Rocket Science
Dear friends,
Yesterday NASA postponed the flight of the space shuttle Discovery. It may go off into space on Saturday -- or the launch may be postponed again until September. On the one hand, there is a great deal of "rocket science" at work here. That is, sending the space shuttle to meet the orbiting space station is a lot like a quarterback, who is moving around the backfield, throwing a pass to a potential receiver, who is also moving away from him. The only difference here is that the shuttle example is much more complex.
Of the other hand, the incessant news chatter has to do more with safety than with rocket science. One commentator after another wants to know if the space shuttle will be safe this time. Again and again, NASA officials respond that they are shooting a rocket into space with a human cargo. Of course it is not safe. It is an incredibly high risk project. After the fuel tank sensor malfunction this morning, I heard the space shuttle described as, "A butterfly strapped to a bullet." Likewise, NASA keeps reminding us that there are a million parts and the space shuttle project, and that there will always be surprises -- but that we are willing to take the risk in order to reap the benefits.
I don't want to suggest that the space program is simple by comparison, but as I understand it every time I get out of bed in the morning (and you too for that matter) there are at least a billion parts involved if you include the nervous system. Although something can surely go wrong, we get out of bed and take the colossal risk of going to the bathroom and beginning a new day of mission and service. Although most of us don't think this way, I must admit that I do. I am aware of how I feel when I first stand up in the morning and what is the state of my strength, balance, and range of motion. I can sense the slightest differences in my body even to the extent of changes in the weather. This week, Hurricane Dennis has driven me crazy. Almost from minute to minute I have been on a roller coaster of physical symptoms and emotional lows/highs. I think that all billion of my parts have been working overtime this week.
As we have been thinking about the risks of space travel and the risks of getting out of bed in the morning, it was serendipitous that I should come across a website about "the physics of amusement park rides." Talk about race! Here is a quote about the roller coaster, the ultimate "scream machine."
What you may not realize as you're cruising down the track at 60 miles an hour is that the coaster has no engine. The car is pulled to the top of the first hill at the beginning of the ride, but after that the coaster must complete the ride on its own. You aren't being propelled around the track by a motor or pulled by a hitch. The conversion of potential energy to kinetic energy is what drives the roller coaster, and all of the kinetic energy you need for the ride is present once the coaster descends the first hill.
Once you're underway, different types of wheels help keep the ride smooth. Running wheels guide the coaster on the track. Friction wheels control lateral motion (movement to either side of the track). A final set of wheels keeps the coaster on the track even if it's inverted. Compressed air brakes stop the car as the ride ends.
Think with me about the implications of taking risks for God's mission. We often start the mission as we are "pulled to the top of the first hill," often filled with anxiety and resistance. God bless the pullers -- they are not always fully appreciated at the time. However, once the potential energy is converted into kinetic energy the ride becomes very interesting and very exciting -- almost effortless. The business about the different kinds of wheels gives us reason for comfort during the sometimes stressful freefall of ministry and mission in new situations. I will leave it to you to think about the function of "running wheels," "friction wheels," and "final wheels." We must even give thought to our careful use of the "compressed air brakes."
When we think about the risks and thrills of God's mission, we must also take into consideration that we will encounter both resistance and conflict. I feel it is safe to say that if your church is moving in and uncharted directions, there will be conflict; there will be those persons whose fears outweigh their faith -- and fear is as powerful a propellant as faith. You can count on that!
The next installment of amusement park physics is the ever-popular bumper cars. Please tell me if this description sounds like moments in your church.
Newton's third law of motion comes into play on the bumper cars. This law, the law of interaction, says that if one body exerts a force on a second body, the second body exerts a force equal in magnitude and opposite in direction on the first body. It's the law of action-reaction, and it helps to explain why you feel a jolt when you collide with another bumper car.
While most kids love the idea of banging into their parents and a bumper car, the whole thing is well-controlled -- and quite safe. The amusement park physicist explains:
Bumper car rides are designed so that the cars can collide without much danger to the riders. Each car has a large rubber bumper all around it, which prolongs the impact and diffuses the force of the collision.
I wonder if the kinetic image of "prolonging the impact" could be the interpersonal equivalent of coming together for a missional conversation, a handshake -- or even a hug. I sure hope so.
As I reflect on my billion or so parts I really have two possibilities: I can worry about what might go wrong and give in to paralysis, or I can assume that most if not all of those billion parts will work. The analogy of the human body and nervous system breaks down here. The truth is that in the Church, when a "part" fails or breaks down, other parts move-in almost seamlessly and fill the gap.
The daily lectionary for Tuesday, July 12, includes the story of how a dedicated group of friends carried a paralyzed man on to Jesus for healing. Listen to the first four verses:
My interest today is that the crowds were so great, they could not get their friend close to Jesus. I am tempted here to launch into a self-serving diatribe about handicap friendly restaurants and other public places. However, I want to hold myself -- and the rest of us -- to a higher standard. We are called to carry one another to Jesus, and it is very often very difficult. There is all kinds of resistance, and sometimes it seems like a billion things could go wrong. This could not be further from the truth.
The truth is that something can always go wrong, but a more pressing truth is that something can go right. And when something goes right and God's mission, the results are as spectacular as a predawn liftoff. What the Church does is hardly "rocket science." However, involves just as much risk. I take that risk every time I put a cane in my hand and move in your direction. I can assure you, I will not be easily stopped.
The peace of Christ be with you,
Jim
For Your Prayers
1. On Sunday I will preach twice for the Mars Hill congregation.
2. Pray for our colleagues in Florida Presbytery. I talked with Terry Dyer the new Executive Presbyter about the damage. Although it was not nearly as bad as they had anticipated, there is much work to be done.
3. Many thanks to Kelly Howington and his staff for a great week at Camp Cherokee. Because of the heavy rains, the program was often at "Plan B" level, but everything went quite well. Also, thanks to Craig Clark, Site Manager, who has had to deal with one "surprise" after another. We certainly have a great team!
4. Julie Martin (her spouse Roger is pastor for the Beersheba congregation) is recovering from eye surgery. I know she will appreciate your prayers.
5. Please continue in your prayers for Gary Webb as he struggles with the challenge of chemotherapy.
6. Give thanks for the new pastoral relationship between First Church, Cohutta and Rev. Susan Reggin. There is a good deal of hope and enthusiasm for the future.
7. Congratulations to Sarah Worley (her spouse Ted is pastor for the Woodstock congregation) who has recently been awarded her doctorate in multicultural studies.
8. As always, let us pray for our president and for all the leaders of the world. The terror attacks in London last week both break our hearts and strengthen our resolve to pray for a peaceable world a fashioned by the God of peace.
Yesterday NASA postponed the flight of the space shuttle Discovery. It may go off into space on Saturday -- or the launch may be postponed again until September. On the one hand, there is a great deal of "rocket science" at work here. That is, sending the space shuttle to meet the orbiting space station is a lot like a quarterback, who is moving around the backfield, throwing a pass to a potential receiver, who is also moving away from him. The only difference here is that the shuttle example is much more complex.
Of the other hand, the incessant news chatter has to do more with safety than with rocket science. One commentator after another wants to know if the space shuttle will be safe this time. Again and again, NASA officials respond that they are shooting a rocket into space with a human cargo. Of course it is not safe. It is an incredibly high risk project. After the fuel tank sensor malfunction this morning, I heard the space shuttle described as, "A butterfly strapped to a bullet." Likewise, NASA keeps reminding us that there are a million parts and the space shuttle project, and that there will always be surprises -- but that we are willing to take the risk in order to reap the benefits.
I don't want to suggest that the space program is simple by comparison, but as I understand it every time I get out of bed in the morning (and you too for that matter) there are at least a billion parts involved if you include the nervous system. Although something can surely go wrong, we get out of bed and take the colossal risk of going to the bathroom and beginning a new day of mission and service. Although most of us don't think this way, I must admit that I do. I am aware of how I feel when I first stand up in the morning and what is the state of my strength, balance, and range of motion. I can sense the slightest differences in my body even to the extent of changes in the weather. This week, Hurricane Dennis has driven me crazy. Almost from minute to minute I have been on a roller coaster of physical symptoms and emotional lows/highs. I think that all billion of my parts have been working overtime this week.
As we have been thinking about the risks of space travel and the risks of getting out of bed in the morning, it was serendipitous that I should come across a website about "the physics of amusement park rides." Talk about race! Here is a quote about the roller coaster, the ultimate "scream machine."
What you may not realize as you're cruising down the track at 60 miles an hour is that the coaster has no engine. The car is pulled to the top of the first hill at the beginning of the ride, but after that the coaster must complete the ride on its own. You aren't being propelled around the track by a motor or pulled by a hitch. The conversion of potential energy to kinetic energy is what drives the roller coaster, and all of the kinetic energy you need for the ride is present once the coaster descends the first hill.
Once you're underway, different types of wheels help keep the ride smooth. Running wheels guide the coaster on the track. Friction wheels control lateral motion (movement to either side of the track). A final set of wheels keeps the coaster on the track even if it's inverted. Compressed air brakes stop the car as the ride ends.
Think with me about the implications of taking risks for God's mission. We often start the mission as we are "pulled to the top of the first hill," often filled with anxiety and resistance. God bless the pullers -- they are not always fully appreciated at the time. However, once the potential energy is converted into kinetic energy the ride becomes very interesting and very exciting -- almost effortless. The business about the different kinds of wheels gives us reason for comfort during the sometimes stressful freefall of ministry and mission in new situations. I will leave it to you to think about the function of "running wheels," "friction wheels," and "final wheels." We must even give thought to our careful use of the "compressed air brakes."
When we think about the risks and thrills of God's mission, we must also take into consideration that we will encounter both resistance and conflict. I feel it is safe to say that if your church is moving in and uncharted directions, there will be conflict; there will be those persons whose fears outweigh their faith -- and fear is as powerful a propellant as faith. You can count on that!
The next installment of amusement park physics is the ever-popular bumper cars. Please tell me if this description sounds like moments in your church.
Newton's third law of motion comes into play on the bumper cars. This law, the law of interaction, says that if one body exerts a force on a second body, the second body exerts a force equal in magnitude and opposite in direction on the first body. It's the law of action-reaction, and it helps to explain why you feel a jolt when you collide with another bumper car.
While most kids love the idea of banging into their parents and a bumper car, the whole thing is well-controlled -- and quite safe. The amusement park physicist explains:
Bumper car rides are designed so that the cars can collide without much danger to the riders. Each car has a large rubber bumper all around it, which prolongs the impact and diffuses the force of the collision.
I wonder if the kinetic image of "prolonging the impact" could be the interpersonal equivalent of coming together for a missional conversation, a handshake -- or even a hug. I sure hope so.
As I reflect on my billion or so parts I really have two possibilities: I can worry about what might go wrong and give in to paralysis, or I can assume that most if not all of those billion parts will work. The analogy of the human body and nervous system breaks down here. The truth is that in the Church, when a "part" fails or breaks down, other parts move-in almost seamlessly and fill the gap.
The daily lectionary for Tuesday, July 12, includes the story of how a dedicated group of friends carried a paralyzed man on to Jesus for healing. Listen to the first four verses:
When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them. Then some people came, bringing to him a paralysed man, carried by four of them. And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay.
My interest today is that the crowds were so great, they could not get their friend close to Jesus. I am tempted here to launch into a self-serving diatribe about handicap friendly restaurants and other public places. However, I want to hold myself -- and the rest of us -- to a higher standard. We are called to carry one another to Jesus, and it is very often very difficult. There is all kinds of resistance, and sometimes it seems like a billion things could go wrong. This could not be further from the truth.
The truth is that something can always go wrong, but a more pressing truth is that something can go right. And when something goes right and God's mission, the results are as spectacular as a predawn liftoff. What the Church does is hardly "rocket science." However, involves just as much risk. I take that risk every time I put a cane in my hand and move in your direction. I can assure you, I will not be easily stopped.
The peace of Christ be with you,
Jim
For Your Prayers
1. On Sunday I will preach twice for the Mars Hill congregation.
2. Pray for our colleagues in Florida Presbytery. I talked with Terry Dyer the new Executive Presbyter about the damage. Although it was not nearly as bad as they had anticipated, there is much work to be done.
3. Many thanks to Kelly Howington and his staff for a great week at Camp Cherokee. Because of the heavy rains, the program was often at "Plan B" level, but everything went quite well. Also, thanks to Craig Clark, Site Manager, who has had to deal with one "surprise" after another. We certainly have a great team!
4. Julie Martin (her spouse Roger is pastor for the Beersheba congregation) is recovering from eye surgery. I know she will appreciate your prayers.
5. Please continue in your prayers for Gary Webb as he struggles with the challenge of chemotherapy.
6. Give thanks for the new pastoral relationship between First Church, Cohutta and Rev. Susan Reggin. There is a good deal of hope and enthusiasm for the future.
7. Congratulations to Sarah Worley (her spouse Ted is pastor for the Woodstock congregation) who has recently been awarded her doctorate in multicultural studies.
8. As always, let us pray for our president and for all the leaders of the world. The terror attacks in London last week both break our hearts and strengthen our resolve to pray for a peaceable world a fashioned by the God of peace.
posted by Pierce | 8:18 AM
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