Call me Mr. Bismarck

The following is an excerpt from an article on Wikipedia concerning the history of the Bismarck:
"The German battleship Bismarck is one of the most famous warships of the Second World War. The lead ship of her class, she was named after the 19th-century German chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Bismarck's fame came from the Battle of the Denmark Strait in May 1941 (in which the battlecruiser HMS Hood, flagship and pride of the British Royal Navy, was sunk), from Churchill's subsequent order to "Sink the Bismarck" [1], and from the relentless pursuit by the Royal Navy that ended with her loss only three days later."

Not only was the Bismarck one heck of a battleship, she also is a bike race promoted by Breakaway Promotions for the Indiana Race Series. This race took place on August 19 in the Morgan-Monroe State Forrest. My brother-in-law (Chris) and I started racing this year. The race dubbed Monroe-Bismarck-Monroe will be our fifth of the season. Because of this relative lack of a experience, he and I decided we would race the "C" category race. The "C" race would be the lowest categorized race of the day.

We would travel three laps of 11 miles each. Our group was about average for the day. There were somewhere around 15 racers. The course started out on nicely paved roads. The first six miles were spent on these lovely roads before we made a right hand turn that was sure to change the mood of the group. After the turn, we made what could only be described as a terrifying descent. I am somewhat of a timid fellow when it comes to going downhill, so I was pulsing the brakes. Even at this attempt to keep my speed down, I still surpassed the 40 MPH mark. It was at this time of watching my life pass before my eyes that I decided the first chance that I get to breakaway from this group, I'm was taking it. It was a few more miles before we hit the hillier section of the race. Once the road when up, Chris and I made our way to the front of the group. He was leading the charge, and I was a few places back taking inventory on the amount of effort the other racers were exerting to keep up. When I saw a lot of weakness from the group, I took over the pace making responsibilities. I thought I was just setting a fast tempo, but when I looked back after another right hand turn there was only three of us. The breakaway had begun nine miles into the race.

Chris had stayed back with the pack to set a false tempo to let my group slip away. He would later attempt to bridge the gap from the main group to my breakaway. For the next 8 miles or so, I pulled the group for the strong majority of the time. When it became obvious to me and one of the other breakaway riders that the third member of our group wasn't going to help our efforts, we decided to try to drop him by attacking. The other guy attacked first and seemed to go a little too hard. When I countered his attack, he blew up. At this point the break was down to two riders. As soon as we hit the hills, I attacked again. This time I went a little too hard and was brought back in by the other rider. We rode together until we had completed the second lap.

Somewhere along the way we picked up a rider that had started with the "B" group. This rider took notice that the rider in my breakaway was something of a parasite and didn't take to kindly to it. He did everything he could to help me by letting me draft him at high speeds through the nicely paved section of the course. This was a legal move as the promoter of the race had indicated before the race began. With this help and a fairly mundane pace for the last lap, I was fresh for the hills and ready to answer any attack. The other rider from my "C" race "found his legs" when the hills came up for the third time. In the steep section he did his best to attack. Riding a conservative style, I calmly followed his wheel not giving him more than a few inches between his rear wheel and my front. Over the final two and a half miles he attacked three times trying to eliminate me before the finish. Still feeling fresh, I wasn't going anywhere. When we were within 500 yards from the finish, he sat up and congratulated me on a strong race. He said that I worked hard and because of that, he would not contest the sprint. This type of action is not unheard of in bike races. Nonetheless, it was still an honorable action. I crossed the line in first place.

Approximately forty-five seconds later, Chris, who had also drug his group of parasites around for the same distance as I did, caught his fellow competitors, who offered him no such courtesy as my kindly wheelsucker did, off guard and out-sprinted them for third place. A pretty good ending for a couple of novices.

If you look at my profile on myspace.com, you will see that my call sign is Mr. 2nd place. Chris has renamed me after this race. I will now be known as the Mr. Bismarck. I guess that means in about three days I will sink to the bottom of the ocean.

Our race results for the year:

Ceraland Crit: 5th (Chris, who also won two lap primes), 11th (me)
Eagle Creek Traditional: 1st (Chris), 2nd (me, I won the lap prime)
St. Crispain Junior Road Race: 1st (Chris), 2nd (me)
Hendricks County Fast Crit @ Eagle Creek: 16th (Chris, as a good teammate he led our team out for the sprint), My Dad (7th, won the lap prime), 1st (me)
Monroe-Bismarck-Monroe: 3rd (Chris), 1st (me)

Something to talk about...

Hey, how's it going? It has been a while. Well, my hiatus has mostly been caused by an extreme case laziness on my part. I haven't been lazy all the way around. In my absence from cyberspace I have logged several thousand miles on my bicycle. Which brings me to my news. All that hard work has paid off. Last weekend at Eagle Creek I won my first bike race. I currently race on a three man team under the International Christian Cycling Club banner. My soon-to-be brother-in-law Chris, my dad, and I have done several races together this season. Chris has won two of the races, and my dad has done his share of the work while picking up a lap prize. All in all it has been great fun and a learning experience. Check out the videos below. Chris had broken away from the pack. The pace was lifted by other racers to bring him back in to the fold. Just as he was brought back, I mounted a counterattack which proved to be somewhat fruitful. We each stayed away for about 3-4 laps. In the end Chris led me out to the finish line for a fast paced victory.

CELEBRATE!

RELIEF, JOY, SATISFACTION!!!!!!

I PASSED MY LICENSURE EXAM WITH A SCORE OF 185 OUT OF 200!!!!!!!!!

MY MASTERS IS NOW WORTH SOMETHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I apologize for the previous type face. I have no idea how I managed that. Thanks for the "heads up," Dave!

Cycling for God's Pleasure Together

I was never so excited to part ways with $1400 in my entire life. As most of you know, I am an avid cyclist. That doesn't mean I am any good or very fast. It just means that I feel the same about cycling as Eric Liddell did about running in Chariots of Fire. He said to his sister as she was trying to convince him of his need to join her on the mission field, "Jenny, Jenny. I know God created me for His service, but He also made me fast! When I run, I feel God’s pleasure!"

Because of this intense amount of joy that this activity gives me, I want to share it with others. I have been fortunate enough to share this passion with my father for about three years now. He has been into cycling, even racing, since I was knee high to a grasshopper. He passed on this interest to me, and now I have had the opportunity to pass it on to another. I could not think of anyone better to share this sport with than my wife. We had been discussing purchasing her a bike for a couple of months, but Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of last week I knew it was time to make the financial commitment. My wife had made a comment on three successive days that she was not only interested but excited about cycling. This verbal indication was enough for me. On Saturday, we dropped the kids off at Grandma and Grandpa's and headed to the bike shop. After we had purchased her brand new 2007 Specialized Allez (A-Lay) Elite, she couldn't stop smiling and saying how excited she was to use her new toy.Ain't she a beauty! I can't help but think that this bike is not half as beautiful as the opportunity to share in a relationship as committed, rooted, and focused as my marriage relationship. I often have to pinch myself to make sure that I am not dreaming. I cannot explain the delight that I have to be twenty-five, married, the father of two beautiful children, and content. I would want no other life. So when I had thought that this blessed life couldn't get much better, my best friend and wife will now be joining me on rides and experiencing His pleasure.

Food for thought (for myself):

Note to self: Ecumenism is not a hot topic. Do not open a public forum for discussion when no one has indicated any interest.

Dave, you're next my friend!

Ecumenism

Please read the article linked to Ecumenism.


Also read I Thessalonians 5.


Please share your thoughts with the group. I am interested in the connections the readers of this blog see between the two.



Food for thought:


We were born to unite with our fellow men, and to join in community with the human race.


Cicero

A Call to Action

You've been there. We all have. You know what it's like to walk into your place of worship, be greeted by someone you barely know, and have a seat in a pew or chair segregated from the body with your family or loved ones or by yourself. A deacon/elder stands to welcome you to their church. "We're glad you're here," he says. As you think about his statement, you look around the room. There are people yawning, looking down to avoid eye contact, and chatting with their "friends." Of course, there is the occasional good natured soul who interacts with you, but for the most part the place is as welcoming as the fans will be for our beloved Colts this weekend in Baltimore. This type of environment begs the question...What is the difference between these members of the church and the members of our community that are living happy, productive, socially-minded lives without Christ at the center of their worlds?

I began thinking about this question while watching a Barbara Walters special on Heaven (I know this programming for the more seasoned among us, especially with the host, but I gave it a shot anyway.) She was speaking to the 14th Dalai Lama on what he thought about life and the afterlife. I listened intently to what he was saying, but nothing was more telling about his outlook on life than the manner by which he spoke about it. It has been quite sometime since I have seen an individual with that much happiness exuding from them. She was constantly giving him accolades for being so loving, kind, and wise, and he kept laughing at her comments. He said something to the effect that he was nothing special. He is motivated intrinsically to live his life in the best way he sees fit. He does not seem to do it with a great sense of duty.

Shall we digress back to the church setting with the perspective that this man who does not claim his victories for Christ seems to have a much more sincere understanding of happiness than those folks who have successfully completed their duty by being "involved" at their weekly meeting time at our place of worship. Do we not have anything to be happy about? Do we not understand our cause? Is our commitment to worship so unimportant that we are willing to trivialize it by classifying it as a duty?

I feel very blessed to work in the school that I do. I am able to witness individual teachers on a daily basis model for me actions that at their very root are Christ-like actions. When I see a teacher spend extra time or set up extra individualized experiences for that student that everyone knows they don't quite see eye to eye with for the sake of that child's learning, I see Christ. When I see teachers staying after school until 6:30 pm waiting for a student's forgetful parents to pick them up after an activity after school that ended at 4:30, I see Christ. When I see hourly staff members staying and supporting a cause not because they are getting paid but because they believe in it, I see Christ. These actions done by multiple teachers everyday are not done because they want to do them, but they have no choice. I do not mean it is their duty given to them by a boss, but they are not able to think of the alternative. To them, if one student goes unnoticed, it is one student who could start falling through the cracks towards of life of disrepair. Their alternative options do not make them feel good inside. They became teachers to change the World for the better, and to choose the comfortable options in the scenarios I described would be against everything they hold true in their worlds. These actions are not their duty, they are their calling.

The purpose of my post is not to encourage everyone to become Buddhist teachers. Hopefully, you have been able to reflect on your commitments. Traditions are important, but they are not solely important. We all have duties, but they cannot be our only motivation for acting. The need for reform is ever-present. For it to be meaningful and affective, it must be brought with fury and conviction by a people called to action.

Food for thought:

"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing."

Albert Einstein

"9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” 11 So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” 12 And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them."

Nehemiah 8:10 (ESV)

Dry Spell

I know it has been a while since my last post. For that I apologize, if there is anyone looking to read something new from this site. Things will pick up later this month.

In addition to the hustle of the holidays, I also have been preparing to take an exam that would qualify (or disqualify as the case may be) me from obtaining my Principal's license. This exam (SLLA, School Leaders Licensure Assessment) takes place this coming Saturday from 8 AM to 4 PM. It is all hand written, and it is based on the ISSLC (Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium) standards. Beyond it being the only way that I could ever delve into the world of school administration, it is quite pricey. At $465 a pop, it is more expensive than the Bar exam. That makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? I would greatly appreciate your prayers and well wishes as Saturday approaches.

Since I have dedicated this post to seeking encouragement from you, I also would appreciate your prayers for patience and guidance. I received my call into education during my Junior year of high school. I was attending Covenant Christian High School at the time. I can remember today the exact moment that a feeling of satisfaction and joy came over me concerning the thought of being a mentor/teacher to another student like I felt the people of CCHS were to me. From that moment on, I have driven myself to prepare a functional route back to CCHS. I am now a licensed teacher and, with any luck, will be a licensed principal by the end of this school year. CCHS happens to have an opening for COO/Principal of their school for next school year. Quite honestly, it is my dream job, and if I am ever to hold that position, I would be content to retire there. Knowing how strongly I feel about this academic and spiritual environment, it is taking every bit of strength in my being to not apply for this job. I know that I would be really bad at it at first (most of us are in new jobs), but in the end I know that I would be a perfect fit. I know my affection for this school is second to none, and my rapport with faculty and staff is overwhelmingly positive. My vision is not only to preserve and maintain the school but to drive it to new heights. This post is turning into nothing but the jibberish of a mad man. I say all of that to say this, I know I will be a great principal of CCHS someday, but I know that time is probably not now.......and my heart sinks. I would, again, appreciate your prayers to increase my patience and my desire to seek the Lord's guidance.

Food for thought:

It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.

Lamentations 3:26-27 (ESV)

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (ESV)

Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.

John Quincy Adams