Love. Memories. Experiences. Lake Tahoe – Experience it all!

No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit (Romans 2:29a)

How are you training for your Christian walk?
Who do you have to help guide you?

Julia (my wife) and I are at Lake Tahoe (Nevada) celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. We’ve actually been married for 26 years now, but things didn’t work out last year for us to do something special in June 2006.

For the third year in a row, Julia qualified for the national Xterra triathlon championships that take place in the Fall at Lake Tahoe, but this is the first year she came. She has told me over and over that she really wanted to go there with me, so we decided to celebrate our 25th anniversary doing something that Julia loves. That’s a good lesson for each husband out there. Listen to your wife. Study her. Learn what she loves to do and partake in that. That will help both of you fulfill your destiny together.

Yesterday, Julia and I went on a 4 hour mountain bike ride. We started at Spooner Lake at an elevation of 6,000+ feet and climbed to an elevation of 8,000+ feet. I’m in OK shape, but not to ride for 4 hours with steep hills and rough terrain. I don’t own a mountain bike and I’m not a mountain biker, but somehow the altitude must have altered my thinking and I decided to rent a mountain bike.

After climbing to a peak and then descending to Marlett Lake, we rode along the Flume Trail, part of the Xterra triathlon course. Before coming to the Flume Trail, another rider along the way told us that was easy and flat. However, I quickly learned that what a “mountain goat” considers easy and flat differs from what I do. I imagined riding along a 4-6 foot wide path overlooking Lake Tahoe from way above, but that was not the case.

The Flume Trail did offer frequent spectacular views of Lake Tahoe and the surrounding mountains – provided you were willing to take your eyes off the 1-2 foot wide single track bike trail and look over the cliff (with a 500-1000 foot drop) right next to you. While I didn’t think I had acrophobia before my ride, now I’m not sure. Julia flew down the bike trail with the utmost confidence, often leaving me in her dust.

After returning to Marlett Lake, we made a very steep climb and then began a long steep descent. As Julia took off like a jack rabbit down the hill, she hollered “I love going downhill.” Meanwhile, fearing for my life and limbs, I used my brakes for much of the steep downhill. Julia got down the hill in about 10-15 minutes. It took me 7 minutes longer.

As I was riding, I thought about how the Christian walk is a lot like riding a mountain bike on an unfamiliar and dangerous trail. For those who are disciplined and have trained properly, the ride isn’t bad. But for those who aren’t, the experience can be quite different. An experienced guide helps.
 
Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, thank You for this week at Lake Tahoe to reboot my computer (mind) and spend lots of quality time with my wife. Thank You for the beautiful weather and scenery. Bless my readers to set aside the time each year to refresh and renew themselves. Provide us with the guides we need to finish strong. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.
 
Link of the Day
Official Lake Tahoe Visitor Bureau Websites

Blessings to train properly to be a disciple of Jesus!