Galatians 6:9

Are you an adrenaline junkie?

Let me explain.
There is a kind of life-cycle to every church and to our involvement within a congregation.  That cycle begins with a period of take-off.  During take-off there is great momentum and dramatic upward movement.  This is when a church, or a new pastor or program see positive numbers of attendance and participation.  For members in the church this is a period when enthusiasm is very high.  There is excitement to participate and volunteer.  During take-off all things are positive, all systems go, go, go.

After the take-off there is a period when things just cruise.  The momentum that got everything moving now stabilizes, the dramatic upward movement levels off.  For the church, this is a time in which it may seem as if things are capable of running on auto-pilot.  Members know their roles and internal systems function effectively to keep the church moving forward.  This period is not exciting, and there isn't the high level of drama that existed during the take-off, but this is a period of health and stability.

The final stage is that of descent.  As you might imagine, this phase is the opposite of take-off.  In the church, this is when the systems that were working during the cruising stage begin to fall apart, and show signs of failure.  This period may have been prompted by the loss of a long-tenured pastor, but it is often due to conflict within the church.  Members begin to feud with one another, pointing blame at each other for the decline.  During the descent there is drama, but not the kind that was prevalent during take-off.  This is negative and detrimental; draining of member's energy and enthusiasm.  During descent, all things are in decline.

Adrenaline junkies are folks who crave the take-off phase.  They get bored and lose interest when things level off and begin to cruise on auto-pilot.  These are folks who jump ship when the excitement and enthusiasm stabilizes.  They never know the struggle of descent because they don't stick around long enough.  Adrenaline junkies jump from one church to another, or from one new project to another.  They are the flash-in-the-pan.  They jump in with both feet, and are the first to volunteer for something new, but when the take-off phase is over they quit and move on to another church or the next new idea.

In our Bible reading for today St. Paul reminds us of this by using the analogy of seasons.  There will be seasons we will go through, and we will reap in each of those seasons accordingly.  So, do not give up, he exhorts.  Adrenaline junkies give up, reap only from the season when everything is positive, then jump off to find the next adrenaline rush.

So, are you an adrenaline junkie?
If you are, hear the advice from St. Paul today and "do not grow weary,...do not give up."  God's Word promises that you will reap in due season.

If you are not an adrenaline junkie, but you are in a church that is in cruise control, or if you are in a church that is in decline "do not grow weary...do not give up."  God's Word promises that you will reap in due season.

In any phase of the system, trust in God and know that the single most influential and positive thing you could do is to remain faithful and respond with positive ideas, producing your own momentum in any phase. Success is not the absence of failure or periods of decline.  Success is found when we don't quit on God, on ourselves, or on each other.  Adrenaline junkies become part of the problems.  Don't be a part of the problem.  Be a part of the solution.  After all, this is what God does with you.  God never gives up on you.

Heavenly Father, help me resist the urge to act like an adrenaline junkie.  Give me the persistence to never give up.  Amen