RICH’S RIDE is a community. I can’t count the number of times Becky has to remind me that everything we do is about relationships. Our vision has always been to create a community that empowers people to trust God, work together as servant leaders, and offer hope to others. Recently I read an old article […]
Continue readingIn Search Of Big Arms
Last time I wrote a serious story about My First Handcycle. As always, there’s a bit of humor and a few more lessons just beneath the surface of the story. It’s true that I resisted handcycling, mostly out of fear. I was sure I’d fail. But secretly, I wondered what it would be like. See, […]
Continue readingFacts
HAPPY MONDAY! A three-year-old conversation prompts today’s word-of-the-week FACTS “I’m a science guy. I rely on evidence, data, and facts.” I’ve frequently pondered my friend’s rationale for not believing in God, because I’m a science guy, too. I want bridge designers and architects and physicists—and lots of other folks—to be science guys as well. I […]
Continue readingExplaining What Doesn’t Make Sense
I sat on my first handcycle in March, 1999. You can read the story of The First Ride, but it’s fair to say that two blocks in thirty minutes wasn’t exactly a rousing success. (Amazing how primitive that bike looks now.) I’d just spent more than ten years whining and giving up. But when I […]
Continue readingThe Nature Of The Path
“Follow Me.” It’s the invitation of eternity. I believe Jesus wants to end our striving, seeking, and searching. I believe He wants us to accept His invitation—that’s obvious. Last time I argued that the path is about more than Avoiding The Mud. Following the path is active—it must be something more than removing the bad […]
Continue readingHow To Avoid The Mud
“Follow Me.” Early Christians were called Followers of The Way. It’s easy to visualize following Jesus in terms of the metaphor of a path. Sadly, that path is frequently mischaracterized in ways Jesus never intended. Right versus wrong, good versus evil, moral versus immoral, the underlying message is often one of coercion and threat—you’d better […]
Continue readingPlease Explain Normal
Every so often I encounter the word “normal” in a context that baffles me. Yesterday I read about an amazing Paralympic athlete who “used to be normal” before an accident caused a spinal cord injury. So now, I suppose he’s, what–abnormal? I wrote these thoughts in November, 2011. # # # Before our latest ride […]
Continue readingTangible Results Of The Dream
It’s not all that often that you see a piece of the dream right in your own living room. I’ve always hoped RICH’S RIDE would create a community that empowers people who work together as servant leaders and offer hope to others. Yesterday a bunch of folks gathered at our home. Everyone was there because […]
Continue readingUnlimited
HAPPY MONDAY! A weekend gathering inspired today’s word-of-the-week… UNLIMITED We attended a going-away party for dear friends yesterday. As I looked around the room I realized how God surrounds us with the things we need most…in unlimited supplies. Grace, love, hope, courage, faith, smiles, forgiveness–they’re everywhere. It’s as though we were made of them, which is […]
Continue readingThe Paradox Of Hope
Hope offers an interesting paradox. Hope looks forward with confidence and trust based on faith, a faith that comes at least partly from looking back and knowing God has always kept His promises. So hope looks to the future based on past faithfulness. Certainly we live with confidence because salvation is assured, but hope isn’t […]
Continue readingWhy Justice Requires Level Ground
A few years back my friend Tim talked about a church strategy he called Y’ALL COME. The notion seemed simple. Open the doors wide, put up a sign, have people at the doors with big smiles, and we’ve done our part, right? Not so much. Tim claimed Y’ALL COME wasn’t good enough. He said we […]
Continue readingSomething I Learned By Riding A Bike
RICH’S RIDE has taught me a great deal. I thought the whole crazy notion was about me doing a big handcycle ride. My friend Dick Foth helped me understand that Rich riding a bike wasn’t worth the investment of time, money, and effort. He knew I’d reach the end and feel the sense of emptiness […]
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