I think these are for higher visibility.
bike
Right For the Job
I lashed out and bought a new bike on Monday.
For the last couple of years I’ve been riding a mountain bike. It’s a fine bike and will definitely get you places. We’ve spent many hours together, and even shared one nasty spill.
No matter how I practised, though, there was a limit to the speed I could consistently ride at on the open road. No matter the conditions or my fitness level, it seemed that over a longer distance about 20 km/hr was the limit, and more often my average was 18-19 km/hr.
Maybe I could have refined my technique or strengthened my leg muscles. But there was no escaping the fact that my bike was not designed for speed on the open roads. It was designed for strength and traction on dirt tracks.
So I bought a road bike.This bike is light- under 10 kg. It has ridiculously thin wheels and tyres with no tread to reduce the friction with the road. The tyres are inflated to 120 psi, again to reduce friction. It has dropped handlebars to allow you to lean into the wind and minimise air resistance. The gears are optimised for normal road conditions. Everything is engineered for the purpose of efficient riding over long distances.
Just riding this bike in a gentle way, just getting used to it, I achieved speeds close to 30 km/hr and an average of 25 km/hr over a distance of 21 km. I know I can go faster and farther on this bike. Riding in a three day, 300 km charity ride suddenly seems realistic.
My new bike does better on the road because it was designed for that purpose. It wouldn’t last 5 minutes if I took it into the bush, because that’s not what it was designed for.
You and I were designed for relationship with God. We work best in that environment. Talking to God, listening to God, reading His Word, finding His purpose for our life- that’s how humans work best.
The trouble is that we all want to do it our own way without reference to God. We want to ride our road bikes through the bush and wonder why the tyres are shredded and the frame is bent.
Take a look at the world- race riots in the U.S., ISIS running amok through Iraq and Syria, Boko Haram in Nigeria, crime and destruction, relationships breaking down, lawless children, drugs, hurting people, grieving people… the harvest of suffering just goes on and on because people refuse to live their lives in relationship with the Creator.
Christmas is coming, the awesome celebration of a God who came into the world to redeem a lost people. If you don’t know Him, go and find Him.
Life is so much better.
Crazy Dreams That Might Come True
Yesterday I received one of those emails that sparks something crazy in a person.
Watoto, the organisation that supports orphans in Uganda and raises awareness by sending teams out to perform concerts around Australia, invited me to this event:
I love riding my bike.
I’ve always wanted to see the Great Ocean Road.
Raising money for Watoto would be a good thing.
The organisers look like they are fair dunkum
The ride is about 300 km from Geelong to Warrnambool- about 100 km a day. I’ve often thought about doing a really long fund-raising ride (even back when we lived at Hay I fantasised about that) and I’ve felt like 100 km a day would be challenging but possible.
The good thing about this event is that it caters for all ability types, even the cyclically challenged like me. They also supply support vehicles and mechanics.
Of course reality is that I have never in my life ridden more than 25 km in one go, so I have to ask myself if my body (and more importantly my will power) is really up to this. I would have to get used to hill climbs, so maybe a few trips up the Nandewar Ranges would be on the cards.
So why haven’t I signed up already?
Well I’ve never been a sporty person and so in one sense this is so not me.
I guess I really need to know if it is God calling me into this- or at least it is something He thinks is OK.
Really, deep down the one thing that would stop me is fear of failure. I’ve had those times when my stomach has got into knots because I’ve pushed myself too hard. What if, when it comes down to it, I try and fail? What if I have to pull out half way?
I suspect that most of what stops me from doing a lot more outrageous things than I do is that fear- fear of looking stupid, fear of not being good enough, fear of saying the wrong thing. So dreams never turn to reality.
Well I guess I won’t know what I can do if I don’t try.
More thought and prayer required!
More Air, More Spirit
Before going on my almost daily bike ride this afternoon, I decided to check the pressure in my tyres. I was surprised to find that they were down to only 20 psi and 30 psi instead of the preferred 50 psi . I got out the compressor and in the space of a few minutes I corrected the problem.
When I rode, I immediately noticed the difference. Instead of slogging away,feeling as if there was a stiff wind blowing against me, I almost seemed to fly. My speed was nearly 5 km/hr faster than yesterday, and I returned home feeling refreshed rather than exhausted.
A bit of air in the tyres makes all the difference.
In the bible the words for spirit in both Hebrew and Greek can also mean breath or wind.
If we have the Holy Spirit leading our lives, directing our paths and empowering our deeds, we will find ourselves able to do more with less effort. Instead of it being all my work, I become energised by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Next Sunday the church marks Pentecost, the day when the Holy Spirit was poured out into the church. Lives were transformed and within a couple of generations the whole of the Roman Empire was filled with people proclaiming the message that “Jesus Christ is Lord.”
Pumped up, full of the Holy Spirit- nothing can stop the man or woman of God.
You Should Bike
From System Comic
So sad…
Cycling in Narrabri- if the magpies don’t get to you, the burrs will 😦
Rode to Bohena Creek this morning then discovered the rear tyre was a little soft.
New Life Narrabri 