the lights are out in Trollhattan

There is only one car company left in Sweden today, Volvo, kept alive over the years by the endless queue of drivers with no driving talent, and who shouldn’t be allowed to drive on public roads. Volvo has been their choice of cars since the fifties, based on their safety engineering, which today is standard on all cars, even though Volvo helped pioneer it decades ago.  The Volvo plant helping to keep the lights burning in Gothenburg.  Cars for people who know nothing about cars and driving, and intend to stay that way.  Just the opposite of SAAB, the other Swedish auto manufacturer until GM pulled the plug on them in 2010.  SAAB, known for its winning rally cars, and unusual engineering.  Again safety, but built for sport, at least when compared to Volvo.  Did you know many safety devices are racing based?  How many driver types entered a SAAB for the first time, and couldn’t find the key, where it has been placed for safety reasons on the floor behind the shifter.  Accident studies showed injuries from key when hitting the dash.  But they were quirky cars, and I had two friends that owned them.  John bought a new 1976 that the headlights went out on the first night.  Driving home in the dark in Albuquerque was a rally unto itself.  They mysteriously came on the next morning, and never failed again.  It was also this car when parked in Gallup, that he found what he thought was a drunk Indian on the hood.  After no response to get off, John pushed him, and he rolled off dead.  Leaving blood all over the hood, and soon the car was sold.  Terry had a 1980 red one, that many a road trip was taken in.  Never maintained, it never failed, and I can remember one cold winter in Colorado where it was the only car to start at –20.  Maybe it felt at home in the cold. 

But one little known statistic about the SAAB automobile, is that their owners were the best educated.  Not an inexpensive car, high end professionals, along with the Aspen Police bought them.  Using that formula, maybe that explains all the idiots in Hyundais, Kias, and SUV’s.  Parts falling off, while they leave you in a cloud of smoke, parts falling off.  But still have the talent to cut you off while using the cell phone or applying make-up.  Or maybe just trying to preserve the balance with Volvo, no one ever drove a Volvo fast, SAABs were built for speed.  With the possible exception of a trip around Sears Point in my sister in law’s Volvo wagon, that my nephew kept shouting “Uncle Mike, the wheels are coming off, this car never has been this fast.”  They shook, but never fell off.  Can’t say if I felt safe though.  And so it is the best educated people, not necessarily the best drivers now have to seek alternative rides, for the lights are out in Trollhattan forever. 

Many cars are out there fighting for your hard earned dollar, or kroner.  Many attractive prices to go with the hype built up behind the ride.  While the Millenials seem to be more interested in gadgets than speed.  Such are the pitches of the ads, boasting about Wi Fi, great gas mileage, how many USB ports, and the size of the computer screen.  They think this sells cars, and to some it does, but some of us still want performance.  We want handling, acceleration, and braking.  Good gas mileage is expected, and we don’t want to pay too much.  Just like the God we seek.  We want a god who can provide it all.  Love, joy, and peace.  A God who listens to us and responds.  One who forgives, one who came down to so that we can be reunited with him.  We want all the blessings we can get, not just shallow promises.  Yet some settle for an intellectual experience, knowledge is the best, know your Bible and know God.  Some want happiness, leave me alone, and I’ll be fine.  They seek a feel good God, who loves them as they are, and won’t change them for the better.  They see themselves as the example.  Some try to find God through good works, through giving, and attendance at all church functions.  But they end up finding a hollow relationship, and the lights are out just like in Trollhattan.  All the education, attendance, and religiousness cannot come close to knowing Jesus.  No salvation without Christ.  No peace, because there is no God, Jesus is the only way.  They seek safe gods, Volvo like gods who ignore their sin, and feel safe within religion.  They want performance, a selfish one, where God is like the genie in the lamp granting their wishes, and getting mad when he doesn’t.  They have become Godlike in their own eyes, deceiving themselves. 

They are like a missionary to China who was offered a job with big money to join a company.  He refused, the dollars got bigger, he finally told them the money wasn’t the problem, the job was too small.  How big is your calling and relationship with God?  Those who call upon the Lord as their God, know this.  We don’t try to limit our God, we try to become more like him, rather than making him more like us.  While some just live carelessly, claiming God is looking out for them despite their lifestyle.  With no concern for others, they don’t see the residue they leave behind.  They may have never been in an accident, but may have caused many.  They never look behind, but they never look ahead either.

The youngest 4 year old who knows Jesus is much smarter than the highly educated who denies him.  Knowing Jesus opens us up to all we ever want to know, and gains us access to the God of the universe.  But it starts in the heart, then transfixes the mind.  Not the other way around.  Many who try to prove the absence of God end up proving he is who he says he is.  God is not on trial, we are.  And on judgment day who would you rather have defend you, Jesus who took your sins, or yourself still a sinner.  Even in front of God, it is a fool who has himself for a patient.  And so just as it doesn’t take driving skill to own a car, it takes no skill to know God.  It is a choice we make, and I am glad I chose Jesus.  His performance is unmatched, styling is timeless, talk about power, and handling....so what will it take to put you with Jesus today?

The lights are still out in Trollhattan, and without Jesus the light is out in your life also.  The smartest people in history are the ones who chose Jesus Christ.  Don’t fall prey to promises of safety, when you can have eternal security in Jesus.  Education, just like money will not get you to heaven.  And just because the Bible warns the rich doesn’t mean the poor have a free pass.  Jesus is the only way, so simple I can get it, free so I can afford it.  Even the disciples were in one Accord long before Honda.  It is like trying to find where to put the ignition key in a SAAB, it is there all the time, right in front of you.  Just a place you didn’t expect.  Try Jesus today, read the owner’s manual that comes with him, and check into a service, his church.  Knowing Jesus is the smart thing to do, no matter what you drive or ride.  One test ride and you are sold forever.  Just ask a 4 year old.  Now, doesn’t that make you feel safer already?

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

 

the day I became a man I became a child

I always wanted to be 12.  Not sure why, the movies went up to adult prices at 12, and the dollar that used to get me in and buy a Coke and pop corn was now needed just for admission.  Not quite a teenager either, and not quite junior high either.  But for some reason I did, and it came and passed with little or no fanfare.  13 was different, and meeting Jewish kids in school learned enough about Bar Mitzvahs that I wanted one, just for the gifts and party.  I had no desire to be Jewish.  17 for Jersey boys meant driving privileges, and I got  my license, then my motorcycle license a year later.  Turning 18 we could vote, the Congress just changed the voting law from 21 to 18, urged on by many chanting that if they could go to a Congress sponsored war, they should be able to vote.  Still kids many of us, and them, many remained kids as Viet Nam was there final destination.  And along the way learned a bit about social injustice from Janis Ian and her hit song “At Seventeen,” where she sang “I learned the truth at 17,” while some heard the words, the rest of us just liked the song. 

Somewhere between 18 and 21 adulthood sneaks up on us, and on my 21st birthday we realized we were no longer kids.  But adults, at least in age, definitely not in maturity. When Neil Sedaka sang how “growing up is hard to do,” he must have been singing about me.  For even today I feel like a kid, have more energy courtesy of my plastic aorta, and think young.  The old farts call it immature.  They’re just jealous.  But a funny thing happened at age 21, most unexpectedly, and definitely not planned, nor in my plans.  While running on the beach in Santa Monica while on vacation, a man told me about Jesus, and my life changed.  And still is changing.  I had been faced with career choices, moving out, then back in, out then in and again, and finally in....and finally out.  Again.  But when I became born again a transformation took me over, and still does to this day.  We are expected to become adults, men and women as we grow up, and even the Bible tells us to leave the foolish things behind.  But I found, and I still find today, that the day I became a man, I really became a child.  The day I became a Christian I became a child of God.  With all the inheritance of an heir, becoming a joint heir with Jesus.  And I find being a child in Christ to be more beneficial than any man I ever had hoped to become.

To be a child in Jesus I find interesting, because the Bible tells us very little about Jesus as a child.  He ministered for only 3 years, after 30, the age that priests begin, but lived a full life, with a career up until that point.  We are told to come to him as little children, yet we are given very little background to go on.  And so I find I must rely upon his spirit to guide me.  To remind me I am a child of God, but also to man-up when needed.  And much of it has to do with my attitude.  The day I was saved God opened my eyes to the holy spirit, and I began to see things differently.  At each age we are expected to act or behave a certain way, now I was an adult according to society and the government, but a child in God.  Of God.  And all the burdens started to fall away.  I found that as a child, I had depended on my father, now I knew my heavenly father who would take care of me.  An adult in life, a child in afterlife.  I learned that at any age, and in all situations he would listen and forgive me, and love me tenderly.  Just as Elvis sang, and never let me go.  He would discipline me to keep me safe, and advise me, but still all decisions were still mine to make.  A unique dichotomy of child and adult...one you can only be in Jesus.  And only when you live in the spirit.

I found that God wants us have fun, to be happy, he calls them blessings.  And many religious types get upset with you.  It seems the shortest verse in the scriptures, “Jesus wept” is their mantra, and aren’t happy unless you are unhappy. But having the spirit of God, I also have the fruit of the spirit, which includes joy.  Way beyond happiness, it is the presence of God when situations would make him seem absent.  So we can laugh and cry at funerals, at weddings, and even at church.  Freedom of living in the spirit, being the child God lets you be, and allowing yourself to be.  And for 40 years now I have been a child.  Adulthood was a phase, being a child of God lasts forever. 

So next time the enemy comes knocking, turn to your father in heaven and say “it’s for you.”  Let him handle it.  Turn to Jesus and be the kid you can be.  Without burdens, without boundaries.  Which opens up doors that being an adult closes.  Like last week at the water slide park, talking with a 10 year old in front of me, telling me how to ride down it, and then asking “do you want to go with me?”  By the way, I was the oldest person in line by 45 years, but I prefer to think of myself as the biggest kid.  Grow in Jesus doesn’t mean you have to grow old.  Or even grow up, just grow in him.  And find freedom and joy you never knew before.  Works in line with kids, now if it would only work in church.  Or at least among the other so-called religious.  If only they knew the freedom I have...

We are not all God’s children, it is reserved only for those who accept Jesus.  Who turn to him and recognize his deity.  Become born again.  No matter your age, you too can become a child of God.  And become a kid again.  Mature in the Lord, but not in years.  My full face hides my grey beard to the younger riders trying to shake me, I laugh.  I find younger kids talking to me when waiting in line to go down the slide, and it all opens up conversation to share my Jesus.  Expand your ministry today by becoming the child God wants you to be. Don’t let anyone rob you of your joy.  The word maturity means growing to the point you cannot any more, and then dying.  At my maturity rate I should live forever.  Funny, that’s just what Jesus promised, forever life in him.  Be that child today, and keep smiling.  It makes others suspicious, and maybe gives you a reason to explain why.  Or really who.  Growing in grace, and growing in the Lord mean different things to those living in the spirit.  For where his spirit is there is liberty.  A renewing of the mind.  Trust Jesus today and find out how much fun it is to be a kid.  And being a Christian should be fun.  What good is fun if we don’t enjoy it?  Maybe a whole different way to look at Jesus, adding fun to the relationship.  God bless the child...may the only growth you experience be in him.  After all, who wants to be a grumpy adult when you can be a happy kid?

Amen.

love with compassion,

Mike

,atthew25biker.blogspot.com

what a long, strange trip it has been

Dorothy Gale of Kansas was famous for reminding us “there’s no place like home.”  Even if it is Kansas.  There is something about where we come from, not necessarily about where we live that binds us to it, and when away from it we long for it.  40 years ago I left New Jersey and never looked back, but have been back numerous times.  Those who live there day to day don’t notice the changes, but I did, and do.  Someone else lives where Scottie used to live, the Sweet Shop is now a beauty parlor, and a bank sits where a gas station used to be.  Maybe not a big deal to many, but landmarks form my youth are gone, but not the memories.  Million dollar homes now sit where we used to ride mini-bikes in fields.  Even my junior high school is now a middle school.  Roads go through woods that were once bike paths, and stop lights dot the landscape, or road scape.  But somehow you know where to go, and although it isn’t home any more, things remind that is once was.  Some remind you of why you left, and others remind you of why you came back.  At least for a short visit. 

Today is August 7th, no big deal as far as dates go.  But to me it marks a day of returning home from Albuquerque.  After 54 days away, leaving on a motorcycle, taking a 250 mile life flight ride, and being taxied home in the back seat of a rented Camry, I can honestly say “there is no place like home.”  And with all due respect to Toto, “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.”  We were home.  And at first we noticed changes, but really it was us that has been changed.  I used to think that time went faster as you got older, but really we get slower.  Just two months earlier I had been counting the days till we left, then we had started counting the days until we got home.  And there were times we never thought we would.

After being released from the rehab center in 5 days, I was supposed to be there a month, friends of a friend gave us a house in Rio Rancho to live in.  And it became home for us, but we missed home.  Our home.  We had even started counting the days, first until August 2, 5 weeks after open heart surgery, my final release from my cardiologist, then August 6, the day my pic lines finally came out.  Dr. Ross my infectious disease doctor had hinted we might leave early, but wanted us to stay and be observed.  Daily for awhile, with Theresa being taught in changing my IV meds.  We had been counting the days, and August 5th, we checked out of Rio Rancho, with one more night in Albuquerque, at the Hilton, courtesy of a sweet lady.  August 6th, a short 5 minute visit and the pic lines were out, and we were heading west...a day I thought would never arrive.  I may be in the back seat, but I was going home.  And was a little scared.  I was out on my own, with only Theresa to help, without all the hospital doctors and nurses.  I was returning a much different person than when I left.  I had truly left my heart, or part of it in Albuquerque, who would even begin to understand what we had gone through, when we even didn’t.  How many things and how they changed awaited me.  Was I ready? 

I had already tired of people, well meaning telling me “they understood” what I had been through.  My answer became, “really, explain it to me, because I don’t.”  And some days I do, some I don’t.  I found so many well meaning people saying the right things, but saying nothing.  It wasn’t from the heart, and I know a little bit about that.  See we are trained in church how to react in certain situations, when to cry, when to laugh, and how to show concern.  The Byrds even sang about those seasons, but until it comes from the heart, it is just words.  Yesterday I caught a man off guard, sticking out my hand I asked “how am I doing?”  He responded “I’m fine,” then realized what I had said and changed his answer.  But his answer about heaven, and where he rather be amazed me.  He rather be here than heaven.  And when I mentioned being with God is better than being on earth, I know, he mumbled something about doing God’s work.  A trained response, not one from the heart.  And oh by the way, he is a pastor.  Do we really listen, do we really care?  Do we really love Jesus?  Do we listen before we answer?

Or are we like the man on Jeopardy who blurts out the answer, a wrong answer,  before finishing the whole question.  I am getting better at listening, and hopefully my answers are getting better.  And I know that truly there is no place like home.  Our heavenly home.  But do we desire to go?  Are we afraid of death and what God may have for us?  We say we trust, but are our relationships with Christ no more than religious rhetoric?  Do we know about Jesus, or do we know Jesus?

Crosby, Stills, and Nash had a hit called Woodstock, about getting back to the garden.  Do we seek the garden, the Garden of Eden where Adam walked in the cool of the day with God?  Do we seek to be with God or with his things?  Do we call heaven home, knowing we are sojourners, visitors here but for a short time? How am I doing?  We are told to set our sights on things on high, where God awaits our return.  To be called back home.  But until that day, we need to live expectantly, to miss God so much that we share his love with others.  So they may go too.  My two day trip back home seemed to take forever, maybe it was the back seat of a rented Camry, maybe it was the anticipation of getting home.  But stepping out onto my driveway, and being home brought joy.  Familiar surroundings where I felt safe.  The place had changed, I had changed more.  I had a new heart...in addition to the one Jesus gave me years ago.  And my desire is now more than ever to go home to heaven.  Even on a good day of riding, I still seek heaven.  And in the bad days, I ask God, “what are you waiting for?  When will I finally arrive?” 

Maybe that is why I went out of the city, and back to the country.  God has created a yearning in me to get back to the garden.  His garden.  Where time won’t matter, only Jesus will.  My aorta will not be plastic any longer, and all of us will be perfect.  Except for one.  He will bear the scars of our sin.  And it is him I want to see most.   To thank him for my new heart, and saving me from death.  For giving me life.  And suddenly it will all be worth it.  For behold the past is gone away, and I will be that new creature in Christ.  In heaven.  Forever.

Not whatever, but forever.  For now I will celebrate August 7th, the day I returned home.  Just as I celebrate June 25th, the day I got a new heart.  But really I celebrate everyday because Jesus is in it.  Kings and kingdoms will all pass away, but there is still something about that name.  And I can’t await to get there.  I hope you do too.  What a long, strange trip it has been.

And I wouldn’t change any of it. And you know, Toto knew, and it wasn’t any surprise to him either.  Will it be for you?

Now, where did I leave my ruby slippers?

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

  

salt of the earth

For the second straight year, Speed Week at the Bonneville Salt Flats has been cancelled.  This barren mecca for land speed record seeking junkies has been shut down, and deemed unsafe for two or four wheel consumption.  Reason, safety or lack of it.  The salt is too soft, or really it has too much moisture under it, and the hard crust that forms when the water evaporates hasn’t formed.  Tell that one to drought stricken California.  Few consider the absence of water is what brings a hardness to the salt surface, but having walked on such surfaces, they give an eerie effect when water is present.  Think of walking on a thin crust that shifts under your weight, giving the illusion that you may fall in, but don’t.  Leaving indentations of where you walked, but no footprints.  Strange yes, but some can be 6-8” deep, unsettling at best.  And this year, like last year, the soft salt has given way to cancellation of Speed Week.  And although I have never attended, I have always wanted to go, especially after watching “World’s Fastest Indian” about Burt Munro. Backed up by the Rocket 3 powered Triumph racer I have seen at Triumph, the need for speed makes me want to go fast.  And faster.  Yet I am on a low salt diet, both food and Bonneville wise, so I am on an asphalt and concrete supplement, feeding daily.

0-60, and with the accompanying 1/4 mile times and speeds, we gauge how fast a car or motorcycle can travel.  Even slow economy cars go 0-60 in under 8 seconds today, fast for the horsepower robbed seventies Muscle Cars, and even comparing the real muscle from the sixties, today’s cars are faster.  And quicker.  The new Mustang 6 cylinder is 0-60 in just over 5 seconds, the turbo 4 the same, and the V-8 in just over 4!  Less time than it took to read this sentence.  To me that is quick, but nothing compared to today’s motorcycles, which can rip off 0-60 in under 3 seconds-if you can hang on.  Whereas under 15 seconds in the 1/4 was fast, now cars have dipped into the 11’s, once motorcycle only territory, and the fastest bikes are in the 9’s.  Quick, and with a speed limited 155mph, fast too.  But the price for such cars will set you back as much as my first  house, while a motorcycle for under $10,000, way under sometimes, will get you there quicker. 

And speed being relative, how about 0-100 in under 5 seconds?  0-150 in under 11 seconds?  All for the price of a new bike, if you can swing the payments on a $15,000 note.  Try that in your Prius sissy boy!  Personally I have been into the rev limiter at 155, and it is fast.  Been over 130 on my Tiger 1050.  And just yesterday hit the rev limiter at 113 in third gear merging onto the freeway on the Trophy.  All on the street, which only makes me want to do it on the track, which leads me back to Bonneville. Quick is fun, fast is fun, and the combination where it is safe is attractive to me.  Leading me back to the salt of the earth.  Where cars and motorcycles give it flavor.  Which this year will have no flavor, for the salt will be barren.  Without life, without speed.  No people, no thrills, no records to be set.  But El Mirage will open up this year, with a 12,500 foot runway of asphalt to substitute.  Closer to home, do I feel a road trip coming up?  It may not be the same, for what happens when the salt has lost its flavor?  Will a new  high speed have an * next to it, denoting a substitute for a salt free track?  Is fast at El Mirage the same as fast at Bonneville? 

Yet so many fall short of paying homage to the God of Speed.  But you don’t need to go to Bonneville to enjoy the salt of the earth.  You can when you come to Jesus.  He tells us we are the salt of the earth, and without us the world loses its flavor.  Think of that, we are the MSG of life here on planet earth, if we have Christ in our lives.  And we can be that salt and flavor on the track, in the garage bench racing, at work, or even in church.  Wherever we go Jesus is with us, remember he never leaves us or forsakes us, and therefore he gives the world flavor through us.  If you would, imagine the diet I was on after my open heart surgery.  Bland, diabetic, a thrill was broccoli soup.  No salt, few spices, and no Frosted Flakes.  Food devoid of sodium, which hardened my aorta causing it to disintegrate. The silent killer.  The same salt that is hard enough to race on, hardened my heart.  Yet many hard hearts are here today towards Jesus, not because of diet, but because of unbelief.  And just like high blood pressure brought on by too much salt causes hardening of the arteries, a life without Jesus causes a hard heart also.  No love, no compassion, and devoid of passion.  For God’s gives us passion for the things we love, without him we are hard hearted, leading to death.  Which is why the gospel is such good news, it brings life to the dead and dying.  It takes too much salt, and proportions it in the right amounts and provides flavor.  And a fragrance that is sweet smelling to God.  Think of the sweet smell of racing castor, to us heaven, but our love for Christ in our daily lives is even sweeter to him.  Bonneville may be the salt of the earth for speed, but Jesus is the salt of the earth, working through our lives for the human race.  And who runs the race not intending to win?

But just as too much salt is bad, love without Jesus doesn’t work.  Too many preach at us, becoming a loud clanging symbol, or a bell pushing us from Christ.  For without love we have nothing, for God is love.  And without God, no love, no salt for us to be.  We lose our flavor, and our purpose.  And no matter how fast we live, it is never fast enough.  Until we crash or burn out.  And Jesus is still there, offering the salt shaker of life.  Just not at Bonneville this year.

God gives life flavor through is son Jesus Christ.  Hungry for more after religion?  Talk about God but don’t know him?  Filled with church but no Jesus?  Add the salt of his love to your diet today.  Turn to Christ, he is waiting.  When he comes into your life, it has flavor.  The best witness of Jesus you can have, the spirit living in you, and you becoming the salt that life needs.  Some religion promises quick, some fast, but without Jesus you may run the race, but will never win.  You may gain trophies, but not be entered in the book of life.  Where there are no * by any names, no conditional salvation.  All of God or none of God.  No Jesus, no salt.  No salt, no spirit.  And no spirit, no life.  No matter how fast or how far you go.  What part of no don’t you understand?

0-60 in time comes up faster than we think.  Don’t delay, you can be saved today.  0-25,0-12, 0-80, all are eligible.  A class for everyone, where Jesus lets you run what you brung.  And all go home a winner.  Don’t let your God be an El Mirage, race the real race and win.  Speed Week starts now, the salt flats may be closed, but God is open now waiting to hear from you.  Now excuse me while I take a break to water a lemon tree.....no MSG added.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

used cars and $10 tacos

Years ago a man I knew sold his old car to a young kid.  All excited, the young man drove away, but was back a few minutes later, on foot.  The car had stalled at the first intersection, and wouldn’t restart,  and he was back asking for help, or his money back.  The reply he got was far from what he expected, “it’s your car, it’s your problem.”  This man whom I had respected as a coach, I now had a whole new opinion of, he had sold his reputation for a few hundred dollars.  But it was even more costly than the money he might have spent, as we all learned his true heart, and we lost all respect for him.  It is sad when money enters the situation how our attitudes and also our values change.

Buy for love and sell for money is an old mantra, and not only referring to used cars.  We all like to get the best deal, and I have overpaid more than once, and also got some incredible bargains.  I try to operate off the definition of a good deal, one in which both parties benefit, but the world is always out for themselves, and many times I am also.  Before my open heart surgery, I used to eat at a place in Bird Rock that sold 99 cent fish tacos, good fish tacos.  In the rush of giving me my change, the young girl gave me change for a $20 instead of the $10 I had given her.  To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I had given her a 10 or 20, but my conscience was bothering me.  And it did for a week, until I went back the next week, and confronted her.  I told her it was possible that she had given me too much change, and I wanted to return it.  She was amazed, and told me they had come up $10 short in the cash drawer that afternoon, and being a small family owned business they were concerned.  She was very appreciative, and thanked me.  We talked, she wondered why I had even come back, and I told her it wasn’t about the $10, but about my having to deal with myself.  Would $10 made a difference n my salvation?  In my walk with God?  On the outside it may not have shown, but on the inside I would have sold out my integrity for $10.  What would you have done?  Would you, have you sold out for less?

And so we see scripture fulfilled, that the love of money, not just money is the root of all evil.  We cut corners to make ends meet, but yet we don’t turn to God to start with.  Why is it that we trust Jesus to save our souls from hell, but don’t believe he can take care of our day to day problems?  Maybe sometimes it is easier to believe what we can’t see, than t is to believe what we can see.  When I was younger, a man’s handshake was his bond, his word.  Now we have cleverly worded contracts, that never seem to work out for me.  But in the end do, as all things work for those who love God and are called for his purpose.  His purpose, for us to show love, to be light and life to a dying world.  To be his messenger, for Jesus saves, we don’t.  Why is that important, because when we are saved, we begin to be like Jesus.  If we were the one who saved, the new believer would become like us.  Think about it, would you really want someone to act like you?  I don’t.  Me included. So take money from the equation, and see how your attitudes effect your actions.  We may all be surprised.

When we first moved to California, we rented from a man for 7 years.  When he wanted to sell us the house, he gave us an inflated price, fair to him, but not to us.  But being young, we accepted, but then changed our minds, no money changing hands.  And he wouldn’t give us back our last month’s deposit.  So we took him to court, where he claimed we had ruined the yard, and showed pictures.  But so did we, only ours had dates, showing the effects of water after we moved in. I had prepared a file to win, but the judge took it from me, he wanted the truth, and from my heart.  And it came down to one thing, the cancelled check showing where I had put the memo “last month’s deposit.”  But it had taken effort, for my bank was in Durango, Colorado, and the check was 7 years old.  But calling a lady who worked there, she knew my reputation, and spent hours trying to find the check, sending me a copy, only a few days before the records were to be shredded.  Handing it to the judge, it was a slam dunk win, and he pronounced the verdict immediately in our favor.  We won!  The money was important, but our integrity was really on trial.  Ours was true, the old landlord got caught in his lies.  All over $700.  Makes my $10 mistake pale, but he had sold out.  The cost didn’t matter.  The end result did.

Today we all will be forced to make decisions with our money.  The world has a great influence on us, usually for their advantage, not ours.  Paul tells us in Corinthians that he will let nothing be master over him, he will be a slave to no one or no thing, except Christ.  And he could say that being under the power of God, in the spirit.  Great men are really no different than us, they just make the right decisions, the right choices.  If God is for us, who can be against us?  Jesus was sold out for 30 pieces of silver, the price of a slave, have we sold out to him?  His price is your life, and he wants to make it better for us.  Those who trust him to save know that, but the daily battle of trusting him is ever present.  Try these steps in your next situation, as Nehemiah did when faced with rebuilding the walls.

1-Let the deep concern or sorrow take us to prayer, immediately, how sad when I hear “we did everything else, I guess we should pray.” 

2-Give God time to answer, and wait.  His timing is critical, and so is his answer.  Why ask if you don’t wait for his answer?

3-Face the facts of the situation honestly and fairly.  Let God be the Master of all your situations.  We may not win every battle, but we will win the war.

Today I win more fights, because I am better at choosing my battles. I go to Christ quicker, and let him handle it.  Be ruled by integrity, and not the dollar.  We are asked “what does it profit a man if he wins the world but loses his soul?”  Is a used car worth your reputation?  Will you brag to God what a great deal you made?  Money is just way of trade, but the love of it, is evil.  And many times we pay a huge price for years to come.  What is the price of your reputation?  Of your witness?  Of the words you say to others?  Or are they tainted by money?  Looking out for yourself at the expense of others? 

In God we trust, all others pay cash.  Or really beware.  Let God rebuild our walls, fix our cars, and change lives in his name.  Giving him all the glory, while he gives us all the blessings.  Seek ye first, the kingdom of God, and then all things will be added unto you.  The name on the title of your life, being written in the Book of Life should make a difference.  Does it in yours?  Face your problems with the enemy today, knowing Christ is with you.  The wonderful counselor, whose advice only works if taken.  Such a deal he has for you.  What’s in your heart is more important than what is in your wallet.  For Esau it was stew, for me almost a $10 bill.  Nehemiah trusted God, do you?

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

 

if the bike fits, ride it

My wife learned quickly after getting her motorcycle license that your motorcycle is a very personal thing.  Not so much the cosmetics, not so much the cool it makes you feel, but the way you feel on it while riding down the road.  We lowered her ride 101/2 inches, easier than stretching her the same, and suddenly the bike was rideable.  After adding a small windshield, she goes anywhere, and some places others trailer their ride to.  Just a few personal touches made a huge difference.  And soon she learned about her engine size, how fast it would go, and could hold her own with many men who would ask her questions, amazed that the pony tail hanging out of the helmet was a girl.  Under the leather jacket was the heart of a rider...and it became personal.  And so there are many bikes for many types of riders.  I have done 1000 mile days on sport bikes and arrived comfortably, and done 200 miles on cruisers, swearing I would never ride one again, until I did.  I have ridden fast at 40 mph, and slow at 100.  Personally I prefer bikes without all the goodies, but my mind as been changing lately, as all the new press bikes I ride have electronics, from throttle, to ABS, to cruise control, to mini-computers that give a wealth of info at speed.  But it still comes down to how I feel behind the handlebars, and some just take a little more time than others to get used to.  And some I never get used to...must be my age.

Yesterday I rode 300 miles of freeway, mountain roads, and high desert on a Trophy, Triumph’s BMW version of a tourer.  With an electric windshield you can adjust while moving, I was enjoying wind in my face in the mountains, and protection behind it on the freeways.  Cruise set at 80, I could fall asleep, after all that is where it is supposed to excel, but I was surprised how well it handled in the mountains.  I passed Harleys, sport bikes, and rode a pace I usually would on my Street Triple.  It handled very well, and once you got in a rhythm, the fun factor was pegged.  This 900 pound bike handles, it is a Triumph of course, but where you pointed it, it went.  And stayed, no frame shake, no rear end wanting to pass me, and looking at the rear tire, no chicken strips, and it is 200mm wide!  I came away refreshed, amazed, and impressed...but still love my Bonneville.  That does the same thing for 400 pounds less, and no windshield.  So does both my Tigers, or my old Suzuki.  Something to consider when you buy your next bike, or try one out.  Maybe the most important component on a motorcycle is the rider.

Boo hoo to those HD mavens who claim all sport bikes are uncomfortable.  Or you must ride with your feet in the birthing position. True, some sport bikes are a bit exaggerated, but above 80, they are more comfortable, and the light weight in corners doesn’t wear you out.  A new trend, for some years now has caught on, ADV bikes, or adventure bikes, sitting up like on a dirt bike, has become popular.  Once called dual sports, or scramblers, they handle as well, don’t tire you out, and handle great, with superbike power, and ABS brakes.  Why be uncomfortable when you don’t have to be.  Yet we all have the illusion of how we look while riding, my best view is from behind the handlebars, nothing cooler than riding, don’t get caught up in the fashion end of it.  Riding is much more than how I think I look to others, get over it, it is about the ride, it is personal, so enjoy the ride, and if the bike fits, ride it.  And if it doesn’t fit, ride it any way.  Unless the thought of a Prius moves you to emotion...it brings me to tears.

So get over yourself, and ride.  Better than any car, except maybe the new Mustang GT, you have a freedom on a bike no others experience.  All roads call, some will deserve your immediate answer, some will be the way to get to the ones you want, but ride.  For me, one stop along a deserted road, just me and my ride, reminds me of why I ride, sometimes even more than while riding.  It is that personal, get to know your bike, and what better way than to go riding.  So what’s your excuse?

Being a Christian builds confidence in who you are, but more importantly who you are in Christ.  We’re accepted, name written in the book of life, we are saved.  Yet many take their spiritual temperature by the hour, am I in God’s will?  Am I hot?  Am I cold?  Am I praying enough, am I going to all the church I should?  Suddenly it is all about you, when it is really all about Jesus.  It is not who we are, but who he is.  Not what we do, but what he has done.  And some micromanage themselves into a depression worrying if they are doing enough.  They focus on themselves, and forget Jesus, who loved them as sinners, and does the same now saved.  I love it when some well meaning Christian, after bragging how they read so much Bible, ask me “are you in the word?”  My answer is “is the word in you?”  Jesus is the word, is your new life all about him, or still about you?  Many ask “what would Jesus do?”  As a Christian, you have to ask?  Do you know the book or its author?  Does your walk consume you, or does the love of Christ? 

Like what you ride, many are more concerned about the bike than the ride.  The ride is life, and where you are is more important than who you are.  So where are we?  We are in Christ, and should enjoy the ride he provides every day.  So put away your spiritual thermometer, quit worrying about if you are doing enough for Jesus, you can’t, and start living in the spirit, and rejoice because you are simply, wonderfully one with Jesus.  Read your Bible because you want to, same with church.  Don’t fell forced, feel led.  Pray often, meditate, think on Jesus as the day goes, and enjoy the road you are on.  Once saved, you are on the road to heaven, and it takes freeways, back roads, gravel, and driveways to get there.  So enjoy the ride, it is that personal.  Just like riding, except you have heaven.  And can on earth also.

Jesus accepts us as we are, but also is excited about who we will become in him.  To those of us who have gotten over the all about me part, we love the ride, and get excited about it.  And when we get over ourselves, and live a life in Christ not worrying about our performance, we actually perform better.  Riding and walking in the spirit.  So where are you with Jesus?  Where do you want to be?  Still trying to impress others with your walk?   Life is more than stickers and a cool Bible cover, it is knowing the only one who can save.  It is all about Jesus.  Never take to the road without him.  Next time someone asks you about your ride “what’ll she do?”  remember it is all about who twists the throttle.  Does Jesus twist yours?  Ride in the spirit, and don’t worry about what is behind you.  Use your mirrors wisely, and keep looking ahead.  Where your eyes go, the bike will follow.  So keep your eyes on Jesus, the ultimate ride.  You will find that others don’t care about how much you know, but about how much you care.  So if the bike fits, ride it.  All the way to heaven.  And enjoy the ride.  It’s a personal thing.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com