Why Small Groups?/Take This Group and Own It!

We begin with a tale of two cars: an aging Plymouth 

Voyager and a sleek new Lincoln Continental. I had 

the opportunity to drive them both last year, but I treated 

them quite differently. 

The Plymouth minivan looked as if it had been owned 

and operated by a second-rate day care center. There were 

footprints on the vinyl and nose prints on the windows. 

Cracker crumbs littered the floor. Acorns, rocks, chewing- 

gum wrappers, and other collector’s items filled the cup 

holders. In the cracks between the seats I found a wide 

assortment of archeological remains. And judging by the 

smell, the windows had been left down during a series of 

heavy thunderstorms. 

It was a well-used vehicle. 

The Lincoln, on the other hand, appeared to have 

rolled off the assembly line moments before I got behind 

the wheel. The floor mats were notsticky with spilled 

soda. The rearview mirror had notbeen knocked off and 

reattached three times. The carpet didn’t ooze with some 

unidentifiable engine fluid. The odometer had not broken 

a thousand, much less a hundred thousand. And the 

smell—is it only guys who notice?—the smell of that new 

leather interior, untainted by rotten bananas and car sick- 

ness and all the other fragrances of a family van. 

It was a beautiful car...but it was a rental car, and I 

treated it that way. I filled it up with low-grade gas. I 

accelerated fast and braked hard. I didn’t wash it, vacuum 

it, or change the oil. And by the time I returned it to the 

rental lot, those pristine floor mats were thick with dirt 

and sand. 

My Plymouth Voyager isn’t much to look at, but it’s 

mine. (And it’s paid for!) I wash it, change the oil, check 

the tire pressure, and vacuum it out when the cracker 

crumbs get too deep. This morning I dropped it off at the 

                                                                                                                                                                                               31 

From Why Small Groups?, part of the Pursuit of Godliness series from Sovereign Grace Ministries, 

7505 Muncaster Mill Road, Gaithersburg, MD 20877.  www.sovereigngraceministries.org 

© 1996 Sovereign Grace Ministries. All rights reserved. 

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