on the road, again

Most of our rides are not memorable enough to remember.  Between commuting, putting around the block revving your engine, and weekly rides burning half a tank of gas, most rides never evolve into a trip, and many stop just short of adventure.  For some it is all about the lifestyle, motorcycles are just an added bonus, some ride to eat, or eat to ride, and a popular patch says we ride to live and live to ride.  We each are as individual as our black Harleys until we throw a leg over the seat and head out of the driveway.  Then the adventure begins, and for me and mine nothing is better than weeks on the road, crossing state lines and time zones, and riding places we have never been before.  I love meeting new people who ask “ride much?” and they don’t get it when we say we ride 200 miles for lunch sometimes.  Or that we really rode our motorcycle to Maine, via Florida, Michigan, and Colorado from California.  Some try to categorize us as riders, but we just ride.  And because we ride we meet people, ride roads, and see sights many miss.  Some days we have ridden only 200 miles taking in the beauty, some days over 900 trying to escape it.  But each day starts with a promise from the road, to make the day interesting and exciting, to use all five senses, and to make memories that may not show up for years.  We don’t do staycations, we vacate, and because we look ahead, we are able to look back and see where we have been, and how far we have gone, while building excitement for the next ride.  If you don’t ride, you may not get what I just said, but if you do, take a break and go for a ride.

The three basic elements of riding are the motorcycle, the roads, and the people you meet along the way.  Things are different on a motorcycle, you feel the cold, smell the orange blossoms, and watch the skies for a personal weather report.  That sub 50 degree morning can turn into a 90 degree afternoon, in a car it is always the same.  And each motorcycle can bring out parts of the road you missed before, some bikes begging you to ride faster, while others beg you to slow down or stop.  Making time should not be confused with having a good time, and to those speed challenged I say, I don’t ride too fast, you ride too slow.  Which is why we ride alone, setting our own pace.  Sometimes that old drive in is a must stop for some soft serve....while other times you must get to your dinner destination before it closes.  So many trips planned around meals, without consulting a map.

But the choice of roads also makes a difference, you can take less than a minute to cross the New River on the New River Bridge, or spend an hour twisting down into the canyon and cross the old one.  You can take the shortest way via freeways, or just follow roads to where they take you, being smart enough to get gas along the way, because who knows where next gas may be.  There have been times I have followed the snow plow over mountain passes, other times ridden the same pass complaining about the heat.  Many great rides began with a destination, but now we choose a direction instead.  While some roads are worth following, others must be avoided.  The best map you may ever carry is your imagination and your desire to pioneer new rides.  But the one thing that brings the road and the bike together, and cannot be dispensed with are the people you meet along the way.  From a restaurant manager in Texas comping our meals, then offering to take off the next day and show us the Hill Country roads, to having my picture taken with three generation of Skeeter’s, a family owned hot dog business in Virginia, some have conversations, some are acknowledged by only a friendly nod, while others are a wave and a smile.  How may would stop to talk with a man named Jeremiah, riding his horse cross country with an Iowa plate on it, at 9000’ in Colorado?  Or spend an hour sitting in the office with the president of the Canadian Harley Davidson importer while waiting for the rain to stop?  No words can express the meeting of a little boy in a wheelchair, and who now is a grown up a young man, and a good friend?  Words go beyond the friendship of an ex-Marine truck driver from Oklahoma who told Theresa “he has my back” on our last Torches ride?  Some relationships are formed on the road, some by it, and some along it, mention Git-n-Split and a nothing stop for a Coke brings a smile to our faces.  So it is more than the motorcycles, more than the food, more than the destination, and more than the people, it takes all three to make the ride....all tied together by the road you are on.

On my last trip I realized there are those that like to look at pictures, some who like to take them, and some who like to be in them.  A walk with Christ is the same way, some learn but never leave the building, some like to hear the testimonies but will never get out and make one, and some just cannot sit still, the spirit calls and a restlessness for the things of God encourages them and empowers them to get out and enjoy life on the road.  Consider the following and see if you can find the common thread....where was Jesus born?  Where did Phillip meet the eunuch?  Where did he feed the 5000?  Where did he meet the woman caught in adultery?  Where did he meet Andrew, Matthew, and the other disciples?  How did he enter Jerusalem?  Where was he crucified?  And where was his tomb?  And finally where did he meet the two men who later recognized him after walking with him?  ON THE ROAD!  Jesus was out on the road, among the people, not sitting waiting, he was out doing it.  Imagine how history would be different if his evangelical calling was just inviting people to church, rather than sharing the gospel?  If his parents hadn’t honored the census being taken?  Think of all the lives touched by being on the road, and ask yourself, is this maybe an example we have missed?  Is church all there is to Jesus?  Is there more than just studying, memorizing, and learning?  Can we be missing out on the blessings and the calling he gave us to as we go, spread the gospel?  What good are all the above things if you never apply them?  I am not knocking education, but has it become a burden in your application?  If you asked “what would Jesus do?” don’t you know him well enough to know?  Maybe a lunch in Hillsborough, Wisconsin says a lot.  We are eating a late breakfast, when an older non-riding couple came in.  We exchanged pleasantries, then found out he was a pastor, a fill in at his local church.  Going on 36 years, they never hired him, and he found where God wanted him to be.  But it was outside the church at lunch he shared the story, and we were blessed by it.  Again, while on the road...

So if the seat of your pants is wearing out faster than the soles of  your shoes, maybe you need to reverse the wear pattern, to get out and apply Jesus to your life.  Meet people while making testimonies, eat at Mom’s, stop for someone on the side of the road.  Be encouraged by Jesus in their lives, and find like Jesus showed us, life is on the road, so get out and live!  Expand your Christian experience beyond your Christian education, the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak.  You can either visit someone in the hospital, or end up with them coming to see you.  Life is worth the living just because Jesus lives, and he wants you to get out and live too.  A rut is just a grave with the ends open, offering an escape route.  That 10 minute conversation at a rest stop or while getting gas may be your time to share or be shared with, don’t miss out.  Jesus promises us an endless supply of 35mm film to write our lives on, to live abundantly.  To ride abundantly.  Maybe even to spend a night sleeping in a mauseleum....but that’s another story, of being on the road, with Jesus.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

 

a cure for stupid

Working in automotive for years, I saw my fair share of warranty items, on factory defects, parts that failed, and poor assembly.  But among the list of defects, stupid was not listed among them.  Just as it was believed there is no cure for stupid, there may be a secret remedy, that allows the consumer to further his mission in life.  And to place the blame on someone else.  This miracle cure is found in California, under the Lemon Law, and here are a few examples I know of first hand.  The wound may heal, but the scar remains.  All three cases are based on motorcycles less than two years old and still under full factory warranty.

Lesson 1 had about 10,000 miles on it and showed customer care.  But his complaint was the engine died sometimes under full throttle.  After being in the shop for the required 30 days during the warranty period, he requested a new bike to replace his defective one.  He liked the bike, just thought it to be a lemon.  I had tested the bike for 500 miles, and could duplicate the problem easily, it wasn’t a defect, but the traction control kicking in.  The bike was doing what it was told to do, momentarily disabling power to the rear wheel when it sensed slippage, and a simple disabling by using the prompts on the dash could have solved it.  Sadly his new bike will do the same thing....why couldn’t the service department have advised him of this?  Confirmed by National Service Manager for the brand...

Lesson 2 was the same style bike, that had been ridden hard and had over 24,000 miles on it.  The complaint was of an oil leak that could not be fixed.  Again I was able to confirm it, and when checked by the factory, a sealing ring was missing from the drain plug.  I had stopped by the local dealer who knew the bike, and said the old owner did all his own maintenance, and knew what he was doing.  The only thing he had done was abuse the bike, it was the definition of ridden hard and put away wet, been careless in his maintenance, and got use of a free ride for 24,000 miles, then his money back.  I put 1500 more miles on it, never a drop of oil leaked, in fact I was offered a deal to buy it and considered it, but it would have been bike number 5, and we are slimming down, the number of bikes at least.  And by the way, again confirmed by the factory.

Lesson 3 is on a brand new, current year bike, with only 100 miles on it.  It seems the customer overbought, and the boss, his wife was against it.  Cost too much, too much bike, not her OK, but whatever the reason, the bike had to go.  So he consistently complained the tire pressure monitors showed low pressures, then would change after riding.  He was afraid to ride the bike, a safety concern, and so it sat for a few months at the dealer until his 30 days were up, and it was bought back.  He was rid of the bike, his wife happy, at least for the moment, and he had possibly scammed the factory.  Truth is TPM’s read static pressures, which will change as you ride, same as in your car.  It wasn’t a product failure, but a successful unloading of a bike not wanted, with some assistance from his dealer.  Any sales force and service tech knows this, it is even in the owners manual.  Again after 500 miles it showed no problems except for working normal, all tires stayed within recommended pressures, and the bike was returned, and so was is cash.  It seems there is a cure for stupid, and when it occurs, it makes it that much harder to believe the next guy with a real concern.  I blame the owners for not taking the time to check out their purchase before they make it, the dealer for not being informed or informing the customer, and the service department for missing the obvious problems.  I just ride them, I don’t fix them, perhaps justice really is blind, but in California, in these three cases, there was a cure for stupid.

Now there is nothing like riding a new bike out of the dealership, a thrill and exciting as you get to know it and put on the miles.  But many a promise or schedule has to be followed, how to break it in, when to service it, and how to maintain it.  Yet many neglect to listen, then neglect to follow, and blame someone else.  Stupid hurts, a self inflicted wound, and soon bitterness, then hatred, then disbelief set in, and you miss out on the ride you were looking forward to.  Even worse is having to wait, for you aren’t riding while waiting, and that is where you want to be.  WIP?WOP, work in process/waiting on parts.  Prayer is like that too, we love when God says yes immediately, “isn’t God great?” we say.  We get upset when he says “no,” but I have learned that a better yes is coming.  But when he says wait, we get upset.  Why?  How long?  Didn’t he hear my prayers?  And some quit praying, because the genie in the lamp they thought God to be wasn’t.  And they return to their old ways, blaming God.

Why pray if you don’t want an answer?  And what if God doesn’t answer immediately, is he not listening?  When God promised Abraham and Sarah children they were past child bearing years.  Almost 90, maybe only Malcolm Smith born to an 83 year old father could relate to when Isaac was born.  But what of A&S’s waiting?  They had heard the promise, knew it was of God, from God, why wasn’t she pregnant yet?  Interestingly enough Abraham believed the promise, for 25 years until Isaac arrived.  He didn’t disbelieve because of an instant fatherhood bestowed upon him, he knew God, trusted God, and had faith in God to fulfill his promise.  He believed God to be honest and trustworthy, and true to his character.  Not Abraham’s, but God’s own character.  He was part of the promise God made, which would extend to Jesus, and stood fast that he would fulfill it.  The basis of his faith was he trusted God to be who God said he was, and wasn’t looking for a way out of the promise.  He knew when the time was right, God would answer.  Do we pray the same way?  Do we listen for God’s answer, and try to negotiate it when we don’t like it?  Have you given up on Jesus, because he didn’t respond as you wanted?  We live in a world where seeing is believing, despite the words of I heard it Through the Grapevine telling us to “believe half of what you see, and none of what you hear.”They need proof and need it now...their way or the highway.  Which may explain the traffic jams of today.

To have a relationship with God it takes faith, for without it, it is impossible to please God.  But soon that grows to obedience, as we get closer to him, and want to be like him.  But when we trust, just because he is God, and are led by his spirit, we see the things of God on his timetable.  And get to enjoy the trip along the way.  So why believe in prayer?  Because Jesus said it is the secret of life, a conversation with God in heaven.  And he encourages us to listen, he didn’t say “he who has a mouth let him speak,” but did say “he who has an ear let him hear?”  Do you listen after praying?  Why ask if you don’t want an answer?  And when in the spirit, the answer can be wait, and you go on with life.  The proof of prayer does not come from me, that is only a demonstration of what I believe, it comes from God.  Believing is seeing....and so the whole burden of truth rests on Jesus, either he is who he said he is, and is trustworthy, or he is just a fraud, misleading us.  When it is us who are not having the faith to believe, for he knows who he is, and his character proves it.

So maybe there is a cure for stupid when it comes to warranties.  You can fool the state, fool the factory, but your true problem will show up eventually.  Your sin will find you out, and you will be exposed.  But God has provided a cure for it spiritually, called repentance, followed by forgiveness.  As if it never happened...so while you may think you can fool people, a fool is born every minute, the time of your birth may confirm you in the club.  Jesus is ready to forgive all, by a simple stepping out in faith, by praying to him, and listening for his answer.  In each case above the buy back could have, and to me should have been avoided.  Read your owner’s manual, ask the service manager.  But ask.  Doing your own thing, your own maintenance, like a doctor lawyer, it is a fool who has himself as his client.  It is not the court’s fault you disobeyed and did it wrong.  And finally, be sure in your decisions.  What a lousy marriage your wife tells you what to do, or ride.  If it was only motorcycles, but when it extends to all things, you both have a problem.  So ask God, listen to what he says, follow the spirit, and enjoy the ride.  I never met any of the owners, but already have a dim view of them.  Would you trust their judgment based on their performance?  Would you fly an airplane with them piloting?  Yet many do, having more faith than they do in God.

Simply put, the cure for stupid is salvation.  It is found in the person of Jesus Christ.  Just a little faith can keep you riding and out of the shop.  His love surpasses any laws, even Lemon Laws.  His forgiveness everlasting.  Abraham believed because he knew and trusted God.  If your basis of trust is not of God, there is a Lemon Law just waiting in your life to happen when you die.  Jesus Christ is not on trial, we are.  He has given us the answers....do you believe?  Do you trust?  Stupid hurts.....only Jesus saves.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

the presence of presents, the gift of giving

Christmas was and still is a very important and fun time for our family.  A time of love, of gathering, of giving, and the joy of it.  My Grandparents, in particular my Grandmother loved Christmas time, and seeing the kids enjoy it.  Being a teacher, she knew most of the kids and their families in the small town in Pennsylvania she lived in, and knew who had and who hadn’t for gifts.  What we didn’t know until after she died, was quietly and anonymously she had been Santa to many kids in the neighborhood for years, providing money for their parents to enjoy both buying gifts for their kids, and then seeing the joy of them opening them.  My father took it over for awhile, but being some distance away, it was discontinued.  But the tradition that she had started, has been carried on by him, and now my mother since his death.  For they made sure we had money for Christmas gifts over the years, in times when we had plenty, and times of barely getting by, we had money for Christmas, not for paying bills, but for paying cash for Christmas gifts, for our family, to see the joy of our kids opening gifts.  They had remembered how they had made it through the tough times with Grandma’s help, and carried it on to their kids.  And we do today, as we honor their legacy, trying to provide for others at Christmas time, so that they can have toys under the tree, and have something to wake up to on Christmas morning.  We may struggle the other days of the year, but Christmas is and always has been singled out as a day of giving in our family.  A day when the presence of presents under a tree reminds us of how much joy is found in giving, and because of a tradition, we have are still a part of it.

Over the years we have been able to give to friends, and others anonymously, but get to see the joy or hear how surprised they were by the gifts.  If only they knew how blessed we were in giving, and when we do hear, leave them with an encouragement to do it for others.  We love to receive, but nothing beats the joy of someone you love opening a gift and being surprised and blessed.  For 62 years of my life it has always been that way, a special gift from God, and although to some it may seem we’re spoiled, we are very appreciative, for we know the sacrifices that have been made so we can have.  And without fail, we spend all the money on gifts for others, not on bills, or on needs, but gifts, because we have been shown the joy of giving, and selfishly sometimes want to enjoy that joy seeing others get. 

But as special as Christmas and Christmas time is, we have to live the rest of the year, and have learned to give then too.  A gift for your birthday is expected, but a special just thinking of you gift is more special.  While some concentrate on the price, or set an amount, we find the thoughtfulness far outweighs any price paid,  for in setting a price, we see it as “that’s all I have to spend?”  And when we legislate giving, it isn’t giving any more, and the joy is robbed of both getting and giving.  Sometimes it’s the for only a few dollars more I could have or the what if I don’t spend the total amount, will they feel cheated?  It is when the elements of giving become more important than the giving itself, when the gift is the prize and not the joy of giving, we miss out.  If you are a giver, you know what I mean, if not, you don’t know what you are missing.

My prayer is I want all the blessings from God I can get.  Not selfishly, but God loves to give, to bless his children.  And when the blessings flow, we return love more to him, not as in it being bought, but we get to snuggle up to him and he gets to see our joy. Years ago when out of work, and being led to go into ministry, I sat on my porch, I missed work, I liked working, had a good work ethic, and needed the money.  So I asked God what do I do, and he reminded me of how he took care of me, and not to ask or beg.  His words still echo, “if you ask for it, it is not a gift, and I like to give good gifts.”  Make that great gifts.  Gifts from the heart, many times without price, for the real value is found in the love giving them. 

Today we are faced with Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and daily sales until Christmas, and then after.  But we forget about Jesus, the ultimate gift that God gave us.  We forget if we could ever imagine the cost, and how much love it took for Jesus to die for us.  We get involved in trees, shopping, lights, and the things of Christmas, but forget that Christmas means the day of Christ, the day of his birth.  And that when we are saved, we celebrate Christmas every day.  When faced with nothing but ourselves to give, that is the example of the ultimate gift that God shared with us, the gift of Jesus.  A gift that keeps on giving, and he encourages us to give ourselves to him.  The creator does not need his creations returned to him, but he wants us made in his image to give to others.  Long after the holiday season is over, and the bills arrive, and life again sets in, the gift of Jesus Christ is still giving, and we can too.  Give of yourself, love when all else fails.  When the poor man asked for healing, Peter told him “silver and gold have I not, but in the name of Jesus Christ rise up and walk!”  And he did, the joy of giving and getting, through Jesus.  We all want something for Christmas, but few want the someone of Christmas.  Today God is willing to give, will you add to his joy by coming to him?  The angels of God rejoice when one is saved, they in no way can compare with the joy God has when we turn to him, and see Jesus as our savior.  Wise men still seek him....and he still seeks you.

Maybe Pete Maravich, Pistol Pete said it best.  A Hall of Fame basketball player, one who had it all but felt empty without Christ, but when he knew Jesus personally, it all changed.  He said “money will buy a fine dog, but only love will make it wag its tail.”  The joy of giving, expressed in man’s best friend.  Share some of that love today, in life the tail wags the dog too often, in Jesus we get to wag the tail.  It takes love, and what better gift to give this Christmas than the gift of love.  Share it today, start a tradition, see lives changed, including yours.  For God so loved the world, he gave his only son....found via gifts under our tree again this year, the joy of giving, from a loving God.  May the joys of your Christmas include Jesus again this year, for it is in giving that we truly receive.  The presence of presents under the tree, may we find your dog’s tail wagging when opened.  And why he wags his when he sees you.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

confused about Christmas, you're not alone

Christmas is very simply the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the son of God, and savior of the human race.  Simple, but over the centuries, much has been added or subtracted to it.  Did you know that this year will be the 1680th time Christmas is celebrated, the first time in 336AD, on December 25th, in Rome?  Some 300 years after his crucifixion?  That’s a lot of cards and presents bought and given over the years.  But it hasn’t always been so, as scripturally the Bible tells us the day of one’s death is more important than the day of one’s birth, so no birthdays were celebrated until then.  More importance was given to the day of being baptized, and it took many courses after that.  Some factual, some based on individual belief, and some just traditional.  Everything starts somewhere...

But in the colonies, before we declared our independence, Christmas or its recognition was considered blasphemy by the church, the Puritans in England had banned it, and until Charles II by popular demand reinstated it.  But the early Christians in 1620 followed the Puritans even more rigidly, being outlawed in Boston, a fine of five shillings, but encouraged in Jamestown, where all were encouraged to participate.  But as we won our independence, English traditions fell out of favor, and on December 25, 1789, the first Christmas under the new Constitution, Congress was in session.  It wasn’t until a law was passed recognizing December 25th as a national holiday, passed on June 26th, 1870, after the Civil War.  But here are some historical landmarks based on Christmas in the US of A....

In the 1600’s the Puritans made it illegal to celebrate in any way, no candles, gifts, or singing.  BAH, HUMBUG!  Dutch immigrants meanwhile brought with them the story of Sinter Klaas, and in 1773 he first appeared in the media as St. A. Claus.  Then in 1804 the New York Historical Society named St. Nicolas as its patron saint, and instituted the tradition of giving gifts from the Dutch.  In 1809, Washington Irving, he of the Headless Horseman fame, wrote of Nicolas riding a horse into town and later refined it to flying over trees in a wagon.  Under the pseudonym of Diedrich Knickerbocker.  Reindeer were to first appear in 1821 in a William Gilley poem, Santeclaus, but with only one reindeer. 

In 1822 things were top change, as a dentist Clement Clarke Moore wrote what was to become The Night Before Christmas, with eight reindeer pulling a miniature sleigh.  Twenty years passed until a Philadelphia merchant dressed a man up in a Criscringle outfit and had him climb the chimney outside his store.  Then another 20 years later, Thomas Nast created the image of Santa that lasted almost until the 1900’s.  President Lincoln had asked him to draw one, and it so demoralized the Confederates thinking Santa had found favor with the North.  Talk about psychological warfare...

Then in 1897, the editor of the New York Sun wrote an editorial, “Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus,” in response to a letter written by an 8 year old girl.  And into the 1900’s, where Santa was portrayed as a jolly fat fellow in a red suit with a beard.  But that all changed, as in 1931 Coca Cola commissioned Haddon Sundblom to draw a Santa for their Christmas ads, and became the one we know and recognize today, a popular form of Santa until 1964.  Coca Cola still holds the trademark for Santa to this day....and also out the Depression comes the music we know and love about him. 

In 1939 a copywriter for Montgomery Wards came up with a ninth reindeer, Rudolph, and we know the story of Rudolph, because of the song Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, the second most popular song of all time, recorded by Gene Autry, White Christmas being the first.  Even copies of the poem were given to customers, who can’t sing the song without feeling good?  There is a bit of Rudolph in all of us.

Which brings us to today, where Jesus and even Santa have passed from the Christmas holiday.  In 1997 a rebel artist drew a picture of Santa on the cross, proclaiming his importance over Jesus, it was critically banned, but how true is it?  Is Santa more important in your heart than Jesus?  Stop and think about your actions and attitudes....

But maybe a clue or hint about December 25th being celebrated as Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ can be found in Jewish tradition.  We know Joseph and Mary were heading to Jerusalem for a census, history tells us around Yom Kippur, in September, when he was born in Bethlehem.  History bears the facts out.  But the Jews believe life begins at conception, go back about nine months from then, and you are in September, the time of their trip.  Maybe, just maybe....but the most important thing is not when, but that he was born.  That he died on the cross bearing our sins, and was resurrected.  The first to be resurrected, and we shall be too if we believe.  The true message of Christmas, love, forgiveness, and hope.  A gift from God that keeps on giving...the scripture tells us wise men sought him,and today wise men still seek him.  Concentrate on the giver, not the gift.  Jesus, not the getting, but of his giving.  Don’t look at the elements, they confuse, look to their creator, and see Christmas in a whole new light, the light of the world.  Make the 1680th Christmas one to remember by keeping Christ in it.  Singing songs, giving gifts, and celebrating with friends and family.  Show love to the unlovely, for in doing so you are doing it unto Christ.  What better way to say Merry Christmas than to show his love as he did for you.  For Christmas, like the gospel it is based on is simple, and free...so enjoy it in Jesus.  And although it’s been said many times, many ways, Merry Christmas to you!

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com