The Law of Confusion
You may need to read this twice: if you really want to help someone understand something you need to confuse them. That probably makes no sense, but it will. It all comes back to body building. Don't you love it when people say that :) If you want to build your muscles to their maximum potential you need to confuse them. Our bodies are amazingly adaptive. So if you follow the same routine each time your work, your muscles will adapt. You need to change your sequence or exercise to keep confusing your muscles. If you do the same thing over and over again your muscles get used to it and stop growing. The same is true intellectually and spiritually.
Psychologists call it inattentional blindness. We tune out those things we see over and over again. We do the same thing with background noise. You don't notice your furnace anymore. When we first moved into the city, the sirens kept us awake at night. Guess want gets our attention now? No sirens. I remember our first vacation after living in the city. It was so quiet we could hardly sleep!
Ever notice that Jesus didn't give "easy answers." He often answered questions with questions. He wanted people to discover the truth for themselves. He wasn't content with second-hand knowledge. He wanted people to have a first-hand experience. He didn't want people to memorize truth. He wanted them to internalize it and personalize it. So sometimes he added to the confusion instead of resolving it. That takes guts, but that is part of leadership and communication.
Every pitcher needs a good change up. Their may have an overpowering fastball, but hitters will adjust and adapt and eventually hit the fast ball. But a change up keeps hitters second-guessing. Pastors need a change-up pitch. We need to mix things up every once in a while. When you do something unpredictable it forces people to confront their assumptions and expectations.
Most people go through the motions most Sundays. They have learned how and forgotten why. They sing from memory instead of singing "in spirit and in truth." They pray "rote" prayers that lack conviction and faith.
Can I share a pet-peeve? A few years ago we had an intern at NCC and at our first meeting, an incredibly important meeting determining our second location, he couldn't stop yawning. A yawn means I'm bored or tired or disinterested. I took him aside after our first break and told him that a yawn communicates the wrong message. I'm afraid that too many Christians are yawning through our services. Someone needs to do a nation wide study on yawning in church. Chuches are too boring. We ought to be on the edge of our seats waiting to see what the Holy Spirit is going to do next. The Holy Spirit practices the law of confusion. Sometimes he confuses us to help us understand. I know that's confusing, but there is understanding on the near-side of confusion and understanding on the far-side of confusion. Here's the bottom line: more churches need to be more confusing!
How can the disciples of the Creator be boring? How is that even possible? How can we have so few ideas when we are in the relationship with the one who invented everything? I don't think we should be different for difference sake. But each church has a unique DNA. To try to be like someone else is to second-guess God.
Psychologists call it inattentional blindness. We tune out those things we see over and over again. We do the same thing with background noise. You don't notice your furnace anymore. When we first moved into the city, the sirens kept us awake at night. Guess want gets our attention now? No sirens. I remember our first vacation after living in the city. It was so quiet we could hardly sleep!
Ever notice that Jesus didn't give "easy answers." He often answered questions with questions. He wanted people to discover the truth for themselves. He wasn't content with second-hand knowledge. He wanted people to have a first-hand experience. He didn't want people to memorize truth. He wanted them to internalize it and personalize it. So sometimes he added to the confusion instead of resolving it. That takes guts, but that is part of leadership and communication.
Every pitcher needs a good change up. Their may have an overpowering fastball, but hitters will adjust and adapt and eventually hit the fast ball. But a change up keeps hitters second-guessing. Pastors need a change-up pitch. We need to mix things up every once in a while. When you do something unpredictable it forces people to confront their assumptions and expectations.
Most people go through the motions most Sundays. They have learned how and forgotten why. They sing from memory instead of singing "in spirit and in truth." They pray "rote" prayers that lack conviction and faith.
Can I share a pet-peeve? A few years ago we had an intern at NCC and at our first meeting, an incredibly important meeting determining our second location, he couldn't stop yawning. A yawn means I'm bored or tired or disinterested. I took him aside after our first break and told him that a yawn communicates the wrong message. I'm afraid that too many Christians are yawning through our services. Someone needs to do a nation wide study on yawning in church. Chuches are too boring. We ought to be on the edge of our seats waiting to see what the Holy Spirit is going to do next. The Holy Spirit practices the law of confusion. Sometimes he confuses us to help us understand. I know that's confusing, but there is understanding on the near-side of confusion and understanding on the far-side of confusion. Here's the bottom line: more churches need to be more confusing!
How can the disciples of the Creator be boring? How is that even possible? How can we have so few ideas when we are in the relationship with the one who invented everything? I don't think we should be different for difference sake. But each church has a unique DNA. To try to be like someone else is to second-guess God.
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