Category: Reflections

A couple of friends served in Vietnam. I remember when they came home. Among the things they talked about was “It don’t mean nothin’.” Apparently that phrase was a coping mechanism, a way of dealing with the horrors they confronted on a daily basis. It was a way of getting through each day when human […]

Did you watch The Sound Of Music last week? I did, and I was surprised. I expected nostalgia. I didn’t expect to be surprised by a message within lyrics of a familiar song. A dream that will need all the love you can give. Every day of your life for as long as you live. […]

Most people think cycling is an individual sport. It’s not. Without a strong, committed team, no individual rider could compete in a big race like le Tour de France. Each team identifies one, or perhaps two, leaders, the strongest, most experienced cyclists with the best chance to prevail at the end. The other riders do […]

I have a personal theory that following Jesus is simple. Not simplistic, but simple. God organized the world around simple, long-term core principles. We can ignore them if we wish, and in the short run it might look like a good choice. But in the end, the designer knows what works best for us. When […]

Why do we have Thanksgiving? In reality, it’s a secular holiday, an excuse to travel, visit family, and enjoy a great feast. To be brutally honest, Thanksgiving is mostly about food, shopping, and football. There’s nothing inherently wrong with any of that, but I wonder what happens to the “thanks” part of Thanksgiving. I came […]

I appreciate all the nice things people say when we complete a RICH’S RIDE tour. We receive many kind notes. People stop us at church to tell us how much they appreciate what we do. We hear from folks all over the country who are inspired and encouraged by the rides and the blogs. It’s […]

I love the freedom of cycling. I’m not sure everyone understands what I mean when I say that. Some reading I’ve been doing reminded me of the apparent paradox of freedom as a follower of Jesus. In some ways it’s like cycling. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, […]

At RICH’S RIDE we talk a lot about climbing hills. Maybe that’s because most anyone, with minimal training and effort, can bike on flat, smooth terrain. The hills and mountains are the interesting, challenging, and sometimes frightening parts of the ride. People face many different kinds of hills; the ones we ascend on bikes may […]

As we pulled out of Fort Collins on our very first ride, Pastor Mark Orphan imparted one final bit of wisdom: Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be broken. I don’t think he was quoting the Beatitudes, but we’re discovering it’s great advice for operating on the road. We had a great first […]

Today I’d like to share a gift I made for some folks toward the end of the TAOS to TUCSON tour. Several of our speaking events included worship. I wanted to contribute somehow. I thought about offering to sing, but I didn’t want to inflict that kind of pain. So I made this video, which tells the […]

Every tour seems to leave a few lasting impressions. I’ll remember TAOS to TUCSON for an improved approach to cycling up hills. I haven’t gotten much better—physically—at climbing. I’m still terribly slow. I need to change my workouts over the winter and see if improved training can overcome advancing age and yield faster results. What […]

When you help someone climb a hill, you end up at the top. On our recent trip I talked a lot about the word ENCOURAGE, which I define as “giving courage to someone else.” I used this photo of a hill to illustrate a challenge, and asked listeners to think of someone they knew who […]