Collapsing Bridges

Denny Morrow—The Parable of the Bridge—
Opening Plenary Session--Mental Health and Missions Conference, Angola, IN
Nov 19 2009

Five theories why both bridges and missionaries occasionally collapse
September 1st 2007 a main bridge in Minneapolis, MN, I-35 collapsed, killing 13 people…

Theory #1-- Stress Fractures: how am I dealing with the ‘basal drip’ of stress in my life?

Bridge: Bearing the load, day by day, hour by hour, expansion and contraction, weakens a structure. It’s like flexing a paper clip every hour: metal weakens.

People: We try to live a normal life when who knows what normal is? Getting unsolicited feedback about how I spend my time, money, vacation… wears a body. Family disharmony, child or elder care back home, financial stress, organizational squabbling…. All create stress fractures in the psyche.

Theory #2—Shifting Foundations: where is the still point in my turning world?

Bridge: Perhaps ground under concrete washed away. Moving water erodes stuff! From Grand Canyon to Chinese water torture, moving water changes people and places. Harmonic vibration is caused by moving water--metal starts to hum and breathe.

People: Maybe we didn’t build on bedrock after all? No one knows me in my sending church? I thought I heard God’s call to come here… There are so many changes in the central office… Nothing ever stays the same! At least 70% of people we serve are high on stress change markers.

Theory #3—Repairs under load: the surprise events that catch us off guard.

Bridge: Overweight during repairs, are you? For example, one newspaper reported on the bridge that: “the regular and consistent impact of caustic pigeon feces may have had a deleterious effect on the metal superstructure.” Reeeeally?

People: Childhood tapes that we impanel in our jury of judges may condemn or release us. Team members may suck the life out of me; my thot life day to day may increase or corrode my load. Well meaning short-termers may really add more weight than support as I try to bridge the distance between me and my community.

Theory #4—Design Flaws—working a plan that doesn’t make sense for me

Bridge: Superstructure not matched to needs of the terrain? Tough. There is no redundancy in being a bridge; no substitute bridge hired when things get tough or people upset with their quality of life. We are to be the bridge, day in and day out. Old technologies can jump up and bite us. The MN bridge was designed for 25,000 cars per day; the day before MN collapse, 85,000 crossed this bridge.

People: Unrealistic personal growth plans? Am I penny wise and pound foolish using a minimum bid approach to my spiritual or social life? I wouldn’t want to fly to the moon on minimum bid contractor. Least expensive turns out to be most expensive often.
For nine years Global Outreach mission agency chose to forego psych screening materials for applicants as an economy measure, and in so doing this agency was operating outside of their sweet spot and placed workers out of their sweet spot. They put the wrong applicants in right spots and it was a recipe for disaster. Get the landmines before they explode! Put the clinic at the top of the cliff and not the hospital at the bottom of the cliff.
Being a lone ranger is another design flaw; use a team and work together, being stronger together than alone.
If we get away, sharpen the saw, then that allows for healing in our souls—we ignore that at our own peril. Jesus didn’t; are we better than he?
One’s own authentic calling gets us thru the tough times; the lack of one is a design flaw.

Theory #5—Inspection resistant areas: what are my hidden secrets that never see the sight of day?

Bridge: on this MN bridge, gusset plates were not seen; they are the glue that holds the super structure in one place. Red hot rivets pounded into gusset plates become rusty and fatigued and became compromised over time in more and more intense load bearing conditions.

People: Workers around the world get fatigued and their gusset plates are hidden from purview of most others. Who have I given permission to tell me I’m thinking crazy? What areas of this life in missions cause fear or shame? Pressure cookers blow without stress relief valves. Connecting mechanisms that hook me to the Spirit, peers, family need continual inspection. We all feel like imposters in some sense--feeling the load of others’ unrealistic expectations about our adequacy, capacities, and potential.