August 27, 2025

Two parts to the blog today, please read to the end.

First part:

Recently I was on the freeway observing a minivan weaving in and out of other vehicles at a rather high rate of speed. I thought that this isn’t going to end well. A few miles down the road the van was on the shoulder with a flat tire. Considering what could have gone wrong, that was not too bad of a consequence. Since the van was in pretty rough shape to begin with, I would guess that the tires were not that great either. Bad driving + ratty vehicle = disabled on the side of the road. Was it a lesson learned? Who knows?

The book of Proverbs is designed to give us “lessons learned” without having to be the one on the side of the road. The formula is similar. For example, Proverbs 26:12 would be: a man + wise in his own eyes = no hope. A similar formula is seen in 26:20. No wood = no fire, just like no whispering (gossip) = no quarrels. Proverbs are designed to reduce the amount of time between an action and a consequence so you can avoid bad actions by being faced with the impact of the consequence. Proverbs is full of hundreds of life lessons so we will “know wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:2).

Fall is the in air. School busses are running, football expectations are running high, and Christmas stuff will be arriving in stores. We are saying what we say every year at this time. “Wow, that was a fast summer. Where did the time go?” Actually, we say that about life, all the time. Life comes at you fast. It always feels like that. So, what should we expect? What should you assume? Assume that life is going really fast. Your life is going fast. That means that the end of life is going to be in your face in a hurry.

Take a page out of Proverbs. Listen and embrace what God is saying. Life is short, but eternity is long. We are not promised tomorrow and one day soon, today will be our last day on earth. Therefore, how should you live today? What have you put off that needs to be addressed now? Are there people you need to talk with, express appreciation to, or reconcile with? Are there promises you need to keep, projects you need to finish, conversations about Christ you need to have? Are there habits you need to stop or start? Proverbs is very clear that life comes at you fast and what you do today is helping you be prepared with contentment or filled with regret.

We already have enough vans on the side of the roads with flat tires and angry drivers. We do not need any more cautionary tales. Taking care of the things that matter and staying in your lane is a great way to get down the road to where you want to go and to help others get their safely as well.

 Second part:

This past Sunday over 35% of the people who gathered for our AM service were late coming into the service. If that was you, will you address this? We begin our gathering by praying together and this is essential for us. So is the reading of the Scriptures, singing, updates, etc. It all matters. Your conversations in the building, your ABF class and Gathering Space are probably important too, but they can be resumed after the service. If someone is talking with you, tell them to “walk with me” as you enter the Worship Center and then say, if necessary, “Let’s resume this after the service.” At 10:15a, we are going to start ringing the bell in the Gathering Space. It is loud! It is a bit irritating, but not as irritating as having over a third of the congregation being tardy to give due attention to the Lord. We will do this for a month in hopes that we change some bad habits. You need time to get your mind and heart to be present with what you and all of us are about to engage in. God is worth our deliberate and prepared attention. Being on time is worth it.

Grace and peace,

Bob

Sunday’s Text: Luke 13:22-30