Category: Freedom Tour

Imagine writing a resume of your failures and rejections. Preposterous, right? The whole point of a resume is to impress others, to highlight successes, to let folks know about those all-star accomplishments. Why in the world would anyone create a summary of failures? Scientist Melanie Stefan challenged colleagues to do precisely that, to log articles […]

Thirty-six million human beings live under the violence and injustice of modern-day slavery. I shared the story below a while back. I’m going to tell it this weekend at one of our new partner churches. I thought you might appreciate an edited version. Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep […]

I can see how how it’s going to happen. I replay the entire process over and over in my mind. I picture every mile, every turn, hill and descent. I imagine it so many times that I almost can’t believe it will happen any other way. Do you do that? I absolutely love thinking forward […]

“Your ride costs too much.” He’s not the first person to tell us that $995 is too much fundraising to expect for an eight-day ride. I’m sure he won’t be that last. I’m tempted to point out that the ride doesn’t “cost” anything, that $995 is a suggested minimum no rider has ever failed to […]

I wasn’t ready to ride 1500 miles. When Becky and I showed up at Lake Itasca in September of 2011, the farthest I’d ever cranked my bike was 35 miles. I’d done that exactly once. Most of my friends thought I was nuts. Even my biggest supporters had their doubts. I was scared, and Becky […]

A dream is a story waiting to be written. FRONT RANGE FREEDOM TOUR grew from a a crazy, impossible, God-sized dream. Our friend Mike Douglas from Alt Photo Video helped us tell the story in this new video. Can’t see the video? Click here. # # # I hope you’ll join us. Join us June 17-26 […]

Oh, those pesky numbers. Becky often accuses me of thinking like a “math guy.” I believe I’m more right-brain than she thinks, though I do tend to be attracted by numbers and data-driven logic. But if we’re not careful, we can be trapped by the lure of “easy” data. Albert Einstein, the ultimate math guy, […]

Every journey requires a map. Do you think that’s true? I think quite a bit about journeys and maps these days as we prepare for the FRONT RANGE FREEDOM TOUR. For safety and logistical purposes we try to have every single mile of our 500-mile tour mapped in advance. My friend Scott has a fairly […]

It’s interesting to talk to people about what’s hard. My friend Jim Haywood says riding a bike 500 miles for a worthy cause really isn’t a big deal. What’s hard for Jim is taking time away from his family. Some folks look at our 500-mile route and decide it’s impossible. Others think they could do […]

We’re putting finishing touches on the 2016 FREEDOM TOUR jersey. It’s turning out really cool, I think. A lot goes into planning and designing all the details. It’s surprising how many parts make up the final product. For example, here’s one of the two side panels. The message isn’t as prominent as what appears on […]

Anybody can upload a video to Youtube. Anybody can purchase professional editing software and a camera and do a decent job of producing better quality amateur videos. We shouldn’t allow “lack of training” to keep us from doing our best to spread our message. But it’s easy to recognize the touch of a talented artist. […]

If you have the opportunity to make an impact, why wouldn’t you do it? Our culture tells us impact is all about power and control, or at least fame and flash. Most folks, I think, would like to make an impact, but they’re unlikely to do something outrageous like riding a bike around the world. The truth is […]