one afternoon at the Harley shop

All I did was stop in to use the bathroom.  And Quaid’s Harley being along my ride route, I decided to use their facilities.  As we get older, the need to water a lemon tree gets more frequent, ask Burt Munro, and I was greeted while leaving by a salesman I have known casually for years.  He began asking about the Scrambler I was riding, and was keenly interested.  “Can I go look at it before you go?  I have some questions?”  So we went out among the many Bar and Shield faithful around my bike, and he started telling me how they had taken in a Thruxton last summer.  And rode it all summer before putting it up for sale, and how much they loved riding it.  This from an older Harley rider and salesman, who just happens to love motorcycles.  Soon another salesman came out, and asked more questions, and when finding out the price and seeing how cool the Scrambler was, admitted he had just spent too much on a new Sportster, he wished he had looked at Triumphs first.  And he sells Harleys for a living!  Soon I had half a dozen Harley owners gathered around admiring the Scrambler, asking questions and making positive comments.  The last one being a question from the original salesman, “are they loud?  I am so sick of loud motorcycles.”  And to him and a few others, when this muffled Triumph started up, they all commented on the exhaust note-they liked it.  Lemon tree watering completed, I threw a leg over it, and riding away I couldn’t help but blip the throttle in true Harley style, wondering if I had just crossed into a Twilight Zone event.  Where were the cameras, and would anyone believe me? 

The one thing we all admitted while talking was how much fun the Triumphs were to ride.  They were lighter, faster, braked and handled better.  They were easier to ride, and both salesman admitted so many were taken in by the Harley mystique, only to be found to be a mistake, as any Japanese dealer can attest to.  Look at all the used Harleys they have, recent models with low miles.  Traded on bikes to be ridden.  And I always think of Spud, who always liked to see whatever Press bike I was riding.  An old Harley rider, he liked the Daytona R the best.  He had read about them, and secretly wanted a ride...but felt he was too old.  He had been riding a cruiser since the late sixties.  But looking at it one day, getting up from bended knee, after admiring the details, told me “we have a common disease, motorcycles.”  And he was right, we do.  And like many of us who do, the fact we ride is more important than what we ride.  But a quick reminder of a few years back shows how many are just brand specific to a fault.  Glen and I traded bikes for a ride.  He on my Sprint RS, me trying to catch up to him on his Road Glide.  We both stopped for an outlaw biker pulled over on the shoulder in distress.  He waved Glen on, but when I stopped he explained his situation.  He thought I was a Harley rider...boy was he wrong.  I guess my Triumph t-shirt didn’t give me away.  And we both laughed about it later, but sadly we all have built in prejudices toward what we ride.  But there is a wind of change, as even Sonny Barger went from HD to Victory, and now rides an Indian.  And likes my Triumphs, and knows all about them.  And if they were made in America would own one.  Heard from his lips, and also from his first book.  And this guy knows how to ride....what’s your excuse?

You have not always met the nicest people on a Honda, or let the good times roll on a Kawasaki.  Harley almost faded away, Triumph came closer, and BSA, Indian, and many others have come and gone, come and gone, and Indian decided to stay.  Riding is a personal thing, and what you ride is personal.  When Theresa started riding I told her this, and after a few weeks explained how it was.  She couldn’t quite put it into words, but her bike and her had a relationship.  Suddenly it was her bike, instead of the Bonneville.  And her attitude towards it changed, and an intimacy began.  Not a worship, but like a relationship between two friends, where many things go unspoken, but say a lot.  We don’t often think of Jesus like that, we think personal as in heavenly, or he is our savior.  And he is, but we see a different side of Jesus when his friend Lazarus gets sick and dies.  Jesus calls him friend, in Greek the word meaning brotherly love, like in Philadelphia.  He was God, he was man, but he is also friend, and was to Lazarus and his sisters.  I am sure they talked heavenly things the many times they met for dinner, but maybe other things as well.  Jesus being a carpenter may have shared about what he had made that day, or how his family was.  What he had seen on the news,  seemingly non-religious talk, but talk among friends.  The kind of talk we do with our friends.  And another side of a relationship was seen.  One time telling Jesus all about a ride I had just taken was precious time spent with him.  We are told to be in the world, but not of it.  Jesus is that great example.  And how many times have you been unable to share him because you didn’t find common ground with your new friend?  Yesterday I was reminded that just because we ride different brands, or make a living from one, that we don’t all love riding.  And with a deeper relationship now, we have a common ground, a respect for each other, and now the words I share about Jesus come from a friend, not just another person making a point.  Consider that next time you meet someone new, or someone you know.  Seek a common ground, and watch as Jesus is part of it.  Listen, share, never preach.  I don’t like being preached at, so I don’t to others.  And if you do to me, I’m outta here.  Good teachers know it takes a good audience, works while riding too. 

So maybe this was just one afternoon at the Harley shop, but it made my day.  It is always good to talk with others who share your interests, but also good to listen and learn.  We had an audience that day who overheard what we were saying, and were interested.  Maybe never considered anything but a Harley.  Now they know about others, and that it is OK to ride another brand.  Riding should be fun, and if it isn’t, you need to change.  Maybe your style or lack of it.  If something is missing from your life, consider Jesus.  He considered you that day on the cross, and is right now.  Consider the words you speak as you never know who is listening.  Or who sees you.  After riding a Thruxton all summer, two men found that all bikes are not created equal.  And they couldn’t wait to talk when I showed up.  Many have heard about Jesus, and have questions.  Will you listen and answer, or just continue an argument?  We all have a common disease called sin, and only Jesus is the cure.  If three old riders can agree on riding, can we maybe agree on Jesus?  Let those who ride decide.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

James and JIll went up the hill

In “Diamonds are Forever,” Sean Connery plays Bond, the only real Bond to many of us.  But in one scene he is even more spectacular than even Ian Fleming his creator imagined.  Being chased through Las Vegas in a red Mustang vintage 1971, his riding partner is Jill St. John.  Think about that scenario for a second, Bond with Jill in a red Mustang being chased through the streets of Vegas.  Take that Ms.SUV!  But after being chased around the Strip and various parking lots, we find James and Jill cornered in a dark parking lot with no escape.  Atta boy James...but back to the story.  The only escape is a narrow alley, with a loading platform blocking the car from fitting through.  But it is here that 007 shines where other double nought agents would have failed.  He hits the ramp with his left front wheel, and balancing on the two right wheels navigates the narrow alley.  But as good as he is going in, he is even better coming out.  He enters the alley on his two right wheels, but exits it on his two left ones!  Well done, 007!  A fact that many missed at the movies, I did, too much JSt.J which was where the action would turn next, but the actual scene had stolen the scene.  Now years later CHiP’s would perfect it, becoming known as “the CHiP’s flip,” but that night in Vegas James set the scene for all of us.  James and Jill went up the hill on their right wheels, but ended up on their left ones when exiting.  Which raises many questions.  What went on between the left flip and the right flip?  How did Jill stay out of James’ lap when the car flipped?  And why didn’t we catch it?  The one scene I would have loved to see was omitted.  Perhaps Bond’s answer from another interrogation about a date with a beautiful woman gives us insight, “it’s not the kind a question a gentleman would answer.”  Funny he never called her a lady.  Keeping the British end up James?

In the well known nursery rhyme, Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water.  When Jack fell down, he broke his crown, and Jill joined him later.  Tumbling I believe the story goes.  Like James and Jill, Jack and Jill made a fine pair, if only for one moment in time they are remembered for.  But when Jack fell down, he broke his crown, then Jill came tumbling after.  Quite different from the story of Adam and Eve, where Eve fell down and lost her crown, and Adam went tumbling after.  Yet the story of both are retold many times over, and yesterday listening to a noted psychologist, he wanted 90% of the jails closed, turned into prisons, and that would change the world.  He’s right it would, and remember the first few letters of psychologist are psycho.  He is one.  But his reasoning is skewed, much like his stupid vision, for he believes all children are born good, it is the world that teaches them to be bad.  I don’t know if he has any children, but if he did he missed out on one basic truth which is found in scripture.  Romans tells us “all are born into sin and fall short of the glory of God.”  Blame it on Adam and Eve, they fell down and we all have come tumbling after.  Information given for free just by reading your Bible, rather than being led astray for $200/hour.  And making another appointment next week.  But how can that sweet bubbly, innocent looking baby be evil?  Or born into sin?  It’s not his fault is it?

Sadly sin is a trait, just like blue eyes or blond hair we are passed down to from our parents.  But it is fixable, but only in Jesus.  Think about it.  You parents, did you ever have to teach your children to cry when they didn’t get their way?  To yell mine when they wanted something?  To throw food when they didn’t get their way?  Dr. Spock never taught new moms any of that, nor did Mr. Spock.  Even my memory goes back to events of when I was three years old, but I don’t remember any lessons on getting my own way.  I remember being corrected for demanding it way too often.  So sorry Dr. Psycho, there is a reason for prisons, and the doors on them.  To keep them in, but maybe to keep you out.  Read the following Rules for Toddlers, and I rest my case.

1-If I like it, it’s mine. 2-If it’s in my hand, it’s mine.  3-If I can take it from you, it’s mine.  4-If I had it a little while ago, it’s mine.  5-If it’s mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.  6-If I’m doing something or building something, all the pieces are mine.  7-If it looks just like mine, it’s mine.  8-If I saw it first, it’s mine.  9-If you are playing with something and put it down, it automatically becomes mine.  10-If it’s broken, it’s yours.  So easy a toddler can get it, so why can’t a psycho doctor?

But there is a way out of our toddler mentality, it is Jesus.  When we become his, we are forgiven.  He claims #1-9 about us.  He saw us first, and loved us anyway.  But #10 is where we all feel left out.  For even when the world casts us out for being broken, Jesus takes us in, just as we are.  Riding, playing, arguing, behind bars, or even in church-when we give our lives to him we are his.  Jack may have fallen down, as we all have, Jill tumbled later, but Jesus came after to save us.  The real and only cure for prison walls and doors.  Fact not psychology.  Truth versus theory.  The one sure thing we can always count on.  Today you may be facing a hill, a narrow alley, and wonder how you will come out, or even ever get out.  Turn to Jesus, for he sees things we cannot see.  He sees the things we couldn’t see when the Mustang magically flipped from right to left.  He sees what goes on behind closed doors and in our hearts.  He is the way out, the way back.  And his offer stands right now, even when we can’t. 

James knew he would escape, and Jack knew he would be coming down the hill again.  But only God knows how and when.  And protects us as we go.  And you don’t need a psycho doctor to blame it on society.  We are all born into sin and fall short, so because God so loved the world, he sent Jesus.  Just for you, even if you were the only one who had ever sinned.  You are loved that much.  So whether you are Adam and Eve, Jack or Jill, or James and Jill, Jesus is the way out of your trouble.  He is the way!

I wonder....I have a red Mustang in the garage, and I know this alley with a loading ramp.  “Hey, Theresa, wanna go for a ride?  I’ll drive...”

love your 200 pound toddler,

Mike

matthew 25biker.blogspot.com

smooth roads do not make skilled riders

The day Interstate 78 opened in New Jersey the whole world changed.  At least locally for us.  Where it once was an arduous ride on US 22, the busiest road in the US of A to see my Grandparents, passing such icons as the Leaning Tower of Pizza, The Flagship, and eateries such Texas Weiner and the Steer Inn, now it was without a stoplight for over 40 miles, with only an occasional exit to remind us when to get off.  A bucolic countryside of patchwork farms, opening up a view to what many don’t believe could or does exist in Jersey.  It was smooth, fast, and at least at first a great place to drag race.  The future was upon us, and old roads like Route 22 would soon become obsolete.  Along with the many businesses that lined them.  Many family owned businesses ending after decades, all due to reduced traffic on the alternate modern route.  Where once you had to dodge 18 wheelers heading to port in New York City, families heading to eat at Howard Johnson’s and waiting for the light to turn green, now all you had to do was point and steer.  Remember what exit you had to get off at, and then make a new path to your final destination.  Limited access freeways they were called, with all the flavor of artificial vanilla, and all the color of off white.  But they were new, and at least for awhile exciting, until the boredom set in.  And suddenly the traffic on Route 22 didn’t seem all that bad, the burgers at Steer Inn not so greasy, and Two Guys not such a bad place to shop.  We were being homogenized, not necessarily a bad thing, but the process was taking away a vestige of individuality, of creativity, of the “you can make it in America” promise we learned in elementary school.  The roads were smooth, no curves, you by passed Jugtown Mountain, and now a stop at Cappy Dick’s for a soft serve required knowing what exit to get off at.  For the farm stand the same, even the old free bridge to Easton was by passed, a new toll bridge taking its place.  What was once an interesting if sometimes arduous ride was now reduced to 40 minutes of pretty countryside, with no sign of life except for dairy cows.  Who didn’t seem particularly impressed by the new road’s invasion.  The roads were better, the views prettier, no traffic lights, but also no interaction, or very little between drivers.  No more nodding at the guy next to you at a light, or asking directions when stopped.  Now you kept going, eyes ahead and focused at a scary, steady 60 mph, with only 77 WABC to keep you company, when it wasn’t blocked out from the hills.  The whole world had changed right before our very eyes, and the dream we had envisioned was now here.  But where were we headed?  And how would we know when we got there?

Over 40 years of riding and driving have given me a unique perspective of traffic, drivers, and the roads we travel.  A man on a motorcycle having his clutch cable break reminded me of how dependent we have become.  In the past we would have kept going, and made it home.  This man panicked and pulled over, until I came along and rode it home for him.  His cell phone his only tool, how did we get along without them?  I watch as with computers, you just turn the car on and drive off, remember hitting the gas twice, then turning the key?  Letting it warm up before it could be driven off?  We used to have a choice between regular and no-lead, now we get no-lead only.  Where once we downshifted in bad weather to get down Jugtown Mountain, now the freeway bypassing it allows you to maintain a steady speed.  No freeway runoffs, no truck lane only, no backup of traffic going down, or up.  With the cruise control set, your AC set to a comfortable level, and your Sirius radio playing only what you want to hear, you sit in isolation from the world.  Everything is better than it once was, but we have become casualties of progress.  Rough roads, turns, elevation changes, and other traffic made us better drivers.  We had to be just to avoid the newer ones, who never drove Route 22.  And we were faced, and still are faced today with the results that smooth roads do not make better drivers.  Or riders. 

An old driving tip of putting your right front wheel against the curb to follow the road in a snowstorm now is obsolete.  Downshifting going down hills, turning off the AC going up, actually looking at maps as opposed to mindlessly following a GPS has put us out of touch we reality.  Windows up, don’t look at other drivers, and heaven help anyone interfering with your piece of the road.  Road rage has now replaced road manners and courtesy, you don’t even have look at your fuel gauge, a voice will tell you how many miles till empty.  Taking all the interaction of driving has made us numb, and a generation of bad drivers.  I have a nephew who couldn’t roll down the windows in my truck, they aren’t power.  Christopher drove the whole time on a trip to France, he was the only one who could drive a stick.  An arrow even tells us which side the fuel filler is on, but yet too many cannot figure it out, just watch at any gas station.  Which we used to call service stations....Better cars, better roads, but not better drivers.  And next time you get cut off by an SUV with the driver under the influence of cell phone or children, don’t blame them.  Someone passed them on their driver’s test!  Hands at 2 and 10, don’t adjust the radio or the mirror.  We would have been failed for that....today point, steer to avoid, and if the road is rough, pull over and call AAA.  All the while complaining.

Roads were  meant to take us places, and in Isaiah 40:4 we find a prophetic statement in regards to interstate travel.  “Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low, the rough ground shall become level, and the rugged places a plain.”  Sounds like my kind of road for riding, until we find that describes the interstate.  And also the relationship of many with Christ.  “Come to Jesus and everything will be alright,” yet the next day we go out and find our tire flat.  Not what we signed up for, but it is exactly what we signed up for, a life where we need God.  Where we cannot go it alone, where 2 Corinthians tells us we need him.  We are “hard pressed on every side, but not crushed, perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed.”  So that Jesus may be seen in us, and how when we let him handle the rough roads, he will get us through.  It is the rough roads that make us stronger, that bring us closer to God, so if the road you are on is rough, it is probably the right one.  If your testimony is how you managed to make it over them with God’s help, you are closer to him.  But if you insist on freeways only, taking the shortest way to get there, you miss out.  You miss the valleys where the mist hangs in the mornings, the smell of the atmosphere, and interacting with others.  You miss the view when you get to the top, and the appreciation of what it took to get there, and how Jesus got you there.  You miss the interaction with people, and sitting at the counter at Jimmy’s eating a hot dog.  Drinking a buttermilk with a red hot on the way home.  You miss out on having to acquire driving skills and having to use them, or to helping out others.  And you miss a side of God you will never see if you never have trouble.  It is in the tough times, the rough roads, the buckling asphalt that we need a strong suspension, only found in Jesus. 

Consider getting out of Bible study and into ministering.  If the seat of your pants is wearing faster than the soles of your shoes, you need to get out and into Jesus.  Route 22 is calling in many ways, what will your answer be?  The highway or the easy way?  The freeway or a back road where you get to see Jesus?  Consider eating a DQ under trees instead of at a truck stop, a real hamburger instead of tasteless patty at a chain, and consider Jesus when choosing life.  Rough roads make great rides, but only for those skilled enough.  You will never know until you get out and see.  You think you have talent, God sees your potential.  Who you see will tell you where you are going and where you will end up.  And as any biker will tell you not all curves are unwelcome.  Jesus knows that too.  Now, which road will you take today, the exciting way in Jesus or the freeway?  Both come with a price....it’s not too late to change the road you’re on. 

While you stand in line and order a #2 super sized, make mine a chili dog with extra onions, where I can sit and see my bike as the traffic goes by.  Where the waitress calls you honey, the table sticky, and the soda cold.  Along with others who chose to get off the freeway and back into life.  Talking with others, a fellowship on and of the road.  Excuse me while I pass the ketchup to the guy next to me.  For his fries, not his hot dog, for there are still some things you never should do.  Jesus Christ, “hi, come here often?”  He’s regular in my ride, I hope he is in yours, too.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

but it's only a few inches on the map

If you are the kind that plans his next ride and then records it on a small screen attached to an i-something, you need to read this.  If the next time you plan a ride behind bars, handlebars, you need this advice.  It is about an alternate way to travel and ride, one used for centuries, and a way that some do still today.  It is just the opposite of the way those who swear by their GPS ride, and encourages us who swear at a GPS to ride this way.  Not so long ago we planned trips on folded out maps.  Maps that may never be able to be folded correctly and replaced in a glove box, but that cover the kitchen table during planning.  That cover a table at a rest stop, and fold inconveniently into a tank bag.  Ones that you can circle towns on, highlight planned rides, or record past rides.  Where you can see beyond the 3x5 world of electronics, and see what lies around the area, the whole area that is shown on the map.  Where canyon roads that don’t appear on any GPS are shown, and a wider area is presented, giving you the chance to find more interesting ways to get to where you are going, or change your destination altogether.  A much larger perspective of what is out there.  To add days to a ride, because some squiggly line on a map interested you, and then you find out what you would have missed on a GPS.  You find that although it’s only a few inches on the map, that the smile per mile far exceeds any value given.  That the scope of the map may give some details, and if it doesn’t, get a more local one.  Take a trip that consists of more than only right turns, that leads to great rides, and that you make the decision on, rather than a voice telling you “turn right in 300 feet.” 

The few times I have been subjected to GPS travel, we got lost following the person who had one.  Misguided rather than guided, the third time past the AM/PM he figured we were lost.  Not us-him.  If he had taken the time to study for the ride, he would have found a way around town, on some great motorcycle roads, and eaten at more than a subscribed restaurant.  Whose ratings were self inflicted, the fact that no motorcycles were parked out front should have been a dead give away.  But maps can take time, which is time well spent.  Not a quickie nirvana for riding, but a way to enrich your mind and your riding experience.  And some experienced map readers, can only imagine why the road goes like it does, so we take it, and find a ride no one else did on their GPS.  And these maps can be had for free, just for joining AAA, and they can take you all over the US of A, and into many small towns along the way.  Great ways to spend cold winter days, or rainy nights, when you aren’t riding.  Getting to know an area, like the back of your hand, the only part you see while riding, instead of the palm of it.  It takes time, but in time you become able to read maps, to see between the squiggly lines, and your next ride to a place you have never been will be more exciting.  That is unless a three-peat of AM/PM turns you on....

Only a few inches on the map can change your life.  You can find that the few inches can be hundreds of miles, or a trip in a city.  It depends on the scale of the map.  And each map has its own.  From a map of the US, to a state map, to a county, or city map, the scale changes as the area gets smaller.  Whereas two inches may have taken two hours once, on a local map it takes a few minutes.  So it helps to pay attention to scale...even if it’s only a few inches on the map, it may take all day.  Or you wish it had.  Bible reading is the same way.  Too many read just the highlighted scripture sent to them daily, or only a selected story.  They miss the whole story, and sometimes the heart of it, by only reading what is on their i-pod.  But again, there is nothing like an open book, to scan ahead, or look back, and get the whole story as God intended it.  That few inches on their screen confines them, just like a GPS confines them.  A legalistic view of God, and one where they neglect the spirit, and choose to follow only what is given to them.  They miss out on verses before and after that may not be popularly quoted, but that God put in his word for us, let him choose if they are important, not us.  And still some have reduced Jesus to a planned trip, and when trouble hits, blame him.  Not being in the spirit, they cannot be flexible in it, and cannot be led by it.  Some detours are welcomed, and a better ride, a place we wouldn’t go on our own.  The same scriptures all the time, the same rehearsed answers, and the same endings.  Not bad, but not with freedom attached.  How many times have you opened your Bible and read on, way beyond the passage you were looking for, and found things you didn’t know were there.  Things about Jesus, things that make you question teachings, and finding answers via the spirit, for it is the spirit that reveals the mysteries of the Bible.  And Jesus.  A Kindle may be convenient, but nothing compares to turning the pages, and seeing both columns on both pages at once.  Seeing more than a sized screen, you see the word in a new way.  Alive and exciting...isn’t that what you demand of your God?  Or are you relying on a program to guide you?  Remember the three P”s of legalism and failure in the church-programs, processes, and procedures.  If Jesus is not your way, he needs to be.  He is the way!  Seems I read that somewhere.

At your next rest stop, when asking directions, or about a new area, ask the man whose map is spread out on the table.  Whose lines run deep, and the folds are worn.  He has been places, seen places, and can give good advice.  He knows, and you cannot teach experience.  A computer may make your bike run better, but a map will make the ride better.  Works in life to, and with God.  I don’t get why the same person who has a big screen 55” TV at home, will rely on a 3” screen while riding.  Get out and get big, bigger, and see more.  Get to know all of Jesus, not just a portion of him.  Not just standard lessons or themes, go beyond a programmed relationship.  Dump the processes, and ride.  With him.  No set procedure, it is called freedom, and when the spirit guides, there is liberty.  Go way beyond what is on the screen, turn the pages and see where Jesus leads you.  Get out and experience Jesus on your own.  Yes, you will make some bad calls, some wrong turns, but he is always with you.  Better than a GPS, his wi-fi is truly wide.  And goes beyond any set course.  Some study, some experience.  Some share, others listen.  Go out and build some new testimonies today, go past the screen on your i-pod, open the book of life and see where it takes you.  Life is more than a few inches on a map, and a few right turns.  Remember, as any biker knows, two wrongs don’t make a right, but three lefts do.  Let Jesus make your ride greater.  More freedom, more fun. 

I learned a lesson one day on how you cannot teach experience.  Ivan Stewart was building race trucks, and hired a man out of college, who had never seen a desert race.  Based on his computer programs, he built a truck that fell apart.  Imagine that, the Ironman seeking advice from a novice.  He should have known better.  Do you?  Technology is a good thing, as long as it doesn’t go on too long.  Never substitute anything for Jesus.  It may only be a few inches on a map, but you can be like Maxwell Smart, “missed by that much....”  As the pages turn and the map unfolds, see it all.  You will never know what you were missing until you see what you were missing.  See the whole picture Christ offers, rather than squinting at a screen.  If your God fits on such a small screen, maybe you have been looking in the wrong place.  

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

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