These picts are from training rides this week. This is definitely not the last post of “Images along the way.”
This guy was happily crossing the road below…
I made a choice today...
Sunday mornings I have no choice.
It doesn’t matter whether I feel good about my prep or not - whether I am full of energy or not - under the weather or not.* At 9:30 I am at church and in the pulpit, welcoming folks to worship.
On the first Sunday of my renewal leave I dropped Cami off at work, then a couple hours later went to the 830am service at 1st Lutheran in Onalaska. As I entered in, I noticed a different spirit within me. I didn’t have a spirit of critique or “I’d do it this way.” I was simply able to be another soul in God’s presence. It felt good to be led by another in worship. It felt good to be welcomed. Even though I walked in solitude a half hour to get there from our home and sat alone in the sanctuary, I didn’t feel alone. Walking up to the front of the sanctuary, kneeling on the rail and receiving communion I was overcome with a sense of gratitude in God’s presence. It was a moving experience in a real and memorable way that is hard to describe.
I had a deep sense of the breadth of the family of God — for the space and welcome at !st Lutheran — and for my beloved church family at First Pres in La Crosse. I know that you are “with” me, and I know that I go with God on this adventure. Thank you!
*Dave C thanks for your offer that I can always give you a last minute call. May it not have to be so :)
North to South GDMBR Map
I’ll take the amtrak from La Crosse to Whitefish Montana on Thursday July 11. Our group of 15 takes off on July 14!
Great Divide Mountain Bike Ride Blog Posts
Struggling with adding a new blog to the old site…but trying to get it going. Here’s an elevation map of the route. We will go over rocks, mud, snow, gravel and hopefully some packed dirt from the Canadian border to the Mexican border.
