Route 66 - The Journey Begins

"And we're off like a herd of turtles!"

That's the phrase I heard my Dad say dozens of time when we'd all pile into the car ready to leave for a vacation, a family outing, or a trip to the store. It was a common phrase because we weren't always quick to get moving. There always seemed to be something holding us up.

It's the same with any journey. Getting started isn't always the quickest. Even the Space Shuttle, the fastest vehicle ever created, starts out very slowly, then picks up speed (albeit very quickly!). But journey's are like that. We want to make sure we have everything we need for the trip, to finish one more thing before we begin. At least that's the way it is in our house.

I'll usually set a target time to leave whenever we are heading down state or on any local family jaunt. And then the target time comes and goes. Or we'll start to pull away and someone forgets something and has to run into the house. And I can't blame the kids or Peggy for this. Sometimes it's me who forgets sunglasses, the checkbook, to shut off the lights, etc. And I remember Dad's words, "We're off like a herd of turtles!"

Route 66 is our year-long journey through the Bible's 66 books. It starts at the beginning (literally), with Genesis and will move through the book of Revelation at the end of the next year. Each week's message will come from that weeks book focus and we'll cover even more details in Pastor's Class each Wednesday. There will even be some study questions on the Route 66 Study Blog that small groups can use each week along with the sermon notes from Sunday's messages. The goal is to see how God's action through the scriptures has significant meaning for our lives and continues to demand something of us every day. It's an EPIC Journey (experiential, participatory, image-driven, connective). And it's a journey I want to share with you!

Well, today we're shoving off, launching this journey. Many will hesitate and put off the first reading until later today, when there's time, after the kids go to bed, when I get other things done, etc. Others will have already read and be awaiting this blog. Even others will keep reading today and be way ahead of the rest of us. But we're off and moving, even if it's at a turtle's pace or a rabbits!

The key to the journey, though, is not how fast you complete it. It's a journey, which means that every step we travel has meaning and significance. There's something to learn and see and experience each day. We're not concentrating on the completion of a day's reading, or a book or the entire Bible. We're concentrating on what we read, what it means for us, what promises it holds, what blessings it bestows, what it requires of us!

Today's reading is Genesis 1-4, the Creation and human beginnings. It's filled with famous stories and deep insights. It ends with the reason we're reading and studying so much in this next year (why I'm asking so much from you.). It's after Adam and Eve had their third son, Seth, after the death of Abel and as Seth grows up and has a son of his own, Enosh, that we learn this important lesson...

"That's when men and women began praying and worshipping in the name of God." (Genesis 4:26, The Message)

Over this year, we'll begin to see just what that means for them, and for us.

We're off like a herd of turtles!

Peace ><>
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