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 […]
Continue readingTrust With A Backup Plan
Everybody knows the story of Jesus calling the children to Him. It’s one of our favorite images, an infinitely calm, patient Jesus surrounded by squirmy kids in an idyllic children’s sermon. But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom […]
Continue readingDo You Share The Road?
Recently a project got me digging in the depths of the Bouncing Back archives. It’s dusty in there! Hard to believe I’ve accumulated more than 1,000 posts in nearly five years, and that doesn’t include the stuff here at RICH’S RIDE. As I looked through those old articles it seemed there might be some ideas worth […]
Continue readingFree?
Happy Monday! A shallow TV commercial got me thinking about today’s word-of-the-week… FREE It was a series of commercials, actually, each offering something for nothing—free! Seems like everything in our culture has been reduced to money. What’s it cost? Free? Cool…I’ll take two! We can buy anything—even people. Anywhere in the world, for a relatively […]
Continue readingCaitlin Crosby On Love
Happy Saturday! I’m increasingly interested in stories that engage with faith rather than simply talking about it. Grab a cup of coffee and hear this tale of how one young lady actually did something about love. Can’t see the video in your email or reader? Click here. Please leave a comment here. Have a great […]
Continue readingGoing Or Talking About Going?
I’ve been thinking lately about engagement. My thought—an awful lot of what we call following Jesus is really talking about following Jesus. I think following might have to involve some sort of engagement. I think Satan would like nothing more than for us to spend a lot of time discussing Jesus. He’d be pleased if […]
Continue readingYou’re The Engine
(From June 13, 2009) One of the great things about cycling is that the rider’s also the engine. It’s the same in life. A bicycle (or in my case a handcycle) is a pretty simple machine. Even with all of the high-tech materials and components, it’s still muscles, chain, gears, and wheels. The terrain varies, but […]
Continue readingSharing The Trail
Recently a project got me digging in the depths of the Bouncing Back archives. It’s dusty in there! Hard to believe I’ve accumulated more than 1,000 posts in nearly five years, and that doesn’t include the stuff over at RICH’S RIDE. As I looked through those old articles it seemed there might be some ideas […]
Continue readingWhat If It’s A Beginning?
Retirement has certain blessings. One of those involves returning to my former school as a guest speaker and observing looks of envy on the faces of previous colleagues. I tried not to talk about the sense of freedom and the winter trip to Florida—okay, I didn’t try very hard. What’s the point of having an […]
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