Day 23 - A full day in Texas

While I am riding my bike safely in my basement, imagining what it would be like to be on the roads of western Texas where it looks to be a very barren area. Now moving further away from the Rio Grand  River and the El Paso area, But at the same time, just several hundred miles to the east a terrible storm passed through the Dallas area and they had tornadoes touch down causing severe damage to the area. While I am going through west Texas where it is in the low 70's and sunny -- another beautiful day. So pray for the people in that area where the storms hit. For me it was a good day riding. I went 40.8 miles in 2 hours and 3 minutes at an average of 19.8 mph. I probably felt the strongest today of any day to this point. So many of the places I go, whether I am in Canada or doing across the land ride like this, I often think about what it would be like to be the first people to see the area. I thought about that this morning. This is probably one of the longest sections of riding without going through any areas with a small population. I wonder what some of the first pioneers thought as they headed through this barren area on their way to the Rio Grande. In wondering what they must have been thinking, it makes me think about faith. Being a pioneer, you never know what is around the next bend or on the other side of the mountain or the valley. Yet pioneers keep going. They take the lead not knowing what is next. Isn't that what faith is all about? What might the next 10 minutes or the next day, week or year bring while we are walking in faith and living for Him. But what is the point? Well, in faith, we are to keep moving forward. As Paul puts it in Phil. 3:14, "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Maybe, just maybe in the Church today, we need more pioneers; pioneers for Jesus Christ. Pioneers who don't need to see what is ahead, but will keep heading for the goal. For one day, there will be a call, a shout out from the King of kings and Lord of lords, "Hey, come here!" I fully intended on sharing from John 15 today as a devotional thought. But I think I just shared one. So I leave you today with one more comment, "BE A PIONEER FOR THE LORD JESUS CHRIST." Talk to you tomorrow.