Transform

About 6-7 years ago Atlanta was flooded. When I say flooded, I mean flooded. Austell was mostly underwater. Six Flags over Georgia was just as bad. The highway next to the theme park had major sections just covered with the Chattahoochee.  That much water changes the landscape a bit. Right in front of our townhome the road just washed away. There was only enough space to get our vehicles out of the driveway. In front of my husband's school the entire road was just obliterated. A huge chasm remained where a road used to be. Similar stories were being told all over the West Atlanta area.  To remember the epic flood, I grabbed one of the exposed rocks. I keep it on my desk as a reminder of the fragility of it all.

The rock I keep on my desk.

When we consider transformation, we often think of the radical kind. It's easy to pinpoint those aching chasms, or new mounds that form overnight. What we don't consider is the ongoing transformation that naturally happens. We don't consider how the Rocky Mountains are slowly transforming into something that will someday look like the Smoky Mountains. Yes, it's going to take thousands upon thousands of years, but it's happening. 

We don't consider the transformation that happens within the natural growth process. Baby becomes child. Child becomes young adult. Young adult becomes adult. It's only when we are looking at those old pictures we see the transformation. We don't consider it day to day. "Oh, child, you have grown one centimeter today!" Sounds silly, doesn't it?

This gets me to my point. Everything in life is in some sort of transformation. Speaking spiritually, every group and person you come in contact with is shaping the future you.  You can't help it. Every interaction, even the small ones, are affecting you in at least a small way. All those small, and not so small changes add up to a transformation you might not realize until years later.

If we want to move the church towards healthy transformation, we must first understand the transformation that has already taken place. Follow these steps, and comment on Facebook or Reddit:

1. Pick a church or organization you have been heavily invested in.  You are going to follow the next steps three times with a different subject in mind: Yourself, the community within the organization/church, the community outside the organization/church. Get a notebook and answer each question with each subject.
2. What were you/the community inside and outside like at the joining of this organization?  If you could go back in time and just lurk around, what would you find?  You want to figure out a few things. The first is obvious: What did this organization/church transform from?  How has it transformed you and the people affected by it? You can't know this unless you figure out what has changed. The second is less obvious: Looking back you might be able to paint a broader picture.  Even if the organization/church was new when you joined it, the other people joining the organizations were bringing in ideas that formed from their own personal transformations. These need to be considered.
3. What are you/the community inside and outside the organization like now? Are there things that are better? Are there areas that are worse? If you want to know where future transformational effort needs to go, consider what has had little to no change, or what has changed for the worse. Perhaps those changes have nothing to do with the church/organization, or perhaps they have everything to do with it. How are you? Are you a better person today because of this organization?  
4. Share what you discovered. Perhaps you understand what you see. Perhaps. Often, we need insight, and second opinions. Go to our Subreddit or our Facebook Page and share your story.

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