Bikers Beware

I really can't imagine a better way to spend a beautiful afternoon these days than on my bike. Lately it's really all I've wanted to do. Something about riding countless miles on those curvy narrow single track trails keeps me coming back for more every time. I'm usually not the one who is all about some cardio activity. Running... I hate it... riding 20 miles through the woods... can't get enough of it.

I seem to be a bit addicted to this new found love.... it's also hurting my pocket book some... but who cares. Is it so bad to spend a little extra cash on something you love. Nah... prob not.

Funny biking story:
I was riding the other day hustling down the trail, as always, when outta nowhere a buzzing begins to sound from the inside of my helmet. Unfortunately, the furious buzz was followed by a torturing sting to the head. In panic, I threw myself from my bike and began to (for some unknown reason) run down the trail hitting my helmet and yelling a few blatant cuss words. Eventually the "unknown" stinging attacker escaped from my helmet and flew off with a feeling of conquer. From much observation and study I have come to believe that my attacker was that of the yellow jacket descent. These vile creatures apparently commonly nest on the ground in dirt and leaves which happens to be the exact terrain I was biking on which leads me to believe I apparently disrupted a happy yellow jacket home. Unfortunately for me, yellow jackets are very territorial, defensive, and will attack when disrupted.

After the sting began to calm, I began to laugh about the whole incident and decided I needed to call a friend to share this rare experience with.... we laughed... I cried... the pain slowly went away after some temporary swelling.

Moral of story: Watch for yellow jacket nests while riding down dirt trails... and if you hit one...ride like the wind and never look back.

get involved.

I had a discussion with my mom earlier tonight. It was about church. Is it not terrible that people actually have to go through the thought process of... "man i really don't want to be that person who goes to church only on Easter Sunday".... b/c they are afraid that people will think they don't really love the Lord, they are just coming because it's Easter (even if that is the case).

Mom said, "I want to be a part of a church where my friends who drink and cuss are welcome there too". I think a lot of churches say we are about community and openness, but the reality is... when we see something or someone that seems to be "out of place" in church today it makes us feel a little uncomfortable or maybe just raises a special awareness to that someone or something. We should expect to see people in our churches who are different minded than that of our Christian values... and even furthermore, embrace them with love.

I understand my mom's concern with the modern church, but does that mean that just because many of the churches around us may have this problem with true acceptance, that we can just sit at home and not be involved in an active fellowship of believers simply because they don't do church the way we think it needs to be done. I think not. Maybe God is wanting to use people like my mom, who has a heart for the "un-accepted" in today's church, to step-up and lead in the revolutionizing of the way we do church. I don't think it does us any good to sit back and say... "well they're not doing it exactly right, so I'm not gonna be apart of church at all." Get involved. Get plugged-in. Step up and lead. Step up and serve. Step up and LOVE.