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 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