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Chaos Theory I was thinking how CHAOS leads people to respond in two primarily different ways. On the one hand CHAOS elicits a response or reaction of trying to take or seize control. People want order and they attempt to get it by taking control. Control kills creativity. This is ironic because the only true way to true order is creativity. So the movement is not
Chaos to Control to Order
but
Chaos to Creativity to Order
The former way leads to tyranny. The latter leads to freedom. The former seems easy and is in actuality the essence of temptation. The latter is seems hard and impractical and is the essence of the beautiful. The former works through compliance; the latter through empowerment. In the one obedience is forced; in the other obedience is inspired.
Think about Creation. From Chaos came Creation which became Order.
Now think about the latter religious initiatives of Israel-- at the time of Christ. They faced Chaos in their land. The religious renewal movements sought to seize control in order to establish order. In their minds Messiah would be all about this agenda of control. Then Messiah comes and he turns out not to look like control at all but Creativity. And the amazing thing is that Creativity was bringing forth a new order out of the Chaos-- blind see! lame walk! deaf hear! dead raised! lepers cured! poor hear good news! The True Order--the Kingdom of Heaven-- came through the True Way: Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
NOw think about the cross. At the cross, Control arrested and crucified Creativity in the quest for Order and what ensued was ULTIMATE CHAOS-- HUMANITY MURDERS GOD! But . . . . . . .
FROM CHAOS came CREATIVITY and the new order continued. . . . . . and we pray every day
THY KINGDOM COME. THY WILL BE DONE. ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.
the real question has to do with leadership-- control or creativity. any thoughts?
photo from CliffView Retreat Center outside Danville, Kentucky
Labels: theology
posted by John David Walt | at 9/28/2005 10:24:00 PM
Today...
7 Comments:
I think you're on to something, John David. (Oh yeah, welcome back. The blog world isn't the same without you.) I have been wrestling with this very concept in two different areas in ministry just this week.
The church I serve has gone full-steam at hurricane relief work. There are two very different approaches (held by people on our staff) to how we should foster the work of local missions within the context of the local church. Some want to see us control it and try and bring order and programs to help the people live out the call to the least of these. Others on the staff would rather encourage the people to live into the chaos and let their own creativity emerge as to how to best be Jesus to people who are displaced and suffering. The amazing thing is that the powerful stories that are coming back to us from people who have really stepped up are from the latter category. They are people who on their own initiative responded creatively and found God using them in tremendous ways.
The other area is with a new worship service we have just begun. We worked really hard to get the control part down. We had it figured out. Then our worship leader quit two days before the first service. I was scared to death, but God showed up in the chaos. People have begun stepping up with the creativity, and it is becoming something we never imagined.
Just random thoughts. I shared your concept with my leadership team tonight. They agreed that it is right on.
awesome Nolan-- this is what i'm talking about. thanks for reflecting with me.
awesome Nolan-- this is what i'm talking about. thanks for reflecting with me.
Water is lifegiving. Yet, when it becomes stagnant, it is susceptible to bacteria and disease and things which bring death.
- water that flows down the same river doesn't get bored of that same river. There is a flowing creativity to the current. it flows around rocks, and pebbles, and plants.
- i'm being kind of naturalistic i know, but think about it. We all have springs of life giving water flowing from within. And they're MEANT to flow - amongst all the potential hazards.
maybe leadership is the ablility to empower those around to keep the flow going, amidst the chaos of life?
Are you John David Walt from Dumas AR??
yes-- that's me. pls introduce yourself? jd
I'm Michael Daniel, also from Dumas. I graduated from high school in 1977. I'm Joey's older brother, and your mom was UMY leader at one time.
I had heard that you were an elder. I stumbled onto another blog, and that writer had you listed as "JDWalt". I took a shot.
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