Why did I let myself be talked into going to King's Island?
So… the church Youth Group went to King’s Island. On the hottest day of the year so far.
King’s Island is no longer as fun as it used to be! I don’t like roller coasters as much anymore. I appreciate my Uncle Dickie a whole lot more now. He took me to Magic Mountain when I was 12, with the express plan, and I quote him: “to eat all the junk food and ride all the rides until we puke.” That mission was accomplished!
There is a mellow time near when a theme park closes. Most people have left. There are a few hardy souls who got there when the park opened and will be the last ones out. Many rides have no lines, and kids love to ride the same one over and over. At Magic Mountain, on the aforementioned trip with Uncle Dickie, it was a wooden roller coaster, Colossus. At Sea World with my sons it was a log ride we must have ridden 20 times in a row. At King’s Island, two weeks ago, it was the bumper cars, and the kids learned the hard way I am an apex predator when it comes to bumper cars.
What does any of this have to do with this substack’s theme of discipleship and multiplication? It’s this. Ben has done something important with our youth group. Our church has a Hispanic service and a Ghanaian service. We have new kids from those groups with us in the youth group. The reason is not just outreach. It is partly outreach, but I have found that when you emphasize discipleship, study the Bible, and preach the Gospel, people show up from everywhere.
There’s a time for fun and games. That’s why we were at King’s Island. Try as I might, I had no Gospel message on roller coasters, unless it was “fear not,” or maybe, “Lord, if you get me off this ride in one piece…”
And there’s a time for the real work of sharing the love of God with people.
Just do that. You know, the stuff Jesus said to do. The rest will take care of itself.