The past three Wednesday mornings I've been hanging out with Matt in the men’s changing room of the Mt. Lebanon Swimming Pool. I’ve been trying something new: golf lessons. Now I really enjoy golf and although I have been at it for about five years now, quite frankly I've had limited success. An additional motivator is the fact that a month from today I'll be on the course in Florida with three good friends and thought it might be interesting to work with someone who actually knows what they are talking.

The word I would use to describe the experience is deconstruction. Now I know that's a loaded term but it fits. Matt, my instructor, is deconstructing my swing. It's been interesting to learn work the fundamentals: address, backswing, hinge, follow-through. I'm discovering that I have been doing quite a few things wrong. Why do I swing the golf club the way I do? Good question. That's the way I've always swung the club. My swing is a combination of my athletic ability, intuition, observing others, reading golf magazines, along with a few comments and pointers from well meaning partners. All of these have contributed to one thing: a technically, flawed swing. Now don't get me wrong, I can get the ball down the fairway and into the hole. But it would be a lot more fun if it could be accomplished with fewer strokes. And so Matt has been deconstructing my swing in order that it might be reconstructed with sound technical fundamentals.

Can I push this deconstruction thing a bit? I wonder what might happen if it was applied to some other areas of life? For instance, this Sunday I will be speaking on the topic of community. My guess is we all have a particular approach and way of doing community. But I wonder if the our perspective and practice is based on sound fundamentals? Or are we simply doing it and living it "they way we always have?"

This is one of the reasons why I am pumped about "The Shaping of Things to Come" (both the book and the experience with Frost and Hirsh on April 16). In a sense they are helping people deconstruct the church and rebuild it upon a sound biblical, missiological foundation.

This deconstruction thing is painful. I am finding it is difficult to leave behind old habits. But I am hopeful that the pain of change right now will lead to a more enjoyable future – both on the golf course and in the life of the community.