Pass the Osteoflex

There is ongoing conversation regarding the fact that we seem to be losing members from our American traditional churches. The body of believers called 'the church' is truly a part of the culture in which it exists...and it has to 'move' as the culture moves...this does not mean it has to violate it's own integrity.  I think I've quoted this before on this page, but I want to again.  From Dr. Joe Dispenze (author of Evolve Your Brain and other books)....

"Times are changing.... As individuals awaken to a greater reality, we are part of a much larger sea of change. Our current systems and models of reality are breaking down, and it is time for something new to emerge. Across the board, our models for politics, economics, religion, science, education, medicine, and our relationship with the environment are all showing a differnt landscape than just ten years ago."

Though I prefer the word "movement' in the place of 'change', could this statement ever be more true than RIGHT NOW?  And because movement is everywhere...the body of Believers, called 'the church', has to respond. We cannot sit still; even if we try. What a demonstration of this truth by the God of this Universe in the erosions of landscapes, the movement of seasons, the hatching of an egg, the rotting of wood, the aging of our bodies...CHANGE; The ONLY CONSTANT in our lives.; MOVEMENT, the only possible response. As my doctor says, 'move it or lose it.'

What is 'movement' in the church?  How do we join the flow of the floods of life in our culture and hold fast to the truths of God's Word?  I'm sure I don't have the answer...but I have more questions and I have lots of thoughts. I think about it because I joyfully choose to be part of a traditional church and my spirit soars there.

My first thought is how natural 'movement' is in life...all around us.  The moving waters of streams and rivers; the waves of the sea; and the rustling of leaves in the fall winds.  If we believe that God created all of this, we must certainly believe there are lessons for our lives in these movements. 

Take a tree in a quiet pasture compared to the same tree when a  stormy wind flows through the pasture.  It's more exciting and entertaining to be or observe those near the ends of the branches on calm days...this is where the beautiful birds hang out.  But during  a stomy wind, the birds move elsewhere.  It's the same with us...I hold more tightly to the 'trunk' of strength and security when my life experiences chaos of some kind...or when I'm threatened by some danger.  But I can't hang out hugging the trunk on a daily basis...I would miss the refreshing breezes that cool my skin, and the gentle sway of the branches that teach me life skills such as balance and rhythm.  What life would I have clinging to the trunk and never arriving at the indendence of walking alone.  Remember the bicycle rides on the sidewalks or neighborhood streets when you yelled, "Look Mom, no hands."  That was the moment, though with some risk, that all the movement came together so that you were able to have balance and just move naturally.  Wow...what an accomplishment!  Because I spend more time swaying in the wind and learning my balance there; I am able to sustain a better balance when the storms of life strike...death, illness, financial crisis, divorce, loss of a job. A few years after a divorce, I abandoned these truths of movement and tried to stand still and just grieve.  The consequences were horrific...better to take some osteoflex and keep the movement going. 

Because I experineced the support and grace of God's goodness on the daily swaying branches, I can weather the storms of life without covering my ears, closing my eyes, or clinging to the dumbness of a tree trunk...Instead, I can draw a little closer to the stable trunk, but remain where I still feel the refreshing breezes of the movement of life.  This is what movement is...a little or great 'range' of space to do the dance moves in...free and loose near the branch end most days; a bit more control of dance moves and nearer the trunk in the storm...but never stopping and clinging to the trunk where there is no life movement.

So, as our culture moves in this direction or that, the secure community of Christians will join the moving...maybe in a similar direction; maybe in another direction...and soon enough we've found where the position is between the stagnant trunk and the reckless outern, weaker, tiny branch tips.  There is a place of sweet relief...and it is in the trust we developed out on the branches.  The simple, trusting prayer of an authentic Believer, "Lord, guide us to the place," will be enough.  We don't have to know the address of the destination if we know the guide.

Let's dare to get off the trunk and allow our churches to choose to follow the guide who created it all and has the power to get us to the destination.  We'll need some osteoflex to keep us going sometimes, so that we don't break by changing too fast or too recklessly...just one step at a time; never stopping for very long.  And we'll gather to us new people along the way who are looking for the stability they see in us.  New places of the heart will thrill us and warnings from the same heart will assist in finding the resting place for observing the wonder of the storms.  The tree for observing; perhaps a river's flow for the same...just different perspectives.  I'll wave from a swaying branch wherever I am and we'll safely sustain our balance in the storm.  Our destination address will never be the same from generaton to generation or from culture to culture.  But balance is balance and truth is truth...both belong to the dance on the swaying branch. 

Osteo-flex, anybody?