Thursday 19th July: Enjoying my last few days of holiday (at home) I decided this morning to go on a motorbike ride. Lyn had to go to a funeral - so it was a great chance to take my newly cleaned and polished Blackbird out for a spin. Heading out through Brentwood I took the road to Ongar - not a road I use often but a great back road for a Bike. I was rather surprised to see a sign for the 'Secret Nuclear Bunker'. It wasn't a 'hidden' sign but one of those brown, tourist attraction signs. Seemed a bit odd, I thought. Surely if you advertise something on a brown, tourist attraction sign you can't call it 'secret' any longer. Wouldn't it be more appropriate to rename it the 'once upon a time was a bit hush hush, but now known by millions nuclear bunker'! Not content only to advertise the secret, the next sign directed me to a car park to accommodate all the people wanting to see the 'once upon a time was a bit hush hush but now known by millions' bunker.
I pondered this as I rode (as you do) and wondered if they would get as many customers if it wasn't advertised as 'secret'. If it was any old bunker would people want to see it? Probably not, eh? I thought some more - riding a bike is a good stimulus for thinking, obviously, and wondered if this is perhaps the same attraction which makes gossiping so interesting. If you are reading this thinking 'I don't find gossiping interesting', I'm afraid I don't believe you. We love it when we have a secret which we can share (confidentially, of course) with others. If the secret is a bit 'juicy' then all the better. It's my experience that the church is certainly not immune to this attraction. I thought some more (that's 3 thoughts in one day - pretty good, eh?) - and recalled the advice I was given when I joined the Rotary Club a few years ago. Rotarians call it the '3 way test'. Actually, it's the 4-way test (I almost forget one of the tests, sorry).
These are:
1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL & BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
It's not a bad test for all church members to sign up to, is it? Perhaps some of our secret 'bunkers' should actually remain that way?
Anyway - that's my Thursday morning 'ponder' - I share it with my friends (and I'm pretty chuffed to know that I have 6 since setting up my Facebook page!!) for your edification. Have a nice day!
I pondered this as I rode (as you do) and wondered if they would get as many customers if it wasn't advertised as 'secret'. If it was any old bunker would people want to see it? Probably not, eh? I thought some more - riding a bike is a good stimulus for thinking, obviously, and wondered if this is perhaps the same attraction which makes gossiping so interesting. If you are reading this thinking 'I don't find gossiping interesting', I'm afraid I don't believe you. We love it when we have a secret which we can share (confidentially, of course) with others. If the secret is a bit 'juicy' then all the better. It's my experience that the church is certainly not immune to this attraction. I thought some more (that's 3 thoughts in one day - pretty good, eh?) - and recalled the advice I was given when I joined the Rotary Club a few years ago. Rotarians call it the '3 way test'. Actually, it's the 4-way test (I almost forget one of the tests, sorry).
These are:
1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL & BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
It's not a bad test for all church members to sign up to, is it? Perhaps some of our secret 'bunkers' should actually remain that way?
Anyway - that's my Thursday morning 'ponder' - I share it with my friends (and I'm pretty chuffed to know that I have 6 since setting up my Facebook page!!) for your edification. Have a nice day!
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