Day 53 - A Lot on my Plate

I had a great many things to do today so I didn't get to ride as long as I had wanted to to. It is not making it easy to get my miles in but I keep on rolling as best I can. If I was actually riding across the country rather than just in my basement on a trainer and marking my miles on a map, I would have been riding across the northcentral part of Louisiana. In that area the weather forecast was for thunderstorms so I will always ride in the rain but not in severe weather like that. So, I probably would not had the chance to ride as much as I would have liked anyway.. Today I did ride 25.6 miles in just 1 hour and 13 minutes for an average of 21 mph.
I remember one bike trip I did with a youth from Elyria, Ohio it began to rain just after we got all the bikes on the road. I was riding in the back of the group and the slower riders. We got as far as 1/2 mile behind many of the riders and as I was riding up toward our first SAG vehicle, many of the kids were crawling into the van. I thought, "Boy, this is it. These kids are never going to want to ride in this rain." And by now it was pouring pretty well. But as I came up behind the van, all of the kids were getting out putting on their rain gear. They even looked at me and said, "We are going to keep going aren't we. I just looked at them, "Well of course we are." And we did. We rode the next 4 hours in the rain before it finally began clear off. I learned a tremendous amount aabout that group that day. I also learned a great deal about the young people of today. Many of them are not quiters even this generation gets acused of being. They were going to keep going. If the leadership of this country and in the churches of today depended on kids like were in this group, we are in good shape. That is why I love working in the ministry of Northern Light Ministries - because we have the privilege and joy of working with so many fine young people and having the chance to impact their lives for Jesus Christ. The youth of today need "older" people who will understand and love and accept them, not because they are perfect but because they are not but so want to please.
See, God is looking for that same thing from each of us as His children, His youth. Sure, there will be days of rain and because of it we cry, whine, complain, and at the worst, give up. What does the second half of Ps. 34:8 say, "Blessed is he who takes refuge in Him (the Lord)." See it does not matter that there are times of rain. That does not change the fact of what this verse says. In the worst of times, we are so blessed, when even the rain comes, that we can take refuge in Him. He is light in the darkness. He is peace in the middle of tumult. He is warm in times of cold. Love in times of hate. He is truth in times of lying, cheating, stealing and out and out immorality. "Blessed is he who takes refuge in Him."  
Talk to you tomorrow.