Chase after the good stuff...

Yesterday the Kings' dog (no royal blood in this mutt, trust me) missed a bite of ankle meat because when I rode by on my bike, he was off chasing some imaginary critter. I saw him snapping at the air and pushed a little harder so that by the time he spotted me, it was too late. He couldn't have caught me if he wanted to. Ha! Stupid dog! I win again!

In life, it's not unusual for people to miss the best stuff in life because they're off chasing things that don't matter. Some people work long hours to get more money so they can buy more stuff they seldom use and miss out on their kids' ball games and school concerts and birthday parties. Some people sit in front of the tube all evening long watching mindless drivel and miss out on conversations and close relationships. Some people string together long lists of religious dos and don'ts thinking they can please God on their own terms and miss out on a personal relationship with their Father who loves them. What they want could be theirs if only they would believe on Jesus.

What foolishness are you chasing after? Stop snapping at the air and chase after the good stuff!

.38 Special

With apologies to the band...you Can't Keep a Good Man Down. This Travelin' Man's last .38 miles today were special. They were extra, unneeded, excess, superfluous, nonessential! I made my goal this morning! I was A Long Time Gone - 2 hours, 32 minutes and 33 seconds - but I made it 39 miles. When I reached my goal just before 10:00am, I stopped on the side of the road, stepped off my bike, threw my right hand in the air and cheered. Woohoo! It's tradition. I do it every year when my goal falls. I just have to Tell Everybody. Who needs Four Wheels when you have two?

So now What Can I Do? I can take a few days off. It's supposed to be cold, wet and windy for the rest of the year. I hate being wet while I'm riding. I like cold just slightly more than I like wet and windy...yuck! So I'll leave my bike in the garage until January 1, 2007, then I'll Find My Way Back to my trusty steed and I'll start chasing again. 2007 will be another Long Distance Affair. Bring It On!

Oh, and I met my other goal for the year too. I started 2006 with a 16.6mph day and decided that morning to see if I could keep my average above 16.0mph for the year. I did that. In fact, I kept my average at or above 16.6mph for all but three days this year. My ending average over 3650.38 miles...16.6mph! I am Chain Lightnin'. Woohoo!

(If you don't get all the italicized words, visit .38 Special's website.)

Christmas traditions...

My side of the family is together again for Christmas this year. That usually means people puking. No kidding. It's a tradition. It started back about 13 or 14 years ago when we were all together at my parent's home - they were living in California at the time. Don't remember who started the party, but soon everyone was throwing up. My brother's family had to stay an extra day because half his family was down with the bug. Our family made it to the airport and onto the plane before the fun began. Barf bags are useful afterall - and not just as collector's items. Every time we've gotten together for Christmas since then has been the same story. Someone gets sick and then the rest join in.

This year everyone was sick a week or so before our gathering. Brother Jon stayed home from church with something yesterday, but he didn't lose his cookies. So there's still hope! Here's to good health and great times and broken family traditions.

Call me crazy...

Just got back from a cold 10 miles...in the dark. I had ridden almost 18 miles earlier today and needed another 10 to catch up - again - with my goal. So...my wife and children in bed with visions of sugar plums and such, I jumped on my bike and took off. I do have a headlight and a bright LED taillight, so don't worry, I was visible. Besides that, every piece of clothing I wear while biking has a reflective spot somewhere. I'm .38 miles ahead of my goal now. Ten days left in the year. Just under 100 miles to go. Yikes! I'm cutting it close this year. Last year at this time I had 600 more miles.

Caught!

I'm 2.15 miles ahead of my biking goal now! I started the day planning to ride about 50 miles. That would've cut my goal's lead drastically. I ended up riding 90.41 miles. Don't ask how that kind of thing happens. It just does. I get to my turn around point, feel good and just keep going. Not that I ever really felt good today. It was cold. (Started at 32 degrees.) It was windy. My first 40-some miles I only averaged 12.7mph. I picked up quite a bit of speed over the next 40 miles - the wind at my back - then lost a tenth at the end. Who cares! I made it! Woohoo! I hope the weather holds long enough for me to get in a few miles tomorrow so I don't fall behind again. It's supposed to be nasty! Cold and wet! Yuck!

Freedom is just around the corner...

Are you holding a grudge against another? Hanging on to their offenses? God has the power to heal you, to take away the anger, the bitterness, the pain. Trust me! I know. God not only saved me when I believed on Jesus, he set me free in a powerful way.

For years I focused on the pain one particular man inflicted on me. I would not let his offenses go. I became angry and bitter. Depressed. I was in bondage. Then God spoke to me and my life changed.

I was reading in Matthew one day when I ran across these words of Jesus: "...if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matthew 6:18) I immediately sensed the conviction of the Holy Spirit in my heart: "You've held onto your hatred long enough." I knew I had to let my "enemy" off the hook right then and there. I didn't want to do it. But God had spoken clearly. So I chose forgiveness. It was an act of my will, completely devoid of feeling, possible only with my Father's help.

That day my healing began. My anger slowly disappeared. The fog of depression lifted. God worked in my life and freedom came. I began praying for this man. Saw him as one in need of God's grace. I continue to pray for him when God brings him to mind. I hope one day that he and I will bow before Jesus and worship our Savior together. My tears - they still come from time to time - will be forever wiped away. I won't remember my past with him then. Before heaven's throne we'll just be two men grateful to the God who had mercy on us. "O please come, my friend! Receive God's forgiveness! You already have mine!"

It's your turn now. Believe on Jesus for your salvation. If you don't do that first, you'll have no power to do what comes next. You need God's help to forgive your "enemies." So believe and forgive and find freedom too amazing for words. It's waiting just around the corner. Go find it.