A Challenge!

Some months ago I found myself in the middle of nowhere. I was on my way to a seminar for DDEs (Divisional Directors for Evangelism), using public transport. My precious SatNav was not around to guide me, so I was kind of lost.

The journey had started well. The night before Lisbeth and I had flown into London from Copenhagen, where we had surprised Maria for a birthday. After having spent the night in the cellar of a small hotel, Lisbeth was now on her way back to Manchester for a meeting with some potential candidates (for officership) and I has set off for a conference centre somewhere in Essex. Making my way round London was not a problem, even when the tube station was closed by police, the buses overloaded (because the tube was closed), and the Central Line suddenly decided the train would not go to the final station, so I had to get out and wait for the next train. My trouble started when I arrived in Epping. According to the directions from the conference centre's website, I had to catch a bus from the station and then get of at a roundabout, identified by a name, which sounded like a pub.

I found the bus and then my trouble began! The bus driver had no idea of where this roundabout was, although he could confirm he was driving in the direction of the area where the conference centre was. I got on the bus and kept a look out for a big round about with a pub (not that difficult to find in England!). After driving for quite a while down small country roads I finally saw it and hurried to get of the bus. After walking 10 metres toward the pub, I realised it was the wrong name. Wrong name equaled wrong pub equaled wrong roundabout! I turned around, but the bus had already left.

Now you might think this was no big problem. I could just wait for the next bus. Principally that is correct, but there were actually 2 problems: 1. The next bus would be in an hour and I was already a little bit late; 2. I had used my last cash buying the bus ticket and it would be very unlikely the next bus driver would let me get on the bus with an old ticket. So there I were – in the middle of nowhere, with no money, and there certainly was not a cash machine anywhere in sight. The sun was shining and it was a very nice day, so I decided I just had to walk. Fortunately I had seen the direction the bus had taken, so I presumed if I started walking that way, I would sooner or later reach the right roundabout. Seemed like a good idea, but as mentioned in the beginning, I was in the middle of nowhere. There were no pavements to walk on, so it was either the road or the grass. Problem was that cars kept coming on the road, but in the grass I had to carry my suitcase, as well as trying not to step in anything unpleasant.

Generally having a positive attitude to life I set off, thinking I soon would be at the right roundabout. I walked....and walked....and walked – no roundabout, no life, no buildings, just fields and cars rushing past. The sun was very warm, there was no shadow and I found myself thinking less about the roundabout and more about the pub that would be there!

I finally made it – I reached the roundabout and from there it was a reasonably short walk to the conference centre. When I arrived I was hot, tired and somewhat annoyed with myself. I had walked somewhere between 6-8 km and I was of course hopelessly late for the seminar as well.

Some of you will now be thinking: Why is he telling us this? Well, you see, as I was walking along the road, apart from fantasising about a litre of cold Coke, I also started hoping that one of the cars would stop and offer me a lift. I could not get myself to try and hitchhike, never done it before and it was just beyond my comfort zone, but surely these drivers could see I needed a lift? Apparently not, because no one stopped. Maybe the drivers spotted me and thought “Looks like he needs a lift” but did not stop, expecting I would signal if I were looking for a lift. I am sure that if anyone had stopped, I would have jumped into the car, even if they were just going some of the way I was. It was at this time I asked myself, as I often do in these kind of situations, whether there was a sermon in all this?

As you would expect there was – but I am not going to share it with you, not just yet, anyway. Instead I will challenge you to see if you can come up with a sermon idea using the above experience as an illustration. You can either try and guess what I have come up with, or you can make you own. It can be a general idea, or it can be a theme and headings (3 of course!!), but please not a complete sermon, just the general idea or outline.

As in any competition there has to be a prize and so if at least 3 people take up this challenge and post their thoughts before 23.June there will be a book prize to the winner.

The gauntlet has been thrown – anyone who will pick it up?