Adventure

Life is an adventure, or at least if you make it one! One of my favorite quotes is from Teddy Roosevelt….

It is not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, if he wins, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.

Likewise, my Creator did not knit me together with a timid soul. He scooped down and created me in His image. Once he was finished molding me out of dirt, He breathed His Spirit into me and I breathed! He did not create me to be timid or void of passion, He created me to live and to worship Him through my life! So it is I live to do!
One of my deepest passions is for cycling. I enjoy every facet of the sport. When I am separated from it, my balance is off and I long for it. This year has been a challenge for me in this way. I have had little time to ride and indulge in my passion. However in the spirit of what I wrote above, I have found a new cycling outlet. I have been commuting to work steadily throughout the summer. Now that the nights are getting dark, I decided to invest in some high quality lights and continue to trek to and fro once or twice a week. I will admit my first night commuting home in total darkness, was no less than scary. I was on guard and nervous the whole ride, however I am now enjoying the ride home. The night is not scary, it is peaceful and I look forward to the quite solitude on the dark roads. I think my next step is trail riding at night.
I am also climbing into the ring to do battle with Cyclo-Cross racing. This is difficult due to my enormous, competitive spirit. Nothing frustrates me more than not being prepared for a race. I will have little time to train specifically for the races, but will focus on enjoying the moment.
If there is anyone interested in racing or just watching, you can hitch a ride. The first race is in Dayton, OH on Nov. 9.

40 miles and 2100 ft of Climbing

TEAM MEETING

Team Meeting on Saturday September 13th
When: 9am
Where:Martinsville Starbucks, Martinsville Indiana
What: Club Business, Riding and Fellowship

9:00 AM Meet at Starbucks
9:15 AM Devotion
9:30 AM Start Meeting
10:30 AM End Meeting
10:31 AM Get ready to ride

Why we do what we do!

Summer is fleeing faster that a breakaway chasing a prime. Time to breakout those goals you set earlier in the year and evaluate where they stand. It is a good time to make notes for next season. Answer questions like;
1. When was your peak?
2. When did you feel tired the most?
3. What nutrition worked?
4. How was your motivation?
I love my excel journal where I record my times, miles and other data. I also like to journal about my rides, moods and other things that are not so easily quantified. Remember we are Body, Mind and Spirit.

The TobyMac quote is a good reminder. What are we “Burning” for, results, equipment and personal glory? We here to “Burn” for Christ, to glorify Him who saved us! We have been given the privilege to show our love and our dedication to him, while riding our bikes, running and swimming. To worship the High Priest through the good and proper use of our bodies, yet we waist this opportunity if we don’t finish the race! Now I hope you know I am not talking about the actual race or competition, but our own personal race. Each of us has been given a race to run by our Lord. Each of our races involve ministry. How do we show the world that all we do is for Christ! That we “Burn” for Christ!

That is why I am in IC3. Simply riding with <>< on my back tells the world for who I ride! When I stop and help another rider out, or when one of you guys stand on a podium or IC3 is listed by your name on a results sheet. These are all ways to glorify the most high.

Remember, it is not for our glory, nor is it for IC3 glory, but it is for Christ that we strive to reach the finish line.

I feel revived again, I am alive again

“I Burn for You”
“I want the whole world to know I burn for you.
I feel revived again, I am alive again.
I’m up and running like there ain’t no tomorrow,
I rather burn for you than fade away
I rather burn for you than go my way,
I am a whole new guy
With a whole new vibe,
Changed inside – more flame in the fire
Can’t stop, won’t stop praying
For desire
Like the bunny on the screen feel so energized
Old shell gone without a trace, new face
No more shortness of breath new pace
Live life now without the taste of fear”

TobyMac, Welcome to Diverse City

The Dreaded Rain Day

Training, training and yet more training! This is the summer for many of us. I have been lamenting lately about my lack of training time! As cyclists we often find ourselves in that mental rut of thinking “If a little is good, and a lot is better, then I will do a ton and win!” Because of this, it is hard for us cyclists to take unplanned interruptions to our detailed training schedules. I had today off and had planned a nice long ride. My legs haven’t propelled my bike past 35 miles in a single ride all year. I was so excited on Sunday when I declared today to be a long ride day. The boys are with their Grandparents for the week and my Bride and I are going out for a much need date tonight! So the day was mine to spend joyfully spinning through the hills of Morgan Monroe!

As I type this we are under a tornado watch with severe storms on the way! I am disappointed to say the least. The dreaded rain day, the irony is if I had been training long and hard all spring I would welcome this day to catch up on any number of things. However this is not my situation.
With the wisdom that only comes with time and God’s Grace, I know there is a lesson in today’s tragedy. As I wait for the inevitable rain on my front porch, God’s Spirit reminds me that there is a season for all things. The Spirit reminds me that my plans are not always God’s plans, that I am not the center. Now to some, this is a point of anger and disobedience! Many individuals turn away from God because of this one Truth…When we give our lives to God, we must surrender our will to God. They do not want to give in to God! They do not want to admit that God is in control. They want to be the center of the universe. They want to be in control and do whatever they want to do! They do not want a deity that restricts their life, so they search for a god that makes them feel good, and will let them control their lives.

I can understand this type of thinking. I sympathize with these individuals. Giving up control is difficult. To admit that our actions and thoughts need to be carefully examined and that we need to seek forgiveness for our human faults, angers us and puts us into a defensive state of mind. It can make us bitter and it can harden our hearts. I am tempted to believe my life would be better and more enjoyable if only I didn’t have to conform to Christ. If I did all the things I wanted and focused on me, I would be happy. I also understand that this is my flesh talking. I know that Christ is my life, that in Him I have life!

I have experienced the freedom of not being in control. I have experienced the freedom of His Love that releases me to be complete in Him! Like today, even though I desperately want to be out riding, I rest in the knowledge that God has control and that I am not responsible to “Make things happen”. Did God make it rain just to keep me off the bike today? That I do not know and may never know, is God good and is His Will always working to reconcile all people to Himself? Yes that I do know and in that knowledge I have learned to be satisfied and content. I have learned to trust God and live in whatever season I am called to live in.

I pray you learn to greet each season with gratefulness. I pray you experience the love, comfort and contentment that only comes from living in Christ.

TEAM MEETING

We are having a team/ club meeting on June 28th after the Eagle Creek Fast Crit race. We will meet by the IC3 banner after it is all said and done.

Note: I am helping with the race, so the meeting will not start until after everything is done. I encourage you to consider helping Dan out too. It is fun!

See the Indiana Race Series web page link to the left to find out more about race location and times.

Hope to see you there.

Everyone is welcome, if you would like to learn more about our club/ team, stop by!