Someone asked me recently what justice would look like for the kids at the Home of Hope. Our task, I believe, is to give our kids the opportunity to become the women and men Jesus sees when He holds each of them in His hands. We can only work toward true justice, which means setting […]
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Bread And Love
Bread and love have something in common. Both are mass nouns. There’s no plural, even if you add more. Bread is bread, a little or a lot. Interesting observation: in a culture obsessed with counting, most of what really counts can’t be counted. Trust. Faith. Hope. Honesty. Truth. Generosity. Commitment. Justice. Love. If you can’t […]
Continue readingAbout Progress
“Progress rolls like a brick.” Jerry Blackwell, one of the lead prosecutors in the Derek Chauvin murder trial, was asked what changed as a result of the verdict. “I don’t think there are any inevitabilities in it because we don’t make progress on the wheels of inevitability. In face, I think progress rolls like a […]
Continue readingAccountability And Justice
Seek justice. Love mercy. Walk humbly. Micah 6:8 Some thoughts: Justice requires restoration – setting things right. Often, only God can provide true justice. We’re asked to seek justice, to do our part to move things in that direction. Accountability requires accepting the consequences of one’s actions. Accountability matters – a lot. But accountability isn’t […]
Continue readingNonsense
“Everyone is rational.” I borrowed this crazy-sounding statement from Seth Godin. It sounds crazy, of course, because we meet “irrational” people all the time. Seth’s point is that we all make choices based on how we see the world. To understand someone’s decisions, one must understand their experience, their goals, and their inputs. The hard […]
Continue readingCrazy?
More than a decade ago I got serious about my dream of a cross-country handcycle ride. One of my first steps was to open a brand new file on my computer. Everything about that ride, and all the rides we’ve done since, lives in that file. All the solo tours. The nine FREEDOM TOURS. It’s […]
Continue readingGenerosity Or Justice?
“Generosity is insufficient. The real goal of giving should be justice.” Darren Walker is president of The Ford Foundation. He oversees grants worth $500 million annually. His career took him from New York attorney to Wall Street banker to Harlem community development prior to his work with The Ford Foundation. In a wonderful interview, Walker […]
Continue readingWhat Happens Next?
I’ll bet you’ve experienced it. The runup to the big event, the excitement, the rush as the day finally arrives, and then – it’s over. You stare at the aftermath as the adrenaline drains away and the cleanup crew sweeps the confetti and dumps the trash. What happens next? For followers of Jesus, that’s the […]
Continue readingA New Teammate
Perhaps you’ve noticed…no posts this week. I’d like to introduce you the newest member of our family, and the reason I’ve done no writing for a few days. This is Ernie. He’s 8 weeks old. He has more energy than Becky and me, as well as being quicker and more persistent than we are. And […]
Continue readingThe Children’s Sermon
(I wrote this a few years ago. In the aftermath of yet another mass shooting, this time just miles from our home, it seemed good to revisit.) A while back Becky and I visited a church that does a children’s sermon during worship. The kids gathered around the leader, poking and squirming and trying to […]
Continue readingWhat Is It?
What’s the FREEDOM TOUR? Honestly, our team asks ourselves this question frequently. Are we a bike ride? A fundraiser? A mission event? It’s not that we’re forgetful. It’s important to remind ourselves what we’re trying to accomplish. We do spend a lot of time riding bikes, and seeking justice by supporting the kids at the […]
Continue readingThe Gap
I wrote most of this a few years ago. I’m thinking about the gap between what we know and what we really believe. We know outcomes don’t depend on the size of our efforts. We know God asks us to do what we can, where we are, with what we have and then trust Him […]
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