Slinkys and the church

Han Finzel has written an excellent book entitled, "Change is like a Slinky".

Do you remember Slinkys? I know I do. The Slinky spring toy was one of my all-time favorites as a child.

He writes that change is a lot like a Slinky.

Why Change is like a slinky:

1. You have to take it out of the box to have fun with it.
2. It comes in many styles and colors.
3. Somebody has to launch it on its way.
4. The course it takes once it begins is entirely unpredictable.
5. It routinely gets stuck halfway down the stairs, and has to be relaunched. Repeat as necessary.
6. It is messy, noisy, and chaotic.
7. Before it is launched, it has stored potential energy - when launched, that energy force becomes kinetic energy.
8. You really don't control it once it begins it journey.
9. It rarely lands where you predict.

He writes, "A Slinky is one long continuous wire that loops around as it forms a long cylindrical tube. It is a two-inch stack of ninety-eight coils. Change is like that as well; it loops around and continually regenerates itself as an ever-spiraling process.....Change happens constantly. Leaders initiate it, but others cause it to happen just as often. The effective leader is the person who harnesses, then processes change for the good of the organization......Just like Slinky's endless metal loop, change goes in cycles. These cycles are like cyclones swirling throughout our organizations. Some are tiny, like the dirt devils we watched with fascination in a parking lot as young children - dirt and debris circling up and down and around, tracing an unpredictable path. Others are larger and can do more damage. One is fizzling out as the next is gaining steam. Like waves crashing on the beach, they just keep coming and cannot be controlled. Maybe this is why I also love watching the ocean. Something about waves and campfires...they are fun to stare at because now two waves or flames are ever alike."

Good stuff.

What changes would you like to see around Stone Church?