I met this gentleman in 2011 when I spoke to a group of homeless people at a church in downtown Jackson, Mississippi during the Mississippi River ride. This picture was taken a year later. We were invited back to speak to some members of the congregation and this fellow walked up and told me a […]
Continue readingMore TagAuthor: Rich
Legacy
I’m speaking to a group of men this weekend. Telling a bit of my story, talking about the FREEDOM TOUR, and I think I’ll talk a little bit about legacy and the impact we make. We spend a lot of time wanting to make a difference, trying to connect the dots between our actions and […]
Continue readingMore TagAnyway Video 2013-2023
For 11 years, our friend Kristen Orphan has generously allowed us to use her beautiful version of ANYWAY as the FREEDOM TOUR theme song. The first time I heard the song, one particular line struck me: You can chase a dream that seems so out of reachand you know it might not ever come your […]
Continue readingMore TagRemembering Rolling Fork
In 2011, near the end of our 1500-mile Mississippi River bike ride, we were invited to visit the small community of Rolling Fork, Mississippi. The wonderful people we met there have always been a special memory. So our hearts were broken by images of the horrific storm that devastated Rolling Fork last week. Like so […]
Continue readingMore TagWhy Not Armies?
I like to think about Jesus hanging out with our 22 kids. Not literally, of course, like He did with His friends for three years. But I absolutely believe He’s with them, just as He’s been with them every moment of their precious lives. I like to think of Him around the table with them, […]
Continue readingMore TagGotta Serve Somebody
In 1979, Bob Dylan released his Grammy award-winning song Gotta Serve Somebody. The theme was pretty simple. Doesn’t matter who you are, how much you have or don’t have, where you live, your station in life…in the end, everybody serves something or somebody. Dylan’s profound lyrics are a take-off on something I say a lot: […]
Continue readingMore TagBe Still
I listened to a friend speak for a few minutes on Saturday morning. John played some music and then shared a bit of his amazing journey. As part of his talk he shared this verse: The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still. In other translations that last phrase says “just stay calm,” “hold […]
Continue readingMore TagRelationship Arithmetic
Jalen Rose played NBA basketball at the highest level. Recently, Rose commented on the difficult circumstances faced by one of basketball’s current young stars. The details aren’t important. Rose was explaining, as someone who’s been there, that perhaps the situation might be more complex than it appears. He made a statement I think all of […]
Continue readingMore TagWhich World?
You and I don’t see the world the same way. It’s just a fact, but it’s really hard for me to remember. Sadly, I spend a lot of time and energy feeling critical toward those see things differently. Another, more accurate way, to say this is that I struggle with being judgmental. I don’t like […]
Continue readingMore TagSmiles All Around
Occasionally, I surprise myself by coming up with an interesting thought. Last time, I talked about the difference between accountability and responsibility. I ended with this sentence. You and I can take as much responsibility as we wish. In fact, I think that’s exactly what Jesus invited us to do. I think that’s kind of […]
Continue readingMore TagAccountable Or Responsible
Lots of conversation these days about accountability. To me, though, most of this “accountability” is just about pointing fingers and blaming. There’s nothing wrong with holding people accountable when they’ve done something wrong, but I think we confuse it with a bigger idea. What we really want, I think, is for people to take responsibility. […]
Continue readingMore TagDoing What We Know
I ran across a short passage this morning that sort of stopped me in my tracks. All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained. It […]
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