The end of my most excellent and amazing summer.....EVER !!!

Well, as you have heard there are some changes in the wind headed your way in regard to the future RIDE:WELL TOUR potentially for 2009. As this is the offical end of summer , it is with the deepest degree of sadness that I can express to you that this will be my last blog for the 2008 RIDE:WELL BIKE TOUR. I cannot possibly begin to tell everyone how much fun that putting my sometimes random thoughts and pictures for all to share has been for me. I never really know what "sticks" or what has made a ripple on the pond (Lenny...) but I hope at least I have made you stop and think about how important it is to be a follower of Christ and what that really means. For me it means to love people completely without holding back. It means to take a dive into the deep end of the pool sometimes. It means to abandon fears and preconceived notions about who people are and their motivations. It means to reach out and be a servant in ways that go beyond the ordinary. It means to think way outside the box and believe in impossibilities for ourselves and others. It is to push our faith out to the edge, to a risky place, somewhere it has never been. It means to risk looking stupid, feeling awkward and embracing our weaknesses as a sign of Gods strength in us. It means to give to others freely that which we are afraid to share. I am so thankful to anyone and everyone that had anything at all to do with my amazing summer. I remember what I told a homeless member of a group that donated $2000 dollars to BLOOD:WATER MISSION in Tyler Texas. I said "When I am hungry, when I am thirsty, when I am hot and when I am so tired I don't want to ride another mile, I will remember what you did for someone you'll never meet". Even now I still remember the stunned look on his face as the weight of that hit him. So, for everyone who followed this blog and those I entertained ( Joe B. ) thanks for coming along for the ride of my life. And for those who I met along the way you will never know what you have done for "the least of these" ( Matt. 25:40 ). Lastly, my RIDE:WELL TEAM, wow, seriously, I am so totally speechless at how I have changed because of you. BIG LOVE...You don't even know the depth of the water you waded in this summer. You really taught an old dog some new tricks...you know who you are. So it's on to 2009. Just remember....it's NOT how you ride but its how you ride in.