10-27-2023, 09:12 PM
Brothers and Sisters: Over the past week or so, an idea has grown in my mind and heart. Instead of just riding around the state and bikepacking, do you suppose I could make it a project of visiting with people and interviewing them about their faith, so I could write it up on a blog?
Here’s the theme: “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith?” I plan to answer that in the affirmative.
I’m thinking I can start contacting churches in a target small town, something about a full day’s ride somewhere, and asking them to identify someone who would testify of their individual faith, such that it carried them through some difficulty. Maybe more than one person. Then, hopefully, instead of having to lug around camping gear, I could persuade them to put me up overnight. That way I could travel light, and ride in colder weather than I might otherwise want to handle.
As you might expect, the toughest part of this would be the first one. At that point, I won’t have anything I can point to, so whomever I contact via a “cold call” (email, actually) would have to be receptive to the idea. Once I’ve got a few stories up, it would be easier to point to an established body of work to lend credibility to my subsequent requests.
I would avoid passing the hat, of course, and just accept whatever they might offer. Naturally, there would be no hint of challenging their church doctrine, just some talk about faith itself.
I’ve had a rather strong urging about trusting the Lord to work through His children to provide for my needs, as happened on my one previous attempt at bikepacking several years ago. Someone offered to let me sit in their restaurant until sunrise with a cup of hot herbal tea. The Lord has made that single moment from the whole trip rather prominent in my memory.
It would mean training a good bit before trying such a trip again. I’ve already started on that. Naturally, I’ll be taking pictures along the way of whatever interesting things I see. But instead of focusing on camping spots, I would select targets based on simply a day’s ride in distance, whatever direction I go. If this takes off, I’ll bundle up longer trips of multiple days.
Pray with me. I’d really love to interview random Christians about their faith and convictions. I think it would be a real blessing to write those stories and publish them. I’m thinking I’ll start another Substack blog just for this project; it would be more accessible to a wider audience.
Here’s the theme: “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith?” I plan to answer that in the affirmative.
I’m thinking I can start contacting churches in a target small town, something about a full day’s ride somewhere, and asking them to identify someone who would testify of their individual faith, such that it carried them through some difficulty. Maybe more than one person. Then, hopefully, instead of having to lug around camping gear, I could persuade them to put me up overnight. That way I could travel light, and ride in colder weather than I might otherwise want to handle.
As you might expect, the toughest part of this would be the first one. At that point, I won’t have anything I can point to, so whomever I contact via a “cold call” (email, actually) would have to be receptive to the idea. Once I’ve got a few stories up, it would be easier to point to an established body of work to lend credibility to my subsequent requests.
I would avoid passing the hat, of course, and just accept whatever they might offer. Naturally, there would be no hint of challenging their church doctrine, just some talk about faith itself.
I’ve had a rather strong urging about trusting the Lord to work through His children to provide for my needs, as happened on my one previous attempt at bikepacking several years ago. Someone offered to let me sit in their restaurant until sunrise with a cup of hot herbal tea. The Lord has made that single moment from the whole trip rather prominent in my memory.
It would mean training a good bit before trying such a trip again. I’ve already started on that. Naturally, I’ll be taking pictures along the way of whatever interesting things I see. But instead of focusing on camping spots, I would select targets based on simply a day’s ride in distance, whatever direction I go. If this takes off, I’ll bundle up longer trips of multiple days.
Pray with me. I’d really love to interview random Christians about their faith and convictions. I think it would be a real blessing to write those stories and publish them. I’m thinking I’ll start another Substack blog just for this project; it would be more accessible to a wider audience.
