A pastor friend used to look around the room and proclaim, “Nobody’s here by accident.” As a new believer, that drove me crazy. I figured everybody else knew exactly why they were there, and I had no clue. Now I know better. I watch people frozen by a lack of direction. “Just tell me what […]
Continue readingWhat If Things Get A Little Intense?
Preparing for Front Range FREEDOM Tour is a little like trying to watch a sunrise. There’s a sense of impending opportunity, but the experience can be so intense you’re tempted to look away. I think the intensity I’m feeling flows from a heightened awareness of the issue behind the tour. A year ago I could […]
Continue readingFuel
Happy Monday! An empty gas tank gives us today’s word-of-the-week… FUEL Last week I started out on a great bike ride with a plan. Miles disappeared behind me as I cranked along, lost in the beauty of a Colorado summer morning. Exuberance got the better of me, and I decided to extend my ride. Everything […]
Continue readingBeginning And Remembering
A week from today our team for Front Range FREEDOM Tour will gather for the first time. This beginning reminded me of an ending, the final official gathering of our IJM Freedom Tour team. There were hugs and good-byes and pictures and tears. It was a bit like the last day of summer camp with […]
Continue readingWhat Would Change?
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about What if…? The idea was to consider opportunities by pondering their implications. What if … I read a book per month? What if … I made the effort to meet all of my neighbors? The notion is to think about what might change in my life. # […]
Continue readingMonte Talks About His Job
Hi. I’m Monte, Rich’s service dog. It’s been a while. The last time I wrote we were still some place called “Florida.” If you’re new here, Rich lets me in as a guest writer occasionally. It turns out that I’m usually the most popular author on the blog, but I don’t think that bothers him […]
Continue readingAre You Digging A Well?
One advantage of my injury is a healthy dose of humility. I’m constantly reminded of my relative dependence on others. Yesterday during my bike ride I spent a lot of time thinking about this passage from Deuteronomy 6. When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, […]
Continue readingWant To Be Remarkable?
As a cyclist, I enjoy following le Tour de France each year. I don’t always understand all of the intricacies of strategy and tactics, but I appreciate the difficulty of riding more than one hundred miles per day for three weeks over some of the highest, steepest mountains in the world. Like most sports, competitive […]
Continue readingBootstraps
Happy Monday! The American Dream inspires today’s word-of-the-week… BOOTSTRAPS We’re supposed to pull ourselves up by them, right? Work hard, be persistent, do whatever it takes, but the message is clear—your success is yours, and yours alone. I remember wondering as a kid, in that stage where you take such things literally, how you were […]
Continue readingMake A Friend
If you wish to convince a man of anything, you must first convince him you are his friend. -Abraham Lincoln I believe what unites us matters ore than what divides us. Leaders too frequently have an interest in highlighting differences. Their power derives from creating a defined group of followers, and they work hard to […]
Continue readingGot Any Buried Secrets?
Last weekend our pastor talked about an incident from the early life of Moses. As usual, I got trapped on one particular thought and probably missed the whole point of the message. One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. […]
Continue readingSix Things You Shouldn’t Say To A Handcyclist
A handcycle is different, and different things attract attention. I’ll confess that it took some time to appreciate that attention and perceive it as an opportunity. I had to learn to smile when people stare and point. Different things like handcycles and wheelchairs occasionally make others uncomfortable. I’ve heard some pretty crazy things as people […]
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