riding outside of your kind

.33 miles, 489 curves, 3 mountains, and 1 valley make for one fun ride!  Ending up at Shady Valley, in Tennessee I am referring to the road known as the Snake, US Highway 421, in eastern Tennessee.  A wonderfully designed road, using all the topography God has provided, and allowing you to make a choice of four ways to leave the Valley when you are done.  With your destination The Country Store, on any day many bikes can be found there, bikers and sport riders meeting up, but on weekends it is packed, so take a day off to ride it if you can.  But an interesting phenomena greeted us the second time we arrived there, riding out of Boone, NC, hometown of Billy Graham.  On one side of the parking lot was all Harleys, while most of the lot was sport bikes-or guys who ride fast.  An interesting dichotomy of riders, split by riding type, at least at first glance, but really by brand prejudice, as it was really Harley and others.  Even the BMW riders, were among the others, which numbered Ninjas, GSXR’s, Triumphs, Ducatis, Moto Guzzis, and an occasional Norton or Vincent.  With shades of the Mods vs. the Rockers, it is one meeting place, with two different neighborhoods.  But the roads....even a guy dragging floorboards, which belong on old cars, can still have fun.

Now fun is only good if it is enjoyed, and many times slower riders clog the curves, with no intention of pulling over, no doubt they own the road, and can be as bad if not worse than the family truckster wobbling through the curves 20mph slower than the posted limit.  But in their defense, but not condoning it, I have been passed on the wrong side by suicidal sport bike riders, who think the road is their personal track-don’t invade it!  So each type tends to stay within their own ranks, safe within a group at 25, or safe at 75.  But rarely do you see them mix outside of their own.  Which surprises me when Mr. Road King, after hogging the road, no pun intended, tells me later how he owns a Ninja, but prefers to ride with the HOG group-less intimidating.  But I see a trend where more sport bike riders have a Harley at home, for cruising, and if the used Harley section at most Japanese stores are any indicator, many are switching, or trading up, I see very few Ninjas at Harley stores.  Maybe it is as I had it explained to me once, a friend in HOG when offered a ride on one of my press bikes, a Speed Triple, told me they would all refuse, confiding in me that no one could ride one!  So I am very surprised when I see someone riding outside of their kind.  I tend to take the attitude of a friend at the local Harley store, who loves all the bikes I bring by, and is knowledgeable about them.  “We have a common disease, motorcycles,” we both readily admit, and we know a cruiser will never keep up with Mr. GSXR, but they weren’t designed to, and the opposite applies to, but can’t we just welcome our fellow rider into the group-we all ride, right?  A good case in point is Black Sheep Harley Davidsons for Christ, who we minister with, despite our Triumphs.  They call us moped riders, and I tell them I bring the slow bike, my Bonneville, so I can keep up with them.  But our commonality is Jesus, who rides all types.  Don’t bother arguing, I can’t hear you at 80mph with my Arai on.  Or over your radio-so there.  Let’s just ride-OK!

King Solomon is regarded as the smartest man who ever lived.  Among his fortunes, were over 1000 wives, think of the alimony he faced, and many hundreds of concubines, aka girlfriends.  And to add to that, he married outside of his nationality, which invited in many strange and sacreligious customs.  Which diluted the bloodline, bringing sin into the family, and creating deviant practices.  Right under his roof and in his garage.  God had told them specifically not to marry outside their own kind, if even the smartest man fell into temptation, what chance do we have?  And God wasn’t trying to be mean, or keep us unhappy, He was protecting us, as they brought foreign gods with them, taking their eyes off the one true God.  God calls it sin, and today many still fall prey to it.  Jesus admonishes us to date within only those who are saved, and I see too many marriages unhappy as the Christian is never fulfilled by their spouse, and the spouse always feels left out, because they don’t believe, and just don’t get it.  Like trying to explain how hard it is to ride slow to a cruiser, who thinks it is too hard to ride fast. Unequally yoked, each will go their own way, if one rides at 65, the  other at 62, after an hour they are only 3 miles apart.  Riding together...just not with each other.  So, don’t try to compete...trust God, from the start, and unto the finish.  Many pretty faces and bikes out there competing for your affection, but only one, Jesus Christ who will and can fulfill it. 

Which doesn’t mean we can’t ride together, it is the matter of the commitment.  And who you make it to.  Remember that next time a faster bike goes whizzing by you, or when you get backed up behind a group going 50 in a 65 zone, in the fast lane.  We all ride, let’s show some consideration for each other.  If we can’t get along within our own kind, how do we expect those in cages to respect us?  Or pullover to let us pass, or not interfere with our group while talking on their cell?  We must live in this world, but we are not to become part of it.  You set the tone of the ride, not them.  Stay within your own kind, as God advises, but respect others for theirs.  You never know when you might need a metric wrench buried in a Harley techs tool box, and dusting it off, laughs as he lends it to you, under the no tools loaned sign, as has happened to me.  Even funnier when a Harley friend asks for a tool, and is pointed to the “NO TOOLS LOANED” sign.  Or stopping to help a Harley rider who missed the curve, and helping him get back on the road, which has also happened to me.  And listening to him telling how he wished his bike stopped and handled like yours.  Riding within your own kind may be a well advised thing, but living within God’s love will bring you joy unspeakable, no matter how fast, how far, or what or who you ride with.  To some it comes down to brains and brawn vs. horsepower and handling, to others we just love to ride.  No matter which group you fall into, let God’s love guide your riding, and your choices.  Or next time Ricky Johnson, motocross legend asks you to go riding, and you don’t accept because there is no way you figure you can keep up, and then find out he was going to ride his Harley bagger, you find you missed out on the ride of your life, like I did.  Don’t miss out on Jesus, ride what ya brung, let the corners define the ride.  Not all roads are the snake, but not all riders are Ricky either.  Ride your own ride, and when we meet at the intersection, you go first, but leave me room to pass.  Courtesy...the decision is yours.  Let’s just ride.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

 

suddenly it's 1978!

Sometimes it pays to listen to the voices inside your head, they may be trying to tell you something.  I detest the term man cave, it’s a garage stupid, where you park your cars, motorcycles, and hang out with your buddies and discuss important things like why you would never buy a Honda, how gas doesn’t smell as good as it used to, or how much things cost today, and how you are barely making it, compared to how much things used to cost and you were still barely making it.  In our garage, we have TV, and a stereo, so while washing or waxing you have semi-live entertainment, while watching races.  And sitting on beach chairs, the view of looking at various motorcycles, posters, and the smell of certain chemicals is immensely better than your big screen and your comfy chair in the living room, which also sponsors AC on hot days.  But sitting among your friends, even when no one is present, sometimes you hear the voices, and sometimes it pays to listen to them.

I have been riding press bikes since the beginning of July, with another one now ready to go back, parked next to Theresa’s Bonneville.  Which lately seems to get ridden more than any of my bikes.  Putting the charger on the Tiger in case it is needed, I sat gazing at my 1978 GS1000, and went back to 1978, when they were the king of the road, and I couldn’t afford one, all my money was tied up in a new 1977 BMW R100S, which was to soon self destruct, and end my run of 5 BMW’s.  But as I looked over, I can swear I heard the Suzuki telling me she wanted to go for a ride, as it had been awhile.  Now I usually don’t listen to the voices, but this one was insistent, and so I got up and wiped her down.  And started her up, being patient as the old CARB carbs take some time to fire off, they were set very lean to reduce emissions.  But as it sat there idling, the voices became louder, but I had a new 2014 sitting between here and the road.  As I turned off the choke, and let her idle on her own, I thought about going for a ride, maybe back to 1978, and I had the perfect riding partner, all set and ready to go.  2014 was going to have to wait...suddenly it was 1978!

The first thing you notice after throwing a leg over the Suzuki is the comfortable seat, another memory of 35 years ago.  And a twist of the throttle tells you that the new wireless throttles are definitely easier on the wrist than the old push/pull systems, which if one broke you could always switch the pus to pull and still get home.  The handlebars remind you that a wheel barrow somewhere may be missing theirs, high,wide, and pulled back-the first thing to go when you bought new back then.  We were café types, and I have ridden with low bars since 1974 and my first R90S.  After accelerating to the first stop sign, the dual front discs do their job, but like the throttle, 35 year old braking systems that were high tech then can be dangerous now, and I am reminded to leave more space than on my Street Triple with radial brakes.  Also the pull, did we really only use two fingers then, too?  The next stop is getting gas, and at $3.60 gallon is more per gallon than it took to fill the tank when new.  And prepay was unheard of then, you pumped then paid, sometimes an attendant who asked all about your new ride, a far cry from pay at the pump.  And gas smells different too...oh well it has been 35 years.  Hitting the freeway, 5 grand equates to 80 mph, something done with extreme disrespect for your license when the speed limit was only 55, easily done in first gear.  But the speedo shows 90, which doesn’t seem fast, but then you remember how speedos were off 10%, typical Japanese bike back then, and you are enjoying your 90mph cruise, even if it is only 80.  Still faster than the speed limit, maybe no else cares either.  And riding along at 90, which is 80, is not a memory, but a real thing today, and later when refueling you are getting almost 45 miles per gallon, on regular, and maybe $2995 spent on a superbike 35 years ago was the right thing to do, even if it took you 35 years to get there. 

“Is it retro” some ask, in this world of new is better, no it is the real thing.  A museum piece on the road, for the road.  The grandfather of all GSXR’s, the sportbike of its time, now considered a standard, but then a standard of the day.  How things have changed for the better, or have they?  Or have we?  For the better?

35 years ago I was a just married, 3 year old Christian starting a family.  Jesus was new in my life, and prior to marriage church and friends at church were my social circle, by choice.  And as I look back, I think of how innocent I was, how much I had to learn, and how Jesus was the bright and shining spot in my life.  Not much changing since then.  First always I was to believe He was #1, and He had been, but sometimes I lived like He was 1A.  It is easy to see how motorcycles have changed in 35 years, go back 35 years from 1978, and suddenly it is 1943, and WWII.  Harley building war bikes, military bikes that we collect today, no Triumph as Great Britain was being bombed, and the Japanese were our enemies, Honda was still 5 years away from getting his start making piston rings. But fortunately Jesus has never changed.  And I can expect the same from Him today, as I did in 1978, and as they did in 1943.  You see times change, styles change, but sin never does.  It will always be sin, so we will always need a savior, we will always need Jesus.  And fortunately He is just as real today as He was then, and will be tomorrow.  No surprise changes in right and wrong, and no changes in His forgiveness either, except today it seems we need it more than ever, and He is up to the task.  He is still the standard that we strive for, and He is still forgiving us when we fall short.  And He is still that voice in my spirit reminding me how much He loves me, just as I am, no matter how I am, or who I am.  Or what I ride, or if I ride.  No conditions, just love.  Something that after 38 years of walking as a Christian, I still forget, but then He lovingly reminds me.  And when I listen to that still small voice, not screaming to be heard, but desiring all of your attention, my days go better.  When I smile I no longer get bugs in my teeth, my full face Arai cured that, but my outlook is different, and the smile comes from the heart, not from the circumstance.  It is more than the emotion of being happy, it is joy, despite of the situation, and His presence.  Even at 90 mph, which is really 80, He is the truth, and wanting to spend time with me.  Just like He has for over 38 years... not long compared to eternity, but a long time looking back at how I was, and how I am today.

And suddenly I am back in the garage, and it is 2013.  But for a few more days it will be 1978 for me, as I have more miles and memories to remember and to create on the Suzuki.  And time to reflect and thank Jesus for the ride, and the rides to come.  By looking back He allows me to look ahead with great excitement, knowing the good old days are still to come, even if it is right now.  At one time today was tomorrow yesterday, so why not enjoy right now, no matter what year you are riding.  But it is important who you are riding with, the one who transcends time, who makes yesterday precious, today worth living, and tomorrow worth looking forward to.   Maybe I need to listen to those voices more often, do the math.  A 1954 body, in 2013, on a 1978 ride, 1954+2013+1978=time well spent with Jesus.  Maybe that is why we spend time in our garages instead of man caves.  Somewhere between now and the future is right now, the best place to be on any day...knowing we have a future in heaven, and a right now with Jesus.  A short time to go, and along time to spend there...spend it wisely with Jesus.  Suddenly never took so long to get here.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

more than just a face in the crowd-and that's a fact Jack

It has been said that as hard as it is getting to the top, it is even harder to stay there.  But if you never get there, you never know how hard the road,or race course is ahead of you.  Racing is a very tight knit community, particularly off road.  My introduction to SCORE was through Ed Frisk at Simon and Simon Racing, factory Ford Rough Riders, who had just won the Baja 1000 in record time.  When he left to go over to Nelson and Nelson, factory Chevy, with three hot shoes, Larry Ragland, Jimmie Johnson, 16 years old at the time, and pre-NASCAR, and Ricky Johnson, motocross legend.  Let’s just say reputation wise I was in over my head.  But I was in, and as my reputation grew I finally was to sponsor Ivan Stewart, and his Pro Trucks, Robbie Gordon, Jimmie Smith, RCR Racing , and Gus Vildosola.  All top names within off road racing.  But my scope was soon to grow outside of SCORE and So Cal, as Brady from Nelson’s went to Jack Flannery in Wisconsin as crew chief, Jack of the Off Road Hall of Fame and 7 time SODA racing champion.  All because I knew Ed, and Ed knew me.  I had never met Jack, who raced with his two sons Jed and Jamie, top rated racers in their own right, but when the tour came to Glen Helen for the first time, I got to meet them.  Brady had set it all up, with free passes, which included all press and pit access, and I got to meet the Flannery family.

Now to say Jack was gracious would be an understatement.  And as Brady had made the move from El Centro to Hemet to Wisconsin Dells, this was the Flannery teams first California race.  We arrived late, the crowd was overflowing, and Brady had left passes at the gate for Andrew and my nephew Danny, both about 12 at the time.  The first race was going on, and Jack won going away.  As we headed to his pit area, I heard my name being called, it was Brady.  Working our way through the crowd, 20 deep wanting to see Jack, he lifted the barrier and we crossed under, meeting Jack for the first time.  As if we had known each other for years, we embraced, and he met Andrew and Danny.  They did a little better, as Andrew’s hero was Ricky Johnson, and when I first introduced him to Rick, he froze, looking at the ground as Rick got down on one knee and talked with him.  But he had met others now, and shook hands with Jack, who quickly excused himself, and tore off one of the body panels that had been damaged during the race.  He signed one, handed it to Danny, then tore off another, signed it and handed it to Andrew.  He made us all feel welcome, and no two kids ever felt so happy, and famous, as they did among the crowd that day.  WOW they heard many times as others wished they had met Jack and gotten a signed panel.  We had been made to feel part of the team, and the panels hung on their bedroom walls for years.  Just one of the many we would meet over our 5 years of sponsorship, but one they will never forget. 

As great as it is saying you know someone of fame, it is even more impressive when someone famous knows you.  Walking through contingency years ago in Laughlin, when they first started racing again, I again heard my name, looking over to see Ivan Stewart, with a man he introduced me to as Don Laughlin.  Yeah, that one.  Who invited me along, Ivan was his tour guide, and I got a tour and education from the All time famous off road champion, and the man whose name was on the same city as the Laughlin Desert Run, the biggest biker run in the southwest.  I doubt he would ever remember me, but that day meeting Don, and having Ivan recognize me gave me some credibility and fame of my own.  Fifteen minutes if you will, spread over many in 30 second increments.  Andy Warhol had the quote, I had the equation.

Now it is one thing to say you know someone, but a bigger thing to say they know you.  Jesus called us, and knows us by name.  Long before we ever went searching for Him.   His first disciples were Andrew and Peter, who He said to, “follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”  Later he met two others, brothers again, John and James, again leaving their boats and nets and following Jesus.  It has been said, that if Jesus had a refrigerator, that your homework would be on it, much like we do for our kids today.  We are that important to Him.  And He still is calling today, to many who we will only meet in heaven, but who He desires to know personally here on earth.  Do you number yourselves among the chosen?  If in doubt, seek Him today.  No special invites, no special service, just call out to Him, believing with your heart, confessing with your mouth and you are saved.  No degrees, catechism, or religious classes needed.  Now you may not be as famous as Peter, James, or John, you may only be an Andrew sending people to Jesus, or you may be a silent Christian, as Joseph of Aramethia was, just waiting for he proper time to do what God asks of you.  In any case, Jesus recognizes you, and calls out to you-even the unsaved. 

Now you may never have a podium finish, or even finish a race, but you are still important to God.  Ever hear of Mordecai Ham?  Ever hear of Billy Graham?  Mordecai Ham led Billy to the Lord, and look at the results today.  One man whose funny name with can’t recall, but so important to Jesus.  And Billy!  That’s love.  And we are all as important.  On earth you may get your 15 minutes of fame, in heaven it will take eternity to thank Jesus for all His fame, which He graciously shares with you.  Just a face in the crowd, how about the woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery, the blind man given his sight, and even the good Samaritan, and the man he rescued?  What was the name of the innkeeper that night in Bethlehem?  All important, but we never know their names, like so many that minister today.  Who minister without recognition, recognized only by Jesus.  Who knows them by name...who knows me by name!  Jesus knows my name, what a rush!

Keep that in mind next time you share Him with others.  Introduce Him as your friend, He calls you friend.  In a life where you will know many people, what a relief to know you will always have a friend in Jesus.  Some call Him Lord, savior, master, rabbi, or teacher.  He is all that, and more-I can call Him my friend.  He knows my name.  And in the greatest race you’ll ever compete in, the human race, He promises a podium finish ever time.  There are names, and there are names...no matter the size of the crowd He recognizes you.  And makes you feel important, because you are.  Ask Andrew and Danny, two 12 year olds made to feel 10 feet tall, just because I knew Jack.  And he knew me.  And that’s a fact.  How much more important does it make you feel that Jesus knows you?

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

you don't have to go to church to be a hypocrite

The old Ford vs. Chevy battle has been going on for over a century.  Every once in a while you may see Dodge, and you used to see Plymouth, Pontiac, Mercury, and even Olds until their respective companies pulled the plug on them, relegating the to history and memory.  With new faces coming in to take their place, and soon what was a national sport, the N in NASCAR, now has a Japanese based car in its midst.  Just doesn’t seem right, but racing is racing, and as long as it pays the bills, and the France family, it has been written into the rules.  Which to me seems almost hypocritical, for some things are what they are, and I thought NASCAR was one of them.  You don’t see American sedans in races anywhere else in the world, why Jap cars in ours here?  What happened to National?  To be true to the competitors, shouldn’t it be IASCAR?  Somehow doesn’t roll off the tongue.  Maybe size makes right, as Toyota outsells them all anyway, bringing a new concept to race on Sunday, sell on Monday.  But with millions of fans backing them, maybe you don’t have to go to church to be a hypocrite, just show up at a NASCAR race on that Sunday morning.

“I only buy American,” the man claims, “I don’t like to support China,etc.”  And I tend to agree, I remember when we led by quality rather than fell behind due to price.  And I know guys who will only ride an American made motorcycle, even incorporating it into their club laws.  Which until 15 years ago made Harley Davidson the only game in town.  Victory has proven a worthy competitor, and with the current resurrection of Indian, I am betting they make it  this time, now hey have a choice.  Which shows their Harley prejudice, not just their nationalism.  But what seems to escape them is Toyota and Nissan are not American companies.  And it pains me to see the bar and shield decal in their rear windows, as their loyalty to this country ends with their choice of a non-American truck, to me being hypocritical.  Has all that V-twin vibration loosened their senses?  Add a proud to be an American vet sticker, and on any day of the week, including Sundays, you don’t have to go to church to be a hypocrite, just advertise your Harley on your Japanese truck.  Confused...an old biker saying is don’t wear it on your back if it isn’t in your heart.  Or like the old National Lampoon album song Deteriordata sings, “whether you can hear it or not, the universe is laughing behind your back.” 

“I won’t go to church,” I hear, “too many hypocrites.”  Then why don’t we see more of you, we would like you to feel welcomed, and not a stranger.  Yet even in their accusations, there in lies some truth, as we all have a habit of saying one thing and doing another.  Call it do as I say, not as I do.  And we have all been there.  Only Jesus was the only non-hypocrite, doing exactly as He said.  But of course He did it in obedience, for He was constantly in touch with His Father in heaven, doing the right thing came natural-really supernatural.  And as Christians we have that same advantage, and choice, yet we tend to go our own ways, whatever is easiest for us, or benefits us the most.  Be it bikes, cars, church, or even who we worship.  Even sports teams, as how many here in SD don’t cheer for the Chargers?  Nationalism isn’t dead, it has just given way to freedom of choice, and if it works at Burger King, why can’t I have it my way anywhere else?  Yet only in Jesus do we find true freedom of choice, our ability to say yes to Him, or deny is deity altogether and escape heaven.  Love doesn’t demand its own way, unlike some other choices we make, we get to choose.  And I choose Jesus...

So to all my fellow hypocrites out there, all of you, I extend an invitation to the only non-hypocrite ever known, and still around today, Jesus Christ.  You can come as you are, in a NASCAR shirt in your Nissan pickup with the HD logo on it, hey even come on your Harley.  Fit in with the others who chose to not fit in, you will find yourself among a better grade of people, those who are forgiven.  For God forgives hypocrites too, He leaves none out who choose Him.  Try that warm welcome on your Ninja at the next Harley function.  See what I mean, we all ride don’t we?  Doesn’t that give us a common bond against those who don’t?  So find the true freedom of expression you are looking for in Jesus.  Come join us fellow hypocrites, no charge, or pay way too much for the next track seat at NASCAR, watching non-national cars racing for American money.  Lots of NASCAR fans at church, you may find it a better place to be on race day, no yellow flags.

So you don’t have to go to church to be a hypocrite, but it may be the only place you are welcomed as one.  But it is your choice, we will love you for what you are, and encourage you for what you can be.  Imagine truth, with no opinions, and no changing of teams or sponsors every year.  Talk about hypocrisy, we aren’t talking about Jesus, who stays the same.  It is us who must change, which makes me wonder about some choices I make.  How many are based on opinions, which only lead to hypocrisy, and how many are based on Jesus, who is truth?  There is a lot of pressure out there for your dollars and also your soul.  Don’t be a hypocrite, choose Jesus today.  Come join your fellow hypocrites who made the right choice.  Where you are Sunday can have an impact on your Monday.  Reminds me of customer on my paper route named Ford, who drove a Chevy Impala.  I still don’t get that one.  You don’t have to go to church to be a hypocrite, you can fellowship anywhere.  Worship at the altar of your choice this Sunday, no pit pass needed here.  This church is not full of hypocrites, there is always room for one more.  Now, you were saying...

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogpsot.com

taking inventory

Road &Track, which used to pride itself by being a bit stuffy, like a European journal on cars, yearly would put out a list of what their employees drove.  After tearing apart a drophead coupe for losing structural integrity, or complaining about the latest saloon’s rear doors only opening 75 degrees, it was interesting, and amusing to see what they actually owned.  And that their cars reflected more of us than them, as they drove old sedans, aka saloons, nary a drophead among them, aka convertibles, and none of the cars they tested and berated was found among them.  Drive as I say, not as I do.  Which made me reflect on cars I have never owned, as opposed to those I have.  I have never owned a Pontiac or an Oldsmobile, although I have driven both many times.  I have never cared for anything MOPAR, although I look at old GTX’s and Road Runners with admiration.  Must be the old Chrysler crank, that odd winding noise their starters make that turned me away.  It has been almost 40 years since I owned a BMW, a 1600, which established them here in the colonies, before they became trendy, expensive, and available to anyone with a high FICO score.  I have owned three VW’s, Rabbits, but never an air cooled, yuk.  But yet once owned a 1963 Corvair Greenbriar van, although it never ran.  Also only one van, a 1973 Chevy Van 10 that I bought from Garry Brown, who had custom built it as a final exam project to get his engineering degree from Bucknell.  But never, ever any mini vans, a great idea, but not for me.  Or my family, four doors still mean boring...as does anything the shape of a brick.  Great bread trucks, just not at my house.  Like the Bible says, man does not live by bread alone.

I have also never owned a Jeep, although I once bought Theresa a Suzuki Samarai for Mother’s Day.  Add SUV’s to the list, just a station wagon with truck like styling, and I have owned numerous pick up trucks, even a 1949 Ford F-3!  If you own motorcycles, you know why.  I have owned cars or trucks from the forties, fifties, sixties, seventies, eighties, nineties, and the new millenium.  I do not care for Japanese cars, or Korean cars either, they are too appliance like, I have never owned a Toyota or a Nissan, although when they were Datsun I wanted a 240-Z.  I did own a Mazda once, the last 4 door I have owned, and it never ran right, go figure.  Front wheel, rear wheel, but never a four wheel, and I lived where they claimed they were needed.  If you substitute more features for lack of skills, we all lose.  I have owned cars I wish I hadn’t and those I wish I had never sold, among them a 1950 Buick Special sedan, that when my girlfriend saw it said, “we’re going to the drive in.”  Never heard or saw that comment in R&T!  The inventory can go on, cars I drove of my parents, and of my sons.  Uncle Mose who always drove Oldsmobile, and fast, and working at Land Rover and laughing at those who felt they needed the ultimate 7000 pound, 4 wheel drive SUV in the wilds of La Jolla.  Why the jewel of San Diego has the worst roads, maybe they do need a Range Rover...when a Suburban would never do.

My friend Doug tells me how he tells his boys to take inventory of why they are saved on a regular basis, to get them to remember Jesus, and why we really are saved.  A good idea, no matter who or where you are in Christ, a time to reflect on Him, apart from communion.  Do we remember to do many things in remembrance of Him, or is it a monthly procedure?  Have we taken Jesus for granted, or in some cases, religiously, and He is only a Sunday morning habit we are forced to do?  Are there certain days, Mother’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas that you only attend?  Are you living the life of a drophead, top off, when really you are a spiritual dead head?  Are you all about illusion, or are you all about Jesus?  What if we were to publish personal and intimate things about you, like the Bible does about Jesus, would you match up?  Or would your drop head suddenly become a parcel van, no windows to look out of, or into, as what you see is not what you get.  Have you taken inventory of Jesus Christ in your life lately, and if you did, did you find Him wanting?  And what are you doing about it?

Cars have changed drastically in the last 40 years, have you changed since coming to the Lord?  Or are you still driving a 1950’s car in today’s world?  Are you about style as opposed to substance?  Do you care more about miles per gallon than about hearts for heaven?  If your life was a car, what would your kids say about it when you came to pick them up?  Are you living the life of a sports car, I had two MG’s, by definition a real sports car, as the top comes off, or just a sporty car, like a van with Sport written on it?  What happens when life throws you a curve, and you can’t handle it?  But it says Sport right there....

Inventory takes time, and needs to be done on a regular basis.  Counting all the small things too, not just the ones everyone else can see.  What is hidden in your boot?  Your trunk.  What is in your glove box?  I have a philosophy that the condition of your car tells more about your life than you want us to know.  A mess inside, I really don’t want to see your house.  Can’t find your keys, maybe you need the key to life.  Check engine light always on-maybe the car is trying to tell you something.  God sends the same signals to us...are we listening?

If your life was for sale, would it be in the front row, or in the back with the other old cars?  Where you stand with Jesus will dictate where you stand on judgment day.  A shiny outside with an engine that smokes, or a well taken care of engine, with a few scratches to show for wear, and where you have been.  Taking inventory can start today...find out what really counts in life.  As the man says, pay me now...or pay me later.

Now about motorcycles I haven’t owned...this won’t take very long...

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

 

what do you do when your dream comes true and it's not quite like you had planned it?

No matter what your passion, there is a dream escape for it.  Maybe just a travel brochure, or a place that only live deep within your subconscious, but no matter, it exists.  For a golfer, it may be playing at Augusta or Pebble Beach.  For a fisherman, it may be a full crew assisting on a deep sea excursion.  If you have never been to Sisters, Oregon, you don’t know what quilters lust for in their dreams.  Corvette owners get to visit the plant in Bowling Green, and watch them built and see a first rate museum.  Favorite game show on TV, you can get a chance to see Vanna or Trebek live in the studio audience.  How many spend thousands just to get a ticket to the Super Bowl, an anticlimax to the week preceding it?  Some wish they could have seen the Beatles, or Elvis in concert.  I hear Comicon is already a sell out, for next year, and I have booked my rooms for next year’s Hollister Rally.  The Daytona 500 has even races now twice a year, two times the chance to see and attend.  Big dreams, maybe ones that are just out of reach are the most desired, like a pardon from the governor, a check in the mail from your rich aunt’s estate, not knowing you had either one.  Great expectations have been known to keep us alive, and the spark growing into a flame, to keep us moving towards a goal, no matter how ridiculous or far fetched it may seem. 

But for those of us who ride, who really like to ride, just give us a road, some cash, and a weekday with no traffic.  Throw in a friend or two, not just any body, and we’re out living our dream.  And I have been blessed over the years being able to ride so many places.  Every year it seems someone writes a ten best road article, and I have done most of them.  Skyline Drive-both in San Francisco and Shenandoah Valley.  Natchez Trace, you can have fun going slow and straight.  Ever ride to Key West?  Better than even your mind can see.  The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania, did you know there was one?  Of course, Grand Canyon, but north or south rim?  Gold Rush Highway can be the best two days riding, including history.  The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is a must, I have seen it in two seasons, amazing how 60 days makes a difference.  I could go on with the Snake, Rocky Mountain National Park, Hiway 1, the Columbia River Gorge, old US 30 is preferred, and even the Oachitas are inviting, ever heard of them?  All famous roads of one sort or another, but it is the daily roads you get to ride close to home that can be new and exciting. 

For years we went across country, counting states and time zones as markers, this summer was central California.  Visiting roads we used to go away for on weekends, now we stretched them over 10 days, and had great fun.  No hurry, we even went back and rerode a few sections, but still managed to miss a few, so we will have to go back.  Indian Valley Road was inviting, but another time. We missed riding to Parkfield, another time.  Back and forth from the 101 to Hiway 1 and Hearst Castle, next time.  Horse Thief Canyon Road, another time.  Carmel Valley Road will have to wait, maybe combine it with a trip to Laguna Seca.  Hiways 9, 17, and Alice’s were only within 45 minutes, yet we will go another time.  For it seems there are always so many roads, so little time, and so many memories yet to be made on them, if only we had the time...

But what if you had the time, would you do it?  Do you really wish to have your dreams fulfilled, or are they better off just as dreams, of things desired, but not expected?  Even an old Eagles line asked, “ what do you do when your dreams come true, and it’s not quite like you had planned it?”  Given the chance, would you go?  What if today was that day, that all your dreams came true, and you said no?  You overslept, or were busy talking on your cell?  What if you missed the exit, but planned to get off at the next one, which never came?  What if...your whole life was what if?  Many live their lives like this, wondering what it is like, but never knowing.  Sadly many live their Christian life like this too.  They come to Christ, but are never discipled, and never grow.  They sit in church and never get out and experience Jesus in real life, missing out on the Bible coming alive.  Recently a man joined us on Tuesday night at Dustin Arms, after sitting in church 11 years and never doing anything.  And now he is able to see Jesus come alive in the lives of others.   Ministry is like a new toy, a desire he never knew he had, or existed, and now life has meaning, more than just words on a page, or red letter’s capturing the words of Jesus.  Now he is living the gospel, and seeing it come alive.  We are told many are called, but few are chosen.  Which can apply to many levels of life, and scripture, but he now knows how the harvest in plentiful, but the workers few, and how Jesus has blessings, abundant blessings, for the few who do answer and are chosen.  He has joined the few, feeding hungry folks, and listening, and even praying with them, he gets to see Jesus as He fed the 5000, healed the sick, and talked with the woman at the well.  His expectations have been exceeded, and wants more, and is giving more.  And just like so many roads to ride, he has seen there are so many places to minister, that needed him to be the one to do it.  After watching the parade, he has decided to join it. 

Mark Twain once said “the only thing worse than not getting your heart’s desire, is getting your heart’s desire.”  Aim low enough, you can hit the ground every time.  What is your desire, what is your target?  Do you wish more of Jesus, or are you content in a comatose relationship with Him?  Is church your whole experience?  Remember Jesus taught in the temple, but ministered on the streets.  And we used to visit the temple, until we became the church, and our bodies the temple that He lives in. 

So what is your passion?  God will give you one, He already has.  So wake up, watch the scriptures come alive as you do.  Some of my best rides have been based on “I wonder where that road goes?”  You will never know until you get out, and take a path you never have before.  For my friend it all started on a Tuesday night, now also Saturday mornings.  He used to study the word, now He is living it.  Take the next step after walking in faith, and be obedient to what God has put on your heart.  Golfers need Jesus too, a great Sunday morning ministry.  Quilters need Jesus, as do rock fans, football fans, and bikers.  Take the church to them, be one of the chosen.  And it can all be as close as your back yard.  Or your home.  If you can’t ride the small roads, how do you expect to make the long trips? 

Where would you be if no one had offered you a ride, or told you about Jesus?  What are your ten best rides?  What are your best ministry times?  The best are yet to come.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

 

let me talk to my manager

Looking at some recent auction prices on collectible cars, it seems the cars of my dreams are forever embedded in the dream file.  $20,000 for an original 1971 Bronco?  A 1969 Mustang Boss 429 for $550,000?  True it only had 907 original miles, but I remember when cars were built as transportation, and evolved into an extension of your personality-now it seems they are toys for the rich, and an extension of one’s investment portfolio.  At least you get to drive, or at least sit in your investment, more fun than looking at a stock certificate, or at a huge bank balance, another dream I’ll never see, but so any are becoming museum type quality and never driven anymore.  Signs saying “don’t touch,” adorn them, and even cruise nights are avoided.  They don’t get shown off, like I would if I attained my dream car, but housed in hermetically sealed garages, so humidity, rats, your kids hands, and your ex-wife’s divorce lawyer can’t get at them.  Only to come out when they are to be resold, and in even some cases, sold without going on an auction stage, or advertised, as this elite group uses word of mouth to trade investments, I mean cars.  No give your best offer, and I’ll talk to my manager, money talks, and even if you buy, sometimes you still walks.

But we still live in a buyer beware world, where just because you ask one price, doesn’t mean you’ll get it.  Because somewhere a Mustang changes hands at over half a million dollars, doesn’t mean your aunt’s low mileage, car will.  Rust didn’t come from the factory, nor did t-shirts covering the seats, blue smoke was and is still a big no-no, and original can still mean factory air in the tires.  And so many dream on, thinking their junker is worth more than a new house, hoping that right sucker comes along with more money than brains, who just can’t live his past without it, and like the ad says-cash only.  Now I admit to have paid too much sometimes, only to be consoled by the you didn’t pay too much, you only bought too soon philosophy in home buying, and you learn.  Most of us don’t buy cars as investments, just look in most minivans at the papers, trash, wrappers, and other garbage inside, no investment quality there.  I even look at a new Mercedes Benz, all $80,000 of it, filthy and unwashed, and I see no investment value there either.  Nope, cars just bought for their use, like an appliance, and no need to take care of it, just run it through the car wash when it comes time to trade, no auction will see this car, only the ones going out of the country, bought for below wholesale, unloaded for whatever they will bring.  Just like the million dollar cars, for whatever they will bring.  Just the dreams are different.

The bottom line, no pun intended here, is that a car is worth what someone will pay for it.  And either the next buyer gets burnt, or steals it for a lower price, such is the price of dreams.  It comes down to buy for love, sell for money.  And few brag of getting beat on a deal, but rather brag on how they stole the car for such and such a price.  We Bought it for x amount of dollars, we put one over on the seller.  But when we get taken, or pay to much, the other guy Sold us the car.  Such is the major difference between buying and selling.  We buy when we’re smart, we get sold when we’re not.  Not a new concept, one that can even be applied to God.  Who wanted to buy us back from sin, no matter the cost.  We were worthless to anyone but Him, even today the chemicals our bodies are made up of are only worth less than $50.  Try that for an investment, yet God decided to invest in us via His son Jesus.  To pay the price, no matter what, while we were still sinners, no matter our condition.  A clean exterior might not show the wear on the inside, but God saw it, and still paid that price.  Investing His best in you, His love, because you are priceless to Him.  Yet some treat Jesus today like an auction, holding out for more, it is called pride, and not wishing to pay the price-your lives, for eternity.  Holding out for a better deal, following Satan’s lies, many have and continue to miss the chance, and go to hell.  When God’s offer is on the table for them until the day they die.  He is that patient.

Jesus didn’t pay too much, nor did He sell too soon.  At just the right time, while we were still sinners, He gave His life.  Try that line next time you trade a car.  The dealer doesn’t care about what you put into it, just what he can get out of it.  God is looking to invest in you, to see what untapped potential you have, not for His benefit, but for yours.  Give Him the glory, you get the blessings.  Yet many walk away from the deal, or want to think it over.  Don’t make that mistake today.  Watching a show the other night, I watched as this shop put way too much money in a new Mustang, restoring it from being towed in, and then during its first test drive out of the shop, gets hit.  By you guessed it, a clunker.  With no insurance, the car is totaled.  Don’t let that happen to you.  All that time spent on a project, only to never enjoy it.  Such are those trying to work their way into heaven.  Accept Jesus’s offer today, buy now.  Show off what a great deal you got to others, an investment like no other.  What other can deliver eternal life?  You may not be the show car you think you are, you may be up on blocks because your engine failed.  No matter, Jesus’s deal still stands.  What will it take to put you into the heavenly family today?  No need to talk to His manager, His Father approves all deals.  You know the terms. Heaven is that close.  Live your investment today.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.com