your whole life is a vacation

¹³ Now listen to me, you that say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to a certain city, where we will stay a year and go into business and make a lot of money.” ¹⁴ You don't even know what your life tomorrow will be! You are like a puff of smoke, which appears for a moment and then disappears. ¹⁵ What you should say is this: “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ But now you are proud, and you boast; all such boasting is wrong.

¹⁷ So then, if we do not do the good we know we should do, we are guilty of sin.

In the 1950 film noir thriller, D.O.A., Edmund O’Brien  is told he has been poisoned and only has days to live, luminous poison. Told from retrospective, after he bursts into the police station and declares “I want to report a murder, mine!” the story unfolds as to why, how, where, and when.  Showing some great shots of both LA and San Francisco as he tracks down the murderer.  Watch it to find out who dunnit and why, only 75 minutes, about the same time it takes to sip your latte.  Remade later in 1988, it lacks the suspense, drama, and the noir of the  original.  Don’t get it by mistake.  Also the jazz club scene in San Fran is worth it for music the history-and they thought we were wild as teenagers.

In the sixties, Ben Gazzara played a lawyer who was given as much as 18 months to live in the TV show “Run for Your Life,” the show lasting three years, or twice as long as Gazzara’s character was given to live.  Again a mysterious disease, and Ben living the short time he had left, doing all the things he always wanted to do.  Fitting a whole life into 18 months, or three seasons, longer than most gave him to live.  A view into a desperate man, trying to live his life to the fullest.  And then along comes The Bucket List, where two terminally ill men from both economic extremes join together, and try to live out a list, a bucket list of one of them before they kick the bucket.  Which in our trendy social atmosphere of today, spurred many to write bucket lists of their own, and set out to fulfill their desires even though not under the threat of death.  A term that has been used freely, and when I was sick, was asked about my bucket list by some.  Never had one, and still don’t, and I came as close to death as you can without dying.  And I do look at things differently, and am asked many times how this affected my life.  But only two of the many asked the great question, “how has this affected your life with God?”  And both were not surprised by my answer, and allowed me to go into detail about my Mose’s Experience, and the miracles that God performed in my family, and myself.  And today I still live in a right now situation, time is recalled as before surgery and after surgery, and I truly take one day at a time, enjoying the blessings in it, for I know what lies ahead, and I can’t wait to get back to heaven.  With one man adding after asking if I was going to ride more and farther, added “your whole life is a vacation.”  If only it were a paid one.

James, the half brother of Jesus must have had a tough time growing up with a perfect older brother.  He never could rat Jesus out about not doing his homework, not cleaning his room, and not doing chores.  And if any trouble brewed, be sure it wasn’t Jesus who ever got blamed.  Truly blameless, but tough to grow up with.  So when James penned the book in the New Testament the at bears his name, he has some insight to Jesus others didn’t.  His book often compared to Proverbs, as a New Testament version.  And he deals a lot with relationships, must have learned that one at home from his brother.  But in one verse in Chapter 4, he gives an outline of what not to do, an anti-bucket list view point and divine advice.  An insight as how to not stray from God, but to better do His will.  He warns “do not say that tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city.”  Boasting of how you have great plans, but not asking God what His are, like He promises in Jeremiah 29, “for I know the plans for you, for a hope and a future...”  and you think you are smarter than God?  “Where we will stay for a year,” even have the time table worked out.  “Where we will go into business,” again a risky enterprise, Proverbs 3:16 tells us “Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be well established.”  “And make a lot of money.”  Boastful, arrogant, and self assured-should do well with Donald Trump.  But pride always goes before the fall, and I know many who have gone this route.  Moving to Durango in 1978, I saw many who had vacationed there like us, start a business, do well until Labor Day hit, and then when business died, so did their dream.  And fortunes along with it.  Names available on request.  Proving scripture, just not following it. 

So James goes on to say your life is like a vapor, and disappears after a moment, and is not seen again.  And exhorts us to ask if God is willing, then we should do it.  And calls any other attitude boasting.  And proud boasting is wrong.  Remember when the disciples approached Jesus and asked Him how to pray, He offered the Lord’s Prayer, telling us “thy will be done,” on earth as it is in heaven.  We can have heaven on earth, while still living an expectant life of going to heaven.  But it takes courage, trust, and a desire to serve a living God.  And sadly many of us fail, but God has provided mercy for us when we do.  So I ask, will you pray with me, asking for God’s will to be done in our lives?  That no matter the situation, we look to Jesus, and how He will be magnified, rather than an escape route?  We may not be able to live like He did, a virgin womb to a virgin tomb, but we can enjoy the forgiveness He offers, and follow Him, instead of our own list.  Do we dare fulfill scripture that tells us God will give us the desire of our heart, and make Jesus that desire?  Before you run for your life, run to Jesus and find life.  No man is promised tomorrow, often heard by patients who are facing death.  Why not offer them eternal life, for those in Christ will never see death, but live forever.  I’d rather boast in that scriptural promise.

So let me ask you the same statement James ends with, if we do not do the good we know to do, then we sin.  Do you know the good?  His name is Jesus, and without Him you are heading for death from sin.  Let Him forgive you today, set you on a righteous path, and deliver you from evil.  Boasting in Jesus is the right thing to do, but you have to know Him to boast in Him.  It starts with faith, are you willing to trust God in the spirit, or rather live like hell and end up there?  Believe me, when the end hits, and you never know when, your last thoughts will not be of searching for God.  And no bucket list will save you.  You are born DOA, and must be born again to inherit the kingdom of God.  Join me in boasting of the things of Jesus, and soon it will be in heaven, but for now settle for on earth as it is heaven.  Your whole life a vacation, when you follow the right planner.  And the plan He has just for you.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

listen to what the man said

Any time, any day
You can hear the people say
That love is blind
Well, I don't know but I say love is kind

Remember the Heinz ketchup ad, with Carly Simon singing-how can you forget her? “Anticipation,” while the ketchup flows ever so slowly from the bottle?  But did you know that Heinz had to fashion the shape of the bottle because ketchup used to run so fast, that they needed to slow it down, to control its flow.  Just a thought to ponder the next time you are pounding on the bottom of said bottle.  I can remember the novelty of squeeze bottles when having picnics at my grandparent’s house, laying down that thin line wherever I wanted, carefully aiming, while always wondering “could I hit my sister across the table?”  And I do remember when I finally loosed the ketchup after serious beating on the bottle, and a huge glob covered everything in its path.  Too much, just not too soon.  All the time just waiting to get that burger in my mouth!

Now I was reading the other day an article about time spent, or really time wasted, depending on attitude.  How many years we spend stuck in traffic.   How many years we spend doing homework.  How many weeks over a lifetime do we spend on vacation.  And I wondered how many years are spent by people counting time?  Or reading articles like that.  Am I part of a control group and didn’t know it?  Or was I told, and now I am part of a group who knows how long it took to figure it out, again am I wasting time?  But one event caught my eye, the average person spends 6 months of their lives sitting at red lights.  Now no one wants to be considered average, so all of us above average people probably spend more, while you sub par people spend less, maybe you know something we don’t.  I’m listening.  And I wondered, if as a kid if I was told this, could I have just found some parking lot, with others, and just hung out for 6 months, getting it over with, and proceeding down the road, never having to stop again.  If that was all time meant, why can’t  I just get it over with and get on down the road?

Now that I am semi-retired, I wonder how I ever found the time to get things done, the things that needed to be done.  Like riding, so many roads, and so little time, for instance.  But it gives me more time to minister, and when someone tells me about their situation, I ask them “have you prayed about it?”  And far too often the answer is no, I don’t have the time.  But yet you had the time to worry about it, to set up time with me, and explain it all to me, and expect me to answer it for you?  Ever wonder why you don’t have the time?  So consider the 6 months spent in waiting at red lights.  Rather than read your i-pod, eating breakfast, or putting on make-up, why not pray?  You don’t need to close your eyes and bow your head, Jesus looked up to the heavens, and just talked with God, why don’t you do the same?  Figure you spend over two days a year in church, maybe that few seconds with God could change your life.  And when not asking, spend time listening, and you might find He has answered before you even ask. 

Or even while listening, pray.  The only time I had a man refuse prayer when I asked him, my answer was “how do you know I haven’t been praying just standing here?”  Just because you can’t hear the man’s prayer, doesn’t mean God can’t, or doesn’t.  And it doesn’t have to be long, like thanking God for everything and everyone-by name, while your burger gets cold.  Or in a situation, HELP!, a one word prayer works fine.  And you don’t have to explain the situation to God either, as if you need to bring Him up to date on the events.  And He knows your name, no need to introduce yourself, even if it has been awhile.  And shouting doesn’t help, He isn’t deaf.  Why not get familiar with Him, and indulge in a conversation, He speaks, you listen, He listens, you speak.  Just like He is on the other end, why waste all those precious cell minutes when God can be reached for free?  He is the original unlimited calling plan. Imagine your embarrassment if God gave you a printout of all your time spent praying each month, might fill half a page.  You might spend more time waiting for ketchup, or at a red light!

But maybe it is the quality as much as the quantity that counts.  Jesus met a woman at the well, and was surprised at how He knew all about her.  How she had 5 husbands, and was living with another.  Yet He didn’t preach  her, her sin was evident when in the company of a living God, and He didn’t condemn her.  He offered her living water, the gospel, and she took it.  He forgave her, and she went off telling others!  And she was even a despised Samaritan at that, so what is your excuse for not having enough time?  What are you waiting for?  Or are you at that well now, thirsty, tired, and needing Jesus?  Will you take a few seconds now to ask Him into your life?  Your situation?  Will you desire it so much you can’t wait for the light to not change? How hungry or thirsty do you have to be? 

Use your anytime minutes to talk to Jesus today.  Why wait, you have call waiting, and maybe He has been waiting for you to call.  His line is never busy, the switchboard is always open, and you don’t have leave a message.  Or bother texting.  Isn’t that the type of service you would pay big bucks for? Use God’s simple calling plan today, it is called prayer.  “Any time , any day, you can here the people say, love is blind, I don’t know I say love is kind,” do as McCartney wrote, listen to what the man says.  And that man is Jesus.  I even find I can spend time with Him when riding, not sitting at lights.  Laying in bed at night, working in the yard, or watching TV.  He is everywhere, and anywhere you are.  Any time.  Won’t you take some time and listen to what the man says?  6 months waiting for the light to change is too way too long.  Turn to Jesus and wait no more.  If 15 minutes can save you 15%, a few seconds with Jesus will save your life.  Time well spent now can make all the difference in eternity.  Can you hear me now?

love with compassion,

Mike

natthew25biker.blogspot.com

second place don't get the hat

Doug and I were talking last night about the new custom fit Bell helmet, for only $1100, you can have one custom fit to your head.  And as I considered my Arai, a comparison will be made sometime in the future, when I have an extra $1100 to spend on a custom hat.  Then I considered a custom cowboy hat I once had, in fact the only cowboy hat I ever owned, and began to smile.  When a pricey Stetson would be $100, I had won a custom fit, custom made hat from O’Farrell Hat Co. in Durango, now in Santa Fe, and of course I designed it exactly like JR Ewing’s, feather and all.  And later when comparing it to a Stetson, found it was thicker, fit all the bumps on my head, and was admired by all who noticed it, the few times I wore it.  The only hats I wear are helmets, then and now, and I am sure that the custom fitting, where they put a collar around my head, a Comfortateur, then formed it to fit my head, and picking out the feathers and band were wasted on me, where a real cowboy would have been in cowboy hat heaven.  Not something I would have done on my own, but when confronted with the contest, and the chance to win-I went for it.

Every year at Coca Cola bottlers they had Action Teams, where we would visit different bottlers, and go out for new business, the goal to defeat Pepsi.  This year I was paired with Vince from Gallup, who fancied himself a lady’s man, a smooth Don Juan type, although short, and I will refer to him as DJ.  When he wasn’t out flirting with women, he was very good at what he did for Coke.  And we would eventually win the competition against four other teams, as if they ever had a chance.  The custom hat being first prize.  Which Doug, another salesman, was drooling over.  He wore cowboy hats, hunted and fished for his only food, and already was telling me how he would design it.  If I didn’t win it, and he knew I stood between him and any chance he had of winning.  And so he offered me a trade for whatever he would win for second prize, with each day something else added as an incentive.  And a funny thing happened, the more he wanted it, the more I did too.  I went from not caring about the prize, but just winning, to no way was Doug, or anybody else gong to win.  I had to have that hat, if for no other reason than Doug wanted it so bad.  The little kid was coming out of me, “I have it and you don’t, ha ha ,” which made teasing him even more fun.  Doug took everything at face value, and was still the butt of a joke about his son going to an orthopedic dentist.  Does he have braces on his legs and teeth?  And it took weeks before he got the joke.  He caught on immediately with the hat.

I had gotten fully immersed in the competition, and even without the prizes, or Doug’s encouragement, I would have played to win.  But holding the hat over his head, now mine, made it sweeter.  Not revenge, for the final crowning blow, I understood the thrill of victory, he the agony of defeat.  Seems one Samson understood both in a chance meeting with Delilah.  He always fought to win, was s mighty warrior, judge, and is even mentioned in the Hebrews Hall of Faith.  But he went against God’s rules, and although he came away with the victory, he never got to savor the beauty of it, as he was blind and ended up dying in the victory.  One of his fatal mistakes, was he didn’t like the word no, and refused to obey God’s laws.  He touched dead things, drank wine, and finally succumbed to vanity and lust, when Delilah cut off his hair, and he was captured by the Philistines, a brutal people who often would parade their captives naked, chained together with hooks in their jaws, then killed after they performed slave duties.  And so Samson fell, for the love of a woman, and so we fall for lesser things.  For me the victory prize was the hat, I was going to win at all costs, even displaying Doug in victory.  To win a prize I didn’t even want, my ego and pride would not let me lose.  Nor would Samson’s, and if someone as strong s him can lose, what about us mere mortals?  What chance do we have against the devil and his minions? 

The Philistines are still among us, trying to conquer your walk with God, and torture you.  Ready to parade your sin to a dying and rebellious world, bringing you down to defeat.  And it is in the moment of triumph we are found to be weakest, we can be caught off guard easiest.  Jesus tells us “to be a wily as a serpent, but as gentle as a lamb.”  To put on the armor of God, and to walk in trust.  To look to the cross, where the victory is already won.  Yet we choose otherwise, and suffer like Samson.

Life is a competition for your soul.  Only Jesus can save you, no one else.  And it is ironic that it is the helmet of salvation provided by a loving God that saves us.  This story started with a Bell helmet, and I am reminded of their old ads, “if you have a $10 head, wear a $10 helmet.”  Do you serve a cheap god, who can’t save you?  Or one who was willing to pay the price?  Why wear a generic god, when you can have a life custom made for you, that fits you exactly?  Jesus Christ is waiting right now to custom fit you for heaven.  A perfect fit just for you, it is personal, not off the shelf.  One size doesn’t always fit all, but Jesus fits all.  He is the perfect fit, and will be long after we are gone.  30 years ago it was just a contest, but today the battle wages on.  You don’t have to die for your God, He died for you.  And is alive today, promising you the same benefit.  Don’t have an accident to find out your helmet wasn’t good enough.  Don’t find out like Doug that second place don’t get the hat.  The helmet of salvation-colors and graphics optional.  Just make sure you are wearing one, you never know when you will need it.  If only Samson had worn one over his pretty hair....are you?

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

it's all nuts and bolts

Hard to think it is 15 years since I worked with Harp.  One of the best all around car guys I ever met.  We worked together at Charlie’s Garage, when all of us were taking a vacation from the stresses of life, and we were quite a group.  Harp was known throughout the off road racing world, and was a header builder.  He had also been a crew chief, working for John Clark Gable, Clark’s son who was born after his famous dad died, and knew Mike Naismith of the Monkees.  And Mike knew him.  All off road buddies.  He could build anything, or rebuild anything, and truly could be described as forgetting more than most people know.  I watched in awe and wonder as he was assigned to rebuild and repair a Toyota Land Cruiser a lesser tech had taken apart, then quit.  Leaving all the parts either scattered or in the back of the truck.  But given a week, Harp had it all together and running, fixed a few other problems the guy hadn’t known about, and built a header system for the guy.  For a guy who then had bragging rights to what Harp had done, and his other friends then wanted the same magic performed on their trucks.  I saw Harp design headers on napkins, and could always be counted on to help at any race, for anybody, for free.  Somehow he would always get repaid, and he was owed more than he owed others.  He had also done experimental work with Jim Fueling, and one day was talking about wind tunnel testing he had done for GM, that really seemed far fetched, so the next day he brought in the magazine articles about it, and there he was, in the photos and in print, waling his talk.  But as much as a great all around car guy he was, he was also a great practical joker, and we learned many great jokes from him.  But the one thing Harp left me, that I learned more from and have been able to apply to life, is “it’s all nuts and bolts.”  While others would see the problem, this man who used to rebuild two transmissions a day, then go fishing, looked at it as all nuts and bolts.  No emotion, just fix the problem.  Which he did, and probably still does...

So I find it funny thinking about Harp after doing some channel surfing last night.  I channel surf a lot, as nothing is on.  But this show caught my eye, for the Mercedes Benz on it.  This guy who calls himself the count, does rebuilds, restorations, and customizes cars and bikes.  Strutting around claiming to know so much, and being so great that only he can fix your car-for a price.  And this particular car, an older 380SL, a 107 in MB terms, was a roach.  But it was a famous dead person’s car, and his son wanted it restored.  And as I watched one of his techs, then himself talk about how hard it was to find parts for this Euro spec car, as they were misidentifying the wheel well as a round gas tank, they went on about how hard it will be to find parts, and all the work involved-but he Super tech could do it.  Just bring your wallet....

Now some parts are harder to find than others, I wondered had this guy heard of eBay?  And having spent years with Mercedes Benz, now know they have a vintage car section, just for older cars like this.  And with all the aftermarket garbage on this car, they would be hard to find, but not impossible.  So Cal was a hub in the 80’s for gray market cars, and many warehouses, garages, and stock rooms still have parts they would love to sell you.  At 2014 prices of course.  And then I thought of Harp, and this Count dude was more talk than walk.  It really was just nuts and bolts, this guy was making it into a career, and anyone who doesn’t know, or is new to the business, will think this guy is Superman.  Which he isn’t,  and among those who do know, is frowned upon.  Rather than nuts and bolts, to him it is all 50’s and 100’s, and although we never worked for free, we always took pride in solving the problem.  The payoff was more than the money, it was the reputation among our peers, and being able to go anywhere, to any race, to any pit, and be welcomed and respected.  Respect being the nuts and bolts of the business.  We knew that if you put out a good product, the money will come.  harp knew that, and his work showed it.  And he was never without work, although he was known to take time off to fish.

It ahs been said that people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones-or take showers either.  True, but how often have you been led astray by someone else’s words, only to find his reputation among those that know him is less than advertised?  Long after the price is forgotten, the sting of low quality remains.  Yet these types of people go on and on about how great they are, it seems there is always an audience of lesser talents that they can prey on.  Ecclesiastes 7:21 tells us “to not eavesdrop on others conversations, for the gossip may be about you, and you don’t want to hear it.”  My paraphrase, but it is true to the original.  There is always someone who will rather tell you how great they are, rather than prove it, and we all fall prey to this type of pride.  We may have done something great in our eyes for God, but when those effected by it see it differently, we are the fool.  Rather than think we can do anything without God, we need to remember the nuts and bolts of scripture and the gospel.  Keeping  the main thing the man thing, the main thing being Jesus.  He is the first and the last, alpha and omega, but we tend to live in the middle, and forget it is Him who saved us, Him who blesses us, and without Him we can do nothing.  In the middle.  Basic scripture, you cannot save yourself.  You cannot earn or give your way into heaven.  And although we know the outcome, our words can lead others astray, to follow us rather than God.  And while some were of Paul, and some Appollos, all were of Jesus.  Just like we should be today.

So beware those who give themselves the credit.  Tell the “rather than brag what a great lover you are, show me.”  Fix my car, fix my motorcycle, fix my life.  I am more interested in the results.  And Jesus is the result of a changed life.  Your changed life.  And while others hemmed and hawed at how hard it would be, Jesus just got it done.  And does it so many times without us even knowing, and without us even taking time to thank Him.  If anyone claims to be God, look at their hands for the nail holes.  Look at their brow for the marks left from the thorns.  See the hole in His side, and the stripes on His back.  Demand to see them, and do not be deceived.  Ask like Thomas did, and then acknowledge He is Lord and God.  Listen to the voice on the other side of the wall, for it may tell you things about you you don’t wish to hear, or have anyone else hear.  Quote scripture, for it is Holy.  Then the doubter can take it up with God.  Even though it is easier to just hate the messenger when you hate the message. 

Some people only like the sound of their own voices, and near no others.  Listen for the voice of God, keep it simple.  Like the gospel, so that people like me can get it.  Life is really no more than nuts and bolts, the things that hold life together.  And when you come to know that the something is a someone, Jesus, you can hear His voice, and trust.  Some will forget more than they ever know, but if you never know Jesus, you know nothing.  And don’t be like another legend, Ivan Stewart, who once asked me for a wrench while lying under a race truck.  “What size?”  “I don’t care, I want to use it as a hammer.”  It still takes nuts and bolts to keep it all together.  This nut chooses Jesus.  Aren’t you glad He doesn’t repeat all He knows about you?

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

buying a new car

New car buying has come a long way from my parents shopping at Ronco Rambler, where Pat would write a number on a notepad, using a pencil, both from the pocket of his overalls.  He had probably handed them some keys, and then went back under a car, maybe even R-12, his race car.  They had taken a test drive, and being parents, were concerned about how much it would ultimately cost, and was it really any better than their old trade in.  No dickering per se, as Pat was fair, and he understood them being a young family, and probably already had a buyer for their trade in.  No pressure, go to lunch, I’ll be here to about 2, after all it was Saturday, and he closed early.  But he would stay late if needed, which my parents would never ask him to do, because he too had a family.  And so a short lunch was hastily eaten, and back they went, going to the garage and finding Pat under R-12.  They had decided to buy the new car, and a half hour later, were driving home in it.  No make ready, maybe a quick wash, no F and I man trying to sell undercoating, Polyglycoat, or extra accessories.  They took the car, and Pat advised them next time up, stop by for an oil change, no  appointment needed.  Go enjoy your new car, and they did, the buying process from 50 years ago in small town America. They had bought a Rambler Classic, but really had bought another classic, Pat. 

It has been over 11 years since we bought our last new car, really a truck.  And there was some dickering, a test drive, with the salesman along, after photocopying my license, and checking me for insurance.  They ran my credit, and when I found the one I wanted, we negotiated.  I was shown printouts, which no one really knows what they mean, and I warned them, if the F and I guy tries to sell me anything, I’ll walk.  Who greeted me promising he wouldn’t, and he didn’t.  Sale complete, except for the various phone calls, about a survey, a CSI coming in the mail, and anything less than the best was a failure.  Seems they cared more about the survey than my being happy.  And I thought of guys  like Pat, whose survey was what you would tell your friends, your family, the friends at church, or your neighbor.  “If you need a car or truck go see Cal...”the ads for Worthington Dodge sang for decades, who would stand on his head to make a deal.  Pat just needed an OK, and a handshake, after he washed his hands.  And a card with his home number, if you had any questions later when you got it home. 

The other day I was looking up a car I had passed on the freeway.  It caught my eye, and I wondered about it.  So Googling it, found prices, and Truecar.com, a buying service.  Who had pre-negotiated deals with dealers, a buying service.  So I priced one, the prices showed dealer cost, and what I could get-below dealer cost.  And then the e-mails and phone calls started, as when I registered with Truecar, the dealers go my info.  Suddenly the car buying experience wasn’t so friendly,  as they got more aggressive with each message left.  I was only looking, had no intention of buying.  I told them that, they didn’t listen.  It reminded of one time when looking at a car, the new salesgirl chastising me for not letting her complete her presentation.   After I said I was just looking.  She had lost her place and was about to start over, when I got in my car and left.  And I thought to myself, if I need a car or truck, I would go see Pat.  And started riding motorcycles more, as in every chance I could get.  And soon formed the perfect relationship with Orange County Triumph, eventually buying 14 bikes from them over the years.  Who like Pat, gave me a fair price, sometimes showing me the invoice, and when buying an Rmz450, two weeks later a pop-up, and racing shirts showed up as a thank you, part of a promotion that started after I had bought one, they just included me.  Never one request for a CSI score, there wouldn’t be a high enough score for them.  I dealt with Nate, and Mike, Todd, and Fabian...just like my parents had dealt with Pat.  Sadly they are gone, and although I know many friends who sell new bikes, I will go to Mickey when ready, who will make a call, and the deal will be set.  We will have discussed what I want, and what I should pay, and the deal will be done.  Dealing with a guy who has dirt under his fingernails, probably crawling out from under a race car, and the beat goes on.

I watch as people evangelize today.  They are told to go out and witness, rarely told to be a witness.  Turn on Jesus, and tell the world about Him.  Invite people to church, don’t get involved one to one.  Pass out tracts, and then go home after arguing with someone, who isn’t saved, but knows more Bible than you, feeling disappointed and beaten.  Having done what you were told, just not what the Bible tells you to do.  And repeat next week, and as the crowd gets smaller, hopefully get tuned into God, and be a witness, letting your life show Christ in it.  Sharing the Lord should not be like buying a car or even a motorcycle.  You don’t shop for the best deal.  Yet many church hop, until finding one they like, where they fit in.  A friendly church, where they aren’t pressured, or encouraged to read the Bible, pray, or even come to Christ.  Feel good about your God, He loves you, and never would say ask you to do anything you don’t want to do.  And excuse me while I puke, for this is not the way God wants it, planned it, or ordains it.  When you come to Christ, you change, God doesn’t.  You realize you are a sinner, and need Jesus.  You may seek prayer, ask questions, and be invited back.  You are asked to pick up your cross, and follow Jesus.  And when you do, your testimony, and your witness help lead others to Christ.  It isn’t the tracts, the street witnessing, or the church attendance that does it, the Holy Spirit has touched your heart, and you need answers, and Jesus is the answer.  No pressure, although it is the most important decision you will ever make.  And all the things that turned you off about religion are not present with Jesus.  It is personal, you are dealing with a person, and they are there when needed.  To guide, to answer question, to encourage, and to pray.  To stand with you, maybe getting down in the dirt with you, under a car, or alongside the road when riding.  One to one, the way Jesus planned it, no buying process, or set way.  And it can happen anywhere, it doesn’t have to be in church.  When you come to Jesus, you find you are the church, the body of believers.  And you want to tell your friends about Jesus, but soon find out that the same way you came to Him, they must too.  By the spirit.  No amount of excitement or arguing will change them, only Jesus can change the heart.  Like He did yours.

Car buying has become a chore, don’t let your evangelism become one.  Be yourself in Christ, let your light shine.  People will notice, and then share how Jesus changed your life.  I still have a problem when someone comes up to me and because I don’t fit the church mold, starts to witness to me, telling me how I need Jesus.  Asking me if I have heard of Him, “yes, for many years now.”  And then pressing a tract in my hand, like a business card.  Some day I just might follow up and call, curiosity. Well meaning, just lousy execution.  Just be yourself in Christ.  We all need friends, and Jesus is our friend, what of that don’t you get?  Coming to Christ shouldn’t be like buying a car, no CSI scores in heaven, pass/fail.  Pass you’re there, fail you’re not.

As you go, share the gospel, and use words when needed.  Goodness and kindness are fruits of the spirit, not arguing or fighting.  When is the last time you listened to the words of someone lost, before launching into your preplanned gospel?  Show me love, that is what we all want.  Only found in Jesus.  Let the spirit guide you into all understanding, it is His job.  Today is the day of salvation, let it be yours, or be an encouragement to others.  No salesman will call, let the spirit do that.  He once called you....or has it been so long you forgot? 

love with compassion,

Mike

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