Rich Dixon turns the mic over to Becky Dixon this week:

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During the 2014 FREEDOM TOUR, Becky shared this reflection about life on the farm.

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I remember driving around the farm with Dad, heading off to perform some specific chore. We’d finish whatever we set out to do, and when we arrived home, he’d remark that a particular fence needed repair, a neighbor’s tractor seemed out of place, or he needed to check back on the cows in the field by the birthing barn.

If you were with him, you didn’t realize he was looking for these things. He didn’t carry a checklist of stuff to watch – fence, cows, crops, neighbors, buildings, wildlife, equipment. He simply learned from a lifetime on the farm to pay attention to his surroundings.

When I tried to help by looking for an open gate or some other specific problem, I rarely found it. We’d get home and Dad would ask if I saw the downed trees by the highway or the extra water in the pond. I didn’t, because I was looking for open gates.

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12 years of tours, and the best end-of-day discussions are rarely about cycling. They’re about conversations at rest stops, the beautiful river, the moose in the mountain meadow.

They’re about the too-long stop at the convenience store to talk to folks about the kids and the Home of Hope. About the big, tattooed guys on motorcycles who said we were crazy for peddling up mountains, then prayed for us before handing over a generous donation.

About a teammate who stayed behind to pray with a woman who cried and asked about hope – and left with a Hope Rock.

I believe Jesus placed these unanticipated encounters in our path. I always wonder how many other opportunities we missed.

Questions we’ve learned to ask, each year:

When you’re focused on the destination, are you willing to let Jesus interrupt you?

Do you take time to notice?

Amazing how much I learn about following Jesus by riding a bike.