Gillette, Wyoming I met Joel by accident, when the helmet he was wearing dribbled over to my side of the pump. I returned the helmet (now in three pieces) and introduced myself. Joel looked about 20, had wavy blonde hair, a homemade motorcycle, and a grin that said he was having the time of his life. He was proud of…
Wheatland, Wyoming I am now less than a thousand miles from Glacier National Park. I plan to ride the thru Black Hills of South Dakota, mingle with a half million bikers at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, repair a few subways, and then weave my way thru the Indian reservations. All of this is subject to just one thing – the…
Steamboat Springs, Colorado I once dated a girl whose mother had a sign in the bathroom that said “Try the good things in life once, and do the fun things twice.” I’m not really sure why that was in the bathroom. Still, it made an impression on me. Hence, the reason I am still in Steamboat. It was because of…
Steamboat Springs, Colorado Sometimes when I’m at a loss for words, I rely upon music to say it for me… So follow along for just a minute. I’m riding thru the Rocky Mountain National Park. The elevation signs indicate we are above 12,000 feet. The official term for the landscape is “alpine tundra”. And the only song that my brain…
Estes Park, Colorado I’m sitting under an aspen tree listening to that unmistakable quaking of my soul. My coffee is steaming in the cool thin air. 360 degrees of Rocky Mountains. My mind is actually present right now in this moment. Do you think if I sit here long enough, someone will come by with communion? Last night I made…
Kearney Nebraska If you are following along on a map, then you may have noticed that I’m only 78 miles from yesterday. If life were measured in linear distance I would have to say it was a day filled with minimal progress. Thankfully life is not measured in linear distance, because the 309 miles I travelled to get here were…
York, Nebraska. This morning I woke up partially naked and surrounded by corn. It’s true. Somewhere between the moon being over Arby’s and the moon being over the China Buffett, I woke up covered in sweat. I adjusted my sleepwear accordingly and went back to bed. A bit later into that lunar cycle I fumbled over to the window unit…
Bonner Springs Kansas I am developing a theory that grace is like the air… It is everywhere (including in us) and the process of acquiring it is completely involuntary. There is much more to that theory, but for today I would like to focus on the exhale. A spiritual retreat is much like taking a REALLY big breath and trying…
Lawrence, Kansas post rain delay While taking notes this past weekend, I placed asterisks next to the thoughts that I wanted to develop later. Here are some of those notes… The difference between us and a plant is that we can choose to stop growing. The ideal (not idea, but ideal) of grace is not lived in isolation, but in…
Lawrence Kansas. I’m under a rain delay… I think God knew it would be unsafe for me to have a helmet on while trying to process another amazing and grace-filled week of Via De Cristo, so he allowed me a second day in the hotel room… I have decided to flip my helmet open, turn it upside down, and tap…