Category: Reflections

Clichés become clichés because they’re true. Yeah, they’re overused and trite, and we deploy them too often when we don’t know what else to say. But all that doesn’t reduce their truth. FRONT RANGE FREEDOM TOUR ’14 begins in five days. There are about a million items on the checklist. It would be easy to […]

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. (Ecclesiastes 3:1) There’s a time to move boldly ahead, and a time to pause and reflect on the path you’ve traveled. In seven days our team will gather to begin the tour. The heavy lifting’s mostly complete, and we have a […]

You might pray and trust God with all your heart and still not reach your goal. You might get rejected. You might try and fail. Your dream may not turn out as you imagined. It’s okay. The world wants odds of success before committing. But the question at the beginning ought to be “Is this […]

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. (Ecclesiastes 3:1) I think we tend to fight the seasons of life. We want to sow at harvest time and speak when we ought to be silent. It’s about our desire to be in control, which is rooted in fear. We’re […]

If we’re truly honest, I suspect fear motivates many of our actions and choices. I remember some of my best students coming to exams bleary-eyed from late-light cram sessions. “Why did you lose sleep over this test? You know the material.” “Yeah, but I’m afraid I’ll forget something.” Afraid I’ll forget a detail on an […]

We’re surrounded by an incredible circle of support. You don’t do something like FRONT RANGE FREEDOM TOUR or RICH’S RIDE on your own. Those things happen in communities, and occasionally I shake my head in amazement at the power of a community to follow and accomplish big dreams. Every big endeavor has corporate sponsors. Those […]

What if God had something in mind when He created you? What if He gave you specific gifts, stuff you enjoyed and were good at? Don’t you think using those gifts would be a big part of what you were made to do? What if you could figure out what you were made to do, […]

I sent an email yesterday that put some things in perspective. I wrote to two American missionaries. As I proofed my message I realized the danger they encounter in tasks I take for granted. I wonder about the remote possibility of identity theft if my personal details end up in the wrong hands on the […]

Becky and I discovered this week that lots of people don’t “get” what we’re doing. That’s a little frustrating. When you’re in the middle of something and you’re passionate about it, it’s hard to imagine how any rational being can’t understand every nuance of our project. Obviously, they’re not listening. And then I recall something […]

Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7) I think I spend a lot of time in front of open doors. I can wonder all I want about opportunity and possibility and dreams, but an open door […]

When you encounter a life-altering event, others are always eager to advise you when it’s time to move on. At the time of my injury in 1987, I wanted to get semi-serious about cycling. I’d purchased what, at the time, was a decent road bike. Twenty-seven years passed, and that bike sat in a few […]

What happens when you give a no-strings-attached gift and the person to whom you gave it takes advantage of you by misusing the gift? Okay, that’s kind of convoluted. Let’s break it down. First, let’s define “gift.” In its purest form, a gift is offered with no strings attached. For example, we send flowers to […]