Marva Dawn at the Zoo

Recently Myron and I spent my birthday at the Portland zoo, which among other wonders, features an extraordinary glass house of African birds. In my wheelchair I sat astounded by the birds of many shapes and colours and habits. Because of my visual handicaps, Myron pointed out to me various things that I couldn't see and helped me locate what I couldn't find. We tried to share with others our interests in what we were seeing and hearing, but all sorts of people walked into the building, spent two minutes and hurried out. They missed everything that could be caught with a little silence,some reflective waiting, and the sharing of community. but they had "done" the zoo - efficiently.

This is a commentary in itself, but the next paragraph starts with the disturbing words:

We can observe the same patterns and habits in some congregations...

Marva Dawn, Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down, p.49