Kids ask great questions. They’re honest and curious. They get past the stuff most adults are afraid to talk about. Whenever I talk to a group of students about issues related to abilities and disabilities, some version of this question often arises. “How should we approach someone who appears to need help without offending them?” […]
Continue readingAuthor: Rich
What’s It Cost?
“What’s it cost?” It’s a fair question. This is sign-up season for the FREEDOM TOUR, so it comes up occasionally. I’m learning, though, to look through the lens of a different question. What’s it worth? What’s it worth to see 22 children, once destined for a life of sexual slavery, now living in freedom? What’s […]
Continue readingThe Gap
I wrote most of this a few years ago. I’m thinking about the gap between what we know and what we really believe. We know outcomes don’t depend on the size of our efforts. We know God asks us to do what we can, where we are, with what we have and then trust Him […]
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The Cool Kids
Jesus asked me to love others, not to be in love with them. I wrote that a few years ago. Maybe I copied someone. I’m not sure, but it’s a good thought to ponder as our FREEDOM TOUR team takes shape. I tend to gravitate toward people I like. Most of us are prone to […]
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Listening Rather Than “Izing”
A few months back, I made a commitment. People spilled into streets across the nation. Frustration born of long-held pain and anger boiled over. As always, many folks retreated to their corners and tossed out familiar talking points. It was an exercise in “Izing.” Politicizing, dichotomizing, polarizing, demonizing, and spiritualizing. When things become “Ized,” nothing […]
Continue readingAll God’s Children
Music has a way of expressing things. I can write lots of words to try to tell you about human trafficking and why we do what we do. I don’t think I could say it as powerfully as this short video. I invite you to watch, listen, and remember our 22 kids at Project Rescue’s […]
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When It’s All “Ized”
I spend too much time staring at a screen. Lots of advantages to this online revolution, but we all know there are downsides as well. I’m pretty good at blocking and scrolling past most of the really negative stuff, but I’ll admit that I get kind of sad when I see the angry, divisive comments […]
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Half A Million
500,000. Individuals. With faces and names and families who grieve their loss. Half a million precious children of God. When they told Him of His friend Lazarus’ death, Jesus wept. Lots of our friends and neighbors are weeping right now. I hope they know we grieve with them. I hope they know Jesus holds each […]
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Gnats and Camels
The FREEDOM TOUR is an endless progression of details. Spreadsheets to track donations. Coding for websites. Jersey designs. Turn-by-turn directions for hundreds of miles of routes. As warped as it sounds, I enjoy that stuff. I love the challenge of figuring it out, finding a better way, learning new things. And that’s good, because all […]
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I Don’t Know
Three simple, powerful, humble words. As a new teacher I thought I was supposed to know it all. Nothing terrified me more than a question I couldn’t answer quickly, immediately, on-the-spot. Students wouldn’t respect a teacher who didn’t know stuff. That’s what I thought, so I did everything I could to pretend. Because nobody knows […]
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Personal Responsibility
It’s all about making good choices. Personal responsibility, right? You and I are responsible for our choices and their consequences. Have you ever thought about the sense of privilege embedded in that so-called truth? I think a lot about the kids at the HOME OF HOPE. They, and their mothers, weren’t enslaved and abused because […]
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Just Keep It Simple
I’m a fan of “simple.” Not simplistic, or superficial, or misleading over-simplification. As a leader/mascot on the FREEDOM TOUR team I always look for simple, straightforward ways to express why we do what we do. 2020 was a big lesson in trust. I was certain COVID would create a lost cycling season. Our team convinced […]
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