FROM THE FIRST FLIGHT AT KITTY HAWK WHERE THE WRIGHT BROTHERS FLEW THEIR AIRCRAFT FOR 12 SECONDS, AT 120 FEET JUST A MERE 20 FEET OFF THE GROUND TO THE AWE-INSPIRING MACH-2 SPEED OF THE LOCKHEED-MARTIN F-22 RAPTOR, WE HAVE WELCOMED CHANGE IN AERONAUTICS.
FROM THE 1908 MODEL-T FORD WITH A TOP SPEED OF 40-45 MILES-PER-HOUR TO THE DODGE VIPER THAT CAN GO FROM 0-60 IN 4.3 SECONDS AT A TOP SPEED OF NEARLY 200 MILES-PER-HOUR, WE’VE ENJOYED THE CHANGES IN AUTOMOTIVES.
WE’VE OPENLY WELCOMED THE CHANGING ADVANCEMENTS OF OTHER TECHNOLOGIES AS WELL: FROM THE PRIMITIVE MANUAL TYPEWRITER OF RIBBONS AND CARBON PAPER TO THE INTRICATE WORLD OF COMPUTERS THAT CONTAIN MEGA-BYTES AND GIGABYTES OF CYBERSPACE, WE’VE ACCEPTED THE CHANGE.
WE HAVE SEEN THE CHANGES OF COMMUNICATION FROM THE GALLIANT HORSES THAT GALLOPED ACROSS THE PONY EXPRESS TO THE “SPLIT-SECOND” DELIVERY OF OUR INTERNET E-MAIL.
WE GLADLY EMBRACE THE ADVANCEMENTS OF TECHNOLOGY AND BUSINESS THAT MAKES OUR LIFE ALMOST EFFORTLESS. WE HAVE DRY CLEANERS TO DO OUR LAUNDRY. WE HAVE CONTRACTED LANDSCAPERS TO MOW OUR LAWN, WE HAVE RESTAURANTS THAT HAVE 24-HOUR MENUS TO PROVIDE ALL OUR DAILY MEALS. WE HAVE DAY-CARE CENTERS TO WATCH OUR CHILDREN. WE HAVE “WEB-MD” TO DIAGNOSE OUR SYMPTOMS AND “WIKIPEDIA” TO EXPLAIN THINGS FOR US WHEN WE DON’T UNDERSTAND. YET, IN ALL OF THE ACCEPTED FORMS OF CHANGE AND ADVANCEMENT, THERE IS STILL ONE THING THAT HAS BEEN LEFT OUT WHEN IT COMES TO ITS HISTORICAL JOURNEY OF CHANGE.
THERE HAS BEEN ONE ORGANIZATION THAT I HAVEN’T MENTIONED YET THAT, FOR THE MOST PART, IS STILL STRUGGLING WITH MOVING AWAY FROM THE COMFORTS OF THE “ROUTINE” AND THE “FAMILIAR” TO STEP OUT IN FAITH INTO THE UNCHARTED RISKS OF THE “UNKNOWNS” OF CHANGE AND TRANSFORMATION. I AM TALKING ABOUT THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH!