Falling Down

I was fifteen miles into a fifty mile ride with my buddies.  We were making a left turn off of Camelback, and the next thing I remember is a friend applying first aid alongside the road.

My friends tell me my tire went flat (immediately) and I went down fast hitting my head on the curb of the center median.  My helmet is a goner, but the CT scan shows my brain is still operating at full capacity.

Thank God for helmets!  They cost more than we want to spend and can be a bit uncomfortable. Most of the time they are just window decoration because we don't need them.  But when you go down like I did, well...

Thank God for my buddies!  Riding a bike is easily a solitary event and even when riding in a group much of the time is riding one behind the other with little conversation taking place.  Who knows what might have happened with me lying in the middle of the road, but I am glad my buddies were there to escort me to safety.

Of course the analogy is a simple one... thank God for the church.  I have a friend that says churches are for weak people.  He may be right, but we never know when the air is going to go out and we've had a smack down with reality.  It's good to have taken the time to make sure its the right fit before that moment strikes.

Thank God for the church.  I can have a spirituality that works for me and God, but who knows when I need to take advantage of the 'buddy system.'  Making this ride together is not only of value due to the fellowship we share.  There is that wonderful passage in Scripture that says, 'Bear one another burdens.'  I am pleased by how the church will rally to the support of people who have given up on the church or its theology.

So, I'm alive and well today (although a bit sore in the head, and plenty of road rash), and I give thanks to God for providing me what I needed to survive the unexpected.  How about you?  Are you prepared to face the unexpected?  If not, know that God through the church is (even if it isn't all that attractive)!

Peace,
Pal