Adventure Pastor

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Day 2 – Geraldine to Waimate (February 8)

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Hot, Hot, Hot!!! Today was 90 degrees Fahrenheit on our ride of 53 miles from Geraldine to Waimate. Scott and I needed more than a few… cold… “Driver Revivers…” as we rode along in the heat. We were traveling along a very busy section of Highway 1 (on a New Zealand holiday weekend) and I could hardly wait to get off the busy highway and on to more calm roads.

While I did not enjoy the traffic and diesel fumes, I did enjoy memorizing and meditating upon Romans 8, verses 3-4: “For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

I love the words “for God has done…,” as they remind me that God has done everything necessary to place me into a forever relationship with Him. Because of God’s love, He sent his own Son [Jesus] as fully God and fully man to live a perfect and sinless life that I can never even come close to living. He came to die and bear upon Himself the penalty of my sin, and in so doing, put the consequences of my sin to death. He fulfilled, in His sinless perfection, the righteous requirement of the law on my behalf. And He did so by the power of his Spirit through this good news that is the gospel. Because of all that God has done for me, I travel this difficult road of life knowing that God has done everything for me as I walk by the Spirit trusting in Jesus. And I thank God for this gift that is FREE for everyone who trusts in Him.

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Day 1 – Christchurch to Geraldine (February 7)

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New Zealand is breathtaking!! Scott and I rode 93 miles through the Canterbury Plains (on the Old Coast Road and then along the Thompson Track) with wide sweeping views of the Southern Alps. Sheep, horses, and dairy cows abound and graze on the greenest of grass, irrigated by glacial waters flowing from the mountains along the pastoral countryside. As I rode along in solitude, I meditated upon the 23rd Psalm: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake…”

One of the goals for me on this trip is to memorize Romans chapter 8. I was able to memorize and meditate upon the first two verses as I was riding along looking at the free ranging sheep. As I did so, I felt as if I was lying down in green pastures beside still waters as the Lord was restoring my soul. That’s what meditating upon God’s grace does for me. Romans 8:1-2 says “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” I am grateful that I am “in Christ Jesus” and that Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death by clothing me in a righteousness that is not my own, covering me with his perfect righteousness. He truly provides for all of my needs.

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Preparation – The Key To Winning

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After 31 hours of traveling half way around the world… Scott and I built and loaded our bikes today. Tomorrow our bike tour of New Zealand begins!! We will be riding around the South Island 1,100 miles over the next 31 days on our adventure bicycles. Scott’s bike is 76 lbs fully loaded and mine is 54 lbs . Tomorrow we will pull out of Christchurch and head south for 93 miles along the east coast. Of course we both packed our toys… Scott is a talented chef who brought his cooking gear to take advantage of the incredible produce and meat that NZ has to offer, of which I am fortunate to reap the benefits. And I brought my fly fishing and camera gear (including my GoPro and Sony RX100m3) to hopefully land some monster fish and catch the beauty of New Zealand on camera. It just turned midnight, so I better get some rest, as we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow!

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