06/20/2026
Road Trip Lesson #4:
I shared before how impressed I was with the route we took through Ohio. The incredibly green and manicured yards. The cleanliness. Just all of it. And, before somebody tells me I caught Ohio on a good day, maybe I did. But I’m telling y’all, mile after mile, I kept thinking, These people care.
And if that’s the standard (and honestly, it should be), my neck of the woods hasn’t just lowered the bar. We dropped it. Then backed over it. Then threw a Bojangles box out the window on top of it.
The amount of litter we pick up out of our yard on a daily basis is unreal. Cups. Bags. Fast food wrappers. Mystery debris that makes you wonder if somebody cleaned out their whole car at 55 mph.
And I know somebody’s gonna say, “Well, it’s not hurting anybody.” But isn’t that how lowering standards always starts? Nobody wakes up and says, “Today I’d like to become careless, lazy, disconnected, unhealthy, unkind, or far from God.”
It happens one little compromise at a time. One lowered expectation at a time. One “good enough” at a time. Then one day we look around and realize the bar isn’t where we left it.
I saw a church sign on this trip that said, “Visitors welcome. Members expected.”
At first I laughed because it sounded spicy. But then I thought, maybe we’ve become uncomfortable with expectations. We want community without commitment. Blessings without obedience. Growth without showing up. Church without membership. Faith without accountability. But, scripture never paints that picture.
Jesus welcomed everybody, but He expected something from those who followed Him. Not perfection. Participation. Not flawless living. Faithful living. Not spectators. Disciples. And maybe that’s why so many people feel spiritually stuck. You can’t expect fruit from a tree you never water.
So, here’s my little soapbox for the day: Take pride in your yard. Pick up the trash. Show up for your people. Raise the standard in your home.
And if church has become something you attend once every presidential election and three snowstorms, maybe this Sunday is a good day to come home.
Visitors are welcome.
Members are expected.
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25
