Lead, follow, or just get out of the way! This may be one approach to
Harley Davidson and its motorcycles. From being rescued from the brink of
extinction by some savvy businessmen, then with the help of President Reagan
enacting a tariff against imports over 700cc, then the marketing move to rival
the return of Classic Coke, Harley rides on into the night. In each case, a
move that kept them alive and prospering, selling more bikes than anyone else in
the US of A, without any distinct improvement of the product. Call it an
insolent motorcycle, since the V-twin became its calling card, it still is
underpowered, overweight, too expensive, and a place to buy a t-shirt for twice
their value. While the metric guys tried to scramble-no pun intended, to keep
up with such clones as the Honda Fury, Kawasaki Vulcan, and even BMW had a
horribly styled cruiser styled bike some years back, they kept changing paint,
adding models, upping prices, and leaving out performance, which could be
purchased under their Screamin’ Eagle brand, and moving the product out the
door. But while other brands marketing spent time keeping up with the Harleys,
their engineering department was miles ahead, for less money, more reliability,
and way more performance. Measure it in miles per gallon, or smiles per gallon,
their engineering was behind, but their sales were still ahead. Go
figure....I’ll ride.
The local Harley store just took on BMW, now to me that is a strange
marriage, as both are elitist motorcycles, and attract two different types of
riders. I stumbled in the first day they were open with BMW, and a long time
Harley rider was trading his Ultra Glide for a six cylinder touring bike. Seems
he had reluctantly ridden his friends, and the Harley mystique was his Harley
mistake. His Harley buddies with him were making fun of him, but after one test
ride, another talked trade, and the third’s wife said “we’re leaving, we don’t
have this one paid off yet.” I was offered a ride, I know the salesman, who
rides a Yamaha FZ09, and he saw my Street Triple, and said, “sorry...” Seems
some can keep up with the payments, they cannot keep up with other riders.
But for now the industry is still keeping up with the Harleys, even though
Harley has finally adding features from 20 years ago to its ranks. Its
marketing department teaches their skills at a college, they are the only dealer
in town that has free lunches and concerts on weekends, but Indian has hurt
them. And now with their Flat Tracker, fast and attractive, Indian has
performance while Harley has the Sportster. Both brag on tradition, both are
expensive, and are each others main competitor. Maybe the signs are there,
Harley has a store right across the street from the Indian factory, and our
local Harley store handles Indians. With the other Indian dealers around
selling metric rides also. Across the US of A as we travel. And Triumph in
Kansas City. It is a great time to ride, but maybe not a Harley, as their
trade in values are dropping, higher retails meant higher resales, and one
dealer was offering gift cards for free rides. Ten years ago no one sold a
Harley for sticker, now they are dealing. Who is keeping up with who, or is it
whom?
While dealers speak of conquest sales, I find it within churches also.
Programs, processes, and procedures are the new evangelistic tool, kids
programs, Harvest Festivals, Vacation bible School advertised as a play date,
and add in special speakers, concerts, and the like, it sounds like marketing
rather than Jesus. At an outdoor concert a few years back, after we left the
grounds looked like Woodstock with so much trash on the ground. Now we know the
disciples picked up extra baskets of fish and bread, but what about the trash?
I am on various mailing lists, from pay to pray, to unlocking secrets of the
Bible, and all with an admission fee, I wonder, where’s Jesus? Has the church
gone the way of Harley Davidson and forgot about the product and substituted
marketing for the gospel? While bookstores are crammed with how to books about
God, they reference the Bible instead of the Bible being the book to read. Even
marketing has given us women’s, children’s and I have a police officers Bible on
my shelf. add in the CMA version, and again I ask, “where is Jesus?” Do we
respond to a book cover instead of the holy spirit? Years ago we were able to
get different colored New Testaments from the Gideons, red for HA, black for
Mongols, green for Vagos, and so on. They each took one based on the color, I
never had one refused. So maybe marketing moves Bibles, but does it save
souls? Have you ever met a Bible student so versed in scripture but not knowing
Jesus? Knowing about is different than knowing him personally. Maybe we need a
day of rest alone with God. He calls it the Sabbath, a day of rest.
And it was made for you. To rest in him. Yet I see different versions of
it, and even Jesus was wrongly accused by the Pharisees. Bad marketing of the
truth of the Sabbath, even with some churches meeting on Saturdays under the old
covenant. Too many rules means too many rules to break, there is no rest in
that. Some years ago we decided to have no plans on Sundays. Sometimes it was
spent reading or riding, sometimes working in the yard, maybe go out for lunch.
But we found ourselves to be rested for Monday, able to think clearer, and spent
a low stress day, doing what we wanted, not what we had to. A Sabbath is meant
to be a day of rest, to enjoy God with no outside influence, to worship freely,
and enjoy the gifts he has given you, to honor his works and bask in his love.
Try it....you’ll like it. Just you and Jesus, cleaning a flower bed, detailing
your bike. Catching up on your reading, maybe just with family. No rules, no
marketing plans, no appointments. Resting in God as he wants us to.
So while some try to keep up with the Harleys, the church next door, the
guy across the aisle in church, why not try Jesus. Who offers rest. Physical,
emotional, and spiritual. The three things he asked Peter to do on the beach
that night, “feed my sheep.” You may find you end up with a refreshed mind, a
clean flower bed, and detailed bike. A low pressure lunch, good conversations
on the front porch, and time with Jesus, as he is with you. Maybe an insight of
why the Jews gave special meaning to gathering for meals, and why we need to eat
and fellowship together. Religion wants us to keep up with Jesus, he offers
rest. Rather than a book on how to, we need to ask how come we don’t rest?
Which we all need....a rest from our works and to thank God for his.
We are in the race to finish, an endurance not a sprint. Progress has been
a good thing, it may be going on too long. Jesus offers “come to me all who are
weary, and I will give you rest.” If a Harley and a BMW can reside under one
roof, maybe the lion laying down with the lamb is really possible after all!
Sundays will never be the same when you rest in Jesus. All without a how to or
marketing plan. Or fee. And it’s fun. And all the rest...and riding you
need.
love with compassion,
Mike
mattehw25biker.blogspot.com