Category: Reflections

When’s your next trip? I love how many times we’ve heard that question since we finished the FREEDOM Tour. People care. They’re part of the circle. They like what this crazy project represents. I wish we had a simple answer, but there’s nothing simple about taking an old bald guy in a wheelchair on the […]

Is every dream worth following? My friend Paul Merrill wrote about someone’s dream to restore a rusty 1969 Thunderbird and concluded It’s Not Going To Happen. Paul’s conclusion: It’s healthy to real­ize that some dreams are not going to hap­pen. What do you think? It’s easy to become enamored with a cool idea—restoring a car, […]

I used to tell my students the most important thing they could learn was how to learn. Mostly they’d stare back at me with that teenage eye-rolling look that says, “Will this be on the test?” It’s okay. I hope they discovered over time that learning doesn’t stop at graduation. When I complete a project […]

As I wrap up my reflection of the inaugural edition of Front Range FREEDOM Tour I’m struck by the different narratives I hear from riders and supporters. Some folks are certain God orchestrated every detail. Some believe it all came together because we worked hard or had good intentions. A few see a great, grand […]

If you’ve read Relentless Grace you might recall a scene in which Becky and I posed in front of a similar sign more than thirty years ago. Circumstances have changed, and this occasion has a much happier outcome. (And if you haven’t read Relentless Grace, may I ask what you’re waiting for?) Once in a […]

Can you imagine Jesus on Facebook? The Beatitudes as tweets? The Sermon on the Mount on YouTube? Just think of how many people He’d reach. I’ll bet Jesus would have more Twitter followers than Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift…combined! In the title song of the 1970’s rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar, Judas wonders why Jesus […]

Sometimes you really can’t get there from here. I’m putting the finishing touches on details of our daily routes, and I hit a significant snag. I’m blaming technology. It’s better for household harmony than blaming Becky, especially since she had nothing to do with it. I actually worked out the general layouts several weeks ago […]

When I began riding my hand cycle, it was all about survival. I didn’t try to ride well, or fast, or even better. I simply tried to get to the end of the route. It didn’t really occur to me that it might be any different. I was, after all, a quadriplegic. I was weak, […]

Preparing for Front Range FREEDOM Tour is a little like trying to watch a sunrise. There’s a sense of impending opportunity, but the experience can be so intense you’re tempted to look away. I think the intensity I’m feeling flows from a heightened awareness of the issue behind the tour. A year ago I could […]

A week from today our team for Front Range FREEDOM Tour will gather for the first time. This beginning reminded me of an ending, the final official gathering of our IJM Freedom Tour team. There were hugs and good-byes and pictures and tears. It was a bit like the last day of summer camp with […]

As a cyclist, I enjoy following le Tour de France each year. I don’t always understand all of the intricacies of strategy and tactics, but I appreciate the difficulty of riding more than one hundred miles per day for three weeks over some of the highest, steepest mountains in the world. Like most sports, competitive […]

If you wish to convince a man of anything, you must first convince him you are his friend. -Abraham Lincoln I believe what unites us matters ore than what divides us. Leaders too frequently have an interest in highlighting differences. Their power derives from creating a defined group of followers, and they work hard to […]