In a Battle of wits we may have a new winner…
Last evening, during our VBS (vacation Bible School), I found myself in the position of responsible adult for an underage injured puppet. Funny thing, though, I discovered that my puppet expressed exactly what was on my mind. Amazing! Everything I was thinking about is what came out of the mouth of my alter-ego, Travis. His interaction with his puppet friend yielded, coincidently, everything, right down to the inflection, that his "handler" wanted him to say as well. They seem to be only as smart and cute as those exercising control over them and the moment I put them down, they lost their ability to speak, feel, and react. They went lifeless.
Which reminds me of those Furbys we purchased for our kids years ago; ugly little creatures who moved robotically, and whose talking remind me of that character in Star Wars, who struggles with misplaced syntax. Low and behold, when we placed them facing each other and let them "talk" to one another, they thrived; they talked back and forth, responded to one another and even offered "follow-up" to the other's previous comments– ingenious. I wonder if real people could benefit from this? I know that our weekly meetings with our fellow entrepreneurs is of great value to Deb and me as a tool for our growth, and I know that I value my colleagues at the colleges I teach at for the intellectual stimulation they offer and the men I meet with on Fridays are a great source of encouragement and laughter….But, what if?
What if, adults and teens could find a place, a context, a laboratory where there is a a face to face conversation; where needs could be shared; curiosity stimulated, and motivation for "great things" could be fostered? It just might be the next big thing, because it would do what even some well meaning institutions like the PTA, Kiwanis Club, Boy Scouts, and every other gathering of volunteers, and even the local tavern cannot do… And that is, what God really wants to accomplish in his world, to minister to the hurts and needs of the world with Kingdom Power, Jesus Power, which by the way, is what God created the CHURCH to do. So why not give it a whack; one thing for sure, its the only institution on earth with a succession plan– its power reaches into eternity.
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