the all day song, retracing my roots

Christopher and I got just back from a 2000 mile, seven day ride, our turn around point being Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Great weather, lots of back roads with no traffic, and real Mexican food, just two guys on bikes seeing the country, as it should be.  But we had to change our plans and add another day to the trip, spending it in Albuquerque where the skies threatened.  But in our flexibility we were able to retrace my roots of when I lived there 40 years ago, and introduce Christopher to a part of my history he had heard but never seen.  Riding around we stopped at where Motorsport used to be, my first job in town selling motorcycles.  The building is still there, a cool design that UNM professors used to bring their students to tour.  Today, it sells horsepower for $20 a horse.  At least the windows claimed it.  Down further on Montgomery was our first apartment, now a medical center.  Later a trip to General Chennault NE and the house John bought for $22,000 in 1976, I was his roommate.  Once a proud neighborhood of flat roof New Mexico style homes, now old cars and trash.  How sad.  And just a few blocks from Route 66, if we had known back then.....A trip past PJ’s Triumph now closed, only a few months ago in June I had my chain adjusted there...

Stopped by Bobby J’s Yamaha, there since 1956, Dillon an old friend from PJ’s is now the parts manager.  He tells me they are the #1 seller in the US for side by sides and ATV’s, but bike sales have tanked.  Maybe that explains the name change, Powersports, as they sell boats too.  Two wheels just weren’t enough for some I guess.  A Suzuki, Yamaha, and Kawasaki store where they used to sell Mazdas, no more Key AMC/Jeep, my first entry into the car business, as now Lomas is one big car lot of dealers.  All non-descript.  No Art Janpol VW, where Tom aka YO YO sold me a Rabbit, and turned out to be a better friend than I knew back then.  But Blake’s Lot a Burger is still there, Mac’s Steak in the Rough, and Monroe’s, maybe some New Mexico landmarks still remain.  But gas was still cheap, even for major brands, you still get sopapillias at the better restaurants, and you cannot beat the sunsets.  Anywhere.  But while cruising north on Wyoming and trying to explain that where these neighborhoods stand we used to ride the sand and rocks, it dawned on me how much had really changed, and how much I had.  Back then I knew so little and thought I knew so much, now I know so much and find I know so little.  Albuquerque will always have a special place in my heart, it was there five years ago I was life flighted and had open heart surgery, another saga of New Mexico.  All the good times and tough times came back to me last week, and I wouldn’t change any of them for the world.  Like Joseph after all his trials were over and he was reunited with is brothers, I too can say “what the devil meant for evil, God meant for good.”

But lately I am confronted with Christians who are falling apart under pressure, small pressures.  It seems those who brag the loudest also complain the loudest, and are falling apart.  Jesus told us in this life there will be tribulation, we don’t welcome it, but through it see a side of him we would have otherwise missed.  From unemployment, to family problems, to health issues, to financial and emotional burdens, God will see us through them all.  If only we could see that in the during time of it instead of waiting until the end to look back after falling apart.  Maybe the chorus from John Fischer’s All Day Song should remind us, “love in the morning when you see the sun a rising, love him in the evening cause he took you through the day, and in the in between times when you feel the pressures growing, remember that he loves you and promises to stay with you.”  We will spend most of our life in those in between times, and just because God is quiet, doesn’t mean he is absent.  He is always listening and watching, if only we could remember that.  For as much as we talk about being a witness for Christ, when we fall apart in those in between times, we show where the spirit really is in our lives.  A true Christian is a person in who Jesus Christ dwells, and the evidence of him in our lives will show.  We face the same obstacles as the world does, but with Jesus we have become overcomers.  The battle may be tough, but when we remember the battle belongs to the Lord and let him have it, then we find victory in the midst of defeat.  Joy in the midst of sadness, and a true friend in the midst of loneliness.  By our fruits we will be known, and these things shall follow them that believe.  Read Galatians 5:22 for the list, I think you know the drill. 

Finally in retracing my roots that day, we went past 1800 Gold SE, where I rented the basement room from Lucy while going to UNM.  The house is old and unkempt, a far cry from when Lucy owned it.  But she is in her new home in heaven, she has no need for the physical any more, she has graduated.  To me an example of God in our lives, when she lived there the house glowed, and stood out, the glory of God shining through it and her.  But now she is gone, her spirit with her, and the house is just a building, empty without God.  If we drive past your house, what will we see?  Does God’s glory shine in  your life even in the bad times, or are you just a Christian in name only.  The promises of God are only theory until we put them into practice, until our faith is shaken and Jesus is the only way.  Retracing my roots showed me how far the Lord has brought me, but also how far I have yet to go.  And it took the in between time of a storm to reveal it to me.  For the next day the weather was perfect, what a difference a day makes.  So hang in there with Jesus in those in between times, the smell after the rain, and the beautiful sunset in the clouds were visible reminders of Jesus in our lives.  But it is the things that I cannot find words for, those infinite times where no finite words can describe, that are the most precious.  Found in the in between times, so we can thank him for taking us through the day.  Or ride.  More than words to a song, a reminder of life and who is life.  In our weakness his strength is made perfect.  And that’s all right with me.

If you can find it on Youtube, check out Still Life by John Fischer.  And see my roots in Jesus.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

 

 

Love Him in the morning when you see the sun a-rising 
Love Him in the evening 'cause He took you through the day 
And in the in-between-time when you feel the pressure coming 
Remember that He loves you and He promises to stay 

When you think you've got to worry 
'Cause it seems the thing to do 
Remember He ain't in a hurry 
He's always got time for you 

So... 
Love Him in the morning when you see the sun a-rising 
Love Him in the evening 'cause He took you through the day 
And in the in-between-time when you feel the pressure coming Remember that He loves you and He promises to stay

the Saturday morning meeting or That's Entertainment

Garlick’s Rent a Wreck stood in Durango for many years.  He would take the older cars, spruce them up a bit and rent them, at a sizable price difference than Hertz, Avis, and the other big boys.  While sitting waiting to be rented, they were also up for sale, just in case, Bruce was never one to miss a chance to make a buck.  But what he really was was a showman of sorts, and a Durango tradition, at least when we lived there.  My main contact with him was the once a month gathering at his lot, where he would take a car near death that could no longer be rented, or sold, and in a true PT Barnum display, had a mechanic climb under the car, drain all the oil out, start the engine, and place a brick on the accelerator, while those in attendance would make bets as to how long the engine would run before it seized up completely.  Quite a gathering would show up, even a roach coach sometimes, while betting on the time was conducted.  Not sure if it was legal, but it was a big thing, and hundreds of dollars changed hands.  The one morning I remember most was an old 1962-63 Chevy II had the oil drained, the engine started, and the bets made.  Waiting for the final bang before death, this old Chevy sat and sat, shook, smoked, but refused to die.  For almost 15 minutes the engine roared at redline or above, the sound deafening, but refusing to die.  As the bets continued, it ran on, and finally, with a bang, it gave up and died.  The crowd applauding, those who had the 15 minute mark grabbing all the cash, bragging on how they knew the Chevy engine wouldn’t die, and bragging on ones they had that were the same.  The show over, everyone went their way, some to work, some to breakfast, I went home.  Until the next month...

Now as weird as it may sound, there was a certain thrill in watching and waiting for the engine to die.  My experience with no oil had been a girlfriend who drove 40 miles in her father’s Oldsmobile with the oil light on, until it died in front of her home.  Her father not impressed by her excuse or the fact she didn’t stop.  So maybe that little Chevy engine wasn’t so unusual.  One time at Mercedes Benz a woman came in, her diesel banging louder then ever, her oil light on. Her “should I turn it off?” was met with a resounding “NO?” and a tech poured nine quarts of oil into an engine that held eight, it quieted down, she paid the bill and drove off.  We sing at church about keeping oil in our lamps to keep them burning, yet we fail to acknowledge the light that comes on just before death of an engine.  Might be a lesson in that, maybe that is why God has no warning lights, we would just ignore them anyway....

We all like to be entertained, from sports to movies to racing, it is all a spectator sport.  Just like Garlick used to blow up cars, we found we couldn’t look away, and were disappointed when the car finally gave up.  Over the years in many churches I have been part of, or gave an audience to so called entertainment, I call it such because it did keep your interest, but many times would distort the will for God for entertainment purposes, just to draw a crowd, or to gain attention to itself.  God does not draw attention to himself, but his spirit draws us to him, as no man made act can do.  For instance, one night I attended a faith healer with some friends, Brother Ivy, who would cast out demons, heal the sick, and tell the future, all in God’s name, and afterwards he was invited over for coffee to visit with us.  A short man, greasy hair slicked back, two tone shoes, and the traditional double knit suit, he was the center of attention at the home of my friend.  It seemed he still had some spunk left in him after his stage histrionics, his theatrical show now put on for a private audience.  After continued yelling, God isn’t deaf, so why yell at us, he had us stand in a circle and was going to give us the holy spirit.  As he pushed on the ones in the circle, they fell or sat, supposedly by the spirit, then he pushed me.  And I pushed him back, setting him on his but, looking up at me with great surprise.  I knew God’s touch, this wasn’t it, and he was revealed for what the was, a performer, using the name of God.  He may have believed what he was doing was Godly, but without a sound, he got up and left after I pushed back.  No words, no explanation, no healing power as he advertised.  He was exposed and left....

Jesus healed people in many ways.  One time it was mud in your eye, another just touching his robe.  One man had enough faith Jesus didn’t even go to his daughter, he healed her from a distance.  All without much showmanship, for he was all about giving glory to his father, he was just obeying orders.  But like the blind man was asked after receiving his sight, “I don’t know if he is good or bad, all I know was I was blind and now I can see.”  And the others who knew him saw the change in him.  It was all about Jesus, no screaming, no theatrics, no showmanship.  It was about the power of the holy spirit changing lives, not us.  But working through us, we get to see him in a way the others don’t.  It is the spirit who gives life, as when I had open heart surgery and my aorta exploded, afterwards my surgeon, not a Christian man, told me “it was evident God intervened.”  It was the spirit that gave life, so no man can take the credit.  Yet some still line up like we did at Garlick’s waiting for the end, waiting to be entertained, but missing out on the movement of the spirit in our lives.  We want the emotional trip, but the spirit goes deeper, where no words can explain.  For the things of God are infinite, unlike the finite life of an engine without oil.  So Jesus tells us to keep oil in our lamps, the oil representing his spirit, to keep us alive and ready.  To give us life, should our real life adventure not show up on the dipstick.  His oil is real, spiritual in nature, and needs to be checked, which is why we continually need to seek him.  If you are living based on emotions, your heart will deceive you, no pun intended in my case. 

Is church boring, your Bible reading not as exciting?  Do you need the feel to be entertained as many churches now have concerts, shows, and events to bring in the flock?  Feeling empty after a night out, you need Jesus.  Kings and kingdoms, sports teams, celebrities will all fade away.  Cars get old and worn out, so does our body.  But without the oil in the form of the holy spirit, we have no life.  While some speak of quantity, Jesus talks of quality.  We are only here for a short time, only God knows how long.  You may be the engine without oil, the brick on the gas pedal roaring at high speed, feeling pretty good, then one helicopter ride changes it all.  The spirit gives life, it doesn’t sell it, pedal or peddle it, or negotiate for it.  Jesus is the life, without him we are on borrowed time. 

Church may be just another Sunday morning, like the Saturdays at Garlick’s, and when the show was over, we all went our separate ways.  Make Jesus a 7 day event, don’t wait till Sunday for what you need and can have today.  Jesus is open now and waiting patiently for you, to fill your oil back, to give you his spirit.  Only he who is God can do the things of God, no man can substitute for your salvation.  Your healing.  Your success.  Without him it is just pedal to the metal until the light comes on and you seize up.  All in an instant...we are changed in the twinkling of an eye by Christ, we die in the same twinkling of an eye without him.  Only God will honor his warranty of eternal life in Jesus.

Like the ad says “pay me now or pay me later.”  Jesus paid it all for us years ago.  In that instant you are facing death and danger, you will go into your survival mode first, make yours Jesus now.  And when trouble strikes, you won’t be pushed around by showmanship, you will not be entertained for a morning.  The faithful showed up at Garlick’s on time, they knew what to expect.  Do you know what to expect from Jesus?  Just remember, he has an encore coming second to none, it is called resurrection, I have a seat for it, do you? 

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

the one eared used car salesman

Having met the man on several occasions, I can tell you that the part about the one ear is true, but will leave it at that.  Bruce had a used car lot, really selling used up or abused cars on Lomas NE in the 1970’s.  A big man, think of Grizzly Adams in a baseball hat, this is before they became popular and only truckers and Little Leaguers wore them.  Always in jeans and t-shirt, his hat pulled down low, you would never notice his right ear was missing, the hair and hat did its job, but then again, who goes looking for a missing ear.  His lot was just that, a lot that looked like the ones that sell Christmas trees in December, worn out gravel, potholes that would swallow a Toyota, and cars, lots of them.  Probably just as he bought them, dirty, used, and all for sale for a set price.  You didn’t negotiate with Bruce, you asked “how much?” he told you and he expected you to buy for cash only.  No credit here, money talked and credit walked.  It was then into his office, an old travel trailer from the fifties, tiny and paint faded, with “USED CARS” hand painted on it.  Think of Bruce a size 12 fitting into this size 10, NFL kickers do it as routine, Bruce did it because he could.  He used to brag that he made $300 per car sale, big money in 1977, and averaged 30 cars a month, maybe stretching the truth as he was the only employee, and often was out looking for other “pots” as he called his inventory to sell.  And that is where I met him...

I was selling AMC Ramblers and Jeeps.  He stopped by often with stories to tell, and to see what we had to sell.  When no one else wanted it, Bruce would buy it for his price, he was the same whether buying or selling, and known by all the dealers.  And as the new guy, got to hear his story about his missing ear.  Not sure how, but he claimed it got cut off when his head got slammed on by a car door.  Scooping up the ear, he rushed to the hospital where they sewed up his head where it once was, and then placed his ear in his stomach area, a scar he showed with pride, to store the ear until he had time to get it sewn back on.  How many times he had told the story, and lifted his shirt to show the scar is unknown, I saw it numerous times, along with the story.  But never saw the ear, only where it had been.  We all just assumed it was sewn up inside Bruce for safekeeping, only he knew for sure, the stuff legends and lore are made of. 

Every time I go by a used car lot, I think of him.The string of lights, some burnt out advertising USED CARS, that little trailer where so many deals were transacted, but really I think of Bruce, no make that his ear.  Not seen, but heard of.  Like faith, the substance of things not seen but believed, many of us know the story of Bruce and his ear and readily accept it as truth, while some may cast a doubtful eye, even after seeing the scar.  But how many want to believe a story, but have trouble with the gospel?  From the Bible cannot be taken as truth, to just a history book, a pretty reliable one, to Jesus was just a teacher and prophet, many choose to believe a lie rather than fact.  Bruce’s scar led many to believe his story, but how many are like Thomas, who didn’t doubt, as religion has painted him, but wanted proof before he trusted?  Thomas wanted to see the nail prints in his hand, he knew the hands of Jesus, and would recognize them, and wanted to see the scars on his side, maybe even touch them.  Sound like many today?  Who believe Jesus is dead, but Elvis is alive in Vegas.  But Thomas never touched Jesus for proof, he knew his voice, recognized his hands, and fell to his knees, he didn’t doubt, he wanted proof, and the spirit gave it to him.  Just like he does to each one of us who accept him.  Jesus knew just what it would take to change us and he still does, from Thomas the non-doubter to the skeptics of today.  The proof of a living and infinite God, the spirit is not hidden, but available, and is more than a Bible story.  Maybe step back in the story helps....

Jesus had been crucified, the disciples scared for their lives.  Where was his body?  Had it been stolen?  So they huddled together upstairs hiding, when Jesus appeared, walking through the wall.  All but Thomas, but we never know where Thomas was.  Perhaps by his character, he was out looking, he wanted proof, he wasn’t afraid as were the others, and when told about Jesus and his appearance, he wanted to see and touch him like the others did.  But they only saw, they didn’t touch, and neither did he, as Jesus was not resurrected yet.  It took faith, supported by works, and God provided both.  And he still does via his spirit.  I choose to be sided with Thomas anytime vs. the misleading story told in church.  I rather know Jesus is alive and willing to prove it, not hiding himself from me, but making himself available 24/7.  He left his spirit, remember he will never leave nor forsake us.  It is us who have left him and believed church tradition rather than trusting the scripture.  Which comes alive in the spirit, revealing the mysteries of Jesus to us.  Need help with your unbelief, seek Jesus.  Need a used up car, seek Bruce.  Have a used up life, call on Jesus.  Who when Paul refers to us as pots for the light of Christ to shine through, means you and I. All we need is that new owner to make us new again.  All we need is Jesus.

I don’t know where Bruce and Jesus were in a relationship, but when scripture says “to him who has an ear let him hear,” I think of the ear buried inside Bruce.  How many of us denied Jesus until the spirit intervened, and we had both ears?  How about the deaf, how do they hear?  By his spirit we are saved.  Somewhere out there in the string of used car lots, there are many pots looking for new homes.  Used up people that no one wants, but are for sale to the highest bidder.  Jesus won that bid 2000 years ago, and Thomas accepted it.  So did 11 of the 12, the one who rejected him went out and hung himself.  What did they know that Judas didn’t?  A who rather than a what.  Do you have the ear to hear?  The spirit is calling, and unless you say yes you are saying no.  Thomas wanted proof like the others had, and Jesus provided it.  He will for you too.  Having known Jesus for two score and two years, I can tell you he is real and alive.  His light never went out, and he appeals to doubters today.  Both Bruce and Jesus had a hole in their side where the truth can be found.  Who you gonna believe?  He who has an ear let him hear, in God we trust, all others pay cash.  Just like on Bruce’s lot....

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

like minded men

An old girlfriend, not really old, but a long time ago old, gave me a postcard that read “quit bragging about what a great lover you are, show me!”  Unsaved at the time, that was quite an invitation, but I hung onto it, and later after meeting Jesus, it took on a new meaning.  We are told to be doers not just sayers of the word, to put feet to our actions, to show the love of Christ through our lives.  I took it very serious, and when driven by the holy spirit, I got to see a side of Jesus I hadn’t through just reading and studying.  But being a doer can also isolate you, as I was to find out.....

I was at our Thursday evening Bible study, with a group of “like minded men,” or so they advertised.  I had known many of them for years, and this group of 15-20 was steeped in the word, and tradition.  I was always wary of those who depend on tradition instead of their own experience, and often times got into trouble asking questions, and questioning the teaching.  It was evident that whatever the pastor said was gospel, I had been raised in Christ differently.  Which I later found was not just germane to this church.  We were varied in our social group, from rich to poor, but we all called ourselves Christians.  Some men were even considered to be “on fire for the Lord,” never quite knew what meant, or “good strong men in the word.”  With one who was constantly correcting others with his 10 pound Greek to English dictionary.  Among ourselves we were prideful, and like the ad in the bulletin said, “like minded men.”  And then one night, something happened...

A new guy stumbled in, literally, who had been living in his car.  Recently out of jail, he looked disheveled, hungry, and exhausted.  We fed him all the cookies and juice we had, and he sat in with us, telling us how he was a Christian, but had fallen away.  The leader led us in prayer for him, that God would change him and help him, then he had a request.  He needed a place to sleep, at least for the night and to shower, maybe a meal, could anyone help?  And like good, like minded men, they all got silent.  An eerie uncomfortable silence.  So I spoke up, “he’s going home with me.”  Seems I wasn’t so like minded, thankfully not like hearted as the others.  I got a chance to show what a great lover Christ is, not just talk about it.  After taking him home, and introducing him to Theresa, I could not get hold of her, so this was a surprise, he stayed with us a few nights, sleeping 14 straight hours after eating a meal and showering.  Looking back I saw Jesus, they just saw a man down on his luck, a homeless guy who invaded their meeting.  I saw the least of them, not the man I took home, but the like minded ones that called themselves Christian.  I left that church after that, and still get their emails for like minded men to get together, just so you are like them.  Now I know better, sadly they do too.

How many claim to know Jesus but leave him at the front door?  Claim or brag to be like minded in a church so they fit in, meeting the standards set by the church, but falling short of Jesus?  Did you ever consider the fact Jesus knew and befriended both the rich and poor, and all in between?  He wasn’t poor, but humbled himself, never owning property, having no place to lie his head, had to borrow clothes, and even was laid in a borrowed tomb?  How would he fit into your fellowship today?  But yet he gave up all the riches in heaven for us.  Consider this, that after a prayer and Bible study one day, when the disciples all left to return to their homes, he retreated to the Mount of Olives, for he had no home to go to.  We often refer to what he said in the Olivet Discourse, but do we remember where he retreated to after?  Maybe these like hearted men of 2000 years ago were no different than today.  With one exception, we have the holy spirit to guide, they didn’t yet.  But when they did, what a difference it would make!

Jesus told us the poor would always be with us, we see homelessness and those in jail, Jesus saw those who without him the poor.  Poor in spirit , he called them.  Have a good FICO score but no Jesus?  You are mentioned in the Bible.   Agree with the men and pastors of the church, but have no time for those in need?  You are really blind to your biggest need, the love of Christ.  We are saved individually, we are also judged individually by God.  Falling back on the excuse of being like minded will not cut it on judgment day. When Jesus asked “when did you see me,” what will your answer be?  Are you so busy looking forward to him you are not seeing him now?  His answer is simple, and just for us.  “Whenever you see someone in need, you see me.  And whoever does for the least of them, does for unto me.”  For me it was one night providing food and shelter to a stranger.  Breaking away from the religion of like mindedness, and stepping out with the spirit.  He became poor so we could become rich.  What do you withhold from him?  A pastor may mention your tithes, does God need your money or does the church?  What are you withholding from God while being like minded?  Are you content to be part of the group, or walk with Jesus?  That night when the collection plate came around, I put in part of myself instead of money.  You judge who got the biggest reward for their giving.  What are you withholding from God today?  In him we have all we need, sometimes he needs us to be the messenger or vessel.  Are you like minded with men or Jesus?  Your words may say one thing, your actions another.  It is a terrible thing to live without the Lord.  There may be security in meeting with like minded men, I rather place my trust in Jesus.  If that makes me an outsider, I take it as a compliment.  I prefer to be one in the spirit, can I find anyone who will agree with me?

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com