time not well spent

An old tech Bill worked for us at Mercedes Benz.  Retired but working to supplement his social security, we got talking about how fuel injection changed the world of autos.  Once thought to be a hocus pocus, he had actually attended school in 1957 with Chevrolet, and brought in his old lesson books to prove it.  A far cry from the computer controlled systems of today, the basic premise was the same, control the flow of air and fuel to the motor.  Mechanical in nature, not electric at the time, it was problematic, expensive, and a rare option.  Of course today any fuelie 1957 Chevy is worth more, back then just a mechanic’s headache.  Today you just plug it into a laptop and software guides how you want the power to go and where.  Maybe the hocus pocus part as we cannot see electric current, but feel it when we mess up.  OUCH!  Yet without the spark to ignite the fuel and air, nothing happens.  How many remember the auto shop teacher dropping a lit match into a bucket of gas and nothing happened?  No air, but when mixed with it, BOOM!  Do not try this at home.

Twenty years ago when involved in off road racing, Chevy was introducing fuel injection to the Trophy Truck race teams.  A group of race team owners and race preppers sat and watched as a man sitting miles away could change the engine mapping, adding power or fuel economy based on the setting. We were all amazed, and at first thought about the power, remember the one horsepower per cubic inch Chevy ad in 1957, but here it was for fuel economy.  Even a half a mile increase meant another 50 miles per tank and one less pit stop, the difference between winning and second place.  Today that technology is applied to all cars and most motorcycles, my 2017 Triumph T120 getting over 50 mpg consistently, and no one ever accused me of a light hand. Allowing the maker to use a smaller tank and still have the same mileage range. On the Speed and Street Triples using the track and sport modes, even more power and precision is noted.  All going on with just a twist of the wrist, and without being seen.  But technology and progress were met with some resistance....

It seems the old guys at the time didn’t like fuel injection.  Too complicated, they complained, as they would spend hours trying to dial in a carb, and never get it right.  Requiring rebuilding and track time to see if they got it, one click too much on a crew and it was more testing.  Yet fuel injection is pretty much set it and forget it.  Check the latest software, and off you go.  Tunable even for using regular fuel where you used to have to use 100+ octane.  And with more power!  Which translates to more speed...and you get the point.  But yet the old guys fiddle and complain while messing with a carb.  It seems the more things change the more things stay the same.  Technology like prosperity is a good thing, sometimes it just goes on too long. 

Many an older Christian may be the same way.  We fall back on our first teachings when saved, and many got religion when they needed Jesus.  The group I pastor is diverse, from Catholic, to JW, to Protestant, to Jewish.  But we all have one thing in common, Jesus Christ, so rather than bash a denomination, they do fine doing that themselves, we make it all about Jesus.  Keeping the main thing, him, the main thing.  Yet some issues will come up, so we go back to the Word for the truth, it never changes, it changes us.  Or it tries.  We leave it in God’s hands and he does a great job.  We have come together in a spirit of unity in Jesus Christ, not bonded by common belief, but by belief in him.  We let him be Lord, leaving it up to him, trying not to interfere.  But he is forgiving when we do, and we carry on, trying not to look back.  You see we cannot see the spirit of the Lord who guides us, but we know he is there.  More than a feeling, he is ever present, ever lasting, and loving.  Much like fuel injection, he gives us the power we need when we need it and in the right amount.  Meekness God calls it, power under control.  Yet some constantly are referring to their Bible study book of the week, looking for a better way to pray, minister, and live a Christian life.  It is all about them, and when confronted can quote scripture, but fail in believing it and living it.  The same ones quick to judge us, so maybe when we fall short of their theology, we need to remind them we won’t judge you if you quit twisting scripture for your own purposes.  A lesson for all.  And the spirit keeps on keeping on despite us.

If faith is the substance of things believed but not seen, trust comes from the seeing.  From God’s answers to our prayers, to his loving intervention when we need it.  He calls it love, and we need more of it.  But how do we get dialed in, God is not a computer or a how to book?  Not a software program with updates.  It takes us trusting the same spirit that told us we need Jesus to be with us everyday.  Who never sleeps or slumbers when we do.  Who doesn’t need to be tuned or adjusted. Just who we need when we twist the throttle, he is the truth, no opinions needed.  And like fuel injection, he works for Chevy as he does for Ford as he does for BMW.  It is left up to the nut behind the wheel to provide the desire via the throttle, the rest is up to him.  Which is why cars no longer need tune ups, that is what the computer does, just like the spirit does to us.  So many times we don’t realize it is happening, being in tune with Jesus. 

So quit fiddling with the old carb style religion, when  you can have all of Jesus.  Tune in today and be tuned up forever.  Spend time with him instead of with opinions.  You will find the time well spent with him is much better than the time not well spent without him.  We all have the same opportunity to be set free, only those who choose to walk in the spirit truly are.  The things which are seen are temporal, the things not seen eternal.  Jesus Christ, dialed in from the beginning.  May the Quadrajet religion remain in the past forever.  Or in words we all can understand, you could be riding. 

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

 

worth the price of no admission

In our area car shows are on the decline.  It seems to me that why should a collector pay to show off his pride and joy, no matter how the proceeds benefit someone, when they could just as easily write the check?  So cruise nights and drive in for coffee or whatever are abounding everywhere.  Where the owners and followers of their particular brand can meet and bench race for the price of a latte.  Hmmm...maybe it might be cheaper to pay the entry fee.  But while up at Monterey Car Week a few years back, I found myself within earshot and eye sight of many incredible cars, only to be far enough away to not see them properly.  I guess if I had a highly prized collectible, I’d keep me away too, but I found a new source of cars on display, with no entry fee, and where I could browse and look as much as I wanted.  Parked along the streets of Carmel, and in the parking lots, were so many collector and cool cars parked, why pay the fee to see trailer queens?  I saw cool cars being used as designed, being driven, some not perfect, some needing a bath, but driven, just like the cars we park in our garages or in the driveways.  Seen in real life just as we know them, not behind a barrier where only the elite can enjoy them.  So I now I cruise the parking lots, walk the streets beyond the shows, and see many interesting cars not invited, or not up to a standard to be displayed.  A free car show, where they can be seen in the harsh environment they and us are forced to live and drive in.  And many times, see more of life, and many memories resurrected when viewing them.

You don’t need to be high end like at Monterey either.  Or even at a car gathering event.  I have seen Ferrari’s driven by housewives in shopping center lots, trying to fit her purchases into the front seat.  Porsches with parking lot permits on the windows, or high school clubs.  How many Mercedes Benz did we have to clean out after service, or remove all the coffee cups or burger wrappers when doing interior work?  Range Rovers filled with hockey gear, and sports equipment, needing some tlc, not neglected, just used as designed.  Sometimes being able to see the cars in their real life environment makes them more real, and attainable.  Never been a fan of trailer queens, bikes are for riding, cars for driving.  Collectors withstanding.  There is a show out there worth the price of no admission.....

Years ago while working at a Mercedes Benz dealer in La Jolla, I parked my Bonneville on the street.  I was amazed at how many would just drop in and look me up, just to share a memory of the one they had.  From doctors to their wives, even with grandkids in tow, they all had a story to share, maybe that is why my street shows are so appealing, they take me back, and I marvel at the things remembered.  If only I had a dollar for all the times I heard, “it never ran right, leaked oil, couldn’t be driven at night, and would leave me stranded.  But I loved that bike, I wish I had never sold it.”  Sometimes the price of admission is paid in more than a wallet can hold.

Fame and fortune have a price many times too much to pay.  I had a friend who was a millionaire, and when we went out to eat lunch, he was always being hit on with great investments for him.  Everyone knew my Dad in Scotch Plains, and it was rare if we went out and someone didn’t come over and talk to him.  Flattering, but sometimes we just want to eat our burgers alone.  In peace.  I once ministered with a man who was always upset with me because I wasn’t a regular church goer, at least not enough in his eyes.  I write five times a week, teach and pastor on Tuesday, and whatever else comes long during the week.  I spent more time with just me and Jesus then he did, his life was all about the church and Jesus.  Mine Jesus, safe and content knowing we are the church.  So many times we feel we must get on a prayer chain, a group feed, or attend a Bible study and express our needs so they can be prayed for.  Neglecting Jesus, forgetting he is right with us.  Setting the example himself, that when tired, and overwhelmed by the needs of others, didn’t go into the sanctuary, but got away one on one with his Father.  Some seek a momentary respite from the pain of life, Jesus went to his father and dealt with the source of the problem.  I am not saying do not go to church, but that Jesus is always available, and the one on one times are the best.  No TV, no i-interrruptions, no one to gossip to or with, no faux face to put on.  Just you and Jesus.  Private and personal.  Yet we approach God many times as if he were that collector car and is off limits, perfect and unblemished, yet in Jesus we see where he bore the bruises, the beatings, and the pain for us.  Some only have a Christian education, what they need is a Christian experience.  They need Jesus, not religion, a specialist not a GP.  Yet so many surround themselves with the barrier tape of religion, never letting Jesus in, going down to the altar, but leaving unaltered.  Not God’s plan for redemption...resurrection, or restoration.

Jesus spent most of his ministry on the road.  Read your Bible, don’t study it, read about Jesus.  His life was on the road, from birth to death.  Where the miracles occurred, where the people were.  A building can only hold so many, and only a few can pay the price of admission.  So Jesus went out to them.  Am I making my point, or rather should I ask, which one?  Jesus is priceless, but he paid the price for us.

So after my Monterey parking lot experience, I left with many memories of the cars not on display, but that really were.  Heading down SR 25 south of Hollister, a great riding road and sports car road, between the sweeping curves, I saw one, then two, then counted seven Bugatti Veyrons, each one worth well over a million dollars and guaranteed to go over 250 mph.  And it hit me, these guys got it. They drove their cars, they experienced their cars, and enjoyed their cars.  As designed.  Maybe a little better off financially than most of us, but with the same attitude.  Ride them don’t hide them.  Making memories instead of listening to others.  Is your life in Christ so fulfilling, are you out living him, or a 90 minute a week commitment to go to church? 

We are the church, we are to be out among the world but not of it.  Jesus spent most of his ministry on the road, driven by the love of others.  What drives you is more important than what you drive.  Our lives are always on display.  What does yours say about Jesus?  Church attendance and that of car shows may be falling, but small groups, one on one with Jesus is growing.  The real church, us.  The real head of it, Jesus.  With no collection plate passed.  Where he is available to all 24/7.  Where we can show his love to others and minister in his name.  Maybe it should come as no surprise why my bikes have so many miles on them, they didn’t get them parked in a lot.  A lesson learned one afternoon in Monterey....Veyrons optional.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

the Roach

My career at Coca Cola started as a helper on a fountain delivery truck.  The plan was for me to be taught the job and open another route for me, as the company was growing.  I met all the requirements sooner than they expected, which didn’t leave them any time to finish restoring the truck I would drive.  It was an old delivery van, Chevy in nature, from the sixties, that had carried too many heavy syrup tanks in its day, which left the springs compressed, the engine worn and without power, doors that wouldn’t or couldn’t lock, and 0-60 by the watch in minutes.  Yet it was supposed to help me carry out my duty, which it did, barely.  So old parts were no longer available for it, when the throttle cable broke, they just removed the engine cover in the cab, ran some bailing wire from the throttle linkage to the pedal, and it was good for a week.  Needless to say going up or down the hills in the Rockies made for an exciting ride.  Also the exhaust fumes entering the wide open cabin now made me nauseous.  I also filled Coke machines on the route, and it was the only vehicle not equipped with a lock box, the 15-20 bags of money just hidden in plain view between the seats.  Cornering with a full load of 60 figals, syrup tanks made for scary cornering, but never a crash.  But somehow it all worked, and I didn’t really mind, at least at first, it represented a paycheck, in Durango where jobs were scarce, and paying ones even rarer.  Number 56, and she needed a name, so I called her the Roach, affectionately of course, and soon that was how she known, and as I will always remember her.  The Roach, RIP, somewhere out there a junk yard has a spot set aside just for you.

But being the low man on the totem pole, still not sure what that means, I got the hardest route, the most demanding customers, and the worst truck.  We all need to start somewhere, maybe not the top, but at least a work truck that locks and keeps out the snow and rain.  Where you put the pedal to the metal, not the wire to the fire.  Where bags of money are safe and locked up, not a good thing on the Navajo Reservation.  We have all been the low man when we start, no matter the position, new means less than the others, and we need to earn their respect and our way.  The guys who drove the semis were looked up to, the bottle truck drivers having more respect, and then there was me and the Roach.  I knew someday I would drive a more respectful and bigger rig, I did, and it was hard not being proud when I did.  Seems the view from the top is much different than the view from the bottom.  Or the Roach.

Our natural instincts make us want to look down at others, sometimes to make ourselves look better or blame them when we don’t.  ‘Look at what he did,” the big brother cries out, after being busted.  We all like to be in control, to be better than the next guy, to be able to call the shots and make the decisions.  Put another way, to do as we please.  Jesus sees things differently, fortunately.  And as we grow in the Lord we should too.  He tells us we should not esteem ourselves as being better than others, he himself taking the low position of a servant, and dying on the cross.  I have been in trouble too many times for parking my motorcycle in the pastor’s spot, one time having it threatened with being towed.  That’s love, isn’t it.  Or I have seen pastors or staff given favorable spots at lunch, being passed through security in hospitals,  and also to me.  Which felt good not having to wait in line, but leaving a stain on me, for I was no better or deserving, maybe less than parents waiting to see their child, or to see the doctor.  How often do we use our position, title, seniority, or place in society to get what we want at the expense of others?  Again, Jesus never hurried, and he was never late. As we look at our watch while in line, or tell the guy ahead of us to hurry, all the SOS is almost gone.  But it is when we place all others ahead of ourselves, and treat them as they are superior even if lower in rank, we elevate ourselves.  We serve, and a servant cannot tell who, what , when, where, or how he will serve.  We are told we are all ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, but yet step over the poor Lazarus like the rich man did.  Ministry is not what religion has made it out to be, it is simply seeing a need and filling it.  Just like Jesus told the church in Matthew 25.  Who didn’t get, and bragged on all the things that brought attention to them, but no glory to God.  No love was found in it, either for him or man created in his image.  And so I was stuck with the Roach, maybe the best lesson in humiliation I would ever have, and there have been many.  I rather be humbled than humiliated.

But Jesus does take care of his kids, and Biblical principles are not just for Christians.  Coming back from Canada we saw a sign at Circus Circus in Reno, “$19 ROOMS!”  Sounded  like us, so we joined in  the line, over 200 people and we were out the door, having to lean just to see in the room.  When a woman stood up on the counter and announced “no more $19 rooms,” and the stampede out the door began.  Only lasting a few seconds, with us just standing there.  With only a few people between us and her.  “But we do have suites for $29!” and our corner suite that night even had a hot tub.  Patience is a virtue, and a lesson learned that night, of also how the last shall be first.  So while others complained about not getting a $19 room, we brag on our $29 suite, and a great God who got it for us.

We are also told in scripture that the words from our mouth reflect who we are.  I can hear the silence now.  But if we look at each other as Jesus does, we see greatness in them.  Love and compassion, and many times the only one who will help when the important people ones are too busy for you.  I started a career in the Roach, it was retired after I was, and no one ever saw it again.  I imagine that somewhere out on a Colorado prairie it sits, red paint fading in the sun, and the gentle sound of rusting away not heard.  But in the day of restoration, maybe someone will find her and bring her back to life.  Imagine yourself at a car show, and seeing the Roach restored to its original beauty.  Now imagine that that is how Jesus sees us when we repent.  Maybe it wasn’t the worst way to start when I look back, but certainly not the way I want to end up.  The world may be out of $19 rooms, heaven has plenty of $29 suites just for us.  It is not where you start but where you end up that counts.  Hope to see you there!

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

one afternoon on the 405

At an early age I was impressed with a Ken Purdy story, of driving down the highway and passing a Ferrari parked along the side.  He was cruising at 70 mph, and within a minute, the Ferrari appears in his rear view mirror.  In a flash it blows by him, and in a few seconds is gone completely.  His response, “gentlemen, that is speed.”  As much as I have been impressed by fast cars and bikes, I always wanted to be the guy in the Ferrari, just blowing by a sports car, for no other reason than I could.  Speed is a relative thing, brought down to reality by numbers on the speedometer or a cop writing you a ticket, but no matter the speed, no matter who is part of the bench racing, someone is always faster.  And as we get older, some get faster, and the lies bigger.  Like the 150 mph Sportster, or the Chevelle doing 130 and the shifting into fourth gear, we know they aren’t true.  But speed has always captivated us, how many of us were once the kid pumping gas and looking at a 150 mph speedo on a motorcycle and asking “wow, will it go that fast?” and the owner knowing it won’t but not wanting to burst our bubble, smiles and nods “been there myself.”  As we take it all in, and pass the story along as the days go by.  Attaining a certain celebrity status at every retelling, as if we were along for the ride.

George Carlin, comedienne and philosopher, once remarked, “anyone going slower than you is a moron, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac.”  Seems he has broken down the society of drivers into two categories, and we each fall into one.  Or the other.  One afternoon riding down the 405 at 70, a miracle in itself, one lane was noticeably backed up, while the others were moving at 70.  Thinking it may be an accident ahead, or a moron who didn’t know how to drive or shouldn’t be, as I passed on the left I looked to see who it was.  To my surprise it was my father in law, who when he saw me smiled and waved.  I took off not wanting to be embarrassed....maybe finding out more than I needed or wanted to know about the family I married into.  He was a moron to me, I was a maniac to him.  Which raised more questions than it provided answers.  Proving speed is a relative thing in more ways than one.

But one thing I have noticed over the years is that everyone in every condition, no matter the road or its posted speed drives a speed they feel comfortable at.  Each moron in his own little world, just as each maniac is.  Until the two meet....and something happens.  Being a sucker for happy endings, sometimes I am suckered more than a sucker.  In a time when there was no king of Israel, we are told every man did was right in his own eyes.  Sounds like some drivers I know, but it also tells us that as we judge by what we see from the outer man, God looks at the heart and makes judgment. Many times I have passed a big dollar sports car driven by a woman out of control on her cell phone, thinking “what a waste of car,” unable to hear her conversation.  “This maniac just sped by me on his motorcycle, what’s the matter with people like that?”  Only to end up sitting in the same row with her at church.  Both of us convinced we are right and the other wrong....scary to think how God sees our hearts.  We forget there is a consequence when we make up our own gospel as we go along, maybe we are all morons and don’t want to admit it.  Or don’t until reminded by someone else.  But God reminds us there is a penalty for sin, or for going your own way and straying from the truth.  But because he loves us he sent Jesus to be the way back, so we can have a relationship with him, and enter heaven, rather than being cast into hell. 

Throughout scripture we see the law of retribution revealed, there is a penalty for each wrongdoing.  We live in a universe guided by God’s rules, not ours, and even the atheist who denies God’s existence will come before him someday.  Life is based on Jesus Christ, the way, and the life, the truth on our rules.  You may never see an electric current, but touch it wrong and you know of its existence.  God has given us physical laws to live by, deny them and it could be death.  Deny his spiritual laws and it means death.  No do overs like in kickball, either you are in or out.  No instant replay.....you enter eternity either a moron or a maniac.  Maybe better described by the Greek as idiotes, those who believed whatever came along, and perfectly describing religion today.  What ever makes the crowd happy and comfortable, don’t want to upset them about sin and its consequences, mention Jesus and suddenly we are talking religion.  Forgetting Jesus came to rescue us from religion and its bondage.  Yet many are too slow and passed by regarded as morons, or fly by too quickly regarded as maniacs.  Only when using Jesus as the common denominator do we see our sin and that we all fall short.  Even on the 405....

The problem with speed, power, money, or looks is that there is always someone faster and quicker, more powerful, richer, or better looking.  Only Jesus breaks it down to love, and that because he loved us first, we can love him now.  When we go beyond moron and stop just short of maniac, we can see Jesus as he really is.  How he is implanted in every area of our lives, but doesn’t interfere, but waits for an invitation to come in.  Napoleon when asked who would win the war, replied “God is on the side of the one who has the heaviest artillery.”  But later in defeat, despite the heavier artillery, claimed “ man proposes, God disposes.”  So God has instilled in us the basic for knowing him, our sin, but also the way to know him personally.  Jesus.  The elemental beginning of life begins when we learn to fear and respect God.  When we find out who really is in control, and it ain’t us.  Turn to him today, or as I lane split in stop and go traffic, I pass the Ferrari stuck next to the Hyundai or the SUV, all idling at zero miles per hour.  The great equalizer.  Moron or maniac, you decide.  Maybe the blind man given his sight by Jesus said it best, “I don’t know if he is good or bad, all I know is that I was blind and now I see.”  Gentlemen, that is power.  That is Jesus.  That is love.  Proved again and again like one afternoon on the 405.  Hang on for the ride of your life!

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com