It was while living in Durango I came face to face with real cowboys.
Hats, boots, horses, and walking bowlegged, these were real cowboys, and just
living among them I picked up many traits. Yes, cowboy boots are the most
comfortable shoe you can wear, long before Nike Air. I even won a contest and
had a real custom cowboy hat made, big feather and all like JR Ewing's. And my
wife even had a horse, a palomino named Trigger. But no matter how I loved Roy
Rogers, or watched Wild,Wild West did I become a true cowboy. I couldn't ride,
or more precisely, the horse knew I couldn't ride. My last attempt was getting
on, and it sprinting to the barn with me hanging on-not my choice! And so I
never became a cowboy, although I could talk the talk, and walk the walk-just
don't ask me to ride the ride.
Friday night we took the kids to Cruising Grand, the last one of the
summer. It was Nitro night, and the highlight was dragsters firing off-I love
that loud music, and then after dark, watching as they creeped down Grand with
flames shooting from the exhaust. Four year old Landon had nothing to say but
cool and awesome as he watched with his eyes glued to them. And waved from the
crowd. And I remember Wednesday nights at Raceway Park in Englishtown, and all
day Sundays watching the races-section E at the starting line. I knew guys who
raced, and all the popular racer's names. Fearless Fred Goeske, Jungle Jim
Lieberman, Don "The Snake" Prudhomme, and others-heroes to all us horsepower
starved youth. And our highlight upon leaving was racing in our minds next to
other traffic, practicing our braking techniques when a cop car showed up. I
knew the rules, could drive a clutch, even drive fast-just never got in front of
any staging lights. But in my dreams-I was fast!
Over the years I have watched the great things churches have done. Feed
the hungry, various mission trips, and giving a hand up and out to the needy.
But I have also attended churches where they had a "Man of the Year," who I
thought would be Jesus, but this was based on a man's accomplishments. And I
never bought into it. You see Jesus even confronted the church, and when they
bragged on things they did for the church, He rebuked them. And it continues
today, so many doing good things for the church, but not necessarily for God.
All things Jesus did pointed to God-are our hearts and motives as pure? These
are not necessarily bad things, but can be good things. But Jesus looked at
their heart, and saw they only wanted to please the church, doing things for the
church-not fully realizing they were only helping themselves-we are the church!
And despite doing many good things, missed doing great things in the eyes of
God. A legalistic approach to ministry that should be spiritually based.
Did you ever wonder why Jesus didn't heal all the sick? Why only certain
men in the crowd were healed? Maybe it is because He operated in the spirit-He
did what His dad told Him to do. And what we do based on what God tells us to
do can have profound ramifications! When we obey-in the spirit! You see even
the best cowboy is going to get thrown from his horse, and a drag racer will red
light. But if you ask them, they may not be able to put into words why they do
what they do, but God does. It takes a heart, and a passion, which comes from
dedication. A love for the life and lifestyle, something not seen, not
tangible. It comes from the heart. Maybe Mother Theresa said it best, when
being interviewed in a fly ridden ghetto hospital, filthy and over run with
dysentery. The reporter said "I wouldn't do this for a million dollars!" To
which she replied, "neither would I."
Guess which one gained favor with God?
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com