cycling, family, Ministry, Mountain biking

SATURDAY IN THE PARK

Today after I studied for Sundays messages I wanted to try a trail that I usually don’t get to ride.

The Willow Lake Trail is a great asset to our Prescott trail system.

Natascha as and I went out for an hour before heading to the 20 somethings small group meeting tonight.

Here are some pics of todays ride.

It is always great to get out on the bike with Tash and with 300 days of sunshine here in Prescott you just gotta live outdoors.

Speaking of sunshine. Tonight in our small group we a had a disccussion out of the brilliant book by Erwin Mcmanus entitled “CHASING DAYLIGHT“.

He uses Jesus words out of John 9:4 “As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.”

Here is one of the great quotes out of Erwin’s book; “Right behind the mundane is the miraculous.”

Really looking forward to chasing daylight all day Sunday.

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family, Mountain biking

IMPRINTS

Tonight just before dark Natascha and I decided to get a quick mountain bike ride in.

When you are in the forest and the sun goes down it really get dark fast.

We made it home just in time.

Great to be able ride again with Tash.

Great kid (young lady) and a great mountain biker too.

After we got home it was neat just to sit and talk for a while.

“A good father will leave his imprint on his daughter for the rest of her life.”

                                                                                                        — Dr. James Dobson

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broken ankle, Mountain biking

Recovery update week eleven

Just wanted to give everyone interested a brief ankle update.

11 weeks ago during a fantastic early morning mountain bike ride I bumped the riders wheel in front of me and in a matter of three seconds found myself laying on trail 396 with what doctor Pfluger later told me was a Broken Ankle – Displaced Trimalleolar Fracture.

In everday language, I broke three bones in my right ankle.

What a life experience this has been.

Today (9/11/08) was my second time out on the bike.

The two rides I have been on are very simple with no goofiness because the ankle is still really tender. The first ride into Granite Basin was 9 miles and today I rode about 6 miles through the Prescott National Forest.

I started Physical therapy Tuesday and have 12 sessions with the Sports Medicine guys.

 

Really great to get back in the woods again.

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Life experiences

9/11 Remembered

In 1978 I was part of an ministry outreach to New York City and New Jersey.

The ministry experience was awesome and as I remember the entire trip was a memory maker for me and my friends.

I remember standing between the Twin Towers on our day off and thinking to myself how great it was to be standing in such a fantastic place.

Then 23 years later on September 11th things drastically changed for all of us. I remember like every other American how evil has such a devastating effect on the planet.

Today September 11th, 2008 I am still reminded that evil does exist and it is very powerful.

I am also reminded that there always has been evil but “greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.” 1 John 4:4

This morning as I watched the memorials that took place on the East coast I prayed for the leadership of this nation and the men and women serving us in the military.

My prayers are also with one of the spiritual sons of our church. This week, Bobby Snyder leaves for Iraq.

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Books I'm Reading, Ministry

THE CHASE

What a great weekend of ministry here in Prescott!

Here it is from Tuesday back to Saturday.

Today we were invited to meet with the leadership at Embry Riddle University to take our Let’s Get Legit series to their campus. What a great opportunity for everyone that will be involved.

Also today I was at another city council meeting to see where the next years Annual mountain bike weekend is headed. I really hope to be able to host a local outreach to Mtn. bikers this coming April.

Monday night was another ministry night with our Marriage ministry called Marriage Matters. The room was full of married couples and excitement just to get together and watch the Packers against the Vikings on DA BIG SCREEN.

Sunday, the services were as good as it gets with a great Sunday night prayer and communion service.

We started our new 20 something ministry Saturday night and will be following a discussion around the book Chasing Daylight by Erwin Mcmanus.

Erwin uses this masterpiece of a book to show us how we should be acting. He claims “If heaven had an advertising section, it would take a full-page ad that read: “Wanted, Risk takers for God.”

What a powerful quote out of the book.

To follow Jesus is to move with God. When you become a part of God’s movement, you are a missionary. Every missionary has a mission. The mission gives him both intentionality and purpose. He has no minutes to waste. He is required to seize every divine moment. Is it possible that God longs for this for all of us?” Chasing Daylight, p.48.

Really looking forward to where this next season of ministry is going to take us.

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family, Ministry

ORIGINS 4

A picture is worth a 1000 words or more.

Last week I was given a small box of my grate grandfathers sermon notes.

From what I can tell Alex Smith preached these sermons in the 1950’s.

I am really looking forward to reading each message as a part of my morning devotions this month.

Kind of cool …. my great grandfather and I get to spend the mornings together having coffee and discussing the gold nuggets he found.

This photo is of Alex smith in front of his church in Rifle Colorado. Man I would love to be able go back in time and be in some of those services. Can you imagine attempting to hold services every night but Saturday in today’s culture?  (I can hear the crickits already).

Even if I cannot hear the living voice of Alex Smith ringing out from the pulpits that he spoke from, I am at least able to read his sermons and other writings to enjoy the fruits of his wonderful ministry 60 years later.

“He speaks even though he is dead.”  Hebrews 11:4 (nirv)

Thank God for paper and the typewriter.

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cycling, family

ORIGINS pt. 3

I love this picture of my brother Gary and I that was taken probably around 1965ish.

My first bike is a schwinn banana bike …..what a classic !

I’m not sure what Gary was driving at the time but I am sure of this, His little legs were always moving as fast as he could move them to always try to keep up with his big brother.

We built a race track and we would have bike races in the woods behind our house in the hot summer sun in Iowa.

It wasn’t about winning….it was about trying to win.

Thinking about those days reminds me of a story I heard a couple of years ago from National Geographic.

It has to do with not just racing, but finishing the race.

One of the most grueling of all bicycle races is the Tour De France. A contestant in that event, Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle, describes it in a National Geographic article titled, “An Annual Madness.” The race covers about 2000 miles, including some of France’s most difficult, mountainous terrain. Eating and drinking is done on the run. And there are extremes of heat and cold. To train for the event, Lassalle rides his bicycle 22,000 miles a year. What kind of prize makes people endure so much hardship and pain! $10,000? $100,000? No. It’s just a special winner’s jersey. What then motivates the contestants? Lassalle sums it up: “Why, to sweep through the Arc de Triomphe on the last day. To be able to say you finished the Tour de France.”

Now some 40 years later, Gary and I are still racing at break neck speeds everyday we wake up to accomplish the things God has purposed us to accomplish with our lives on this earth.

I dedicate this blog to the BIGGEST LITTLE BROTHER on the planet. He is a true inspiration. He is someone I learn to love and appreciate more as time passes. He is a true competitor with life and to runs the race set before him with great desire, determination and dignity.

He has been like that since the beginning of our back woods bike races back in Iowa.

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