Phenomenon:groundswell

After hunting local bookstores on and off for a couple weeks, I finally got my hands on a copy of this bright green book. Although, I know I'm a couple years late in the game, it was published 2 years ago, I thought it might be nice to reflect on some of my considerations concerning the social phenomenon, known as the groundswell, that is affecting pretty much the core of how we communicate, connect with others, share information, and define our relationships.
I've read half of it so far and it has been quite intriguing, of course not in the same way as the chapter 9 of Life-Study of Exodus, (you really can't beat Zipporah calling Moses a "bloody husband". You pretty much can't find anything out there that comes close), but none the less pretty compelling.

So what exactly is the groundswell?
It's a social trend in which people use technologies to get the things they need from each other, rather than from traditional institution like corporations.

So why is it relevant? Well for you, for me, and for most of the population out there, it is affecting the way we connect with people, what we do online, how we find information and how we share information with those we care about, (or those we don't even know). Just think Facebook... how many pieces of useless information can you gather from your "friends" at any particular moment you sign in, and yet despite not sharing information of great intrinsic value...on any given day, somehow I find myself spending at least sometime everyday to check on what's going on in my "network" because I value the relationships.


Isn't it ironic that at the end of the day, after all is said and done, it is the innate human need to connect with others (God put that in us) and to share and speak our thoughts, considerations and findings (also God created) that is the driving factor in the groundswell. So does that mean God indirectly created the groundswell? Think about it...

Anyway, for me, it's especially relevant as I continue to consider how to pick up technology by the tail (referenced from chapter 8 of LS Exodus) in the midst of this social phenomenon and use it for the advance of God's purpose. How can we tap into the groundswell, listen to it, talk to it, energize it and embrace it for the spread of the Word and the ministry? Also, I just find this stuff kind of fascinating because I am just a big nerd who loves reading about what exactly makes people tick. It's the psychology and business major in me that screams "yay!", "wow!", "fascinating!" as I am reading through the case studies and market research that are presented in this book.

However, as I'm reading more and more, I can't help but think how much the principles presented in this book align with so many principles revealed in the Bible concerning how to build up the Body of Christ. It is through the operation of each one part that the Body builds itself up in love (Eph. 4:15-16). It is through the functioning of many members that the Body can move and act according to God's desire. It is the fellowship (connections) and flow (of information) through the speaking that keeps the Body supplied, healthy and active.

It pretty amazing in the age of the groundswell to see the impact individual human beings cooperating together can have on large corporations. How much more can we who share the same divine life as our Father and with one another cooperate with the Lord and coordinate with one another as the Body of Christ to defeat the enemy?

Stiff Neck..:(

Yup that's right. For the 5th time within the last two years I have managed to some how give myself what most people would call a stiff neck, also known as a major pain in my neck in the physical and literal sense of the terms. It's a muscle spasm that won't away, limits your peripheral vision, makes you a robot of sorts and drives you absolutely crazy. So needless to say having a stiff neck in the physical sense is at minimum not fun at all and at the opposite extreme completely debilitating and demoralizing. 


So how can this be applied to us spiritually, after all the purpose of this blog is to offer some spiritual refreshment in the middle of the day no matter what the season, even a stiff necked season. 


What better way to find out the spiritual significance than to look to the Bible... so I did a search for verses in the Bible reference a stiff neck. Depending on the translation, you get roughly 15-20 results of verses that reference a stiff neck in relation to to rebelliousness and stubbornness of God's people, the children of Israel. Actually though, we are the same in nature as they are and we should have no trust in ourselves. Rather we need to continually come to the Lord and receive Him into our being. And for this we need some flexible, pliable, supportive necks that match our Head. 


So what exactly are the functions of the neck anyway? We don't really think about these things until it it stops functioning in the proper way. But for the most part the neck...

• Attaches the head to the trunk, or the rest of the body. (Wow...very significant if you look at in from the perspective of the Body of Christ. The neck is what connects the head, Christ, to the body, the church.)
• Supports the head and facilitates its movements (also significant, since without the neck the body can't move or support the head. God needs us for His move.)
• It is a conduit for: the respiratory, digestive and nervous system (That means our neck can affect our breathing, eating, feeling/sensitivity.)
• It accommodates the larynx, endocrine glands (It also affects our speaking and proper growth.)
• Conducts arteries, veins and lymphatics to/from the body to/from the head (Finally, it affects the circulation and fellowship of the body to the head and the head to the body)

I know I could be totally off in these things, but I think there may be something here. (The Lord cover me. I'm not preaching this as a doctrine or anything.) However, it does seem to me that our spiritual "neck" so to speak is very much related to our relationship with Christ our head and the His body, all the other believers on the earth. What we need in our spiritual life is a neck that is beautiful and flexible. This is a matter of our transformed (or our being transformed as we speak) will, which is submissive and obedient to the Lord. If we have such a will, there will be no pain for the Head or the Body...and wouldn't that be nice? I can't really remember, where I got this stuff, but I'm hoping that it is something that has been constituted into me from the ministry of our dear brother Witness Lee. Anyway...may the Lord soften our "necks" for His purpose and my physical neck also, unless it is working out something for His purpose.