only the names have changed

If you started riding less than 40 years ago, names like Triumph, Indian, Moto Guzzi, and Ducati may be new.  Brands of motorcycles that once thrived, either went to sleep or just went away, and now are back and popular once again.  The dealers may be gone, some converted to Honda like Musselman’s in Tucson who used to sell Indians and BSA, Wilson’s in Fresno now pushing metrics, or Joe Turney’s in Albuquerque, now a latte shop.  The buildings, the bikes, and almost a whole generation of riders gone, but somehow the memories remain.  Some moved on to Hondas, some bought Yamahas, strange sounding names like Suzuki and Kawasaki popped up, but the call of motorcycling remains, only the names have changed.  Harley almost faded too, somehow kept alive and reinventing itself by shrewd marketing, but for those who ride, not just own, things remain the same, we just worship different brands. 

I asked a group of Harley guys one time, who claim they live to ride, if tomorrow only a 250 cc 2 stroke was available, would you still ride?  Without fail, they would stop, maybe telling more about brand loyalty than devotion to riding and the love of motorcycling.  They claim a lifestyle, and even an ad from JP Cycle’s today made me think about riding.  The Top 10 Cruising Destinations in Iowa.  Not roads to ride, but places to end up.  Left on your own to get there, trailers optional.  So maybe more than the brands have changed, maybe we are changing, and as it is more important to be seen riding the right bike as opposed to riding the right road, we each choose our destination, but to me it is still the ride that makes it all worthwhile.

Triumph, BSA, Norton, Matchless, and other British bikes faded away.  They were so proud they thought no one would ever replace them.  Across the pond Harley thought the same after being the lone survivor in the Indian wars.  But the Japanese taught us all better, took us to a level of performance and reliability we could only dream of, and then began to lose their personality.  They became akin to a blender or refrigerator, bought for a purpose, with no love attached.  BMW who also almost faded, now has come back, Triumph reinvented itself, and both are selling high end bikes.  Even Duc-Audi, going through numerous changes of ownership, is at the leading edge of race bikes, Indian is back, Harley now has a direct competitor, Victory is being weaned from us, and what we ride again tells more about us than we wish to share. Sadly no 2 strokes, so my Harley lifestyle friends are safe....

So as we pass from idle worship idol worship, John again warns us, “dear children, keep yourself from idols.”  As church attendance is slimming despite more churches, we exhibit our passions on two wheels.  We may claim we don’t worship our motorcycles, but look at the place they take in our lives.  A vision always pops into my memory of riding through the south, cardboard shacks with paper roofs, but a new Harley on the porch.  How many times we struggled just to make ends meet, but when our bikes broke, somehow we found the money to fix them.  I know men who will ride to club events and try to meet up with family members, rather than just visit their families.  So I know, and can confess to the idol worship that can attract me, but it is the idle worship, the going nowhere, sitting in neutral, by passing God that bothers me.  When a heart becomes cold, we call it backsliding.  When we forsake our first love, when we deny Jesus, we have a cold heart.  Some straddle the fence, making Jesus sick, remember he vomits the lukewarm from his mouth.  Some do all the right things, yet are rotting away inside, appearance being their only goal.  But in each case, when we do not place Jesus first, we are acting selfishly, telling God we know what is best, and becoming so clever and smart we take, rather steal the glory from God for the blessings in our lives.  A good FICO score may get you the ride of your dreams, but can you afford the payments?  What have you given up, what are you getting in return? 

In a be seen world, I watched a stylish woman with holes in her jeans, denims we would have thrown away because they were worn, yet she strikes a pose.  A wannabe.  Add a leather jacket with studs, and the empress may have new clothes, but is still hollow inside.  When motorcycles, cars, and clothes become more fashionable than a relationship with Jesus, we are worshipping an idol.  It has taken the place of Jesus, even if you wear it to church!  We get so enamored by the things of humanity, we neglect to see the things of God.  Funny, but the Top 10 Destinations were all man made, neglecting the things of God.  No Loess Hills.  No open prairies or dales.  Museums, shops, places that sell t-shirts.  Until the next fad comes along....

If you feel trapped by the world, know that in Jesus we can overcome it, he has.  I may get grease and oil on my $16 Wranglers, no latte gonna stain them.  Latte is still a cup of coffee, for $5.  And what I find interesting, is a resurgence of 250 cc motorcycles, marketed for new riders, but older guys buying them and remembering their first rides, their first love.  And I meet many who have fallen away, denied Jesus after once serving him, now coming back, with a testimony of how he loved and forgave them even when they were away.  Scripture doesn’t warn us keep away from idols to punish but to protect us.  From payments and pain, which only make us lonely.  The problem with being stylish is styles change, Jesus never goes out of style.  Love never fails.  Try that one on your Harley store. 

And so John refers to us as dear children, not as spoiled brats, but as loved, because Jesus loves us as we are.  His desire, to give you an abundant life, to enjoy the ride, and not be miserable on the way to your destination.  Sin is out there, very subtle at times, but still sin.  Don’t look for a verse to excuse it in your life, seek Jesus and his promises, then follow them.  Let the spirit guide you, ride new roads on old bikes, remember the good old days, but look forward to the ones yet to come.  Maybe an afternoon on an old 250 just may change your attitude.  And if no one is looking, it is still OK to have fun.  If you need an audience maybe you really are a poser at heart, but don’t give up, Jesus died for you too.  The road beneath us may be crumbling, the infrastructure failing, Jesus never does.  To absorb the bumps just like your shocks do.  Ask yourself, is it Jesus Christ or something else?  I hope your answer doesn’t amaze you.  If it does, Jesus is still the answer. 

Some ride, some remember.  Some look back, some look ahead.  Funny how they left out Captain Kirk’s future birthplace.  Riverside, Iowa.  Look it up, been there.  No t-shirts, just a photo and a memory.  Keep yourself from idols.  Even Mr. Spock would agree that makes sense.  Now for a ride to Vulcan...only the names have changed.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

 

Nicky's last race

The newswires are erupting today with the news that Nicky Hayden, AMA Superbike and MotoGP Champion, has died in Italy after a bicycle accident last week along the Adriatic coast. He was 35 years old.  So much life lived, and so much life yet to live, yet in one brief moment, it all ended.  Nicky was a young icon, a hero, a good guy, one that parents could tell their kids to be like, at 35 he was still a kid himself. His talent and skill could have him ride at 200 mph, compete at and with the highest level of road racing and win.  Not quite ready to retire, yet all his skills, talent, training, experience, contacts and contracts couldn’t help him out that day.  On the track where he could perform with and against those of his peer group, he couldn’t compete with his peer group in traffic.  How sad, taken out by a back marker.  But the end would be the same irregardless, it was Nicky’s last race.  A DNF, and he will never race again.

There are two days in our life we have no control over, the day we are born and the day we will die.  But we do have a lot to say about the days in between and how we choose to live them.  Some will say “if he only knew, he could have been prepared, or taken a different route, or stayed home.”  But yet in God’s eyes from the day we are born until we die, we are preparing for that day, that time when we leave earth for our final destination.  So the question needs to be asked, “are you ready?”  When you go out today, are you prepared to meet your maker?  When you lay me down to sleep, do you trust the Lord your soul to keep?  It was all over in a millisecond for Nicky, scripture tells us we are changed in the twinkling of an eye, scientists tell us that it is 1/240,000th of a second.  No one is that fast, and if you were, would you concentrate on Jesus or yourself? 

The medical community cannot tell when death occurs.  They can monitor the heart and the brain, but keep it alive on life support.  When I asked Peter, my cardiologist about it, he explained simply “ I can keep you functioning, but I cannot keep you alive.”  Maybe a clearer definition of life and death than I knew at the time, but do now.  He knew all about the physical, but it is in the spiritual realm we will exist in forever.  I said exist, for some, not all, will not go to heaven, for them life is over, but to those in Christ Jesus, we will live forever.  Eternal, never ending, an eternal right now, with an eternal tomorrow to look forward to.  In Christ, but without him....we see what death really is.  Separation from God forever. 

Some live their lives gaining points to win the championship Jesus gives freely.  But can never gain enough to win, always short.  You cannot do anything to make God love you more, or less, you cannot buy or earn your way to a heavenly championship.  No sponsorship, no factory ride can promise what Jesus does.  All the hours of track time, of practice, of classroom training may make you a better rider, more competitive, but they do not guarantee you a win, or a championship.  Yet many live that way, trying to please God to gain his favor, while there is nothing you can do to increase his love for you.  You can know all the scripture, memorize John 3:16, go to the right study, know the pastor even, but still not be prepared for the end.  For that one day in traffic when the one thing you trained for occurs, and it is all over....forever.

Scripture tells us that for the believer the day we die is better than the day we were born.  We are born into sin, look around, it ain’t all podium finishes.  But death has its rewards for Christians, we win the championship of heaven, and don’t ever have to compete again.  Are you ready to race?  Are you ready to win?  Better yet, are you prepared to lose?  Nicky lost his last competition here on earth, in a non-race situation.  I only hope he knew Jesus.  It is too late for him now, but not for you.  If today was the day your life on earth ended, where will you go?  Are you sure?  Why?  Only in Jesus Christ do we have that eternal hope, the promise of being resurrected like he was.  No religion, philosophy, talent, or connection can get you to heaven.  Only Jesus can.  Church membership won’t, Bible study won’t, good works or deeds won’t, and trying to earn it will only have you come up short.  So why not enjoy the free gift of heaven, and being living it today, on earth as it will  be in heaven.  All abut Jesus.  For when we live in his will, all things are possible, and God’s will is simple, that none should perish.   That none should go to hell, which was made for the devil and his angels.  Now you know, so what do you say?  Are you in the race to win, or to finish?

A live dog is better than a dead lion.  One was king, one looked down upon.  You cannot take it with you, so don’t give up what you cannot earn to keep that which you cannot take with you.  Be sure in Jesus today, and run the race to win.  One DNF could end it all, are you ready? 

love with copassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

some of my favorite roads

Everyone has a list of their ten best or favorite roads, but what about the ride?  Maybe a subtle difference, but a difference none the same.  For example Highway 1 between San Luis Obispo and Carmel is a favorite road, but not even on my list of favorite rides.  Why?  Because of the weather, rain, cold, wind, and fog never get me to fully enjoy the road.  I have ridden it in rain and in sun, you never know what you will get.  So I ride elsewhere.  Route 66 is just the opposite, one of my favorite rides, but not on my road list.  I love the history, old diners, and the atmosphere of the 50-60’s, but most of it is just boring. I like the small towns, but stop light after stop light gets old.  So I ride elsewhere.  All the locals rave about Palomar, I avoid it.  Good road, too many riders in the way, one squid is all it takes to ruin everyone’s day.  Interstate 79 in West Virginia is one of my favorite rides, but being an interstate, as you approach Morgantown, it is just another freeway.  Ever ride the Chesapeake Bay Bridge?  17 miles of bridge and tunnels, it scares my wife, it fascinates me.  But on a windy day....and you go from Delmarva to Virginia Beach, hmmm?  How about a bridge?  The Astoria bridge is a place I love to ride, just back and forth over it.  High, windy, then straight and floating over the Columbia, when we are in the area we ride over it a few times.  Nothing to me of great value on either side, just the bridge that brings them together.

On our last ride to Tucson, not a good ride for the most part to get there, it is boring to get there, we took the back roads to Silver City, and found some beautiful riding roads.  No traffic, great curves with elevation changes, and good pavement.  Far away but close enough to society that you are never more than an hour away from help if you need it.  I will not disclose the roads, they are yours to find, mine not to share.  If in Pennsylvania, ride SR 32 from Easton to New Hope.  What a road if ever was made for riding, but look out, watch your speed, for the curves may have warnings, the cops don’t.  But slow down and enjoy the scenery, and of all the times I have ridden it, the last one is always my favorite.  The Snake in North Carolina and Tennessee boasts more curves in less miles than the Dragon.  But without the hype, is more rideable.  And at the intersection at the bottom, you have a choice of 4 ways to go.  Top that! 

Some roads I have ridden so many times that they have fallen from my let’s ride list.  I like new roads, ones I haven’t ridden before, ones that the trendy group doesn’t know about and hasn’t found yet.  Back roads that seemingly go to nowhere, but really is somewhere.  Most disappointing is stopping at a cycle while riding cross country, and they have nothing to offer.  Don’t you guys ride?  Where is your sense of adventure?  So I follow squiggly lines on the map, look for back roads and cut offs, and alternate routes.  A road less travelled, but a lot more interesting.  Two roads in Iowa come to mind, one in Indiana, another in Arkansas, and numerous ones in southern Minnesota.  Places you may avoid, but I have discovered, and want to keep secret.  Part of the ride is the discovery, the thrill of the first time.  For the rest of you there are a GPS.  Or take the bus.  But whatever road you choose, I hope you enjoy the ride.

For years as a Christian motorcyclist I struggled with the scripture about the road  to God being straight and narrow.  Then why did he invent curves and motorcycles to ride them?  And on one curvy road one day, he explained.  He gave us the curves to enjoy and to be blessed.  He made the ride to him straight and narrow so no one would miss a turn.  Add in the shortest way between two points is a straight line, and he wants no delay in us coming to him.  And suddenly, it all made sense, at least to me.  We are all on different paths, different roads, but on different rides.  Some cruise through life, never being challenged, but missing out on aspects of God they will never see.  If you don’t know or haven’t found the hard times bring you closer to Jesus, hang on.  You will be blessed, but pressed at the same time.  Maybe a road less taken, but a ride that only with Jesus you will arrive at.  Some rides will last longer, some shorter, some cut off.  In all we can see the grace and mercy of God if we have our spiritual eyes open.  Five years ago we set out for a 22 day ride to Wisconsin, 54 days later we come home in a rented Camry after I had my aorta replaced in Albuquerque.  After being life flighted from Durango.  A tough road, but a ride I could never have taken without Jesus.  A ride that brought me closer to him than I ever thought possible, and I thought I was pretty close.  Boy was I wrong, but that straight and narrow path between us was ever so short when I needed him, even before I could ask.  Which it is hard to do in a coma. 

We don’t know where today’s ride will take us or where it will end up.  Or how.  But you can be sure Jesus will be with you if you invite him along.  If saved, he already is, if not, an invite is in order.  You don’t have to be paranoid to see that everyone is out to get you when riding, or not.  One afternoon on a ride in the Sandia Mountains reminded me.  Old SR 10, now SR14 is made for riding, but is also very rural.  Lots of old pickups maxing out at 25 mph.  You never know if one is around the curves you cannot see.  But God sits on top of the mountain and sees everything.  And one afternoon his spirit warned me, and I slowed where I normally would not have, narrowly missing an old truck, the rancher waving, never knowing how close I had come.  But Jesus did, and that makes all the difference.

Is he making a difference in your life?  Do you let him?  Are you riding by skill alone?  Without Jesus today, you may never ride tomorrow.  So enjoy the ride today, with one final example of God’s grace, initially interpreted as my stupidity.  I rather give God the credit.  We were going to go to the Billy Graham Library which we thought was in Boone, North Carolina, where he is from.  No one could tell us where it was.  Later that night in our motel, as we watched the weather, over 600 lightning strikes had hit the ground in Charlotte.  Where Billy’s library was.  And if we had been there, it could have been disastrous, but God knew, and what was a wrong destination at first was one of comfort and security from the storm.  And when we visited the next day, the place was aglow in bright colors because of the rain.  As if God had done it for us, and I believe he did. 

Favorite road, but rather my favorite ride.  He gave me a testimony, and a safe ride.  Allowing me to see his love for us in the curves too.  Like meeting the fellow Triumph rider on Skyline Drive, or making a new friend we never met but guided us through SR 128 one afternoon.  Or...so whatever road you take, know that Jesus is what makes the ride.  Can’t say that on a bus can you?  Jesus, my favorite ride, no matter the road, I know where I will eventually end up.  Can you say the same?

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

 

we're leaving home, bye bye

At the tender age of 21, when most are still trying to find themselves, I had found Jesus.  My surroundings, New Jersey were beginning to cave in around me, as my past life led a lot to be desired.  But the one dream that I always had was to be on the road, and move to California.  Inspired by the Beach Boys, weather I could ride in year round, and California girls, that was my dream.  But only the leaving Jersey part would be fulfilled, at least for now.  And then.  After doing time in New Mexico, Colorado, then New Mexico again, 12 years later it was the time to go to California.  I had done my time elsewhere, and looking back, didn’t realize the trip Jesus had taken me on so I could make it out here.  I had been a Beach Boys fan since 8 years old, he had given me the California girl of my dreams and a family with her, now it was time to live in weather where could ride all the time.  But in each move, it was saying goodbye, and leaving home.  Going to a place where I had never lived before.

My last night in Jersey we had a wild going away party, only brought back to reality by having a gun pulled on me.  It was time to go.  Sadly my parents took too long to recognize that, themselves moving away from their parents and home town, I guess it is different when you are the one moving.  Leaving New Mexico for the last time was due to economic factors, I had lost my job, and I knew it was time to move farther west.  I had lived in the west, the real west, now it was the west coast.  My final destination on earth, and this week we celebrate 30 years here.  My home, our home, but somehow it doesn’t always feel like home, and on our cross country trips we search for the perfect small town that doesn’t have winter.  Last year after getting serious about selling the house and moving, god reminded me h e had given me all I had asked for, “why would I even consider moving?”  What was this call to move, really a call for the open road all about?  I was living scripturally without even knowing it...

Scripture tells us we are all sojourners, visitors just passing through, earth is not our final destination. When God promised Abram a family and heirs that would be countless, he couldn’t imagine.  With a barren wife, both above conception age, he still hung on, and God rewarded him.  He was given a choice of the land of milk and honey, or the high desert, he passed on what would have been our first choice, settled in the desert, and flourished.  Which I can relate to, I love the high deserts of New Mexico, but my heart was here, and after time at 8300’, God said it was time.  California was calling, and it would be my new home.  At last.  Till death do us part, California, not God.

We are not told about any good bye scene between Jesus and his father when he came to earth, it must have been hard for both, for they both knew the future.  But 33 years based against eternity is nothing, and Jesus knew he would return home someday, but with countless new family members like Abraham did.  It was God’s wish that he be reunited with us, without the years of Jesus on earth, it would not have been possible.  We needed a savior, and only Jesus would do.  But just as we are not told about any going away party, we are told about a wild welcome home party, where all the angels celebrate when we come to Christ.  My Jersey friends kept telling me “you’ll be back,” but I knew different.  Thankfully when Jesus said that he will be back, he did and we will be resurrected just like him at death.  No matter what your  current address is, you have a final destination, and you get to choose where.  The most important choice of your life, so don’t blow it.  For our earthly address is temporary, our final destination eternal.  We are told all about hell, why anyone would choose that I cannot understand.  But heaven isn’t, we are only told “eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor mind imagined the kingdom of God that awaits us.”  So whatever you think heaven to be, it will be much better. Because God is love, and will express it in a heavenly way without the burdens of sin here on earth.  But hell will also be worse than we can imagine, and those of us who choose Jesus will never know.  We will be in eternal bliss, in the presence of God, worshipping freely, while the others who denied, will worship too, but in agony, confessing Jesus as Lord, just not their Lord.  For every knee will bow, both in heaven and below the earth.  And if you do not profess Jesus on earth, he will not profess you to his father. 

When The Beatles sang on She’s Leaving Home, “fun is the one thing that money can’t buy,” and being saved is the most fun you will ever have this side of heaven.  Jesus Christ is the one thing inside that we have always denied for so many years, the way home.  That yearning for more, to be on, to move on, to live our wildest dreams in him, we do not see when we deny him.  But when we make him the desire of our hearts, he gives us the desire of his heart.  Do you include Jesus in your plans or dreams for tomorrow?  Jesus Christ, someone inside who was always denied for so many years, isn’t today the day you start to travel with him?  To be ready and excited to go home? 

We struggle all our lives to get by, to be free from the burdens life lays on us.  In Jesus we can life on earth as it is in heaven via his spirit.  Knowing that every night when I lay me down to sleep, if I die I know where I will wake up.  All by one simple choice to accept his offer, to recognize him as God, and to be forgiven.  Abraham had no idea what lied ahead, I had no idea when I moved west.  Do they speak Spanish in New Mexico?  Aren’t all places we call home the same?

If home is where your bike marks its spot, I am glad that Jesus has marked a spot for me in heaven.  It’s quite possible there was never a good bye between father and son, because Jesus never left the presence of his dad.  And we won’t either.  Someday we will change our address, until that day stay in contact with him.  And if that something inside that was always denied for so many years was Jesus, be glad heaven awaits.  And a homecoming like the world has never seen.  Abraham knew and trusted God.  After living alone for so many years.  Bye, bye.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com