Growing up in the age of the automobile, is an amazing blessing that most people in history never received.
When I was a toddler, all I knew was that getting in the car meant we were going somewhere. We got into the car, sat for a while, and when we got out of the car, we were somewhere different.
But it was more than that. Something magical happened. The car came
alive, but only after dad got in and closed his door. It didn’t come alive when
I got into the car. It didn’t come alive when mom shut her door. It only
happened when dad closed his door.
Soon I realized that dad was the only one with a big circle-thing in
front of him. Amazingly, whenever dad turned his circle-thing (they called it a
steering wheel) the car would go in that same direction!
One day, when I was by myself, I got in the car, closed dad’s door ...
and nothing happened. I turned the circle-thingy (or tried) but the car just
sat there. Then I remembered that dad stuck a key into the car and THAT’S when
the car came alive. It must not be working for me, I thought, because I don’t
have a key.
As I grew up, I learned that we had to feed the car this really
horrible smelling drink (they called it gasoline) every so often. I learned
that losing air in the tires was a bad thing.
One time smoke started coming out of the front of the car, and then the
car puked hot, green liquid all over the ground.
Somewhere along the line I realized that the car was never “alive” ...
it was just a machine that required gas and a radiator full of antifreeze. It
was much less mystical. I had learned about steering wheels and timing belts,
alternators and batteries, hoods and trunks, seat belts and window cranks. And
with some training and practice, I could control it, direct it, and care for
it.
And now it “talks” with my phone, tells me how many miles I can go
before I run out of gas, and even tells me when my tire has a leak.
But all of that knowledge doesn’t make it any less of an amazing
mystery and blessing. It still miraculously gets me from where I am to where I
want to go.
In a similar way, growing up as a Christian is an amazing blessing that
many in history never receive.
As a young believer, all I knew was that “accepting Christ” and getting
into “the faith” meant I was “going to heaven” and not the “other place.” And I
suppose, on some level, that’s the most important thing to know.
Sometimes we get “in the faith”, and try to turn the wheel, and nothing
happens! Some give up, walk away from “the faith” and never come back. “It
doesn’t work,” they say. But occasionally, some discover a key that changes
their mind.
But is that all there is? What if there’s more?
Aren’t you curious about how this faith comes to life? Is there a
“circle-thing” that can steer faith? What are the “keys” to faith? How do we
effectively “feed” our faith? What are some ways our faith can be disabled? How
should we care for our faith? How can we enhance, or “super-charge” our faith?
What if being a Christian is more than just “going to heaven?”
And how weird would it be to see a 57-year-old man climb in the back
seat of a car and just expect it to take him somewhere?
I know what you’re thinking ... no, there are no Uber or Lyft drivers
for the vehicle of faith.
But I can guarantee you, there’s more!
You can find me on FACEBOOK at my Facebook Page (http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=504321719).
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