Driving Christian, Sam's Club, and the Ascension of Christ

Today I completed my editing of my ascension paper. I'd like to write more about the implications of the doctrine than I did in my paper, but due to time and length constraints (I'm thankful that Dr. Moore allowed me a few extra pages upon my request), I couldn't write everything I would've liked to write. However, if you would like to read this paper, please email me at ltservinghim@hotmail.com and I will gladly send you a copy. Just for a brief attention getter, here's my final paragraph.

It is a shame that such a central Christian doctrine has been given such little attention in contemporary churches. In a world that needs a celebratory church that lives with confidence and assurance the gospel she preaches, a church that understands and proclaims the lordship and kingdom of Christ, and a church that knows there is an Advocate and Protector lovingly guiding her and pleading on her behalf, the neglect of the centrality of the ascension will not do. We must preach the exclusivity and finality of Jesus’ work; and “His ascension…was necessary for the completion of His work.” It is not too late to regain an appreciation and exalted vision of the ascension, for the Son of Man remains enthroned above, “at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

So today Tyler and I were heading up to Indiana on 65N. To get onto 64W and 65N we had to merge with the usual 6:00 Louisville traffic. I noticed something that I have paid little attention to before--people are inconsiderate, self-centered drivers. While I have noticed this before, it really struck me of how much of a problem this really is. When I was seeking to merge to get into the one lane of traffic that takes you where you want to go, I put on my turning signal and noticed that people would speed up to keep me from getting into their lane, practically tail-gating the car in front of them. Now, I can understand not letting someone into the passing lane who is just speeding along and trying to get a better spot, but when it comes to getting into a necessary lane, this is plain rude. It is not rude that it happend to me--I have seen this happen many times to drivers, and usually truckers are the only ones to let someone over. (By the way, I managed to get over by forcing myself into the lane once, and another time a trucker let me in).

This wouldn't be a big deal, except that it happens far too often. Now, I can't expect too much better from the world--they're unregenerate and have not experienced nor have the love of Christ in them. However, this is an exhortation to my fellow Christians. As Christians, we ought to let others in our lane when necessary. Seriously, how much time do you lose by letting someone in? 2 seconds? I hope that my brothers and sisters in Christ are already doing this. This is part of what it means to love your neighbor as yourself--and it is a sin to fail to do this, and it is a righteous act to do it. I'm not saying to stop and let the whole line of traffic in front of you, but rather to be courteous. People ought to be able to tell Christians by our driving as well. It is sad that so many Christians take so lightly their actions behind the wheel. Sin is sin and love is love, whether it is in an automobile, at the grocery store, work, or on seminary property.

So where were Tyler and I going? Sam's Club! We went and got a membership at Sam's. That may be the greatest store on the planet. Everything is in bulk. It is generally cheaper. And you feel like you are a part of something special when you shop there. This store shouts--"America!" (I'm not saying that this American mentality is good, I'm just saying that is generally the American mentality). Everything is bigger at Sam's. And they have such great stuff too! The place is like sensory overload! I actually had trouble deciding what I would buy because there was just so much, and it all looked appealing.

Okay, so Tyler and I actually went for Mystic Chai. Only Sam's sells it and it is cheap (like $6.50 for 2 lbs. of dry chai mix). It tastes as good as the chai you get from a coffee house. It actually pays both for itself and the Sam's membership fee! We bought two!