the many moods of motorcycling

It was one of those mornings  where I just wanted to go for a ride.  No destination, no time frame, and no route planned.  A day where speed didn’t matter, it was about just enjoying the bike I was on, and the road I was riding.  A day that used to be perfect for my Bonneville, and now my Royal Enfield.  Back roads with no freeways in mind, stopping where and when I wanted, maybe check in with some friends at a bike shop I hadn’t seen for awhile, bench race about new models, and all with no time frame.  Eat lunch when I was hungry, or a new store front caught my eye.  A day that after 200 miles you felt as refreshed as when the day had started.  Some days you just want to go for a ride.....

I woke up that morning knowing I had over 500 miles ahead of me.  The Daytona I had picked up Wednesday morning needed 1000 miles by Thursday afternoon, it had to be at Rider for a road test Friday morning after its first service.  So it meant a quick freeway ride up to the Central Coast, speeds above 80, it is uncomfortable below that speed, a narrow focus race bike for the street, and not the kind of ride I would have liked to take it on.  But pulling into Mick’s at 430 pm that afternoon with 1007 miles I felt a sense of accomplishment, and swapped bikes and rode the 80 miles home.  It was Tuesday he called and told me they had wrecked the bike that morning, a low speed get off that totaled it, and all my miles were for nothing.  I felt like I had been betrayed.....there are some days you have to ride.  Now I just wanted to go for a ride....

I was three days out on a ride to Indianapolis where I would pick up Theresa at the airport.  From there we would ride for another two weeks, our turn around point Washington, DC.  Waking up in Locust Grove, Oklahoma, it was still all about the back roads, and all the time I needed to get to my next night’s destination.  Not a lot of miles for me, maybe 400, so with all day and new roads to ride, I set off on my Tiger 800, our newest touring bike.  I love riding in Oklahoma, nice people, great places to eat, back roads that roll through the hills, and light traffic.  Waving at farmers, and kids in their front yards as I pass, I ride my ride, knowing I have a lunch date ahead outside Springfield, Missouri with an old friend.  At lunch in this tiny village, we talk with the local sheriff, who rides, and gives me some great roads to take, ones not on any map, and the rest of the day is spent exploring, my favorite type of riding, new places and faces.  Ending up in Sedalia, only 200 miles on the map, but 300 miles of smiles later, fully refreshed.  Lunch with an old friend, meeting a new friend, and a bike night at the Harley shop, same old bikes, just new faces.  My 400 mile day had expanded to almost 500, and no one seemed to care, a no stress ride, a great dinner, and a good night’s sleep.  And looking forward to day 4, which had just as much promise.  The only thing I would change was having Theresa along, but in two days.......

Now I have never been a cruiser, or a cruiser type, I love to ride.  Rather than occupy a stool or chair, my motorcycle seat fits just fine.  I have always been called to the road, and with so many roads and so little time, why waste in just sitting.  Inside.  No wind in my face.  It seems my life style also reflects my Jesus style, as I am not a church pew filler.  I want to be where the action is, to get all the Jesus I can.  And the more I read my Bible it shows me to get out and live.  To ride.  To travel.  To follow new roads, to enjoy life in Jesus, far from the crowds who claim to know it all, or brag on attendance.  On any given ride, I may meet someone and share Jesus with them, counsel them, or share a testimony.  Or better yet, listen to their’s over a bag of chips and a Coke.  Just as there are many moods to motorcycling, each one of us is an individual in Christ, no cookie cutter Christians unless you are bound in religion.  Freedom in the spirit, and the joy of having Jesus with you always, not just for your 60 minute parole officer church time.  A real relationship.....and some days you just need Jesus.  Or want to spend time with him.

All of us who call ourselves Christians have had that moment when Jesus Christ enters our lives.  When we know we are changed, and that it is someone rather than something that changed us.  A new beginning, one that doesn’t have to end.  But for some it will, as life or religion will dictate their ride, rather than the holy spirit.  Some of us are called, yet others have a calling.  Some go into prisons, some prisoners share Jesus inside the four walls.  Some hide behind a pulpit, some escape from it.  But each one of us has a calling, to be that light taking his gospel  out to the world.  Some hide it under a basket, some point it on high beams, but when in the spirit, it is his light that shines through us, not ours.  Where we have just the right words, the right answers, and the right attitude.  Like each ride, each one is different.....and it is our decision on how to ride it.    Or to stay home and pull up the covers over our head.....

God has called us from a life of wrongdoing to a life of freedom, where our actions reflect our changed heart.  Rather than the 1000 mile Daytona ride, we can choose the road, and when guided by his spirit, we enjoy the ride, and are never alone.  We are given a new calling to share the Lord, and just as there are many mods of motorcycling, there are many moods to Jesus.  Read your Bible, he was one tough dude when needed, compassionate when called upon, a willing and ready servant, a teacher, healer, friend and confidant, and Lord and savior.  All the same man of God, the same one  man in each situation as called.  Just as he calls us to be.....

It is not how much you read or know the Bible, how many services you attend, or how much you tithe.  Those things are not bad in themselves, but it is on the inside where God affects the change.  Paul was a great example of being all things to all people, but one in Christ.  Sharing and teaching in love as he went, from the side of the road to the chains on the side of his prison cell.  He found freedom in Jesus, and each ride, each morning was fresh and anew.  The same freshness and newness we can enjoy in Christ, when in the spirit.  You see there are just some days where you want to go for a ride, and others when you have miles to cover, a set route or a time table.  But it is when that peace that surpasses understanding guides your day, that you can enjoy the many sides of Jesus just as you enjoy the different rides, you see him as he really is, and the relationship blossoms.  When we trust the Lord with our day, when we eat of his daily bread, we are full and refreshed.  Before the ride and after.  And after all, isn’t fun why we ride after all?  Don’t shift your dependence from the one who gives life to the road itself.  Jesus is more than a feeling....if you know him you know what I mean.  If not, here’s your invite.  I promise you a ride like none other.....and a ride that is just beginning.  A new day every morning, one where you just want to be with him.  My kind of ride....Where God is at work and it is up to him to work it all out.  It is all up to Jesus......a new calling....I’m outta here....now which bike do I want to ride?

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

of late I think of Joplin

In May of 2011 a series of tornadoes destroyed a six by twelve mile area in Joplin, Missouri.  My son Andrew and I were so moved by it we drove three days to get there and volunteer to do whatever needed to be done.  I cleaned up the hastily made lodging made for volunteers, fixed the plumbing, and Andrew built a stage for the visitors speaking the next day.  In the middle of the night when we arrived.  We were very encouraged by what we saw, people helping each other, some who had travelled from hundreds of miles, their hearts moved by God to help.  We talked with many through tears and hard stories, but one thing that was conspiculously  missing was self pity.  We met with families who had lost everything, yet shared what they could salvage with neighbors.  One man walked me through his house where 2x4’s had penetrated the ceiling and walls.  He showed me an industrial ballast that weighed 50 pounds that had just missed him, traveling from miles away.  He showed me where he laid on top of his family in the hallway to protect them, and broke into tears just thanking me for listening.  No pity, just the desire to rebuild and get on with life.  Or what was left of it.....

Another family we helped by clearing the foundation where his Grandmother used to live.  The whole house was gone, she was found alive later in the shower stall in the middle of the house, strewn about all the memories of her life broken and gone.  Too old to help, she provided emotional help, providing encouragement to us, as she told us “Joplin will rise again.”  All on a 100 degree day with matching humidity.  No words about the heat or the humidity.....just of helping Grandma.  With others ministering as needed, one a Cub Scout with his dad, passing out hot wash rags.  So refreshing and so needed.....and no age limit to the hearts that helped.  There was a spirit of unity, of family, a oneness, I had never experienced before.......and of late I think of Joplin.

Today is the beginning of the fourth week of keeping a distance from each other.  I have not been to a store for over three weeks, my only outings an occasional ride.  Seems riding a motorcycle is the safest thing to do, I keep my distance, cover my face in my Arai, and contact no one.  Who would have thought the joy and safety we would find in riding in the midst of a pandemic?  But I am encouraged by the things I see and hear, of people volunteering, factories retooling to build medical supplies, and I have yet to hear from any whiners.  Except for one....and someone rushed to her aid to help.  It seems that the human condition is stronger than any enemy we meet, based on the love of Jesus Christ providing the power and the desire to love one another.  No one in the world is exempt from the Covid 19 virus, and we can all have a story to tell of how we helped or ministered to others when it is over.  Testimonies being made every minute, seeing the spirit of the Lord moving over people who never you would never see in church, who are seeking God and finding him already there.  In the midst of adversity, God’s light shines brightest.

Today is Palm Sunday, and the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem being cheered on by cries of Hosanna, save me!  Those in the crowd numbered among those who had seen the miracles, been fed, or heard the gospel.  A day of celebration, but only one week later the joy would turn to sorrow, at Golgotha, the place of the skull.  Among the crowd yelling to crucify him were many from the crowd last Sunday, funny the difference a few days makes.  They never saw it coming, or his resurrection afterwards.  Today many will seek him, from fear, hunger, bad health, loneliness, and sin.  And he will be there, as he always is.  But within weeks after, they will have scattered, with only the twelve left to take out his word.  It seems in the worst of times when his light shines brightest, we seek him in our misery, but in the good times forget what he has done.  We like to share in the blessings, but neglect sharing in his sufferings, a side that shows us his true character, a side many don’t or won’t see.  Forgetting he was a man of sorrows also, not a genie in the lamp to appear when called upon.  Time will tell of our true character.....and so will right now.  What a reminder of how things can change fast and without warning. 

We are admonished to deal with today and not worry about tomorrow, as today has enough problems of its own.  Ask the citizens of Joplin, and those who have caught the virus.  I’m sure they would love to help rather than being helped, but offer us a chance to share God’s love.  Many hands make light work, and many will use the time to honor what they did, then move on, neglecting him, but God will see their heart.  So take a minute to ask what you can do?  There are so many needs, and like Jesus foretold, the harvest is full, but the workers few.  Could you not stay awake just one hour longer and help someone? 

I was in Joplin years after, and there were still signs of the tornado.  Building had been rebuilt, and so had lives.  But it is the soul that reflects the heart, and so many only remember the suffering, while those who seek God remember the blessings.  In our three days there we saw many miracles, and were blessed beyond belief.  It truly is more blessed to give than receive, and to love your neighbor as yourself, if you love Jesus.  Skip the excuses....and seek him.  It very easily could be you lost and hungry, alone and afraid.  Share the gospel of Jesus Christ today with someone, and only use words when needed.  Long after the words are forgotten, the action will be remembered.  I forget many of the conversations, I remember the faces and the helping each other.  You are only a victim if you choose to be....in Joplin we were a group of victors.  Out of the ashes we rise!

And so I’m going to take a ride to celebrate!  Safe and secure in Jesus, on my motorcycle!

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com