Turtle Teaching

This morning my turtle (Alfie) and I went to a first grade classroom at Geneva Elementary School to teach the students about turtles. They were awesome! It's funny how they are so quick to ask questions and share about their own turtle experiences. When is it in life that we stop asking questions and telling good stories, and start acting like experts all the time. I think I need to find that age and stop kids from growing past that point - become a Catcher in the Rye, of some sort.

Speaking of turtles, I had a recent conversation with somebody about the old story of the tortoise and the hare. The main point, of course, is that the hare is faster in the short run, but over the long haul, he doesn't make it, and "slow and steady wins the race."

But what if it was a relay? Suddenly things wouldn't look so bright for our turtle friend as the long distance is easily covered by multiple rabbit sprinters!

Is it just me, or does the modern church seem like a turtle; well fortified, slow, ancient, and somewhat boring, and not all that important in the whole scheme of things. Now what if postmodern churches are acting like the rabbits? The truth is, they can't run the entire race, but they can run their leg of it. Then the challenge is to run as hard as you can, and make sure to know when your time is up so you can pass the baton smoothly to the next runner. I know people are saying that the postmodern church's time will be short, but that's okay. First of all, most people who say this only know of things like Emergent and don't understand the philosophical and scientific revolutions that are changing world-wide culture. But even going beyond that, the forms of being the church that we are currently devising will ultimately become outdated, and that is okay as long as we run our race well and are willing to pass the baton on to the next thing God does with his church.

Just some random thoughts on turtles...
Peace,
Matt

Currently reading: Guerrilla Warfare by Che Guevara.