WOW...has it really been a year?

So, today marks the anniversary on one of the scariest and weirdest things I’ve ever done in my life. I left the boring comfort of my life in Kentucky to go to California to meet a bunch of people I have never met and spend 40 days riding a bicycle across the country. I am dead serious when I say it couldn’t have been any stranger or stressful to me. You see, I wasn’t a guy that stepped too far out of the box and this was so far out it was beyond measure. My stomach had been in a knot for a week and I was certain that I would find some reason not to go even up to the time the plane door slammed shut. But, the reality, like it or not, was I was doing this despite any excuse I could come up with. I was riddled with so many doubts and insecurities and my head was so filled with negative self talk. Fear can be paralyzing and rob us of some amazing adventures and I was about to discover how this has operated in my life. So many thoughts looped in my head on that flight to California…I was too old…I was too “big”…not in shape…NOT a cyclist…what are you thinking? So, the stage was set for the show down of my life. As I have said before, I wasn’t afraid of failure, I was afraid of success. I had failed a lot. I realized early on that clearly this was a “God thing” meaning I was called to this trip and God was in charge. Although I knew that it was hard to relax into it and “let go and let God” as they say. My feelings of inadequacy and the debilitating fear of saying or doing something stupid or worse yet, looking stupid was about to roll over me. I am generally not an outgoing meeting new people guy so meeting “my team” was a real challenge for me. But, it was so casual and so cool as we met and hung out, as they say. Oh yeah, I wasn’t much of a hanging out guy either…However the bike riding thing was still looming large over my head. I was totally relieved when one of the team, during introductions, said “I hate biking and I cry a lot”. At that point, I knew I was going to be in for the bike ride of my lifetime. And, it was. I still, one stinkin’ (thanks Matthew...) year later, am in total and utter amazement at what God did in 40 days of riding. I rode a bike on an indescribable journey of risky faith and allowed God to use me in ways so unexpected and powerful it changed the core of my being. I am forever changed and will never allow fear to stand in my way of anything God desires or calls me to. I heard His voice so plain speak on the longest and hottest day of the ride. The ride affected us all in so many different ways but one thing is for certain and that is God was there with us on the entirety of that bike ride and I assure you He was smiling and probably laughing a lot at us and our “gas station ministry”. So, Ride:Well 2009, rest assured that we all had these feelings and that is what this ride is all about. It is about showing you something or even maybe a lot. You are going to have a completely mind blowing summer. As I have said many times “NEVER underestimate the power of ordinary people to do extraordinary things for God” and oh yeah, almost forgot…”It’s not how you ride…it’s how you ride in”….