Tinkertoys
I have a vivid memory of my first set of Tinkertoys. I remember following the directions to build a "space-ship." I remember asking my dad to help me add more things on it. I remember frustration building with my disappointment that "it wasn't working." In my child's mind, I thought, "This spaceship should fly! I built it. Maybe it's missing something. Maybe if I add more things..." Sometimes I think back to this memory as I view church congregations trying to build something that should fly like they expect it to. "This should bring in more people. It's what the other churches are doing that have more people. Why aren't our programs 'working?' We *look* like the other churches." I think back to my child's mind thinking, "I want to build a Space Ship!" And I did - I built the one based on the model I knew. It was never going to fly. It didn't use materials that would make it space-worthy. In