the message

I intended to preface the passage below by stating, this isn't about biking.
but then I decided that it really is.
it's about biking, about life, about being. because who and how we are as we ride along, is who and how we are.

for the past 4 weeks we've had a 15-year-old northern irish girl living with us, participating in the Ulster Project with one of my daughters. it has been an amazing, beautiful, incomparable experience. it has touched us all deeply, and extended our community across the atlantic to that fragile island. the 14 irish who were here with the project left yesterday morning to return home, but the evening before that we had a "closing ceremony" at a local church. the pastor of this presbyterian church shared with us a passage from Romans, both in its TNIV (today's new international version) form, and in a form from a book called The Message: an interpretation/translation of the new testament directly from the greek, put in today's words.
I'm copying it here, sharing it, because I thought it was some of the best guidance available for teenagers, cyclists, and all human beings:


Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle. Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians*; be inventive in hospitality. Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down. Get along with each other; don't be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody. Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. (Romans 12:9-18, The Message)

(I want this changed to Humans)

if you've got it in you, get along with everybody.
and if you don't have it in you, never give up the goal of someday finding it within you.