McThinking

Do you like these? I confess. I do. Recently, I bought some for my DS 1 and as I snagged one from his box, the question came to me.

How many people LOVE McDonald's fries? I am fairly certain if we were in a large auditorium and posed the question, a majority of hands would go up.


What if we changed the question, however, to the following:

How many people like McDonald's fries 20 minutes after they are cooked? I am pretty sure the number of hands would be significantly less than those raised after the first question. They lose "something" as they sit longer, don't they? Even when they sit directly under the warmer lights of the restaurant too long, they can get "stale" tasting and cold. It happens pretty fast when you really think about it. I've thrown away entire boxes because they were just a bit cooler than their best.

This made me, again, reflect on the conversations my DH and I have been having about churches lately. I think we are a "McThinking Generation". We want our churches to keep the same flavor they had the day we walked in the door. We expect they are going to cater to our needs and fulfill our hunger each and everytime we are gathered. And we do not expect those moments of "cooling" to happen.

Something draws each person to his or her place of worship. I think we need to ask ourselves, "What was it that drew me to this place?" It may have been the people, the music, the pastor, the preaching, the ambience, the creativity. It may have been just about anything. It's our responsibility to know that we are in the place where God would have us be.

Whatever it is, or was, though, there is a potential danger. The danger is that after a short time, we forget the "attractor" and focus on the current condition or state. We forget that God placed us there. And sometimes, just like the fries, after a few visits or a few months, people throw their hands in the air and suddenly walk away. They think it's stale or has lost its flavor.

And when I really think about it, this has been human nature since groups of "God's followers" began being recorded in the Bible.

• Adam and Eve thought there was something "better tasting" than what God had already given them.


• Esau thought there was something better so he sold his birthright to his brother!


• Moses' followers begged him to take them back to Egypt after walking across the Red Sea on DRY LAND. They wanted to go BACK to captivity and slavery rather than follow God's direction.


• Samson lost his focus and let Delilah trick him.


• Peter denied knowing Jesus on the same night he'd partaken of the Last Supper with his friend.

These were "McThinkers"...they wanted something faster, better, bigger, more tasty than what their current circumstance was presenting to them. And in going after it, they threw their hands up and traded God's best for something less. I think they missed out on huge blessings.

Over and over again in our ministry, I've seen people walk out the church doors in a huff. When you get right down to it, usually something didn't go the way someone wanted and they "packed up their toys and went home." Certainly, there are situations where I think a change is good and positive and the right thing for all involved....I suspect, however, that most times when people exit otherwise healthy churches (and healthy is the key word here) with little or no explanation, it's due to "McThinking".

When I see this I want to ask, "Would you like fries with that?" Does God REALLY change His mind that quickly?



{Note: I do NOT think staying in an unhealthy church setting is necessary. I DO think that people often run too fast, and that is what I am talkinga bout here.}

One thing I know for certain is that God is NOT a "McThinker". He is not wishy washy. He doesn't take us somewhere to leave us there without direction. Nope. He's steady. He's a rock. He's more about a long feast with the ebb and flow of conversation vs. the fast food restaurant.

So, my questions change a bit in the context of the church:

• Do we LOVE our church? Is it where God wants us to be? Will we love it in 2 months? 2 years?


• And, when our enthusiasm seems to wane just a bit, will we try and be part of the solution before just throwing up our hands and walking away?


• Will we pray and seek God's direction and avoid putting answers in our minds that we want to hear and are not from Him?

Or, will we be "McThinkers"? I sincerely hope not.