Finding Oil

   With gas prices over $4.00 a gallon, and the price of crude oil on a tear like has never been seen before, people are scrambling to make sense of it all. There is a great deal of anxiety over what the future holds for us as individuals and as a nation in how we will deal with ever increasing energy prices and ever shrinking supplies.

   A recent news round table discussion featured a panel of experts on energy supplies, energy economics, energy trends, and energy policy. It was exactly the kind of program that many of us would have flipped right past a while back, but now it seems every body is interested in this subject, and anxious to know what the future holds.

   The discussion covered a wide variety of topics. Could solar or wind be the answer to our needs? Could ethanol and other fuels made from plants fill the gap? Should congress uncork the strategic oil reserve? Would it be enough to help? Are there any new oil fields we could drill off our coast or in Alaska that would change the equation?

   It was clear from the moderator's voice and questions that everybody was hoping that one of these might be the silver bullet that could solve the whole energy crisis. Sadly, as the experts went through each of these issues one by one, all of them had flaws or serious limitations. Each of these would take huge amounts of time to come on line, and in the end could only make a difference of a few percent to the total energy supply. It was kind of a depressing discussion. In her closing remarks, one of the panel experts, a professor from Rice University, commented how it was indeed depressing, but said - “I want to leave you with one final thought – The largest untapped oil field in the United States is in Detroit!” Her point was clear – If cars went from averaging 15 miles/gallon to 50 miles/gallon, the amount of oil saved would dwarf all of the above ideas combined.

   Sometimes in the church it seems we are looking for that silver bullet idea to grow our church, while each year 5 or 10 of our youth slip through our fingers almost unnoticed. When we loose them, we also loose the future family and friends that they might have brought along. Like the professor from Rice University, perhaps we too need to quit looking for that silver bullet, and focus instead on the field that is right under our noses.

Greg Warwar