Category: Reflections

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 […]

“Why am I so afraid of everything?” She’s a college junior, perhaps 21 or 22 years old. From my perspective, it was a great question. “What are you afraid of?” She blurted out a list, a litany of seemingly everything that could possibly go wrong in this young woman’s life. “Whoa,” I chuckled, “you really […]

It’s not about me. How often do we  say it? Today I want to tell you about someone who lives it–an authentic, invisible servant. We had a minor mishap this week, a few inches of water in our basement that made a general mess of things. Got the cleanup done, now we”re dealing with mold […]

I’m glad it’s The Book of Acts and not The Book of Opinions. Another bit of wisdom from Bob Goff, which I guess makes sense from a guy who titled his book Love Does. Ever notice that the disciples didn’t get missionary training or a theology degree before they took off to make disciples? Now that I think […]

Two good friends reminded me of an important truth this weekend. Everyone needs hope, and a lot of people don’t know where to find it. Since we began the journey of RICH’S RIDE I’ve talked to social workers, therapists, doctors, pastors, prison workers, pastors, mental health professionals, and addiction specialists. These folks work with people […]

What if the Kingdom is as simple as seeds planted by a Master Gardener? The seeds sprout. They become the plants they were destined to become. They produce their particular fruit. It’s not complicated. God knows He planted seeds of love, so He knows the kinds of plants and fruit His garden will produce. He […]

“If you’re going to lie down, why not stay home and take a nap?” “Looks like a pretty lazy way to ride a bike.” “I wish I could just lie down on my bike.” At least once every couple of weeks some well-meaning rider tosses out this kind of casual comment as I’m cranking along. […]

I’ve always learned a lot from young people. For thirty-five years I got paid (not a lot) to teach math to kids. I usually learned more from my students than they learned from me. For instance, one kid showed me how to “text” one-handed, during class, while your phone’s in the back pocket of your […]

People are incredibly generous. As we put the wraps on Front Range FREEDOM Tour and prepare to crank from Taos to Tucson I continue to be amazed at how freely folks share their time, talent, and treasure. The FREEDOM Tour team and their supporters donated more than $7,000 (after all expenses) to U COUNT Campaign […]

Becky came home a few days ago and asked a rather curious question. “What exactly IS Rich’s Ride?” Okay, it was a question someone asked her and she realized she didn’t have a succinct response. At first I dismissed it as a dumb question, but my classroom experience taught me “that’s a dumb question” usually […]