Bicycle touring with Jesus

 On a bicycle tour with Jesus (pronounced hey-zeus)

Easter Synchronicity 2022

I’m not gonna tell you whether or not God exist, or that Jesus was his begotten son… I’m just not that arrogant. I don’t really know. I wish I did, I’d like to think it true. 

Here’s what I do know: The earth, nature, animals insects and most people are good. The moon, the sun the stars in the universe are beautiful… And came from somewhere. I feel everything. I always have. I can’t explain it, and I’ve always been on a search for truth and where we come from and why are we here.

And more recent years, I have come to see that synchronicity plays a big part of my life, especially on my bicycle journeys. If you don’t know this about me, I travel by bicycle and ride whenever I get a chance. I’ve ridden all over the states of Missouri and Kansas, rode from New Mexico crisscrossing the continental divide multiple times all the way up to Banff Alberta Canada. I’ve ridden all through Montana and from California down through Baja Mexico, across Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Virginia, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, all trips are self contained meaning I carry all my camping equipment, clothes, tools, food and water. 

In recent years, I’ve actually had people come up to me, strangers telling me that God loves me and has a purpose for me. I’m serious. I’ve also had people that I know say the same things “Jesus has something in mind for you“ they say. I smile, and I wonder how they know this. I like what they’re saying, but shouldn’t I know it? I’ve always been open the supernatural. 

I digress let me get to the point. It’s like I said synchronicity plays a big part of my life and I have lots of examples for you all all and will share more about it later but for now I’m gonna talk about one example. Which happened in a small town last year the day before Easter 2022.

It was late afternoon. I’ve been on the road all day. It was day 17 of my bicycle trip from Kansas City Missouri to Yorktown Virginia via the Transamerica trail. I just rolled into the town Clay, Kentucky, and on my maps  there was a notation the town had a outdoor shelter in a  city park that I could set up my tent. It was the day before Easter. Clay Kentucky is a small town with just over 1000 people. I decided to explore the town while I was looking for the park. After a bit I thought it would be a good idea to ask for help and looked for a place where I could ask for directions, just then, I turned a corner and I saw a young man mowing the lawn, and I asked him where the park was in town.

He turned off his lawnmower, and came over and smiled. I saw he had some gray on his beard, little bit of a belly, and very kind eyes. 

I asked him a question.

“I am cycling the Transamerica trail and I’m looking for a place to stay for the night and I know there’s a park with a shelter”

He smiled, “Yes there is, and you can stay there, but, if you’re open to an alternative, I am the Pastor of the Baptist Church we have a youth center you can stay at if you like?”

A town of 1000 people, and I just happened to stop and I asked one person and happen to be the pastor of a church. I guess if you were playing the odds -one in a 1000? Synchronicity.  

I graciously agreed and rolled to the church. He met me there later and showed me where I could stay, invited me to his Easter service the next day, which I attended after a breakfast with the congregation and was welcomed by a lot of lovely people. 

I’m not gonna go into details about that. 

I left shortly after the service. Spent the afternoon riding in the rain. It was cold, but my heart was warm with that experience… this is what happens next:

From my journal dispatch,

“April 18. I’m in Sebree Kentucky right now, yesterday, Easter, I spent the morning and Clay Kentucky at the first Baptist church with their congregation had a fine breakfast, Easter egg hunt, and joined their service. It was a lovely time and very nice people. I ended up leaving town around 1 PM so I rode through the lovely hilly countryside of Kentucky, so far a beautiful state, and I just made my way to the second town over -Sebree and as I rolled through town a older gentlemen stopped me and asked me if I wanted to have some food with him and his wife there was a bike bike hostel in town at the first Baptist Church, his name is Bob and at the time I told him I wanted to keep going because it was still fairly early only around 330 but as I thought about it and the weather was cool and look like rain was coming how decided to take him up on it and I met he and his wife Violet, and made my way back to the church where there’s a fine bicycle hostel hostel here in the town, I was able to shower do some laundry and Violet invited me over to their home for a fine meal of Cornish game hen, baked potato green beans and a salad and some fun conversation. Bob and Violet have lived in a town for 35 years, where Bob had been the Pastor of the Church amd recently retired. Violet, Could only be described as a southern belle from Mississippi, is one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met. 

Going to roll out fairly early this morning. A cold start 42f, it did rain last night so I’m glad I was inside. 

Thankful for this opportunity although I tend to feel like I’m rushing it a little bit even though the mileage is not that great, I feel like I need to still relax a little bit and really enjoy countryside nature, the people of been fantastic go on the whole route. I’m very grateful to be here.

 I sent a note to a friend of mine, Fred, who is a good soul and that he and his wife Lauralyn in Kansas City. Fred is very unassuming just a very good man Low-key and has a wonderful soul.

Told Fred I felt a little rushed, and these are his wise words he sent, and to me it’s really more of a poem and metaphor for life so I thought I’d share:

“h Bill

we both have u in our minds

… all the time

u got born with  all the molecules needed  that getu where u need to go

lucky man you are

im a complainer when it comes to cold and rain

… the only way id get thru… is have buddy like u thee to tell me to shut up and get back on my bike

;)

yes

older guys are like someone hungry at food counter ordering too much food

u know your pace… u ll get there soon enough

when its over … u ll probably wish it lasted longer

 

see ya on the other end

:)”

Wise words in deed, I love it! Well that’s it for now it’s about 4:42 AM in my sleep for a couple more hours and then get up and make a pot of coffee pack up some food and roll. “

Was any of this Providence? Chance, fate, or destiny?

I don’t know. But I do know that something good happened and it was very comforting. And sometimes when I’m on these long-distance cycling trips, I catch myself talking to Jesus.

Thanks for reading my writing. Happy Easter 

Bill Poindexter