Yesterday marked the end of a 500 mile 10 day adventure with an amazing group of friends. Today marked the day of all of us returning to everyday life and after a week of getting up at 5am to throw on bike shorts and muster together a breakfast of bread, spread, yogurt, and granola bars. Sunday many of us were saying, “I don’t want to ever ride our bikes again!” This morning we were all secretly wishing we were putting on that spandex and hopping on our bikes to ride. After a week of adventure, coming home to real life has become gray and mundane. Life is found in adventure, in the challenge of trials and suffering. God calls us not to cower in the shadows of the mountain, but to overcome the mountain. A wise friend once said, “God puts mountains before us so we can learn to climb.”
Coming home from my tour I’m returning to a season of fundraising. June 12th marks my first deadline of $3,500 and from there is the scramble to reach $15,000. I’m not gonna lie, I’m nervous. It will take nothing short of a miracle to see that $15,000 goal happen, but God continues to show His faithfulness. With feet fitted with the Gospel of peace (Ephesians 6) I journey forward trusting that God is in the journey to the summit. This battle isn’t suppose to be easy, in fact it is suppose to be hard, and with that not one that’s to be done alone. The same way this week I was dependent on the support of friends around me to push through biking 500 miles. If I had been asked to bike that 500 alone I can assure you I probably would have turned around near mile 10. Only with sharing in the journey with those around me and those praying and supporting me from a distance was biking down California possible.
I don’t want to do this world race alone, this journey isn’t some journey of isolation. I would make a terrible hermit. This next chapter, this next season I’m praying that God will continue to build the community that He has set in place and continue to open doors. So here I am, asking you, my friends, to come on this journey with me. I’m asking you to partner along side me and I step out into this next crazy adventure. God is out there in the unknown, He is out there in the balance between fear and faith, He is my peace in the storms of doubt and pain. He is the whisper that says, “Keep pedaling. Keep moving forwards. Don’t stop now.”
Cause if you never leave home, never let go
You’ll never make it to the great unknown till you
Keep your eyes open, my love
So tell me you’re strong, tell me you see
I need to hear it, can you promise me to
Keep your eyes open, my love
– NEEDTOBREATHE
Also, If you happen to feel like supporting me financially I would love to write you letters while I’m in each country. I’m not entirely sure how realistic this goal is because I’ve never tried mailing thing from other countries but if I can I’m totally doing that because I love your face.
