So You Want to be a Rock Star.......

See, the title does matter....... That's why you are reading this right now. And truth is, the previous title of this blog poorly defined its purpose. That's why I changed it.

For all of us cycling nuts out here, we instantly feel the pain, sacrifice and joy that come from 3 words.....2 Man break. When we see a break form, we gleefully cheer with great optimism. We urge with all our passion for the break to succeed. We mourn as the break falls apart 100 yards from the finish. And when it succeeds, we rejoice wistfully thinking of our own glory in such a moment. Any cyclist knows, when riders breakaway from the pack, they must work well together to have any chance of sustaining their lead to the finish line.

Similarly, God challenges us to break away from the pack of humanity, and even religousity, to a life devoted to Him. Yet, such a bold move is not for the weak or timid. If you are going to make the jump, you better have a good partner. And your partner better be God. For there is no way you way you will sustain your effort alone.

God and I are on a breakaway. We have been on one now for several years. We have been partners in living a life on the road less traveled. But for too long, I have put my nose in the wind to show my strength. Like Lance, God has quietly waited for me to fatigue to show me who is boss. God is calling me to the mountains to restore His authority in my life, and resurrect a proper working relationship between 2 riders, one stronger and one weaker, engaged in the epic struggle we call life.

This ride is about experiencing God in a unique form of suffering. Some people fast. I ride bikes over mountains passes carrying all my stuff. In the end, this is a personal journey, and I share it in hopes that others might join in the struggle, and rejoice in victory that is sure to come in a "2 Man Break" with God. .....Perhaps, someone might be inspired in the victory.

This is a quest for victory......Settling for nothing less than complete surrender, the winning position in God's eternal game of life.

Friends

Is there anything better? Today I reunited with some old friends and made a new one. It dawned on me last night that perhaps I am not the first to set out on the bike looking for a mountain top with God. Perhaps I might find someone of similar interest. After a 30 second search on Facebook, I found a new friend, Rich Wagner. Not just an ordinary friend, but a well published author with Zondervan, who is about to embark on a cross country bike tour with his family to promote his new book, The Expeditionary Man. It was love at first sight. I hope you will take time to check out Rich and this amazing quest at http://whythebike.com.

Later in the day, I stopped in at Bicycles Unlimited http://bicyclesunl.com/, and amazing bike shop for whom I raced for a number of years. After I career ending injury, I lost track of my old friends, shop owners Mark and Holly Anderson. You can imagine my joy to see them both looking not a day older, sporting a huge smile as I walked in the door. Mark was quick to show me a new Giant bicycle (TRAN Sport LX) that he had been dying to order for just the right adventurous person, and offered to sponsor me. Wow....what a blessing! The offer is making me seriously reconsider the Koga Miyata World Traveler which I had planned to ride.

Training began today with conviction as I put down a 25 mile ride on my mountain bike.....knobby tires and all. The roadies looked at me as if they saw a clown on tricycle. I think they could tell however that I was a man to be reckoned with, so they let me pass without too much ridicule. In a strange way, I found the whole experience quite remarkable. It felt strange to be going so slow. Yet, perhaps I was experiencing the bike as it was intended to be enjoyed. Culture tells us speed is better. God tells us patience affords us opportunity to savor his majesty. I savored the sunset today in the slowness of my pace. I savored the beautiful spring day at 13mph. I savored the fragrant gardenia's as I past by an old farm house. I savored old and new friendships as I pedaled.

I think I am going to like this new adventure of mine.........

In the Beginning

Have you ever wondered what it is like to have a "mountain top" experience actually on a mountain top. I have. This is the story a 6 day bicycle trip starting June 15 over the mountains of Georgia and North Carolina, investigating God's presence in the places and with people we often overlook. I wonder, will I find that people cling to religion out of bitterness, fear or frustration (as Obama speculated), or is there something much deeper. Each Day I will post an audio and written devotional revealing what I find. I go into this adventure with no preconceived ideas of a conclusion, but I confess to hoping to find God in a real and authentic way. The destination is not as important as the journey.

I hope you will enjoy this investigative effort to discover the real meaning of God in the lives of ordinary Americans.