In my ETREK class at Biblical Theological Seminary, Keith Matthews is discussing the topic of “Why People Change.” He outlines two main reasons people undergo major life / character transformation:
- In a state where things are so painful it compels you to change
- A new compelling vision for a different reality of life
Now, here is something to ponder: As pastors do we spend most of our time trying to keep both of these from happening?
On the topic of transformation, Fast Company has an interesting article on how and why people change called “Change or Die.” This article addresses how people are much more likely to make a major change when they are giving a vision for how things will be different rather than changing out of fear of what will happen to them. The article uses the example of smoking…its very interesting and worth a read.
Update: I’ve just been informed that the author, Alan Deutschman has made this article into a full length book. I’m assuming that the book is as insightful as the article so you can be sure I’ll be buying it. When I get to it, I’ll post my review here if possible.. You can find more info about his book here…