thrown

I went swimming with the kids the other day, who are all amazing swimmers, even though they have never had an official lesson. We never forced anyone of them into the water ever when they were little. We would dress them in their swim suits and take them to the pool and let them check it out with no pressure to get in the water. This sometimes left them on the side of the pool watching everyone have fun. Soon they were getting their feet wet by the steps, then they were jumping in up to their waists, then, usually by age 2, they were all over the pool (with floaties on their arms, of course).

So the other day, Ruthie, who just turned 9, said to me, "Daddy, I want someone to take me out to the deep end and throw me in!"

When we move to Miami to start a church for people who don't like church, we are not going to force anyone of them into the pool of Christianity. We'll prepare them and lead them to the water, but, it will be totally up to them how far and how fast they'll jump in. Once they do jump in and want to push into more dangerous waters, we'll be there with them. In fact we'll have open "next step" classes for them. One will be called "Going Deeper" and another with be called "Sub-Merge" were they can do just that.

How about you? Are you satisfied with sitting on the steps getting wet up to your waist? Or, do you want to jump in yelling "CANNON BALL!"