100 Miles Has Me Thinking of Heaven

The Sports Impact ministry of our church got some of the serious bicycle riders together today to ride the 14 hills of the valley. It is very close to 100 miles up and down the hills leading in and out of the valley. I had to go. My wife and my daughter think I am crazy but I really love things like this. There are a few reasons. There is something immensely satisfying about doing something that is difficult to do. It is sheer joy to do something really difficult with some other people. There were around a dozen of us that gathered at the church at 7am this morning. Because we ride at different speeds we ended up breaking up into smaller teams. My team consisted of Leigh Atkins and Mark Gorman. We had a blast. There is something that happens between people when they suffer together even if it is self induced suffering. King Henry had it right when he said,"He who sheds his blood with me this day shall be my brother be he ever so vile. And gentlemen now abed in England shall think themselves accursed and hold their manhood cheap that they were not here to fight on St.Crispen"s Day." I think that quote is close. So, I love the challenge, I love the camaraderie and friendship that forms between fellow sufferers. But I also love one more thing. At the end of the ride when we are sitting around having a cold drink all the hardest parts of the ride are the things we laugh and joke about. That reminds me of what heaven will be. Someday I will sit around and laugh at the hardest things in this life because all sad things will become untrue. At the church right now we are about to do some great stuff with adding campuses and a student ministry building. It will be a challenge. I will be asking people to sacrifice. Through it we will experience some of what I experienced today and so I can't wait. Thanks for coming along for the ride and I will see you at the top of the hill and we will laugh together.