The Days Before Easter

I have a difficult time with the days before Easter. For most of my life I think I minimized the suffering and death of Jesus. I figured it wasn’t quite as horrible for Him since He was God. I somehow thought that provided some sort of protection, as though He suffered but not really. Now […]

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Should I Laugh Or Cry?

One of my most profound childhood memories happened the night before my Grandpa’s funeral when I was twelve years old. A large collection of family and friends gathered in Grandma’s small apartment. There were enormous quantities of food and an endless supply of adult beverages. Elmer was a colorful character who lived a big, full, […]

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Fred And Joan

RICH’S RIDE is about people, and we’re blessed to meet interesting folks in a variety of settings. Fred and Joan wondered about the trailer, the dog, and the odd-looking bike. We’d stopped by the beach for a food/water break on day 2 of the Florida tour. Monte was still trying to make sense of the […]

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Ebenezer

Happy Monday! A tweet about a cool place inspires today’s word-of-the-week… EBENEZER One of the last stops on last summer’s IJM Freedom Tour was Ebenezer’s Coffeehouse in Washington, DC. Ebenezer’s is a very cool place, a symbol of hope in many different ways. It’s operated by National Community Church on the site of a former […]

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Meet Coach Rick

Even in the sprawling park, the SAINTS weren’t hard to locate. We didn’t have much trouble spotting a hundred kids in yellow t-shirts. As we pulled beside the picnic shelter, a big guy with a broad grin walked toward us with a half dozen munchkins in tow. He stopped to remind them about being safe […]

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Are You Watching THE BIBLE?

Are you following THE BIBLE series on The History Channel? I listened to an interview with a pastor who served as an advisor to the producers. He provided a helpful perspective. The series tries to tell the big, overarching story of the Bible in a relatively brief time frame. The challenge-which events, characters, and stories […]

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What About Lent?

I’ve never really made internal sense of Lent. I get the symbolism, abstaining or fasting from something meaningful to honor Jesus’ forty-day wilderness temptation. I’ve tried the abstaining thing a few times, but honestly I’ve never noticed much change. I’ve talked to friends who observe Lent. It appears to mean a great deal to them, […]

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Study

Happy Monday! I’m often too literal, which leads in a roundabout way to today’s word-of-the-week… STUDY I’m not very good at poetry. I seldom understand the imagery and symbolism until someone explains. Then I nod appreciatively while I think, “How was I supposed to see that?” I think my literal brain explains why I struggle […]

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God’s Questions

Yesterday I talked about visiting a church last Sunday and some lessons from a sermon titled The Still, Small Voice of God. In the story from 1 Kings 19:10-19, there’s an interaction between God and Elijah that begins when God asks, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” It’s sort of an odd question. God obviously […]

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