The atmosphere last Sunday at Southern Hills Christian Church was electric! The vision that God has placed on SoHills has crawled around in the cracks and crevices of our minds for several months. But this last Sunday when community leaders publicly embraced City Station and committed to joining hands with us, it began to take a life of its own. Ministry became more than a religious buzzword; it has a HEARTBEAT—a strong one. The numbers thrown at us were mind-boggling. City Station is big—no matter how you cut it! It is more than big; it is GOD-SIZED. And that’s probably new territory for many of us.

I have a confession to make; a confession that burns my spirit like a belch born of soured milk on the stomach. I have lived most of my life in the “realm of the possible.” Decisions to act, to move forward were made on the basis of “I can do that.” If it were beyond my ability, it gets tabled. There may be others like me. John Oxenham said:

To every man there openeth

A way and ways and a way;

The high soul treads the high way,

And the low soul gropes the low,

And in between on the misty flats,

The rest drift to and fro.

The misty flats. I don’t want to live there any longer. And if you have ever walked in that fog, I don’t think you do either. It not only dampens the soul, but it also betrays my allegiance to God for whom “everything is possible.” (Matthew 19:26) A betrayal that must cut as deeply as Peter’s own words: “I don’t know this man [Jesus].” (Mark 14:71)

Thank goodness for Peter. He is the poster child of a wrecked soul restored. He has some good advice for us who are ready to cross the line into the realm of the impossible where God lives: “So prepare your minds for action” (1 Peter 1:13). He is reminding us that business-as-usual will not make the cut. Jesus said, “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the wine would burst the wineskins, and the wine and the skins would both be lost. New wine calls for new wineskins.” (Mark 2:22) And so does God. Old wineskins, old thinking cannot handle God-sized action. Get your mind and heart ready for action—God’s action.

I’m not worried about God’s part in pulling off City Station—or repairing a broken marriage; or breaking the chains of addiction; or bringing a prodigal home; or rebuilding a life in shambles; or softening up an old heart. What should keep me awake at night is my part. Am I ready to offer Him a new heart into which He can pour His new wine? He will not waste His new wine!

Get your mind and heart ready for action! And then hold on because you are about to take the ride of your life with the Creator of the Universe. A ride you will never regret.