What Would You Do?



I want to ask you all a question.  I don't know if you can see the small print on the license plate of the car pictured....but at the top it says, "I just thought" and the bottom says, "What the 'BLEEP'" (I bleeped it out to not offend anyone reading this--but it is not "bleeped" on the plate) If this car drove into your church’s parking lot, what would you do, think, say?  What would most of the people in your church do?  Think?  Say? 

What if this car was in your church’s parking lot…what would your church do?  Think? Say?

If YOU were driving the car pictured here would you drive it to church?  Your church?  Any church?  Why or why not?

The reason I am asking you these questions is because "GG JACK" is my dad and I drove that car while I was visiting him.  Nice car….hot red convertible sports car!  He bought it a couple of years after my mom died so he could "pick up chicks"!!  Gotta love my dad!!

To be quite honest I did not love driving it with that plate….I felt like it was screaming out loud to all of the other drivers…when, in all actuality, it probably was not.  Now, some of you might have drawn a line and said, "no way, I would not drive it".....and you would tell your father's in no uncertain terms why you would not.  And I respect your convictions for sure.  But for me, and for the relationship I have with my dad and my desire for him to know my God, it was not something I felt like I could/should say/do.  So, I drove it.

The dilemma came when Sunday came around…and I love to visit a church near where my dad lives…..it is an oasis for me in the spiritual desert I reside in while there….and it especially was what I needed during the months I spent there taking care of my mom.

So, what was I to do about going to church in that car with that license plate?  Should I go?  Would it offend someone?  Would the security guys kick me out?  Would I be a stumbling block to anyone?  What would they think of me?  Would the welcome guys in the parking lot be disgusted?  You can’t imagine all of the thoughts that ran through my mind!!

If I did not go, my dad would wonder why…..I surely did not want to cause him to think I was any better than him….or that the church would not welcome him if he ever decided to go.  So I left to go to church….on the way I hemmed and hawed about if I should just take my Bible and go to the beach and have sweet time with Jesus there.  My own worship time.  Me and God and nature.  If I did that though, what would I tell dad when he asked me how church was? 

I drove to the church….could not go in the parking lot…..kept driving.  "Yes", I thought, "I will go to the beach"….I turned around and headed back down towards the ocean…..had to drive back by the church…..and went in the parking lot!!  Wait a minute!!  How did that happen?  I was on the way to the beach…..I don’t want to hurt anyone.  Cause anyone to stumble.  ETC!!

I went to church.  I worshipped.  I left all of the reactions, thoughts, etc. of all of those other people up to God!  I left the baggage with the baggage keeper!

I wonder....are there people out there who are afraid to come to our churches because they are afraid of what we might think????

By the way….referring to my last post…..since I have been home from California not only do I NOT drink coffee and read three morning newspapers, I do not drink coffee and read just one morning paper….actually, I hardly ever even get to drink coffee in the mornings!! Busy times for sure!!