HAPPY MONDAY! A visit to a wonderful community brings today’s word-of-the-week… AFFIRMATION In September we were honored to speak to a group of folks at a homeless shelter in downtown Madison, Wisconsin. We gathered in a circle before the meeting began and read the following affirmation in unison. We gather as family and as friends. […]
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How Would You Answer A Little Boy’s Question
On December 10, 1986, Elie Wiesel delivered one of the influencal speeches in history. The occasion was his acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize. Wiesel looked back to himself as a small boy entering the Holocaust and asked, “Can this be true? Who would allow such crimes to be committed? How could the world remain […]
Continue readingI Won!
I never thought about being a lottery winner. A close friend reminded me earlier this week that as a white, male, native-born U.S. citizen, I’ve cashed three winning tickets. I also grew up in a relatively stable middle class family with access to decent k-12 education. That’s at least two more winners. My friend’s right. […]
Continue readingThe First Advent
If Advent’s about anticipation, what was that first Advent like for Jesus? I look at the helpless baby in the manger and wonder what it was like as He waited. Because He wasn’t always a baby. Time had never been an issue, but now there was this moment in time when everything would change. He […]
Continue readingWho You Are, What You Do
You do what you are. That’s sort of backwards from the usual message, but I think I like it. My friend Jon Swanson writes a great blog called 300 Words A Day. I encourage you to add it to your reading list. Jon has this great way of using everyday stuff to talk about following […]
Continue readingWhat’s Bike Riding Got To Do With Justice?
Why is a blog about a bike ride so concerned with justice? Fair question, if this is a blog about a bike ride. It’s not. RICH’S RIDE isn’t about Rich and it isn’t about a ride. We’re about using the platform of handcycle rides to share a message of hope and God’s faithfulness. A piece […]
Continue readingA Different Way To Think About Justice
What is justice? There’s been a lot of recent discussion about justice. I’ve noticed that there seems to be little agreement about what, exactly, constitutes justice. It appears that one’s definition of justice depends on political affiliation, nationality, economic status, geography, and a host of other factors. Justice, it seems, is a moving target in […]
Continue readingCommon
HAPPY MONDAY! A comment from my wise wife brings today’s word-of-the-week… COMMON “The way you share your story creates common ground.” Becky consistently guides me back to the central importance of relationships. She says my story removes barriers because it includes elements with which everyone can identify. Someone asked me recently how I can work […]
Continue readingHappy Anniversary?
Today’s my twenty-seventh anniversary. In case you don’t recall, December 5, 1987 was a crisp, cloudy Saturday in Colorado. I thought I’d put up some outdoor Christmas lights. I almost completed the job before life changed forever, literally in the blink of an eye. I took a ride in an ambulance and reurned home five […]
Continue readingDo I Have To Serve?
“Does a dream HAVE to serve others?” I’ve heard the question before as I share my definition of a dream: A dream is a God-inspired desire to use your unique gifts and talents to serve others and change the world. “Isn’t it okay to want to do something for myself, like climbing a mountain just […]
Continue readingWhat Motivates You?
What are you waiting for? After a recent talk, a guy told me he was a little disappointed because the staff at his recovery program wasn’t providing as much motivation as he’d anticipated. He offered a sports analogy. He wanted a coach constantly pushing, yelling, forcing him to do his best. Apparently that worked for him as […]
Continue readingWhat Do You Practice?
Limits provide a built-in excuse. Unlimited doesn’t exist. Resources are limited. People don’t always follow through. Somebody gets hurt. There’s opposition and criticism. On the other end, opportunity does exist. We can find ways to serve, ideas to develop, and dreams to follow. Somewhere along the line I learned this nasty tendency to practice my limits. […]
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