Free Unleashing The Power Of Rubber Bands by Nancy Ortberg

and watched as his eyes scan the surface of the water. He often stands in silence, the look onhis face serious and considering. He is managing tensions. Really, the only immediate decision to be made is will he go in or won’t he? Before and after that, it’s still all about managing tensions. He will have to hold everything he knows right next to all that he doesn’t know and live in that in-between place, where each wave is different and the wind can shift in a moment.
    Many of the organizations I have worked in and that I work with now deal with the constant tension of infrastructure and innovation. You’ve got to have both. But they are not necessarily great roommates; they rarely get along and often compete.
    Infrastructure versus innovation is not a problem to be solved, but rather a tension to be managed. And the struggle is not going to go away with a carefully timed decision. The interplay of the two, the necessity and the friction, are here to stay.
    Our firm is currently working with a company that produces a lot of creative products in the form of TV commercials, radio spots, and print ads. Because what they produce demands innovative ideas, this company employs a boatload of creative people. But since it is a business, it also needs systems, procedures, administration, and detail-oriented people.
    Meetings are a challenge. The systems people get frustrated when deadlines are missed, requests aren’t filled out, and budgets aren’t met. The creative people accuse the systems people of squelching their artistic inspiration with all these rules. And they remind the systems people that this is a creative business and that without the creative people, there would be no business.
    Is this a problem to be solved or a tension to bemanaged?
    In the same vein, think about the particular challengethat churches often face when it comes to passion and humility. Seemingly an endangered species, humble people rightly reflect the spirit of Christ in so many ways. Humility was portrayed clearly in the Gospels, and was such a defining characteristic that the New Testament writers were still recounting its virtues in Philippians and beyond. Humility puts us in right relationship to both God and to others; it sets the tone for our biblical community and allows us to serve and releases us from the need to compare and measure. In many ways, humility frees us up to be the best followers, the best leaders, and the most content children of God.
    However (and that is a key word in the world of ten-sions), I have encountered people in churches who use this very wonderful word as a shield to hide behind as they work to avoid change, steer clear of truth, and relentlessly maintain the status quo, even when it renders them and the message of the gospel completely irrelevant to those who need it most. Humility can become a “get out of jail free” card that protects against accountability and honesty. I have seen it used as a shameless defense for protecting a personalviewpoint and as a weapon for destroying any sign of pride in a job well done.
    Humility frees us up to be the best followers, the best leaders, and the most content children of God.
    So what is one to do with humility? Embrace it because it reflects Christ? That can’t bethe wrong answer. But what about all its misuses? Is humility the only thing we need; is it the end of the story? I don’t think so. In order to truly understand humility, we must consider it in relation to other issues and values.
    So let’s add passion to the mix. Perhaps at first glance, these two qualities appear to be somewhat opposite, competing even. Certainly there is some truth to that. In much of the work I have done in and with postmodern (or whatever the current language is) churches, I see a lot of passion. The people in these churches exude an energy that is palpable, a zeal that drives toward missional, and an enthusiasm for change and faith that restores hope. Passion breathes life into