the one your mother warned you about

Girls like bad boys.  So do other boys, who both grow up into men and women.  I have given up trying to figure it out, maybe one great lesson in the road of life.  But true it is, we tend to flock to bad boys and girls.  Maybe it is like the bumper sticker says, “good girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere else.”  And although our perception of bad has gotten increasingly worse, bad is still bad, and good will eventually win out over it. But not without the good having casualties, and many sustaining life changing injuries.  And it was out of these bad that I came before I was saved.  Sadly too many of my friends didn’t, or have the scars to prove they were there, while others just got grazed by standing too close, singed but not burned.  We were all attracted to the bad boys in life, and I was one that they were attracted to.

Now it is not important to list my before Christ sins, but to know I went against him at every turn.  From outlaw biker friends to drug dealers, to hookers, to criminals, these were my friends.  Which quickly became wary of me when I got saved.  And it was my past that I escaped from, but still carried with me when I moved west at age 21, riding my R90S.  Motorcycles, or more precisely those who rode were considered outlaws, bad guys, or those type your mother warned you about.  But mostly we were about riding fast and having fun, but with perception being the better part of truth, even 40 years ago, I was considered bad.  Despite my salvation, despite my walk with Christ, two wheels may have moved my soul, but they also painted me as bad.  Which may have been a factor in being asked to help with the teens under Pastor Hyde.  They listened to me, they liked my stories, and my testimony.  I had been a bad boy, they had been raised in church, and mostly knew the “thou shalt not” gospel those outside the church thought was Christianity.  But they were bad on their own level, more curious than rebellious, and needed guidance.  So they chose me, to some a mistake, but to the teens a bad boy who knew, who was street wise, and who rode.  Who would attend church, then get on my bike parked outside the front door.  Good church types drove sedans, I rode.  And my audience wanted to hear more about it, it was up to the Holy Spirit to turn what was once bad into good.  No wonder God stays up nights listening to our prayers.....

But the youth group grew, we grew closer together, and some even grew closer to God.  Amazing.  But although I was only 6-7 years older, I was still an adult in their eyes, just a cool one.  One they could trust.   I listened and advised on dating, pretty much do as I say, not as I did.  Same with drugs, alcohol, riding fast, and listening to authority.  I had changed, and thought maybe I was done, at least compared to my new audience.  But then I fell in love....and it all changed.  And an afternoon visit from Pastor Hyde enlightened me.  I loved him, he was cool, trusted me in the position I was in, with his two daughters both part of my youth group.  Who knows how many words I spoke were repeated at home to raised eyebrows, but he loved and respected me, and I wanted to please him, I respected him also.  But with a new girlfriend, who became my wife, the playing field had changed.  The old me was still the old me, the new me was different.  And although I was in denial, Pastor Hyde was right.  As he always was.  He told me that in marriage I would want to be with my wife and not with the youth group.  So of course I argued, the many years of “I’ll show you I’ll be stupid” still evident.  He even advised me to join with other young couples, as I would feel more comfortable around them, we he really meant.  Theresa and I, we were the we.  I wasn’t a factor anymore.  And soon the youth group, the one I was so much apart of, the kids who used to come by my apartment, who gave me advice on dating, seemed the younger girls wanted me to wait until they were older, not realizing I would be older too.  My relationship with them was changing, I still loved them and was in charge, but now any excuse to not go and be with Theresa worked.  Pastor Hyde was right, I wanted to be with my own kind, my wife.  And so reluctantly I resigned, knowing it was the right thing to do.  But leaving a lasting impression on the youth group at Chelwood Park Foursquare Church.  And them on me....we both had changed, and were changing.  It was now someone else’s turn, I had a family.  But was still a part of theirs.

It seems that Jesus was and is attracted to bad boys and girls.  In the book of Mark 2, we find him at a going away party for Levi, a tax collector, who had been saved.  The party was all tax collectors, the despised of their time, sinners, and others despised by the citizens.  And Jesus sat right among them.  Much to the chagrin of the Pharisees, who took note, and asked his disciples “doesn’t he know who these outcasts are?”  And he did know, that was why he was with them.  Jesus knew who and what they were, and loved them anyway.  The Pharisees not knowing they were just as sick, or even more so in their prejudices.  Jesus was hanging out, eating and drinking with sick men, but where else would you expect a doctor to be than with the sick? 

Jesus makes himself available to the sick and hurting, to the sinners.  To all bad boys.  He showed how when people are in a bad situation and need God, he is among them.  No prejudices here, he showed the Pharisees also that if you have no desire to be helped you cannot be helped.  A lesson to all of us, good or bad.  Church folk or biker type.  He knew they wouldn’t listen, he understood their prejudices, and their lack of understanding of him.  He put himself where the greatest need was, and where it would be received.  He put himself where there were those open to his help.  The same offer was extended to the Pharisees, only they were more interested in prejudices than people.  How they looked, what others would say.  Bound by law, they missed grace.  They missed Jesus and all his blessings.  He showed them and us to love not based on appearance, but on who the person is, and love no matter what.  Good advice, and my youth group was that group.  And it was a few years later, married with kids that I was reminded how much an impact I had made. 

Brian and his sister were part of the youth group, she was a flirt, pretty, and growing up too fast.  My firm advice, and background gave gravity to my words, and she took my advice.  The advice God had given me for her.  I only learned this one afternoon running into Brian, who now was married and had a family of his own.  He told me how the group had grown under my direction, rather despite my direction, and the words and love I had put into them guided many today.  They were good kids, in need of direction, and Pastor Hyde knew it, and knew I was the one.  Yet he also knew when it was time for me to move on, for another to step in.  And today many like Brian have stepped into the positions abandoned like me and others, being guided by Jesus, led by his spirit.  I had been a despised person, only in Jesus had I changed, and am still changing today.  A work in progress....

Jesus is the hope that all us bad boys are looking for.  He is the one who will stay by us, not abandon us, and love us as we are.  Or were.  As Christians we need to recognize this and live it daily.  To look past appearances and prejudices, to love from the heart, not from the reputation.  Let God sweep away all your preconceived prejudices today, and enjoy the fullness of Christ in your life.  Jesus is open to all who let him in, and let him help.  For the rest of you, Jesus knows your hearts too.  And loves you just as much.  The man who turned water into wine can change whiners into people, and use them to change others lives.  It takes the spirit, and a willingness to follow it.  For me it was Pastor Hyde who knew my past, but saw my potential.  If only I could let that group know how much they meant to me....I can hear the stories now being told to their kids, or grandkids.  “There was this biker from Jersey who Jesus saved....” And the story continues...where are you in it?

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

a day in the life

   Jesus got to the point.   “Who do you say that I am?”

               On the game show Family Feud, hosted by Steve Harvey, contestants are asked to guess how 100 people responded to various survey questions. On a 2012 episode, a contestant had to provide the top answers to the following survey question: "When someone mentions 'the King,' to whom might he or she be referring?" Here were the four top answers:

               81 people said "Elvis Presley"

               7 people said "God or Jesus"

               3 people said "Martin Luther King, Jr."

               2 people said "The Burger King"

For the 15th time this month, and the 228th time this year you welcome me into your life with my devotions.  Letters to God written every day, inspired by him, to make me reflect, think, and thank him for what he has done in me through Christ Jesus.  And I hope they have been a blessing to you, and maybe even shared with others.  They have been read on 6 continents, and available through emails, distributed to the troops in Iraq, and even been a blessing to a little old lady in Oregon who I hold dear.  They are sent daily to friends in many prisons weekly, where I have made many friends whom I have never met.  Who from the letters have found hope in Jesus, and found that even though they are alone on the inside, at least one person on the outside loves and hasn’t forgotten them.  It is to them that I have found the most inspiration, and have saved every letter they have ever sent.  My paycheck as you may say is those letters, for this is done at income to me, the rewards and blessings come from God, through those who respond.  So let me take the time to thank you all now.  But today, the 19th of December finds me tired, and needing rest, more than a good night’s sleep, the rest only found through Jesus, so this will be my last mailing this year.  Theresa has two weeks off, and I plan to spend it with her.  Also my mother is very sick, maybe near death, and I am 3000 miles away from her, the plans still not set as to what I will be doing, so keep us in prayer.  I want to leave you with some thoughts, and a wish for a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.  Every day we are closer to that day when see Jesus face to face, I look forward to that day, but for now until he returns we must be about his business, spreading the gospel, showing love and compassion, and helping the poor and needy, and those in jail.  So let’s take a look at the day in the life of a man, whose name we don’t know, but of which much has been said.

He has always been referred to as the thief on the cross.  Only Jesus and his family and friends knew his name.  We don’t know his past, his age, or profession, he was called the thief, and to all that day on Golgotha that is all he was.  But to Jesus he was, and is more than that.  In a brief, maybe two sentence conversation, his life changed when he met Jesus.  Hanging on the cross, close to death, God kept him alive long enough to meet Jesus.  We don’t know if any family was present, maybe not as he was a thief, and they may have disowned him, or feared retribution.  He may have brought embarrassment, or maybe they were in jail themselves, nothing is ever spoken about them.  We know he had an accomplice, as his fellow thief denied Jesus face to face.  But something magical happened that day on the cross to him.  He was born again, the same born again Nicodemus didn’t understand, the thief was.  His name written in the book of life, heaven assured for him on that chance meeting on Calvary.  But not a chance meeting, but one the prophets spoke of, for Jesus was there, and God was being patient with both thieves, so that neither would perish.  Yet only one recognized who Jesus was, and is, and is in heaven today.  Which ought to give us hope, for God never gives up on us.  To the end the spirit is telling us we need Jesus, and many today face death without him, or without us knowing what their final conversation was with God.  We know the words the thief spoke with Jesus, but no one else may have.  To his family and friends he may have died a thief, but to God he died and entered into heaven, forgiven.  To those who knew him a loser, to God a winner.  They didn’t hear the words, or see the conversation, and missed out on the last miracle of Jesus before he uttered his last words, “it is finished.”  Maybe that is why we tell people that it is personal with Jesus, and not a religion.  to his last breath he was about salvation, a day earlier a thief was going to hell, now he will share heaven with the likes of Peter, James, and John.  His story, his testimony reaching millions, only in heaven will he see those that heard it and were inspired by his final words.  To some that was just another day in the life, to him it was the day of salvation, his first day of eternity.  It took his whole life to reach that point, don’t wait like he did.  Jesus is alive and calling out to you and for you today.  He has made room for murderers, thieves, scammers, homos, and other sinners, even church folk, who turn to him and repent.  Funny how the best neighborhood in heaven will be filed with those who lived in the poorest ones on earth.  All because of the cross.  And what Jesus did on it.

He asks us to pick up our cross and follow him, to let him into our lives and let him change us from the inside.  A personal visit that no one else will ever hear, just  like no one else heard all the words between the thief and Jesus.  To some today you might just be a number, a cell mate, or a biker who cut you off.  You might be a single mom wondering how you will make it through the day.  You might be dying and not know it, and not know Jesus.  You may be selling your body for money, or buying someone else’s for money.  A hooker or homeless.  A junkie.  A student who cannot go on any more.  A businessman whose life is all about money.  You might be rich, and have want for nothing.  You may ride a Harley or a Honda, or an SUV.  You may go to church, or be afraid to attend.  There will come a day in your life when you will be asked “who is Jesus?”  Your answer will gain you entrance to heaven, or damn you to hell.  It is your choice.  For one thief, meeting Jesus meant everything, for another it meant nothing. What does Jesus mean to you?

So I leave you until next year with a simple request.  The last song on side 2, for all of you of the vinyl generation, of Sgt. Pepper is “A Day in the Life.”  With many meanings, courtesy of the Beatles.  The last chord, where each Beatle, plus their producer Sir George Martin, each hit the same chord on a piano, and held it for 42 seconds.  Take 42 seconds now and consider Jesus, and what he has done for you.  Maybe the total time that the two spoke on the cross, but a very special time.  A time recorded for posterity, for teaching and instruction, for reproof and blessing in the Bible.  A thief, a nobody condemned to die, but now in heaven.   Just 42 seconds....that changed his life.  Happy New Year in Christ....because of Jesus you all mean so much to me.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

paint. fade. repeat.

We were walking through Chaparral Cycle Supply last week, think of COSTCO for motorcycles only, when we noticed a fat Chinese kid leaning against the door to the men’s room.  This Pugsley Addams look alike with glasses was totally out of place here playing on his cell phone with his Pokemon t-shirt on among all the others motivated by two wheels as opposed to two opposing thumbs.  He looked like the poster child for the NFL’s Play 60, where kids are forced to go out and play and have fun, not stay inside and take up space.  What he was doing there or how he got there was a mystery, as he was alone, maybe using Google to find his way out.  Still there when we left a half hour later.  Jokingly I wondered what kind of future this kid had....yesterday I got a glimpse.  Stopping in a Sprint store to pay my son’s cell phone bill, we were confronted by a counter where 5 monitors with employees behind them were trying to assist customers.  I say try, as one had three people trying to help this young girl, combined IQ just under 100, she knew more than they did, another kid dozed off while his friend got his new phone set up, another two guys were debating what phone to buy, while a young teen age girl with her mother was trying to decide what to buy, with frequent phone calls to her father for the OK.  When that employee made eye contact with me, I told him “I just want to pay a bill,” and he told me I was next.  Next week. Next month.  Next what?  Finally when mother of new cellphone to be prospect called her husband again, she stepped aside so I could pay my son’s bill.  The look of frustration filling her face.  After all, Christmas is next week....It took me less than a minute, and he told me “people sure are upset today.”  When I mentioned to him that every app had the potential to annoy, I saw Pokemon looking back at me, his future assured as long as kids have thumbs and rather text than ride.  And you wonder why I don’t  like cell phones....

Four years ago when I had my house painted, I bought paint with “Superior Fade Resistance,” and a LIFE TIME warranty.  Yet when it faded quickly, I called and wanted their warranty to be honored, and no one was quite sure what lifetime meant.  So they sent out a representative, who offered me more paint for free.  Why would I want more of the same lousy paint, and why would I pay to have it put on?  He told me “it is out of my hands,” so getting aggressive I found someone who agreed it was cheaper and better for customer relations to paint my house rather than go to court.  And that the new paint was even more fade resistant.  And that this was a one time offer, but my thinking was paint. fade. repeat.  Every four years if I have to, for the new improved paint has the same warranty.  Lifetime, mine or the company’s not stated, is this the future of America?

Off my mind wandered to last year needing a new alternator for the Mustang.  I was told it was new, instead of the industry standard of rebuilt.  They came from China, and were cheaper.  And that his experience was that every 1 out of 3 was any good.  Think of it as a 3 for 1 sale, place your bets America, such a deal.  And how letting all illegal aliens in for free made sense in a degrading way.  And how Pokemon t shirt kid may have some competition for work.  Even getting a job at 7-11 may be too tough for him, he is not qualified enough.  For when the illegal is asked “what foreign language do you speak,” and replies “English,” he and his worn out thumbs will be headed for a surely dark future.  But I do hear they may need housepainters...

The next generation has always been of concern, and up until recently we looked ahead with great hope instead of despair.  Jesus faced the same problem, but under the guidance of his father, built a team of 12 men who would carry on his work, spreading the gospel.  12 men of varying backgrounds,  eligible for employment at any US 7-11 as they spoke Arabic.  They would be left with the most important responsibility, that of evangelizing, then discipling the new Christians, and starting new churches.  From the original 12, one faded, as prophesied, and in the first election in church history, elected Barnabas, who is rarely mentioned again.  Some theologians believing they voted in error,as Paul was chosen by God, he met all the requirements including having seen Jesus alive, and would go on to be an apostle extraordinaire.  So much for democracy in the church, proving it is much better to follow God than your own ways.  But these 12 men had a new power, the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide them.  God sent Jesus to save us, then sent his spirit to guide us, and them until Jesus returns for his church-us.  And that same spirit guides us today, think of it as the original 3 for 1 deal, and when other apps fail, he is the app of salvation.  Not found on any phone, but only in Jesus.  Where you don’t have lines, or have to text him, he is with you always.  And listening.  Are you?  Can you hear him now?  Are you aware of the spirit’s calling for your life?  Many are today, and unlike the Pokemon kid have a secure future in Christ.  Where when Jesus says lifetime warranty, he means his, which is eternal.  Sin. Salvation. Repeat.  And his promise not only has endured, but is still honored by his father, now our father in heaven.  And in all languages....where we enter into the kingdom as friends and family where as we were once strangers.  For Jesus is more powerful than any social media, and his message endures forever.  No more standing in line, he has waited for us, will you accept his offer?  Verify his claims and warranty?  Or will you still be looking for love in all the wrong places?  I hear there are apps for that too....

But back to Pokemon, standing against the men’s room door.  Is it possible that he came in to use the men’s room, and is pushing on a door that pulls out?  Maybe looking for a way in, when he needs a way out.  Do you think that maybe he is too lazy, too stupid, or still looking for an app to get him into the men’s room?  NAH....you think so?

Such are those looking for God.  He is real, and personal.  Call out to him today, he knows your language.  The original 12 +2 did too, and under the power of the spirit changed the world.  And it is still changing today.  Somewhere some kid in a Pokemon shirt is looking to get into heaven, he hears the knocking on the other side from Jesus.  Be the app in person....years from now he may be the next generation to spread the gospel.  Remember it is out of our hands, so place your future in the hands of a living God, the warranty found in the nail piercings.  Make no mistake, his claims are real, he is the truth, and lifetime means forever with him.  Why Play 60 when you can play forever?

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

 

 

if every picture tells a story, what does a movie tell?

Up front I must admit I was and am still not a Rod Stewart fan.  Maybe I just expect too much from my music, but anyway, he once had a hit song called “Every Picture Tells a Story,” way back in the past of the 70’s.  Old to some, I remember when it was new, thus establishing the baseline for dating, not the “will you go out with me?” type. We tend to remember times and event based on cars we owned, and anything that I don’t remember when new is old, anything I do is not as old.  It is where the memories begin, not where they end that date us.  But using Rod’s premise for a hit song, with not so new philosophy, not only does every picture tell a story, but one picture can be worth a thousand words.  Which may explain why sometimes when looking at a picture, we stop and gaze, as our minds take us back, or bring another time to mind.  But pictures are limited, they only tell us what is going on at that specific moment the shutter was snapped, we have no insight as to what was going on seconds before, and we can only speculate on what happens next.  Yet we can postulate on what has happened, using what is seen, combined with creative thinking to form a story.  Or to extend one, like in the old movie serials.  “To be continued next week....” and our minds race to imagine.  “Who shot JR?” kept us on the edge of our seats guessing, note Kristin did it.  Least likely on my list.  So you can see how a photo only tells us a time, an occurrence, but a movie tells a bigger story.  Sometimes telling how it all began, and sometimes how it all ended.  Sometimes just a series of photos intertwined, where we still have only a space in time, just a longer one.  But if every picture tells a story, if Rod is right, what do movies tell?

I love to hear how good I look after open heart surgery.  I joke where were you all telling me this before when I was single? But without seeing how sick I was, it doesn’t make as strong as an impact.  Without seeing the helicopter, the 20 days in cardiac critical care, all the tubes and pic lines, seeing me now only gives you a glimpse into the story.  You are given a picture of a moment in time frozen, with no other views of what I went through.  You don’t see the doctors, nurses, and all the equipment moving, used to keep me alive.  You don’t see my wife and what she went through, we can only imagine.  And that is where the real story is, for somewhere between the before and after shots are where all the action was.  If you were to see a movie it would all become clearer, you would have a continuous moment in time to see  and feel.  You become more of the event, you see and feel things that before were not seen, and suddenly my words when telling the story take on a new meaning, it is more personal.  Time takes on a new meaning, and all the stories that one photo tells become a series.  The whole story falls together, with a beginning, the end is not yet written.  It is like when Doug told of going to Israel.  We were interested, then he showed us pictures of Israel.  But when we saw him in the pictures in Israel, it became personal.  It is like sitting on a bike in the showroom, and wondering how it rides. BRRMM-BRMM!  It takes action, not a still photo to be real.  Without the action, we are only left to wonder.

A life in Christ should be more a movie than a photo.  It shouldn’t be a certain time that has come and gone, it is not a sound byte in time.  It has a beginning, and and will have an eternal end, but the in between, where we spend all our time, is where the action is.  We need to see Good Friday before we can celebrate Easter.  We need to see the cross with Jesus on it before we can relate to what he endured.  Single moments cannot do enough, it takes action, with him in it to sustain us.  Remember when will not get us by, we need a constant, living, loving God with no end to us or his love for us.  Seeing a manger at Christmas time doesn’t tell about the immaculate conception, or the journey of a young married couple.  We need to see the movie version of Jesus, not the Hollywood aberration, but get to know him, and ask the sprit to reveal all the mysteries of him.  To make us part of the scenes, to make him real in our lives.  He is not a cross around our necks on a chain, he is the power that broke the chains of sin.  He is alive, we need to know him in action, not just a verse, or a song.  Not just a Sunday event, but a daily living entity, with a personality.  He is the person of God incarnate, not a philosophy to argue.  He rose from the dead so we can too.  Imagine a photo of that, I rather see the movie.  For God is a God of love, of action, not a single event.  And he wishes to be part of all our events.  Yet to many he just remains a picture that tells a story.  A statue on a dashboard, the car moving, but Jesus frozen in time.

Reading the Bible we know of what has passed, and we also are told of what is to come.  And we are to be part of it, not standing and watching as in a photo, but taking part in the action, like in a movie.  Our testimonies bear many words, not just a sound byte of God.  Load your life with an endless supply of film, movie film, video for the new guys, and fill it today with Jesus.  Find yourself in the script God has written for you, not just a walk in part, but a part with lines and a character to portray.  And the star is Jesus, and he is in all parts of your life, living and alive, moving with you.  Not just a moment in time, frozen for posterity, but an eternal moment.  A never ending moment, where all the action is, and is seen.  And where you are part of it.  Some may be satisfied just sitting on the new bike in the showroom, wondering what it will do.  I rather be riding, and seeing what it will do.  One a moment, one an action.  One moment may tell a story, when Jesus is in your life he becomes the story.  A movie.  And we are not just limited to what the camera sees, we have access to heaven, where it all will be revealed.  Jesus, he may be old to some, just a memory to others, but he is alive and moving to me.  And the stories behind the picture are always more interesting than picture itself.  My God is alive and moving, is yours?  Is he a single event, or a living thing?  Take your finger off the pause button, and begin to live.  LIGHTS!  CAMERA!  JESUS!  Where the action is....it is called life.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

on the fourth day we do laundry

Give me a tank bag and I can pack to be on the road for weeks.  Add a tail pack for Theresa and we may never return.  And so our motorcycle packing has been for years.  Of course the Tiger with hard bags has made it easier, but still we don’t need much to get by.  As I watch others dragging a load of bags to put on their bikes, I can be packed in a few minutes, and off riding while they search for items they packed by accident or cannot find. Simplicity is how we tour, and have learned many things over the 48 states and Canada to make our ride easier and more fun.  I have ben using tank bags for over 40 years, if you need more you are over packed.  When I moved west by myself all I had fit in the tank bag on my R90S, just because you own it doesn’t mean you have to bring it along.  We dress in layers and pack accordingly, and over the years have gone with fabric jackets leaving the leathers home.  Not only are they warmer and can be rainproof, they roll up easier and are lighter to pack.  Also pants are good for 2-3 days, and get more comfortable as you ride.  A t-shirt a day, a sweatshirt and swim suit, and socks.  A friend even wears old underwear, throwing them away after use, which also makes room for new t-shirts bought along the way.  I once learned make a list, then cut it in half, then only take half of that, and you will only use half of that.  And we have learned two important tricks to traveling, one is the Post Office, rather than continue to add weight and taking up space you don’t have, mail it home.  Dirty clothes and all, wear your new shirts, and if you need socks, Walmarts are everywhere.  But the one that works no matter the length or distance, whether 10,000 miles or only a week, is simple.  On the fourth day we do laundry.  We pack in 4 day increments, and every fourth day we do laundry.  Also a good day to mail home extra clothes or souveneirs bought along the way.  It is amazing how much stuff you can stuff into a one price shipping USPS box.  Packing skills will aid you here also.  Many times we arrive home lighter than when we left despite buying shirts, etc. using the Post Office.  And be creative, write “contagious” on the box, and watch how carefully it arrives intact. 

But it all comes down to baggage, and the baggage we carry with us.  So many emergency items can be purchased along the way, simple first aid kits can be put together, and even low end motels offer blow dryers.  If camping remember, you’re gonna put your helmet on anyway.  Flip flops pack easy on top, and can be worn when not riding.  But another key is how to pack.  Put the things used most on top, the least on the bottom.  No need unpacking, then repacking every night.  There is some law that it never fits as good as the first time, so do your best to go with it.  Adhering to the rule, if you cannot fit it in your bags or a tank bag, you probably don’t need it.  Make sure your bike is safe and ready and head off.  The road calls, go and have the ride of your life.

Packing light works also in real life.  We all carry a lot of extra baggage we don’t have to.  For some reason we feel we must hang onto things, even when we know they are not good for us.  Some refer to them as addictions, and use them as a crutch, never letting go.  And never finding they can get by just fine without them.  Some get stuck in a rut, which is really a grave, but with both ends open, still a way of escape.  Some don’t know, and use the excuse we’ve always done it this way.  some are brand loyal, “I could never ride anything but a BMW.”  Feel free to write your brand in.  Some go the same trips, some never take one, some only wear leathers, some are posers and don’t know it, and some just don’t care.  Or at least care what others think.  But we all carry extra baggage we don’t need to....

Many live in sin even after they are saved.  They believe in the power of Jesus and his forgiveness, yet hang onto things they don’t have too.  They carry heavy loads when Jesus promises to bear their burdens.  To lighten their load, to direct their paths.  Others tell me “I could never be forgiven for that,” underestimating the fact all sin is forgivable, and never reaping the benefits.  Some are caught up in themselves, and it must be all about them, and they carry about the wright of selfishness.  Pride that must be worn and adorned to show off.  If how you pack tells us about how you tour and ride, then how you live tells us more about Jesus in your life than your words.  Some things need to left home, some thrown away because they are not useful any longer.  Some left behind, they only cause trouble.  Some things are better off forgotten, and some things needed can be picked up along the way.  If Jesus is always with you, why carry anything else?  Why worry?  Why be burdened with excess, when you can have it all in him? 

So leave room for Jesus in your life, home or on the road.  Spend time with him daily, and I have found Sunday’s only are not enough.  I need to be refreshed more often.  I need the fellowship, the teaching, the praise and worship found in the body at church.  I need to be refreshed every fourth day, to do my spiritual laundry.  And not wait until next week, sometimes not wait until Wednesday.  I need Jesus every day, so I take him with me.  I pack him right on top where I can get to him easily.  I try not to let anything get in our way, and when things do, I ask how really important they are.  Do I really need them?  Are they doing me harm?  Some may ask “what would Jesus do?”  I answer, “you have to ask?”  Isn’t he close enough so you know?

We are packing for an eternal trip, and you will leave everything behind except your relationship with God in Jesus Christ.  Make sure that is on your daily list.  No ride, no trip is complete without him along.  Cast your cares on him for he careth for you.  Along the roads of life we will accumulate many things.  Some should be tossed, some sent home, and some kept.  Jesus is a keeper, so take his advice.  Take nothing you don’t need, and everything you do.  Having spent all of his ministry on the road, he knows how to pack, and instructed his disciples how to.  Take only what you have on you, so make sure you pack correctly.  Seek help as needed, God will guide.  And if rejected, take your blessing and move on.  The only thing to pack is love, found in Jesus Christ.  Don’t worry, and again enjoy the ride.

So remember that every fourth day may be OK on the road, but we need Jesus everyday.  Wednesday to be revived, Sunday the same.  You fill your bike’s tank when it is empty, don’t wait for the low fuel or oil light to come on before taking action.  So why live any other way.  And while others are fussing with their load, or repacking, you will be out riding.  Now would you rather hear my traveling stories, or see my packing list?  Be a doer, rather than just a hearer.  Write testimonies rather than read other’s.  On the third day he rose, on the fourth we do laundry.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

getting to "no" you

You cannot teach experience, and one lesson experience teaches is you cannot always make decisions based on it.  For instance last week our F150 wouldn’t start.  After checking the obvious, it had gas, it sounded like a fuel pump.  Recent memory has had me replace two in our other cars last year.  I guess it happens to older cars, my newest is a 2003.  But after surfing for the best deal, and waiting until a Saturday night to install it, still a crank, no start situation.  So we checked all the fuses and relays-good.  A phone call turned us onto trying starting fluid, our next to last resort.  Finally checking the inertia switch ruled out all fuel related possibilities.  $200 dollars later we had experience, and a truck that wouldn’t start.  But one possibility remained, not fuel related, the key.  Newer keys have transponders in them, so the key talks to the truck allowing it to start and run.  So off to the local key shop....on two wheels.  Monday morning.

Where immediately he noticed the microchip was missing, somehow it had fallen out.  Good news, and bad.  Good, key was only $20 rather than the $80 he had quoted me, but he suggested I go back and look for missing price, it had to fallout in truck.  Which it hadn’t, so back to key store, after calling Ford to have key programmed. a dealer only can do this, the machine is way expensive.  But after purchasing the key, I was about to call Ford and have the truck towed, when another man mentioned he had a friend who did mobile programming, so I called him.  For $75 rather than the $120 Ford quoted, he would come by the house, no towing involved.  And when he showed up as arranged, it took him a few minutes and the truck started.  But the deal wasn’t over, he gave me another key for free, and only charged me $65!  And we talked of people we knew in the auto community, we had many of the same friends.  But in talking, he mentioned his 9 year old son, born without part of his heart, and who has had three open hearts surgeries.  Which I can associate with, for we are both miracles to be alive, only God could bring two men together from a missing microchip in a key.  All the “no’s” that diagnostics and experience had taught us were useless, God had a planned meeting for us that day.  And saved us money...and the truck was fixed.  But I go back to the first morning it wouldn’t start and where I sat in it and prayed.  God assured me it would be OK, his OK is always better than mine.  But it was in the no answers he provided, that led me to Bill and the story of his son.  All because my truck didn’t start....

So many ask where is God when I need him?” and when they don’t get an answer, immediately blame God.  But I have learned over the years when God says no, it is because a better yes is coming.  He knows what lies around the next curve, we don’t.  But if we listen to him, really ask “thy will be done,” and then follow it, we are blessed, and we have another testimony to share to encourage other, and give him the glory.  Jesus is referred to as the great physician, not the great doctor.  Doctors practice medicine, Jesus heals.  Doctors diagnose, Jesus not only knows the problem, but has cure and can cure.  All in one convenient prayer, although his timing may have you meet up with others in his plan.  He never hurries, never was late, it is us who are impatient.  And since he never leaves us, or forgets us, he is on call 24/7.  Better and quicker than a 911 call.  From Abraham trusting God who swore by himself, to act because he knew God’s character, he had trouble with his wife’s faith, and today we have the endless battle between Jews and Arabs.  The Jewish race through Isaac who was promised, and was born some 25 years after the promise, and Ishmael, born of his concubine when influenced by Sarah not to wait.  After all they were old, and she was barren.  I wonder if they had waited what the world would belike today?  And I look back to many things I have tried to fix, coming up short.  I think of the doctor telling me I had a pinched nerve in my neck, when really my aorta was about to explode.  The pain was in the same area....but it was a heart problem, one only a miracle of God could cure.  But somehow it always comes back to the heart, from my aorta to the heart of man, the soul.  For hardened hearts towards God will finally end in death as my hardened aorta almost did.  But God knows, in Isaiah 65 he tells us he has the answer in the works before we even pray.  But we still need to follow his lead, even if it takes a life flight on a helicopter, or a ride down to the key store.  If I hadn’t gone back to check for the missing key part, I would have ended up with the truck towed to Ford, as it was it cost less, I got another free key in the deal, and heard of this man’s son.  And was reminded by God how all things work out for good, when we follow his lead, and he wants to bless us.  He had the man in the mobile unit ready just like he had the helicopter ready in Durango, like he had Isaac ready for Abraham and Sarah.  Just  like he has Jesus ready for you.  Today may be your day of salvation, or of a miracle, are you listening?  Or still trying to figure it out yourself?

God is God no matter what you believe, which is a good thing.  He doesn’t change to be like us, but we change to be like him.  I cannot imagine the consequences if it were the other way around.  Just one impatient act by a couple thousands of years ago still is reaping horrible results, and God called Abraham a man of faith.  Imagine what miracles he can do with your little faith, and history of sin.  But you must turn to him, listen, trust and obey.  Get to know God and “no” God.  and learn that no is a wonderful answer when it comes from a loving father.  Paul once said we look through a glass darkly, and what do we see?  Interesting as mirrors were not invented yet, it took faith to look and then obey.  If your mirror of faith is dark, try Jesus.  Open your heart, he’ll open your eyes, for things are not always what we think.  We only seek the symptoms, and a diagnosis.  Jesus is the answer.  And turned out to be the answer to the key for our truck.  He cares about all aspects of your life, from salvation to trucks to motorcycles.   Find out today, you could be riding instead of still waiting for a tow.  You could be a miracle instead of another statistic.  Just say no, God often does, and rejoice in that better yes.  It’s who you know, and who you “no” that makes all the difference.  If God can heal a Ford, imagine what he can do for you? 

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com