Frontier City

I'm back in cold Houston after a twelve day Christmas/New Year's Holiday in very very cold Wichita, Kansas with my family. It's a long drive- about 620 miles- but the roads are interstate the whole way and the only problem is navigating Houston's traffic. I usually leave in the middle of the night but since Monday was New Years, I thought it was safer to wait until daylight Tuesday so hopefully, the inebriated or somewhat intoxicated would be off the road. I heard January 2 was one the most traveled days in the US. I couldn't see it except coming back through Houston which always has traffic issues unless you leave here in the middle of the night!

Since our folks died, I have spent every Thanksgiving and Christmas with Dave and Scott and their families. That makes twenty trips driving to Wichita and twenty trips back. I follow a familiar route; my apartment to 610 to I45 to I 35. I could do it in my sleep but I still keep my GPS on just in case. On each leg of the journey, I pass a large amusement in Oklahoma City. It's called Frontier City and it looks like a fun place. Often, I pass it before dawn so it's hard to see much in the dark. I found out on the internet it's the only amusement park in Oklahoma and it dates back to 1958! It's seen a number of renovations and changes in ownership over the decades and it even has a rock song about it by the Kings of Leon! (One of the band members worked there as a teen.) My guess is that a lot of kids  and not young anymore youngsters have lifelong memories revolving around summers spent on that plot of land. Childhood memories can be so sweet.

I admit I'm kind of fascinated by Frontier City. You know, I've never been inside after all these years and I even very vaguely remembering passing it a when we drove to Arkansas from Nebraska as a boy. Maybe it's the most wonderful spot on earth and I've never found out for myself. But I only go by when it's closed, when it's dark and gloomy. There's no kids or laughter, no sunshine or sno-cones, no families or staging group pictures. When I see it, there is no amusement in the park, just a cold deserted piece of real estate. I've said before that a school without the kids is simply a facility. A theme park without children and their folks is a ghost town.

Last Christmas, I preached the wedding of a former student in Fort Worth. To practice, I spent thirty minutes in our church auditorium practicing in front of empty pews. It was eerie, dark and deserted in an enclosure that would probably seat seven hundred when filled. But a church building void of a gathering of believers (and hopefully non believers as well) has no life. The life is in the flesh and blood. In John 10:10, Jesus explains the fullness of the existence He offers: 
I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.
That's the life I want/we want. Not an empty, lonely life but the joyous, fulfilling life of serving others and serving God. Going to an amusement park with you as the only customer would seem a waste of time. We, and even me, a strong introvert, understand the happiness that comes from interacting with a crowd even of strangers mixed in with loved ones if we come with a common purpose. Movies, concerts, ball games- all these depend to some extent on those who participate willingly. There's enough emptiness in a culture that prides itself in communicating. I pray my life reflects to those I meet the atmosphere of Frontier City in the warmth of summer, not in the coldness of winter. Those out in the cold are looking to come in.

To watch the Kings Of Leon song Frontier City, click or copy/paste the link below!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwdxhHaJSY4

Applicable quote of the day:

I look just like the girls next door... if you happen to live next door to an amusement park.Dolly Parton
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com