Sunday, September 28, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Busy at Home and Church
It's been over a week since I've posted. It seems that it has been a busy time, but I've still found opportunities to get out and ride. I've been grateful for the great weather, but it has also been difficult trying to get a ride in that doesn't seem quite rushed. Last week I totalled 107 miles, but that was over 6 days. There were a few days that I didn't even have time for 20.
Some good news. It's amazing how one gets stronger after riding 375 miles in five days. Having finfished last Friday with the Pedaling Parsons Tour, I didn't get to ride again until Monday. That day I really felt quite stiff and a little sore as I headed north on what is my most often traveled training route. As I reached the halfway point, I realized that I was flying for me. So I turned around and headed for home on pace for a personal best time on this route. I finished having averaged 18.2 miles per hour, about 3 tenths of an MPH faster than I'd run all summer.
On Tuesday, I only had time for a quick 15 miles. Then on Wednesday I rode the same course as Monday. From the house, north on SOM Center to the Metro Park entrance and east down the 2 mile hill toward River Road. North on River Road to Gates Mills, then left about half way up Old Mill hill. That's where I turn around when the odometer hits 10 miles so I end up with a 20 mile route. Well this day I was riding even faster than Monday - in fact a lot faster. I ended this ride at 19 MPH average speed with a time of 1 hour 3:15 for the 20 mile trip. With the hills cllimbed, that was a great ride for me.
As I cycle, it's always amazing to me to think about how God created this body to take in oxygen, the energy from food, and the water and use all of that in such a way to produce the great energy it takes to propel this 225 pound body forward and up and down hills on a bicycle. It's really fun to get into a zone where I feel like the tires are barely touching the road and my lungs, heart rate, and leg strength just seem to remain in good condition throughout the ride.
It's also nice to have an hour or so to think about things in the church, in my own life in Christ, and to pray for those whom God brings to my mind who may be struggling with something in their own life.
I'll try to keep you posted more often.
Living the Love of Jesus Everyday,
Scott
Some good news. It's amazing how one gets stronger after riding 375 miles in five days. Having finfished last Friday with the Pedaling Parsons Tour, I didn't get to ride again until Monday. That day I really felt quite stiff and a little sore as I headed north on what is my most often traveled training route. As I reached the halfway point, I realized that I was flying for me. So I turned around and headed for home on pace for a personal best time on this route. I finished having averaged 18.2 miles per hour, about 3 tenths of an MPH faster than I'd run all summer.
On Tuesday, I only had time for a quick 15 miles. Then on Wednesday I rode the same course as Monday. From the house, north on SOM Center to the Metro Park entrance and east down the 2 mile hill toward River Road. North on River Road to Gates Mills, then left about half way up Old Mill hill. That's where I turn around when the odometer hits 10 miles so I end up with a 20 mile route. Well this day I was riding even faster than Monday - in fact a lot faster. I ended this ride at 19 MPH average speed with a time of 1 hour 3:15 for the 20 mile trip. With the hills cllimbed, that was a great ride for me.
As I cycle, it's always amazing to me to think about how God created this body to take in oxygen, the energy from food, and the water and use all of that in such a way to produce the great energy it takes to propel this 225 pound body forward and up and down hills on a bicycle. It's really fun to get into a zone where I feel like the tires are barely touching the road and my lungs, heart rate, and leg strength just seem to remain in good condition throughout the ride.
It's also nice to have an hour or so to think about things in the church, in my own life in Christ, and to pray for those whom God brings to my mind who may be struggling with something in their own life.
I'll try to keep you posted more often.
Living the Love of Jesus Everyday,
Scott
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Pedaling Parsons Fall Tour Review
What a great week on the road with the Pedaling Parsons! I've had a good night sleep in my own bed and now have a few moments to update all of you on the rest of my week. It seemed that as the week went on the less access I had to the internet, and the less energy I had to go looking for a connection. It has been fun taking pics with my phone and sending them instantaneously to the blog, but I even slowed down doing that with wet weather. It was a pain to get my phone out of the protective zip-lock bag.
Another choice that I made which slowed my blogging activity was to attend my son Josh's football game on Thursday afternoon. Thanks to my Wooster friend Scott Allen, another Wooster friend Jim Kapp and I rode with Scott back to Solon to watch the Solon freshman team defeat Mayfield 28 to 2.
It was good to be back at the Wooster Church, certainly familiar territory after having served as Associate Pastor there from 1994 - 2000.
The ride from Mt. Vernon to Wooster on Thursday had to be a hurried one in order to meet my friends in time to travel back to Solon for the football game. It was also a hurried one for the rest of the group because they had supper at 4:30. The one good thing about their early supper was that they had time to visit the Wayne County Fair that evening. When I returned from Solon, I introduced some of the cyclists to Coccia House Pizza, a unique local favorite.
That set me up for Firday's ride behind schedule of reaching my goal of riding 400 miles for the week. We woke up Friday morning to some wet streets, but no rain falling from the skies. I thought that I would try to catch up on some miles before devotions. I rode about 4 miles out of town when the rain began to pour. By the time I returned to the church I was soaked through. Reports came that we would be facing rain all day. With this in mind, we headed out with a mindset of "getting there" more than enjoying the scenery along the way. So our nearly 60 mile trip didn't allow for me to do many extra miles. I did get a few because of map misreading, but my 4th flat tire slowed me down as well. I ended the ride with 376 miles and about 24 hours on the bike seat.
What we all ended that week with was some great fellowship and holy conversation. We enjoyed our prayers and support for each other along with the renewed friendships. Most important, we ended the week with about 10 thousand dollars headed toward Sam's House in Nepal.
Over the past 21 years, the Pedaling Parsons have raised over 750,000 dollars for mission. What a blessing and gift of ministry to God and God's children!
May you also be blessed,
Pastor Scott Low
Another choice that I made which slowed my blogging activity was to attend my son Josh's football game on Thursday afternoon. Thanks to my Wooster friend Scott Allen, another Wooster friend Jim Kapp and I rode with Scott back to Solon to watch the Solon freshman team defeat Mayfield 28 to 2.
It was good to be back at the Wooster Church, certainly familiar territory after having served as Associate Pastor there from 1994 - 2000.
The ride from Mt. Vernon to Wooster on Thursday had to be a hurried one in order to meet my friends in time to travel back to Solon for the football game. It was also a hurried one for the rest of the group because they had supper at 4:30. The one good thing about their early supper was that they had time to visit the Wayne County Fair that evening. When I returned from Solon, I introduced some of the cyclists to Coccia House Pizza, a unique local favorite.
That set me up for Firday's ride behind schedule of reaching my goal of riding 400 miles for the week. We woke up Friday morning to some wet streets, but no rain falling from the skies. I thought that I would try to catch up on some miles before devotions. I rode about 4 miles out of town when the rain began to pour. By the time I returned to the church I was soaked through. Reports came that we would be facing rain all day. With this in mind, we headed out with a mindset of "getting there" more than enjoying the scenery along the way. So our nearly 60 mile trip didn't allow for me to do many extra miles. I did get a few because of map misreading, but my 4th flat tire slowed me down as well. I ended the ride with 376 miles and about 24 hours on the bike seat.
What we all ended that week with was some great fellowship and holy conversation. We enjoyed our prayers and support for each other along with the renewed friendships. Most important, we ended the week with about 10 thousand dollars headed toward Sam's House in Nepal.
Over the past 21 years, the Pedaling Parsons have raised over 750,000 dollars for mission. What a blessing and gift of ministry to God and God's children!
May you also be blessed,
Pastor Scott Low
Friday, September 12, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
2 Days of Cycling with Pedaling Parsons
The Pedaling Parsons have made it to Coshocton, OH! We arrived after what seemed like a long day of riding with some rain in the morning and lots of hills and a pretty stiff head wind this afternoon. If you looked at my picture posts from today, you saw that I had a flat tire. Well, what you didn't see was a second picture of the same event later in the day. Yes, I had a flat tire before AND after lunch - first the front, then the back. Just for your info, flat tires are more common on wet-weather days because tiny gritty stones from the road tend to stick to your tires and then manage to wedge their way throught the tread and into the tube. I know that's what happened on the first one.
I'm sad to report that I did not make the 80 miles today, I fell short by about 8 miles. Because of the time that I spent changing tires, I arrived at neither the lunch break nor the afternoon break enough ahead of the main pack to feel like I could take off and ride some extra miles. When we arrived at the church at the end of the day I felt that I needed to shower up and find a bike shop to replace my spare tube and the spare I borrowed from another cyclist with our group. I know - EXCUSES! I'll see what I can do the next couple of days; the weather is supposed to be nicer:)
One thing that was nice about the last 10 miles of the ride today was that I was in familiar territory. I had ridden to Coshocton from Cambridge a couple of times when I lived there. It was a 50-60 mile round trip. I had actually ridden into Coshocton on the same route that we came today.
This evening we had a fantastic meal at the church with a number of people from the congregation who brought in food. United Methodist carry-in dinners are always great, but especially when you've burned 3-4,000 calories cycling that day! We split up the Pedaling Parsons among the tables. I got to sit with three white-haired ladies who all happen to be Olympic enthusiasts and BUCKEYE fans, so we had a lot to talk about besides cycling and our mission. Afterward, we gave a program on Pedaling Parsons and they took a collection to support Sam's House, the orphanage in Nepal that will benefit from this year's rides. Their UMW also gave a donation.
Something that we share when we have devotions in the mornings is basically where we have seen God the day before. I shared this morning that it was so good to ride the trail yesterday with Pastor Don Richards and share with each other how we see God at work in our congregations. Don is pastor at North Canton Grace Church, and it is his church that we visited to find out about Alpha. He was really excited to hear the impact that Alpha, G-Squared and other studies on Faith Night are having in our church.
As I write this I'm thinking that it will be about 11 hours until I'm back on the bike again heading toward Mt. Vernon.
I pray that God will continue to bless you and that we all remember to bless others.
Living Jesus' love,
Scott
I'm sad to report that I did not make the 80 miles today, I fell short by about 8 miles. Because of the time that I spent changing tires, I arrived at neither the lunch break nor the afternoon break enough ahead of the main pack to feel like I could take off and ride some extra miles. When we arrived at the church at the end of the day I felt that I needed to shower up and find a bike shop to replace my spare tube and the spare I borrowed from another cyclist with our group. I know - EXCUSES! I'll see what I can do the next couple of days; the weather is supposed to be nicer:)
One thing that was nice about the last 10 miles of the ride today was that I was in familiar territory. I had ridden to Coshocton from Cambridge a couple of times when I lived there. It was a 50-60 mile round trip. I had actually ridden into Coshocton on the same route that we came today.
This evening we had a fantastic meal at the church with a number of people from the congregation who brought in food. United Methodist carry-in dinners are always great, but especially when you've burned 3-4,000 calories cycling that day! We split up the Pedaling Parsons among the tables. I got to sit with three white-haired ladies who all happen to be Olympic enthusiasts and BUCKEYE fans, so we had a lot to talk about besides cycling and our mission. Afterward, we gave a program on Pedaling Parsons and they took a collection to support Sam's House, the orphanage in Nepal that will benefit from this year's rides. Their UMW also gave a donation.
Something that we share when we have devotions in the mornings is basically where we have seen God the day before. I shared this morning that it was so good to ride the trail yesterday with Pastor Don Richards and share with each other how we see God at work in our congregations. Don is pastor at North Canton Grace Church, and it is his church that we visited to find out about Alpha. He was really excited to hear the impact that Alpha, G-Squared and other studies on Faith Night are having in our church.
As I write this I'm thinking that it will be about 11 hours until I'm back on the bike again heading toward Mt. Vernon.
I pray that God will continue to bless you and that we all remember to bless others.
Living Jesus' love,
Scott
Monday, September 8, 2008
Monday evening on Pedaling Parsons Tour
Now you have a pictorial glimpse of my day on the bike with the Pedaling Parsons. I found that I didn't drink enough (thought I was) throughout the day and felt pretty lethargic the last ten miles of the ride. I also rode pretty hard all morning keeping up with a couple of good riders from the Stark County Bike Club who rode with us to lunch then hitched a ride in a car back to Canton. So this evening I've been trying to hydrate while doing the bulletin for Sunday and losing two games of Euchre.
We are staying in Scott Memorial United Methodist Church in Cadiz. The people have been quite hospitable serving us lots of lasagna and slaw. They also have a couple of showers right in the church, so we didn't have to be trucked to a school or YMCA for showers as is our usual routine.
It's good to see old friends who ride with the Parsons. A couple of people who were on the support team previously have gotten the bug to ride this year. You never know what might happen if you get connected with this group.
Switching gears a bit: On my way driving to North Canton this morning, I either heard a song for the first time, or I just listened to the lyrics. The song is "Give Me Your Eyes" by Brandon Heath. It was released on his album in August. But the lyrics are powerful and go right along with where I believe that God has been calling me and our church.
Here are the lyrics:
Looked down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city lights
My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight
Touched down on the cold black tile
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breath in the familiar shock
Of confusion and chaos
Are those people going somewhere?
Why have I never cared?
Chorus
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the once forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see
yeah .. yeah .. yeah .. yeah
Step out on a busy street
See a girl and our eyes meet
Does her best to smile at me
To hide whats underneath
There’s a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie
To ashamed to tell his wife
He’s out of workHe’s buying time
Are those people going somewhere?
Why have I never cared?
Chorus
I’ve been there a million times
A couple of million eyes
Just moving past me by
I swear I never thought that I was wrong
Well I want a second glance
So give me a second chance
To see the way you see the people all alone
Chorus (2X)
As we think about our vision statement, and who we're called to be at Solon United Methodist Church, I keep hearing that we are to meet people's needs like Jesus would. Jesus was in the life-giving, blessing business. That's what we should be doing as well - Blessing people. I think that our first step in seeing where we can bless people is asking God to give us His Eyes. Then we will see people with the same love and compassion that God sees people.
I hope that you get a chance to hear this song soon. Stop and listen to the power of what is being said.
Continue to pray for me as I am praying for you. Time to get some sleep!
Be blessed, and be a blessing,
Scott
PS - I see that the picture posts that I send from my phone have a post time attached to them. This time is actually listed as Pacific time, not EST. So add three hours and that will tell you when I snapped and sent the picture.
We are staying in Scott Memorial United Methodist Church in Cadiz. The people have been quite hospitable serving us lots of lasagna and slaw. They also have a couple of showers right in the church, so we didn't have to be trucked to a school or YMCA for showers as is our usual routine.
It's good to see old friends who ride with the Parsons. A couple of people who were on the support team previously have gotten the bug to ride this year. You never know what might happen if you get connected with this group.
Switching gears a bit: On my way driving to North Canton this morning, I either heard a song for the first time, or I just listened to the lyrics. The song is "Give Me Your Eyes" by Brandon Heath. It was released on his album in August. But the lyrics are powerful and go right along with where I believe that God has been calling me and our church.
Here are the lyrics:
Looked down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city lights
My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight
Touched down on the cold black tile
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breath in the familiar shock
Of confusion and chaos
Are those people going somewhere?
Why have I never cared?
Chorus
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the once forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see
yeah .. yeah .. yeah .. yeah
Step out on a busy street
See a girl and our eyes meet
Does her best to smile at me
To hide whats underneath
There’s a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie
To ashamed to tell his wife
He’s out of workHe’s buying time
Are those people going somewhere?
Why have I never cared?
Chorus
I’ve been there a million times
A couple of million eyes
Just moving past me by
I swear I never thought that I was wrong
Well I want a second glance
So give me a second chance
To see the way you see the people all alone
Chorus (2X)
As we think about our vision statement, and who we're called to be at Solon United Methodist Church, I keep hearing that we are to meet people's needs like Jesus would. Jesus was in the life-giving, blessing business. That's what we should be doing as well - Blessing people. I think that our first step in seeing where we can bless people is asking God to give us His Eyes. Then we will see people with the same love and compassion that God sees people.
I hope that you get a chance to hear this song soon. Stop and listen to the power of what is being said.
Continue to pray for me as I am praying for you. Time to get some sleep!
Be blessed, and be a blessing,
Scott
PS - I see that the picture posts that I send from my phone have a post time attached to them. This time is actually listed as Pacific time, not EST. So add three hours and that will tell you when I snapped and sent the picture.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Ready to Roll with the Pedaling Parsons
Yes, I and my bike are ready to roll! Friday night I cleaned my chain and cassette (those are the back sprockets for non-cyclists) and put on new tires, then on Saturday I had my gears and brakes adjusted along with buying a new tail light (can never be too safe). So my bike is ready to go. Then on Saturday after the Buckeyes game I went out for 22 miles and today (Sunday) I rode another 15. I was moving pretty good for me averaging just shy of 18 mph. So I think that my body is ready as well.
Now, I'm taking care of the important stuff - packing. It's always good to pack light, but I don't want to forget any of the essentials either...like rain gear so that I make sure no rain comes, and underwear - just because.
One of the essentials for me is what I eat for breakfast most of the time, and that is my home-made granola. I've adapted a simple granola recipe to make it even healthier than when I discovered it. Amazingly, all of my children like it too. It's really good with fresh fruit on top like peaches or blueberries or bananas or any combination of those. Here is the recipe for anyone who would like to try it. I usually make a double batch because of how quickly I go through it.
preheat oven to 275
combine in a large mixing bowl
2 c. whole wheat flour
6 c. rolled oats
1 c. wheat germ
1 & 1/2 c. milled flax seed
(the recipe calls for 1 c. coconut - I love coconut but either put in half or none because it is high some fat OR I put in some dates instead)
Blend together separately
1 c. water
1/2 c. veg. oil
1 & 1/4 c. honey
1 T. vanilla
1 & 1/2 T salt
Add blended ingrediants to dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Spread out on greased (I usually spray) and bake for an hour, or until dry and golden.
Store in plastic bags or covered containers.
Well, have to keep going to get myself ready to head out at 6:00 am. I'll keep you posted on the happenings and progress of the tour of Southeast Ohio with the Pedaling Parsons.
Scott
Now, I'm taking care of the important stuff - packing. It's always good to pack light, but I don't want to forget any of the essentials either...like rain gear so that I make sure no rain comes, and underwear - just because.
One of the essentials for me is what I eat for breakfast most of the time, and that is my home-made granola. I've adapted a simple granola recipe to make it even healthier than when I discovered it. Amazingly, all of my children like it too. It's really good with fresh fruit on top like peaches or blueberries or bananas or any combination of those. Here is the recipe for anyone who would like to try it. I usually make a double batch because of how quickly I go through it.
preheat oven to 275
combine in a large mixing bowl
2 c. whole wheat flour
6 c. rolled oats
1 c. wheat germ
1 & 1/2 c. milled flax seed
(the recipe calls for 1 c. coconut - I love coconut but either put in half or none because it is high some fat OR I put in some dates instead)
Blend together separately
1 c. water
1/2 c. veg. oil
1 & 1/4 c. honey
1 T. vanilla
1 & 1/2 T salt
Add blended ingrediants to dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Spread out on greased (I usually spray) and bake for an hour, or until dry and golden.
Store in plastic bags or covered containers.
Well, have to keep going to get myself ready to head out at 6:00 am. I'll keep you posted on the happenings and progress of the tour of Southeast Ohio with the Pedaling Parsons.
Scott
Friday, September 5, 2008
Rollin' Rev Scott Low's Blog Set-up
Hi all,
I've just set up this blog so that I can post my thoughts and happenings while cycling around Cuyahoga, Geauga, and Summit counties on my Trek 2000 bicycle. Many in my church know that cycling for me is not only good physical exercise, but it's a great Spiritual exercise as well. I find that this time alone is a fantastic time for prayer. I also find that I preach some of my best sermons to myself while out on the bike.
On Monday September 8th I will be riding the fall tour with the Pedaling Parsons. We will travel about 400 miles in five days making a loop through Southeast Ohio. The main reason we ride is to raise money for a different mission organization each year. This year we are riding for "Sam's House," an orphanage in Nepal. I hope to be blogging from the road - stay tuned.
If you're interested in knowing more about the church I serve as pastor, go to http://www.solonumc.org/. Solon United Methodist Church is an awesome group of people who strive to live the love of Jesus everyday. Our vision is that we would find ways to meet people's needs any way we can just as Jesus would.
Be blessed!
Scott Low
I've just set up this blog so that I can post my thoughts and happenings while cycling around Cuyahoga, Geauga, and Summit counties on my Trek 2000 bicycle. Many in my church know that cycling for me is not only good physical exercise, but it's a great Spiritual exercise as well. I find that this time alone is a fantastic time for prayer. I also find that I preach some of my best sermons to myself while out on the bike.
On Monday September 8th I will be riding the fall tour with the Pedaling Parsons. We will travel about 400 miles in five days making a loop through Southeast Ohio. The main reason we ride is to raise money for a different mission organization each year. This year we are riding for "Sam's House," an orphanage in Nepal. I hope to be blogging from the road - stay tuned.
If you're interested in knowing more about the church I serve as pastor, go to http://www.solonumc.org/. Solon United Methodist Church is an awesome group of people who strive to live the love of Jesus everyday. Our vision is that we would find ways to meet people's needs any way we can just as Jesus would.
Be blessed!
Scott Low
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