an honest look at TV familes

Growing up in the sixties, three shows about families set the tone.  Each one different, each one contemporary, and each one more popular today in reruns.  Everyone wanted a mother like June Cleaver except for me.  She nagged, her boys would have been sissies if Ward wasn’t there, she pouted to get her way.  Think about it, I’m right.  I was too young for Father Knows Best, but I reruns see Margaret way cool.  Helping Bud with his hot rod, learning to ride a Cushman, June thought motorcyclists beneath her, while Margaret was doing the painting, dress making, and community work.  Stuff my mother would have done.  But the one mother figure that stand out for not being a mother, was actually two men, Bub and Uncle Charley on My Three Sons.  Steve was a widower, raising three sons, and their maternal grandfather Bub helped raise them.  Later a great Uncle Charley took over, and even without a female in the home, until Katie married Rob and Steve remarried the last three seasons, this was the home we wanted to live in.  Boy stuff to manhood stuff went on, hot rods, dating, graduation, college, and finally kids and grandkids, this was real life, maybe a stretch at times, but maybe this was why the show lasted so long.  Steve knew best, and his fatherly advice passed on to his sons I still learn from.  The absence of a mother is visited a few times, when Bub subs for Chip’s lack of a mother and school, and Uncle Charley legally becomes a mother figure so they can adopt Ernie.  No crying or whimping out, they were also the only family with a dog, Tramp, who was on for all the 12 seasons.  Later The Partridge Family would be a single parent household, but Steve was first, and raised kids he should be proud of, while doing things we wish our dads had. 

Steve taught his sons life could be hard, but to face the test, no matter what the opposition would say.  One episode where Steve will not help Ernie with a school science project, Ernie is miffed, thinking his dad doesn’t love him, but when all the other dads really do their son’s projects, Ernie takes pride in learning something about his father’s love and gets the biggest prize of all.  How many times did Ward bail out the Beaver?  Showing a father’s love comes in many flavors.  Ward was always there for his boys, Jim for his kids, and Steve for his sons.  All with a father’s love, one missing from TV families today, reflecting and influencing real life.  The Douglas family faced the challenges, today they go on welfare.  You decide, who got the better parents? 

The nature of sin is self occupation, it is all about me.  Then me, and then me again.  TV shows us how to look out for ourselves, it’s my rights, my desires, and my way.  Or I cry and kick and scream...with an added sound track, as if this is funny.  What’s in it for me?  And we wonder why society is falling apart from within....the nature of sin is to play God or be God in our own little world, saved or not, it is.  And while it can be pleasurable, at least for awhile, we forget that sin nature is from the devil, and not of God.  For from the beginning, it was the devil that sinned.  Somehow sin is fun, or we wouldn’t do it.  But it has a price, which we cannot afford when payment is due. 

Many today live independent of God, doing their own thing, claiming full responsibility for any success, but I have found in Christ I can live independent on God.  I can be who he wants me to be, and still have the freedom only found in the spirit.  Living independent from Jesus is self delusion, it comes down to believing a lie, it is more than knowing conceit is bad and humility is good.  Freedom is knowing Jesus, and becoming all he has for you on this earth.  Remember God is also an earthly father, not just a heavenly one.  When we worship ourselves above all else, we celebrate the national religion of hell, selfishness.  Who you look to in times of trouble tell us who you really are, and how weak we really are and how much we need God.  We need an earthly God to be there for us, and when he isn’t, our heavenly father always is.  Readily helping us, but in ways that may seem harsh for the moment, but in then end bring righteousness. I see a lot of God’s wisdom in Steve Douglas raising his sons, teaching them to stand on their own, yet dependent on the father.  To unite in family, rather than divide, and to face adversity, playing the game fair, and not winning every time, but growing from the losses.  Planning for the future, but dealing with today.  We need more fathers like Steve, and Jim, and Ward.  Men who desired and knew the value of being called father.  Do we know the value of calling God our heavenly father?  Of Jesus being our savior, and the spirit being our comforter?  It’s all right there, but first we need to deny our sin nature and repent.  When we wrestle with sin, do we really know that there are heavenly powers, not of God influencing us?  That our selfishness will ultimately lead to death?  Or do you still think you can do it all alone?

Jesus is calling to us today to become part of the family of God, to get all the inheritance of God, and be all we can be.  He doesn’t promise success in all things, nor an easy road, he promises grace,which is the best.  And peace and comfort along the way, if we don’t try to do it alone, maybe the peace you are missing is because you are still trying to do it yourself.  Life is designed so you cannot...

Different family dynamics in each show, yet each was a family.  It was about the family, and you being a part of it, with a part to play.  Get over yourself, see how God has a plan for you in his family, our family.  How he will direct but not force his will upon you, and you will escape your sin nature.  When your world is all about Jesus, sin finds no place and looks for another home, another TV series.  You see Father really does know best, and it takes a family to be a father.  Let God be your father today, repent and be welcomed into the family.  If we had left things to Beaver, you can only imagine how life would be.  We are all children of someone, I like being a child of God best.  And if my sons like to ride motorcycles, that is OK too.  June was a snob, if only Ward had better choices in women....he did in real life, he chose Jesus, and was a Methodist minister.  You see, God the father really does know best!

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

driving topless

Although I grew up in the Muscle Car era, my roots are in sports cars.  At the time I had a 1969 BMW 1600, Cooper an Opel Rallye, Simmons a John Player Special Lotus Europa, and Timmy’s family owned a group of car dealerships, and he drove an MGB.  We were all winners when it came to bench racing, Cooper and I pretty close in the turns, and Simmons flat walked away from us in the straights.  But Timmy in his MGB, or rather his family’s store’s MGB, laid claim to being the only real sports car.  It seems the legend goes that only real sports cars come from England, and to qualify the top must go down.  The Lotus came close, being from England, but only the MGB could be driven topless.  Which changes the whole attitude when driving, and reinforces the British claim to fame.  The Germans may be faster, quicker, and more reliable, but nothing beats an afternoon ride with the top down in a British sports car.  The rest are sporty, only one is a true sports car.  Four cylinders of fun getting 20 mpg, where you could see the cylinders and count them, you had access to the plugs, and of course knew all the parts guys by name.  And they knew you.  But on those sunny days when the top was down, nothing else mattered.  Not 0-60, not the fastest in the quarter, no top speed runs here.  An intangible was at work, and it had to be British.  With the top down.

That doesn’t mean they had mastered the art of the collapsible top though.  A friend once ripped the windows out of my Midget one time putting the top down incorrectly.  It seems if it took less than five minutes to complete the task, it wasn’t British.  Or could be done alone, or even worse, when the unexpected shower came, and it was easier to drive over 60 and keep the rain from hitting you than stopping and getting soaked, while washing your interior.  A date and I once froze coming home from a picnic, she had to have the top down, and found out the hard way.  Any future dates were considered only if I had a car that didn’t leak in the rain.  But still the legacy remains, there is nothing quite like top down motoring in a British sports car.  If I need to explain, you’ve never been caught in the rain with your top down.

Isaiah tells of a time when the wolf will eat with the lamb, the leopard will be friends with the goat, and a lion with the yearling.  A time to come when all sin is gone from the world, and Jesus Christ rules and reigns.  A time when it won’t rain, my interpretation, when the road will empty, and I can ride all I want.  I do hope that there will be an MG or two there also, to truly experience the driving sensation that escapes us here so often.  We do many things based on conditions, like weather, money, time, and our wife’s permission, in heaven I cannot see struggling with a top in a shower.  Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden, it never rained until Noah, God providing a mist for the  trees and flowers.  I could see them in an MGB, top down, meeting with God, any topic but the weather.  All the animals gathered around, no need for protection, they were still perfect, no sin entered the world yet.  We forget that with it sin brought aggression, pride, and competition, and suddenly all bets were off, including the weather.  To some this is a metaphor, of the peace we get when knowing Jesus, to some a true description of what will happen.  Both are and can be reality for the Christian, but yet pride rears its ugly head.  Even in the best of churches, or families, when people are involved, the lions go hunting, and the lambs flee.

Years ago I consulted the elders of my church about a man who owed me money and couldn’t pay.  Talking with each one, 4 or 5, each one gave me a different answer, with one commonality, sue the sucker.  Make him pay.  Teach him a lesson.  Which confused this young Christian, so turning to God, always the last resort when it should be the first, I forgave him.  It wasn’t about the money, it was about my pride.  And to not loan, but give as scripture instructs.  I was free from the burden, and topless driving was back.  Nothing between me and God.  No roof to protect, no AC to cool or heater to comfort.  I found the answer in Jesus, when his spirit directed me.  A valuable lesson, topless motoring in the kingdom.  A lion may lay with the lamb then, but I can have the peace I need now.  Top down, wind in my face, enjoying the ride. 

Just like the cars we drove, many were bought on spec, on reputation, or affordability.  Seems we approach God the same way, conditionally.  Yet he loves unconditionally, he goes beyond the written word so commonly quoted to our advantage, his reputation is flawless, and his riches are endless.  Like the 10 virgins, who needed oil in their lamps, he keeps the oil in our engines, no matter how much they mark their spot.  We need the oil of his spirit in our lives, some are a little low, some need changing, some a new dipstick before they become one.  But God provides, so why go anywhere else? 

I believe that one day the Ford will lie down with the Chevy, BMW with Mercedes Benz, and MG will be resurrected.  But I am glad that on that day I will be too.  And I am now.  Maybe that is what makes topless driving so desirable, it encompasses all the best of driving, and leaves nothing between us and God.  But lest we all run out and buy British, remember the rain falls on the just and the unjust.  Which is why we need Jesus, he protects us from the storms, yet we can see him better on sunny days.  A relationship not based on spec, or on what he can do, but based on who he is.  After all, isn’t being the son of God enough to have our worship?  So maybe the motto of the  MG tells us why it the ultimate British sports car, Safety Fast.  Sounds like God to me.  All others, close the windows and turn on the air.  I wonder, does MG stand for Mighty God?  Wanna bet the elders drove sedans....

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25bikr.blogspot.com

understanding dump trucks

I’ve always wanted a dump truck.  Not sure why, definitely not practical, I have no real use for it, no place to park it, and really no place to drive it.  Yet I have always wanted one.  Maybe the Tonka truck influence of when I was a kid, maybe being a baby boomer and watching suburbia being built in the early sixties, or maybe because they just look cool, I want one.  Maybe it was Tonka naming a double rear axle dumper Big Mike, maybe riding to work in the back of one when working for the Union County Park Commission summers in high school, or maybe because they just look cool.  I have settled on a mid fifties GMC, maybe Ford Big Job, 53-56, but my first love is the B Model Mack trucks.  Must have a diesel, always thought the name Thermodyne was cool, still not sure what it means, and a two speed rear axle.  I am open to colors, but that red that Mack seemed to paint everything would seal the deal, after talking to my wife first, of course.  But I think she would understand, or at least say she did, as I have brought home Mustangs, Suzuki Samarai’s, MGB’s, Thunderbirds, and who knows how many motorcycles that were welcomed, all without prior knowledge.  I take exception to the sign in the local Yamaha store that reads “your wife called, and said you could buy what you want.”  I am considerate of her, maybe if I start leaving little hints about the Mack she will catch on.  Who knows, there may be a Ford in my future?  Or a GMC....now if they came in a convertible model I know I would stand a better chance.

And so I look, in Vintage Truck magazine for old dumpers for sale.  The Midwest is full of old farm trucks, in pretty good condition, just what I am looking for.  Do you think she has caught on to all the rides to Iowa yet?  An old GMC sits outside Woodstock, Vermont calling my name for years.  Sadly the old truck yard, outside of Ashland, Oregon is gone, so much old construction equipment, priced fair, I had been looking, but a few years ago it was gone, succumbing to yet another strip mall.  Supplanting the vehicles that might have helped build it.  I know there is one out there for me, so I still look.  And it will be parked outside, so there is still room in the garage for the bikes and her Mustang.  How could she say no?

And with a few thousand squirreled away, it seems the money could be there, but where are the trucks?  Why are the good deals always there when I don’t have the cash?  If only the two would meet...so I still dream, still look, and still desire an old dump truck.  Not quite desperate to go Dodge hunting yet, or even Studebaker, although I see on old one lately, might be for sale, but I am hanging onto Mack.  Unless a GMC or Ford Big Job breaks my heart and wallet first. 

It has been said wisdom is the nature of things, and understanding is the awareness of the difference between them.  Wisdom leads me to dump trucks, understanding says Mack.  Or GMC.  Or Big Job.  Nowhere is common sense mentioned.  But although we have the knowledge of the things of God, many fall short of the wisdom the spirit offers.  The understanding that we are offered in making decisions.  I know many people who have denied Jesus because they couldn’t understand him, the gospel not making sense.  And on paper it might not, why would God sacrifice his son for a group of people who hated him?  Why would God come down to us?  Aren’t all other deities higher and mightier and above us?  Cults have the knowledge, or at least the teaching of what they believe, as perverted from the gospel as it may seem, but they lack wisdom.  They don’t understand that denying the deity of Jesus Christ means hell.  And they say we Christians don’t get it.  We try to argue in vain, forgetting that the wisdom of the spirit is what reveals the mysteries of Christ, and our understanding of the scriptures helps us make the right decisions.  It is when we try to rationalize the things of God into earthly means we lose the translation.  It is why we need the spirit to provide the wisdom and understanding we need to know Jesus.  He reflected these in his ministry, and we can too, in the spirit.  So often we neglect to admit Jesus knows the answers before we ask, forgetting how we go through each detail, spelling it out for God, as if he was a newcomer.  Maybe if we  listened more, we would know more.  His wisdom would be imparted to us.  Understand?  Jesus is the difference.  He never said “he who has a mouth let him speak,” he said “he who has an ear let him hear.”  Wisdom comes from listening, and understanding comes from God. 

So Jesus knows all about my dump truck desire.  And there may be one out there for me.  The right one.  I have the knowledge of the trucks, I need the wisdom to see which one.  And in understanding will know which one.  So I dream and hope...but what do I do if on the way I pass a bike shop, and another dream is out there for sale?  God give me wisdom to see my way past, the understanding to know which one to buy, or the cash to get both.  You know I can carry the new bike home in the truck....I guess wisdom like dump trucks has its limits.  Jesus and his wisdom have no limits.  And he is much easier than trying to find an old B model, too.  We have never seen the wisdom in SUV’s, or the understanding.  I guess there is still hope for me.  But there is an old International for sale close to hear, might have to alter my ride plans today.  Leave the check book home.  After all, my wife has wisdom too.  Look who she married.  If only she understood me....

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

 

what's your excuse?

I met a man long ago when I was first starting out in life and everything was new and exciting.  He had written a book, “Excuses-the Disease of Failures,” and I found it fascinating.  He was still young, old to me at his ripe old mid-thirties, but had written down stories of all the excuses he had ben given by people who told him he would never succeed.  He had seen between the lines of their reasons to fail, and committed himself to never following their example again.  Not a how to book, not even a guide to being successful, he had just written down lessons he had learned for others who failed.  Learning from failure, sometimes his own, but learning from others mistakes, overcoming their excuses, and not veering from the vision he had been given.  Adversity had made him strong, he was tested and had passed, while the others still made excuses.  From it I took the idea that whenever anyone gives me an excuse, I take it as a lie.  And I don’t like being lied to....

You see I have lost almost everything three times, been fired from the best paying jobs I ever had while on top of my game, been falsely accused of things I never did, and been life flighted, made medical history and given little or no chance to live.  All without making any excuses.  I have learned from all of them, and still learning.  I have found good advice only works if taken, losers will make excuses and become a burden, and somehow blame you for their failure.  I have been frustrated when telling someone what to do when asked, and seen them disobey and go down in flames.  I have neglected good advice, thinking I knew better, I was the exception to the rule, and wished I had listened.  I tire of opinions, I rather deal with facts, and find true testimonies of Jesus Christ uplifting and encouraging.  Inspirational.  Yet I find too many who teach or instruct, have all the answers, yet have no experience.  They give advice to those sick about how Jesus will cure them, but never have been critically ill themselves, based on here say.  They never miss a paycheck, yet tell the jobless how to have faith.  They never miss a house payment, and have no idea what it is like trying to make rent.  The world is full of them, a breed of excuses of a different kind.

So many how to books have been written and read and then applied to life.  The books stores are filled with them, yet I have never seen my friend’s Excuse book anywhere.  Maybe it hits too close to home, maybe the excuse part is negative, and maybe it is easier to believe a lie than to face the truth.  Pick your reason, er excuse.  Isaiah tell us of a man who will be born, described as “wonderful counselor, mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.”  Those are some mighty recommendations, yet often he is neglected, his words twisted, excuses made, and only as a last resort his advice taken.  He charges nothing for his advice, it is readily available, and private sessions are encouraged.  He makes no excuses for who he is, or why he came.  Yet those who follow him often do.  Never taking in the fullness of who Jesus Christ really is.  He is too many times only compared to someone earthly, and sounds too good to be true.  He is prayed to but rarely listened to, and then summarily blamed when we fail.  And we still call him Lord.....

As a wonderful counselor he reveals things about us that we don’t know or will not admit.  He offers advice and the solutions to our situations, he shows us the way, even if it may be dangerous and not what we want.  He has faced every dilemma we ever will and has overcome them, even death.  Yet we neglect his advice.  He is referred to as Mighty God, unmistakenly referring to his place in the trinity, never boasting or bragging, just the fact of who he is.  Which should be enough to worship and trust him, yet we try him every day to have him prove who he is.  And he never fails.  He is the everlasting father, who knows no beginning but has always been.  Everlasting, no end in sight either, no matter how far you go back or go ahead, Jesus is always there.  He is the only one who can give eternal life because he is eternal and is the life, yet offers sinners a chance to become children of God and part of the family of God.  To enter his kingdom.  He was resurrected, so we can be also.  And finally he is the Prince of Peace.  His peace goes far beyond anything physical or emotional we may desire, it is spiritual in nature, and more than a high or a quickie nirvana.  It goes deep, beyond situations, it is Christ within us, his spirit dwelling inside of us.  It accepts no excuses, he is pure truth, and all these things are found in the person Jesus Christ, and revealed by his spirit within you when you are born again.  He is the truth, maybe that is why I don’t like being lied to, I know the truth, and on a first name basis.

So to those of you who still make excuses, please excuse me.  Excuse me from your selfish pride, thinking you know better than God.  For in your excuses, you really are admitting you know better than Jesus, your counsel is better, your decisions mighty, you won’t change because you are right, and him wrong.  You neglect he who been around since the beginning, claiming it is all new, when it is only new to you.  And you find peace when things go your way, but never know the true peace only found in Jesus.  I can hear the excuses and the name calling already, I’ll take it as a compliment, they did the same to Jesus.  I am not in the same class as him, but in his class I am still learning and trusting.  And not making excuses any more.  So what is your excuse for not trusting Jesus?  Maybe God needs to spend some time with you to see how to figure things out.  But could it be you really need to spend some time with him?  You’ve been given the answers before the test, or isn’t that good enough?

Please explain to me, what part of forgiveness do you have a problem with?  What part of mercy?  What part of being saved by grace and not works?  Admitting you are a failure is the beginning, not the end.  How do you describe your God?  We hear your words, I hope the excuses made don’t match your actions.  Loser.  Not a bad place to start, but a lousy place to end.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com