It was an interesting online conversation. A pretty well-known personality fielded questions about a published article. As always, comments ranged from helpful and educational to silly. This one caught my attention. “You’re not the smartest guy in the room, are you?” In the online world, a snarky remark isn’t all that unusual. It was the […]
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Four Years Later
Four years ago. Someone who’s in a leadership position in one of my circles publicly celebrated a difficult, divisive outcome. An outcome I knew would elicit fear and anguish in people I loved. An outcome I believed would bring real pain. If felt like he was laughing at those who wished for a different direction. […]
Continue readingMore TagAbout Enough
I don’t usually think of myself as affluent. I’m learning, though, that wealth is a relative notion, and by rest-of-the-world standards I live in overwhelming abundance. A huge majority of the world’s population would consider it a wonderful upgrade to live in my garage. I don’t know exactly what to do with that knowledge. I’m […]
Continue readingMore TagWhat We CAN Do
Right now, all around us, folks are literally crying out for us to just stop talking and listen. Not argue or agree. Not discuss or fix. I think these folks are literally begging us to listen. A few times recently I’ve seen someone online doing what could generously be described as “venting.” Often there are […]
Continue readingMore TagA Key Question
What’s the goal? With a few inches of snow slowing autumn cycling, now’s a good time to go back to basics. As we plan for FREEOM TOUR 2021, what are we actually trying to accomplish? It’s the time when I’m tempted to envision a bigger tour with tons of riders. Because more is better, right? […]
Continue readingMore TagWeighty Words
I wrote (but never published) this nearly two years ago. Words matter. “Nick” was a great student. Bright, outgoing, popular, a really good kid to have in class. Except, it always felt like he was sort of distant with me. I couldn’t figure out why we didn’t connect, so one day I asked him to […]
Continue readingMore TagDefine Your Terms
We’re all engaged in a two-way interaction with God. In simplest terms, we call God’s side of the conversation “revelation.” Our side of the conversation, how we respond, is our religion.
By this definition, everyone has some sort of religion. Even if it’s a decisive “No,” everyone responds in some way.
Continue readingMore TagPlease Or Serve?
You and I live in lots of circles. We’re part of families, neighborhoods, and churches. We have circles at work and with friends. I’m thinking about different ways of expanding and working with those circles. I want to serve people; too often I end up trying to please them. Pleasing people and serving people look […]
Continue readingMore TagWhat’s The Job?
I think a lot about my job description. When Becky and I started doing bike tours, I didn’t anticipate a team. Even when we did the first FREEDOM TOUR in 2013, I didn’t envision hundreds of cyclists and more than a quarter million dollars. I believe this whole crazy thing is the result of doing […]
Continue readingMore TagTalking Past Each Other
I’ve lost a few friends. Hopefully not too many of the in-person, face-to-face kind, but I’ve definitely lost some social media friends. A few weeks ago when the streets filled with protesters I made a commitment to listen. It was clear to me that people had something to say, something I didn’t truly understand. So […]
Continue readingMore TagPay Attention
When an idea keeps reappearing, pay attention. I believe one of the ways God speaks to me is by gently suggesting the same notion in different ways until I finally get it. So when I see and hear a proposition more than once in different forms, I think He might be trying to get my […]
Continue readingMore TagWhen It’s A Big Deal
“We make defining decisions every day.” Our pastor said that this weekend. His context was the parable of The Good Samaritan. I’m sure he made lots of insightful points, but I got stuck on that single thought. “We make defining decisions every day.” In the parable, each character made a number of “defining decisions.” It’s […]
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