Little Deuce Coupe

Growing up, I used to go to Opryland all the time. My dad worked there for 15 years. Many summers were spent riding rides, walking around the park, and eating fun food. In my opinion, it was one of the best amusement parks in the world. It is sad that it’s gone.

There was one particular ride called the Little Deuce Coupe (also the name of a beach Boys song written about the 1932 Ford Coupe). This ride was sort of like the tea cups at Magic Kingdom but better. It was inside in a big white dome. You would get into a cup-like compartment. A horizontal wheel would be in the center, and all of your friends would try to turn that wheel as fast as they could to spin the cup. Then the room would move around and spin while the cup was spinning. The lights were turned down except for blue lights, and your shirt would start to glow, and they would play doo-wop or rockabilly music. I bet I heard Dion’s Runaround Sue a hundred times on that ride. As a kid, the whole experience was fantastic!All you wanted to do is spin around as fast as you could, laugh as hard as you could, not vomit on the ride, and then do it all over again! As an adult looking back, I realize we didn’t know how we had it made. You would ride that ride several times and then move onto the next one. I did have fun, but I could not appreciate it as I do now. There is something special that I miss about creating an atmosphere of that period of life with the doo-wop music on a fun, spinning ride. We often don’t know the significance of what we have until it’s gone.

All you wanted to do is spin around as fast as you could, laugh as hard as you could, not vomit on the ride, and then do it all over again! As an adult looking back, I realize we didn’t know how we had it made. You would ride that ride several times and then move onto the next one. I did have fun, but I could not appreciate it as I do now. There is something special that I miss about creating an atmosphere of that period of life with the doo-wop music on a fun, spinning ride. We often don’t know the significance of what we have until it’s gone.

If we were raised in America, we have the privilege of having a foundation pointing towards the Son of God. There are churches everywhere. There are laws based on morals and biblical values. There are even many people named Christian. But we have forgotten how good we have it and now much of the foundation is unraveling. It’s kind of like having one of the best amusement parks in the world one day and then the next it’s just a mall. And who wants another mall!

God has given us His very own Son, Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. He came to give his life for us because it is necessary that we would be forgiven of all of our trespasses and be reconciled with God. He desires this and the Son was glad to suffer on our behalf. He desires for us to take full advantage of His offering to have a relationship with Him instead of dismissing it and wait another day. For we do not know if tomorrow will come. Nothing on this earth will last but initiating a friendship with God will carry-on for eternity.

At City of Refuge, we are continuing our series on what we believe. We are now focusing on Jesus Christ, the Son of God. What is He all about and what has He done for us. As an American, you have it good. The opportunity to know the Creator of the Universe is something worth investigating. We invite you to learn with us!