Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Wonder


This business / science article is about choice versus possibilities. It is a fascinating glimpse into human functioning.
The money quote:

“The first thing needed for innovation is a fascination with wonder,” says Dawna Markova, author of “The Open Mind” and an executive change consultant for Professional Thinking Partners. “But we are taught instead to ‘decide,’ just as our president calls himself ‘the Decider.’ ” She adds, however, that “to decide is to kill off all possibilities but one. A good innovational thinker is always exploring the many other possibilities.”

How I wish we could be more open to exploring the possibilities of the Gospel. The danger of institutionalizing anything is that it can become stuck in one methodology. I am no radical, but I often find myself longing for more from the Church.

This Sunday, we will celebrate Pentecost and the arrival of the Holy Spirit. The lessons focus on the power of God becoming present and empowering the followers of Jesus. It is clear that we are talking about a new phase of creation. It is a creation of cooperation and connection. It is a creation of mutuality and understanding flowing from the very essence of God.

I would love to see more of that.

Can You Become a Creature of New Habits?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Chris:
Thanks for sharing this article with all of us. With a computer only at work (which must put me in the minority), I faithfully read and enjoy your blogs -- but don't always have the time to respond. I like the fact that we benefit from your wide reading habits of all types of materials.
With so much uncertainty in the world, with so many changes (or what gets labeled as change), many of us might feel reassured by constancy and clarity offered by our institutionalized faiths. Yet, you raise as does Markova, some good concerns to reflect upon.
Thank you!

Chris+ said...

Thx Harriet,

I like constancy as well, and find it comforting. The question in my mind is the difference between form and matter. What is the essence and what is window dressing? I would like to think I am obsessed with the essence, and appropriately concerned with the rest.

I don't care for change for the sake of change. I do find development attractive, when it enables us to better address the core. For me it connects with the 7th mark of a healthy church. It means being open to the fact that God is always God, but God might be calling me to be more fully me.

Glad to know you are out there.

Peace,
Chris+