NO BIKE FOR ME

I'm really glad I didn't buy a bike for the Ride:Well tour.  I committed to riding in the Dallas leg of the cross country bike ride a few months ago but never got around to finding a bike. I wasn't really comfortable asking anyone if I could borrow theirs and I feel like I don't know enough about bikes to know a good on one ebay or craig's list. I thought I would buy a new one, but when it came down to it it didn't seem like the best idea.

Today I feel like that was one of the best financial decisions I've ever made.  A friend offered to loan me his mountain bike which isn't really ideal for the road. Thats what I rode and it killed me for about 7 miles.  Then a friend I was riding with got a flat and we sat on the side of the road for an hour waiting for someone to give us a spare tube.  Several people drove up promising to get us help, but in the end the race was almost over and we were stuck on mile 7 with no real help in sight. So we walked to the nearest rest stop and hitched a ride to the finish line.

There is a lot better things you can do with your money than buying a bike you would only ride for 7 miles.  I know, I probably would have ridden it at other times, but it might have been more out of guilt for spending that much money. So I got to donate some of the money to Blood:Water Mission and the rest will probably go toward bills. I just pray the next time I'm feeling impulsive and want to buy something expensive and fleeting I'll spend my money on something more worth while - like building wells in Africa or giving it to the church or some organization that does cancer research. And for me that means staying away from Best Buy.

FRESH

That's right. I've entitled this blog fresh. A word that I seldom use unless I'm talking about food. But I've been saying it a lot lately - trying to describe the current spiritual state of my surroundings.

According to dictionary.com fresh is an adjective that means "newly made or obtained." What God is doing in my life and the lives of many around me is new.

A friend of mine shared a verse with me last year that I thought was really cool, but never really came to life until recently - and it has come up alot. Isaiah 43:18,19: Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.

God is doing a new thing around me and it's exciting to see. Talking to people and overhearing other people's conversations - it's a common feeling around here. At the same time it's very uncertain, and a little scary because I know that when God works He will work in a new way, and it won't be what any of us expect, and it won't be easy.

So why fresh? Because it's alive! When I hear the word new I think of an object to be posessed. But using the word fresh helps me know that what God is doing lives and breathes. It will grow and move. And though it might be a painful process it will be sweet in the end.

Peter's Stupidity?

The other day our college guys were going through the study Chase the Lion by Mark Batterson. The question asked was: what is the difference between inspired boldness and stupidity?

As we all pondered that question we read about Moses confronting Pharaoh and David choosing to fight Goliath. So we seemed to come up with an answer to the question. Boldness has purpose and stupidity is self serving. Moses risked his life and the people of Israel were freed from Egyptian enslavement. David did what seemed impossible and killed the giant, thus saving Israel from the Philistines.

The 3rd scripture we read was Matthew 14:22-33 about Jesus and Peter walking on water. Was this inspired boldness on Peter's part or stupidity? By our standard it was sheer stupidity. What was the point? What people did Peter rescue by making a fool of himself in the middle of the sea? But as I kept thinking about it and reading it I realized that maybe the point of it all is that Peter wanted to get closer to Jesus.

Maybe when we do things that we perceive as being bold we expect big things to happen. We think that some big change will be brought about, maybe even that we will become a hero for taking that big step of faith. But perhaps when God asks us to be bold, to take a big leap of faith, all He wants is for us to be closer to Him. And we must know that it is scary as it was for Peter, but Jesus wants to give us all the opportunity to take the risk to draw closer to Him. And if we fall, that just gives Him an opportunity to rescue us.