I am honored to have the opportunity to participate in Biking for Babies, which is now only two weeks away! I recently purchased my bike, and the training is going well thus far. I do need to say thank you to Machinery Row in Madison for helping me out with a nice ride and for supporting our cause. It’s hard to find good customer service these days, but I assure you the guys at Machinery Row do not disappoint.

That being said I also want to say “hi” to my parents: Jim and Marcy. Thank you for bringing me into the world. I could not imagine being anyone else’s son, and I would never, even for a moment, want to be. I love you both dearly, and without your guidance and love I would likely think a mission such as this would be a huge waste of time. But I can tell you why it isn’t.

I’m not sure what happened to the old fashioned American values…those good days when your neighbor’s well-being was just important as your own, when Sunday’s were exclusively for God and family, and when the difficult right thing was preferred to the easy wrong thing. I don’t know why we are all about what makes us happy, why truth is relative, or why convenience is more important than, at times, human life itself.

I love this country far too much for it to continue down its current path. I remember reading about our country in grade school history books and how we have always been a beacon of truth to the world. Though not perfect by any means, we’ve still abolished slavery, helped put an end to numerous genocides, and crushed the spread of communism. It’s hard for me to believe that an evil just as grave is still taking place within this country.

But, regardless of how it happened; it did. And if it doesn’t upset you, it should. Human life should never be considered a burden. It is a blessing, and the greatest at that. That is our message, though it isn’t our own to pass off. It is the message of our Creator who tells us, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” For an innocent and defenseless life to be the casualty of “resolving” an unexpected difficulty is the saddest thing in the world to me.

This is why Biking for Babies is worth it: because human life is worth it. Always.

Thousands of men died to make our country great. Let’s honor them in helping America once again shine with truth. But more importantly, your God died so that ALL might live. So alive in Christ, let us fight physically and spiritually for those who can’t speak on their own behalf. Though present time can be considered dark, there is hope in Christ, and “hope does not disappoint.” There are brighter days ahead.

Semper Fi,
njd

Great news:  It appears that Spring is here!  It’s been exciting to get outside, see all the beautiful colors, take in the nice breeze and let the rubber hit the road.

Keep Praying:  Continue to pray for the safety and health of all the riders, for an end to abortion, and for a greater respect to life!   

As we approach the start date, I look forward to sharing this experience!  And pray that God may bless you all in abundant joy for your faithful and commited service to His will. 

Final note:  If there are any events happening at any of the stopping points please notify one of the riders and we’ll be happy to see what we can do!

Peace in Him through Her,

Jimmy

St. Monica, Pray for us!  Sister Mary Joseph, Pray for us!  St. Joseph, Pray for us!  St. Patrick, Pray for us!  Mary, Queen of Victory, Pray for us!  Our Guardian Angels – Protect us!

Watch this new inspirational video and share it with all your friends to help support our bikers!

I was just doing some meditations before my prayer while running, on the pro-life cause. Then, I thought about something an acquaintance once told me, about how “the pro-life/pro-choice debate is never going to be anything more than a talking point for politics and how nothing is going to change”. What I realized while running (internally, I’ve been aware of this fact for awhile) that there was a point in time when abortion was illegal. But, someone wanted abortion enough, that it was their “right” that they made it legal (although now she fights against abortion). Since then, there have been literally millions of people who dedicate their lives working against the pro-life cause.

Granted, biking for babies, has a very small place within the pro-life movement. I just hope that we can just do one small part to help out a couple of organizations who do the real dirty work and make the biggest difference fighting for our cause with some financial aid and bringing more attention to the work that they do.

All of what the pro-life movement does isn’t just about “proving” that the fetus within the mother is truly a human life, but that we all care enough about the babies and the mothers to give huge sacrifices because the cost is huge if what we seek to do continues to be lost on over a million children each year just in the U.S. Of course, everything would be worth it if just one life could be saved, but what could I really say to those children who don’t survive–that I didn’t care enough to fully respond to God’s call in protecting the dignity of their lives? I know that I won’t ever be able to respond as completely as I should. But, with events like this, it’s undoubtedly difficult to maintain focus on our mission. But, the answer isn’t to just ignore the physical aspect of the ride. What I hope people realize when they hear what me and my friends are giving up for spring break isn’t that we’re doing this for ourselves, but that there are a lot of more people than just us who are willing to answer the call for life in the way we feel we were called. We’re all called to make the sacrifice in different ways.

So, that’s part of my resolution this Lent–to more actively defend life from the depths of my physical effort. Because, while more pain or more distance is not going to directly save any lives, I hope it does show someone that me and my friends are willing to show the pro-choice movement that “pro-life” is more than an opinion, but something that we all live out as often as we can, in every way that we can in every point we can fight, whether it be from our bicycles, from our prayer, or from the voting booths “protecting the dignity of life everywhere”.

First, I’d like to recognize Nick Dobrinska and Jordan Maternowski for joining team UW.  I’d also like to announce our pit-crew captain, Ms. Stephanie Dunbar.  It’s a tremendous joy and blessing to share the enthusiasm with such phenomenal men and women.

Please continue to keep all the riders in your prayers!  As you are all aware, winter training in Illinois and Wisconsin is not the most ideal; however, it’s God’s outpouring grace and mercy that allows us to sustain. 

Please also pray for a greater unified front within the Pro-life movement.  The devil thrives on disunity!  That said, pray that we may overcome our differences and recognize that we are in this together to promote a greater respect for life and the dignity of the human person. 

To respect life is not just a matter of killing the innocence.  That’s where it starts!  So, yes, this is our greatest feat to overcome; however, ask yourself:  How can I better respect life and the dignity of the human person?  It’s through our actions, and in the day-to-day, that we can work together to transform our culture, the Culture of Death.  And, it doesn’t end there…  As St. José Maria Escriva said, “action is worth nothing without prayer:  prayer grows in value with sacrifice.” 

I’d like to thank you for your contributions and challenge you to continue offering up prayers and sacrifices for a greater respect to life and the transformation of our culture!

I’m super excited!

So I have to be real with everyone, it has been very difficult for me to believe the fact that biking 600 miles in 5 days could actually benefit anyone, even myself. It has been hard to embrace any other reality in my efforts other than boredom and fatigue.

I often catch myself being very impatient and I realize I am prone to desire instant gratification. I generally do not enjoy participating in activities unless I see results very quickly. That is one reason why I am prone to injury. I want quick results so I jump from 1 hr to 4 hr training days. It works, but what comes quickly also leaves quickly, or breaks you.

So because of this weakness I frequently fail to fully experience the joy of giving. I’ve seen all the good that biking for babies has done in the past, so I believe it in my head. But its been awhile, and I have found it hard to believe it in my heart. Opposed to popular belief, I don’t like to suffer, especially when its purpose is not obvious to me. But it is true that sometimes we will never see the fruits of our labor and we need to trust in God’s grace and have patience. Once in a while God will let you taste some fruit. This is great!!! because then you know it tastes good so you keep growing more! I’m super excited now because this weekend God totally let me taste some awesome fruit. It’s deliciously SWEET!

This weekend I went home to speak to my parish, Christ the King, and asked my neighbors to support our efforts in promoting the culture of life. Their support and encouragement was amazing. Thank you Christ the King parishioners, you helped my efforts become real to me. You helped my heart feel the reality that my mind could not. The reality that what am I doing is not about biking. We are not just biking for babies, because honestly biking does not physically save babies.

This bike ride is a physical manifestation of the love for life we and our supporters hold in our hearts. Each mile we ride and each calorie we burn is really our burning desire for the freedom and right of every individual to LIVE, no matter how small. This ride is making the invisible, visible. But we are not just signing a petition that says “we love life”. We are not just vocalizing our beliefs, because we do not just believe in love and life, we hunger for it, we NEED it. We are willing to sacrifice our bodies, our time, our money for it. This is what I need to keep in my heart while I am riding. Mike, Jimmy, Jared and I are not riding, ALL of us are; every baby, every mother, every father every human that desires true freedom, love and life.

Thank you supporters. Your love for life is a comfort and encouragement to my impatient and restless soul. The honor of burning up 600 miles of road for your burning desire for life, has finally become a reality that brings me much joy.

Gotta live it, gotta love it,
Stacy

Stacy

That said, as we continue preparing for this endeavor, I encourage you, above all else, to pray.  Prayer is essential!  In prayer, reflect on these questions…

- What can I do?  It is important to recognize:  the Liturgical season.  It’s no coincide that our endeavor occurs during the season of Lent.  Why is that?   Well, Lent is a great time to draw closer to Christ’s passion.  (fasting, prayer, and alms giving) And what do I mean by that, well… we can rest assured in knowing that God’s greater Glory will triumph over any and all evil.  That said, as His faithful stewards (Soldiers for Christ) it is our duty to unite ourselves to His suffering and recognize His grace poured out in/through us.  Keep in mind, “grace builds on nature.”  – St. Thomas Aquinas.  God will work with what we give Him.  That said, if we truly believe that we can transform the “Culture of Death,” let’s start working to transform the culture.  It starts here, it starts now.  How?  I’m sure you have heard this before, but it’s always important to refer back to…  ”Some give by going, others go by giving.”  We’re all in this together.  Let us unite for His greater Glory through our prayers, efforts, encouragement and support!

- Why am I doing it?  It’s always important to refer back to the intention.  We’re doing this to raise awareness, promote hope and unity, and encourage our fellow brothers and sisters working directly in Satan’s line of fire. 

-  Is it worth?  Absolute.  It’s worth every penny and/or ounce of sweat.  Use the gifts God has given you for His greater glory.  If you want to see your light shine, turn it on.  If you want to make a difference, take action.  We are His instruments.  Trust in His will, follow His way, prepare for the battle and know that the journey is difficult. 

I’ll keep working on our (UW) end to prepare for this endeavor.  I encourage you all, as well. 

Mary – Queen of Victory (Pray for us!), Sister Mary Joseph (Pray for us!), St. Michael – the Archangel (Pray for us!), St. Sebastian (Pray for us!), All our guardian angels (Pray for us!)