Sermons come in many forms. Sometimes they’re in church. This week we all got to hear a wonderful message from Amanda Gorman, America’s first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate. Ms. Gorman read her poem THE HILL WE CLIMB at President Biden’s inauguration. If you didn’t hear her recitation, I recommend looking it up. The poem included […]
Continue readingMore TagCategory: Freedom Tour
Everybody Knows Your Name
People want a place to belong. The TV show CHEERS became wildly popular around the simple notion that ordinary characters just wanted a place of their own, in this case a neighborhood bar. Norm even had his own stool. The chorus of the CHEERS theme song explains the entire premise of the show. Sometimes you […]
Continue readingMore Tag
Consequences
What’s “courage?” Bravery? Facing your fears? David standing up to Goliath? All good examples, but courage is really pretty simple. Courage means doing what’s right regardless of consequences. Simple, perhaps, but certainly not easy. I’ve had this conversation – with myself and others – and here’s what often happens. I might lose friends. Family members […]
Continue readingMore Tag
Can We Talk?
Let’s all agree that 2020 was horrible. Nobody liked 2020, and we’re all glad it’s over. So let’s get the griping and complaining out of the way. It was, to quote Dr. Seuss, a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year. Now, can we let it go? Can we acknowledge that the pain was real […]
Continue readingMore Tag
It’s Tricky
Planning FREEDOM TOUR 2020 was tricky. Our team absolutely believes we’re called to support the kids at the HOME OF HOPE. We take that seriously, and their needs didn’t disappear with a global pandemic. We also care deeply for the community that’s formed around riding bikes to support these special children. So we did our […]
Continue readingMore Tag
It Is Well
It was nearly 40 years ago. Hard to believe. I sit here planning exciting new adventures for FREEDOM TOUR 2021 and a familiar hymn takes me back to the day I publicly began my journey with Jesus. It was a simple ceremony, and I got to choose a favorite song. An obvious choice captured the […]
Continue readingMore Tag
Forgetting What We Know
We forget. For eight years, whenever a group of Freedom Tour cyclists completes a difficult ride, everyone celebrates. Smiles, hugs, handshakes, silly pictures. Watermelon and chocolate milk and ice cream. It’s a universal experience of joy and achievement. You know what NEVER happens? We never divide into men and women, conservatives and liberals, Black and […]
Continue readingMore Tag
About Enough
I don’t usually think of myself as affluent. I’m learning, though, that wealth is a relative notion, and by rest-of-the-world standards I live in overwhelming abundance. A huge majority of the world’s population would consider it a wonderful upgrade to live in my garage. I don’t know exactly what to do with that knowledge. I’m […]
Continue readingMore Tag
A Key Question
What’s the goal? With a few inches of snow slowing autumn cycling, now’s a good time to go back to basics. As we plan for FREEOM TOUR 2021, what are we actually trying to accomplish? It’s the time when I’m tempted to envision a bigger tour with tons of riders. Because more is better, right? […]
Continue readingMore Tag
Weighty Words
I wrote (but never published) this nearly two years ago. Words matter. “Nick” was a great student. Bright, outgoing, popular, a really good kid to have in class. Except, it always felt like he was sort of distant with me. I couldn’t figure out why we didn’t connect, so one day I asked him to […]
Continue readingMore Tag
Define Your Terms
We’re all engaged in a two-way interaction with God. In simplest terms, we call God’s side of the conversation “revelation.” Our side of the conversation, how we respond, is our religion.
By this definition, everyone has some sort of religion. Even if it’s a decisive “No,” everyone responds in some way.
Continue readingMore Tag
Please Or Serve?
You and I live in lots of circles. We’re part of families, neighborhoods, and churches. We have circles at work and with friends. I’m thinking about different ways of expanding and working with those circles. I want to serve people; too often I end up trying to please them. Pleasing people and serving people look […]
Continue readingMore Tag