Tuesday, April 11, 2017

the motor company and the church

















In the beginning was Harley, right after Indian and Triumph.  With all three having an illustrious history, mostly based on racing and the victories that brought it sales, which kept them in business.  But over time Indian and many others left us, Triumph went dormant for awhile and reinvented itself, a luxury brand today, and Harley Davidson has always been here, not always healthy, but enough of a heartbeat to pass the mirror test.  With a little, OK a lot of help from Honda and the Japanese in the sixties and seventies, and that is where we pick up the story.  But first....
The summer of 1969 brought Bill and I lots of cash from painting houses. From mini-bikes to a Honda 50 our riding prowess had grown, and we wanted something bigger.  One afternoon, a friend of Bill’s dad who worked for Harley sat with us at their dinner table and explained how Harley was in bad shape.  Quality was bad, sales down, prices and weight up, and had a new owner, AMF.  He moaned of how things would never be the same, and told us to save our hard earned cash, not to buy the Sportster that was known to “separate the hair on your chest, and if you didn’t have any, add it,” a big deal in puberty, and buy a Honda.  My first taste of Harley, and from an insider.  Now AMF is either a bad word or a blessing to Harley owners, but the truth is, the AMF years led to Vaughn Beals and an investor group buying Harley Davidson, and the rest is history as they say.  Right after, an appeal to President Reagan put a tariff on all imported bikes over 700 cc to help Harley, enter the EVO motor, unequaled marketing that is even taught in college today, and we have before us the Motor Company as we know it today.  Building and selling more motorcycles than they ever thought possible, with dealers making stupid money, while the dedicated line up buying parts and service in Hundred Dollar increments.  Ten years ago when I thought I wanted a Sportster, I had already parted the chest hairs on my FJ1100 at 155 mph, Harley at the time was in demand.  Selling for way over retail, you waited and paid the price if you wanted one.  Or you rode something else.  I rode something else.  Still do.  Many bought into the lifestyle, the marketing worked, and with the largest margin in the industry, any Harley MSRP has a 25% profit margin for the dealer, even a Sporty made him $2500.  A CVO $9000, gotta pay for the hot dogs somehow.  Add in the $3000 worth of chrome per bike, Screamin’ Eagle to make it perform like it should have left the factory, and Harley Davidson was big money.  And still is, just not as big, as the market shrunk, sales are down, and today they even offer 0& financing, and discounts.  And if you want a used Harley at a fair price, any Metric dealer has lots of them, with low miles and only a few years old.  Seems the hype wasn’t worth the money, and they got traded on something affordable.  And more fun to ride.  That will not cost $100 every time you walk into their dealership.  Imagine the rides you can take....and many do, in a multi line dealer last week, the used Harley section had almost 30 bikes for sale!  Times change, finally their product is, and from a man who should know, claims 2015 was the year to buy one, before uh-uh.  No word on the Milwaukee Eight, but the guys who test them for ad dollars like them. 
Remember Y2K, and how the world may end?  Or at least change?  Seems the church did too, and with 2012 and the Mayan calendar some years off, I remember churches gearing up for the last onslaught of heathens being saved.  With a local church we used to attend wanting to add on for when the people show up, we need a place to put them.  “Building to share, sharing to build!” said the banners, and the pledge envelopes went out.  We were in a membership growth period, how could they be wrong? But I soon found out it was more hype than truth, an evangelistic tool of those who lent money to churches to build.  While visiting a friend in Las Vegas, he had the same sign on his refrigerator, the same propaganda we had, and the same belief based church that said we needed a building.  More building.  A newer building to attract or house the new converts.  Suddenly my eyes were opened....I don’t know about my friend’s church, but the church we used to attend now has a new name, new pastors, a new building, and a lot with a lot less cars.  Counted over 30 last Sunday, it holds several hundred.  Seems the only ones who built to grow didn’t share their wealth.  They built it, but no one came.  We were warned, but our egos wouldn’t allow us to hear.
Evangelism is not inviting a person to church.  It is out living and sharing Jesus as you go, as you live.  Jesus said he will draw all men unto him, not the church, he saves, the church doesn’t.  He sets up his ministry in the hearts of men, not in buildings.  A far cry from what we were told, but who wants to be a rebel and not go alone with the church line?  To be an outcast?  Yet many of us do, and choose the spirit over the teachings of some denominations.  Overall church attendance is down, below pre-911, and some ask “where is Jesus?”  Following a lie, they miss him, trying to find the perfect God to change for them, not to change them. 
2000 years ago on Palm Sunday the crowds yelled “hossana!” save us, as Jesus rode into Jerusalem.  But it wasn’t the Pharisees who did the yelling, it was the week to follow, as Jesus was tried, found innocent, and when turned over to the church, they yelled “crucify him!”  From hero to zero in the world’s eyes, but really the heroic feat was in process, and ended on Good Friday, verified on Easter Sunday, and celebrated today.  Jesus was resurrected, went to the cross voluntarily.  The same way we come to him, as volunteers, not forcibly, but on our own.  Driven by the spirit telling us we need Jesus.  And saving us, promising we will be resurrected upon death as he was.  Something no building can ever offer.  it took love in the form of Jesus to save...
And while church attendance is down, wise men still seek him.  Salvations occur daily, the church grows.  As we draw closer to Jesus, he grows inside us, and as we do, we live differently.  We evangelize by our lives, or as St. Francis of Assissi is quoted, “preach the gospel daily, if necessary use words.”  The gospel, good news, who couldn’t use more of that?
So the Motor Company and the church carry on.  Both promoting a lifestyle, yet only Jesus saves.  If only we as Christians could use the love of Jesus instead of trendy words of marketing as PR, imagine the growth.  But it starts with us, does our lifestyle promote Jesus?  If you are a Christian, would you like to be like you?  We make fun of posers, and that $20,000 and 20 miles don’t make you a biker.”  going to church won’t make you a Christian, only Jesus does.  And while some actually ride Harleys instead of just owning, many of us live Jesus instead of just having a sticker on our cars, or clogging up pews on Sunday.  Those of us who ride are part of a brotherhood, with divisions among us. Harley, BMW, cruiser, or sport bike?  Religion is no different, New Ulm, Minnesota, a town of 15,000 has six different Lutheran churches.  That’s religion, that’s what Jesus rescued us from.  Which is why the Pharisees hated him.  He upset their customer base, and their income.  How may old Christians occupy used church people departments?  And are still saved?  Still riding?  Still loving Jesus? 
It is no time to be stylish or trendy.  Harley is constantly improving their product, they have to to compete.  Jesus has the product, he is the product.  No matter what you ride, ride with him.  And leave the hundred dollar bills at home....some trust in horses, some in horsepower....
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com