Perry Mason-The Case of the Peculiar Detail

I love to watch Perry Mason, to see the logic that he uses to not only clear his client, but to catch the guilty party.  I try to apply his logic to the current show I am watching, but his producers have an inside track, they know the ending, and can alter the lines to meet it.  I can’t.  But along the way, I learn lessons, little things by the examples and evidence, and apply it scripturally.  Perry Mason a Bible lesson?  He is a great counselor, do you remember another in man in scripture defined as one?  So why not, we all can use a little more Jesus, and a dose of Perry, and a few shots of Della never hurt anyone, either.  So here is a simple lesson, to be applied to our daily lives, via the ultimate attorney.  Who always wins...only Hamilton Burger would object to that. 

In yesterday’s story, an Italian immigrant was killed, after a battle over money.  He was a tight old man, and his will didn’t mention who would inherit his business.  Families that are tight can split apart over money and the death of a loved one in real life, too.  With only minutes left of the show, we all knew Perry would have the next witness be accused and confess, but this time with a twist.  The guy didn’t, because he didn’t do it.  But Perry had found out who via him, and some notes he had left behind, the old man who was murdered was his client for 30 years, ever since he came into the country.  And where Perry tripped him up was classic, a lesson to be learned by all, particularly Christians.  His attorney, the man on the stand, didn’t speak Italian, and the immigrant spoke very little English when arriving here.  And in early communications with him via telegrams, he tried to translate his English into the man’s native Italian, and that was where Mason tripped him up.  He translated the English to Italian word for word, as if looking each word up in a dictionary.  Not the way it would have been spoken by someone who knew Italian.  His attempt to translate the words, to give them a meaning, was his downfall, and when Perry pointed that out, he confessed to embezzlement, and the real murderer was cornered and confessed.  So what is the lesson to be  learned here?  The clues are there, let’s look at it from a Biblical point of view...still with me?

Of late I run into many Christians who can recite a scripture at the drop of a hat.  Note that “drop of a hat” is a slang term, they don’t really drop their hat as the euphenism implies.  And many of these scripture memory students have done just that.  From “a camel going through the eye of a needle,” to the disciples not knowing how Jesus would “rebuild his temple in three days,” or “how the body is a temple where the holy spirit dwells,”  they are taught literal, not spiritual meaning, and can miss the true meaning God intended.  Any comments on Nicodemus on being born again?  Literally quoting the Bible word for word, instead of catching the meaning of it, and being confused.  Worse yet, taking those words out of context, and not reading the preceding or the next verses to complete the thought.  They may know the word, but do they know Jesus, who is the word?  They may have the knowledge, but do they have the wisdom?  They may know the book, but do they know the author?  Do we take the time Perry does to study the case, and look for the evidence of the spirit in scripture?  Or has the word taken the place of the spirit in their trinity?

Knowledge puffs up, we are told, and I am not against study.  But I am for just study’s sake.  To know, but not apply.  For it is when we apply the things of the spirit to scripture that it comes alive, where we see Jesus as real and personal.  Where we go beyond the red words on the page, and into the heart of God, and his love and grace is revealed.  Tripping over words, or tripping out in the spirit?  Our souls may be saved, but our minds can still be a battleground.  Simple tests like Satan gave Eve are part of daily life, Satan didn’t use physical force, he appealed to her in knowledge, misquoting God so cleverly that when she fell back on her knowledge, it let her down.  Of course, that never happens to us, we all study to find ourselves approved...

So have you just studied it, or are you living it to find yourself approved?  The real test is daily life, our witness, what we show the world when we think no one is watching.  Our character, who we really are under pressure is revealed, and the truth was there all the time.  If Perry can figure it out, why can’t we?  Or are we so heavenly minded, we fail to represent Jesus Christ on earth?  Is your relationship with him so literal you can put it into words, or so deep and spiritual you cannot find the words to express his love?  So deep, only an action, a picture with a thousand words will do.  Are you still felling guilty, although Jesus proven you innocent by is death on the cross?  Have you been spiritually born again, or just religiously?  If you were on trial for being a Christian, is there enough evidence of Jesus in it to convict you?  Do you give the right answers, but don’t live them?  Perry would know, Jesus knows, but so does your accuser.  Do you know the words, but not the word?  Remember, when bragging on your knowledge, you may know all the answers, but not have heard all the questions yet.  When we fall back on what we have been taught alone, we fail.  When it is spiritually inspired, when we walk in his spirit, we are changed by him, and our lives reveal him and we see things through his eyes.  Not a lesson to fall back on or just a scripture to be quoted. 

Perry always catches his man in an hour, Jesus asks “could you have not waited just one more hour?”  Could you show some of my life in you instead of preaching and running others off?  Life has taught me, wear a Jesus shirt and you will be avoided by the same ones Jesus asks you to minister to.  If you have to remind me you are a Christian, maybe you are missing something.  And the world will judge you accordingly. Try showing love, let Jesus rule and reign in your heart, let him give you the words when you need them.  He has written his word on our heart, so you always have him with you, scriptural evidence the word is always in you.  So are you in the word or is the word in you?  I plead guilty by association with Jesus Christ.  Hopefully my words will match my actions.  In one short conversation Eve’s decision changed the course of history.  Say what you mean, and mean what you say.  Let your actions reflect Jesus Christ, and if necessary use words.  And remember, that wonderful counselor who is there to do just that, counsel.  I rest my case, you be the judge...now about your secretary Miss Street....

Do you have enough confidence to approach the bench?

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

to those of you who prayed for rain

Riding through the mid west we love to see all the colors.  The bright greens, the blues and purples of wild flowers, and the yellows of mustard seed.  It is amazing all the colors you can see on any day riding through farm country, and when you add the blue skies of farmland, you can see why God had to invent the rainbow for times just like this.  But here in So Cal we get varying shades of brown and tan, we see a much different pallet of colors, for one very simple reason.  Rain.  My yard that had dried up and died, now is green again, at least the weeds are.  Grass that had gone dormant is now growing again, flowers are blooming, and the blossoms are on the trees already, all because of the rainfall we are experiencing.  Which somehow effects the color of the sky, not sure how or why, bringing out a much deeper blue against the earth tones we grew up with in the seventies.  Driving around the Central Valley, we saw yellow fields of wild flowers, white blossoms on almond trees, and patches of green everywhere, the water had been added to the recipe, and growth is in progress.  All because of adding water to something dry.  And to those of you who prayed for rain, you have had your prayers answered, including the farmers who get it for free now instead of paying for it.  A natural event, when turned over to the supernatural is left to him and his best judgment.

But this year we are faced with floods, dams breaking, and too much rain for many sewer systems to handle.  It seems the rain has outsmarted many of the government geniuses we elect or hire, and the same streets, creeks, rivers, and neighborhoods are flooding, again.  And add to that the fact that we get so little rain normally, and that 97% of it runs out into the ocean, why aren’t we better prepared?  With so many having rain barrels this year, what do private citizens know the government doesn’t?  Or when left to our own devices, do we use common sense, and left with the alternative?  Yes, we live in a desert climate, and yes, most rivers are dry, but it rains each winter here, not a new occurrence, lest we forget.  Add to that the fact we are in a drought, and they keep building houses, more people but no more additional water supply, the reaction is to raise the rates so we use less.  I even saw the water police on our street last week.  Does anyone here know how to play this game, or are we being held hostage to stupidity, and really don’t care?  Just as long as it is available....

I have lived through two gas crises, and although it was expensive, it was available and we paid for it.  We complained, but few stopped driving, only when the stations ran out did we panic.  And suddenly the price was secondary, I hope we don’t learn the same lesson with water. If you prayed for rain, today someone is praying for sunshine.  If only we could have a system where it only rained while we were asleep, so as to not effect our riding....that’s my prayer.  But the rain falls on both the rider and the non-rider, the farmer and the city boy.  We are under the same skies, under the same God, who sees us all and our needs.  Do we see him?

Again in Ecclesiastes we see the seeker admitting that talent, money, looks, and education are important, but it seems time and chance do happen to all.  We may accept it as chance, but God knows where each drop of rain falls, and when.  All of man’s talent, resources, and education are useless when compared to the power of a loving God.  We plan, God laughs, and sends the rain, or the sunshine.  We see where the race is not to the swift or to the strong, the rich or privileged, but each day we face challenges that are sent our way, with an opportunity to reflect God in our reactions.  Which for me can go from happy to mad in only a few seconds.  But I am getting better, I tell myself.  And if I want green surroundings, I need to live with the rain.  The weather will not adapt to me, rather I must adapt to it.  So we dress in layers, and peel them off as it warms up, or add one as it gets cold.  We put on our riding suits, gloves, and rain suits to match the weather.  If only I would learn to adapt to life’s pressures so easily.  And as much as I love the brightly colored fields, I still hate to ride in the rain it takes to make them that way. 

Jesus tells us our life is not our own.  While the ads claim we can have control over our destiny, or make our successes, we find that life is really not under our own control.  We may have prepared for the floods like they did in Oakland one spring, but when a fire took out dozens of homes, they found they may have been ready for a rainy day, but not a fiery night.  That God orders things, his way for our benefit.  Which stifles my thinking, and my ego.  We are told our choices make the difference, but do they really?  How important are our choices? 

The last fruit of the spirit is self control, which we all struggle with.  But it is manifest in the decisions we make, and remember it is a fruit of the spirit, not of us.  When we make the right decisions based on God, after prayer, or by walking in his spirit, we get the rain and see why it occurs when it does.  God is in control, not us, and while some pray for rain, while others pray for sunshine, God has his own ideas.  And own will.  It is his fruit that we bear when we agree with him, not the other way around.  And just when we think we have thing under control, we find how much we don’t.  Sometimes a gentle reminder, other times the harsh result of rebellion against God.  While some saw Jesus’ death as murder, we forget he went voluntarily to die for us to be reunited with God our father.  While Good Friday seemed terrible, three days later we saw the why, and why we cannot have Easter without Good Friday.  Without rain nothing grows, too much and we get floods.  Only God knows how much, when and where.  Think you are up to playing God, deal with the weather first.  And yet God has time to hear our prayers and answer.  If only we would listen as much as he does. 

So when scripture tells us time and chance play a role in all, it isn’t like the chance we take when gambling, or play calling, or thinking all is good luck or bad.  We are reminded that the Lord has everything under control, and we need to turn to him, in times of need and before.  Anything can fall apart, any plan can go awry.  Which is why we carry rain suits, and maps.  Directions change, we find detours, and need to adjust.  All God’s plan the whole time.  Something to remember the next time we got caught in a downpour, or bake on a sunny day.  God has everything under control, and with the sun breaking through today, we almost forget the rain of yesterday.  But the fresh flowers and sweet smells of nature in full bloom remind us of being under his control.  And to those of you who prayed for rain, you got your  wish.  If only I could learn to go with God instead of against him.  And so he provided cars, with roofs and warm insides for me for such times.  It’s your party and you can cry if you want to, but I rather rejoice in a living God.  After the rain there is a rainbow, no rain no rainbow, which reminds us of his presence.  Best observed after putting on your rain suit than before.  The signs were there, God was there, where was I?  And where will you be?  And bless you all who prayed for sun and warmth, he brings that too.  Which is always appreciated more after the storms....and riding.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

thou shalt not have any other motorcycles before me

Mention the word demo ride to a motorcycle salesman and they look for a quick exit.  No one likes to turn over a new motorcycle to someone they don’t know or who may have questionable riding abilities.  And no you cannot ride my bikes either.  For I have seen proof, starting when I sold them years ago, and Motorsport had a demo ride for each model.  I never had a customer dump one, if you don’t count the GT380 I sold to a man who showing off for his wife, ran it into a chain link fence, and the throttle stuck on, after he had signed the dotted line.  I slid an RM 370 100 feet once while showing off, but my favorite was another salesman who took off after a prospect he thought was stealing a bike, he forgot to unlock the front fork on the R90/6, and rode right into the wall in front of him.  Seems the prospect stopped to put gas in the bike when it ran out....And I have taken or been offered many demo rides over the years.  A Harley only friend and I stopped in a Harley store, and the Buell salesman approached us, offering me a ride on the newest Buell, because of the Speed Triple I was riding.  When I inquired if my friend could also, he shook his head “no, those guys can’t handle all the power.”  Later confirmed at a Christmas party where I offered the Harley club members a ride on the same bike, and was cautioned by one, “don’t these guys really don’t know how to ride with all that power.”  But I do have an open invite at the local Harley store to ride anything I want....Now I am not knocking Harleys or those who ride them, just relaying the experience.  Not judging, just describing.

When the new Indian store opened, I wanted to ride their new Scout.  I had ridden their large bikes, and didn’t care for them, too much weight and add ons that made them handle like a wheelbarrow in gravel.  But the Scout was fun, and the salesman went off, me following.  After the customary preplanned ride, we stopped at a light to go back to the store, he motioned we were done.  “I’m not,” I said, and took off up the freeway ramp, him chasing.  We went back, he in a cold sweat, afraid I may not return, but more afraid that I might crash.  He claimed to have ridden over 100 and never caught me, too fast for him, I guess.  But now I stop in with the press bikes, we visit, and have become friends, but no more demo rides. 

For me a demo ride consists of how I ride, which makes the press bikes from Triumph a great tool to see if I really like the model.  After 1000 miles I get to know them, how they handle, how they accelerate and brake, you do practice braking, don’t you?  How many miles per tank, and some I fall in love with, some I do the minimum and return them.  But I get to know the bike in different situations, and become familiar with them.  So when asked yesterday, “why do you own the ones you do?” it was simple, they perform the way I choose to ride.  They fit my style, and maybe I fit them, and after 1000 miles on the Bonneville Bobber on the street, I miss my Tiger.  All three of them.  And I know I will suffer remorse when the Bobber goes back, but I will be glad to be back on my own rides, because they suit me, and that is the reason I bought them.  They have become old friends, I know how many miles after the reserve light goes on do I have left until I have to push, how soon to brake, and how to take better lines in corners.  And after a few miles back on my rides, I can almost hear them telling “thou shalt not have any other motorcycles before me.”  Whoever said riding and what you ride isn’t personal never rode, not even a demo ride. 

To many people being a Christian is a set of thou shalt nots, the things God makes you not do, robbing you of all the fun you had when a sinner bound for hell.  They trip over scriptures, so afraid to get caught by some so called loving brother who is superior and face judgment.  So they live a life in the shadows of religion instead of the light of the Lord.  They may know all the songs on K-LOVE, all the popular scriptures, even follow a pastor or two, but live in a legalistic world, far from the freedom Jesus promises us in the spirit.  They have knowledge, but not wisdom, which only comes directly from God, not from any teaching or study.  Wisdom brightens a man’s face, and gives him freedom to make better choices, to have special insight that only can come form above.  While some churches and study group advertise “meeting with people who are like minded,” the spirit allows you to be the individual in him, not the same cookie cutter Christian.  They cannot function outside the church, for they are never challenged, and only know what they have been taught.  They supplant an education for a relationship, and even think they know all the answers, not knowing they haven’t heard all the questions.  They become copies of a church or denomination, and when meeting other Christians, ask “what do you believe?”  God made us each an original, and that scares too many, because all they know is what they have been taught, not in who they believe to save them. 

Ever notice how spiritual people have insight to ideas and situations?  And may be called judgmental, when all they are doing is describing the person based on insight from God?  Wisdom from him.  Have you experienced the confidence one has walking in the spirit, using all the wisdom God gives while others still pray or ask others?  Is your relationship with God still a demo ride, or have you found the peace in Jesus that opens the door to wisdom, and the wisdom that opens up the door to peace?  In Ecclesiastes, the searcher tells of a life self seeking, but not finding.  But who finds the living God who gives him all the answers to life he needs in the end.  And he was the  smartest person who ever lived.  The wisdom when others guess, or the faith to move while others still ask around, seeking answers from those like minded.  Jesus tells us to have no other gods before us, are you substituting the knowledge of friends, of pastors, of teachers, for the wisdom of the spirit?  Which he pours out on all of us, and we get to accept or reject?  Is your demo ride of Christ based on books read instead of seeking Jesus directly?  Do you need to be taught how to pray, how to worship, how to love?  Don’t those things come from the heart? 

So just like the numerous bikes I ride, I always return to my own.  My choice.  Maybe today is the time to return to Jesus, to open up to the spirit, to put aside teaching and knowledge, and find everything you need in Jesus.  It is the spirit that gives insight into the scriptures, do you know them or has Jesus written them on your heart.  As an example, I visited a church yesterday advising its members to fast for 40 days.  To be visible in it and tell others what you are doing.  Signs to advertise it.  When scripture tells us to be quiet about it, not bringing attention to ourselves, but seeking God.  What do you think they talk about when asked how the fasting is going?  Has it become a competition?  And the like minded follow...fasting is not required to be saved or to be a Christian.  But a personal event that should be done in private for only our father in heaven to see.  Read it, it’s in the Bible you quote....why ask man when you can go directly to the Lord? 

Do we remember the purpose of a test ride is to see if we like the bike?  Do we approach Jesus like that?  Or is he God, the only God for all occasions?  So have no other gods, or teachings, or false doctrine before him.  Now if only I could explain that to my personal motorcycles.  Maybe if I tell them when I swap them it is like a retreat for them, time to spend with other motorcycles, who are like minded?  I wonder, would they go for it?  Would you...life goes on after the demo ends.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

one ride is worth a thousand pictures

My friend Peter is publisher, editor, secretary, janitor, and bath room attendant for Wheels of Grace magazine, that my articles appear in sometimes.  It is a Christian based magazine, that has a definite Harley slant to it, as it was started to minister to the biker community.  But over the years, Triumph has caught his attention, and when I offered him the first road test of the new Bonneville Bobber, he went for it.  I wrote words, but he needed a cover shot, so hooked me up with Steve yesterday.  And we met in Fallbrook, to show off the Bobber in pictures.  But after a few bucolic shots, we moved onto another country scene, and I just didn’t feel right about the shots.  They didn’t match my words I had written, to what the bike was all about, and I thought back to when I did the sound for Angelina Jolie in SALT.  The sound guys had given me a list of sounds they wanted, but were unfamiliar with motorcycles.  When I asked him for the script, I was able to supply him with the right sounds for the ride, they flipped out over them, and great editing made the sounds match her ride.  You hear me, but see her. 

So we talked, and I explained that Harley guys are into the look, Triumph guys ride, and the first thing the new owners of Bobbers will do it ride them hard, to see what they can do.  And so we changed the venue, got some great shots, reflecting the words in the article, and representing the bike for what it is, a brutal beauty that loves to be driven aggressively, and is addictive.  If only we had shot movies, read the article in his next issue, wheelsofgrace.com and let us know.

But still early in the day, I decided to ride home, ditch the jacket and ride some more.  Sitting at a light before getting on the freeway, I watched as a small Toyota, one of those ugly box looking things, cut through traffic, pulled in front of an F650 Ford with a cherry picker, and was hit.  Clearly the car’s fault.  I had seen it coming, then saw it, heard it, then responded to it.  The man driving the truck called the CHP while I attended to the young couple in the car, and controlled the traffic.  Later that night when the truck driver called to thank me, I mentioned “you must be important, as two Border Patrol cars, four CHP cruisers, one CHP motor, and a helicopter responded.”  He then explained he was undercover with the sheriff’s department, and they were about to do a bust, acting as construction workers.  Hence all the attention.  And I was right in the middle of it all, with the Bobber.  I think back, what a great shot it would have made, the Bobber among the accident scene with all the police vehicles, truly a bad boy statement.  One picture would have been worth a thousand words that morning, one ride was worth a thousand pictures in my memory.  All the planned shots would not have conveyed a better message than the real life event I was in.  Where were the SUV drivers with cell phones poised when I needed them?

Some of us view our Christian walk as a movie, Jesus being the plot, with a lot of action in it.  Others are a collection of stills, with the focus on them, but no sight of Jesus.  If they made a movie of your life in Christ, would you watch it?  How long would it last, 10 minutes, two hours?  Would it be an epic, or a quick release on DVD and languish on a 99 cent shelf in Walmart?  Would he be the main character, and what would be the story line?  We may not realize it, but God is recording our life in a book in heaven, to be opened later.  A personal account of our lives in Jesus Christ, and that can be scary.  But first know, if you are in the book, you made it to heaven.  But will it be a few pages, or a series?  How did your life on earth reflect Jesus?  Scripture tells us that if all the things Jesus did were written about, no library could hold them.  Would your testimony be among them?  Would Hollywood be interested in the story line, and if they did, would you watch it?  Who would you want to play you?  Yet we live everyday creating a movie, a testimony of Jesus Christ in our lives, with precious moments captured on film in our memories, but how do they compare to what God sees?  Does the sound of your ride match the scene?  Do the words match the pictures?  Is Jesus even in the picture?  Who is your life story all about?

Yesterday I was offered to be in the photos, I declined.  The article was about the bike, not me.  The Bobber’s testimony as seen and recorded by me.  How would we see your testimony?  Like you do or science fiction?  Is it all about Jesus or all about the ride?  Or is he the ride of your life?

Steve gets it now because I explained what the Bobber was all about.  How do  you explain Jesus?  Do you know all about his love for us, or is it just words on a page in the Bible you memorize and repeat without the personal relationship?  In the spirit God’s words excite me and make me want more Jesus, I hope the road test did the same for the Bobber.  And I hope that if anyone has questions about it they contact me, so they can get a glimpse of Jesus.   And how Christians ride and love him too.  Yesterday two independent events allowed me to ride the Bobber, but also show Jesus by my actions.  Very few words shared, I hope the actions showed more about Jesus than any words.  To some it was another accident, to God a preplanned event to show the love of Christ to those who were not in church.  Who were going about their daily life when tragedy struck.  And God used me to minister.  Two scenarios, one staged, one as it happened.  That is life, and the life of a Christian.  A life with Jesus, where it is all about him, and we get to enjoy the ride.  Read the Bible, the book, don’t wait for the movie, you will not be disappointed.  And you will find any pictures will match the words, and so do the sounds.  An all time best seller....like its author the Lord.  If only you could smell the burning rubber...

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com