Our friend Mary took a walk. Might not seem like a big deal, but Colorado is currently experiencing several nasty high-country wildfires. As smoke from those fires drifts onto the Front Range, it feels like we’re living 24/7 around a campfire – minus the s’mores. Local news now includes a “smoke forecast.” The usually stunning […]
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I’m Not Making Wine
But I’ve been thinking about my vineyard. No, I don’t have a plot of land with vines and grapes. I’m not planning my custom vintage. Jesus told a story about a vineyard owner who hired some day workers for a certain wage. Throughout the day – at 9 am, at noon, at 3 pm, and […]
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Outside The Spotlight
Every production needs a spotlight. One or two big, flashy stories get center stage. But the production succeeds because lots of people work unselfishly, often unnoticed, outside the spotlight. A great production happens when all parts work together to create a story bigger than any of its pieces. HOPE AND FREEDOM CHALLENGE is at nearly […]
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Goals And Journeys
I probably won’t reach my HOPE & FREEDOM CHALLENGE goal. I committed to ride 2000 miles, and I’m not going to get there by August 31. So, I failed, right? Goals matter. Goals motivate and inspire. Goals provide a finish line, a chance to celebrate, reflect, reset. But the goal isn’t the point. We change […]
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Off The Hook?
We tend to think about courage related to big events. Superhuman acts of bravery. John Lewis crossing the Edmund Pettis Bridge. Soldiers storming the Normandy beach on D-day. You and I could never do that, right? It’s a bit like watching an elite professional cyclist who trains 24/7 and deciding I could never ride like […]
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A Fun Ride
Smiles are a big part of the FREEDOM TOUR. Yeah, there’s sweat and struggle and sacrifice involved in cranking all those miles. But I’m always struck by the big, broad smiles. Some will remember PROLOGUE 2020 for COVID – masks, social distancing, and all the flexibility people offered to make it happen. I’ll remember the […]
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(Sort Of) Done
We’re done! One-day Prologue. Front Range Tour. Colorado Mountain Tour. 140 riders cycled 11,000 miles and climbed 400,000 feet. A year of plans and COVID revisions, all the training, and FREEDOM TOUR 2020 suddenly ends. Except, that’s not how it works. The quest for justice doesn’t end. Bringing hope and freedom to the kids at […]
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I Was Sure It Wouldn’t Work
FREEDOM TOUR 2020 completed its third event this week. COLORADO MOUNTAIN TOUR, FRONT RANGE TOUR, ONE-DAY PROLOGUE – 132 cyclists cranked 10,100 miles and climbed more than 400,000 feet. And the HOPE & FREEDOM CHALLENGE is still going strong. If you’d asked me at the end of March when everything was shut down, I was […]
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It’s About Trust
COLORADO MOUNTAIN TOUR 2020 blasts off today. Isn’t that amazing? With all that’s happened, through historic financial disruption and social isolation amid a global pandemic, our team kept hope alive. Instead of giving up, they trained, spread awareness, and raised funds to support the kids at the HOME OF HOPE. During the next five days […]
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Be Like Mike
My friend Mike took his HOPE ROCK on a trip. He’s working on a bucket-list item to ride his bike in all 50 states. During a 9-day stretch in early July, Mike and his HOPE ROCK did 177 strategically-chosen miles of cycling in 14 different states! Like many of his FREEDOM TOUR teammates, Mike carries […]
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Seek Justice
We all believe in justice. I wonder, though, if we all agree on what it means to “seek justice.” In this highly-charged political environment, even this notion has become divisive. A recent Facebook post about justice elicited a comment — from a friend — about “social justice BS.” In scripture, justice is primarily a relational […]
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Struggle And Celebration
Paul Hurkman spoke to our team last week about justice. Paul is Executive Director of Venture. In 2012 he taught Becky and me the blueprint for doing a group bike tour, about shared sacrifice and doing what we love to benefit a cause bigger than ourselves. He began with words written by another Paul: “We […]
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