Roller Coasters and such.....

Have you ever ridden a roller coaster? Modern roller coasters have special accelerators that shoot you right up to speed in seconds, but I like the older coasters. The ones where you get slowly pulled up a huge hill and have that pause of anticipation at the top before you begin the plummet back to earth and all the small hills and twists and curves. It is a thrilling ride. The thing I really want to focus on is the ride up the first hill. It is usually accompanied by a clanking sound as the ratchets that keep you from going backward lock onto the next crossbar. So, as you go up you have this clankity-clankity-clankity sound.

I feel like God is preparing us for something thrilling. I feel like we have been on the uphill climb since I came to be pastor here. Let me just give you a brief overview of what I am feeling.

We started out three years ago with thinking of ways we could reach into the communities. Clank

We pulled a parade float in 9 parades both in 2004 and 2005. Clank

We pulled VBS back to the church building in 2004 as we tried to reclaim our heritage. Clank

I remember saying that I thought it would take three-years or more for people to remember that Bethany had a great VBS for kids. This year, we have received a call from someone who attended Bethany's VBS in years past and they wanted to know if we were bringing the bus. We said we no longer have a bus, but we would be happy to provide transportation. Clank

In our prayer group on Thursday nights, we are starting a study entitled And the place was shaken. In it we will be looking at prayer meetings in the Bible and modeling our prayer time from those examples. We want to experience the power and presence of God every Thursday night. Clank

We are operating a picnic this year in Caroline that we hope will be a blessing to the community and also provide us with people who need to know Jesus. Clank

We have harvest meetings coming up as well with evangelist Rick Engle and the Newberrys providing the music. Oh that we truly experience a time of harvest. Clank

God is at work all around and through us. Are you ready? I feel like we are just about to the top of the hill. And we may already be there. This time, right now, before our outreach events begin, may very well be the pause before the thrill begins. We may be perched at the beginning of the most thrilling adventure any of us have ever experienced. So, put your hands up to the Lord, look ahead at what God is going to do. I can't wait to see what God is going to do next................