Riding onto center stage

For my commissioning service at Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church, Pastor Bert asked the kids to come to the stage if they liked to ride a bicycle. He began to tell them all about the benefits of riding a bicycle. When he said that above all else "biking is fun," that was my cue to come riding from a side entry area to center stage.

He then told them that I was going to go on a two week biking adventure and asked me to explain why I was doing this. After a brief explanation I pointed to my socks and said to the kids "what do you see". They said "cookie monster." I asked them if they could keep a secret and told them that after riding for a week I could get packages from home and from friends and that my wife, Ruth, was going to send me a package of monster cookies (with choclate chips and m&ms) and that my anticipation of getting them would help me reach my goal of riding the whole distance from Grand Rapids to New Jersey.

Then the children gathered around and put their hands on me and on my bike and pastor Bert prayed a commissioning prayer. As we disbursed to our seats and I prepared to ride off stage one little boy shook his finger at me and scolded, "cookies are bad for you." Some day he will discover that when you are biking 75 to 100 miles a day you need all the calories you can get to maintain your energy level to keep biking day after day.

But as I enjoy each cookie I will remember that many children in this world long for another spoon full of rice or piece of bread--and a cookie would be unknown to them! And I will pray for them and pray that this long ride will help some of them to be cared for and nourished by the hands of loving people.