Digging Trenches

trench: A long, narrow ditch or hole dug in the ground...Wikipedia

I used to love english class and language arts. Don't get me wrong I hated diagramming sentences in high school as much as the next guy. Now that Zachary is getting beyond some of the basics in school they are looking at parts of speech, prefixes and suffixes, etc...

While traveling from the airport last Friday the road construction in Jamaica seemed to be everywhere. When we were here 2 years ago they said the highway should be finished within 8-12 months.. I guess everything really does move on island time here, usually a good thing - but not when it comes to roads. As we rode the two hours to our resort, I kept noticing these orange. signs that read - WARNING OPEN TRENCH. It usually resulted in seeing a 2ft. wide concrete gulley on the berm of the road that was probably 4ft. deep.
It made me think of a few things.

First, I thought of King Hezekiah's Tunnel in the Old Testament. I had the chance to visit it about 20 years ago - the water was much cooler than here in the Caribbean. While larger than just a trench it had a very specific purpose. To aid the movement and supply of water in the city. The trench in Jamaica serves a specific and practical purpose as well: to keep the roads from flooding. To me, these types of trenches or tunnels seem all right.

Now - back to the english analogy. Add the prefix -en to the word and it takes on a whole new meaning or sense of purpose. From an Army General's perspective you don't want your soldiers to use a trench for an entire war, let alone an entire battle. You want them on the offensive. If they remain in the trench, they only ever gain one perspective on the situation. They rely on the General's vantage point to aid them. (Those MENSA members reading this probably already know where I'm headed with this.)

As I walked around the resort this week, played golf with different folks, even met parents who grew up one town over from my wife, I saw people very similar to me. Zach made friends with kids just like him, and Noah had his face painted like Spider-Man(I'll post a pic once Caryn teaches me.). What makes these folks different from me? From merely outward appearance - nothing (if you overlook my lack of 6-pack abs.). So why in the Army are these folks not flocking to us. Is it our calling?

Many things have haunted me for years with the Army I love. For one - our outward appearance. Whether our own people term us "The Most Effective Organization..." or Forbes Magazine rates us near the top each year for being "fiscally responsible with donors money" - we don't exist for good PR. While some may say it's a necessary evil in today's society, it's not why God has blessed this church.


Is it possible that we have become entrenched? This could bring a feeling of comfort and safety. Is it because experiences of the past have caused us to build our own trenches, rather than risking the danger that comes with stepping beyond the trench. Building our own trenches has a compounding effect on the church. Things can quickly become stagnant, like with still water. Bad habits become routine and after a while numbness sets in. How do we battle this?

Thinking back to the people like me I saw this week. Church growth happens for a myriad of reasons. Charismatic preacher, influx of new residents, crisis that brings unity, etc... Now, I don't think we are called to be a mega-church in today's context, but how do we sustain growth in this post-modern generation and for future generations?

Well, I think I've gone on for longer than normal and I'll leave it for another time. Like one of my favorite Arsenio Hall segments used to say, "things that make you go hhmmmm...