SERIOUS cyclists scare me a little. Since I moved to Etruria in the summer, I have used my bike to get around quite a bit.

I have a little cycle computer so I know that I average something around 11mph up and down the hills around Hanley. I know that once or twice, on some of the steep downhill sections, I’ve even got up to 30mph.

Compare this to serious cyclists. Today, in the Tour of Britain, the pack will cover 156 kilometres from Worcester Racecourse to Hanley Town Hall in just under four hours. That’s an average of around 25mph – just about what I manage to hit when I have a lot of downhill help.

Professional cyclists are seriously focused people. They know what they want to achieve, and they put themselves through all kinds of pain to achieve it. The relentless work develops their hearts and lungs to a size not seen in any other sport.

Cyclists also understand the importance of teamwork. It is only by teams riding together that individuals can win.

This teamwork appears to have been taken to another level by the successful British cyclists in the Beijing Olympics. This group trains together, and some of the athletes sacrificed opportunities for individual attempts in order to take part in team events and secure Gold  in these.

Another thing that contributed to the success of this team in Beijing was the attention to detail on the equipment. The British team was recognised as having the best kit out there – kit which had been stripped of as much weight as possible, was as efficient as possible.

Over the summer I came across some Christians who scared me a little. They are a group of people in Manchester called The Message Trust. Over the last 25 years, they have been going into the toughest schools and estates in the city, introducing people to the reality and power of the love of God. They have seen lives changed, crime rates fall, and communities turned around.

These Christians are seriously focused people. They know what challenges have been put in front of them and they are willing to go through all kinds of pain to meet them. Their hearts have developed to a point where they love other people so much that they are willing to live where they live. They know the importance of community, and have moved on to the roughest estates so that they can live in the communities they are serving.

As they have done this, some of them have left things behind.  Nice houses, better paid jobs, and security. They have stripped as much weight out of their lives as possible so that they can be the very best that God has called for.

When I’m out on my bike, I sometimes daydream about being a world-class cyclist, swooshing along at a great speed.

But what I really want to be is a focused Christian – a follower of Jesus who sees lives changed, by the love of God, in the city that I live in.

I seek to be someone who is willing to go to the painful places, to live in real community, and to get rid of everything that stops me being the very best that God is calling me to be.

Rev Tim Carter is  from St Mark’s Church, Shelton, and this is his personal view.

How about you? What do you want to be serious about?