Category: Freedom Tour

Ever felt a little guilty for “not doing enough”? Ever been bonked with a “you’re going to hell” scripture aimed at pushing you to to sign up or open your wallet? Ever felt like you’re supposed to eradicate poverty, solve racism, eliminate human trafficking, or at least feel bad about not trying? Ever wonder if you’re […]

Fear behaves like an accomplished magician. Ever notice fear’s remarkable slight-of-hand? The big flourish, the loud bang divert our attention from the real action. LOOK OVER HERE! where nothing’s really happening, and while we’re distracted fear picks our pockets. Fear desperately seeks to engage us with BREAKING NEWS that likely isn’t breaking and ON-SCENE REPORTERS who probably […]

I recall the first time I drove on a city freeway. Kid from Iowa, multiple lanes, traffic zooming all around, signs pointing in all directions, drivers speeding and changing lanes from all angles. I felt overwhelmed and my mom offered some great advice. “Pick a lane.” She told me to choose a lane, drive with […]

Training always begins with individual growth. Might sound selfish, but that’s how it has to be. Training, initially, is an individual deal. Only strong, skilled individuals can comprise a strong, skilled team. So whether you’re training for an individual activity or something intrinsically team-oriented, you’re have to focus first on what you can do to […]

I think a lot about training. I’m certainly not a personal trainer. I’m not even especially good at my own training, for cycling or for other, more important parts of my life. I think about training because it’s a great metaphor for what we’re all doing. We’re constantly preparing, growing, learning, becoming. Those are all acts […]

End-of-the-year is a time to reflect. For me that means looking at where the FREEDOM TOUR has been and where it’s going. I can’t think about the FREEDOM TOUR without thinking about my friend Wayne. I borrowed these thoughts from our Florida Tour in 2013. # # # Wayne was the first person I told about […]

I love getting Christmas cards. I especially enjoy the letters, reading the highlights of the year through the eyes of friends and family. Sadly, I’m not always good at sending out my own yearly summaries. However, I’m eager to bring you this news. As part of the FREEDOM TOUR family, you get to share the […]

“Our guest speaker today is Monte.” Monday morning, 500 kids in a middle school gym, and that’s how the principal introduced the program. Monte stood, walked calmly out to the middle of the floor, turned around, and looked at the audience. I almost expected him to start talking. If nothing else, we certainly had their […]

I have a problem with human trafficking awareness events. I’ve attended a few of them, and I’d estimate that 80-90% of the people I meet are women. Most of the speakers are women. The majority of the organizers seem to be women. An observer might conclude that human trafficking, and sex trafficking in particular, are […]

What do you do when you’re angry? I grew up in an environment in which “losing your temper” was a normal, accepted way to express anger. Yelling, name-calling, cursing, and violence were just part of the background. As a result, those became my habits as well. I’ve learned that there are better ways to deal with […]