This is many months overdue, but I thought I needed to write a blog to explain my recent absence. The past 6 months have been the busiest of my life with several pivotal events that changed my life and lifestyle.
After the New Year my wife and I placed our condo on the market with the hopes of purchasing a home for our growing family. In the spring we found a small home in Santee just minutes from the Mission Trails and Sycamore Canyon trailheads (stoked). We were excited by the fact that the home was a fixer upper and would allow us to make some nice changes. In fact, the home was in such poor condition with leaking fixtures, broken stove, and resident rodents that it wasn’t even inhabitable so we would have to renovate the home before we could move in.
With escrow coming to a close we began preparing for the renovation when I injured my knee during a home repair project. In the process of disclocating my kneecap a piece of bone was chipped off of my knee, so just weeks before the start of a major do-it-yourself project I headed into arthroscopic knee surgery. I was devastated about the timing of the injury and my wife, pregnant with our second child, was distraught as our dreams of fixing up a house appeared to be falling apart. We could not afford to hire contractors to do all of the work that was necessary.
The timing of my injury was so awful that I think God may have been trying speak to me through this event. Whether or not that was His intent I read through James as I recovered from surgery and James 4:13-16 captured my attention and convicted my heart. It reads, “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.”
In my arrogance I felt a sense of pride that my hard work had given us the opportunity to purchase a home and I had planned a whole renovation schedule expecting that some day I could show others what I had done. God changed all of that, exposing my sinful arrogance and I was undone. I wept, as my dreams were shattered and I was ashamed that something so drastic was needed to change my heart. I continued to weep as friend after friend called and emailed offering to help. I’m certainly not one to ask for help, but I was desperate and literally dozens of people arrived at our house day after day willing to lend a hand.
The RockMTB crew stepped up by helping us demo our house in one day, and offering an awesome testimony to our neighbors about Christian community. Check out pics here.
It is now October, and my wife recently gave birth to our daughter. Just days after her birth we were able to complete the final project on the interior of our house, and it is only by God’s grace and the generosity of dozens of friends and family members that this is complete. The house was not completed according to my plans, but according to God’s timeline.
It is also by His grace that I was given the doctor’s approval several weeks ago to step back onto a bike. Riding the singletrack of Spring Canyon for the first time in over 6 months was like meeting an old friend. The bermed corners and windy singletrack that weaves through creek beds were familiar and fun. It’s not technical, just turn after turn on a well-loved trail.
Riding again has given me a renewed appreciation for the gift of working legs, and the past 6 months have broken my prideful spirit. It’s unfortunate that it required such a significant event to soften my calloused heart, but every moment I’m alive is only by His grace and it’s good to remember that.
Steve here… My oldest son, Andrew has been doing so well on his bike we thought we would take him over to the local BMX track, Cactus Park. I think I may have been more excited than he was… well, maybe not. Andrew was so excited. He just walked right up to the starting gate and went for it! (You can see him in one of the pics leaving the gate) I’m sure Zack, (my youngest son) will be right behind him very soon. I did take a lap or two with him but he was doing great and just fine with out me. He must have done 50 laps… He was so tired towards the end of the evening, he had to walk up some of the jumps. He just didn’t want to stop. With a few more practices and a new bike, he’ll be ready to race. I’m such a proud daddy! Andrew did awesome! I also talked with another dad, his son was just 2 1/2 and still riding with training wheels… on the track! How cool is that?! I also snapped a few of the older kids…
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Posted by rockmtb
Kevin here,
