Rich's Ride

Justice…Or Peace?

Is it possible to stand for justice…peacefully? Can people on bicycles really claim to “make a stand for justice”? Shouldn’t we storm the brothels, blow stuff up Rambo-style, rescue the victims and take out the bad guys? We’re riding bikes. In funny-looking helmets and colorful jerseys. Not exactly what we picture when John Wayne rides […]

Two Grand

On my last bike ride, the odometer clicked past 2,000 miles for 2019. That means I’ve cranked more than 39,000 miles since my first two-block ride in 1999. Depending on your perspective, that’s either a lot of miles or it’s not a big deal. Either way, this milestone offers an opportunity to reflect. I didn’t […]

The GPS Lady

Does your GPS have a name? We call ours Bertha. Her calm, reassuring voice is always available to tell me where to turn. If I mess up and take the wrong road, Bertha gently guides me back to the correct path. Often her soothing voice suggests, “Make a legal U-turn.” Bertha’s advice is always accessible, […]

Help’s On The Way

It’s the other part of the story. As part of Suicide Awareness Month, we told the parable last time of a man standing in the 10th-story window of a burning building and terrified of heights. But when he’s certain no help is coming, when fear of the flames rises and eventually overcomes fear of falling, […]

Fear And Falling

It’s Suicide Awareness Month. We see efforts across lots of media platforms designed to help us understand how pervasive this issue is and how many people suffer in often quiet desperation. Still, for those who’ve never experienced that sort of extreme despair, depression and suicide can be difficult to comprehend. As someone who struggles with […]

Remember The Next Step

Which way do we go? It’s a frequent question as we plan for FREEDOM TOUR 2020. Do we do same-old-same-old or something bold and brand new? It’s like standing at the edge of a cliff staring into an abyss of endless choices. How to decide? Sometimes we need to look back to find the next […]

They’re Waiting

That’s what I’ve learned from the FREEDOM TOUR. Folks want to be generous. They want to do justice. They want to be part of big, crazy, adventures. They’re waiting for someone to ring a bell or call a meeting. They’re at the line, ready for someone to yell, “Go!” In 2013, Becky and I hung […]

A Real Shortcut

“Just show us how to get the answer.” It was sort of a fun little dance. I’d encourage exasperated students to figure it out, they’d remind me that things would be so much simpler if I just showed them how to do it, I’d tell them “simpler” wasn’t the point. Even parents got in on […]

Dream Season

I’ve been thinking about spirals. It’s Dream Season for the FREEDOM TOUR. As we wrap up and look back at 2019, we have a few months to let go of the details – routes, directions, meals, and fundraising. We get to look at the big picture, why we do it, what are the possibilities, where […]

Wanna Go For A ride?

We enjoy sharing our journeys. Here’s a video look at Colorado Mountain Tour 2019. Four mountain passes and 16,200 feet of climbing in four days. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride! Can’t see the video? Click here.

Pray And Do

Prayer has gotten a bad reputation. In our broader culture, I’ll pray for you has sadly become a hollow platitude. “Thoughts and prayers” has become a way of saying, “We feel kinda bad, but we probably aren’t going to do anything about it.” We’ve allowed the perception that prayer is about inaction. Every day on […]

The Kid In The Back

We live in communities. Neighborhoods, towns, churches, families all can be places where people come together toward some common purpose. They can also be places of oppression, isolation, and inequality. I’ve thought a lot lately about community. Because it’s difficult, because we do these bike tours, because I spent 35 years in classrooms. Today I’m […]

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