Information or Formation?

One of the most amazing things is happening right now with my grandson John-Wendell - he is learning to talk. I have had a front row seat to this “wonder” six times with my own children and four times with my grandchildren, and it never gets old. All I need to hear to make my heart sing opera these days is John-Wendell’s voice trying to get my attention, “Pa! Pa!” I am utterly amazed that being almost two years old he is now joining the rest of the human race in speech - and he has a lot to say. At first it was just one syllable, now he is stringing three words together. Next thing you know, he will be using the volumn of his voice to get a word in edge wise with his other brothers and pretty soon little sister.Here is the funny thing about human speech. You do not realize how complex it is until you get into elementary school and suddenly they start naming and categorizing all the things you have been an expert at for the past three years. Long before John-Wendell knows all the parts of what he is doing, he will know “how” to do it. How did that happen? I mean human speech is the most complex thing we do and yet, like magic, it just happens by being around a community that uses words all the time. Think about it - most of us are “formed” way before we are educated in the classical sense of the word.I think our age has forgotten this. I think because we have forgotten this, our learning models tend to be very poor. I think most of our models for learning are little more than the passing on of information. Also, I think the reason that our learning models are now just lectures of giving more information, is that real formation is a lot messier and requires more of us. But I would also argue that the way Jesus taught was a lot more robust, engaging, and more fun.If you are curious at all about this and how Jesus really forms people into his image, and why that is hugely important, join me Sunday and we will talk about it.Blessings,James M. Holland