My friend Peter is publisher, editor, secretary, janitor, and bath room
attendant for Wheels of Grace magazine, that my articles appear in sometimes.
It is a Christian based magazine, that has a definite Harley slant to it, as it
was started to minister to the biker community. But over the years, Triumph has
caught his attention, and when I offered him the first road test of the new
Bonneville Bobber, he went for it. I wrote words, but he needed a cover shot,
so hooked me up with Steve yesterday. And we met in Fallbrook, to show off the
Bobber in pictures. But after a few bucolic shots, we moved onto another
country scene, and I just didn’t feel right about the shots. They didn’t match
my words I had written, to what the bike was all about, and I thought back to
when I did the sound for Angelina Jolie in SALT. The sound guys had given me a
list of sounds they wanted, but were unfamiliar with motorcycles. When I asked
him for the script, I was able to supply him with the right sounds for the ride,
they flipped out over them, and great editing made the sounds match her ride.
You hear me, but see her.
So we talked, and I explained that Harley guys are into the look, Triumph
guys ride, and the first thing the new owners of Bobbers will do it ride them
hard, to see what they can do. And so we changed the venue, got some great
shots, reflecting the words in the article, and representing the bike for what
it is, a brutal beauty that loves to be driven aggressively, and is addictive.
If only we had shot movies, read the article in his next issue,
wheelsofgrace.com and let us know.
But still early in the day, I decided to ride home, ditch the jacket and
ride some more. Sitting at a light before getting on the freeway, I watched as
a small Toyota, one of those ugly box looking things, cut through traffic,
pulled in front of an F650 Ford with a cherry picker, and was hit. Clearly the
car’s fault. I had seen it coming, then saw it, heard it, then responded to
it. The man driving the truck called the CHP while I attended to the young
couple in the car, and controlled the traffic. Later that night when the truck
driver called to thank me, I mentioned “you must be important, as two Border
Patrol cars, four CHP cruisers, one CHP motor, and a helicopter responded.” He
then explained he was undercover with the sheriff’s department, and they were
about to do a bust, acting as construction workers. Hence all the attention.
And I was right in the middle of it all, with the Bobber. I think back, what a
great shot it would have made, the Bobber among the accident scene with all the
police vehicles, truly a bad boy statement. One picture would have been worth a
thousand words that morning, one ride was worth a thousand pictures in my
memory. All the planned shots would not have conveyed a better message than the
real life event I was in. Where were the SUV drivers with cell phones poised
when I needed them?
Some of us view our Christian walk as a movie, Jesus being the plot, with a
lot of action in it. Others are a collection of stills, with the focus on them,
but no sight of Jesus. If they made a movie of your life in Christ, would you
watch it? How long would it last, 10 minutes, two hours? Would it be an epic,
or a quick release on DVD and languish on a 99 cent shelf in Walmart? Would he
be the main character, and what would be the story line? We may not realize it,
but God is recording our life in a book in heaven, to be opened later. A
personal account of our lives in Jesus Christ, and that can be scary. But first
know, if you are in the book, you made it to heaven. But will it be a few
pages, or a series? How did your life on earth reflect Jesus? Scripture tells
us that if all the things Jesus did were written about, no library could hold
them. Would your testimony be among them? Would Hollywood be interested in the
story line, and if they did, would you watch it? Who would you want to play
you? Yet we live everyday creating a movie, a testimony of Jesus Christ in our
lives, with precious moments captured on film in our memories, but how do they
compare to what God sees? Does the sound of your ride match the scene? Do the
words match the pictures? Is Jesus even in the picture? Who is your life story
all about?
Yesterday I was offered to be in the photos, I declined. The article was
about the bike, not me. The Bobber’s testimony as seen and recorded by me. How
would we see your testimony? Like you do or science fiction? Is it all about
Jesus or all about the ride? Or is he the ride of your life?
Steve gets it now because I explained what the Bobber was all about. How
do you explain Jesus? Do you know all about his love for us, or is it just
words on a page in the Bible you memorize and repeat without the personal
relationship? In the spirit God’s words excite me and make me want more Jesus,
I hope the road test did the same for the Bobber. And I hope that if anyone has
questions about it they contact me, so they can get a glimpse of Jesus. And
how Christians ride and love him too. Yesterday two independent events allowed
me to ride the Bobber, but also show Jesus by my actions. Very few words
shared, I hope the actions showed more about Jesus than any words. To some it
was another accident, to God a preplanned event to show the love of Christ to
those who were not in church. Who were going about their daily life when
tragedy struck. And God used me to minister. Two scenarios, one staged, one as
it happened. That is life, and the life of a Christian. A life with Jesus,
where it is all about him, and we get to enjoy the ride. Read the Bible, the
book, don’t wait for the movie, you will not be disappointed. And you will find
any pictures will match the words, and so do the sounds. An all time best
seller....like its author the Lord. If only you could smell the burning
rubber...
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com