When I began hearing about The Ride of Your Life by Mike Howerton, I confess that it sounded like a guy-version of the mommy-blog: “I was folding laundry this afternoon, when I just happened to think of I John 1:9 . . .” Who knew that, without even straining the metaphor, there could be lessons about riding a bike that would apply to establishing margins in your life; overcoming fears that lead to regret; or even recognizing and then following your passion?
By the end of Chapter Two, I had repented of my disdain and was skipping ahead to read all the well-chosen epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter. By the end of Chapter Six, I was beyond loving the book. I had come to love the author.
Quietly, patiently, with the voice of a pastor and the heart of a dad, Mike reminds us that God holds us until we are strong (Lesson 1: No fear).
He emphasizes the importance of pedaling hard, especially when the terrain is rough (Lesson 2: Balance).
He warns that our focus will determine our ultimate destination (Lesson 3: Steering).
He differentiates between slamming on the breaks and simply slowing down (Lesson 4: Braking).
Then, most essentially, he helps the reader apply the first four lessons when, catastrophically, the wheels come off, the bike swerves madly, and we hit the ground hard (Lesson 5: Starting from a standstill).
The Ride of Your Life is a vulnerable sharing of Mike Howerton’s own experience that, sometimes, even though we are pedaling our hearts out, even though we seem to be on course — we wipe out. It is at this point that the simple lessons of learning to ride a bike take on special significance because, unless they have become second nature to us, it’s hard to remember them with blood on our faces and scrapes on our knees.
Disclosure: I received this book free from Baker Books through the Baker Books Bloggers http://www.bakerbooks.com/bakerbooksbloggers program. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html.
