A friend of mine who is one of the finest preachers I have ever known once told me that he didn't always feel like waking up early and going to church. (We were talking about my excuses...) But he said "when I feel like I don't really want to go to church, I've found that's when I need it the most."
This morning, I didn't feel like biking in to work. It wasn't even 50 degrees and I was tired. I was feeling lazy. It would have been so much easier to fire up the ol' gas-guzzler and pollute my way to work. At least then I wouldn't have to do anything other than sit...
But somehow I mustered the energy to crawl out of bed, put on my warm clothes and bike in to the office. I was amazed at how refreshing and invigorating the cool morning air was, and with a few layers I was more than comfortable. I started thinking about how cool it was to have legs that could pedal a bike at all.
I began to pray...
One thing that I enjoy doing is praying while I bike to work. It's about 20-30 minutes, depending on traffic and trains. My world is not completely isolated, but God meets me on the morning commute. I get the chance to pray for people who need prayer - like my children. I get the chance to praise God for glorious sunrises and incredible cloud formations. I get the chance to examine my own thoughts and listen to God as He whispers into them.
When I don't feel like biking in to the office are the times that I'm most glad I did anyhow. I'm sure there's a post about human nature in here somewhere, but for this morning I'm going to leave it at the fact that my body feels great and my spirit and mind are refreshed in 30 simple minutes spent with the Lord.
Yet another reason to keep pedaling...
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Bring the boys (and girls) back home!
I just read this:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,269737,00.html
I would bet money that our men and women in Iraq would love a 2 month vacation this summer. I have long supported the troops, and have long believed that it was important for us to stay there until there was peaceful resolution to the sectarian violence. With the Iraqi Parliament preparing for a 2 month vacation beginning in July, I am forced to ask three questions:
1) Are the Iraqis as concerned about peace between sects as the US is?
2) Do the Iraqis define peace the same way as the US?
3) Do the Iraqis want US troops to assist them at all?
If they go on vacation while leaving our troops in harm's way, I think the answer to my first question is "obviously, NO." If they do not reconsider, I think it says that they are not as concerned as we are with resolution to the problems in their country, and this leads me to my next thought...
I don't think that the Iraqis and the US are working toward a common goal. We would define peace as an environment without war - or terroristic attacks on civilians. I don't think that is the Iraqi mindset at all. Perhaps they have lived with terrorism so long that it is just a normal part of their culture now. Perhaps they live in a manner that has been the custom for so long that violence is the answer to every dispute. If that is their way, I say "let them have their way" and stop trying to force our way of life on them. Maybe we should position our troops around the perimiter and vaporize any one or anything that tries to leave...
Lastly, I read this:
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/09/27/iraqis-poll/
If that is accurate, let's give them their way. I think it's time to bring our men and women home after a job well done. They have sacrificed and given everything, and let's give them more than just a vacation. Let's give them safe return to their families and loved ones.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,269737,00.html
I would bet money that our men and women in Iraq would love a 2 month vacation this summer. I have long supported the troops, and have long believed that it was important for us to stay there until there was peaceful resolution to the sectarian violence. With the Iraqi Parliament preparing for a 2 month vacation beginning in July, I am forced to ask three questions:
1) Are the Iraqis as concerned about peace between sects as the US is?
2) Do the Iraqis define peace the same way as the US?
3) Do the Iraqis want US troops to assist them at all?
If they go on vacation while leaving our troops in harm's way, I think the answer to my first question is "obviously, NO." If they do not reconsider, I think it says that they are not as concerned as we are with resolution to the problems in their country, and this leads me to my next thought...
I don't think that the Iraqis and the US are working toward a common goal. We would define peace as an environment without war - or terroristic attacks on civilians. I don't think that is the Iraqi mindset at all. Perhaps they have lived with terrorism so long that it is just a normal part of their culture now. Perhaps they live in a manner that has been the custom for so long that violence is the answer to every dispute. If that is their way, I say "let them have their way" and stop trying to force our way of life on them. Maybe we should position our troops around the perimiter and vaporize any one or anything that tries to leave...
Lastly, I read this:
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/09/27/iraqis-poll/
If that is accurate, let's give them their way. I think it's time to bring our men and women home after a job well done. They have sacrificed and given everything, and let's give them more than just a vacation. Let's give them safe return to their families and loved ones.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Cold weather biking
I had my coldest commute this morning to work. It was 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and with a few minor discomforts it was a pretty decent ride.
You see, I started my bicycling career last year, thanks to my good friend and fellow bicycling mad-man, Art (http://www.finelinefurniture.us). He built me a really cool bike - a fixed gear road bike. If you are not familiar with fixed-gear bicycles, check out the Fixed Gear Gallery. It's a very cool site if you are into bikes, and it will give you a lot of info, not to mention lots of pictures of fixed-gear bikes.
The cool thing about fixies is that they are project bikes the way we do them. You buy yourself a good steel-framed bike in a garage sale (Art tells me that you should only pay $1 for any garage-sale bike) and then you modify it to remove the free-wheel function by removing the gear cassette and lock-tighting the cog on the rear wheel. Then, as you break parts or grow in appreciation of finer parts, you add on. It's economical, and exceptionally cool to be different.
So what I learned today in the 40-degree weather is that I could stand to use some long biking pants. Curently I wear longer shorts, and while that wasn't all bad it would be nice to have a decent pair of riding pants. I also learned that a t-shirt, a long-sleeve shirt and a wind-breaker jacket is more than adequate for upper-body warmth. I wear a backpack with my work clothes right now, and that helped with the warmth factor, I'm sure. I also could have used some decent riding gloves that are designed more for keeping warm than the fabric gloves I wear now. But none of that is needed before the end of the season, which I anticipate to be sometime in October.
Bike commuting to work is great for all sorts of reasons.
You see, I started my bicycling career last year, thanks to my good friend and fellow bicycling mad-man, Art (http://www.finelinefurniture.us). He built me a really cool bike - a fixed gear road bike. If you are not familiar with fixed-gear bicycles, check out the Fixed Gear Gallery. It's a very cool site if you are into bikes, and it will give you a lot of info, not to mention lots of pictures of fixed-gear bikes.
The cool thing about fixies is that they are project bikes the way we do them. You buy yourself a good steel-framed bike in a garage sale (Art tells me that you should only pay $1 for any garage-sale bike) and then you modify it to remove the free-wheel function by removing the gear cassette and lock-tighting the cog on the rear wheel. Then, as you break parts or grow in appreciation of finer parts, you add on. It's economical, and exceptionally cool to be different.
So what I learned today in the 40-degree weather is that I could stand to use some long biking pants. Curently I wear longer shorts, and while that wasn't all bad it would be nice to have a decent pair of riding pants. I also learned that a t-shirt, a long-sleeve shirt and a wind-breaker jacket is more than adequate for upper-body warmth. I wear a backpack with my work clothes right now, and that helped with the warmth factor, I'm sure. I also could have used some decent riding gloves that are designed more for keeping warm than the fabric gloves I wear now. But none of that is needed before the end of the season, which I anticipate to be sometime in October.
Bike commuting to work is great for all sorts of reasons.
- I work about 5 miles from home. In my piece-of-junk truck, that costs me about a gallon of gas a day. That comes out to $50/month only in getting to and from work, $100/month when I go home for lunch every day (which I do).
- It's good for my health, and good for your health, too. I'm no longer adding to the toxic waste that chokes the very life from you in the air you breathe
- It's good for my pocketbook. I am not only saving the $100/month in gas, but my insurance bill has been cut in half (that's right...I took the plunge and canceled the insurance on my piece-of-junk truck)
- It's good therapy to pedal home after a stressful day in the office, so it's prolonging my life (and saving me money on a shrink)
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