“Ok. Just floor it and make sure you drive straight.” I guess some might call it a right of passage. The small Iowa town where I grew up was surrounded by steep hills. If you had the nerve and speed, your car would take you airborne for a few seconds. It was a huge thrill for a 16 year old with a license fresh from the Iowa Motor Vehicle Division office.

I sat behind the wheel of my dad’s car at the bottom of one of the highest and steepest hills. That is when my best friend Steve said, “Ok. Just floor it and make sure you drive straight.” On the other side my white knuckles flushed red again and my body relaxed as we celebrated my first jump. (I hope my mother isn’t reading this). Listen, we were jumping hills long before the Dukes of Hazard.

The church is in the business of taking risks. It hasn’t always been that way. There was a time when the church was as safe as the neighborhood we lived in, Today, it’s a different matter. We are watching the church. come full circle into a culture that is as disagreeable, antagonistic and just as plain unfriendly as the first century,

It doesn’t help to sit and bemoan a disintegrating culture. As the culture fractures, so do more and more lives. What we need are disciples of Jesus who dare to drive straight and fast toward the top of the hill. We need a worship community where anyone can experience joy and acceptance. Because what individuals of this broken culture are asking is, “Do I want to be like you?”

When someone comes to our worship service, it is really we who are on display. Do we believe what we say about a God of grace? Do we embody Christ’s love in our joy for worship and for each other? Will the visitor feel joy or be repelled by our attitude?

It has taken many years, but I have polished and honed my personal statement of faith. It is now simply, “There are no perfect people and I am the least perfect of all.” With that said, it frees me up to accept those Jesus accepts. So, as we worship together mid continue the work of God’s Kingdom together, “Let’s just floor it and make sure we drive straight,” and together we will experience the thrill of God’s adventure.

Pastor Mike