Day 28 : A Sweet Hostel...

From Newton, KS to Hutchinson, KS – 44.8 miles

This morning we woke up, packed up our gear, said goodbye to our friend Charlie, and headed to McDonalds to grab some breakfast. We were about to leave when we started to have some great conversation with a couple of older gentlemen that were also there having breakfast. They were just average great guys. And as we were talking, I couldn’t help but think about what great community exists at a place like McDonald’s. in many senses, the community there on Sunday morning is probably better than at many churches. Just got me thinking about why that is.

We decided last night that we were just going to ride a half-day because our legs really felt like they could use a rest and there was a hostel listed on our maps here in Hutchinson. So, at a little before 9, we were on the bikes and headed for “Hutch.”

Thankfully, the winds weren’t terrible today…just enough to keep us cool…and it was fairly overcast for most of the morning, which really helped to make the cycling enjoyable. It was really a pretty uneventful ride, with the exception of in the middle of the day when we cycled past a massive field of sunflowers. (pictured above) unfortunately, it seemed as though we were about a week early as most of the flowers appeared to be just on the verge of blooming.

We arrived here at Zion Lutheran Church at about 2 pm to find a really wonderful little spot. They have basically turned part of their basement into a hostel, where they have actual beds, tvs, and a full kitchen that we were welcome to use. So we settled in, showered up, and headed to the Laundromat to get a full set of clean clothes. After doing our laundry, we stopped by the grocery store to get some food to make for dinner as well as some stuff for breakfast.

We enjoyed some great pasta alfredo, with broccoli, mushrooms, and chicken. It was great to have what felt like a home cooked meal.

When we arrived here in the afternoon, there was also an eastbound cyclist here who had stayed last night and was going to ride to where we had come from late in the day today. We shared some good conversation and stories about what lies ahead for each of us. Probably the most interesting thing that we found out about the guy is that he is from Louisville…which is not that interesting in and of itself…however, when we found out that he was from Louisville, we asked if by chance he knew Kirk (the guy that we rode with for a few days at the beginning of our trip) and it turns out that he did. Pretty crazy to say the least!

Since being in Kansas, with fewer cities and flatter terrain, I have found myself with more time to think and process. I have thought quite a bit lately about what makes for a good story.

Easily the most influential (and best) book that I have read this past year was A Million Miles and a Thousand Years, by Donald Miller. It is a book that is pretty much about exactly that…what makes a good story and how can we then live that good story. so that book has really sent me down that path of thinking about that type of stuff.

I have gotten the “good story” type feeling from the number of people who are reading along with this trip on our blog. But what makes it a good story? I think there are many elements that go together to make it a good story…but one thing that is going to have to be present at some point in time is a desire to quit. And on many occasions that has been the case for us in the process of living out this story.

As I cycled along, I was thinking about this idea more. I thought about one of the other really “great” stories that I feel like I have lived with my life…spending a summer working at InPursuit summer camp. During my time there, and especially looking back on my time there, there was no doubt in my mind that I was living a good story. and there were definitely multiple times during that summer where if I was given an easy opportunity to simply quit…I am pretty sure that I would have taken it and ran.

Then I started thinking about it a little bit from a Biblical perspective. The best example that we have…Jesus…had a moment where (while he was living a pretty good story) he said, “Isn’t there some other way”…which at least in some sense sounds to me like a desire to quit.

Or take John the Baptist…also a guy who lived a pretty great story…there was a moment where he was in prison (which probably didn’t feel to him like a very good story) and he sends some of his disciples to ask Jesus if He was really the one or if they should expect someone else. And that may not sound on the surface like an attempt to quit, but I think that is exactly what it was…he was beginning to wonder if it was all worth it, and if not, he was ready to bail.

And one more…Peter…a guy who lived a good enough story to be the guy on whom the church would be built. He was interested enough in quitting this following Jesus thing that given the opportunity, he was willing to go as far as to deny that he even knew who Jesus was. Again, sounds to me like a desire to quit.

As I think and process this idea of living a good story, and what it takes to live a good story…I think I am realizing that if we are living a good story, there are going to be moments, and maybe even seasons, where we simply want to quit.
and the only way that we are going to end up living and completing a good story is if we flee the temptation to quit and keep pressing on towards the goal.