Do you have a favorite iconic movie character? I suppose we all remember different roles for different reasons. One of my favorites is Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid. In one memorable scene, Miyagi asks his student, Daniel, if he’s ready to begin his karate training. Daniel replies, “Yeah, I guess so.” Miyagi sighs. “Daniel-san, […]
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What Would Failure Look Like?
From the start it’s been clear what this is about. I’m a slow learner so it took a while for it to sink in. This crazy adventure wasn’t a bike ride and it wasn’t a fund raiser. # # # Toward the conclusion of the 2011 Mississippi River ride that started this craziness, a nice lady […]
Continue readingWhat If You’re Picked From The Crowd?
Simon didn’t plan on being part of the story. He was part of the crowd in town for the holiday. Maybe he knew about Jesus, maybe not. But he was going about his business and I’m sure he didn’t want to get involved with the horrible scene in the street. The Romans had beaten the man […]
Continue readingJust Stop Trying
Stop trying. Start training. It’s one of my favorite principles. It’s a principle because it’s timeless and applies in just about any circumstance. In about two months I’ll give a talk at a TEDX event in Loveland. If you’re not familiar, TED talks are different than most other presentations. For one thing, they’re very structured, […]
Continue readingWhy We Must Tell Stories
TMI–we’re buried in an ever-increasing flow of information. Perhaps as little as 100 years ago an educated person might know most of the important information accumulated by civilization. Today that’s ridiculous as access to facts increases exponentially. Funny thing…it’s a bit like drinking from a fire hose. There’s plenty of water, but you may not […]
Continue readingHow Does Your Team Connect?
On the initial FREEDOM TOUR in 2013, I created every route. I obsessed over each detail, scoured Google for guidance, and was absolutely certain I had each turn of the entire week perfectly mapped out. I printed copies of my master plans, handed them out, and waited for the perfect results of my hard work. I got […]
Continue readingGoing Fast To Slow Down
I like cycling…a lot. I suppose that’s pretty evident to anyone who’s been around here a while. I like the challenge, the freedom, the exercise, the sense of accomplishment. I like the community and the solitude. But I think what I like most of all is that cycling forces me to unplug and slow down. […]
Continue readingLooking For Easy
My first handcycle ride happened sixteen years ago this month. It wasn’t the smashing success I imagined. If you’re interested you can catch the story of Exordio Somnii and The First Ride from previous posts. My first bike looks incredibly primitive by today’s standards. I purchased it from Jody, a paraplegic with an incredible attitude. One […]
Continue readingHow To Leave Space For God
When everything’s busy, how do we leave room for divine appointments? On a bike tour there are about a million small details to think about. You can easily get to the end of each day, and the entire week, and not really remember much of substance about what happened. We talk a lot about being aware of divine […]
Continue readingWho Are You?
What do you do? How often do you ask those sorts of questions? It’s just harmless small talk, right? I’ve spent some time recently with a guy who’s paralyzed by his fear of that question. Details don’t matter, I’m just struck by his sense of how much we identify people with what they do. Or worse, what they’ve […]
Continue readingIt’s A Guy Thing
Sex trafficking isn’t a “women’s issue.” Maybe that sounds silly, but I’m always struck by the fact that women seem to dominate the voices speaking out about these horrible crimes. While the majority of the victims of sexual slavery are women, the perpetrators are overwhelmingly male. Unless we’re going to blame the victims, it’s time to […]
Continue readingWhat’s Your Dream Goal?
“What’s your dream goal for the FREEDOM TOUR?” Interesting question, and honestly one I hadn’t really considered. Strange, for a project based on following God-sized dreams. Once you get that kind of idea rattling around your brain, it creates its own space and hangs out. You realize it’s not going away. So I looked back […]
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