Bikes and Family

"I want a bike." I hear that every once in a while when I tell people about all the adventures I have as I ride around Jackson on my single gear Motobecane.
A few months ago, I was able to visit my family north of Lansing where I grew up, and shared with my family how much I enjoy riding and told stories of my interactions with people in the community as I ride through town. My Mom sighed as she stared towards the ceiling, "I want a bike."
She has pretty much always loved riding bikes, but for some reason, she hadn't had a bike for quite some time. I figured that I could probably work something out. I talked with Corey at the Armory Bike Union in Jackson, and told him that I planned to fix up a bike for my mom for her birthday at the beginning of October. He said that it was fine and since I had been a semi regular volunteer, I was able to use whatever I needed to fix up a beautiful blue five speed Schwinn. It took a few weeks of cleaning, greasing, true-ing, and adjusting, but after it was all done, it turned out to be a pretty awesome bike. One I was happy to present to my Mom for her birthday. She was pretty excited. She immediately wanted to take it out for a ride even though it was already after dark and rode around for quite a while. The next week my Dad texted me and told me that he saw her out riding about four miles from the house. She's having adventures of her own now.

This past weekend, two of my younger brothers were able to spend a couple days with me in the "Prison City". I talked to Corey again and asked if I could borrow a couple of bikes for them to ride around Jackson with me. My brothers each picked out a bike and spent the next several hours riding around town and visiting some of the local treasures. Together, we had a total blast riding around town and simply just hanging out. Saturday, we rode back to the Armory Bike Union and I showed them around the shop and together we worked on repairing a children's bike.
I'm realizing that bike culture, at least in Jackson, doesn't have to exclusively revolve around bicycles. Instead, bike culture is all about people and connecting with them through not just the bikes themselves, but riding them, repairing them, and connecting with each other around them. I'm extremely grateful to the ABU for what they're doing in Jackson, and for generously giving my family and myself adventures that we can share with each other.

On Two Wheels

Pretty much everywhere I go in Jackson, I take a bike there. It adds quite a different dynamic to life. Wherever I'm going I'm learning to plan out the trip, choose the route I'm going to take, and plan for other emergencies (i.e. cars) that aren't very aware that I'm there.

When I get there, I'm finding that I appreciate being there more. It's a huge excitement to me to arrive at my destinations, even if it's just a coffee run. Most of all, I'm loving the interactions I have with people as I'm riding through town. Most people that I run into (not literally of course) on the street simply love to talk. It cracks me up sometimes how conversations get started with random people. There's an older couple I met at Jackson Coffee Company who jokingly threatened to steal my bike and I see them every once in a while and I get to share with them more about God's peace.
I got to pray with this lady who is a greeter at Walmart after we were talking about how she has a bunch of fluid going into her thigh.

   I got hugged and jabbed in the ribs repeatedly by this homeless woman that I shared coffee with. She called me her "sugar daddy" and told me we were going to get married after she made me fried chicken. Later that same day I saw her again and this time, she was furious because she believed that someone stole her money that she was going to buy "cigarettes" with. I prayed with her and asked God to show her His peace.
   Peace, I prayed for. Most of the time, that's all I can think to pray for. Peace that transcends all our understanding. Peace that overwhelms us when our emotions take the controls. Peace that remains constant because of the blood that was shed to reconcile us.
   I don't think I'm there yet, but I'm learning to get the perspective that wherever I am, I am a minister of the gospel. If I believe in it's Truth, that just needs to be who I become. All other aspects of my life need to revolve around the fact that this is who Christ is making me into - His instrument to proclaim His message of reconciliation. For now, I'm trying to do that while I ride around on my two wheels in this concrete jungle, but one day I hope to be in some place that's too far away to ride a bike to, and share God's good news with people there.
I would love to share more with YOU about what other things are happening with me in Jackson. Once in a while, I write actual letters (like the ones on paper that come in the mail) and if you would like to correspond that way, email your address to me: codynolans@gmail.com
"The Lord bless you and keep you.. and give you peace." Numbers 6

Back From The Dead

In case you were wondering, the absence of updates to this "blog" has been deliberate. Around October last year I started noticing that everything I was posting (on the blog and on Facebook) was only just to see what kind of response I would get from people. I decided to take a break from posting and blogging for a while until I could figure out what was worth putting up on the internet (which is already cluttered (in my opinion (which you can take or leave)) with information that really isn't worth reading) for all to see.



So anyway... as a way of transitioning on to news that may be of interest to you, I very recently moved to an apartment in downtown Jackson. It's about a ten minute bike ride from just about everything downtown.
After I graduated from New Tribes Bible Institute, I really thought I needed to stay in the area for at least another year to stay involved in the ministries that I had been plugging into while I was attending school.
I had proposed an internship idea to the school which would be primarily connecting New Tribes students with ministries and community service projects around town so that they could have more opportunities for evangelism and discipleship. Unfortunately, the staff at school are up past their eyebrows with teaching and other programs that they would not be available to oversee a new program like this.


So, now the plan is to stay in town and do it anyway. I'm planning to hang out with students, maybe once a week, and I may have the occasional opportunity to speak in chapel and present what opportunities are available around town.
That will be it for now. Be checking back frequently as there will be lots more to come. Peace!

Not The Only One

This morning I rode my bike through the snow and 4 degree air. It was a pretty brisk ride but I stayed "warm enough" regardless. I have to tell you if you don't already know this, that it was incredible. The snowy floor glowed all around me. These tiny little ice crystals reflected light from the sun with just the right facet and just the right angle to meet my eye, if only for a split second. Then another, among thousands, would take it's place.

I wasn't the only one to see this either. There were also others that I had seen walking along the trail. I saw two or three walking along, tethered to some breed of dog. I always freak out whenever I ride past a dog, thinking it's going to start chasing me. (I hate being chased by creatures who don't have a reason to.) One man muttered as I passed him, "I wouldn't ride a bike in this ___." I laughed, because I was. I would.
Mine weren't the only tracks in the snow. I saw the after marks of several other wheeled vehicles of some sort. Hundreds of footprints and even lots of tracks left by others creatures. I was not the only one who had experienced the morning light and air and yet I enjoyed it perhaps differently than others. 

Don't mistake what I say here. I don't particularly "like" the snow and frigid air. In truth I kinda dislike it a bit, but at the same time I enjoy and appreciate the beauty very much. It brings me to a place of awe and fear.
I wasn't the only one there this morning. I wasn't the only one to experience all this, and I was quite okay with that. If it's something that glorious, and that inspiring, it needs to be shared. It was created to be shared. And then collectively, those who shared in this morning can praise the God who made this morning.
Part of me wanted to ask everyone I passed what they thought about all this. Part of me wanted to point out to them, "Look! You're inhaling oxygen right now and then exhaling a cloud right back out. And you can see it!" But I didn't.

I think it's neat that the world enjoys seeing men like Ted Williams emerge back out of the ashes. The picture of redemption is still sought after by some. But he's not the only who can experience redemption. He's not the only one who can receive the second chance through grace. He's not the only one who already has, but right now he is probably enjoying redemption from a whole different way than others.This is real for him.
Redemption is real folks, and it is to be enjoyed. We can do this together. Collectively. As you enjoy your redemption, ask your neighbor if he is too. Then together praise God who redeems.

A prayer for spring

I've realized how easy it is to keep a blog updated when there's nothing going on. Maybe that's why there's an abundance of blogs that are uninteresting (i.e. this one). Life has a way of continuing it's rhythms and cycles as it has always done, so in that way it is predictable, but it's rhythms are still surprising.
This fall completed my junior semester at New Tribes Bible Institute. The last four months have been a whiz that was packed to the gills with classes, homework, church ministry, and a job. I would love to unpack and describe all four of these elements that have been the major part of my life over the last few months but that would take a good chunk of time and much of it would be quite irrelevant to you. I would much rather just answer questions about anything that may be of slight interest.
One thing that has been of great importance to me, and I continue to hold on to this truth, that God is still God. This semester brought on many different challenges and difficulties which took me to a sort of breaking point in some regards. I found that regardless of my situation, God was no less Himself than He ever was. His character did not diminish when mine did.
This semester was quite a challenge as I struggled to find a balance between work and classes and everything else. I figured that more nights were spent sitting at my desk than in my bed in my dorm. In the midst of this, God continued to reveal more of Himself with just as much consistency as ever. He never ceased to be Himself, not even for a fraction of a moment.
I ask for your prayers as I continue on with school in a couple weeks. I'm looking forward to how God will reveal more of Himself as He opens my eyes to His word. I'm praying that my thinking will be transformed by His. I desire to be all about what He's about.

Another Day, Another Dollar

    It's been extremely long since I've posted an update. I have to say, I'd much rather give all of you an update in person.

     It's been almost eight months since I've been in school, and it's been kind of agonizing and suspenceful trying to figure out what God is leading me into. This coming weekend, I should have just enough money in my savings to make a down payment to return to New Tribes for the Fall semester. Only by God's incredible provision is this even close to being possible. I'm extremely psyched to be back in the classroom studying the Word full time. I'm planning to continue working as well this fall as . Full time studying, and working around thirty hours a week will be crazy insane for me as I'm not the most focused person in the world.

     There has been something on my mind since this spring and it's kinda been keeping me going through the summer. It's been so easy to slip into the routine of working everyday, and view every day as the same. There are some days that just kinda blend in together. I've really been trying to spend each day with a pursuit to connect with the presence of my Lord. God's infinite presence is one of the most clearest attributes presented in scripture, and yet, so commonly disregarded. By looking at the way that I respond to this truth, I kinda wonder if I really believe it. If I truly believed that God was present with me, would I make the same daily decisions all the time? Would I still be the impatient, prideful, lustful, judgmental, egotistical guy that I am, if I truly believed that God was completely present with me, and acted on that belief?

      Connecting with the presence of God is living in the relationship with God. Connecting with the presence of God is understanding that God is continually pursuing me, to sanctify me, to set me apart.
Why do I respond to the events in the day as being tedious? Why do I freak out when I can't afford to go to school? Because I lose sight of the fact that God is continually present every single moment. I don't want to treat each day that comes along as "just another day." I don't want to live without the experiential knowledge of God's presence. I want to spend every moment for the rest of my life pursuing this God who is pursuing me.

Mahalo - Thank you

I keep a small piece of orange string tied around my finger to remind me of something. It may be an old-timer practice but it works. The color orange has been identified by many people as the color of freedom. 

check out: How do you wear orange?

I wear this string around my finger to remind myself of the freedom that I have been given through Christ. 

God tells His people five times in the book of Deuteronomy , "Remember you were once slaves in Egypt." In each case, God is using the reminder to motivate them to obey Him. Remembering our bondage should allow us to appreciate our freedom so much more and should motivate us to care for  those still in bondage. 

When I speak of freedom, by no means am I speaking of our American freedoms. Here in our country, the reality is, we are the home of the brave and the land of the people who are in bondage to their freedoms. The very freedoms we glory in, end up enslaving us to the point that it's all we can think of. "Heaven forbid that my freedom of privacy is ever violated." it's not the end of the world. 

I'm talking about the spiritual bondage that we have all been enslaved in. This depraved condition takes over us and enslaves not only what we do, but how we think. Remembering this spiritual condition and the freedom you have received, should motivate us to see others be set free. Remembering the slavery I was once in, compels me to be obedient to Christ's call to reach the world with the gospel.