Road Cyclists

This topic is significantly less intense than the last posting, but has been on my mind a lot lately and I felt it pertinent to put it down in writing. I like riding my bike, whether it be on the road, or on the trail it is an activity I enjoy and always have. I have considered picking up the hobby of road cycling but have never jumped into the activity, there are a couple reasons why I have not done it and those reasons have only been more solidified in the last couple of months.

First off, I have always been annoyed at how pretentious the activity can make individuals become. It can be compared to people who only shop at Whole Foods and then get in their Prius for the trip home all while making sure you know what they are doing. Those activities create a false sense of "I am doing good for the world" in people and makes them very hard to be around. Bringing this back to cycling, I think it can create the same false sense of achievement in people, and this achievement is the feeling that you are a very good person for not using gasoline to get to work, or for getting an exercise while also transporting yourself from A to B. When the reality is, you biking to work isn't helping the economy that much and even if it is...good for you, I don't want to hear you bragging about it, I drive to work and I am fine with my current situation. This is the first reason I have never dove into the world of road cycling, I know I would be tempted by the grasps of pretentiousness and I don't know if I could stay strong.

Next, because of the laws that have currently been passed in the state of Colorado a small but important feud has erupted between cyclists and drivers on the road. I have been commuting from Berthoud to Boulder for the last five weeks and have not once, not twice, but three times been stuck behind cyclists who are riding two or three wide taking up the whole driving lane. While a decent line forms behind the cyclists and a constant line of oncoming traffic seems never ending, the cyclists seem reluctant to get in a single file line and cause much frustration and inconvenience for the drivers behind them. Yes I know these laws were put in place for the safety of the riders but I think they are very one sided and not well thought out. These laws have put both parties in bad situations, it has given the cyclists too much confidence and has drivers being frustrated which leads to dangerous situations. I think the laws Colorado has passed are borderline impossible to follow at times, but could be corrected. If only Colorado had done a little research before passing these laws, they could have easily discovered the most highly trafficked roads by cyclists and compared them to the most highly travelled roads by drivers. The roads that had the highest traffic from both parties would deserve some widening and bike lanes constructed on their shoulders. If you have ever seen the roads in Fort Collins or in Boulder you would know how much bike lanes help and how easy it makes riding a bike in a city. Sure this would cost some money, but the safety of the citizens of Colorado is what the local government supposedly cares about, so it should be an easy decision to make these small changes.

Now I know it is easy to just blow this off and say I am just another one of those drivers that honks and drives unnecessarily close to cyclists, but I am not. I actually have two cyclists in my family and like I said earlier, have considered becoming one of them myself. I think it can be a very fun and productive activity but it has gone horribly down hill lately and I hope it doesn't get any worse.

Intro---To Church or Not To Church

Have you ever left a conversation and hours later put words to what you wanted to say? This happens almost every time I am involved in a conversation, specifically meaningful ones. Some people ask me why I am always so quiet during conversations, and some people probably just think I'm shy. Regardless of what people think, it is the reason I have started this Blog, and have called it "Two Seconds Too Late," even though it should be titled something like "A few hours too late" but that just doesn't flow as well. Well, enough of the intro, let’s get to the first real Blog.

Relatively recently my wife and I were led to stop attending church. This was a big step for both of us, as we have regularly attended church since the beginnings of our lives. Ever since we have made this decision, it has brought on an incredible amount of conversations regarding the topic of church. In the beginning, I wasn't so good at answering questions, so I will try to address many concerns, issues, and my general state of mind here.

Now, we did not stop attending church because our belief system had changed, in fact, we stopped attending church because we felt it was what our God was telling us to do. Weird huh? Why would God ever want you to stop going to church? 

Well, I believe one of the key concepts of attending church is to build a vast and strong community with other believers. Humans always want interaction with other humans, specifically with humans of similar styles. That is why athletes play sports together and philosophers schedule tea time with each other. People get along with people that are similar to them, and they are fueled by these people as well. Competition in the sports world always pushes the limit and forces athletes to get stronger, faster, and better, just as conversation and interaction with other believers sparks deeper thought and connection with God. We were not achieving this community at church, and it wasn't from lack of effort.

I believe God wanted my wife and me to get away from the institution of church, and to build a community free of obligations and judgment. God wanted us to transition from a religious obligation, into a relational reality. He wanted us to be a part of a community of believers who do everything from hiking and snowboarding to indulging in thought about the origins of the universe together. This community would be full of trust, love and friendship. When I think of the first church, I picture people hanging out together in small groups, with excitement about what is to come, and what they believe God is telling them to do next. They would support each other, and the experienced would give advice in their area of expertise. This first church would not have a hierarchy or a list of people "in charge." They would get as close to God as they could, and wait and listen to see what He desired them to do next. These people would never just do something because doing something is better than nothing, instead realization would occur; God has already done everything and has us in this world to do relatively simple things. These things would be to spread the word of their beliefs by how they acted around others, and by showing genuine love towards others, not by judging or shouting exclaiming the "truth" in the middle of a plaza.

Going to church should not be a thing you do because you feel it is your obligation, or because your parents do it. It should be an act of passion and desire, and above all else, it should be because you feel God is leading you to that building. God was not leading me to the building or the other building down the street; in fact he was leading me far from it. I found myself frustrated when I would leave church instead of rejuvenated. I was frustrated at the behavior of people, and the lack of love towards other people shown. The church should not be an institution full of rituals, obligation, and busy bodies. God's church is not the institution, it is the body of believers who are living full of love and excitement because of who they know, and who loves them. I am sure there are great churches out there, but I know there are great people and believers out there dying to be a part of a community, and I want to know them and be a part of their lives.

Community can be the building block to great things, and I believe it is not stressed near enough in life, let alone in religion. Our society has become entirely too independent, we need to get over ourselves and remember how to work with, and support one another. The first building block which should fall in place for this community is a deep and true relationship with God. Instead of feeling lonely because you feel you are not a part of a community, focus on your relationship with God. Once a relationship with God is built strong, relationships with other people can reach levels never dreamed of. God's church is not a lonely one, it is packed full of believers, and these people need each other. They need each other to drop the unnecessary obligations in their life, the distractions which lead them away from each other and their Father. Once we, the Church, put our focus back on the love God has for us, and the love we have for each other, great things can and will happen.