Increase in Harvest Means More Poo

Huh? Well, as I was reading through proverbs this morning, one struck me afresh. Proverbs 14:4 says, "Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, but much increase comes by the strength of the ox."

This proverb focuses on a cost/benefit ratio. Solomon makes a few wise observations. You can have a nice clean manger, which means not a lot of work for you, but you're not going to have much of a harvest. Or you could reap a big 'ol fatty harvest and have to deal with some beasts that are eating, drinking, and pooping all over the place.

It made me think of our highly organized churches and missions organizations. We sure do value cleanliness. We like to have all of our structures in place with human resources following everyone around with a wet wipe making sure there are no messes. What would happen if we started unleashing some oxen? I'm not saying we through out all structure and live in chaos, but could we loosen our control a little to allow the freedom and creativity of individuals and different cultures run more broadly? I truly believe when people are allowed to live in freedom, their spirit soars and creativity and passion know no bounds.

Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom give a great example of this when talking about the Burning Man experience in their book "The Starfish and the Spider":

On the one hand, there's freedom to do what you want, but on the other hand, you have added responsibility: because there are no police walking around maintaining law and order, everyone becomes a guardian of sorts. You become responsible for your own welfare and that of those around you. In open systems, the concept of "neighbor" takes on more meaning than just the person next door.

That captures the Burning Man experience. When you put people in an open system, some of them will get high, dance all night long, and attack street signs. But most people will create elaborate art, share snow cones, and try as hard as they can -- in their own way -- to contribute to community. And Burning Man, though outside the mainstream, holds a crucial lesson for businesses [churches]. When you give people freedom, you get chaos, but you also get incredible creativity. Because everyone tries to contribute to the community, you get a great variety of expression -- everything from twenty-foot giraffes to seminars on raw food, to free haircuts, to a five-star hotel-tent.