Summer Recaps & Reflections from the SouthGate :: Car Show

This summer has been one of the busiest summers I've experienced in quite a while. Though it has been full of a lot of good things, nonetheless it has been FULL. And now, as everyone asks, "Did you have a good summer?" or "How was your summer break?" I find myself thinking, "You mean it's over...?" It's all happened so fast... And by next Tuesday morning, I'll become part-time bus-driver as I transport Micah to Kindergarten. Fall will is now upon us...

With that being said, I wanted to create some space in my life to simply reflect on some of the things that have busied the summer months. Often we can get so wrapped up in the busyness of the moment, that the fullness of that very moment escapes us, or worst yet - never to be perceived in the first place.

As Doug King said, we must "Learn to pause or nothing worthwhile will catch up to you." Much of our lives, like my summer seems to move in FastForward and we desperately need to recover the Art of Living in Slow Motion.

In the Gospels, we rarely find Jesus sitting in the Temple waiting for people to come and listen to what He has to say. Interestingly though, we often wonder why people (who have yet to begin following Christ) aren't coming to church.

In the Gospels, we find Jesus maximizing opportunities at hand. Moments of engagement with people over meals and daily interactions at a well. What does it look like for the Church to engage the culture and world in which it exists? I suppose there are a number of answers to this question, but here's one we've been doing as a church for the past seven. An Import Car Show & Battle of the Bands, known all around michiana as SummerX.

It's an attempt to do what Jesus did in Luke 15, simply get around people and talk.

"By this time a lot of men and women of doubtful reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently. ²The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, "He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends." (Luke 15:1-2)

*These few sentences, written by Luke, are packed full of cultural nuances and theological
persuasion, that is just as relevant to us today as it was to the original audience.
For more on this passage see the following posts: One, Two, Three, Four, Five.


SummerX Car Show has become the biggest car show in the area, done with the most excellence and some of the best awards. It's put own predominately by our student ministries department and other volunteers. The goal is to help our students understand various aspects of what it means to live missionally and engage in spiritual conversations. The Mud Monster, pictured here, was my son's favorite, as can be seen as he dangles from the hitch.




The following are some highlights from this summer's SummerX Carshow & Battle of the Bands.