“I know God’s plan for your life.” After a five week workshop, I promised the guys a surprising conclusion. That one got their attention. So I showed this familiar symbol from previous sessions and asked someone to summarize its significance. “It means God has a plan, but we can’t see all of it. So we […]
Continue readingHere’s A Choice We All Make
I love this picture. We use it throughout our workshop at Harvest Farm. The first time I show it I ask the guys what the sheep might be thinking. What’s your first reaction? Some of the responses are fairly predictable. Don’t look down! This isn’t fair. How did I get myself into this mess? Holy […]
Continue readingWhat If Prayer Doesn’t Work?
“It doesn’t seem like my prayers work.” Now there’s a conversation starter. You just have to inquire—what do you mean, they don’t “work”? “Well, it seems like none of the stuff I pray about ever happens. Ever. It’s like God’s not listening. Or if He is, He’s not answering.” I felt like the smart kid […]
Continue readingPlease Meet Two Slightly Crazy New Friends
We meet a lot of interesting people on amazing journeys. I’m not sure anyone will top the story of Sylvester and Nate from Long Road To Freedom. All they’re doing is cycling from Seattle to Key West, seeking opportunities to serve, and raising awareness about human trafficking. Some other tidbits: they began the trip on […]
Continue readingDoes Believing Make It Real?
Believing we live in a just world does not mean we live in a just world. RICH’S RIDE seeks to raise awareness about social justice causes like Project Rescue, Convoy of Hope, and Teen Challenge. Awareness, by itself, changes nothing—but without awareness, nothing changes. So if people believe slavery doesn’t exist, nothing changes. If they […]
Continue readingFeelings
HAPPY MONDAY! A really basic question got me thinking about today’s word-of-the-week… FEELINGS “Why did Jesus die?” It’s a great question, one for which every follower ought to have a response. I was tempted to offer my version of the “right” answer, but that’s not really how you generate dialogue. So we talked for a few […]
Continue readingAre You Willing To Leave The Neighborhood?
“Trust God for the results.” I find myself using that phrase a lot lately. Perhaps it’s a season in which I need to remember to focus on what I can control and release what I can’t. The complete phrase is “Work hard and trust God for the results.” What I CAN control is my effort. […]
Continue readingA Whisper From The Fog
“What if I can’t be fixed?” You ask a bunch of guys about their biggest fears, and you hope for some open dialogue. You don’t really expect someone to whisper from the depths of the fog. “What if I’m hopeless? This addiction killed my dad and my grandma. My sister’s relapsed over and over for […]
Continue readingHope When You Can’t See It
Robin Williams died earlier this week. It’s difficult to find anyone who knew him who didn’t love and respect Williams and acknowledge him as a kind, humble, respectful spirit. The sense of loss of this wonderful man is compounded exponentially by the horrible manner in which he died. The questions stream from every corner. How […]
Continue readingWhen You See A Bully In Action
Last week I asked a tough question. How we can oppose injustice while demonstrating unconditional grace and forgiveness? I even posed a specific situation and asked what you would do if you observed this event: Suppose a guy in a wheelchair visited a public spot that, by its nature, was minimally accessible. And imagine that […]
Continue readingResults
HAPPY MONDAY! A counter-intuitive idea prompts today’s word-of-the-week… RESULTS I can almost guarantee skeptical looks from any audience when I make this statement: The worst way to get good results is to focus on the results. This weekend some folks from our FRONT RANGE FREEDOM TOUR team got together for a 100-mile day ride. Since I […]
Continue readingMonte’s Ideas About Teamwork
These thoughts from Monte, service dog and occasional guest blogger, originally appeared in October, 2011. # # # I’m trying to figure out my role in what’s happening. You all know we’re doing this thing called Rich’s Ride. For me it’s not that big a deal, because I just do what I always do. Rich […]
Continue reading