A Pile Of Stones

We’re home. Front Range FREEDOM Tour is finished.

The tour was much more than I imagined. It’s hard to believe a week could pass so quickly, accomplish so much, and leave me so drained. Our team truly left it all on the road.

Normally I’d feel guilty about all that didn’t get done. I couldn’t keep up with the blogs. The GPS had hiccups and we didn’t have time to mess with it. We didn’t get pictures posted or tweets tweeted.

But when you’ve done all you can, when you fall into bed after a day of cycling and shepherding a team on 3-4 hours’ sleep, your head hits the pillow with clear eyes and a full heart.

I missed telling you the story while it unfolded. Maybe that’s best. Maybe I can relate it better with perspective. Doesn’t really matter, because it’s our only option. So I’ll spend the next few days trying to paint a picture of some episodes that made up this incredible week. I hope you enjoy the journey.

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Saturday, June 29

The team concluded the tour by climbing Raton Pass to the Colorado/New Mexico border. The climb that took them about 45 minutes would have been a 2-3 hour crawl for me, so I didn’t ride this 15-mile stretch.

 It was incredibly satisfying to watch our team crank up this challenging mountain together. Teagan and Collin led the way, initial self-doubt replaced by inner strength and self-confidence.

At the top of the pass we celebrated, high-fived, and snapped pictures. Then we demonstrated that we were riding bikes, but this wasn’t a bike ride.

We gathered in a quiet corner and prayed. Each team member took out a small rock they’d carried with them during the entire journey.

Before we began the tour, each of us wrote on our stone something we were tired of lugging around. We talked about knowing that Jesus died to free us from these burdens, but we still insist on carrying them. We resolved to drag this particular load a few hundred more miles, then leave it.

In Joshua 4 after the Israelites crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land, they piled stones as a marker, a reminder of God’s faithfulness. That’s what we did with our stones. One by one we explained the word on our stone and the unnecessary load it represented. After hauling the weight to the top of this mountain, we promised God and each other we’d do our best to leave them there.

We piled our stones in a special place, a small piece of holy ground. Maybe they’ll remain, maybe not. Doesn’t really matter, if the pain and sorrow they represent stays there.

The riders flew down the pass. I suppose their speed was mostly due to steep descents, but I’d like to believe they rode a bit faster because they left some dead weight at the top.

If so, I’m sure Jesus smiled.

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