Pedal Power

Driving behind a well-traveled SUV this week, a bumper sticker caught my attention: “London, Paris, Tokyo, A-Basin.”  I laughed, since it brought back good memories of a summer trip with extended family doing some moderate biking in the Colorado mountains…

Two stories from that trip can help remind us to:

Love God with all ourselves and love our neighbor as ourselves!

Story #1   Talking at a CO brew pub, a friendly local person blurted out, “You’ve got to try the Big-A!”  Unsure if this was an impressive burger on the menu, a quenching drink from the bar, or some other experience sure to inspire, some follow up questions were asked…  We learned Arapahoe Basin (Big-A, A-Basin) is a great ski area in winter and offers excellent dirt trails for mountain bikers in summer. Even though our bikes and bodies weren’t ready for that kind of riding, the person’s review and enthusiasm were noted and appreciated!

Reminder #1   It’s normal for people to talk about or share with others

things they are interested in or enthusiastic about.  Our connections with music, hobbies, friends, shows, games, sports, news, dining, and other interests are often easily shared.  The same can often be true of our love/faith relationship with God in Jesus Christ!

How Jesus loves, frees, inspires, listens, cares, strengthens, encourages, is fully present, brings peace, empowers, helps in struggle, and never abandons you is totally shareable stuff!

Jesus is for people humbly being real and going forward in real life!

Story #2   Laura & I were pedaling uphill at 9,000+ feet with three in tow.

Laura was in front with one on an attached trail-a-bike, while I was behind pulling two in a trailer.  The views and high altitude were breathtaking!  Two thirds of the way up, I could tell Laura was starting to struggle.  I then noticed why…  Unbeknownst to Laura, her trail-a-bike child partner had stopped pedaling, put up her feet, and become a passenger, content to merely spectate.  A quick yell from me changed that in a hurry!

Reminder #2   Our lives are full of partnership and team cooperation!

They both enrich and make life work within all the relationships and responsibilities we share– with friends, for work tasks, in marriages, within families, being the church, as neighbors, and in communities.  These are all opportunities to make a positive difference!

Let’s keep pedaling & partnering and resist being mere spectators!