I should never listen in church...

Sunday, September 12, 2010
I was sitting in church Sunday morning and actually listening to Father Joe instead of taking my pulse. He had said something about ‘Koran burning’ that got my attention. I’d seen - but not read - the stories about a Pastor in Gainesville, Florida who was planning a burning of the Koran, the sacred book of the Islamic faith, on the anniversary of the terrorists attack. I suppose I’d ignored the stories because I tend not to read things I suspect are ‘hate’ related. I figured burning sacred books could only be such an act. Father Joe related how the Pastor, after praying for guidance on his controversial plan, had decided to call off the burning.

I went home after church and did a little research on Pastor Terry Jones and his church and flock of 50 people. From what I read in the AP story, it seems that Terry was concerned about the U.S.’s lack of an appropriate response to radical Islam and wanted to send his own message. Some time earlier, he had posted on a sign outside the church that ‘Islam is the devil’ so it didn’t take me long to figure out his leanings.

I suspect that Terry has spent relatively little time studying the Koran and the true meanings of all that it teaches. Frankly, I’m guessing he’s spent little time with the Bible and the gospels of the New Testament and the teachings of Jesus Christ either, though he’s supposed to be a ‘Christian’ pastor. If he had and understood what they said, I suspect he would become a little more tolerant and much less judgmental. I would hope that he, his 50 followers and all who espouse any message of hate in the name of any God – are terribly misinformed. I mean…I’m sorry to get political and religious on you here, but I have trouble with anyone who thinks their God is telling them its okay to hate and to kill. It just doesn’t fit with the message I’m getting from mine and I don’t believe for a second it ever was the message the vast majority of people of the Islamic faith are getting from theirs.

So Terry…I’m glad you and your folks decided not to have a book burning and hope that you’ll find something more constructive to do with your time and efforts. At our church, we’re sponsoring a gathering of Christians and Muslims to share with each other what we think our Holy Scriptures are really trying to say…and I assure you, it’s got nothing to do with hating each other.

Alright…maybe I should stick to taking my pulse. Anyway, I had some time for a decent ride and so I headed out on my Rogers Road course. I particularly like this one because it has four different hills that are at least a little challenging. The wind was blowing hard again and I’d be facing it on the last part of the ride, which makes for a better workout…and is what I’m all about right now. I’ve only got a few more days until John and I head for the Adirondacks and I want to make the most of them. The hip is pain-free right now and I’m getting very encouraged. I’ve only ridden the course a few times, but I put the clock on to see how fast I could do it.

I flew through the first half with the wind at my back and climbed aggressively up the first two hills. Once I turned into the wind though, I slowed noticeably…though I stayed with the effort. Climbing Rogers is a decent test. It’s quite steep for a quarter mile, but once past that begins a steady climb over about 2 miles to the Wilson Mills. I find that I’m in oxygen debt for the entire ten or so minutes it takes me to reach the top. After that though – it’s reward time on the best downhill I’ve been on in these parts…west on Wilson Mills down to River Road. I’ve hit speeds over 50 mph on this decline…which is quite the rush and makes the climb worth every difficult stroke.

I did the last climb through the Metroparks back up to SOM before heading for home. The final miles were against a wind blowing a constant 20 mph, which had my thighs screaming. I pulled into the driveway a little over 90 minutes after I’d started and almost 5 minutes faster than I’d ridden the course before. It was a good sign…and I need those.

Bike duration: One hour and 35 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 125.
Calories burned during workout: 1,350.

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