“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” – Philippians 4:8-9

Thursday morning events may not guarantee a huge community turnout, but the timing worked for me so I happily represented the Tarboro Cycling Club at the fundraising kickoff for our local United Way campaign.

The event, “Ride 4 United Way,” was organized and led by the Edgecombe County Sheriff’s office, along with the inimitable and irrepressible enthusiasm and goodwill of Sheriff Clee Atkinson.

The idea of the ride – just 10 miles – was to encourage one another and to get a good community buzz going around the ongoing work of the United Way.

To that end, I road alongside a new friend, Reggie. Reggie is at the front end of a new fitness regimen built around cycling, and I am impressed that he signed up to do the ten miles. We talked along the ride and he said it felt so good to feel all the positive energy, the support, the spirit of community and the encouragement.

That, of course, is exactly what community is supposed to be and why events such of this are worth the effort and the logistics to put together. The whole premise of organizations such as the United Way is the idea that we can accomplish more and help our community more effectively when we pull together.

The other huge plus of a ride like this is the positive conversation it generates. “What we need to do more,” I said to Reggie as we were huffing our way up a hill, “is to live good stories and to tell good stories and to invite other people into better stories.”

It’s true. So much negativity and resentment and angst seems to be built into social media and the way we talk about the news that it is easy to believe that – and then to live as if – it’s an accurate representation of the world we live in.

But it’s not. WE are the most accurate representation of the world we live in. And, to the extent that we live in positive and encouraging and supportive ways then this truth will multiply.

When we tell positive stories we are telling the world that we believe in our power to make a difference.

In truth, it’s more than nice… it is our mandate from God. Believe the good news, live the good news, and tell the good news.

So thanks, Sheriff Clee, thanks to my friend Steve for encouraging me, and thanks to Reggie for being such a positive presence on this ride.

Support this community, support your community, support goodness and encouragement – and give generously through the United Way.

“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” – Philippians 4:9

Peace and blessings – always – DEREK