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