Bicycling Adventure

Would you like to have your life run smoother? I have learned that my life is joy-filled, peaceful and successful when I focus my attention purely on my intentions, patiently allow things to flow naturally, and persevere around any obstacles until desired results are achieved. 

In a favorite movie of mine, Evan Almighty, Al Mighty (God) said something that struck a chord, “Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, do you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? 

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How do you weather the storms in your life?  Maybe your outdoor plans for today have been dashed by the threat of storms. Or maybe fear is welling up in you knowing that you need to travel somewhere through the storm.  The key to weathering any “storm” in life is a shift in thinking.  Today’s storm brings tomorrow’s growth.   

Today I sit at my computer desk enjoying the pitter patter of rain drops falling on the roof of our 5^th wheel coach here in the beautiful Phoenix area.  With the storms all around me, rather than thinking about the problems they might bring, I’m focusing on the value and beauty of them--the air being refreshed, plants and trees being nourished, spring flowers bursting forth with joy.

It reminds me of the time in July 2002 during our Cycling for Peace journey across America when a storm took me by surprise, and what I did to get myself re-focused. 

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Lighten the Load

Lyn and Ray made an interesting discovery when they packed for their 80-day Cycling 4 Peace journey—they packed too much!  Much of the baggage we lugged with us was never used. What an epiphany! We learned that we do not need many possessions to live well and be happy. It became incredibly apparent that all the “stuff” we had collected over our lifetimes was really nothing more than a burden we had been carrying from place to place. All that “stuff” was anchoring us and limiting our freedom—not making us feel more secure.

 

As a result, we made a radical, yet logical, decision to simplify our lives and have become fulltime RVers. We released unneeded possessions and now operate our businesses as we roll. Where’s home, you ask? Home is where we park it!

 

Don’t store up treasures here on earth . . . Store your treasures in heaven . . . 

Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be. (Matthew 6: 19-21)

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Good character is a pathway to happiness and peace of mind. 

When we are out of alignment with our core values, it eats us up inside, destroys our spirit, and undermines 
our society. When we are in alignment with our core values, it makes our souls sing. 

While I was bicycling through ‘Heartland America’ in 2002, people shared about how precious life had 
become for them: “There is no guarantee of tomorrow, so live more fully today.” I compared what they 
said with the code of firefighters who sacrifice their lives for us every day: “Be safe, survive, be nice, and 
prevent harm.” How’s that for practicing good character? What would our world be like if we all chose to 
just practice ‘be nice’?  

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Shifting Our Thinking – In 2002, bicycling through Kansas was ‘hell’ for me.  Slowly I pushed forward through a steady 15-mile-per-hour cross-headwind (with gusts up to 25 miles per hour).  When I stopped pedaling, hoping to coast and take a breather, I found myself stopped almost dead in my tracks due to the wind’s force.  No relief in sight, it seemed it was taking me an eternity to reach my 81-mile goal for the day . . . At times I literally screamed at the top of my lungs words that would have given my ride an R-rating at the box office . . . By midday, I lost my composure.  My negative, destructive thoughts had sapped my strength.  By the end of the day, I was physically, mentally and emotionally drained.

Have you ever faced a ‘hellish’ challenge that stopped you in your tracks and made you want to scream, “Enough is enough!”? 

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By Joel Baehr, Guest Blogger, and
Sr. Minister at Unity of Mesa, Arizona

LAST WEEK’S LESSON, THE EAGLE.  THIS LESSON, ANOTHER BIRD!

This is a bird that refuses to stop living its life!  You and I are that bird. 

THAT BIRD IS PHOENIX

The Phoenix represents rebirth, immortality, and renewal.  When the Hohokam civilization went the way of the “Firebird,” the city of Phoenix rose in its ashes.  Like the Phoenix, Jesus died and returned, illustrating his deathlessness.  So, let us Live Life Today.  Today is food for tomorrow’s phoenix—and tomorrow morning’s ever-resurrecting phoenix is You!  You were created to live forever.  So Live Your Life and love it, love it, love it!  There is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy yourself as long as you live said Solomon in Ecc. 3:12.

(Click here to watch a video excerpt of Ray Madaghiele's Sunday lesson on this topic.) 

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We all yearn for freedom. It is the reason the United States of America was created in the first place. As I bicycled across America in 2002 and asked hundreds of people, “What has become more important to you since 9-11?”, two of the most frequent answers I received were ‘my faith’ and ‘American freedoms’ (democratic process, speech, religious preference, etc.)

Events this past week remind me just how vital freedom of choice is to our well-being.

On Monday, I had the honor and privilege of speaking at a rally for two bicyclists who stopped over in Tempe, Arizona, enroute to Los Angeles, California, from Atlanta, Georgia. Seijin Tranberg and Josh Wildman are 23-year-old college students who were inspired to raise awareness of human rights violations occurring in Japan where some religious organizations are experiencing persecution. Seijin and Josh chose to endure the pain and uncertainty of cycling 2,300 miles in order to be “rays of hope” for improving human rights worldwide.  Seijin and Josh have chosen to make a difference by assuring that people have freedom to choose their own spiritual path.

Click here to view Ray’s “Be a Ray of Hope” 10-minute video.

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