I know you’ve probably gotten tired of hearing me say it, but in the last year I’ve fallen in love with motorcycle riding.
I find that people fall into two groups: there are those that totally get it and there are those that explain to me how dangerous it is and would never do it themselves and wish I wouldn’t do it.
I know it’s dangerous. In some ways, I sometimes wonder if that’s part of what I love about it. As I ride I find that I get a rush of endorphins that help me to relax and enjoy life. It is risky to simply climb on a motorcycle, but there’s also something very freeing about it.
Sometimes risk is good. Recently the Administrative Board set aside some time to take a retreat together. We discussed the future of the church and at one point we talked about whether Goodrich United Methodist Church is a risk-taking church. Mostly people said, “No.”
What we discovered is that we are a VERY creative church. We love to think up new ideas, but we are not a risky church and so if the new idea has any whiff of risk, we tend to immediately shut it down.
What if we decided to be a little risky instead? What would happen if we got a rush from doing the things that scare us a little or that don’t have an immediate promise of payoff or success?
This may be the way that we need to start viewing what we do as a church. We need to start being more risky.
I think it’ll be worth it. That’s what I’ve found with motorcycle riding. I’ve also found it to be true when I take risks in faith.
So take a risk! Welcome someone you wouldn’t normally, try something new, fail miserably, waste some time and money. It can sound scary, but one of those risks will pay off and you may just find you end up liking risk more than you thought.