Playfulness, Earnestness, and Worship

A systems theorist walks into an organization and orders playfulness and earnestness.
This isn’t just a silly take on a joke format—it’s a tested method of determining whether or not teams have what it takes to go the distance. As host Steve Cuss explains on this episode of Being Human, too much seriousness on a team tends to lead to rigidity, but playful teams tend to be able to handle ambiguity and challenges. 
Could the same be true for worship?
On this episode, Cuss considers the intentional inefficiency of both play and worship. He explains how overly earnest people and teams tend to be easily offended and lacking in humor, which blocks intimacy, and explores how the same can be true in worship. Playfulness, on the other hand other hand, inherently invites us to lose track of time rather than overemphasize getting everything right. 
Tune in for an episode that invites us to treasure our faith through playful presence with God.
Resources mentioned in this episode include: 

Bowen family systems theory


Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable About Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business by Patrick Lencioni


Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton

“Letter XLVI” by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux


The Expectation Gap: The Tiny, Vast Space between Our Beliefs and Experience of God by Steve Cuss


Generation to Generation: Family Process in Church and Synagogue by Edwin Friedman


“Being Human with Steve Cuss” is a production of Christianity Today
Executive Produced by Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper
Produced and Edited by Matt Stevens
Associate Producers: McKenzie Hill, Raed Gilliam, and Abby Perry
Theme song by Dan Phelps
Original Music by Andy Gullahorn
Mix Engineer: Kevin Morris
Graphic Design: Amy Jones
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