shopping at the A&P

We don’t always admit to the loyalties we live by.  I know men who are only Chevy guys, Ford guys, who will only ride an American made bike, and are glad Harley has competition.  When it comes to burgers, some will only eat at the Golden Arches, the smallest of all major fast food chains believe it or not, some are devoted to a certain shampoo, beer, color, TV show, or entertainer.  But under certain conditions will stray if needed, but not always as desired.  Years ago we attended church with a young couple, he was a chiropractor, and espoused all the goodness of his trade, down to claiming he never ate meat, as it was bad for you.  So you can imagine our surprise, and really disappointment when we attended a barbeque, and there he was, into the New York strip like there was no tomorrow.  A man of his appetite, not of his word or belief statements, and we lost all respect for him.  He later mumbled something about the benefits of a steak and red meat, but they were lost in his gorging that day.  It seems that at any time we all can and will be hypocrites, some admitting it and getting on, some in denial, some just there for the food.  Sadly we never know who in the audience is watching....

It seems that once we step over the threshold into a church service, we suddenly become OK, and the threat of being a hypocrite increased exponentially.  Just ask someone you know who is having problems, and listen as they praise God, and tell how all is well, when we all know different.  Like the vegan with a mouth full of steak, his words don’t match his actions, and we all know it.  But soon the lies take over, as someone told them, or us, we cannot be hurting, we cannot have problems, once we become a Christian, they all go away.  So it is OK to lie in church, so as not to embarrass the body.  WRONG! 

Peer pressure can be the worst, as once  having a bad headache, aren’t they all, a pastor prayed with me, it didn’t go away, but I lied and said it did, and he agreed, sadly we both knew it didn’t and didn’t have the integrity to admit it.  Didn’t want to admit we didn’t have faith or that God could heal it.  We have all been there or will go there, what part of the truth don’t we understand?  Do we think we are fooling God, or just our friends?  Or just ourselves.....I feel a headache coming....

Ananias and Sapphira, A&P, got swept up in the early church movement.  They wanted to fit in, wanted to be blessed, and wanted to bless God.  Fact is they wanted, too much.  They wanted recognition, admiration, and praise for what they did.  What they got was death, for lying to the spirit brings death.  The moment we lie, or step into sin, we spiritually die, if only for a moment, until we repent and let Jesus back in.  Not all die like A&P did, but death is still death apart from the holy spirit.  We become nonresponsive, alienating ourselves, and soon the sting of death is deepened, as others notice it.  But A&P never gave God the credit he was due, it was all about them, and no competes with God and wins.  Their lives were a pretense, a sham, not the truth of the Bible, and God removed them.  They thought they were deceiving God, but he made it clear he will not be made a fool of.  He knows our hearts, how they will let us down, yet some wear the façade of Christianity as if it something stylish.  Never knowing Jesus, never repenting, never being saved.  They may sit next to us in church, and we don’t know it, maybe be on a church board, or worse yet pastor a church, but God knows and knows their motives.  From the Pharisees acting religious to the faithful church attendee who denies Jesus, they are like A&P, dead and don’t know it.  Maybe a good time for self examination, who do you say Jesus is? 

Fortunately God is patient that none should perish, yet A&P did.  Sometimes God will remove a problem before it hurt others, like an operation before the cancer spreads.  He knows the heart, which sadly can be deceitful, ever fallen in love than fallen out of love?  God knows our heart, it is when we know his that we are changed.  And changing.  Yet many still shop at the A&P, thinking no one knows or notices, even believing their own lie unto death.  They were ready to open up their false gospel to all who would hear, they were pretending to be someone they were not.  God will always protect his kids....

Fortunately we seldom meet intentional hypocrites, Ford guys will buy Chevies, and sport bike guys may own a Harley.  We may change eating habits, even where we go to church, but when we try to change the gospel message of Jesus Christ, God must intervene, and does and will.  If you are walking a fine line, if the cult you are in, whether JW, Mormon, or other is not fulfilling, if anyone does not declare the deity of Jesus Christ as the only true son of God, they are spiritually dead, and will be carried out like A&P.  But again God is patient, he knows each heart, those who truly believe, and those who still search.  But God still is in the redemption business, and when we admit our sin, we were believing wrong, and turn to him, knowing he can make us right again, then the hypocrisy ends.  But if we don’t.....and God made it easy to do, just turn to Jesus.  Shop where his prices are the best, his fruit the freshest, and his truth, the truth.  Yet some still insist on shopping at the A&P, or like A&P.  Do the messages you hear sound like food ads?  We can tell, can you?

Pride keeps us from telling the truth about our weaknesses to others.  When our words fail, our actions tell a better story.  What do your actions say about Jesus?  To those who tell me the church is full of hypocrites, I say “it may be full, but we always have room for more.”  And to those who when confronted with the gospel and change the subject, “what about those in Africa who haven’t heard?”  To them I say “what about you, you have heard?”  A great fear gripped the church when A&P were carried out, they got the point God was making.  If shopping at the A&P is nothing more than “will that be paper or plastic?” you need to consider Jesus and his offer.  I know a man named Ford who drove a Chevy, Henry Ford’s last ride was in a Packard hearse.  I like veggies with my steak, and will ride many different brands of motorcycles.  But when it comes to Jesus, it is either carry on or be carried out.  Jesus Christ, shopping for a savior has never been easier.  He is the truth, ask yourself, how many times must a person lie before he is a liar?  Once is too many.....that cleanup needed on aisle one may be you.  Isn’t forgiveness wonderful? 

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

the graduate buys a Harley

At the time I was working for a large corporation, but we still knew each other pretty well inside the four walls.  With limited parking area, we could see who drove what and when they arrived for work each day, when they left for lunch, and when they returned, if ever.  But what we drove identified us as much as the department we worked in, and with only BH and I riding motorcycles, when a new one, a brand new 1974 Harley showed up, we had to find out who.  So going to the president’s secretary, who knew everything, and too much about everybody, she told us his name was Tom, he was tall with brown hair, and just got his doctorate in chemical engineering.  He worked in the research and development lab, and because she knew us, warned us to stay away from him.  Which was like an invitation to us, another guy who rode, so we sought him out.  She had described him perfectly, as the other girls in the building would attest to, but when I introduced myself as the BMW R90S rider, it motorcycles first, girls second.  He went on to tell me how he had always wanted a motorcycle, and it was forbidden by his parents, another thing we had in common, and when graduating, used his gift money and his first paycheck to buy a Harley.  He knew nothing about them except the name, so going down to the Harley store, a much different proposition in those days, he walked in and rode off with a blue FX, 1200 cc’s or as it was called at the time , the 74. The big one. But he had never ridden before, so he taught himself, and finally felt confident enough to ride to work.  It turned out he was a pretty good rider, better than we expected from his story, so we rode together a few times, and did one overnighter.  But that is another story....

The early seventies were a golden era for Japanese motorcycles, but a dark chapter for Harley, as well as anything made in Great Britain.  Old designs, old factories, old workers and old working conditions were either driving them out of business, or to the brink of it.  Harley in an act of mercy had been purchased by AMF, who made all its money in sporting goods, mention AMF and you thought scuba gear or bowling alleys, not motorcycles.  But as bad as history remembers Harley and AMF, AMF at least rescued them form extinction.  Barely.  For Tom’s Harley had quality problems, was 1930’s engineering, and his bike didn’t even have an electric leg to start it.  So while we pushed a button, he broke a sweat, and on the occasions when it wouldn’t start, so did we as we push started him.  We never really thought much about it, but a few details were evident, we came to a stop, he slowed to a stop, we accelerated quickly, him leisurely, we were relatively smooth, he vibrated, and we could go almost 200 miles on a tank, he was under 100.  Which still left him with plenty of reserve, for every 50 miles he had to stop to get feeling back in his hands due to the vibration.  It was all part of owning a Harley back then, but the vibration was so bad, we let Tom lead, for one important reason.  He could keep up OK, most of the time, but his bike had a peculiar quirk, the instrument cluster would vibrate off on a regular basis, leaving him to grab it while in motion before it fell into the front wheel, only held on by the speedo cable.  At first it was disconcerting, but after awhile he got pretty good at it, so we kept him insight in case one time he missed and crashed.  Sadly his time on a motorcycle was short lived, he never really blamed the Harley, but at his income level he could buy fast cars, and in Jersey where rain is the norm, he did the common sense thing.  But we always knew him as the graduate who bought a new Harley and could catch his instruments at speed.  Such are the men of legends.....

In some circles it may be trendy to talk religion, in particular religious men.  The talk may be of Buddha, Muhammad, Confucius, Gandhi, Joseph Smith, and others who are related to religious history.  Maybe described within the terms of being moral, the best being said about them they taught what they believed was right, with many adhering to their teachings.  But one thing they could not do, was enable men to do those things, as they were more sayer than doer, they could instruct us, but could never do it themselves.  That is why we never consider Jesus among them, he not only taught, but lived the perfect life, and solved the one thing no one else could, he overcame death.  No one else has done it or can do it, so God made him the cornerstone, and gave him a name above all names.  We know what to do, in some cases over educated, what we need is an example of a living person to show us, one who can change us, motivate us, and give us a new ability, outlook, and a new life to do it.  All the others were religious, only Jesus makes it personal, not just unto death, but afterwards for eternity.  No other name under the earth or in the heavens can compare, and one day every knee shall bow, under and above the earth, to the name of Jesus.  All others can still be found in their graves, only Jesus did what he promised and resurrected himself after death.  His tomb is empty, the body missing, and someday we will leave an empty body behind, because our spirit will join him in heaven.  We will have conquered death.....the only way, so as to not get confused. 

Today the church has given Christianity a bad rap, mostly self inflicted, because it has strayed away from the truth of Jesus Christ.  Some claim to be contemporary, to be progressive, to accept sin in their midst, but still have trouble with the sinner. Too many pastors graduate from seminary, college like Tom did, with a degree, who have an education but no experience.  Who seek after God, but like Tom, find they can get by just fine without the relationship, and go on to other things.  It may be bad experiences, bad karma some might say, but what it really is they were never one of us.  Tom rode with us, even owned a motorcycle,but he was never really one of us, and when the pressures outweighed the pleasures of riding, quit.  What he was looking for was much different than what he got, or expected.  Don’t get caught in a religious trap, seek Jesus, and find the freedom you are seeking, and a heavenly outcome.  Jesus never fit and will never fit in with the religious leaders, they hated him, unto death, for three days celebrating his death, but he rose again and today we celebrate his death.  And his resurrection....

The Ten Commandments are a great way to live, but offer no salvation.  It takes Jesus, and someday your knee will bow to him in eternity.  Today you have a choice of where you will do it, heaven or hell.  He welcomes you no matter what you ride or even if you don’t, no other name will accept you as you are.  No other name will forgive, no other name can defeat death.  Wise men may still seek him, it is the blessed of us who have found him and are saved.  The difference may be as simple as I own a motorcycle vs. I ride a motorcycle.  Or I go to church, but I know Jesus.  Like the Maltese Falcon, Jesus is the thing that dreams are made of.  And you can do it while riding.  Such are the men of legends, but only one is legendary.  And still alive.

As with motorcycles, beware the gentle art of seduction.  And here’s to you Mrs. Robinson, Jesus loves you more than you will know......

love with compassion,

Mike matthew25biker.blogspot.com

Castro's first car

Let me take you back to a simpler time, when cars and the people who owned them were both simpler, and in some cases simple.  A time when even an AM radio was an option, and FM was still new and only for those who were true connisseurs of rock and roll music.  A time when 8 tracks brought the music of albums onto four wheels, and right in the middle of your favorite song it would change tracks.  This is where we are this morning, a time of Pintos and Vegas, Gremlins and VW Bugs, a time of Danny’s Song, “even though we ain’t got money, I’m so in love with you honey...” and the Grateful Dead were right on, “what a long strange trip it has been.” 

Castro, as in Jimmy Castro, worked with us at Sears.  His first car, a brand new Vega, in that cool blue color, was his pride and joy.  You remember how it was with your first car, you always wanted to do the driving, invited all your friends when going to lunch, and any time was time for a road trip.  So it was with Jimmy and his Vega, with one exception, Castro was cool, one of the guys, Vegas were in as a low cost first car, but there was something about his car that kept us from wanting to ride in it.  In fact even parking by it on hot days, as it gave off an odor worse than BO.  Like bad meat it stunk, and with no air in the era of vinyl everything interiors, it was brutal.  So when Jimmy asked a couple of us to help him install an 8-track with him, we ran out of excuses, and those of us who didn’t helped him install it.  An afternoon we would never forget....

It was the best of times and the worst of times, with the best still to come.  As we decided to install the door speakers first, at least the doors open would provide some air flow, not quite fresh, Jimmy working on the driver’s door pulled off the panel, and we heard “%^&*(((&%$!!!”  And as the smell escaped, he reached in and grabbed what was left of a sandwich, a sandwich still in a baggie that some line worker had hung inside the driver’s door at the factory.  He grabbed it and threw it across the drive, and with it the odor, the source of the odor found and remedied.  Immediately a refreshening of the interior had begun, add in some sprays of Brut, Castro’s cologne of choice, and soon it smelled like a Saturday night date instead of a Sunday morning fishing trip, after the catch was made.  It would still take a few weeks until we would ride in his car again, but now with music, fresh air, even if tainted a bit with Brut, the car was drivable again, do I hear “road trip!”

What had happened to Castro’s car was what happens to us when we turn to Christ.  The stench of sin is removed, and the fresh air of the holy spirit is present in our lives.  We enjoy a time of refreshing, and even though we still face problems, we now look at them differently.  We now are assured of heaven, and soon we know that the return of Jesus Christ in imminent.  Being in the last days for over 2000 years, we have the promise of redemption, of cleanliness and forgiveness of sins, and a hope and a future.  The smell of death is gone, and we can breathe freely for the first time.  Just as Jesus promised us, we are truly born again, a new creature in Christ.  We learn to not make excuses for our sin, and like Castro’s car, we can be free to go where we want and invite people along with us, and they will not be forced to make excuses.  When led by the spirit, he will guide us, and if we are rejected, he never does reject us.  Yet some reject Christ, trying to cover up their stench with cologne, trying to hide a smell, but the spectre of death is always present.  Arguments and excuses presented, and it is hard to figure why anyone would want to go to hell if they don’t have to. 

A time of peace and prosperity accompanies us in Jesus.  Not by our standards, but his, as we can cast all our cares on him.  Despite the world around us we can go out and be refreshed, knowing that in tough times, in times of trials and temptations, we have an advocate, who is there for us.  But sin can hide very well, just like the old sandwich in the baggie, it wasn’t the car’s fault, but it and all who entered still suffered.  What was a joke from the line worker who hung his lunch inside the door, had a devastating effect on others.  Sin is not isolated, but when you are saved you can be isolated from it, in the spirit.  Where no cologne, no fresh air, and no other way other than total removal will fix it.  We need sin removed so the odor of death will go with it, and only in Jesus is that possible.

We laughed about Castro’s car, Jimmy telling better with all the facial expressions, hand movements and using the seven words  you cannot say on TV.  The odor of death was removed, but the car was still a Vega, which soon would rust away before his very eyes, soon after the head gasket blew and the motor blew with it.  Fixed under warranty, but we always wondered, “did the engine builder miss anything, on purpose?”  So Jimmy did the right thing, traded the car away, and at that time we both moved on.  But every time 8 tracks are mentioned, when Fabreeze is advertised, when classic cars are mentioned, I think of Castro’s Vega.  And now I know why the fragrence of Brut has lost its appeal.  You can cover up sin, but until it is completely removed, the stench is still there.  One ride will convince you, what part of fresh and new don’t you like?  We all remember our first car, what do you remember about yours?  That new car smell will not last forever, but Jesus will.  The Vega is gone, where you end up is your decision.  Danny’s song or Jesus’s song?

Meanwhile GM announces another recall, seems a strange odor is coming from some of its models, no deaths reported...yet.  You will be advised to return it to your dealer.  Isn’t it time we return to God?

“and tell me everything’s gonna be alright...”

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

meanwhile at the Apple store...

As a kid growing up, we used to hang out by Bud’s Cycle Shop, looking at all the bikes we dreamt about.  English racers with 5 speeds, real racers with 10 speeds, turned under handle bars, and how many wanted that neat little clip for your pants to keep them out of the chain?  He tolerated us a lot, knowing we were potential customers, calmly answering our questions.  What we didn’t know was that we were training for bigger things when we got our license, and would hang out around the back at VIP Honda.  How we would try to stay out of the way, watching and marveling at how the mechanics fixed things.  Mesmerized, we wanted to be part of it all, and occasionally when asked to do a meaningless task, such as empty the trash, or sweep up, we jumped at the chance.  Jay Leno shared at Bud Ekins’ memorial how that was how he met Bud, Bud told him “no pretty boys here, sweep up if you are going to hang around.”  You are never too old to realize your dream, or to sweep up.  But sometimes we would be asked to chase a part, feeling important when saying to the parts man, “I’m here from VIP to pick up_______,” we were part of the team.  Sometimes we would be given a shirt from the shop with its name on it, sometimes hanging around after closing and listening to the bench racing.  We were part of the crew, one of the boys, and no money could compensate for the education, or its application.  Dirty hands, dirty jokes, and stained clothes from being where the action was, no one had to ask where you had been, they could tell by looking at you, and all your friends wanted to be you.  You were their connection, the connection into the world of motorcycles, and in your mind you just knew they couldn’t get by without you.....

But with insurance regulations, and a peer group of kids that don’t want to get their hands dirty, who are more into texting than riding, the crowd is thinning out of kids like us when we were young.  They huddle at tables, stand together in groups at the Apple store, texting but not talking with or to each other.  Mindless robots who in no way would ever care to experience the wind in their face, the dirt under their fingernails, and the challenge of doing anything with their hands other than texting.  Who find solace in their cocoon of sameness, gathering information, and calling it an education.  It has become normal for them to shun others, to not communicate face to face, or to speak in sentences, and given a problem, only know to Google it.  They never get to know the joy of accomplishment of doing something with their hands, of wiping the sweat from their brow with dirty hands, of the smell of racing castor, and 110 octane gas.  They live life behind a 3x5 screen, and anything outside of that screen is dangerous.  They will never take one for the team because they are not part of one, and if asked to sweep up, question “is the Roomba broken?”   No wonder there are signs to keep them out of the shop, do you want them wandering around yours?

Look around any church service today and watch the amount of people texting.  Not listening, but still with an air of “I’m here, so bless me God,” even though it is against their will to attend.  How interesting if a pastor was to ask at the end of the service, “where have you people been while I was speaking?” Know any pastors that brave?  I don’t, but what of those whose entire Christian experience is church, without ever experiencing Jesus?  Who have done all the right things per the church, but never know Jesus?  Scripture passes them by, and their lives are not affected by it.  They take it all in, but the output is nothing.  And we wonder why so many kids raised in church go astray?  Maybe they are practicing what they learned from their parents, their actions speaking louder than their words.  Remember Jesus it is not what goes into a man, but what comes out that is important.  I wish I had heard that taught when younger....still haven’t today.  Maybe this is why so many hollow prayers are offered up, and so many hollow answers given, because they never were part of us, they never participated.  They got all they expected from God, nothing, because that is what they asked for.  Unlike the man encountering Peter and John, lame and begging for money, Peter’s answer surprised him, “silver and gold have I not, but in the name of Jesus rise up and walk!”  He had been taught to beg, but his real need was to walk, and his experience with Jesus would do just that.  He would walk, something no amount of money could buy him, it gave him freedom, all in the name of Jesus.

Meanwhile at the Apple store, great minds are taking in information, but never getting the answers they need.  Google Jesus, see what comes up.  It is time to get out and experience him first hand, to get our hands dirty by meeting those who don’t know him, who won’t go to a church, and see Jesus in action.  They could be the ones hanging around just waiting for a chance to hear the truth, while your face is buried in a screen.  They could be the ones with dirty clothes and blisters form pushing a broom, never making enough to own an i-anything.  Jesus meets us where we are, he comes to us.  He spent his life on the road, meeting the people.  I can see him sweeping up, taking out the trash, and running for parts, just to be a part of your life.  Some think church is all you need, when really it is Jesus is all you need.  When he changes your heart, you will want to meet other Christians, to go to church, to listen to the word taught properly.  Religion gets it all backwards.  Jesus will never leave you with a blank screen, or charge you for a monthly service.  Maybe if the church got its hands dirty....

If your feet never get dirty, you will never have to have them washed.  If you never had sinned, you wouldn’t need a savior.  Jesus did both, washing us inside and out.  Encouraging us to love others, to be the gospel here on earth.  To meet all people, not just the safe ones.  Maybe Mother Teresa said it best, when a reporter exclaimed among the sick and dying,”I wouldn’t do this for a million dollars.”  Her reply was “either would I.”  If you want to see Jesus in action, you need to be where the action is.  All others....see you at the Apple store. 

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

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