Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Order in Organic Environments

The term "organic" has become a big part of our vocabulary in recent years. It can evoke many different images. Living, growing, natural, real and healthy are only a few of the adjectives that could describe organic.

I am all about organic because the opposite would be dead, artificial, forced or constrained. Organic stuff takes work, but not the kind of work that organized programs take. Organic must contain some sort of order, too. How do you create "organic" environments in ministry and manage the organic in such a way that it continues to have a life of its own, but still maintains direction and purpose. Wow! That sentence competes with the apostle Paul's run-on sentences.

You know what I mean. Organic growth needs a proper soil and environment. It also needs water, fertilizer (Remember you can burn something with too much of this stuff.) and care. We need a balance between form and freedom. My natural inclination to err on the form side rather than the freedom side, but my faith walk wants me to give more trust to God so He has freedom to do His stuff.

I believe the "body life" we all speak and write about may be right under our noses. Maybe we need to stop trying to organize, design and program what God wants to be a natural part of the DNA of His church. I want to pay more attention to the soil and the environment and less to trying to make the tree grow.

I haven't gotten my head totally around what the looks like, but progress is being made. I know the climate can not be harsh or polluted. The soil needs to be plowed and prepared. Consideration must be given concerning what you are planting. Some plants require more attention than others. God makes stuff grow.

I'd sooner work in God's field than labor in a church factory.

Just Thinking.

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