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It lived up to it's name! Air temperature was 113 degrees, temperature coming off the road was 120 degrees. There were 11,000 riders. Nine riders represented The Summit Riders in Wichita Falls, Texas for the 30th running of the Hotter Than Hell Hundred bike ride. Each rider has an incredible story to tell of their adventure on that hot day in August in the panhandle of Texas.
Sit back and read each of their stories and allow each of their accomplishments motivate you to set big goals for big adventures and then reach them.
You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength.
PK
Chris Authur
"It is an experience and a challenge I would encourage everyone to do. The excitement and electricity from the ride are amazing. Accomplishing something as awesome as this ride with your spouse is rewarding beyond measurement. I thank God for everyone He put in my path and for the relationships that were made... read more
Work Continues on our building. Here are couple shots from this morning.
From "Building update 1/5/11"
As you can see below, Rod Bowers Construction is making great progress on our new building. It is exciting to watch the steel go up knowing all the possibilities that this building will provide for us. Just imagine with me for a second... a gym for activities as well as additional meeting space, class rooms for more family hour classes, a kitchen where we can once again meet over a meal. Wow, I just cannot wait.
For those of you who have been giving to The Future Now Campaign, thank you so much! I want to encourage you to keep giving and let's not let up until this building is completed and paid for! Our goal is to pay off this building as quickly as we can.
If you would like to join The Future Now campaign, you can do so at any time. Just pray and ask God what... read more
As you can see below, Rod Bowers Construction is making great progress on our new building. It is exciting to watch the steel go up knowing all the possibilities that this building will provide for us. Just imagine with me for a second... a gym for activities as well as additional meeting space, class rooms for more family hour classes, a kitchen where we can once again meet over a meal. Wow, I just cannot wait.
For those of you who have been giving to The Future Now Campaign, thank you so much! I want to encourage you to keep giving and let's not let up until this building is completed and paid for! Our goal is to pay off this building as quickly as we can.
If you would like to join The Future Now campaign, you can do so at any time. Just pray and ask God what amount He would have you give each month and then begin to give. It is as simple as that. I want to encourage you to get your faith out there and... read more
For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. 1 Peter 3:10,11
Do you want a good marriage, good relationships? Do you want to live a long and happy life with your spouse and friends? If your answer is "Yes, that's exactly what I want," you need to pay close attention to the words of Peter recorded in First Peter 3:10,11. The word 'refrain' is the Greek word pauo, which means to pause. It means to take a break; to take a rest; or to cease from what your doing. The word 'evil' is the Greek word kakos. The word means something that is evil, vile, foul or destructive. In this context these words are simply ugly words that when spoken, bring destruction and harm. Have you ever said something to someone that later you were sorry for saying? This is what Peter is talking about here.... read more
You Can Experience God's Sustaining Power
2 Corinthians 11:27: I have lived with weariness and pain and sleepless nights. Often I have been hungry and thirsty and have gone without food. Often I have shivered with cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.
Now that the snow has fallen and the weather has turned cold, I have hung my road bike up in the garage, but all those goals I have set for next year's rides still loom at the forefront of my thinking. Now the question is, "What do I need to finish next year's Hotter Than Hell faster?" "What do I need to do to finish the Enchanted Circle Century in less than 7 hours?" To top it off, we are adding another 100 mile race from Austin to Shiner Texas. What I'm looking at is a lot of hard work during these winter months.
Paul tells us about his life experiences in this verse. He was willing to do whatever it took to fulfill the calling on his life. Paul's very life was... read more
1Timothy 1:2 It is written to Timothy, my true child in the faith. May God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.
If you've ever felt like problems were mounting and growing all around you and you don't have enough strength to make it another step, then I have some very good news for you! In all of Paul's epistles, he begins by greeting his readers with "grace" and "peace". When Paul wrote to Timothy and Titus he inserted the word "mercy" between "grace" and "peace" in his greeting. These two letters are very personal letters. Paul was writing to someone in the ministry who felt overwhelmed by the affairs of life. At the time that Paul wrote that first letter to Timothy, the political environment in the Roman Empire had radically changed and public opinion was violently against believers. Just as the Church had grown quickly before this change... read more
Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep. 2 Corinthians 11:25
Paul testifies that he has been beaten with rods a couple of times and stoned once. He goes on to share with us that he had been shipwrecked not just once but three times. What are the odds that one person would be on three different ships that shipwrecked? This would be the equivalent of one person surviving three different plane crashes! Paul even spent a 24- hour period treading water in the deepest parts of the sea. WOW!
The enemy will try and do his very best to hinder what God has put in our heart. When Paul ran into those things that the enemy put in his way as obstacles he did not throw in the towel and quit. Just image what would have happened if Paul would have said, " I remember what happened the last time I got on a boat, so no... read more
I went into this past weekend with a hectic week behind as most of you all did. I spent time praying and wondering what God wanted to say or do. Then, as perfect as God is, on Saturday night He hit me hard. I made the comment about going to church to the great Pastor K. He snipped his head so fast and without hesitation said, " You are the church." So after ten minutes of pondering what he was saying, I took his words back with me and could not sleep all night. He was so right. A few months ago, Brent and I sat in a church, listening to a similar message about how we are ministers in everything we do (work, home, parties, grocery store, etc.) I loved the message. But sitting in a crowd of 2500 people and hearing the word come from the man with the Mic was not as effective as hearing Pastor Kenny say, "I am, we are, you are the church." The passion that he had put a fire in me. How often... read more
During the 100 miles of the Enchanted Circle Century, there were many times when I was riding by myself and trying to find some kind of motivation to keep turning the pedals over. I knew at the beginning of this ride it was going to be tough. At one point, I told Mel “This is going to be a man’s ride.” Of the one hundred miles, more than eighty of them would be a climb. Two huge mountain passes stood in the way; Palo Flechado (9,010 ft.) and Bobcat Pass (9,829 ft.) Within the entire ride, there would be a 3,000 ft. vertical change. I, along with six hundred other riders, gathered around the main street of Red River at 8 am. It was 27 degrees and I was about to set off on another adventure. One that over a year ago I set a goal to accomplish. My friend, Mel Morris, was standing next to me and a new friend, Nick Gerlich, joined us for this ride. We looked at each other and I said, “All we have left is to finish.” and off we... read more
That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.-2 Thessalonians 2:2
Paul wrote to the Thessalonian believers and warned them about events that would occur right before the coming of the Lord. He wanted to prepare them so these major world events wouldn't take them off guard and throw them into a state of panic. Notice that Paul told the Thessalonian believers not to be "soon shaken." The word "soon" is the Greek word tachus, which means quickly, suddenly, or hastily. The word "shaken" is the Greek word saleuo, which means to shake, to waver, to totter, or to be moved. The tense used in the Greek points to events so dramatic that they could result in shock or alarm. In fact, the Greek tense strongly suggests a devastating occurrence or a sequence of devastating occurrences so dramatic that they will throw the world into a state of shock or distress. By using... read more

