If you missed the first part of this, click here for it.
So you see that some times conditions are so messed up you have to cut your loses and make sure things are in better shape before relaunching.
This happens in churches all the time but instead of unrideable, they become
- Ungrowable
- Unloving
- Ununified
- Unmovable
- Undignified
- Ungovernable
- Unaffected
- Untouched
- Unseemly
And just about a million other ‘Uns’ seemingly all at once.
When that happens, what can you do?
- Clear out the gunk that’s clogging things up?
- Carry the whole thing alone?
- Wait for the mud to fall off on its own?
- Peddle harder?
All of these will work for the short run, but none are effective over the long haul. No, much as we all hate it, sometimes you have to cut your loses and completely retool the thing. I noticed a couple things about my bike when I finally got it home form the mud ride.
- Some of the mud had dried and was holding on like glue because I wasn’t able to hose it off quickly enough.
- Some of the mud got in real deep–I’m talking crevices and crank shafts, bottom brackets and shocks.
Bottom line? This wasn’t going to be an easy fix.
Fortunately I had a friend who took the rear shock apart and helped me get the bike back in pristine riding condition. Seriously, the thing rides better than new now!
In many ways a church is like a muddy, unrideable bike at times. And if you let it get bad enough you will grind to a complete halt. And the quick and easy fixes won’t do the trick anymore. At times like these we have to go in deep and clean out things that are causing the problems. It can be anything from people who don’t really like the vision to folks who are so steeped in gossip they know no other way. Whatever it is, it’s important to unclog the spiritual gunk so you can get moving forward again. It’s no fun, but it has to be done.
Just don’t try to sludge forward with all the extra weight. It won’t work! Besides, God told believers not to in Hebrews 12:1,
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,”
So run light! Cast off anything and everything that might slow you down! Once you do you will be back up and running in no time. Do it God’s way in you might just be in for the ride of your life!
* Remember that tonight (Thursday, Dec 23rd, 7:00 pm) is the first of our five Christmas Eve services! Although this first one is really the ‘Eve’ of Christmas Eve. There will then be 3 more on the 24th at 4:00, 6:00, and 8:00 @ the Weddington campus and one at 6:00 at the Monroe campus. Don’t forget to invite everyone you know as God always moves big @ Southbrook on the Eve of Christmas!