Rich Dixon is orienting a new pastor. And reorienting us.

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Our church has a new senior pastor.

He told me he’d heard something about a bike ride, and he asked, “What’s the Freedom Tour about?”

It would be easy to say it’s about supporting 22 kids in a Home of Hope, providing the nutrition and shelter and safety and freedom they need to grow into healthy, strong men and women. And, of course, that’s part of it.

But it’s bigger and more complex than that, and also a good deal simpler.

The Freedom Tour is a community, a group of folks gathered around the person of Jesus and his most basic teaching. Servant leadership. Humility. Sacrifice. Love and care him for the least of these.

He never asked us to fix the world. He asked us to follow him, do our best – and trust him for the outcome. That’s what we try to do.

Yes, this amazing community has raised nearly $1,000,000 in 13 years to support our kids. Those dollars matter. They make a real, tangible difference in the lives of our kids.

But we believe that when we trust him, Jesus uses our efforts in ways we can’t imagine and will never see. We believe what happens when people connect at rest stops and along our rides, the interactions as people sacrifice to make this thing happen, are far more important than the dollars.

Of course, I hope Freedom Tour 2026 raises a ton of money, because our kids need the things those dollars provide.

But I hope we never become fundraisers.

I hope the Freedom Tour is always about building a community around Jesus.