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July/August 2015 • SR
President’s Page by Bill Probasco
Over the past year I have traveled a lot on the weekends
to share what God has given me as a vision for General
Conference. It’s been great visiting various congregations
and talking about being “Steadfast.” On most of these
weekend trips I’ve shared some things about myself I feel
I’m steadfast about. I’m a Seattle Seahawks fan; I enjoy
Presidential historical sites; I’m a Seventh Day Baptist;
and I bike ride. It’s easy for me to qualify my team fandom
by citing trivia, showing ticket stubs, wearing my team
shirt, etc. It’s easy for me to
quantify my Presidential history
hobby by posting pictures from
visits on social media, showing
books I’ve read, sharing facts
I’ve learned, etc. It’s also fairly
easy for me to verify my being a
Seventh Day Baptist by high-
lighting my attendance at
church, finding my baptism cer-
tificate from the Shiloh SDB
church, seeing the committees on which I serve, even
noting my current “General Conference President” title,
etc. It’s not as easy with bike riding. I’m not in a large
stadium; I’m not at a historical site with hundreds of
other people (OK, we’ll say ten if I’m lucky…); I’m not in
a pew beside several dozen other worshippers. Typically
it’s just me, or me and a friend. Unless you pass me on
the road, you wouldn’t know I’d gone bike riding unless I
mentioned it. It’s that fact that makes me think about
being “Steadfast” in a different light. You see, as I
mentioned, I have been traveling a lot on the weekends,
and that’s when I usually do my bike riding. It wasn’t until
recently that the weather and the schedule allowed me
to get back out on the road with my bike. I met my friend
early on Sunday morning in May and off we rode on our
usual circuit. Shortly into our ride, I could tell it had been
a while since I’d ridden. I wasn’t as quick up the hill; I
grew short of breath more quickly; I wasn’t keeping pace
as easily as I had on previous rides. Other things had
filled my schedule, and now I was seeing the results. I’ve
been sharing on my church visits that I’m a steadfast bike
rider. Had I reached the point that I
was
a steadfast bike
rider? It was evident that I needed more time on my bike
to get back to feeling the way I have felt in the past.
Similarly, I see this as a danger in my spiritual walk. I can
say I’m a steadfast Christian, then allow other things to
take my time away. Maybe I don’t make it to church as
regularly as I have; maybe I skip
a “daily” devotional; maybe my
language starts to slip; maybe my
comments and discussions become
more like gossip and criticisms.
Soon, like my bike riding, the only
evidence of my being a Christian is
the fact that I tell people I am. God
showers Steadfast mercy down on
us. Shouldn’t we be more steadfast
in our desire to better represent
Him? It’s only by working at my endurance on my bicycle
that I have any hope of improving on it. Saying I have
worked at it doesn’t count. It’s where the “rubber meets
the road” that the work gets done. That’s true for getting
my bike tires actually out on the road, as well as getting
my knees on the ground in prayer or my eyes on the
pages of Scripture.
As we close in on the General Conference sessions later
this month, I pray we all remain steadfast for Christ. He
provides such opportunity for us all with His steadfastness.
Let us all feel inspired to be steadfast Christians with
more than lip-service. Let’s represent our Savior each and
every day.
God bless, and I look forward to seeing everyone at
Lancaster Bible College!
Where the rubber meets the road
