“How not to…”

I work a lot with the Heifetz distinction between “technical” challenges and “adaptive” challenges, in part because I think that distinction is a really helpful one amidst all the change we’re going through. One way you can tell you’re leaning towards the technical, rather than the adaptive, is to follow someone else’s “how to” advice. Which is why this blogpost from Post-Rapture is so pertinent:

"It is hard to preach a sermon written for a particular group of people to a completely different group of people. Because, you know, they are different people. Nothing is sadder than to see a beautiful congregation of fifty members that has been around for a hundred years in a small town in rural Iowa turn themselves inside out, chop up their organ, spend what little money they have on technology (cordless mic.s and keyboards are favorite starters, then on to the projector and the power point) all because one of the board members attended a Willow Creek training and bought the “How To” book at the sales table on the way out."

Post-Rapture goes on to say, in a later post:

"I used to be so steady. I used to be so sure. I used to know all the answers. I used to ride my bike with no hands. Now I just concentrate on moving the pedals. I used believe as hard as a rock, now everything is soft and I only have a little faith. Only a little faith. Only a little.

I used to be so rock solid sure; I used to misunderstand so much. And I used to preach that misunderstanding, preach it hard like my rock of faith. And I used to pound that misunderstanding hard until other people believed it./

I used to be so sure.

Now I preach questions and a little faith. And reaching out to take the steady hand of Jesus and to reach out to steady someone else. And forgiveness, I preach forgiveness. I do this not for any credit in heaven or eternal reward, but because this is how I try to live my life.

I try to have a little faith and two outstretched hands. A little faith and two outstretched hands."

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Hat tip to TheCorner for the link!