A Sunday Drive & Lesson Learned

A Sunday Drive & Lesson Learned

Most Sundays I wake up to a before-sunrise alarm clock and set out on an early morning drive to the Fresno Campus. The roads are empty. The dew lingers on the grass and the sun pokes through the valley sky. Everything is generally pretty quiet and peaceful.

After my general inspection of Fresno Campus & my connection with the campus staff & volunteers I jump in my car & speed to the next stop, Clovis Campus. And it seems I’ve kind of developed a routine that keeps me from noticing what is happening all around our city. 

Today I took noticed and found that:

•At about 7:30am the fig loop park is buzzing with activity, especially on a beautiful fall morning like today.
•somewhere near 9:00 boats are in Costco gas station filling up for a day on a beautiful lake somewhere
•About the same time, the local Starbucks is full of casual coffee-drinkers sipping their drink of choice and reveling in a good read & college students are intently doing homework
• afternoon as I drive by Fashion Fair Mall, the parking lot is full & lines form at the local restaurants 

I was amused by all the activity that happens each and every week while I’m serving the place I'd rather be more than anywhere else. 

However, I have to admit I was easily tempted by each of their activities. All equally enjoyable things that I would be eager to do if given a lazy Sunday morning.

My lesson learned today is that sometimes I forget what the rest of the world is doing. I forget what is competing for their attention. I forget what a commitment and sacrifice it is for them to attend church rather than one of these activities that so easily woos them.

Church Leaders & Staff, don’t forget! Don’t forget what we’re competing with. Do everything you can to create a place as compelling as any one of these other environments. Because if we can create the place, they’ll experience something that none of these other things can ever do… provide them an encounter with Jesus, their Creator and Savior.

Corina Burgess