A small rock designated 2009 DD45 and measuring 60-150 feet in length missed the earth early on the morning of March 2, 2009, by a scant 40,000 – 46,000 miles. While 40,000 miles would be a very long trip by car or even airplane, it is less than 1/5 the distance between the earth and the moon. But remember it was a small rock! Of course, a small rock of approximately the same size struck the area around the Tunguska River in central Siberia, Russia, in 1908. It destroyed millions of trees in the Taiga Forest, totally flattening 830 square miles (oh, incidentally, Denton County is approximately 990 square miles in size)! Personally, I am glad this small rock missed.

Everyday, things do collide with other things resulting in various kinds of destructions. Collisions happen in relationships, in churches, in nations, and in cultures. From my vantage point I sometimes see the collision actually happen; more often, I am exposed to the aftermath – the devastated forest or, more

specifically, the church split or forced termination. At that point the situation is often reminiscent of Humpty Dumpty whose pieces could not be put back together even by all the king’s horses and all the king’s men. Maybe Humpty’s situation, like most church situations, would have been better had someone intervened and kept Humpty from falling and colliding with the hard ground.
Can collisions be prevented? The answer has to be a resounding “Yes!” Surprisingly, the answer may be within reach of all churches. Here are the essentials as I see them:

• Listen more and speak less. Make a special effort to understand what others are saying.
• Acknowledge and practice sole ownership of the church by God. He may have entrusted some stewardship responsibilities for the church to us, but He is the only One whose Son died for the church.
• Recognize that most of our major conflicts are results of misunderstandings or are over matters of little consequence.
  

• Seek God’s will through His Word, through prayer, and through worship to move the church and the Kingdom.
• Resist unrealistic expectations of pastors and staff. They are human and have their strengths and weaknesses.
• Realize change is inevitable. Everything, except God, is subject to change. The church membership, leadership, building, location, style of worship, and types of ministry may change but God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
• Remember that Jesus did not suggest, but rather commanded, that we love one another – hatred wasn’t in the script.

The truth is – I don’t know how many of us want to prevent collisions. I can’t do anything about rocks that might strike the Earth. But I firmly believe that my actions and reactions within my church can help prevent some collisions. I believe that yours can too!