painted pony memories

It gets a bad rap today, its reputation for catching fire and breaking down is mostly fictionalized, but we had one.  So did the girls on Charlie’s Angels.  They were raced by Car and Driver magazine with success, priced cheap, sold in the millions, and when is the last time you saw one?  Even an old girl friend had one, preferring it to her 1968 Firebird 400, which had bad linkage making second gear shifts impossible.  The one my parents had was green, from paint to all vinyl interior, to the trunk.  It carried seven high school boys to the shore, and was abused in a way no car should be by a teenager.  Yet history gives it a bad rap.  Of course I am talking about the Ford Pinto, ours was a 1971 with the big 2000 cc motor and automatic.  Dog dish hub caps, and that was it.  Maybe as basic a car as you could get, even Ford advertised it as the new Model A, compared it to the Model T, that you could customize any way you wanted.  And many did, I knew girls who put big yellow daisy stickers on them, some added wide ovals and racing stripes, my parents finally consented to me putting on Ansen Sprint mag wheels, and A70-13 raised white letter tires.  Talk about styling...but in the end, after much abuse and being delegated to third car status, it tried to die, but wouldn’t, really we wouldn’t let it.  The final death blow coming when the intake manifold vibrated off the motor with the carburetor still attached, and even my friend Bouke couldn’t put all the pieces together again.  And off it went....but the memories remain.

It was my high school car for awhile, and many a class was skipped cruising in it.  It had bucket seats, like only sports cars had at the time, and a console shift, at least on the floor where the console would be if it had one.  It got great mileage, in the twenties, even on empty two dollars would fill the tank, and it took my friends and I places we shouldn’t and couldn’t have gone in their cars.  Many Wednesday night trips to Raceway Park to watch the drags, it would sit among the SS396’s, GTO’s, and Road Runners.  It was what is was, maybe more in the inventive mind of a teenager, but never tried to be what it wasn’t.  It is too bad it has gotten a bad rap, as I worked for Ford when the recall was active, read the real figures on how many were fireballs, VW, Datsuns, and Toyotas had more deaths per million miles.  They came in cool wagons, Country Squire wagons with wood grain, a wagon with a cruising package with no rear windows, a hatchback, and a coupe.  If your memory is true, you might remember them fondly, or the good times you had in one.  For some it was a first car, for some their last before greater ones, but you never forgot one.  And just try to find one today!

It ahs been said that if you don’t learn from history you are doomed to repeat it.  I think we all can amen that one.  But sometimes we pay too much attention to what others say or think, who often misquote or deliberately lead us astray.  I owned and drove a Pinto, I was there and I know.  But based on its reputation, no one would own or want to collect one today.  But it pays to remember that if a reputation could put you out of business, the police, IRS, the NFL, and the Democrats would all be gone.  But somehow despite all the bad PR, they flourish.  Same with Jesus.  Despite all the lies, rumors, innuendoes, lack of belief, misinterpretation of the scriptures, and the sad but true history of the church, he still thrives today.  We all know someone, and could be someone who has been hurt by the church or a Christian, and blame Jesus.  He is an easy scapegoat.  After all he has been gone for 2000 years, but his book remains, the same as it always was.  Yet those who won’t or don’t believe spread lies and misconceptions, some knowingly, some ignorant. But Jesus is the truth, and his truth sets us free.  Great minds may debate him, but for those who know him, it goes much deeper.  Despite all the great minds, the evil doers and wishers, and the doubters, he still thrives today in the hearts of men.  And somehow despite religion and its mass media, contemporary approach, wise men still seek him.  I laugh or grimace reading church bulletins, wondering where is Jesus among the entertainment, but yet he rises above the hoopla to supply what we need.  Funny how the naysayers may deny he is God, but will reticently admit he was a great teacher, philosopher, and man.  They miss on his greatest quality, that of love and forgiveness.  I guess being trendy has its price.  But in a world of “it’s all about me,” and people thinking BMW’s impress others, Jesus patiently waits for you to answer his call.  He is reality, not a fad, not a trend, and not out of time.  He is as temporary today as he was 2000 years ago, and will be 2000 years from now.  Where will what you drive or worship today be in 10 years?  Where have all the Pintos gone?  The Vegas, Gremlins, Fiats, and Datsuns?  Yet with an advertising budget just a small percentage of what they had, only he remains.  Desirable, not collectible.  His only PR department his believers, yet despite all the bad press, Jesus thrives today. The Pinto, well.....

Jesus was cool long before cool was cool.  Pintos used to be cool, but now are highly disregarded.  Ford spent millions on promotion, Jesus gave his life.  Sadly the Pinto will always be remembered for the fires and death.  Jesus will be known as the savior who rescued us from a fiery death.  No matter what you drive today, your last ride will be in a hearse.  Its final destination is up to you.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

falling in love with your first cars-a product of Lesney

When bench racing and the subject of our first cars come up, we think of the first car we drove, or owned, usually in high school.  But looking back, our first cars go back a lot further, to when we were very young.  A whole generation of kids in the sixties and even today think Hot Wheels, but to my generation it was Matchbox cars, a precursor to Hot Wheels, Made in England.  Cars that were modeled after their real life cars, and cars we could associate with.  Beginning in 1953, and a run of 75 different ones, for the price of 50 cents per car it was a tough choice of which car to get with our allowance.  From police cars to taxis, to lorries, or trucks as they call them across the pond, you could soon build a collection, which was stored conveniently in a case you could buy, from Matchbox of course.  But us really cool guys, stored them in the garages they came in, the matchbox sized boxes, with the picture of the car on it, and “A Product of Lesney,” beneath it.  Cars that today are collectible, a company that sold out to Hot Wheels, and are still being sold for under two dollars.  Such a deal, and of course adding the villages, storage boxes, and special editions, your collection is in danger of never being complete.  All based on a car that could easily fit in the pocket of your jeans.  Such are the trials of your first cars...

Many a Saturday morning was spent at Play Fair, looking at, or really into the March Box display, the pictures on the boxes making it tough to decide which car to buy next.  My favorite was a British Racing Green Jaguar D model, and the trucks.  Loved the trucks, and soon police cars, ambulances, garbage trucks, and others were added, and your own town was soon created.  The games we would play when visiting a friend’s house, bringing our cars along, and having to obey his traffic rules.  Sharing each others cars, careful not to damage them, but Matchbox toys seemed indestructible.  I wish more of the memories of Matchbox toys were shared, now being highly collectible, the toy value and the times shared having fun with them is not mentioned, only the value, the condition of the box, and more money if never out of the box.  To us they were just toys, to me they still are and always will be.  Put a price on your childhood memories, and they begin to lose value.  Such are trials of your first cars....

It is unknown how many of those Matchbox cars influenced our first real cars when old enough to drive.  But without a doubt, they made an impact on us when we were young.  Sadly too many dreams end up in minivans, or four door sedans, not the cars of dreams when we were kids.  As fuel efficient as our Matchbox cars were, we never considered the price of gas and repairs, upkeep and keeping them clean.  Too many were cast off or thrown away and replaced with newer models, the list always growing, but somehow we always kept a few special ones, cars that were never shared, and only played with on special occasions.  They had a special value, they were where our dreams of the road were kept, and where we could go as fast and as far as we wanted, with no speed limits or laws.  And then we grew up, or at least got older, and a new reality set in.

Picture if you will Aaron and Moses coming out of the tent, and the Shekinah glory that filled the area.  Over a million people gathered, and not a bad seat to be found.  A consuming fire burns up the sacrifices in a flash, and all the people fall on their faces and worship God.  A shout of awe, and victory goes up, and knowing God is in their midst.  A time that seems to last for an instant, but that God has designed to last forever.  A time when we are all children, yet all priests, or ambassadors of Jesus Christ at the same time.  That is the character of Jesus in our lives, as the spirit guides us and inspires us.  Like the Matchbox cars that shaped us, the spirit shapes us also, and soon the character of God is revealed in us.  We never stop being a child of God no matter our age, acknowledging him as Father, just like when we were kids.  Yet religion for many has stolen that relationship, encouraging us to mature, to memorize, to learn, but rarely to share or apply the things of God.  The box we came in may look like new, but inside is different, as we rot away, and when the box of our lives is open, it is found vacant.  Or broken, not from use, but from non-use.  Not as God designed us, but as we were instructed.  How much different the sacrifices we think we make today tell us about our relationship with God, as opposed to that day in the temple.  How many of us if we were a toy, would we want to play with?  Would we share with our friends?  Is our relationship with God as pretty as the box we portray everyday?

The objective of God is to enter our lives, and to be a light shining from them.  The glory of God is to be represented in our lives, not just when gathering together.  Just like visiting a friend and bringing our cars along, we had a new set of rules and decorum, how many of us leave Jesus at home, or does he even make it that far, left in a pew at church?  The Jews that day experienced the Shekinah glory, but the glow would soon wear off, and their 40 year trek would begin.  Are you on a trek because you think the glory of God has left you, but is it really that you have left God?  Do you still have the same joy as the day you were first saved, how do you remember Jesus?  Is he as precious as the first cars you ever owned?  Memories are not a bad place to spend time, but not where we will spend eternity.  Look forward to the time of his returning, but enjoy today first.  The toys of yesterday are the sought after collectibles of today, don’t let your relationship with Jesus go the same route.  My first cars allowed me dream of my first real car, Jesus in my life gave me a hope and a future, and allows me to still be a kid, and to still call God Dad.  Abba Father, or Daddy.  Maybe a part of your relationship with him that needs some work.  He left the door open to come back, and to stay.  Such are the trials of our first cars, welcome back, playtime is never over for a child of God.  I wish I had kept my Matchbox cars, fortunately I never let go of Jesus.  Matchbox cars were so simple, if only we knew Jesus the same way....

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

if you have to sit somewhere....

My friend Frank and I used to agree, if you must sit somewhere, we prefer sitting on a motorcycle.  While some sit and take up space after a meal, he and I were always the first one ready to ride, and ended up waiting, sometimes for the others.  We did a few long trips together, he was one of the few people I would ride with.  No excuses for distance, weather, the road, or how long it took to get there, we both rode, now I ride without him, he is in heaven, and on our last week’s 1550 mile ride, I thought of him often.  Usually in the mornings, when first setting off.  Although many motels now offer what can loosely be described as a breakfast, we usually pass on it, and ride 50-100 miles, then eat, having worked up an appetite, with another side benefit.  We beat the rush.  Rather than waiting in line for breakfast, we are riding to it, sitting where we rather sit.  So while you smell the ham and eggs and fresh coffee, while waiting in line, we are out taking in the aromas of the day, then stopping to eat.  I think Frank would have understood....

Another benefit is while the rush hour traffic is filling the roads, we are sitting and eating.  What a difference an hour can make in your ride, and your attitude.  Instead of creeping along on your five cars per light ride, we are headed out of town, if we ever made it into one to start with.  Small town America is still out there, and even though the suburbs now invade the countryside, we still take the back roads, and miss the traffic, and find the better Mom and Pop diners.  Going against the grain has always been a characteristic of real riders, so while the huddled masses of Harley owners wait in line, we are out riding.  While their lean angle consists of being on their kick stand, we are grinding pegs on back roads with light traffic.  It seems that if we ride our own ride, we see more, get to ride more miles, eat at better places, and seat time consists of riding, instead of waiting in line.  We each have a way that seems best for us, but at the end of the day, comparing miles and the roads you rode them on, the meals and the lack of crowds, make us glad we chose our way.  We ride to escape, not to be stuck in traffic, not to wait in line, and not to be stuck doing what we do all week.  The weekends, and now the weeks are made for riding, so if you must sit somewhere, I won’t be found at the bar, rather behind a set of them, riding the back roads of America. 

A recent breakfast in Reedley at the Main Street Café, reminded me of the basic breakfast food, and how good home cooking can be on the road.  A simple breakfast burrito and breakfast sandwich, so big they couldn’t be finished, while great service and a window seat provided the entertainment.  For some just another day, but for us another place to eat and add to to our list of places to return to.  The night before eating at a local Italian restaurant, the owner stopped by and we talked about the area, families, and why she left the city.  What may seem like a boring lifestyle to us, was what she was looking for, which to me means less traffic on the road.  But a great meal, with lots of food, home made meatballs and sauce, and fresh baked bread.  Try that at Denny’s!  So we stay the back roads, and ride better, eat better, and let God bless us more.  May your ride be as blessed.

Not all who wander are lost, and not all who are lost wander.  It seems we all are looking for that place where we can find peace, where we can ride at our own pace, get up when we want, eat what and when we want, and have the funds to do it.  We consider that a peace that somehow escapes us in our daily lives, but it is available, if only fleeting for the moment.  While some seek the peace of the moment, I have found the peace that surpasses all understanding in Jesus Christ.  It can be found in the ride, the road, or even the meals, as he guides us on our daily schedule.  But with one quick wrong decision, it can be gone.  And so I fuss, rather than just turning around, repenting, and continuing my ride.  Sound familiar?  Does it seem like you are a target after a blessing, or that your karma demands you suffer because you have been blessed?  While some trust to luck or karma as they call it, I tend to trust Jesus, and find out that many detours in life have brought us to places we would have missed otherwise.  God loves to bless us, so why not let him?  No such thing as karma when God has it all under control.  Yet we get bummed when things don’t go our way....

And while some trust the situation of the peace, I have learned to trust its source, the spirit.  I watched as a young woman cried out about her feelings, and how because she wasn’t getting what she wanted, she was upset.  It was not her fault, and blaming everyone else was her way of dealing with it.  And what were we going to do about it?  With that attitude she has a long life of suffering ahead.  Fortunately Jesus goes beyond our feelings, and warns us they will let us down.   The heart can be both nice and evil, depending on how we face the day.  How many leave church feeling fulfilled, then encounter a line at the restaurant and complain.  Jesus didn’t change, sadly they didn’t either, just their situation.  Just because you were happy today, doesn’t mean the road will be the same tomorrow.  But with Jesus along, on the roads he gives us, and we make the right choices, even what appears to be a bad choice or situation can be a blessing.  Don’t shift your dependence from the one who provides it to the feeling that is produced. 

So we go about our days, trusting that God has our best things in mind.  We ride for an hour then eat.  We sit at the counter and listen and watch, rather than stand in line and grouse.  We get off the freeways and find a freedom, we see things, meet people and make acquaintances we otherwise would have missed.  We now tend to choose a direction rather than a destination, and have become flexible on the ride. There are posers in all walks of life, some go to church, some know Jesus.  Some are religious, some know him personally.  Some own a motorcycle, some ride it.  Some have been there, while others only dream about it.  So Jesus, like choosing where to sit has its blessings.  So for some it is a mystery, for we who know Jesus, who live with him everyday on all types of rides, in all kinds of weather, we trust. Or you could be left standing waiting for your name or number to be called.  For us seating for two on a motorcycle cannot be beat.  For it really is seating for three.  Funny how Jesus never hurried and was never late.  How he spent his life on the road.  How all the people and blessings were magnified on the road.  Maybe there is more to this Jesus and riding thing than we ever thought...

Just a thought that came to me while riding....if you have to sit somewhere, sit with Jesus, and never eat or ride alone.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com