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Learn more and inquire about an internship! I’m sitting here with dear friends of the ministry, Craig and Nancy McAtee. This year will be Craig’s 12th year riding in the Agony and 13th as a participant. A few years ago, Craig broke his collarbone while training for the Agony, but still raised funds for CEM and came out as a sagger. Craig’s passion for Jesus coupled with his love for long-distance bike riding has made him a very effective spokesman for the Ride, raising over $45,000 for CEM. Over the years, the Agony has woven its way into the very fabric of the McAtee family. Here’s what they have to say. Nancy: I’m not a bike rider. I don’t like competing with cars, so I don’t like training for it...But I’m a physical therapist, so I kept thinking about ways I could help out. When Craig would go, I was at home for the majority of our child-raising years. Once our kids got older, I wanted to give a little bit to the ministry because I really believe in what it’s doing for the kids... I thought, as a physical therapist, I can help out and do massage. But it was more than that, because when people didn’t need a massage I was out cheering with the kids, serving food. I could diagnose injuries and show people how to change their posture on their bikes. BY: Zoya LeeFormer CEM intern, current CEM staff member and 3-time Agony rider! There are seasons of my life where there is a more deliberate, a more conscious drawing near to the Lord usually brought about by a set of challenging circumstances. In this particular season, He’s also reminding me of the joy found in obedience.
As I am writing this, it is Holy Week, and I’ve been reading a devotional intended to “focus our attention on Jesus as He displays His love to the uttermost.” Monday’s text leads us to ponder what it meant for Jesus to set His face for Jerusalem. The author wrote, “Remember, when you think of Jesus’s resolution to die, that he had a nature like ours. He shrunk back from pain like we do.” I don’t know about you, but oftentimes when I think of Jesus I tend to focus more on His divinity than His humanity. Perhaps, because to consider His humanity, I’d need to put myself in His place and that’s far too painful. Because I, too, shrink back from pain. And then I remembered last year - the week leading up to the Agony Ride. On the morning before the Ride as U-Hauls were being loaded, a coupIe of students walked in on me crying. I explained that it was just my “pre-Ride cry”. What they didn’t know was that this had been a daily ritual every morning that week. I was setting my face for Jerusalem. |