Roller Coaster Challenge Day 11

Roller Coaster Challenge Day 11 – A roller coaster you really miss

Intimidator 305, Kings Dominion
This ride is crazy wicked awesome. It was just built in 2010, and I was lucky enough to ride it in its debut season (Thank you Chris R!). It’s 90ish mph fast and super smooth, yet it is still the most powerful and intense roller coaster I have ever ridden.
I started to black out a little on the turn between the first and second hill. I talked to a couple that rode it together, and the woman had no memory of riding it all. Pretty awesome, huh?

Everyone else in my group rode twice; I rode nine times. I very nearly pushed it to #1 on my top coasters list, but I stuck with Maverick's incredible variety.
How do I know I miss this ride? I bought an Intimidator 305 shot glass, and I dropped it when I was cleaning it. I cried. I really did. I miss you 305! Hope to see you soon!

Psalm 32: 1-11

In my version this Psalm is subtitled: Blessedness of Forgiveness and of Trust in God. When I thought about the woman who had no memory of the ride, it reminded me of how blessed we are when our transgressions are forgiven. Our sin is covered by the blood sacrifice of Jesus, and God “remembers” them no more. What a weight is off of us! We can be made right with God once we acknowledge our sin and receive His forgiveness.

P.S. A good friend knew of my distress when I dropped the souvenir, so he replaced it for me when he visited the park. Coincidentally, it was the exact version I had broken, though there were several variations of the glass in the gift shop to choose from. Thanks D.

Roller Coaster Challenge Day 10

Roller coaster Challenge Day 10 – A roller coaster that is a guilty pleasure.

Disaster Transport, Cedar Point

Disaster Transport is a bobsled-type roller coaster that runs on a half-pipe track instead of rails. It used to be an outside ride, but Cedar Point enclosed it in a building in 1990.

The ride is disappointingly short, has gimmicky, silly theming and 3D displays, and is blown off by the coaster community. BUT I LOVE IT!  Parts of the ride are quite dark, and it’s hard to see the track, so it’s a fun ride. Definitely a top 10 Cedar Point roller coasters. Definitely.

By way of update: After 28 years, fans had to say goodbye to Disaster Transport. The announcement read: Take your last "Trip to Alaska" on Disaster Transport today! The ride will be dismantled to make room for bigger and better thrills coming next season!”

Interestingly, the last rides were auctioned off for a fund-raiser, and it was ridden with the lights on. Trucks hauled 400 loads of scrap metal.

 
Psalm 50:16 -23

So, what is your guilty pleasure? Liking an outdated, low thrills coaster seems as harmless as chocolate, sports, or entertainment. No finger pointing here. Besides, there would be four fingers pointing back at myself if I started pointing fingers.

But, each thing, each un-confessed area, each stumbling block that keeps us from our prayer time is a guilty pleasure. Making excuses?

Keep your spiritual life in shape. Don’t let it get run-down for lack of maintenance and become a pile of scraps.

  

Roller Coaster Challenge Day 9

Roller Coaster Challenge Day 9 - A roller coaster that you used to love but now hate

Corkscrew, Valley Fair

First off hate is a strong word. I do not HATE this ride; however, no other roller coaster has taken such a meteoric fall in how I perceive it.

When I first rode Corkscrew in 2002, I was 14, and it was only the second upside-down roller coaster I had ever ridden. It was a smooth ride, had a decent drop, nice loop, good airtime hill, two corkscrews, and an excellent helix to close the ride. I rode it countless times with my brother including a run of 3 or 4 consecutive rides.

The next time I rode was in 2009, but it just wasn't the same. It seemed short, rough, and torpid compared to what I remembered. Granted, I was 21 instead of 14 and my 6’ 3’’ frame was smashed into the small Arrow seats instead of comfortably fitting in them. The fact that this ride has not aged well, and that I had ridden countless top-rated steel rollers since 2002 did not help either. Nonetheless, Valleyfair's Corkscrew is an improvement over the Cedar Point version, and needs to be ridden by all Valleyfair guests.

Psalm 71: 17-20

Nobody wants to think about aging (unless you are on the cusp of your first driver’s license). Usually we just are reminded of the frailties of the body, how we’ll become weakened or in pain and eventually die. Perhaps we are looking the wrong direction. The Psalmist looks back, remembering the faithfulness with which God taught him from his youth.

We must age well – still declaring His wondrous deeds and declaring God’s strength to the next generation.

Old age brings troubles and distresses, but there’s not excuse for our faith not to be as alive and vibrant as it was when we first.

Satan would like nothing more than to tempt us to become crusty old curmudgeons, finding fault with everything and everyone as we grow older. With the Holy Spirit’s help, that does not have to happen.  Stay faithful by remembering His faithfulness. Stay forgiving by remembering His forgiveness. Stay cheerful by remembering His Joy. We are never too old to serve our Lord by displaying the Fruit of His Holy Spirit in our lives.