Thrill Sequence Series

Thrill Sequence, by Pastor Rob Ketterling

Well, thanks for being a part of our Thrill Sequence launch here this week at River Valley Church. For those of you that don't know, we did this two years ago as a multiple part series, and from that a publisher heard about it and turned it into a book. I am relaunching again, and it is going nationwide. It is kind of exciting that what we did as a church is being able to affect the body of Christ around the world. So I love the creativity of our team, our staff, and everybody that uses their gifts and talents. Some of our kids' ministry material is starting to go nationwide, and this book is no different; it is going nationwide.

I want to let you know that it all started with an observation. Okay, it just started with an observation. I was noticing that people were chasing after thrills, and it seemed like we were just becoming a Red Bull, 5 hour ENERGY world, chase after thrills. And it felt like social media was putting it on steroids, if you will, and saying, "Let's chase after thrills, let's go for it, let's run and get all we can out of it." And it looked like there was a competition going on.

Then we got together as a staff, and we were saying, "It looks like people are chasing after all the wrong things." How many think about that? People are chasing after all the wrong things. We said, "They are chasing after all the wrong things. It's like they are caught in this trap, this vicious cycle. It's like they are stuck in a thrill sequence." And in that moment we're like, "That's it! That's it! They are stuck in a thrill sequence." And we came up with the term "thrill sequence," and we made it up, and I'm hoping that it catches on in culture.

But if I can just define it, it is saying people are addicted to thrills. People are addicted to chasing after stuff that doesn't matter. They are bored. How many know people that are bored? They have so much, and they are bored. These people are bored, they are chasing after thrills, they are going after it. And so we said they are chasing after thrills, they are bored, and they want to then go after more, go after more. And then they use social media to go around and share. If you are using your social media, you might use Facebook, or you might use Twitter, or you might use Instagram, or you might need to use Periscope. How many know about Periscope? Go ahead, raise your hand here and at all of our campuses if you know about Periscope. Okay, that's the latest thing. All right, get with it. All right, now get with it. You notice all the teenagers, like, "Yeah, I'm familiar with that."

So you might use that social media. So we said people are bored, they are chasing the thrill. And then they put it out on social media and they want to say, "I was there. I did this. I've been there." And that becomes the currency to get the rush and the feeling of I did it, you didn't, and here it is. And then after a while, how many know that just gets old? Like, it just wears off, so you need a bigger thrill, a bigger thing, a higher thing to jump from, a bigger buzz.

And so people are starting to get addicted to adrenaline and this affirmation and this currency of people saying, "Oh, that's so cool. You did that! Oh, that was so cool. That's so amazing. Oh, you are really going for it!" And you are doing all this stuff, and so people just get stuck in this never ending cycle, this thrill sequence of chasing after these things.

So we came up with the term, and then we did the sermon series, and then it became a book. And I just was super excited to see it. It had a picture of that guy flyboarding on the cover. You know, they wanted to do a roller coaster on the front, and I was like, man, the flyboard guy is way more exiting. How many are glad there is a flyboard guy on there? Yeah! We need to do that as a Lifegroup. Somebody start that one and I'll join it.

So it's actually my second book. And for those of you that don't know, I did a first book, and it's kind of horrible to even show this. But I was way heavier before, and I did a book called Change Before You Have To, and I think they have the fat picture and my skinny picture there for you to be able to see. Yeah, that was me. Fat guy and now skinnier guy. I was an XL shirt and now I'm a medium, and I feel so much better.