Rich's Ride

Extremism

We’re supposed to avoid extremism, right? Don’t be one of those wild-eyed radicals, they say. Moderation. Compromise. Common ground. Sounds great, as long as you’re not following Jesus, because Jesus was a radical extremist. Jesus said love our neighbors. Jesus said welcome strangers. Jesus said care for orphans. All of them, not just the ones […]

Continuums

We’re great at constructing them. Once created, we set them in stone and pretend there’s no other way of thinking. So in the U.S. you’re BLUE or RED. And we all know wat that means, right? I’m thinking about human trafficking, about our kids and their mothers who have been so horribly abused. What should […]

Which Cost To Pay?

Occasionally a sentence stops me in my tracks. “There is a cost to silence and a cost to using your voice, and every day I wake up and decide which bill I’m going to pay.” Easy to see the investment involved in speaking up and getting involved. Might be time, or money, or social standing. […]

Empty Insight

It’s “review season” at the FREEDOM TOUR. Especially at the ten-year mark, it’s time to evaluate. Look at data. Ask hard questions. What’s working. What isn’t? Where do we want to go from here? And the tough one: What needs to change? Because here’s a tough truth: Insight is easy. Change is hard.** We can […]

About Belief

What do I believe? I think about that question a lot. It’s good, I think, to keep turning over the soil and making sure I really believe what I believe. I haven’t thought this through completely, but I’m wondering if we can determine our beliefs more by our actions than by our statements. Is it […]

Empathy. Re-examined

I ran across a quote recently that’s challenged my thinking. I’ve become comfortable with the idea that empathy means “walking in the other guy’s shoes.” Then here comes the brilliant Dr. Brené Brown. We need to dispel the myth that empathy is walking in someone else’s shoes. Rather than walking in your shoes, I need […]

Chasing Squirrels

Ernie’s about 18 months old. Thanks to our talented friend Steve, he’s preparing to be a service dog. People frequently comment on how calm he is – for his age. That calm is part of the training. Left to his instincts, Ernie would react instantly to every squirrel and leaf. He’s learning, slowly, not to […]

Bigger Tables

Jesus told a story about a lost son and his older brother. We know it as the Parable of the Prodigal Son, but it’s really about the older brother. The older brother was jealous. He worked hard, sacrificed, followed the rules, and now his slacker younger brother got a party. His father’s a wealthy man, […]

A Video Story

I admire pros, people who are really good at what they do. Our friend Richard Flores from H11 Productions is a pro. He creates the sort of video we admire and wonder, “How did he do that?” Richard created this amazing video to tell the FREEDOM TOUR story. Enjoy! (Video will open in new window.) […]

Owning The Dream

My friend Jon has been writing about Nehemiah’s Great Work. Actually, Jon wrote a whole book about his conversation with Nehemiah. It’s a delightful read that makes you feel like you’re in the room as they talk through Nehemiah’s wisdom, insights, and struggles. Jon’s reminding me that “great work” isn’t about rebuilding the walls of […]

Another Question

Last time I asked questions. Still seeking answers, oddly by asking another question. What brings us together? We’re a Jesus-centered community, so the obvious answer might be “Jesus.” But we started as a group of folks who like to ride bikes. So maybe it’s the events that bring us together. Maybe – but there are […]

I Have Questions

Last time I said Jesus made it simple – a community centered around Him. And I promised to link that to the FREEDOM TOUR. I’ve been thinking a lot about this paraphrased observation from Richard Halverson (U.S. Senate Chaplain 1981 – 95): The church began in Jerusalem as a community centered on the person of […]

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