Cincinnati To DC

It’s been a busy week for RICH’S RIDE!

First, my handcycle was stolen from my garage on Tuesday (When Someone Steals). So lots of folks looked and prayed, and we attracted a bunch of media attention.

On Friday police found and returned it. I’m grateful to have it back, and even more grateful that nobody was harmed in the whole process.

However, the unexpected attention prompted many folks to ask how they might contribute to support our next adventure, a trip from Cincinnati to Washington, DC.

That’s right. RICH’S RIDE is hitting the road again.

Aaron Smith of Venture Cycling invited me to join a team for a 500-mile ride from Cincinnati to Washington, DC. The ride is sponsored by and raises awareness for International Justice Mission (IJM), which works within the legal system to heelp victims of illegal imprisonment,  slavery, human trafficking, and sexual exploitation. Project dates are July 12-23, 2012, which includes some days for training and speaking and six actual riding days.

I’ll provide lots more details later. For now, if you’d like to contribute please go to this page. Please find my name under “participant name” to be certain your donation’s properly credited.

I can’t wait to get on the road again. The journey of hope continues.

Please leave a comment here.

# # # # #

If you’ve enjoyed the updates from Rich’s Ride, please check out my blog at BOUNCING BACK.
We’ve got a great circle of folks who look at living life on purpose and following Jesus in the real world. I hope you’ll join us.

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Elk River Day (Part 2)

I’m sharing some excerpts from my in-progress manuscript about Rich’s Ride. You can check out previous posts here.

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I’ll confess to being a bit overwhelmed as the group gathered on Friday evening. It’s one thing to be invited to address a previously scheduled event, but these folks just showed up, with almost no notice, to listen to someone they’d never heard of a day earlier. These didn’t appear to be people with nothing better to do, so I figured Kelley must be pretty persuasive.

As a physical therapist, Kelley was curious about the bike, my injury, and how we’d gotten to this point. We had quite a bit of fun at her expense as she attempted to pedal a handcycle around the sanctuary. I did my presentation and we enjoyed a wonderful group discussion that featured sincere, perceptive questions. As we talked afterward I was humbled when Kelley shared a small piece of her story.

In her early twenties she struggled through a tough battle with cancer. As she endured multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiation treatments Kelley talked to God about rearranging priorities regarding two issues.

When doctors offered gloomy predictions about a “low probability” of becoming pregnant, she wondered about future plans for a family. She accepted the reality that her desire to have children might be fulfilled through adoption.

She also understood that her physical capabilities had changed. Prior to treatment her goal was to climb the “Colorado fourteeners,” the fifty-eight Colorado mountain peaks that exceed fourteen thousand feet. But the cancer and side-effects of treatment significantly limited her ability to breath at high altitudes. For a long time she couldn’t run or even walk fast, and she had to rearrange her priorities regarding exercise.

When we met on Elk River Day, sixteen years after the treatments ended, Kelley had just completed her first duathlon (run-bike-run). She beat her “dream time” by more than fifteen minutes, inspired by a personal cheering section that consisted of her husband and the three young children to whom she gave birth.

I’m still processing Kelley’s concluding statement. “I sincerely hope I never have to go through the cancer battle again, but I wouldn’t trade my cancer experience for the world, because of how close to God I became and how much I learned to trust Him and depend on Him. I do think he possibly allowed the cancer to happen to get my attention, and I’m thankful for that ‘wakeup call.’ It rearranged my priorities. Definitely it was worth it for the relationship I now enjoy with Jesus.”

It was one of many moments on the trip when the only appropriate response, or at least the only one I could muster, was “Wow!”

In my presentation I stated that I never seek to romanticize my injury, because being confined to a wheelchair stinks. It’s painful and frustrating and embarrassing, and I ask God regularly to heal my injury. I’m incredibly grateful for all of the good that He has brought from a tragic accident, but I can’t say that I’m thankful for the injury or its terrible consequences. And I do not believe God caused this suffering.

But Kelley’s incredible testimony helped me reconsider. I am closer to Jesus because of my injury. I have learned to trust God a bit more. And those rewards are definitely worth any price.

But I still don’t like sitting in a wheelchair.

I absolutely believe God answers prayers. I believe He answered Kelley’s prayers, and I believe He answered mine. In every way that really matters in Kingdom terms, God has healed me. He’s used the circumstances of my injury to bless me in unimaginable and countless ways. I also believe God hears my prayers for physical healing. I don’t know why I’m still paralyzed, but I emphatically reject the suggestion that it’s because God ignored my prayers.

As I said, I don’t understand how prayer works.

Kelley talked about faithfully respecting God’s timing. Maybe He told her to wait, or perhaps His YES involved a longer-than-expected time frame. Maybe it took sixteen years to perceive the radical, but gradual, alteration that ultimately led her to a place of such great joy.

God often works on an extended timeline. He promised a child to Abraham and Sarah when they were probably in their seventies, and they waited nearly twenty-five years for Isaac’s birth. The Israelites entered the land of milk and honey more than six hundred years after God’s promise to Abraham. Simeon served his entire life in the Temple before he beheld the Messiah. God frequently seems to operate in terms of long term arcs rather than sudden u-turns.

So if He doesn’t seem to be responding, perhaps the answer isn’t NO or WAIT. Maybe He’s doing the new thing we seek right now, but we need some time and trust to see His answer from our limited perspective. I just don’t know.

Kelley’s story provided an opportunity to celebrate without analysis, to embrace the mystery of being held in the arms of a loving God whose ways and thoughts are beyond our comprehension. It was a chance to hang out with Jesus and a few of His friends, a reminder that Jesus is a person rather than a collection of theological ideas. Hearing about Kelley’s miracle helped me to know Him and let go of knowing about Him.

Elk River Day was an implausible confluence of people, events, and circumstances. When I looked through the hotel window at dense, impenetrable fog I couldn’t possibly have imagined the inspiring story of courage I encountered as the day concluded. When Kelley received that phone call from our mutual friend Kathleen she couldn’t predict that she’d open a web page several weeks later and feel prompted to step into our journey in such a powerful way. When Becky struggled to make my daily ride as smooth as possible she didn’t visualize a supportive prayer circle of new friends who would help her rediscover personal peace.

It’s all an amazing coincidence, right?

That’s not what I believe. God was at work doing a new thing, faithfully responding to spoken and unspoken prayers. I don’t understand how that works, but that’s okay.

He’s God. I’m not. I’m glad.

Please leave a comment here.

# # # # #

If you’ve enjoyed the updates from Rich’s Ride, please check out my blog at BOUNCING BACK.

We’ve got a great circle of folks who look at living life on purpose and following Jesus in the real world. I hope you’ll join us.

Want to receive free updates?
Click below to get Bouncing Back
delivered directly to your inbox.

Oops!

Yesterday I gave the wrong date for our presentation at Timberline Church in Fort Collins.

The correct date is Wednesday, January 18th, 2011 at 7:00 pm.

Sorry for any inconvenience.

Cruisin’ Into Quincy

A few fun things happened on Tuesday.

1. Our good friends Glenn and Judy joined us for the second day. You’ll see Judy and hear Glenn in the video below.
2. Glenn and I did 45 miles from Keokuk, Iowa to Hannibal, Missouri. The first 32 miles followed a wonderful route known by locals as “Bottom Road.” I got out the GoPro camera to show you the last part of the ride into Quincy, Illinois.
3. I developed an annoying creak in my bike crank. That noise in the video is NOT my old shoulders. I’m going to have to find a bike shop tomorrow.

Anyway, I hope you get a sense of the beautiful day and the great route we enjoyed.

If you can’t see the video, click here.

We’ve received a lot of nice local media coverage along the way. Here’s an article from the Keokuk Daily Gate.

If you haven’t seen other articles and TV stories, you can find them on our media page.

Please leave a comment here.

Where’s Rich? Today This Week

Want to get involved with Rich’s Ride? Check here for some ideas. Send us a message, and consider riding along.
It’s going to be fun!

I’m doing a big project to share a big dream, and I’d love to have you along.
Click below to get Rich’s Ride
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It’s A Matter Of Focus

Today I’d like to share an illustration I use when I talk to groups about Rich’s Ride.

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Leonard was the latest in a series of physical therapists who tried to help me adjust to life with paralysis. We had an unspoken agreement: they worked hard while I complained and made excuses for not working at all. More than a year after my accident I still invested more energy in seeking sympathy than working to get better.

Leonard tolerated this unproductive waste of his time for a few weeks, but as he got to know me his patience diminished.

Readers of Relentless Grace will recall Leonard’s role in a particularly humorous and pivotal episode. However, his gruff wisdom impacted the unlikely outcome in many ways. One bit of insight altered my entire perspective on my injury.

One day as I complained about the physical tasks I couldn’t accomplish with my damaged body, he stopped and sat down in front of me with a blank sheet of paper. On one side he drew a circle around “10,000.” He said, “I want you to imagine that this circle represents all of the things you could do before your accident.”

Then he turned the paper over and drew a similar circle with a pie-shaped wedge removed.  “You just lost a lot of things, and you may never get many of them back. That’s horrible, and you have every right to be angry. But now you need to make a decision. “You can spend the rest of your life griping about the two thousand things you lost, or you can focus on the eight thousand that remain.”

Realistic Optimism—A Matter Of Focus

Leonard’s 8000/2000 principle became the working example of what I call REALISTIC OPTIMISM.

Accidents occur. Evil exists. Difficult circumstances are part of life, and ignoring problems doesn’t make them disappear.

Realistic optimism isn’t about naïve denial of challenges. It’s about choosing to see the opportunity within a challenging situation. Understanding and grieving the loss of the 2000 is necessary and important, but we move forward only when we turn our attention to the promise and possibility of the 8000.

I’ve learned that I don’t have to pretend to be happy about my injury to see the good that remains. I wish I could still ride a bicycle; I’m grateful that I can enjoy riding a hand cycle and that my passion can help others.

I’ve also learned that the 8000/2000 principle contains a universal lesson that isn’t about injuries or wheelchairs.

Dreamers aren’t intentionally oblivious to the 2000. They simply choose to concentrate on the 8000.

It’s a choice. It’s a matter of focus.

Please leave a comment here.

Where’s Rich? Today This Week

Want to get involved with Rich’s Ride? Check here for some ideas. Send us a message, and consider riding along.
It’s going to be fun!

I’m doing a big project to share a big dream, and I’d love to have you along.
Click below to get Rich’s Ride
delivered directly to your inbox.

Blessed Are The Flexible

As we pulled out of Fort Collins, Pastor Mark Orphan imparted one final bit of wisdom:

Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be broken.

I don’t think he was quoting the Beatitudes, but we’re discovering it’s great advice for operating on the road.

We had a great first week of Rich’s Ride, but nearly everything happened differently than we envisioned. We changed routes, hotels, schedules, eating plans, and even the logistics of moving down the road together.

An observer might conclude that no advance planning occurred, that this is a completely seat-of-the-pants operation. But it’s really the opposite.

Our planning is what allows us to be flexible.

Dwight Eisenhower, the Allied commander during WWII, said, “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless but planning is indispensible.”

I’m thinking a lot about this because of several conversations we’ve had in the past week. Discussions with organizers for churches, schools, and community groups end with something like, “This is a great project. I KNOW my group would benefit from hearing you speak. I wish we would’ve known a few weeks ago, but we already have things all planned.”

I understand planning. As a teacher, I planned lessons in as much detail as possible. But I tried not to allow my plans to get in the way of a spontaneous learning opportunity.

I wonder if we’re so committed to our own meticulous plans that we preclude any opportunity for God to interrupt. Suppose He offers an unexpected opportunity—are we willing to let him disrupt our schedule? Can we adapt if His timing demands a change in plans?

I’m not claiming that my project is important enough to automatically bring everything else to a standstill. But I’m recalling a conversation with a pastor a few days ago. “We have some really lost folks who’d be inspired by your story,” he said, “but we’ve just started our Fall sermon series.”

I understand. He’s organized and planned all summer. Alterations throw everything into chaos. Following the plan is neater, cleaner, easier.

But I can’t help wondering what might happen if an itinerant preacher named Paul (or Jesus) wandered into our town and asked to address the congregation. Would we tell them to come back after we finished the sermon series?

Planning well is essential. The question, I think, is whether the plans serve us or the other way around.

I think it’s about listening to God as we plan. But it’s also about listening when He nudges us in a different direction than we anticipated.

Have you ever allowed a plan to become your master? Are you willing to plan and then change direction when it’s appropriate?

Speaking of disruptions, this week’s already pleasantly discombobulated.

Today’s full. We’re on Faith Radio Network in Minneapolis (AM 900) at 7:05 am. Then we speak at chapel service for North Central University students. This afternoon we’ll talk to kids at Hillcrest Academy in Bloomington. And … we might try to sneak in a couple of hours of riding. This is, after all, supposed to be a bike ride.

Then Tuesday we’re back on the road toward Red Wing, with some back-tracking Wednesday and Thursday due to a speaking opportunity at Luther High School in La Crosse, Wi.

Please leave a comment here.

Want to get involved with Rich’s Ride? Check here for some ideas. Send us a message, and consider riding along.
It’s going to be fun!

I’m doing a big project to share a big dream, and I’d love to have you along.
Click below to get Rich’s Ride
delivered directly to your inbox.

What In The World

Week one’s in the books–195 miles and still going.

Here’s a video wrap-up of some thoughts as we pursure this big dream together..

If you can’t see the video, click here.

Some Days

Some days you get stuff done early. The blog post is complete, the email’s all answered, and you’re just on top of everything.

Some days are Friday and you needed some extra sleep and you just need to be honest about it.

Today is Friday.

Yesterday’s ride was … fine. Long stretches of highway, no lakes, just trees and cars and miles and the river growing each time we crossed paths. Just forty uneventful miles from Brainerd to Little Falls.

Today we head south from St. Cloud. We’ll have lunch with some home-school high schoolers, then return this evening to speak to their families.

This has been an amazing week a wonderful beginning to a memorable story. I’m excited to write the next chapter.

I hope you’re following along. I hope you’re inviting friends, sharing the story of hope, and perhaps doing your own 1500 challenge.

Most of all, I hope you’re using these days to write a memorable story with your own life.

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When you’re in the midst of something you’re passionate about, it’s easy to forget why you started. This morning I reposted some principles for Avoiding Burnout over at Bouncing Back.

Please leave a comment here.

Where’s Rich? Today This Week

I’m doing a big project to share a big dream, and I’d love to have you along.
Click below to get Rich’s Ride
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Time To Begin

It’s time.

After months of planning, dreaming, wondering if it could really happen–today the journey begins.

We’ll be in Lake Itasca State Park at about 8:00 am. We’ll speak to the press, take some cheesy photos, and make last-minute preparations. At about 9:00 am (CT) we’ll be off.

Thanks for joing in, for following along, for praying and encouraging. I can’t wait to see what God’s going to do with this adventure.

Check out “Where’s Rich” below to follow the journey in real time.

All the talk is done. No more preparing.

It’s time.

Please leave a comment here.

Where’s Rich? Today This Week

Want to get involved with Rich’s Ride? Check here for some ideas. Send us a message, and consider riding along.
It’s going to be fun!

I’m doing a big project to share a big dream, and I’d love to have you along.
Click below to get Rich’s Ride
delivered directly to your inbox.

Looking Forward And Looking Back

Today’s marked by contrasts.

I’m looking forward … to tomorrow and the start of a big adventure. In twenty-four hours we’ll depart from Lake Itasca, Mn. A 1500-mile journey of hope will be underway.

But this is also a somber anniversary.

I’m looking back … to a day that changed the world, a day known simply by a number: 9-11.

I can’t add much perspective to the horrible events of that day. That such mindless violence is even possible is evidence of a broken world. Others can comment much better that I about the significance of 9-11.

It’s necessary to look back, to remember, to honor those who sacrificed to save countless thousands of lives. We can’t afford to ignore the lessons of the attack.

But it’s dangerous to look back too much. The past can be a place of bitterness and anger. Looking back too much leads to living in the past, re-living old injuries, clinging to old resentment. Looking back too much makes it difficult to forgive.

On Saturday Becky and I had lunch with a disability support group in Fargo. We talked about adversity and frustration, but mostly we talked about hope. Folks who sit in wheelchairs, who battle debilitating mental and physical illness, gathered to celebrate hope.

You can’t find hope in the past. Hope looks forward; it’s an expectation based on faith. Hope knows that God won’t ever waste our struggles, that He bring purpose and meaning to even the most senseless circumstances.

Ten years after 9-11, I pray that all of us will choose hope, even when it makes no sense. I pray that we’ll release the hatred and unlock the self-constructed doors of unforgiveness that imprison us.

I’m looking back a little, but mostly I’m looking forward. Tomorrow is a special day—but that’s always true when you choose hope.

A few years ago the journey we’re beginning would have been impossible. Now we’re doing it.

Hope changes what’s possible.

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We have another fun little piece of technology to add some interest to the ride. I’ll be carrying a little GPS device that plots my location every ten minutes or so—assuming that I remember to turn it on correctly. So on each ride day you’ll be able to watch my progress and answer the question: Where’s Rich?

We played with it on our drive, so today it shows part of the route we followed from Colorado. You’ll note that I forgot to activate it until we reached Nebraska.

You can bookmark the page and check in occasionally. I’m not sure if we’ll wipe the page clean each day or let it run and accumulate a record of the entire journey.

Either way, I hope you’ll follow along. It’s going to be fun.