Well, we did it! Becky and I had a lot of fun “riding my age” on Tuesday. That doesn’t mean it was easy to do 72 miles on my 72nd birthday, but easy wasn’t the point. We did a big loop around Loveland/Fort Collins and then a smaller loop around Fort Collins to finish the […]
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72
As cyclists get older, they start talking about “riding their age” on their birthday. A 49-year-old will ride 49 miles, and then continue it each year. One more mile doesn’t sound like much until you get to 65 years old riding 65 miles. When you enter my age group, riding your age is a bit […]
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Overwhelmed
The 11th annual FREEDOM TOUR CLASSIC happened Saturday. In the aftermath, someone asked me how I felt about the day. I replied, “It probably could have gone better, but I don’t know how!” Colorado has been unseasonably rainy all spring, and we were concerned how about the weather. The day turned out warm, sunny, and […]
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Drama
Ever notice how it’s almost a cultural norm to slow down and look at a car wreck? Happens in lots of places. Much of what passes for news is metaphorical car wrecks, because advertisers and producers know we’ll slow down and watch. On the other hand, nobody’s clamoring to watch a kid coding a cool […]
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Fruit
A friend said last week that you don’t need to put a sign in front of an apple tree to know it’s an apple tree. You know it’s an apple tree because it produces apples. We have crosses on our FREEDOM TOUR jerseys. They’re a symbol, a proclamation about who we represent. But my friend’s […]
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Bought? Or Sold?
When kids are enslaved in brothels, are they bought…or are they sold? To me, it’s a curious question. Without demand this entire sordid business couldn’t flourish as it does. In that sense children are bought like any other commodity in any other marketplace. But on the other side of the equation, marketers work to supply […]
Continue readingWho Cares?
I’m grateful for people who care. It’s a lot easier to not care, to look away, to pretend the needs aren’t there. Not caring lets us off the hook. We don’t have to do anything. Caring means a chance to be involved and make a difference, a chance to contribute. I’m grateful for you because […]
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Wants And Culture
Someone suggested an interesting exercise. First, make a list of what you really want. Next, make a check next to the items obviously generated by cultural norms. Finally, mark the items that represent actual needs. How much of what we want actually flows from our cultural ideas? How often do we let the culture turn […]
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Sod Or Seed?
In the “old days” yards were planted with seed. Scatter the seed, water it, wait a while, and grass grows. But we, of course, are impatient. So we use sod. Instant yards. Dirt in the morning, grass by nightfall. It’s a pretty good metaphor for the way we deal with a lot of processes. Jesus […]
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Wrecking A Classroom
Isaac Newton invented calculus in isolation. Newton was a student at Cambridge University in 1665 when students were sent home in fear of bubonic plague. Studying privately, Newton developed the basic ideas of calculus…as well as gravitational theory and optics. Most of us are not Isaac Newton. Perhaps the most powerful lesson I learned in […]
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Context
It’s been a while…last time we talked a little about sharing our experience with others. I remember my first college calculus class like it happened yesterday. I can see Dr. Cornett in front of the lecture hall, and I still remember what he explained that day. He didn’t begin with a bunch of problems or […]
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Experience
My friend John Swanson wrote an interesting blog about experience. My takeaway: If you do something for a while, you might get good at it. And if you’re good at it, then it might be a gift you can share with others. I spent 35 years in classrooms with students. Recently I’ve had a chance […]
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