Tour de France, Lance Armstrong and Coming Back

The Tour de France has begun once again.

Today is a rest day. Eight stages have already been completed.

We love watching the Tour de France. The telecast comes to us VERY early in the morning. Channel 49 OLN here in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. Of course OLN shows it at night as well. While we lived in France for two months I picked up a 2009 Tour de France T shirt which I wear each morning as I watch a stage. It has the logo on the front and the map of the route for the entire Tour on the back. I am like a little kid.

For several years Christine and I have followed these twenty-one days of time trials, sprints and mountain climbs. Christine and I enjoy this athletic event because of the magnitude and majesty of the course, designed differently each year to give riders every riding experience. We admire the team strategies as much as individual performances. We envy the stamina and endurance.In April and May we saw many riders throughout France handling mountains as though they were small knolls.


Certainly Lance Armstrong was a draw during his robust seven Tour de France victories and NO, we never believed that he took performance enhancing drugs even though the sport has been riddled with violations in recent years. Then this year, learning that Armstrong was attempting a comeback we were thrilled but admittedly not expecting him to be more than a team support player. He is thirty-seven years old and he has had a five year hiatus from racing. How could we know that he is something so special that as we have watched these past few stages, Lance has been in second and third place overall and may yet wear the yellow jersey. What a Comeback! It’s incredible, and of course he will pee in a bottle regularly for dope monitoring.

GPS Application:

I ask myself, "Am I in need of a comeback?" “Am I ready for a comeback?” Perhaps I am. Not a return to my former career. Life has changed for me, ??? pounds too heavy, drinking too much coffee, teeth worn with age, corrective lenses and my granddaughter plays with my wisps of hair on top of my head. Life's purpose is a bit confused. Spiritual slippage is a concern. God says, “Now, therefore, (because of all that has happened) return to me with all your heart... ” (Joel 2:12)

Lance Armstrong's Official site
Livestrong Website - The Lance Armstrong Foundation
The Livestrong Blog
On Tour with Lance
YouTube video of the Tour's Itinerary

Global Positioning System and God

GPS is an acronym that stands for Global Positioning System

The Global Positioning System (GPS) internet site explains in laymen’s language that GPS is freely available to individuals who, equipped with a GPS receiver, can accurately locate where they are and easily navigate where they want to go. The service is available to anyone for multiple modes of navigation whether walking, driving, sailing, or flying. It’s precise in all weather, day and night, anywhere in the world.



The GPS is made up of three parts: satellites orbiting the Earth; control and monitoring stations on Earth; and the GPS receivers owned by users. GPS satellites broadcast signals from space that are picked up and identified by GPS receivers. Each GPS receiver then provides three-dimensional location (latitude, longitude, and altitude) plus the time.

I have used GPS on a Blackberry, in a golf cart, and in a car. Farmers, surveyors, geologists and countless others perform their work more efficiently, safely, economically, and accurately using the free and open GPS signals. Disaster relief and emergency services depend upon GPS.

The Creator of the universe transcends this one tiny planet upon which I live. Inexplicably God provides instantaneous and accurate information to individuals on earth through reliable prior communication (scripture) and through personal communiqués (Spirit to spirit). It is all that we need to understand where we are and how to navigate into the presence of God beyond earth’s orbit and the pull of gravity. With this biblical world view I interact with the issues and events that concern us all.

Point of interest: Garmin manufactures GPS receivers. Garmin Slipstream has a team in the Tour de France