Worth the Ride
Pastor Candi opens up about life and all its twists and turns. This is a very moving masterpiece that is sure to take you on a ride.
This past Friday we found ourselves facing an unexpected hairpin turn on the road of life. On Sunday P.ray asked me how I was doing. I found myself rambling, unable to come up with words. Having some time to ponder the question has led to this answer.
The past 17 months have been like what I would imagine riding the Steel Vengeance roller coaster at Cedar Point feels like.
Described as one of the best roller coasters in the world, the Steel Vengeance is a hybrid roller coaster crafted from wood and steel that reaches a height of 205 feet. Its first drop is shown to be 200 feet at a 90-degree angle and has a top speed of 74 mph. There are four head-over-heels inversions and a total track length of 5,740 feet.
Since April of 2025 there have been gut-wrenching drops, the kind that make you want to barf. Hair-raising turns that hurt the brain. Stomach-churning twists cause painful whiplash. Not knowing what lies around the bend is disorienting.
Yet amid the pain and heartache came unexpected moments that made no earthly sense—as though I was floating effortlessly on a cloud of grace. A connection to my Creator that has deepened and transformed me, leading to a strange kind of joy that could only come from Him.
A long, long, time ago I made my decision to become a follower of Jesus. And the cost of true discipleship requires putting Him above all else, allowing Him to hold first place in my heart, to have His own way in me. He is the Potter; I am the clay.
C.S. Lewis puts it this way.
“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of-throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”
My meager plans for this life pale in comparison to what He has done, and I praise Him for that!
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:2-5)
The world we live in is totally, completely broken. But, praise God, this world is not our home. So, while we live as strangers in this foreign land let us keep in mind this truth:
“Trials are the arena in which, and the process through which, something good develops: trust in the reliability and the goodness of God.” This is the battle ground on which mature and complete faith is formed.
How am I? Bruised but not broken. Battle-worn but still standing. Learning and growing in dependence on God. Hopeful.
This wild roller coaster ride has deepened my conviction that He is completely TRUSTWORTHY.
“May the God of all hope fill you with joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)
Make it. Thrilling Thursday! God is good…