After running our errands, we looked up the location for Raber's Bike Shop and began heading in that direction. This first thing that really struck me was we were heading deep into the country. The second thing that jumped out was how big this building in the middle of nowhere! As I looked in the door that had a "We're Open" sign on it, I could see nothing and it looked like all the lights were out. Things came into focus as my son and I pulled open the door, saw the one employee who was there that day, and instantly knew... this was an Amish bicycle store!
It is probably just some of my mistaken perceptions, but it struck me that this huge Amish bicycle store (which had no electricity) was packed full of very expensive, high-end bicycles. It also struck me when the young man, seeing that I was into nice bikes, showed me his personal road bike that he just purchased and built, (which probably cost more than $6,000).For me, this experience made me think of church. When people walk in and everything is just as they expect, nothing strikes them... and for me, this is problematic! One of the things that I love about the church that God has allowed me to help lead is that we are always trying to do things that get people thinking and help them to consider and experience God in brand new ways!
Whether it is something as simple as 'you can truly come as you are', or 'these people really are friendly', or 'Christians do like to have fun and rock out', it is so much fun to shake things up. While New Hope is probably at the opposite end of the spectrum from an Amish bike shop, both of us seem to be having fun as we help people to see important things in a whole new way!
No comments:
Post a Comment