Who Remembers Story Problems?

If Train A leaves Station B going east at 60 mph, and Train C leaves Station D going west at 55 mph and the wind’s blowing north at 22 mph and the conductor’s eating a turkey sandwich…Arrrggghhhh!!!

Who remembers “problems” like this from an algebra class? If you’re close to my age you likely raised your hand; perhaps you threw something at the computer monitor. I’ll confess that early in my teaching career I was guilty of assigning this kind of meaningless homework until I finally agreed with my students’ objection: When will we EVER solve a problem like this outside of an algebra class? My dad was General Superintendent of a railroad, and I’m pretty sure even HE never solved a problem like that!

Here’s a different sort of story problem. Suppose  you have a team of cyclists, all with varying abilities, ages, and fitness levels, many of whom don’t know each other. Suppose that team leaves Cheyenne, Wyoming, rides in relatively close proximity for 500 miles, and arrives at the top of Raton Pass eight days later.

How can such a diverse group ride as a team and have fun?

I borrowed these thoughts from the archives (June 4, 2015).

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Colorado has lots of wonderful bike tours on which riders can choose their companions and cycle at their own pace. Folks who want to ride fast and do their own thing have plenty of opportunities.

We’re not a bike tour. We come together around a common mission; the bikes are simply tools. Everything we do is designed to create a community in which people are empowered to trust God, work together as servant leaders, and offer hope to others.

Our teams ride, live, serve, and sacrifice together based on some simple principles:

• We ride as a team, though not always as one big group.
• No one rides alone.
• No one gets left behind.

Principles aren’t rules.

Rules define legal/illegal behavior in games. They’re arbitrary, they change, and their primary function is to make the game operate smoothly.

Players always push boundaries and seek loopholes in rules. Officials penalize a player who violates a rule. Everyone else plays on.

Principles organize systems.

Principles determine right/not-right, not legal/illegal. Rules are written in pencil; principles get carved in stone. There may be debate about what’s right in a particular circumstance, but right/not-right don’t change over time.

Systems don’t need referees because principles don’t involve penalties. When someone violates a principle, the system–and everyone in it–is naturally diminished to some extent. That’s the difference between (natural) consequences and (artificial) penalties.

Religious types constantly badgered Jesus about rules, and He always responded with stories about principles. He was clearly interested in what’s right rather than an elaborate game of rules and penalties.

We try to make our FREEDOM TOUR team what Jesus described–a principle-driven community.

I’ve been tempted at various times to believe I could follow Jesus at my own pace. I didn’t see why I needed a church. I could get my teaching online or from books, and I certainly didn’t need anyone else for prayer. Seemed like church, with its politics and problems and messed-up people, slowed me down.

That’s nonsense, of course. Following Jesus isn’t an isolated activity, though we Americans have done our best to make it so. Jesus called us to a life of service and sacrifice. When His disciples wanted to race ahead of the others, He made the radical claim that among His followers the first should be last.

Jesus was forming a new sort of team.

Team members must understand, and buy into, the objective. The strength of a cycle racing team is measured by how fast they can get their best rider to the finish line. Every tactic is calculated to increase the speed of that rider.

One single cyclist crossing the finish line ahead of everyone else–that the whole point. It’s all about fast.

The strength of our team is measured by how we move down the road together. We care about words like encourage, joy, and connection. We’d rather arrive later and know each other better. It’s not uncommon to see the strongest cyclist riding “sweep,” the last rider who takes care of flats and encourages someone who’s running short of energy.

A cyclist riding alone, far ahead or behind, devalues the experience a bit for everyone else. “No one left behind” can’t mean “No one falls behind” because it’s not about “keep up or else.”

“No one left behind” is a principle of service. “Keep up or else” is a rule of individual survival and convenience.

Bringing this kind of team together is a story problem worth solving. It requires grace and forgiveness to get past hot days and short tempers and inevitable failures. That’s the thing about teams–they’re made up of imperfect people. It’s messy and sweaty difficult and it’s among the most remarkable experiences I’ve had.

One thing it’s not. It’s not fast.