it ran fine until I worked on it

The words “can be easily assembled using hand tools” has brought terror into many a father’s life. I know it has me, as sometimes even following the directions, I end up with something that doesn’t look like the picture on the box. And I usually end up with a handful of unused nuts and bolts....sound familiar? I used to feel intimidated by the trendy types on HGTV who can turn a pile of wood chips into a dresser, my skills supply them with the wood chips. And over the years there have been various injuries, none life but only ego threatening when I was forced to fix something. It seems somewhere between my brain and hands the message gets lost, and my hands never get. Assuming my brain ever did. And yesterday I was reminded by a friend when he told me how his bike ran fine, until he worked on it. And he is a trained mechanic, but known for overlooking the obvious. Ever go to adjust the chon, and end up with it looser? NO, turn it the other left. Or lubricate the floor under your car when you forgot to replace the drain plug after draining the oil. Leaving you no way to get to the store to buy more, or rags to clean it up. One day I offered to lube a friend’s clutch cable, and ended up with STP everywhere but in the cable, that stuff really is slick. “Have you checked the timing?” has resulted in trips to the dealer with the bike in the back of a truck. Have you ever tightened a bolt just one more turn, turning the bolt into a stud when the head breaks off in your socket, ruing both a good bolt and a $1.50 socket? Have you ever panicked when smoke started coming from your battery after hooking up the cables backwards? And finally when all else fails, read the owners manual, or take it to the shop where it should have gone in the first place. Where the joke is “here comes Mike, I guess he worked on his (fill in the blank) again.” Stupid hurts, remember that next time the door won’t pull open while staring at the push sign. Just pull the other way. Turn to the other right. Twist the other clockwise.....and hide all hand tools from me!

At Mercedes Benz I had an old tech who was experienced, but gruff. Great at fixing things as long as the human contact wasn’t involved. One day a woman came in complaining that her AC didn’t blow. He reached under the hood, replaced a fuse, and sudden AC. “How much?” she asked. $20,” he replied. “Just for replacing a fuse,” she argued. But his answer was priceless, “but I knew which one.” Maybe you can’t teach experience, but you can sure pay attention and benefit from others. I actually sat in a doctor’s office once, a friend complaining that when he raised his hands, his shoulders hurt. The advice, “don’t do it.” He also told me once all my problems were from the shoulders up, still not sure what that meant. And so many doctors, mechanics, parts stores, and those who fix things are doing quite well, or able to retire early due to me trying to fix things. Maybe the only smart guy here was Tim the Toolman Taylor who made a career out of stupid. And laughed all the way to the bank. Someone we could associate with, and laugh with, rather than having someone laugh at us, or laughing at ourselves. Nothing impresses more than stupid...except for maybe the excuses made afterwards.

God has given us a simple hand tool, it is called the Bible. After teaching the other night, a woman asked if I had any literature about our church. I got a strange look when I told her the Bible. Your church is about it, right? But form time to time I get invited to Bible studies where they are studying the newest book of how to get closer to God. The latest offering a man told me about was how to pray. A Christian for 15 years, he still didn’t get it that prayer is a conversation with God? He was looking for the secret to Jesus, yet it is no secret, and is found in the Bible. Which only works if read, which means you have to open it. Using no hand tools, only your hands. One man offered memorizing the Bible using a best seller, not the best seller. Which he was trying to memorize. Some attend self help classes, or read positive mental attitude books. The glass isn’t half empty, it’s half full, they are the opposite of half slow half fast. So many seek and never find when the truth is there the whole time. Right in front of us, but somehow escapes us. I refer to Psalm 1,

 

1 Blessed is the one

who does not walk in step with the wicked

or stand in the way that sinners take

or sit in the company of mockers,

2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,

and who meditates on his law day and night.

3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither—

whatever they do prospers.

4 Not so the wicked!

They are like chaff

that the wind blows away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

 

In today’s words, hang out with Jesus. Don’t listen to others advice, seek his. No extra books needed, read your Bible, pray and watch as the spirit leads you. Quote me on that, but quote Jesus on everything else. Not me. Meditate, think about him, read about him, pray with him. Don’t ask for opinions, deal with the truth, the person of Jesus Christ. Why read anything else but a best seller? Hey, even the pictures are good.

Lives need fixing, so be like the Psalm says. We have a sticker on our truck that says, “for some there is therapy, for he rest of us there are motorcycles.” Works in life too, some study, some seek, but the truth is only found in Jesus. Your life will only run better if you let Jesus fix it. No left over parts, no missed rides. No extra bills. Delight in Jesus, hi slaw is love, his yoke is easy, and his promises yea and amen. Lifetime warranty. And he fixes broken parts, replaces them with factory originals-he is the factory. So be like my old tech, when asked about books to read, how to get closer to God, point him to Jesus. I know which one. Now if I can only find where I my funnel is, I need to top off the oil, just a little....and I hope it runs after I work on it.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

"but the ad said $11,995!"

2014 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14R ABS, WAS 14999 NOW ONLY 11999 PLUS FEES !!!! ALL REBATES INCLUDED EZ FINANCING - World-class Performance Meets Real World Flexibility Everything about the Ninja ZX-14R ABS sportbike is big: Big displacement, big horsepower, big accolades. Life is pretty good at the top of the heap. When you make more power than any other production sportbike on the planet, as the ZX-14R does, the character of the power delivery is as important as the actual number of horses. To that end, the surface-milled combustion chamber shapes and polished intake ports provide the benefits of racing’s black art – porting – straight from the factory. Consequently, all elements of the induction system work in a coordinated manner, maintaining the Ninja tradition of smooth power delivery.

One of the few real joys in life is riding off the dealer’s lot on your new motorcycle.  You’ve read the articles, seen the ads, and saved your money.  You’ve convinced yourself and your wife, or your mother, that it is just what you need, and the day comes when you have the money, and the bike is for sale.  Excitedly you go down to the dealer, you’ve got your money, bought a used helmet, and you are ready to ride.  But you find that there is still sales tax, and you are about $80 short on your $1000 purchase.  The dealer sees the look of disappointment in your face, and tells you to hang on, and comes back a few minutes later telling you “congratulations, you just bought a motorcycle.  We’ll throw in the tax for you as a discount!”  And both new rider and dealer are happy, both benefit, and a long term relationship is formed.  He tells all his friends how the dealer helped him out, the dealer who rides himself has made some profit, and whenever he sees his customers in public they greet each other.  He is in the business to sell motorcycles, parts, accessories, and do service.  He doesn’t get rich, but performs a critical function in the biking community.  He treats others as he would like to be treated, and the riders in town are proud to wear his t-shirts.  He operates off a simple philosophy, when both parties benefit, it is a good deal.

That new rider could have been you or me, and selling motorcycles almost 40 years ago I was the dealer’s representative, the salesman.  And we sold Suzuki, BMW, and Triumph, Norton had passed away, no one wanted Rickman, and I sold many bikes like in the above scenario.  We all rode, the dealer made money, and we all felt we were being treated fairly.  I made a 2% commission on the total sale, $20 on $1000 sale, although many dirt bikes would only make you $15 dollars.  And I got to see many faces, really their backs as they left the dealership on their new bikes.  I was introduced as “this is the guy I bought my bike from,” to his friends, and I made many new friends like that.  But things have changed, as many mega-dealerships today, are run and operated by those who don’t ride, with F&I guys like a car dealership, and as we found out yesterday, many add on dollars for the dealer.  One bike we looked at, was advertised at $11,995, a good price, so we asked for an out the door price.  “$14,500.”  HUH?  We expected sales tax, after all it is California, and to put a license plate on it.  But $969 for freight, another $1440 for set-up?  Were we being set up?  And the answer is yes to the consumer, and too many new riders pay too much and are taken advantage of by the dealer. “But the ad said $11,995,” we cry, but the unfeeling salesman, trained to ignore such replies, only insists that is the price, “do you want it?”  And many times you want it too much and pay the price.  But you are getting ripped off, as most bikes only have about a $500 freight charge, which dealers can absorb, and come set up in the crate, just flash the computer, which takes 20 minutes with them working on something else.  Say $30 flat rate....any tech would like to PDI bikes getting paid for 18 hours for 20 minutes work.  The dealer charges it, making a nifty $1400 profit, and we all pay for it.  Somewhere along the line.  Yes I understand overhead, I have one too, but why can some stores sell at retail or below and still make a profit without the above, while some claim to just get by ripping off riders?  To the customer you feel ripped off, to the dealer they feel they could have charged more,  I guess it depends on what side of the desk you are sitting on, one is shrewd, the other is deceitful.

And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 

Try to put a dollar figure on God’s love, seems impossible but some do.  And with straight faces do it.  As a young Christian I was told that Christians are to prosper, it says so, the outer man prospers.  I liked that, and thought Jesus could be the way to riches and luxury.  But how would that explain the missionaries just getting by, and my Pastor who made just above minimum wage?  Were they doing something wrong, or was the Bible wrong?  Then the whole verse was explained, and it made sense, “as the soul prospers, so does the outer man.”    God changes us from within, and as we grow closer to him, the things of the world have less value.  He offers salvation free, no added on duties like some cults or religions demand.  He takes you as you are, no matter how broke, or how rich, and offers to change you.  But only with your OK, and oh how wonderful it is.  Jesus gives us the power to understand, and as we get deeper into his love, it never ends, we can pass it along to others.  The scriptures become real, Jesus lives in us, and we prosper.  We grow in grace, and if the outer man follows, that is an added benefit.  A promise fulfilled.  And when using the power to understand God gives, we can see when a deal is bad, when we are getting ripped off, and can avoid it.  Works with God, and it worked when buying motorcycles, relationships, families, finances, and careers.  Maybe Ecclesiastes says it better, “the rich man never has enough money, and stays awake nights worrying about it or counting it.”  Maybe a theme for a t-shirt, wear that one in next time you want to buy a new bike.  We behave differently when we see things through God’s eyes, he gives us the understanding, giving us wisdom to make the right choice.  And making Jesus the first choice is always the right choice.  “Seek first the kingdom of God, and the all things shall be added unto you.”  When Jesus gets the glory, you get the blessing.  How many Harvard MBA’s are taught that basic principal of business?  Now you know...feel richer?

And because you cannot take it with you, spend it ahead here.  Give while laughing, feed the hungry, cloth the naked.  Visit hospitals, and don’t forget those in jail.  Jesus never forgot you, for while still a sinner he died for you. God’s thoughts and ways are not ours, but when we adopt them, and adapt them, we see the glory of God shine through us.  Just by putting Jesus first...making a small sacrifice but not being me first.

What does it profit a man if he gains the world but loses his soul?  Death, for that is what the wages of sin are.  Jesus makes it clear, you can be born again and see heaven, even to your last breath like the thief on the cross.  Or you can die rich, and suffer in hell, like the rich man who stepped over Lazarus.  Our earthly ride will end someday...where will you end up?

Let all things be added unto you in Jesus.  The real joy in life.  Only he saves, all others just prolong the first and last payment.  The richest man is he who cannot hang onto that which he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.  Hang onto Jesus, more than a philosophy, he is life.  And life is for the living....enjoy the ride on your new bike.  And life.  Just don’t pay to much.  In Jesus you never will.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

 

the substitute for cubic inches

Last Sunday was a down day, a day to rest, and so I spent time reading some magazines I have accumulated over the past 40+ years.  Mostly cars and motorcycles-what else is there?  In the background I had been watching the Mecum Auction in Kissimmee, Florida, and watching as cars I was reading about were selling for unbelievably high prices.  Maybe you can’t go home, but you can go back if you have enough money.  Or line of credit.  Muscle cars will always be hot, and I remember how we used to brag “there is no replacement for displacement,” or “no substitute for cubic inches.”  Watching as Corvettes went from a six cylinder, then a 265 cubic inch, then 283, 327, 396, 427, and 454!  Horsepower raising from 150 to over 450!  Only the insurance companies placing extremely high premiums on these performance cars, along with OPEC’s embargo brought the power down after 1973.  The 454 went to 220hp, and 180 was it from a small block.  Suddenly MPG took precedent over MPH, and cars got heavier, slower, and weren’t as much fun.  The time period from 1972-1985 meant no performance, substituting stripes, chickens on hoods ala Trans Ams, and soon fine Corinthian leather was more admired than a set of Lake pipes roaring.  Maybe there was a substitute for cubic inches....or had we just switched priorities?   In 1981 when we had a Chevy Citation X-11, with 135hp, it would screech the tires-barely, and Motor Trend bragged on its power.  Today any econo car will have that many or more and outrun it, 35 years ago it was a Bow Tie special.  Even Corvettes were dumbed down to 150 horses, unless you got the L82, which eventually got you up to 220 horses, but the days of power to the pavement were gone, to be resurrected in the new millenium, as computer controlled cars now bring us 564 hp Mustangs, from 302 cubes, but for awhile we had to be satisfied with what we had...so we chose the path of vinyl roofs, vinyl seats, stereo radios, custom wheels, and stickers.  If we weren’t fast, at least we could be comfortable.  Or so the ads had told us.  So when muscle cars failed us, we went else where.  From 1969 to 1974 the world changed, and so did we.  All the power we once worshipped we abandoned, and now 40 years later we want it back, and for those with the money to relive the memory it is available.....

It had been a whirlwind time in Jerusalem.  Jesus had ridden into Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey, the hero of the day.  High power, high performance, he had healed the lame, given eyesight to the blind, raised the dead.  He was given a hero’s worship, if there had been stickers everyone would have had a Jesus sticker on their horse or cart.  But the one thing the Jews were looking for, the one thing he hadn’t come for, was to overthrow the Roman government.  And after his apparent weakness before Pilate, they soon changed their attitude.  They wanted power, but were more interested in comfort, and Pilate was forced into giving them a choice of two Jesuses.  Jesus Barabbas or Jesus Christ.  You know the story, but did you know that Barabbas meant son of the father?  His first name was Jesus?   He was a murderer, mean, a hard nosed revolutionary, and had much blood on his hands.  What a difference in Jesus Christ, who was the Son of God, and ruled out of love rather than hate.  One Jesus ruled by his hands and his wits, the other by his heart and his love.  One took lives, the other was about to give his life for a crowd yelling to crucify him.  But God is in control, and even Jesus knew the cross laid ahead for him, and so Jesus Barabbas was set free, by a public vote-release him.  Given the choice they chose death over life, how soon they had changed their hearts when they didn’t get their way.  And too often we do to.  We choose power over love, gain over sacrifice, lust over love.  And that power may rule for a time, but in the end absolute power corrupts absolutely, and love will conquer all.

Have you ever been disappointed in Jesus?  Have you ever asked him for something and he told you no?  Or told you to wait, which was worse.  Or didn’t perform as you expected, so you gave up on him, and leaned on your own selfish understanding.  Convinced God hadn’t lived up to your expectations, did you seek alternatives only to be disappointed?  How many times do we say “if only I had waited..?”  “If only I had trusted God...”  We seek the substitute for heavenly inches for a brief time, and then look back on how it was, dreaming only of how it could have been.  Dumbed down like our motors, but putting a happy face on what was.  We give up power, seek the luxury, and find that we miss the power more than we thought.  Only time heals the wound, and too many memories start with “remember when Glenn had that GTO with the Ram Air?”  Or “remember the burnouts we used to do?”   Funny how we became the burnouts when it comes to Christ when we left him.  But he welcomes you back today.

Sadly there will always be another Jesus Barabbas in the wings waiting to take the place of God in our lives.  If only for a few days, a few hours, or a few moments in time.  But God is patient that none should perish, and welcomes you back.  Just hours after the crowd yelled “crucify him,” and released Barabbas, another thief, this one on the cross next to Jesus, recognized him and was saved.  And now is in paradise, heaven forever.  Jesus Barabbas came that close to Jesus Christ too, and won the election, but lost his life.  He went free, but never changed.  Jesus Christ changes lives, has he changed yours?  Or are you seeking alternate Jesus’s, seeking your way rather than God’s?  Do you live for the moment, or live forever? 

So why do you we try to figure out God, when we can just trust him, and be out enjoying life?  He reminds us his thoughts are not our thoughts, but they can be.  It is our choice, Jesus or Barabbas?  Lust or love?  Power or luxury.  You see even the power of a 454 V-8 is controlled by the right foot.  Pedal to the metal brings immediate results, unleashes power.  But when sitting at idle produces the same fuel economy as the motor in a Pinto, zero.  What we do with the power God offers is up to us.  I want a God who performs, who does it his way.  Who doesn’t call me for advice, but to who I can go to, even after I messed up, and he forgives and welcomes me.  My performance may be slow, his is always on time.  Never late, and he never hurried.  There is a substitute for cubic inches, but not for the real Jesus.  Consider Jesus Christ today when you seek help, advice, and guidance.  One Jesus took life, the crowd considered that power.  The true Jesus, the Christ shed his blood and gives life.  Displaced, but never replaced.  Love, now that’s powerful. 

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

something about a new bike

I was faced with the situation of a new bike, a weeks vacation, enough money to go, but where to go?  I had just had the 500 mile service done on my new FJ1100, after all it was a week old, and with Labor Day approaching, had strung together 9 days of where to ride?  After a sleepless day at work, I decided upon a trip to Pennsylvania to see my grandparents, some 2500 miles from where we lived in New Mexico.  Doing the math, it was simple, 3 days out, 3 days to visit, with 3 days left to return.  Ride about 800 miles per day, no big deal.  And thanks to the Eisenhower Interstate System to use most of the way, I lived over 200 miles from any interstate, I could see what the Yamaha could do, playing dodge the cops all the way.  Pretending I was some hardened criminal along the way gave me a psychological advantage, the long stretch across Kansas almost got me, and with the most cops per mile state of Ohio ahead, having had a ticket free ride, I had avoided a revenue draining side of the road routine, I was glad to cross over into Indiana.  But I had been talking to myself for too long, the conversation inside my head had become boring, and I needed off the freeways.  I needed curves, I needed back roads, I needed to get back to America....and help was just over the state line.  About 10 miles into Indiana, I stopped at a rest stop, where an Indiana Highway Patrol car sat alone.  Just the two of us, and the old man waved hello to me, so I decided to take a chance, and walked over.  After exchanging pleasantries, I told him how bored I was and what and where in Indiana could I get a cure for it.  He waved to the trunk of his car, opened it up, got out a map, closed the trunk and spread it out over it.  Showing me roads that would eventually get me to eastern Pennsylvania, but take only a few hundred miles longer.  This guy understood, and after outlining good roads, roads that any biker would appreciate, he carefully folded the map back up, handed it to me, and wished me a fun and safe trip,with a sparkle from his eyes that told me I was onto something special.  He knew the speed limits had just been raised....And they were, and I was, and as I soon found out southern Indiana is a great place to ride, hills, curves, and all the things that make for a great ride, with little or no traffic to contend with.  And even cars waved...go figure.  A ride that has taken me back to Indiana many times, I even came back another way he showed me through the Hoosier National Forest, giving me a new appreciation of Indiana, and a brief respite from the freeways.  Even the rain through most of Pennsylvania I didn’t mind, that’s how much the back roads had calmed me.  And even when stopping to take off my rain suit, laughed along with the State Policeman who stopped next to me, and told me to keep my speed down.  After a small plea, and no ticket, he laughed and pointed up to a helicopter, as he laughed and told me what a target I made in my yellow rain suit, what was I thinking?  And I arrived at my grandparents house, I had called my Grandmother to warn her, but not my Grandpa.  And he just happened to be sitting on the front porch as I went by, and leaped in the air he saw me!  And he was overjoyed, and for the next 3 days we ate, visited, ate some more, caught up on family business, and shared a time that all these years we kept secret.  No one, including my Nana and aunt and uncle, who lived only 3 miles away, nor my parents who only were another hour out, knew I had ridden back.  There is something about a new bike, and the time to ride it, with someone special on the other end.  I don’t remember much about the ride home, except the last 700 miles form Oklahoma City to Farmington it rained, and I got home a day early, the ride out is always better than the ride back.  A concept even our dog gets, she is full of energy when her walk starts, but slows down as she gets closer to home.  And lest you think she is tired, she will be up and ready again, just mention “walk.” 

In my box of maps I have saved over the years, whenever I come across the one from Indiana, I stop and pause.  I think of the kind state trooper, showing me ways and roads I never would have found without him.  It was never if I was going to make it to my destination, he just made the how more interesting.  And I can still see his face, white hair, and glasses, and his smile.  An angel of the highway you might say...I’d like to think he was.  But angels today are found everywhere, and it is trendy to talk of your angel.  Of not outriding him, how they follow you, and many think of them as winged, playing harps.  Where we get the word cherubic from, but angels are real, and can and have appeared in many forms when needed.  True we have a guardian angel looking out for us, but he is from God, who oversees things.  For angels are really messengers from him, and we won’t turn into an angel in heaven.  That’s fantasy, real life in Christ is more exciting.  So next time you are called “little angel,” or angelic, remember they were created beings, to serve us.  And also know one third rebelled in heaven along with Satan, and are out to get you.  But for the grace of God they might, good thing he is the protector and the lifter of our heads.  But we do have one angelic function on earth, to tell others about Jesus.  We are his ambassadors, and we represent him.  For it takes people with the holy spirit in them to deliver the message of salvation, for we were once lost, and now saved through Jesus.  No angel will ever know the born again experience, but still knows all about it.  Jesus makes it personal to and for us, and the angels rejoice when one is saved.  Angels have no salvation, but do have a real purpose in our lives.  But we have the choice to follow or deny Jesus, to follow means rejoicing, to deny means hell, which was made for the devil and his fallen angels.  It is our choice to make, and God will send angels along the way to help.  to guide, and to protect.  Sometimes unseen, sometimes in the form of man, but always from God.  Telling us to be kind to strangers, for they might be an angel.  And many have missed the opportunity to see an angel God may have sent due to plain old rudeness.  If we cannot be kind to someone we don’t know, how can we be kind to ones we do?  Jesus tells us to love him with all our heart, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.  Maybe entertain an angel sent  for you, maybe in the form of a trooper with a map....a nurse, someone in the hospital, or someone sent to comfort.  All because Jesus loves you.  A trait he wishes us to carry on.

There is something about a new bike, getting to know it, and even the same road can feel different on it.  The old roads become new when Jesus comes into our lives.  We become a new creature, the old us gone, so let the old man die.  Take on the things of Christ, and see things his way.  You may even encounter an angel or two along the way, but without him you will never know.  I ended up arriving home with over 6600 miles on my less than one month old motorcycle.  Many miles of memories, and a great visit with my grandparents.  But it was the chance encounter in Indiana that made the difference.  Somewhere along the ride of your life you will encounter the holy spirit, who will ask you “who is Jesus?”  He has been guiding you up until that time, and the correct answer will get you home.  Where it will take angels along the way, for the path is straight and narrow like some freeways, and where you get off will make all the difference. For me that day it was an old Indiana state trooper with a map to show the way.  Whom God placed where and when I needed him.  But Jesus is along for the whole ride, and doesn’t stop at the end, but goes on forever.  Three days to go, three to visit, three to return.  Jesus rose from the dead in three days, imagine what he can do when he has your entire life?  Some new bikes take a long time to break in, don’t wait any longer for Jesus, he calls, the ride is ready, your new life is waiting.  Be an angel-and then go tell someone.  I saw a lot in three days, imagine what you can in a lifetime.  Jesus and motorcycles, it just don’t get any better.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com 

comings and goings the year of my birth

1954 was a special year for a young couple stationed in San Antonio, Texas at Fort Sam Houston.  From Pennsylvania, they had spent time in Colorado, and now he was ending his tour of duty in Texas, when in May, their first and only son would be born.  Not even a blip on the screen anywhere else, but to them and me, that son, it was a great day.  Naturally I don’t remember much, I was too busy, but the world didn’t stop and rest for me that day.  Here are some events that filled the news that day...see if you can relate to any of them.

Joel Rosenberg, author and speaker was born, while up in the Motor City, Ray Parker had a Junior, who ya gonna  call, Ghostbusters?  Fernando Marcos weds Imelda in the Phillipines, I wonder how long it took to pick out shoes to wear for her wedding?  She would someday amass thousands.  The Unification Church was formed that day...who did they call upon?  Determine wins the Kentucky Derby in 2:03, with Raymond York aboard, bet his family was proud.  But that day also made ripples in the auto world in Detroit, as two of the last of the great independent auto makers joined together to form American Motors.  Nash and Hudson joined together forming them in a last ditch effort to keep alive.  The battles between Ford and Chevy had hurt them deeply, and we would later see both names gone in a few years, with the name Rambler carrying on until the late sixties, and saved by buying Jeep from Kaiser, who bought it from Willys-Overland, and finally dying a quiet, if not undignified death in 1987.  Somehow they made it that far, giving evidence to a Lido Iacocca quote, “you never put two number twos together to form a number one.”  And as a young CBS TV news anchor would later say, on his way to becoming the most trusted man in America, “and that’s the way it was, for May 1st, 1954.  Walter Cronkite saying good night.”  But elsewhere in the news of 1954, in sports one Henry Aaron takes over for an outfielder who sprains an ankle, and will retire some 755 home runs later.  In September Willie Mays makes his famous over the shoulder catch.  Marilyn Monroe marries Joltin’ Joe Dimaggio, and our nations turned its eyes to you, or maybe her.  A young Elvis Presley spends $4 in Memphis making a record, and soon will hit the charts, just after bill Haley and the Comets record “Rock Around the Clock,” and rock and roll will be born.  The words “under God” are added to the Pledge of Allegiance, and meat rationing officially ends in Great Britain, the war over almost 10 years.  Sports Illustrated begins, the last new Lone Ranger radio program is aired, now it’s only reruns.  And we never did get a chance to thank him.  Miss America makes it to the TV screen for the first time, and one Ho Chi Minh takes over control over North Viet Nam.  We send our first advisors....  Godzilla premiers, a month later so does the first successful human kidney transplant.  Burger King begins to have it your way in December, and the TV dinner is invented.  Who says there are no good places to eat?  And on April 11th, 1954, True Knowledge refers to the day as the most boring day of the 20th century.  If only we had the first color TV from RCA released a month earlier for only $1000, things might have looked different.  But for now, Father Knows Best would be and always will be in black and white.

What year was Jesus born?  Good question, but no exact date is given.  We know it was somewhere between 4-6 BC, due to historical records backed up by the Bible, but somehow we celebrate on December 25th.  A tradition that no one is sure where it began.  But more important than the day is the fact he was born, to a virgin, as prophesied hundreds of years before, fulfilling over 300 prophesies about him.  All without Facebook, or the Internet, and no one Twittering about it.  But we do know that Caesar Augustus had proclaimed a census be taken, and that all would go back to their home town to be counted.  Which led Joe and Mary to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born.  With  some historians and theologians agreeing on the time of year, that the census would be taken during Yom Kippur, when all Jews would return to Jerusalem, the Day of Atonement, the most holy day of the year.  Which may explain the crowds, no room at the inn, and his birth in Bethlehem, only a few miles from Jerusalem.  Which happens in September, or the time of the Jewish month of Tishrei.  How special is that, the savior born on the Day of Atonement?  But why December 25th, if he may have been born in September?  Just a thought to ponder, but consider this, the Jews believe life begins at conception, as do Christians.  As does God.  Fetuses are people, too.  Go back nine months to the end of December, and somehow the 25th make sense.  Now I am not claiming this to be true, but throw this one out for consideration, and suddenly it all makes sense.  And remind the atheist arguing over his birth date, that by arguing he is recognizing the fact he was born!  But no matter the date, we know Jesus came into the world to save us sinners, and I am so glad he did.

So as Christians we celebrate everyday with Jesus.  For each day is special when he is in it.  But the most important date to us is when we are Born Again, when we recognize Jesus for who he is, the Son of God, and we give our lives over to him.  Not an intellectual exercise, or even a religious event, but it is that personal.  If you are saved, you know what I mean.  If not, today can be your day of salvation.  You decide, as we are not promised tomorrow. 

So next time your faith and belief systems in Christ are threatened, by someone misquoting scripture for their own good, compliment them on their Bible knowledge.  Tell them you are impressed by it, and ask them a question.  You obviously read the Bible. what does Jesus mean when he says “you must be born again to enter the kingdom of heaven.”  What part of must don’t they get?  What part don’t you get?

Going back nine months from May 1, 1954, brings us to somewhere between July, August, and September of 1953.  The time I was formed in my mother’s womb.  Not sure of the exact day, but looking back nine months it all may make sense. It does trying to pinpoint the birth of Jesus.  In those three months of 1953, who would know or who could predict the year to come.  Che Guevara, motorcyclist and revolutionary sets out on his famed motorcycle trip.  Robin Roberts’ complete game streak ends at 28 complete games.  Ted Williams returns to the Major Leagues after his second tour of duty in the Marines.  The Brooklyn dodgers win the NL pennant, while the St. Louis Browns move to Baltimore and become the Orioles.  And Make Room For Daddy premieres on ABC-TV.  Quite a few months, especially in the household of Jeanne and Jack.  If they only knew what May would bring....and how a son would change their lives.  Today God tells us how his son can change our lives.  A blip on the charts for some, but the day of being born again the most important day of your life.  Life begins at conception, we enter the world a sinner.  But how we exit it depends on who we say Jesus.  Not a big deal on earth, but he angels in heaven rejoice.  All of them!  Just some comings and goings on the year of my birth, 1954.  With a look back to 1953, and a look ahead to the future.  The Beatles once sang about a lucky man who made the grade.  I am so glad it doesn’t take luck, but a person, and I know him, and he knows me!  Now elsewhere in the news....

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

the best seat in the house

We once we taught in school that one day you too can be President.  The idea was that you can be anything you want, so dream big, and live big.  And I went to a school where it wasn’t if you went to college, it was which one.  What a disappointment it must have been when I went to a Junior college, only a two year school.  We would both repeat the same things the first year, essentially 13th grade, and it would only be the third where we would choose a major and pursue it.  Yet for many it would be like Bluto’s quote in Animal House at graduation time, “7 years down the drain.”  While many would learn and earn a good living based on Judge Smale’s advice, “the world needs ditch diggers too, Danny.”  Some went the route of hair school, I mean night school, some worked for their families, some got drafted and never came back, and some earned degrees, were successful, and lived the American dream, hopefully their own, too.  No one wants to fail, or even plans to, we all like to succeed, maybe even be #1, but not stepping in #2 as Rodney told us.  But many drew attention to themselves along the way, basked in the spot light no matter how dim, or how small the audience.  Just so they were recognized, made special for that 15 minutes of glory Warhole promised each of us.  No one wanted to bat last, to not be picked for kickball, to ride a small motorcycle.  We wanted recogniton, we were in it for the money, to be admired, but really all we wanted was the power.  Just to be better than you-what it was was pride.

There has never been a new church, or denomination that didn’t think it could do it better.  To not fail where others did.  Works that way in ministry too.  We all want to be big, to change the world, to gain the rewards and be able to boast loudest about what God has done, in us of course, and take a bow for it.  With God of course.  We all wanted to start at the top, and stay there, the best we could hope for was a gentle ride on the way down.  And so God has done some incredible things in my life and my ministry.  Please note, I said “God,” for many times kicking and screaming he has taken me places and blessed me, despite my desires.  There have been moments when the spotlight was on me, and I wanted it, only to be ashamed and humbled because it was Jesus who should have gotten the glory.  I can do nothing without Christ in me.  And one day I started taking God’s advice, “just do what I ask, and nothing else.”  And when I did the blessings grew.  I found out I could do more sitting in the back row, than getting attention up front.  I could lead more effectively from the rear, it wasn’t all about me.  I listened and I grew, and still grow today.  Photo ops are nice, but I rather pass and let someone else have a chance.  Advice given me when asked to speak at a rally one time was wise, even wiser when taken.  I was qualified, but was told “maybe there is another Mike out there just waiting for a chance.”  And there was, and still is, and we both were blessed.  Just by trusting God, and not feeding my ego.  Yet so many live for photo ops, a chance to speak, a chance to be the certain of attention.  And use God as the reason.  Look out I warn, the fall down is farther than you have risen up.

So I have found the best seat in the house of God is where he wants me.  I am happy sitting in the back, letting others get attention, and meeting people in the crowd rather than addressing it.  I get more done when God leads and I follow.  Even Psalms asks, “where were you when I decided where to put the seas and the mountains?”  And your answer is....? In our “it’s all about me world,” of today, the old Rolling Stones tune “Satisfaction” is even more true.  Keith Richards was a prophet?  Amazing where good advice may come from.  But with so many not getting satisfaction from God, they turn away, and their path leads to destruction.  Maybe a quick lesson from the Bible is in order.

The Pharisees were not only religious, but rich and powerful for their day.  Like so many televangelists today.  Before paying their tithe or giving a gift, they summoned trumpeters to announce their arrival, to show what great givers they were, to get them recognized and idolized.  All for the glory of them.  They wanted to make sure no one missed what a humble and benevolent giver they were.  But God wasn’t impressed, he still isn’t today.  Or tomorrow.  God looks at the heart, and sees the motive behind not only giving, but all we do.  So he refers to the poor lady giving all she had, less than two cents.  Remember her next time you want to stick in your two cents, she gave even less, and was blessed even more.  She loved God from her heart, can we say we love him for who he is rather than for what he has done?  Isn’t being God enough to be praised?  Yet she gave all she had, an example Jesus showed us.  If you think you are an equal to Jesus, let me get my 9” nails out, he told us to pick up our cross and follow, not be nailed to it.  It is all about him, not us.  That is why it is called giving, and is not required.  Why we should give with a smile and laugh at what we are doing, wishing we had more.  After all, tithing is only 10%, doesn’t even a lousy waitress get 15%?  So give, by donating more than money.  Serve at church, give of your time.  Mentor a young kid, shuttle old people to where they need to go, do it for God.  If you see something that needs to be done, do it.  And when someone asks, tell them what Jesus is doing in you, let him be your testimony.  When he gets the glory, you get the blessings.  And who couldn’t use more blessings?  And do some things where only your God in heaven sees, no photo ops, anything else you do wanting praise is like the oily rags I have for cleaning up spills in the garage-disposable.  Don’t be like the man who stands up in church and donates $1000-anonymously.  Give when the need arises, go where God leads.  Follow the vision he has given you, and let no one deter you, no church, no ministry steal it.  Let go and let God....yet so many ask “what would Jesus do?”  If you are a Christian, do you really need to ask?

God has never asked us to be successful, only faithful.  Which can be encouraging or discouraging, depending on the situation.  But in every situation, Jesus promises a way out, to bring you closer to him.  For you to be blessed, to give you a hope and  future to encourage others.  When in the hospital I had no control over anything, the doctors and nurses did what they had to do to keep me alive.  The only thing I had control over was my attitude.  How I wish it was more perfect than I remember.  So take the attitude of Christ, lower yourself, and follow him.  It eventually leads to heaven, but you can enjoy all the benefits now.  Just by obeying.  Give up the best seat in the house for a better one right next to Jesus.  Wherever you sit, whatever you do, do it with Christ in mind.  Who gave it all and promises a seat for you in heaven.  At the main table.  Don’t settle for second best.  God only has first class seats for you, the ones he chooses not what you would think.  Why would I want to be President when I can live in his kingdom of heaven forever?  And his service isn’t secret!  So let yours be seen only by him, the best story of the gospel you will ever tell is your actions.  Use words only when necessary.  Anywhere Jesus is is the best seat in the house.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com