Model T

I finished reading a book about the life of Henry Ford this weekend.  It was published in 2005.

My memory may be failing me but most of the biographies I have read usually leave the subject in pretty good light.  Their accomplishments are highlighted and their foibles are minimized.  This biography was a balance and I appreciated learning about Ford's weaknesses and failures as much as his successes.

Ford is probably best known for his contributions to mass production.  He envisioned manufacturing a car for the common man by mass producing it on a assembly line where he could pass on the economies of scale.  Over the roughly 15 year history of the Model T he produced millions of them, hitting a peak of over 2M one year.  He also was able to cut the price on the car and double the wages of his workers.  He became known as the $5 a day man.  He wanted his workers to be able to afford his automobile as well as other consumer goods.  His economies brought the price of the Model T down to under $300.

Part of what drove him was the desire to have his own company and to make all the decisions.  He held an iron fist around all the choices that needed to be made including the smallest part on each of his cars.  This continued long after he was employing over 10,000 workers.  On the positive side it allowed him to control the outcome of his vision and not be deterred by others in his organization who had a different vision.  On the negative side he held on too long to his vision without changing with the times.

Long before he stopped production of the Model T and moved to a more advanced Model A the sales of his cars had begun to drop significantly.  Other manufacturers had begun to develop lines of cars that were more expensive but also offered more of the features the buying public wanted.

That seems to always be the case.  Our greatest gift becomes our greatest failure.  We hold on too long to something when we should be moving on with the times.  Or as I like to say, moving on with the vibrant, ever in motion Holy Spirit.

What is our Model T in the church today?  Hymns? Sunday School? Meeting on Sunday mornings?  Wearing suits to church?  What is the competition doing that we aren't doing?  Are we still expecting the way we did things 150 years ago to suffice for today's seeker?  What is today's seeker looking for?  What are their needs, fears, desires?  They are probably much like ours.

I heard somewhere recently that the Muslims have been working toward world domination for 60 years or more.  With the unrest we are seeing in Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan and other mid east countries we are also seeing that the radical Muslim groups are standing by on the sidelines waiting to "assist" in bringing stability to their countries.  What are we doing to bring the Kingdom to bear on these situations and bring freedom to the captives?

That's ultimately what God wants to bring to us all...freedom.  He wants us to be able to enjoy his heart, to have intimacy with him and with others, to enjoy the desires of our heart.  Is that what we are offering?  Is that what you are receiving?  He's calling out to us today.