Category: Freedom Tour

Fun, sunshine, and a lot of sweat brought some new folks into the FREEDOM TOUR circle last weekend at a place called Elephant Rock. More specifically, our team joined 7000 cyclists for a glorious day at the 29th annual Elephant Rock Cycling Festival. We officially unveiled the 2016 FREEDOM TOUR jerseys. They look great on a […]

Everyone on the FREEDOM TOUR has their own story. It’s the tale of how we arrived at this point, what made us who we are. We spend a lot of time on the tour listening to each other’s stories. It’s the best way to open doors, get to know each other, and build a team. […]

Initial comments on our spiffy new FREEDOM TOUR jerseys often involve the butterfly. Our butterfly comes from our friends at PROJECT RESCUE who operate the HOME OF HOPE. They’re with the kids every day, providing love, encouragement, security, and the daily care they require. They’re the “boots-on-the-ground” part of the worldwide circle of support surrounding our […]

If Train A leaves Station B going east at 60 mph, and Train C leaves Station D going west at 55 mph and the wind’s blowing north at 22 mph and the conductor’s eating a turkey sandwich…Arrrggghhhh!!! Who remembers “problems” like this from an algebra class? If you’re close to my age you likely raised […]

At the FREEDOM TOUR, we cycle to bring hope and freedom to kids rescued from human trafficking. In three weeks our team will gather. I’m sure our discussions will touch on the darkness of slavery, sex trafficking, and the devastating effects of this insidious evil. One might think that ‘s what motivates us, that we’re […]

Winning the lottery would be much easier than fundraising. Just buy a few tickets, hope for the magic numbers, and we could support the kids at the HOME OF HOPE forever. We could buy them a new building, give raises to the staff…the list is endless. All we have to do is hope. It’s right here […]

Are you part of the selfie culture? I’m following my friend Scott Acton as he rides his bike around the world. I love getting blog updates (you can sign up here) and reading about Scott’s adventures, but the best part of his reports are the photos. You’d enjoy flipping through Scott’s pictures of the incredible scenery […]

Everyone has an opinion. Dick Foth says deep conversations need to be about more than opinions. He suggests authentic interaction happens around “What do you think? What do you know? What do you feel?” The idea, I think, is that if we’re truly willing to invest in the other person, if we’re willing to listen […]

If you’ve attended many weddings you’ve likely encountered the “cord of three strands” image. It’s a scriptural metaphor based on the weaving of husband, wife, and God to form a strong marriage bond. Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:12) Interesting to notice, […]

Where you stand…matters. My friend Dick Foth told a story about trying to change a light bulb in a fixture in his bedroom located directly above the bed. (How many preachers does it take to change a light bulb?) Standing on the cushy mattress, wobbling back and forth, struggling to keep his balance while stretching […]

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 […]