOUNDER, SONY CORPORATION, hj

When God calls His people to a unique task, He has a way mapped out for them. 

Where God leads He precedes, and where He guides, He provides. 

Ps 22:4 In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them.
Ps 22:5 They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed.

Our challenge as a church: Move in June...raise $750,000 in two months....Prepare our Hearts.