Most people think cycling is an individual sport. It’s not. Without a strong, committed team, no individual rider could compete in a big race like le Tour de France. Each team identifies one, or perhaps two, leaders, the strongest, most experienced cyclists with the best chance to prevail at the end. The other riders do […]
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It’s My Life, Right?
No, it’s not. I love great preaching that spurs me to think differently and dig a little deeper. This weekend Pastor Jeff Lucas offered a new (to me) perspective on idolatry and the 2nd commandment. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of […]
Continue readingWhat We Reward Says A Lot About Our Communities
I have a personal theory that following Jesus is simple. Not simplistic, but simple. God organized the world around simple, long-term core principles. We can ignore them if we wish, and in the short run it might look like a good choice. But in the end, the designer knows what works best for us. When […]
Continue readingFriend
HAPPY MONDAY! A familiar story prompts thoughts about today’s word-of-the-week… FRIEND In Mark 2, four friends took a paralyzed man to see Jesus. The crowd was too large and they couldn’t get close. They might have shrugged. “Well, we tried. Too bad it didn’t work out.” But the friends were too committed to give up […]
Continue readingA Way To Join The Circle
Once in a while it’s good to remember why we do what we do. The whole point of BOUNCING BACK is to form a circle of folks who want to discuss what it looks like to live life on purpose as followers of Jesus. One of my big goals is to invite you into the […]
Continue readingNo Door Busting
Okay, it’s leftover time. And, of course, we now move on to those uniquely American holidays: Black Friday and Small Business Saturday. At this point I feel like I need a big-voice guy shouting about crazy, impossible-to-resist deals. Set your alarm, beat the crowds! Sorry, but that’s just not our style. Frankly, I don’t want […]
Continue readingFifty Years Ago
The past few days have been about remembering an event that re-shaped the world fifty years ago. For me, the public remembrance of President Kennedy’s death always evokes a more personal memory. I’ve told this story before, but a fiftieth anniversary seems like the right occasion to tell it again. (Note: I’m posting this on […]
Continue readingA Different Fiftieth Anniversary
The past few days have been about remembering an event that re-shaped the world fifty years ago. For me, the public remembrance of President Kennedy’s death always evokes a more personal memory. I’ve told this story before, but a fiftieth anniversary seems like the right occasion to tell it again. # # # As Elmer’s […]
Continue readingWhat If I Don’t “Feel” Thankful?
“I have a hard time with gratitude.” Do you ever hear that? Seems like a common lament, especially around Thanksgiving. It’s like people think they should feel more grateful, and they don’t, so they feel guilty about not feeling grateful. So now there’s the guilt as well as the lack of gratitude. We’re really good […]
Continue readingWhy Thanksgiving?
Why do we have Thanksgiving? In reality, it’s a secular holiday, an excuse to travel, visit family, and enjoy a great feast. To be brutally honest, Thanksgiving is mostly about food, shopping, and football. There’s nothing inherently wrong with any of that, but I wonder what happens to the “thanks” part of Thanksgiving. I came […]
Continue readingIs Gratitude Required?
We talk a lot about gratitude this time of year. Like a lot of other things, we get the notion of gratitude turned around. We act like gratitude’s an obligation, something we owe to God. You’d think He commanded us to be thankful because He needs our thanks. When you say it that way it […]
Continue readingThe Downside Of Compliments
I appreciate all the nice things people say when we complete a RICH’S RIDE tour. We receive many kind notes. People stop us at church to tell us how much they appreciate what we do. We hear from folks all over the country who are inspired and encouraged by the rides and the blogs. It’s […]
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