“You often find hope by looking back.” I talked a while back to a guy whose life took an unexpected turn. He was scared, and asked how I dealt with uncertainty in the aftermath of my injury. I told him I dealt with it very badly – 10 years of anger, depression, denial. Basically lost […]
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Roundabout
Northern Colorado is great place to ride bikes. Miles and miles of wonderful trails, great climbing nearby in the foothills, and lots of bike lanes. For the most part, drivers are aware of, and courteous toward, cyclists. For the most part. On Saturday, my route took me through a semi-busy roundabout. I waited my turn, […]
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Free!
Except…freedom isn’t really the goal. Freedom implies a lack of constraints or consequences. Sounds great, right? Do whatever you want with no repercussions. In the grown-up world, that’s not how it works, because actions have consequences. Those who declare absolute freedom are really claiming they should be free from the consequences of their choices. They’re […]
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How To Pray
American teenager Coco Gauff won the US Open Tennis Tournament on Saturday. A wonderful accomplishment, for sure, but most impressive was her post-match interview. After kneeling briefly to pray, this articulate young woman skipped the typical platitudes and spoke clearly about faith, family, and overcoming adversity. When the interviewer inquired about the prayer, Ms. Gauff […]
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Pray In School
(Sounds like it might be controversial. It’s not.) A lot of what I know, I learned from kids. That happens when you hang out in classrooms for 35 years. If you listen to them, they tell you lots of interesting stuff. I’ve told you before about a question many students asked. I recall one instance. […]
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Risky Or Hard?
When you talk to people about bike tours, there’s a lot of conversation about what’s hard. My friend Jim says riding a bike for a worthy cause really isn’t a big deal. What’s hard for Jim is taking time away from his family. Some folks look at the route and decide it’s impossible. Others think […]
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Losing Vision
Last time I said handcycling had become more about results than process. A reader gently reminded me that perhaps I was being a bit short-sighted. I appreciated the conversation and an opportunity to look deeper. We can’t know, on this side of eternity, the long-term results of our efforts. We do what we can, with […]
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On Changing My Mind
When I first started riding my handcycle, I didn’t care much about the results. Good thing, because the results sucked. I was slow. I couldn’t ride very far. I couldn’t climb hills. I rode my bike because I enjoyed riding my bike. For a long time, none of that other stuff mattered. I simply loved […]
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Bike Trails And Judgment
On my ride yesterday I realized an urban bike trail is a good place to practice these words from Jesus. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” On a […]
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Hope And Where’s Waldo
Last time I shared a cool picture and talked about how hope can be hard to find among the boulders of a difficult life. My friend Mike sent this picture of a little trail side rock garden near his house. He said he contributed his Hope Rock and wondered if I could find it. I […]
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Looking For Hope
Last week a post included this picture taken by one of our mountain tour riders. I thought it was just a cool picture, but after looking more closely I realized it made kind of a profound statement. We don’t often find hope easily. Sometimes we have to search among the rocks and boulders of difficult […]
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About Traditions And Truth
I read a quote the other day about institutions, traditions, and truth. I didn’t copy the quote, but the idea was that institutions use traditions to prevent change and conceal the truth. The FREEDOM TOUR has developed a few traditions during eleven years of cycling. Handprints. Hope Rocks. Helmets Up before the start of each […]
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