Do You Require The Show?

I had an interesting experience recently and it got me thinking about our culture today. Whether we are talking about church or business or even our schools, it seems more and more that members of the audience require “The Show” before they will engage. Have you seen this to be the case?

Perfectly Clear Message?

I was in church recently and listened to one of the clearest and most detailed explanations of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. This was one of those rare instances in my experience when the actual meaning of discipleship was being presented in a way that even a 4th grade student could fully understand.

I was so excited because I think this topic is not discussed frequently enough these days. As I looked around to check the engagement of the audience, I was shocked to see so many that looked like they had checked out! I could not believe it!

No Engagement?

Before I go any further, please know that I KNOW I cannot read everyone’s minds. I KNOW I am only making some assumptions here, but believe you will agree with me if you think about it.

The more I tried to figure out the reason for the many blank stares, the more I became convinced that the problem was the lack of “The Show”. What I mean is that this particular message did not use pictures, lasers or lights, smoke, or music. In this case, the pastor was simply teaching.

Is Something Wrong?

What’s wrong with that? Well, in my opinion, there is nothing at all wrong with that. But my opinion is not the one that mattered in this situation. It was the opinion of the audience members that seemed to say, “You are not entertaining me right now, therefore I am checking out on you.”

I attend a contemporary service at our church. I like it and enjoy the atmosphere. At the same time, I have watched over time how this kind of service continues to evolve.

This is not bad necessarily, but it seems it is becoming more and more difficult to “entertain” the church members in such a way as to hold their attention and teach them. This is the part that I believe is a problem.

Is “The Show” Required?

Am I wrong for thinking this? Maybe. Is this the only setting where this seems to be a problem? I don’t think so.

Take our kids for example. From the time kids are old enough to hold a cell phone or tablet, most are being entertained by something virtually every hour they are awake.

This pattern holds true in the classrooms today as teachers must get more and more creative with “The Show” in order to hold the attention of their students past a handful of minutes. Don’t believe me? Ask a teacher!

Training, Too?

I have seen the same dynamic when training in our business. Unless there is constant changing of the scenery or some sort of electronic gadgetry holding their attention, many employees begin to mentally check out.

Don’t believe this? Next time you are sitting in a training session, count how many are peeking at their cell phones!

So what is my point?

What About Us?

Rather than ranting about how our society is turning into a bunch of mindless entertainment-seekers, I actually want to bring the spotlight back to you and me.

Do WE require “The Show”?

Do we have to go to a conference or hear a dynamic speaker to be convinced that our lives should follow the pattern given to us in Scripture? Do we need flashing lights and loud music to get our attention before we will accept truth and apply it to our lives and businesses?

This Is A Problem

Folks, if we do, then I think we are in pretty bad shape. I am not an expert in human behavior, but I can recognize that this is a problem.

I do not believe that “The Show” is all bad. There is some good to it, in moderation. However, given our current path, it IS my opinion that “The Show” will eventually take over and there will be no more room for the truth.

Instead of requiring the show, I believe we should be willing and able to sit down with the Bible, learn truth from it, and apply that truth to the way we live our lives and run our businesses. Does it really need to be more complicated than this?

Reflection

Think back to the last time that you were able to learn from a simple transfer of information – minus the hooplah. Can you remember it? If so, congratulations. If this is common for you, then that is fantastic! Teach someone else how you do it!

On the other hand, if you cannot remember situations when you have learned without “The Show”, then I encourage you to begin trying to reverse this path. As I have said before, you can start small. But start.

Do you agree that “The Show” is becoming a problem?

Do you require “The Show” or can you learn without it?

Do you think “The Show” could eventually replace the truth?