It was a rare, slow night, and all I could find to engage my mindless boredom was an episode of “Storage Wars.” You know the show, right? Abandoned storage lockers auctioned off to flea market marketers trying to salvage a profit. Most lockers get snatched up for $700 to 1,200 dollars. Head nods, blinks, and cheesy smiles get the auctioneer to pick a winner with a loud “Sold!”
Someone cut the Master lock from a particular storage locker, and the potential bidder’s eyes widened beyond anything I had seen. Inside this treasure cave were flickers of a lost passion for cars. And there seemed to be something with four wheels hidden beneath a vast drop cloth. The vaguely outlined shape of the intriguing orange cloth gave buyers an exciting pause. Was there an actual sports car beneath the veil? The raised backside of the drop cloth gave the salivating onlookers dreams of a rare Italian breed with a racing spoiler.
The bidding started at $10 grand. My mindless activity got a little more interesting. Quickly, sly hand motions and eye signals raised the price to $15K… then $20k… and finally, landed at $27,000. Wow.
After a well-timed cliffhanger commercial break, the drop cloth was pulled. OMGooodness. It was a ding dang Lamborghini. The 27-grand offering now seemed like a mere crumb carried willingly by a prideful ant.
Profit estimates were now riding high at around half a million dollars. This was a storage war to end all storage wars.
Someone from the back of the pack chided the new owner to check out the engine. Concerned pensive looks were close-ups captured by the film crew. And then another commercial break. I hate that.
The engine hood was raised. A quick camera pan on the engine block revealed this word: FIERO.
This “Lamborghini” was a fake kit car built on an old Ford Fiero chassis. Estimated value: $17k. Net profit: – $10k. Like that, a new half-millionaire was reduced back to a salvaging junkyard dog. Ouch.
Have you ever wondered what the engine of the church should be? Does a church ever look good and shiny on the outside but boasts an old Fiero engine under the hood– prone to oil leaks and fires? Are there Lamborghini churches with Fiero engines built void of God’s Spirit?
On Sunday, we’ll continue to look at GOD’S engine for HIS church… and how we can engage that at LifeBridge. Our new vision is: “Gospel-driven. Together.” What will be the engine to accomplish the vision?
Bring a friend, and let’s find out together. I’m excited to teach. Remember your Vision/Mission workbooks if you were with us last Sunday. We’ll have new workbooks available if you weren’t. See you soon.
Blessings!
alan
p.s. – We’ve sent out emails and posted about our “Serve Sunday” on November 13th. You can register by CLICKING HERE. And thank you for owning our new vision & mission by being faithful with your giving. God is good.
What was the engine of the church we see in the New Testament, and what is the engine of LifeBridge?