She Loves Me, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah.

This morning my wife, Stephanie, told me, "I love you with a heart-stopping love. I mean I literally want to stop your heart sometimes." Even though it was a sentiment that stopped just short of giving me the warm fuzzies, I realized how much that statement really sums up marriage. Marriage isn't easy. When you live with someone and spend so much time with them, the little idiosyncrasies that make up their personality can drive you crazy. I've heard it said that love is a choice, not a feeling and the older I get, the more I understand how true that is. God has blessed me with a beautiful, loving, caring wife and I choose to love her and put myself aside for her. And maybe, just maybe, she'll let me live.

Doggone It

Yesterday the kids and I went hiking at Pilot Knob. We took our dog Sadie with us. She's a Lab/Bulldog mix and is about a year and a half old. It was the first time she had been hiking with us, so she was trying to get used to the leash and the choke collar. But it didn't take her long to learn that when she went too far towards danger, the collar would tighten and become very uncomfortable. Soon she was walking happily at my left leg with the collar draped loosely.

While we were walking, I was reminded of a Chip Ingram tape I heard several years ago. He was talking about God's Laws and how they are not meant to oppress us, but to protect us.

I didn't put the collar on Sadie to be mean or to give her an unnecessary burden to carry. When she learned how it worked, she was perfectly happy to walk right beside of me. She was still able to play and explore the trail we were on while staying away from the danger of the steep ledges.

Many people see Christianity as nothing more than a list of do's and don't's meant to smother us and take all the fun out of life. But the Bible says that there is great freedom in salvation. In fact, it's not really about the rules at all. It's about realizing that all God wants is a relationship with us and the most comfortable place to be in that relationship is right by his side.

To The Left, To The Left

We are at McDonald's in Bryson City so I decided to take advantage of their free wifi. This is much easier than posting with my phone.

Today Michael and I tackled the Left Loop at Tsali. It was around 11.9 miles. Michael did great, but after about 7 miles, he really didn't have any legs left. We pushed the last three significant climbs. That was okay, though. Before this week, he had never ridden more than five miles at one time. Now he has two 11+ milers under his belt. After three days, I'm guessing we have around 27 miles in.

And after 27 miles, I am even more amazed at Michael's apparent physical inability to ride around a mudhole of any size, shape or depth. Needless to say, I have had to douse his chain daily with oil. It's worth it, though, to see him having such a good time celebrating who he is... a boy. I wouldn't have him any other way.

Go West, Young Man

Michael and I had another great day of riding. This morning we rode the red loop at Dark Mtn. It started with a really tough climb for a 9 year old and his fat daddy, but I couldn't have been more proud of Michael. He climbed like a pro. That was probably the longest, toughest climb he has ever faced and he made it without stopping.

The loop was pretty short, so when we got done we headed here to Tsali. It was further than I thought. It didn't help matters that the gps took us through downtown Lenoir and Morganton. I bet we turned 50 times, down every little side street there was.

After supper, we went to the Tsali trailhead. Since we had an easy day today, we decided tomorrow we would tackle the long Left Loop then go easier the rest of the week.

Riders On The Storm

We had a good day of riding today. From Bandits Roost, we rode to Shiner's Loop and back for a total of about 10.5 miles on a recommendation from Richard Rhoden at Foothills Cycling. He was 100% right. It was a very fun loop. But really, the entire ride was fun. The trails are a lot different than what we are used to. Since they are built with machinery, they are relatively smooth and very fast. One of the greatest things is all the banked turns. Several times I heard Michael yelling "Woohoo!" as he went through a fast, twisting section.

Tomorrow we are riding Dark Mountain. Today we went to scout out the trailhead. Unfortunately while we were gone, a violent storm came up and destroyed the awning on our camper. Luckily, no one at the camp ground was hurt and ours seemed to be the most damage.

Happy Trails

Michael and I are on a mountain biking trip. There isn't any WiFi here at the campground, so I'm using my HTC Hero and an app called AndroBlogger to update my blog. I'll keep you updated on how our rides are going.

GOAL!... GOAL!... GOAL!

There's a guy that lives on my road. Now, I'm a terrible judge of age but I would have to guess that he is in his late-60s or early-70s. Most mornings for the last year, on my way to take the kids to school, I see him running. Not out on the road, but just around the perimeter of his yard he runs. He doesn't have all of the cool running clothes or even an athletic gait, but he runs. With his shoulders slightly slumped forward, he runs. Leaning into the hills as he goes around, he runs. With a steel-willed look in his eyes, he runs. Every morning. Apparently, at some point, he had set a goal that he was going to start running and that is exactly what he has been doing.

A couple of weeks ago, when the temperatures were in the teens every day, I really didn't expect to see him. In fact, I secretly hoped that I wouldn't. I think some dark part of myself wanted him to fail at this goal, because if he did, it would make him like most others. It would make him like me. But even in brutal temperatures, he runs.

After the big snow last weekend, the kids haven't had school so I haven't seen him. Today they finally went back 2 hours late and I still didn't see him, but I saw his path in the snow. The place he has been running has melted just like the tire tracks in my own driveway... from use. Even in the snow, he runs.

Today I changed. I no longer hope for him to fail. Today I root for him to succeed. He is just like I want to be. Different.

I had already decided to spend today out of the office to work on my goals for this year. So, I am in an undisclosed coffee shop, drinking an undisclosed number of cafe' mochas, seeking God and his purposes for my life, and the God-sized goals he wants me to tackle this year.

Pray for me. Pray that I will sense His leading. Pray that this year I'll be different.

Reckless Abandon

Over Christmas, Stephanie and I got Michael a new mountain bike. He's been riding an old, heavy one and we thought it was time to get him one he could ride successfully on trails. One that was lighter, and a little tougher, and one that the gears worked better on so he could climb better.

I know that he is an adventurous, risk-taking boy, but when we went to Fisher River Park to ride this past Saturday, I saw a new facet to his personality. There were sections of the trail that I didn't believe that he would be able to navigate. Thankfully, at each one of these sections there were ways to go around the obstacle, whether it be a log crossing or a big root. Usually, I would go first and then turn back to coach him and Bryanna. When Bryanna would get to a rough spot, she approached it much like I would. She is cautious and calculating, evaluating the risks. But as Michael approached, I would watch his face. Never once did I see a glimpse of uncertainty or hesitation. It was like the option to go around never entered his brain. He never considered bailing out. All he knew was to hit it head on with everything he had.

Yesterday, Scott preached a great message on goal setting. One of the things he said was that in order to be successful you have to separate the decision-making from the trouble-shooting. In other words, you can't let the possibility of future failures keep you from setting goals in the present. Deciding not to set a goal that will make you a better husband or father or employee because you're afraid of failure is not an option.

As you continue to work on goals for this year, look your obstacles right in the eye as if there is not an option to go around, as if there is not an option to stay in the same place you are and not get better. If you would like a copy of that message from Sunday, let me know.