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We're at Kalahari for our District Conference, enjoying sessions on the theme of being Gospel Rooted, being with other pastors and church leaders from our region, and, of course, spending time in the waterpark.

Both of my daughters are big enough now that they can go on just about every slide in the park which, selfishly speaking, makes it a lot more fun for me. One of the joys of this trip for me has been seeing them try new rides and their reactions in the midst of it.

For example, one of the rides features a 4-seat "Clover" tube in which the riders all face each other. Ellie and I went on it just the two of us and it was the first time for both of us, so we didn't know what was coming or what to expect. During the ride, we are sitting opposite each other, so I get to watch her face the whole time. As we begin the slide, I'm going backwards and she is facing forwards, meaning she can see what's coming and all I can see are her reactions to what she can see coming.

At first, her eyes are wide open. There's a big smile. Some whooping. Some hollering as we wind through the slide. Then the smile disappears, her eyes somehow get even bigger, and a look of fear crosses her face. All of a sudden, the tube dips sharply beneath me as we careen down a sharp drop and get deposited into what is essentially a gigantic sideways funnel. We slide up one side of the funnel. Then back down and up the other side of the funnel. And as we slide back and forth, the look of concern and screams of fear are once again replaced by a boisterous smile and shrieks of joy. We exit the funnel, go through one last drop, and slide out into the final pool where we need to exit the tube. We get off, climb the stairs out of the pool, and what is the first thing Ellie says to me? You guessed it.

"Dad, can we go on that again?!" she asks excitedly.

And we do. And the second time there's less fear and simply more joy. And the third time it's pretty much all joy.

I wonder if that's what it's like walking with God sometimes. Taking faith-filled risks. Trusting Him. Being willing to go on a wild ride with Him even though we don't know exactly what's coming. I wonder if, over time, the more we say yes to Jesus and walk with Him day by day and are obedient to Him day by day, fear becomes less and less and joy becomes more and more. I don't feel I have enough experience to speak to this definitively, but I wonder if this tends to be true. Those of you who have been walking with Jesus a long time, I'd love to hear your thoughts and experience and if you see any truth in this comparison.

I hope in my relationship with God, I grow to be more like Ellie. That as my trust in God grows, that as my obedience to God grows, that as my joy in God grows, when I finish up one wild ride with God, my response will be, "Dad, can we do that again?"