Riding Different - Navigating the Unpredictable Ride

Most of our greatest leadership breakdowns don't happen because we don't know how to pedal fast. They happen because we don't know how to change gears.

So how do we ride different when the road changes beneath us?

Galatians 6:9 (CSB)
"Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up."

2 Timothy 4:7–8 (CSB)
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. There is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved his appearing."

Don't quit on the climb, because God is preparing a triumphal entry for your faith!

"Luckily there were nets... sometimes things are unpredictable in a bike race. We can still be proud.” Sepp Kuss

How do you react when your life goes off the edge of the road?

Proverbs 24:16 (CSB)
"For though a righteous person falls seven times, he will rise again, but the wicked stumble into ruin."

2 Corinthians 4:8–10 (CSB)
"We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our body."

The Caravan understands a fundamental truth that the modern church often forgets: You must cultivate joy and generosity on public roads before people will ever care about the main event.

Matthew 10:7–8 (CSB)
"As you go, proclaim: 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with skin diseases, drive out demons. Freely you received, freely give."

Isaiah 40:3 (CSB)
"A voice of one calling out: 'Prepare the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert.'"

If we want to "ride different" as a church, we have to become a "Caravan of Grace.”

2 Timothy 1:5 (CSB)
"I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am convinced, is in you as well."

Kingdom leadership knows when to take its hands off the handlebars and shift from control to presence.

Legacy isn't built by driving people; legacy is built by walking alongside them.

professional cycling: the role of the domestique.

In French, the word domestique literally translates to "servant."

The world teaches us to lead like a monarch: "Ride out front, demand to be served, gather an entourage, and make sure everyone sees your title."

Jesus teaches us to lead like a domestique: "Ride out front, take the wind, carry the water, and use your strength to elevate others."

Philippians 2:3–5 (CSB)
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus..."

Galatians 6:2 (CSB)
"Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."

When you adopt a domestique mindset:
You stop competing with your spouse and start blocking the wind for them.
You stop fearing the rising talent of younger leaders in your company and start creating a slipstream for them to succeed.
You stop asking, "What can this church do for me?" and start asking, "Whose burden can I carry this week?"

Mark 10:45 (CSB)
"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Where in your life do you need to change gears today?

You were not created to ride like the world. You were saved to Ride Different.