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?

Sometimes we get too earnest and everything gets rigid. In this episode Steve looks at the power of playfulness in your people, how to notice when things are getting too earnest and stuck and the relationship between playfulness and worship. Steve also teaches us how to use a Life Giving List to help us relax into God’s presence. You can download a life giving list template here.

Tune in for an episode that invites us to treasure our faith through playful presence with God.

Click here to pre order Steve’s new book.

Resources mentioned in this episode include:

• Bowen family systems theory
• Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable About Solving the Most Painful Problem in Businessby Patrick Lencioni
• Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton
• “Letter XLVI” by 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