Happy Monday! A friend’s advice brings us today’s word-of-the-week… RESPONSIBLE “You can’t be responsible for someone else.” My friend’s right. You and I can’t be responsible for self-destructive choices made by others, though some people will try to manipulate us into that unhealthy position. There’s a line, I think, between caring about someone and taking responsibility. If […]
Continue readingAuthor: Rich
When It’s Worth The Risk
Stepping out in faith is risky. “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Trusting God to commit to the climb without knowing where it leads–that’s a risk. Actually climbing the staircase probably isn’t that hard. On the other hand, a well-marked, well-planned climb to the […]
Continue readingWhy It’s Never That Simple
“My life is over.” When doctors told me the reality of my injury–spinal cord damage and paralysis–I absolutely knew my life was over. I couldn’t walk, run, ride a bike, or do any of the things thirty-six-year-old men were supposed to do. I’d lost everything, and my life was over. It’s easy to understand my immediate […]
Continue readingFresh
Happy Monday! A friend brings us today’s word-of-the-week… FRESH My friend needs a fresh start today. In fact, given his circumstances he may need a few fresh starts in the near future. Thing is, Lent started a couple of weeks ago. Lots of us gave up something, or started something. It’s cool to have a nice, neat time when […]
Continue readingBack To The Chain Of Rocks
FRONT RANGE FREEDOM TOUR has its roots in a crazy dream. In 2011, Becky, Monte, and I did a 1500-mile handcycle journey along the length of the Mississippi River. Here’s one of the iconic incidents from that journey. # # # # # I looked forward to Old Chain Of Rocks Bridge from the beginning of […]
Continue readingIs It Okay To Dream For Yourself?
“So are you saying we can’t dream for ourselves?” I told them that a dream worth following has to be about a story bigger than ourselves. Following a dream just for yourself will eventually leave you with a sense of emptiness. He kept going. “That’s the problem with religion. Everything I want to do…I can’t.” […]
Continue readingTest
Happy Monday! A school habit brings us today’s word-of-the-week… TESTS We all learned to study for tests. School was easy, really. You learned the lessons, then took the test. Good teachers explained the material well. Good students studied and prepared for the test. The purpose of the test was to see if you learned the lesson. If […]
Continue readingYou Will Get Tired
“Didn’t you get tired?” I told the story of my 1500-mile Mississippi River handcycle ride to a group of men earlier this week, and I guess I glossed over the hard parts. When you talk about a big dream, it’s easy to recall sunshine and smooth roads. I did get tired. A lot. And here’s a funny […]
Continue readingHere’s How We Really Change The World
I taught math to teenagers for thirty-five years. I enjoyed my teaching career. My students left me with a bald head and a number of valuable lessons. Among them: Kids may be reluctant to believe what you say, but they’re always ready to believe what you do. It’s a life principle; talk is cheap. Words matter little […]
Continue readingHonor
Happy Monday! Something behind the scenes brings us today’s word-of-the-week… HONOR Perhaps you’re aware of a football game that was played yesterday. Something like 180 million people watched the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers play Super Bowl 50. Whether you measure in dollars spent of chicken wings consumed, the Super Bowl is a unique American spectacle. Nearly lost in […]
Continue readingWhen Equal Isn’t Quite Equal
I’ve been in a courtroom a couple of times in the past few weeks. Observing a friend’s partial journey through the system, and surveying other cases while we waited, got me thinking about fairness and justice. It’s interesting to watch judge and attorneys work together to apply the law equally while accounting for each person’s […]
Continue readingI Wish We Could Go Back…
Can you imagine Jesus pointing us back to “the good old days”? I can’t. The idea of striving for a return to an imaginary past in which everything was somehow better doesn’t fit at all with following Jesus as I understand Him. Jesus is about moving forward, about taking risks. He’s about an unfolding story of […]
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