Rich Dixon helps us think about mission:

Our weekend in Memphis featured a talk at Melissa & Dudley’s Heartsong Church, where a man asking one of those penetrating questions:

What’s your REAL mission?

Rich’s Ride wasn’t primarily about fund-raising. Actually, our project was a pretty inefficient fundraiser. There are faster, easier, and more scalable ways to address the financial side of childhood hunger.

It obviously was more than a bike ride. You’ve probably noticed very little bike riding interspersed among lots of other activities in these weekly posts.

So…what was the real mission?

I believe this dream was God-inspired. I’m confident He placed the seed of Rich’s Ride in my heart and nurtured it for a decade. I believe He provided the right people at the right time to help me see its true potential and to make something impossible happen, day by day, right before our eyes.

I believe I was called to follow this dream. For me, the mission was obedience.

I felt uncomfortable about being the center of attention. Even the title, Rich’s Ride, felt awkward because it conveyed a sense of “Look at me!”

You are the light of the world…let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14–16)

I tend to lose sight of those last five words: “glorify your Father in heaven.” Rich’s Ride taught me many important lessons, but perhaps the most essential is it’s not about me.

IT’S NOT ABOUT ME! Perhaps a tattoo on my forehead?

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I concluded the weekend with a ride along a lovely urban bike corridor past St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. I paused and considered Danny Thomas’ dream of a research hospital dedicated to treating and curing childhood diseases.

I’m sure I saw Jesus there.

To be continued…