I recently described the beginning of my “book tour” to a friend. Our itinerary includes a group of folks from a housing project, a school for disabled kids, and a ministry that serves homeless men. We’re going to one town where the entire population is about a third of our church. My friend said, “Uh, […]
Continue readingSpiritual Cholesterol
My friend Dick Foth has a way with phrases. Recently he described a spiritual ailment called “hardening of the categories (HTC).” Those afflicted with this disease lose the ability to see individuals. Instead, they see people only in terms of their categories. It’s like the physical disease in which hardening of the arteries narrows the […]
Continue readingHe Likes Me!
Don Miller wrote a penetrating reflection about how his faith has evolved in the past decade or so. I paused a long time over one simple heading: Jesus likes me I believe Jesus loves me. It’s in the words of the simplest children’s song. Jesus loves me This I know For the bible Tells me […]
Continue readingWhat’s The Obstacle?
Yesterday I told you about my Friday meeting with an interesting breakfast group. After the discussion, one guy approached with a simple, penetrating question. “What’s the obstacle?” I asked him to clarify. “I agree with you…God made us to dream and follow big dreams. So why don’t we do it? Why don’t I do it? […]
Continue readingDream Or Bucket List?
A great group of guys—and a couple of ladies—invited me to their breakfast group Friday morning. We enjoyed a great discussion about bike rides and God-sized dreams. I think we might have mentioned floppy-eared blog writers along the way. One fellow asked a great question that went something like this: “Can a dream be an […]
Continue readingRight
Happy Monday! A stranger’s death prompts today’s word-of-the-week… RIGHT By nearly any definition, Aaron Swartz was a computer prodigy, a brilliant, eccentric young man. As a teenager he created some of the backbone Internet systems we take for granted and later campaigned for online transparency and freedom. You can read briefly about his life, legal […]
Continue readingStone Her!
I’ve been thinking all week about our pastor’s weekend sermon. He talked about the story of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery. John 8:2-11 There’s so much to the story, but I can’t get past one fact: the Pharisees were willing to stone this woman—to death! Her life mattered less than their desire to […]
Continue readingWe’re Surrounded!
Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid is one of my top-ten favorite movies of all time. In the final scene, Butch and Sundance are surrounded. After some concluding wisecracks, they boldly confront the entire Bolivian army in one final, futile last stand. Earlier there’s a wonderful scene, including a memorable 60’s song, in which Butch […]
Continue readingEver Get The What-If’s?
What if an alligator attacks me in Florida? What if I didn’t train enough? What if the infection from two years ago suddenly returns? What if people laugh at an old guy riding a handcycle around Florida? At the beginning of a God-sized project, it’s easy to get a case of what-IF’S. what-IF’S fall into […]
Continue readingWhat If We Forget?
Cranking a bike in the garage on a stationary trainer feels hopeless. It doesn’t matter how hard you work or how much you sweat. The scenery never changes, you don’t move, and there’s no sense of progress or arrival. Riding outside, effort changes the outcome. Ride harder, move faster, go farther, get back quicker. But […]
Continue readingAre You Ready?
If you haven’t heard, there’s a bike ride coming up. Three weeks from today we’ll crank out of Jacksonville to begin Florida Hope Tour 2013. We’re excited. Becky and I will welcome some warm weather. Monte’s just anxious to get outside and go running again. One of my big hopes is for you to be […]
Continue readingDerailed
Happy Monday! This morning I’m vowing to fix a situation described by today’s word-of-the-week… DERAILED We have a model train with special Christmas-themed cars. It’s a fun holiday decoration, but one of the cars tends to derail frequently. The train still moves along its path, but the derailed wheel makes the journey sort of bumpy […]
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