I have had a bad head cold the last two days, preventing me from
participating in the human race. Sneezing, coughing, and generally miserable, I
have found refuge in my garage archives, where I keep my old magazines. Car and
motorcycle mags going back to the late 1960’s, over 9000 of them, I have a a
supply to keep me going for months if needed. But yesterday was Road and Track
day, from 1969-1975. An age when I was young, still trying to figure my way
through life, and enamored by such names as Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Jaguar.
When according to R&T, there were foreign cars, and other, and I was living
in the land that produced the others. So needless to say, it had a great
influence on my car dreaming, and also on my car buying. So when given the
chance, I bought my Dad’s 1969 BMW 1600 from him, only 3 years old, it was in
great shape. I paid $1900 for it, cash from my paper route and summer jobs,
exactly what the dealer was going to give him in trade against his new 1972
2002. I was cool, at least among those who knew foreign cars, but in a world of
SS396 Chevelles, Boss Mustangs, Olds 442’s, and AMC Javelins, I was the
outsider. My engine was only 1600cc, or 96 cubic inches-no way I could ever
compete against 401, 396, or even 327 small block Chevies. So at the drag
strip, our high school parking lot was just over a 1/4 mile long, with a circle
at the start, I was not even in the running. And each day one of the guys had
his turn buying a gallon of bleach, and we did bleach burnouts! And they eyed
me with suspicion-small car, non-American, non muscle. A BMW, British what?, as
no one outside of R&T readers knew what a BMW was, MG’s were the most
popular sports car, from England, and VW Beetles the most popular import. No
one drove Toyotas, Datsuns, or anything Japanese, unless it was a motorcycle. I
was a stranger in a strange land, which just happened to be my homeland. But
one afternoon, things were to change....
Few people talked handling in the muscle car era, it was 0-60 and 1/4 mile
times that counted, all in a straight line. But BMW’s handled, and we had just
the road to prove it on-Johnson Drive. A road with 13 bumps in it, that had
many scary stories attributed to it, and that emptied out into the Watchung
Reservation, parks in the woods for the locals. After chasing a Corvette across
Johnson Drive, and having to slow for him in the corners, we hit the
reservation-and I blew past him approaching the first corner. Scaring him, and
myself, as the road was shorter than the distance needed to pass, he braked, I
passed, and lost him within a couple of turns, and waited for him at the first
round about. And then did it again, and again, until it was not fun anymore.
And when we stopped and talked, suddenly he was interested in my little engined
BMW, that had eaten him alive. Never again would he take a sucker bet against
one-and he warned the others about my car. Not what he had expected, not what
he had wanted, and not what he had hoped for, he now was a believer. Although
true there is no substitute for cubic inches, handling in the curves can
overcome speed in the straights, if you have enough turns to help you.
A few memories resurrected by the hours spent in the garage in the
magazines. Reminding me of a day when cars were affordable, sort of, and no one
knew of or was impressed by a BMW. Boy have things changed, as today BMW is
luxury, and muscle cars from that era bring 6 figures, the price of your
memories being the ceiling of your credit limit. And I find it funny, not ha
ha, but weird how some remember those days, especially after reading about them
when they were new. The good old days were once young, like we all were, only
time has faded the memories, or custom tuned them to protect our pride,
sometimes at the price of our integrity. The word remember is found 148 times
in the King James Bible, maybe an indicator of how we look back, but need to be
reminded of what we are looking back at. It seems that through out time, we
forget, or alter our stories, always to make ourselves look better. But God
loves us anyway, and He knows the real story, which is often times less
believable than the truth. And so it was some 40-50 years after Jesus was
crucified, that many had forgotten Him, but the few that did had a hard time
sharing. And of course doubting, but God has integrity, and although we
change-our minds, morals, and ideas, He never does. He is no fool, and although
we have many versions of the Bible today, with the exception of a few , Message
and the Jehovah Witness Bible, and the Mormon version, they are accurate to
God’s word. He isn’t stupid, and we find those who rewrite His word for their
own advantage, blaspheme God and condemn themselves. When first written and
read, many were still alive from the time it happened, and would have been able
to dispute it, but didn’t. The Torah, or books of the law were only a few
thousand years old at the time, and were honored, read, and memorized. No
printing presses, or Internet to file them, so God wrote them on the hearts of
men, and still does today. And why after many years, so many seasoned believers
can recite certain verses that are precious. And can carry on conversations
quoting the Bible with others. He has written them on the hearts of believers
so we can always have them with us, ready to do battle when needed, or correct
when misquoted. Like the old R&T’s I read, they reflect how it was, not how
it is interpreted today.
Today a 396 cubic inch engine seems overkill, but in 1969 it was midsized.
Filling up your car for $2.00 was not a bargain then, but a dream now. My $1900
BMW is worth 10 times that today, so taken in perspective, things have changed.
But not Jesus. Or His words. They remain the same, so we don’t have to relate
them to something else. Just to Him. Where we find the truth has stood the
test of time, and editors, and He still saves today, as He did 2000 years ago.
And sadly where some still try to change His words, His message, and try to
manipulate the souls of men for their own benefit. Maybe some things don’t
change with time.
So before you get suckered into a curve by some unknown, know what you are
driving. Know in who you believe, and follow Him, not some new trend. Don’t
believe it just because you have never seen it. Some lives are built for a
straight line existence, others thrive in the curves. Know your enemy, but know
Jesus first. Keep Him between you and danger, and you won’t get suckered. Fall
back on who you know when a new philosophy comes along. Test the spirit as we
are told in 1John, and anyone who denies the deity of Jesus is lying-and many
do, avoid them.
The BMW of 1969 in no way compares with the ones of 2014. Nor does the
Chevy or the Ford. Times change, laws change, and gas gets more expensive. Our
memories fail, and legend becomes truth at the expense of integrity. Jesus
Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever-a model you don’t need to
change every year. Lee Iacocca used to tell us “if you can find a better car,
buy it,” I have found the best in Jesus. What’s in your garage may tell us what
is in your heart. More than old magazines, old memories, and entertainment for
a sick day, all things point to Christ-see you in the curves-there is a long
straightaway ahead-enjoy the ride. It is not always the size of the engine, but
the size of the heart that drives it. Lessons learned one afternoon in the
reservation will make you a believer.
love with compassion,
Mike
mattehw25biker.blogspot.com