On Monday our IJM Freedom Tour met for the final time. There were hugs and good-byes and pictures and tears. It was a bit like the last day of summer camp with an enhanced sense of impending separation and loss. When people share this sort of struggle and sacrifice, strong bonds develop. Our last gathering […]
Continue readingMore TagAuthor: Rich
I Can’t Un-Know
On Sunday a small group from our IJM Freedom Tour team visited the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. The experience of this tour has changed me in one significant way: I now know about the horrors of violent oppression. I’ve heard individual stories from victims of human trafficking, slavery, and forced sexual bondage. I’ve heard the […]
Continue readingMore TagWe Made It!
This past week has been one of the most intense weeks I’ve experienced. We’ve literally had NO time to catch our breath, and certainly no time to reflect and write. There’s a lot I want to share. For now, it’s another late night, and an early wake-up call awaits. But I want to share some […]
Continue readingMore TagR & R
Happy Monday! It’s been an incredibly intense week, prompting today’s word-of-the-week… R & R Okay, “R & R” isn’t technically a word. Last week’s bike tour has my brain scrambled. But now that we’re in DC, I’m taking a few days to catch my breath and see the sights. And I’m taking a break from […]
Continue readingMore TagThe Kindness Of Strangers
It’s not every day you roll into a driveway in rural West Virginia and see twenty-five people in spandex—dancing. I suppose I should tell you the back story. The team rolled out of Bridgeport, WV bright and early. I planned to join them after they negotiated the narrow, winding roads leading out of town. So […]
Continue readingMore TagClear Eyes. Full Hearts.–from the archives
This article originally appeared on the Rich’s Ride blog on September 28, 2011. Did you see the TV show Friday Night Lights? The show traced several characters through the craziness of Texas high school football. The team’s rallying cry was, “Clear eyes. Full hearts. Can’t lose.” I love that expression. I’ve been thinking a lot […]
Continue readingMore TagFailure
How do you know when you fail? Today, I failed. My team disagrees. They tell me I did my best, so I can’t fail. This isn’t the heart rhythm of someone who’s about to have a heart attack. It’s the elevation chart for my ride today. I rode well, felt strong, and didn’t succumb to […]
Continue readingMore Tag4 AM
It’s mid-week, so I thought I’d give you an update on our progress. Who know Ohio had this many steep hills? My team on the IJM Freedom Ride is an amazing group of dedicated people. We’ve completed two days and two hundred miles. Nearly everyone has done every mile—that’s two century rides in two days, […]
Continue readingMore TagA Century
I like some parts of the Bible more than others. I like the feel-good stories about joy and forgiveness and healing. I like reading about love and forgiveness and unconditional grace. Other parts—it’s not that I ignore them, but they don’t create the same warm-fuzzy feelings. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. […]
Continue readingMore TagEverybody’s Got A Story–from the archives
Since I’m telling stories of my IJM Freedom Tour team mates, this article seemed timely. It originally appeared October 11, 2011. I’m constantly amazed by the individual stories we hear from people as we talk about hope. I think there’s a lesson for us in the depth and variety of experiences. It’s easy to divide […]
Continue readingMore TagBy The Time You Read These Words…
… I’ll likely be at least a few miles down the road on Day 1 of the IJM Freedom Tour. I’m excited to get going, but I’m also more than a little fearful. I don’t know how it’s going to go. I’ve never tackled anything this difficult. In the words of one local, when we […]
Continue readingMore TagFree
Happy Monday! Only one choice for today’s word-of-the-week… FREE On Saturday our IJM Freedom Tour team toured the National Underground Railway Freedom Center. Frankly, it’s a difficult experience to describe. Exhibits trace the history of slavery and link to the modern-day issues we’re riding to end. We learned a lot we didn’t know about America’s slavery […]
Continue readingMore Tag