Day 17 - A shortened Ride

Well, I did not get as many miles in today as what I had hoped. I spent much of the day returning from picking my wife up from Michigan where she had been for the last two weeks spending time with our daughter and her family. Our oldest granddaughter had surgery two weeks ago and Judy spent much of her time caring for our granddaughter. So I did not get a very good ride in tonight. Maybe, that was good though aa it gave me a light day and gave my legs a little chance to rest. I rode 31.2 miles today which puts us 4 miles to the east of Lordsburg, New Mexico. I was only in New Mexico one other time. It was years ago, as a youth pastor and I took a group of youth out there for a missions trip. It was a great trip then and I look forward to riding through the state at this time. Lordsburg is a town of just under 3,000 people, and it is it is a long ways from any large cities.
On the ride tonight, I felt like I was not quite with it today. So I ask you to pray for me as I head through the state of New Mexico. Riding today, I was thinking a lot about John 15. This part of the teaching Jesus gives to His closest 11 disciples. Judas Iscariot has already gone off to betray Jesus. They have had their time together in the upper room and they are just leaving to head up to the Garden of Gethsemane. I can almost picture these men walking with the Lord through the streets of Jerusalem and he begins to share with them, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit"(John 15:1 and 2). Imagine being those men with Jesus sharing with them. He knows what is coming. These are really His last moments with them upon this earth in His humaness. They need to know some very important things that I am sure they remembered. "I am the true vine." Grapes were one of Israel's cash crops because they were used to produce wine. Jesus wanted to focus their minds on something that would really mean something to them. "I am the true vine," Jesus says. But, His Father is the vinedresser. A vine has to have care but all the care given to it has one purpose ----- produce fruit. I will give this a lot of thought in the coming days. Talk to you tomorrow!!!!