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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Community And Circles
We completed two amazing tours. Community is hard. Whether it’s a bike tour/mission trip, a neighborhood, a city, a state, or a country, bringing folks together from different places, with different backgrounds and beliefs and different reasons for showing up, and asking them to work toward a common purpose takes a lot of work. Classrooms […]
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Robots
On our bike tours, we sleep in churches. Each night, generous congregations allow us to invade their space with coolers, sleeping bags, and cycling equipment. When we leave each morning we do our best to leave the spaces just as we found them, clean and ready for use. In Breckenridge, Becky and I slept in […]
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Superfluous?
Day one of the Colorado Mountain Tour. So far our team has played an intense game of wiffle ball and done a round of show-and-tell. We loaded and unloaded the trailer twice, and shared an amazing dinner catered by our friends in Buena Vista from an amazing organization called BV Hope. Oh yeah. We rode […]
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Don’t!
Two ways to create a culture. Method #1: Highlight bad behavior and make a rule. “Don’t do that.” You see the problem, right? We do it all the time, in reality TV and politics (is there a difference?) and the legal system. Media shines a spotlight on the bully, the creep, the social media troll, […]
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But What About?
If you’ve been here before, you’ll know I’m not fond of rules. Control, coercion, punishment…as a teacher I found those to be pretty ineffective ways to run a classroom. The more rules you have, the more time you spend enforcing rules instead of doing important stuff. I learned later in my career that things work […]
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Front Range Tour Video
I’m never quite sure how to summarize a tour experience. One way is a video. I hope you enjoy this brief look at Front Range Tour 2019. Can’t see the video? Click here.
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Philosophizing
A friend wonders whether it’s divine intervention or self-determination. He tells a story. He worked hard but was still surprised by an unlikely outcome. I’ll bet you have a similar event in your journey, and I’ll bet you’ve wondered whether the result was due to your efforts or God’s hand. It’s the stuff of theological […]
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Independence
Yesterday was “Independence” Day. Becky and I took a 40-mile bike ride together. Appropriate for the holiday, because I feel about as independent on my bike as anywhere I can be. When I ride I feel completely free. My “independence,” however, only happens because other people work for it. Becky pumps my tires and helps […]
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New
The folks at Harvest Farm are a special part of the FREEDOM TOUR community. Each year since 2015, we’ve invited men from the farm to join us on the initial stage of the Front Range Tour. For those who don’t cycle a lot, a 58-mile ride – on a hot day with what could be […]
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Well
The Front Range Tour team finished well. One way or another, every project ends. Sometimes we just give up or run out of resources. Sometimes we stop because the calendar says it’s time. Occasionally, we finish well. A weather delay and Gary’s significant injury got us off to a rocky beginning, but these folks persisted. […]
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Mislead
I might have mislead you. You’ve read the last two days about a crash and getting lost, and you might think our team is the gang who can’t shoot straight. Truth is, this tour has gone incredibly well. That’s kind of how it is though, with bike tours and with life. You can go on […]
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