riding the other brand

I get these invitations to go to Bible studies, where it states to join with men who are “like minded.”  I still don’t get that one, does it leave any room for individuality?  Does it mean we all drive Chevies, and make Hondas park out back?  Or like in some churches I have been a guest at, does it mean “don’t park your motorcycle here.”  Which to me means I am not welcome.  But then again I wrestle with the fact that some of the smartest people I know agree with me.  So I am faced with prejudice every where I go, even when I’m alone.  But in all groups, there is a group that rises above, who isn’t in it for the life style.  Like when I walk into Biggs Harley Davidson.  The old guys know me, and what I ride.  Spud tells me we have the same disease, motorcycles.  And I look at the shiny new bikes, and I even have an invite to ride any one I want, they know I am not a customer.  But they want me to know why they ride what they do...because we both ride.  But sadly some look at my Street Triple with disdain, and call it a rice burner.  It is made in England, dummy, too bad we both don’t speak English.  And I used to be offended, until one day a friend who rides Harleys, and loves to ride explained to me that those guys could never ride a bike with power and handling capabilities.  And they really were jealous, because I can and do.  And yet it seems like the seasoned riders, those who remember the 60’s are the ones who come up and start the conversation, telling how they once had a Triumph back then.  While the others listen as if they are talking blasphemy.  Against the Bar and Shield.  And it just isn’t lifestyle bikers, either.  Ride a non-BMW, other in their tight knit society, and you feel like the only reason your jokes are funny is because your fly is open.  But I have owned five of them, and can admire the new GS1200.  And Phil at the local BMW-Guzzi store always likes when I stop by, telling me how nice the new Tigers are, and how they should do well.  He rides, he knows.  Unlike the manager at another BMW cult shop who asked me to park that “piece of @#$%^^!” elsewhere, not in front of his store.  How did he know I wasn’t there to trade?  Stupid is just another word for prejudice, another word for feeling insecure.  And when they meet, they are like minded.

Now I still have this childlike idea that because we ride, we like motorcycles.  Yet everyday I am reminded of how I am wrong.  I fell like a babe in the woods, right, but wrong.  Instead of motorcycles making us common, we wear our specific brand t-shirts, to let the others know what we ride, when we are off our bikes.  When I first started riding, if it wasn’t a Honda, you felt second rate.  Names like Suzuki, Kawasaki, and Yamaha were funny sounding, yet I met some of nicest people on them.  Sorry Honda.  We rode, and BH’s CB750, The Wild Man’s H1 Kawi, and my R90S were all different, but we rode, and rode together.  Our commoness was motorcycles, and so was the road we were on.  And we stuck together, and even when Bouke on his custom Z-1 rode with us, we still felt the commoness of riding, which today still is the heart of the brotherhood.  Even talking with Sonny Barger, who knows motorcycles, he rides a Victory, is impressed by Triumph, and hates Harleys.  But we ride, and that is our common denominator.  So maybe there is something to this commonality we call motorcycling.

In the first century church, the first church, the one Jesus first left us, we see a spirit of commonality among believers.  They came from many backgrounds, and soon many Gentiles and Samaritans would be joining their ranks.  It was a spirit of heart and mind, the heart being the very spirit that drove them, and the mind being how it was exercised.  They were in the spirit, enabling them to be like minded.  And when a rich man sold a property, and gave the money to the church, it was to help the needs that arose.  Not to bring him glory.  and not communism, but commonism, they all knew what they had rally belonged to God, and felt the need to meet other’s needs with it.  A far cry from Communism of today, which always fails.  Jesus taught individual responsibility, and choice, not the state and dictated morals and provisions.  It comes from God, not he government.  And so we see the freedom to do with what we have exhibited here, some under the spirit, some still under their own self.  Acts 5 tells of Ananias and Sapphira, who were part of the church.  Seeing what went on, they pledged the proceeds from a land sale to the church, but then decided to keep some for themselves.  And both ended up being confronted with the truth, and dropping dead.  It was their money to keep or give away, but being in one accord, not a Honda or the spirit, they lied to God, and people, trying to make a name for themselves.  But God sees, just like we see those who ride, and those that buy a motorcycle.  Posers are nothing new, in the biker world or church.

And even today some minister in their name, instead of the Holy Spirit, looking to gain acceptance and praise for themselves.  The spirit of Ananias and Sapphira still at work, and others see it.  And don’t wish to have them around.  Today I still encounter them, carrying Bibles, shouting on corners, and passing out tracts.  “Look what we are doing for God,” they say.  “Why aren’t you more like us?” as they quote scripture and wave their Bibles.  Yet Jesus in the end, reminds them “to be gone, I never knew you.”  They were only interested in photo ops, getting their name in the paper, being recognized in church, and being held in high esteem.  And we all go through it, but I find I get more done just sitting in the back, and letting God call the shots.  When He gets the glory, I get the blessings.  So to you Ananias types, don’t waste your time waving your Bible, or quoting scripture, show me the love Jesus did, and does.  Feed me when I’m hungry, sorry my shirt isn’t clean.  When I’m thirsty give me drink, I might spill a bit, my manners aren’t the best.  Visit me in jail, you might see a better class of people, and when sick, cards and flowers are nice, save them for my funeral.  Your face is what I rather see-so visit.  And when you don’t me, because my leathers aren’t clean, my bike isn’t new, and my jeans stained, introduce yourself.  Just like Jesus, for we were all strangers once, and He welcomed us.  And He was one strange dude, loving those who hated Him, and dying for them on the cross. 

Be yourself in Christ, the easiest and the hardest thing you will ever do.  But only in Him will you be able to be yourself.  To be like minded in His spirit, not by your clothes, income, brand of bike, or denomination.  A commoness that only comes from within via the spirit of a living God.  And for those of us who do, true freedom that others only talk about.  The freedom to ride with those who can’t keep up with us, but wait for them at the end.  To show them new roads, engage in new conversation, and introduce them to Jesus.  All without stepping into a church building, but taking the church, you and me to them.  When we agree with Jesus we have everything, when we don’t we lose what we think we have.  People are not as stupid as you think, but still we get fooled.  Aren’t you glad you serve a loving God, who is never fooled?  And loves you when you are a fool?  One in the spirit, one heart and one mind.  It only works when Jesus is the heart of it-all others are living on borrowed time.  When Jesus gets the glory, we get the blessings.  Don’t settle for anything less.  Lest you be carried out like Ananias and Sapphira.  Years later Three Dog Night reminded us “one is the loneliest number,” unless that one is Jesus.  The first church is still alive, are you in it?

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

 

indoor plumbing, what a concept

U.S. STATISTICS IN THE YEAR 1905.
The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years.
Only 14% of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.
Only 8% of the homes had a telephone.
A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost 11 Dollars.
There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California.
With a mere 1.4 million people, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union.
The average wage in the U.S. was 22 cents per hour.
The average U.S. worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year; A dentist $2,500 per year; a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year; and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95% of all births in the U.S. took place at home.
90% of all U.S. doctors had no college education.
Sugar cost four cents a pound; Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen; Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg shampoo.
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.
Five leading causes of death in the U.S. were: (1). Pneumonia and influenza; (2). Tuberculosis; (3). Diarrhea; (4). Heart disease; (5). Stroke.
The American flag had 45 stars.
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!!!
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented yet.
There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
Two out of every 10 U.S. adults couldn't read or write.
Only 6% of all Americans had graduated from high school.
There were about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.
The majority believed in God and they sincerely tried to follow the scriptures.
TRY TO IMAGINE WHAT IT MAY BE LIKE IN ANOTHER 100 YEARS.

My Grandpa would be celebrating his 108th birthday today, if he was still alive.  But leaving us in 1991, he today resides in heaven.  Looking back at his time here on earth, the changes he went through must have been mind bending, amazing compared to anything we see today.  And today we are seeing technology exploding via electronics, computers, and who knows what else that Apple and its ilk are about to release.  But for my Grandpa, many things changed in his lifetime, making his parents maybe look back to simpler times, as many of us do today.  So take walk back with me...

In 1905 cars were a novelty for the rich.  There was no Model T yet, General Motors and Chrysler didn’t exist, and Detroit was not Motown yet.  The Harley and Davidson boys were still struggling, Soichiro Honda was just an infant.  The horsepower race meant a faster horse, and Studebaker was the leading carriage maker.  Very few had phones, and even fewer had indoor plumbing, the lucky having a chamber pot, to empty first thing in the morning.  Consider that one next time your toilet backs up.  Electric lighting was only for big cities, kerosene, or coal oil was still the king in rural areas.  No Safeways or Vons to shop in, many still grew their own veggies, or bought from wagons selling their fruits and vegetables from them.  A farmer would deliver eggs and butter to you, and the meat man would come buy selling fresh meat, maybe not government inspected yet.  Kids got sick, and many died from diseases and conditions unheard of today.  The day started when the sun came up, and ended when the sun went down.  No Life, Sports Illustrated, or People to read, and any newspaper was read by candle or kerosene lamps.  Teenagers didn’t talk on the phone yet, they were a luxury, and texting meant reading your Mc Guffy Reader, the standard for all education.  No radio until he was almost 25, movies still had no sound, TV unheard of yet. 

By the time he was a teenager, The Great War, WWI was going on, Ford was selling Model T’s at a record rate, and people were flocking to cities, the Industrial Age was upon us, and luxury was close behind.  But it would be not until he was in his twenties, that homes would have refrigerators, the ice man soon becoming a thing of the past.  At age 21, in 1926, he hitchhiked across America with a friend, before roads, before Route 66, and before Holiday Inn.  Begging meals from housewives, sleeping in jails, and telling of riding on running boards of touring cars, he made it from Pennsylvania to Tijuana, no border to cross, and managed to locate the only hotel there.  His America was one of working together, of sharing with others, and of a bright future.  He endured the Great Depression, telling me how he made $15 one month, enough to pay the light bill, but they got by.  He signed up for Social Security in 1937, the promise of a government pension when he retired at age 65, at the time the average age expectancy was only 57.  Even then, the government was betting against you living too long.  He endured rationing during WWII, and prospered in the 50’s like many did, as his grandson was born in them.  He worked until 65, retiring on Social Security, and a small pension, not what he had expected, because the owner of the savings in loan, had embezzled much of it.  He had beat the odds of Social Security, and would live to collect it for 21 years.  He would die in a nursing home, my Grandma too, having bought insurance because they didn’t want to die in the poor house, as many of their neighbors and friends had.  He died owning a 1970 Pontiac Lemans, he had seen much of the country, only 46 states when he was born, and had owned two Cadillacs, used, the sign that he had made it.  He had owned his own home, and from humble beginning went to humble ends.  But the things he never saw intrigue me even more.

To him an apple was something you ate to keep the doctor away.  He had a color TV, but only the major networks for selections, no cable yet.  No Hulu, or Netflix.  You waited until next week to see the next week’s show, no VCR to tape it while at work.  A big thing was a phone in his basement, so you didn’t have to go up or down to answer it.  He saw the doctors before copays, and he still called his neighbors Mr. or Mrs.  When it got hot, you sat on the porch and talked with others on theirs, and a big 6 ounce bottle of Coke refreshed you.  People visited, people talked, and people helped each other.  When a neighbor became sick, the church brought them meals.  If a job was lost, the church helped with bills and saw they had clothes and food.  Afternoons were spent at the library, reading, and talking in hushed tones.  They took walks after dinner, not to exercise, but to socialize, and to fill the pre-TV, radio, cable era.  People went to church, and church was a source of family, social interaction,and worship.  And on Sunday mornings the town streets were empty and quiet, you knew where all your neighbors were.  It was more than a building, it was a hub of activity, a place to meet, and a source of refreshment for the soul.  Today...

A few years back my friend Fr. Al had a vision to help bring back the churches to inner cities in Western Pennsylvania.  So many had fallen on hard times, and with changing times no one went anymore.  With only an older generation holding fast to those values.  His plan was to buy old churches, one in Johnstown was for sale for $65,000, and covered an entire city block.  The windows were stained glass, and valued at $100,000 alone, but no one had use for them either.  His plan with Farzi, another visionary, was to have all denominations us it on different days, and nights.  Open it for social activities, and make it place to worship, and to congregate.  Sadly he died before he could see his dream, but Farzi is living it today.  A religious man, a Catholic bishop, he has opened the building to all faiths, to worship regardless of their denomination.  He welcomes them, just like Jesus did, and many have a place to meet now.  Much like the early church did, caring for each other, worshipping, and seeing their needs met.  All because of one man’s vision, and one savior who provided it.

With so many separating over race, color, and creed, and arguing over religion, can we learn from Jesus, and unite in the spirit?  Church is us, but we still need a place to meet.  So some meet in homes, some during lunch, some ride, and some rent buildings.  But us, the church is growing, and God is still meeting our needs.  Just like He did for my Grandpa, and his Grandpa before him.  And for his grandson, and now great grandsons.  With Jesus meeting the needs, no matter the social or financial status, He provides.  If church is a bad word for you, I encourage  you to join with others today, and seek Christ.  Attend a home bible study, meet and pray at lunch, and feed some hungry, visit widows and orphans.  Jesus is just the same today as He was for my Grandpa, and heaven is still promised to those that believe.  Hang up, quit texting, turn off the TV, and tune into Jesus.  He plays 24/7, can be picked up anywhere, and meets all the needs.  Who needs an i-pod when you can have a J-pod, the holy spirit?  Get to know God more, and watch as He fills your time.  And next time you just have to go in the middle of the night, thank Him for indoor plumbing.  And think of your grandparents, and how they made it.  Hopefully you can too despite all the technological help you have working against you.  Jesus saved before televangelists, and streaming videos.  It worked for Grandpa, and it still works today.  I wonder what he would think, when I see him I’ll have to ask.  You see he knew Jesus, do you?  Is your future heavenly or technologically enhanced?  Only one makes it personal....in the beginning God.  And in the end God, the in between is up to you.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

barn finds

I love the stories, sometimes urban legends of the Corvette found in the barn.  Or the Harley found in the old shed.  But the stories behind them are more interesting, and can make the vehicle more valuable.  Scenario one-Elmer Treestump saves all his money from his paper route and from pop bottles, and when he turns 18 goes out and buys a brand new 1967 Camaro.  Two weeks later he gets his letter saying “greetings” from his uncle, and is off to Viet Nam.  He parks the car in his real uncle’s barn, carefully covered, and lovingly stored awaiting his return.  But like too many did in those days, he doesn’t return, KIA.  And the car sits for 30 years in his uncle’s barn, after the uncle dies and the aunt doesn’t remember it.  Her grandsons are playing in the old barn they were told to stay out of, and find this shiny new, old car sitting, just like it was when its owner went to war.  She thinks nothing of it, just an old car, and it sits for another 10 years, until a great grandson inherits the barn and its contents, and finds he owns a Camaro.  And doing some research finds out the story, cleans it up, gives it a tune up, fresh gas, and new tires and a battery, and it runs.  And soon this low mileage, less than 100 mile Camaro hits the auction block, hoping to bring big money.  Which it does, because the story is more valuable than the car.  Who doesn’t respect a vet, and one who gave all for his country?  The stories of the uncle, aunt, grandkids, and great grandkids all add value to the car now, and it sells for way more than it is worth.  Especially being a six cylinder, 3 speed, with no options-even dog dish wheel covers.  But it is low miles, even still has factory air in the tires, with a history, and its new owner takes it home, proud of his buy...and hoping to add to the legacy.  Undrivable because of low mile sand conditon.  A true barn find, but there are others that don’t end up as well, at least for the car.  But they make great stories.

In 1957 Tulsa, Oklahoma buried a 1957 Plymouth in a time capsule, to be opened 50 years later.  2008 comes, and the city, amongst big promotion, opens the capsule, only to find the car in two feet of mud, no one weather proofed the capsule.  It is rusty, filthy, and to the naked eye a piece of junk.  But has no miles and historical value.  But locating the relatives of the lucky winner, tickets were sold to raise money, they are located and found...but the car is a disaster.  It is more rust than bucket, but he has been offered $10,000 for it as is, as an historical piece.  But has chosen to keep it, trying to clean it up and preserve it.  He will spend more than it can ever be worth just cleaning it up, and now is stuck with a prize, maybe a booby prize.  Tulsa offered to buy it, but he refused, and they wanted to make it part of a museum piece, they put a new Prowler in the newest time capsule to be opened in 2048.  The new owner, in his 80’s refused comment as to wanting to buy a lottery ticket for it.  Again, the story being more interesting, and valuable than the car.  Cleaner in this case, too.

Now to Christians, Jesus is the original barn find.  Born in a barn, He came to save us from ours sins, and many have turned to Him.  Sadly many have turned from Him, and end up like the barn finds.  For whatever reason, life interfered, and they turned away from Jesus, living in sin when they can be living in glory.  But in both cases living under grace, fortunately grace doesn’t depend on us.  But yet they struggle through life miserable when they don’t have to be.  Feeling like the church has deserted them, and not welcomed until they get their act together, sadly there is some truth in that.  But many labor under their own pride, “God will never forgive me again, I’ve sinned too much.”  Or “I’m in prison, I’m divorced, I’m gay, too rich. too poor,” and you know the drill.  You may have even recited it, or may be now.  But please know, that no matter where you try to hide from God, He knows where you are.  And wants you back, as you are.  He will deal with the transformation of your heart and mind, if you let Him.  You may be the barn find He is looking for to show His love and forgiveness through.  And even old, rusted, and worn out, He still loves you, and you still have a value and a purpose.  Or maybe you walked away and got rich, forgetting where your riches come from.  He loves you too, and welcomes you back.  Low miles, high miles, or odometer broken, no matter your condition you are valuable to Christ.  And the story you have to tell, your testimony will encourage many-why are you putting God off?  A better deal than forgiveness?  You may be stuck in a time capsule of your past and you need to shed it.  Let Jesus shine light into your darkness, and give you life again.  And for the rest of us, what a joy to see a life turned around.

Sadly many churches and Christians kill their wounded.  Denying them the spiritual healthcare they need to be revived, remember that at your next revival.  You can only revive something that has been alive...and so I offer you an invitation this morning.  Jesus wants you back, what is it going to take to obey what the spirit is telling you?  When will you have had enough pain and suffering, that you will turn to Jesus?  Or will we find you years later, buried beneath all your sin and dirt, when you didn’t have to be.  What legacy are you leaving for your family, just an old body wrapped in rags, or an old body wrapped in grace?  “Yes, I remember him, biggest louse I knew, then he got right with Christ.  You would never know he was the same person.”  Jesus Christ is still changing lives.  So whether in a prison cell, or a prison of your own making, turn back to Christ.  We need you, we want you, and we love you.  Tell us about the time spent away from Christ, your testimony, and how He welcomed you back.  Start living today...there is no reason to be a casualty any more.

People can make incredible barn finds, too.  God knows just where you are, and your condition when parked.  He welcomes you back.  Let Him throw a new battery in you and charge your spirit, new tires to get you rolling, and a tune up to get you energized.  Let Him clean you up, and when someone asks, “wasn’t that the guy they found in an old barn?” you can tell them of a God who offers second chances to those who screwed up their first.  One was born in a barn to save others, some are born again by that same man to encourage others.  The door is open, the offer is made.  Maybe you are the next barn find we can brag about, what say you?

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

why do we leave home if there is no place like it?

Where are you from, not where are you living, or even went to school, where are you from?  What is your home town, where did you grow up?  Where did you live when going to high school?  Before you took off for college, the service, or to find life?  Or is it the town you never left, going to work for your dad, and always wondering what is was like wandering?  When asked do you look back fondly, or try to go on to the next question?  Or if they know the area, do you ask remember Snuffy’s, Bowcraft, and working at Sears?  You try to identify with them, and no matter why you left, or they stayed, it seems you only reflect on the good times.  For me it was Scotch Plains, the only city by that name in the US of A, and when I hear the name, or see it in print, I stop, look, and listen.  Even though it was almost 40 years ago I left on my motorcycle and headed west, Scotch Plains is still my hometown.  And as I get older, I remember the good times more than I do the hot and humid summers, the lousy winters, and think that maybe it wasn’t such a bad place to grow up.  I hated high school, but hearing from Cheryl telling me about our friends in high school takes me back, but I don’t visit for very long.  My life began the day I left, as I knew New Jersey held nothing for me, that my future was elsewhere, the road and the Lord were calling.  So when talking with others like me who left their home towns for a brighter future, and we all wax nostalgic, I wonder, why did we ever leave home if there is no place like it?  What were we thinking, should we have listened to our friends who stayed behind, telling us “everywhere is like here, why would you want to leave?”  And so my visits back remind me of why I left, and why I look back fondly.

Some still think of me as the prodigal, and wait for me to return to Jersey-it ain’t happening.  But like the prodigal, I took my parent’s blessing and set out on my own, my own being New Mexico.  But unlike the prodigal son, by the way the word prodigal means useless, I had a vision, a reason, and a desire to see the open road, and where God would take me.  I never felt useless, maybe I would have if I had stayed, but almost 40 years later I can understand why the younger son left, and maybe why his brother stayed.  And why some grow in God, while others flounder, never finding their way.  You see the son who stayed home, who was jealous of his brother, even in failure, the one who thought his father should not welcome him back, was really the prodigal.  He was really the useless brother, never taking advantage of what his father had to offer.  He became bitter, even to his father, and wanted more, he felt he should have it all.  Why you gave the younger one his inheritance, and he squandered it, where’s mine?  He never saw the love his father had for both his sons, enough love to let them succeed or fail on their own, his blessing equal to both.  And in his bitterness he missed out, missed out on what life had to offer him.  And dreaded the day his brother might return, and becoming more miserable when he did.  Ever fell that way?

Yet Jesus loves us both in failure and success.  In sin and in righteousness, something I struggled with for years.  Why would Jesus love me as a sinner?  Then John 3:16 made sense, while we were yet sinners, He died for us.  He was showing us the love of the Father, our Father in heaven, and like He promised, He would never leave us nor forsake us.  Every mile travelled, every new address, Jesus was there and is there.  But yet He encourages you to get out, to trust Him, and see what life is all about, yet some doubt and miss the blessings.  So why do some stay home miserable, while others are out and blessed?  Maybe it comes down to trust, trust like Abraham had, who never owned a home, although he as the father of all its inhabitants.  Who had to buy land just to bury his wife.  Who not only wandered, but wondered about God, and trusted Him to fulfill His word.  A trust starting in faith, listening, then doing.  Sometimes out of obedience, sometimes from training, but he acted.  Finally when he knew God well enough, he just acted in trust, way beyond faith, for he had seen and heard God, where do we stand in that sentence?  Still failing in faith, He gives us all the same amount?  Maybe we fail in obedience, and never get to the trust part of knowing God.  And maybe that keeps us from blessings, and also blessing others.  For when life becomes all about me, trusting only ourselves, we fail.  We never see the horizon, we never get the chance to set out and have a father to return to-we become the truly prodigal one.

For the so-called prodigal, he found there was no place like home.  The true prodigal found out there was no place like home too, because he never left, he never got to see.  In Jesus is the only way we ever get to truly see how God is.  It takes a trip of faith, of getting out and even if we fail, He is there to pick us up.  It is not too late to answer the call, to turn to Christ now, to shed your veil of being a prodigal.  Some seek and never find, some stay home and never seek.  Although Jesus was born a Nazarene in Bethlehem, and lived in Jerusalem, He spent His life out on the road.  To some it would appear useless, to those who know Him we know why He sought the prodigals.  They are everywhere, and He sought us all out.  And in Him we find out why we really leave home, when there is no place like it, as He left heaven to call us home.  Now...we look forward to our heavenly home He has prepared for us.  Staying home and feeling secure in your beliefs, or reaching out in faith in Jesus, risking failure to find peace in Him?  Consider the son who never left, the real failure, the real prodigal.  The rest of us went out, failed, and found life in Christ.  We found out that there truly is no place like home when we can call heaven our new home.  Be it ever so humble...and Jesus is.  He caused me to stop, look, and listen to Him.  Where is He leading you?  Where will you call home forever?  Scotch Plains wasn’t such a bad place to grow up...but I knew there was more.  Welcome prodigals, He has been waiting.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

better mousetraps

Growing up we were told the story of every time they built a better mousetrap, they turned out a better mouse.  And so the competition continued, and continues.  Security being what it is, or rather what it is supposed to be, somehow I don’t feel very secure.  The talk last night among us was about a 19 year old who stole a fighter jet from a military base, took off, flew it, then successfully landed it.  Then was apprehended, and when asked where he learned, he told the investigators he used a flight simulator on his computer.  Must have some computer, but once he learned, how did he get on the base?  Into the jet, after putting on his flight gear?  And get cleared for both take off and landing?  Who was watching, or better yet, who was supposed to be watching?  Talking about flying the friendly skies...how well will you sleep tonight?

Years ago when in sales I had several accounts serviced at Lindbergh Field.  I had limited clearance, all doors were locked, and I had to be let in to certain buildings only, but one day while there a plane landed without its running gear down.  One of the older technicians told me “come on, let’s go check it out.”  So jumping in his truck, on the airfield, we rode right up to the plane, I was within 25 feet of it, and while he talked to the first responders, who obviously knew him, I could listen in. After 10 minutes or so all was under control, and he had to get back to work.  Having no badge, or security clearance, and to keep me out of trouble-I was definitely where I wasn’t allowed, he showed me where there was a hole in the chain link fence, so big he could drive through it.  “Doesn’t anyone know about this?” I asked, an obvious security leak.  “Yes, but it is convenient, saves us time going through security gates to get around.”  And he dropped me off, I was parked within eyesight of this and never realized it!  I had just been on the tarmac, where later I would watch the 5 o’clock news and see where I had been standing, by the plane.  At first it was funny, then scary.  All the money building a better security system, a mousetrap, only to have it neutralized by a better mouse, my friend who worked there, the better mouse.  I have only flown one time since.  And they tell me it is unsafe riding a motorcycle.

The first time we went to see Billy Graham, we were shocked to see people demonstrating against him.  A real security threat, they were threatening to him, and we felt unsafe.  Even with guards around them.  Who would want to harm Billy?  He never hurt anyone?  But yet he has security with him everywhere.  Same thing while attending a CBN sponsored event.  I wanted to meet Pat Robertson, who was walled off from the crowd after speaking.  I finally saw him walking down a side hallway, alone except for his body guard, who checked me over, then allowed me to talk briefly with Pat, and shake his hand.  And even at church, we have security teams.  And I know of pastors, friends of mine, who have been threatened.  Why would anyone want to attack these men of peace?  Is proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ really that dangerous?  Threatening enough to want to kill or injure those that proclaim it?  But throughout history, we have seen the greater the persecution, the more and faster the church spread.  Jesus warned how we would be called into court, and threatened.  Since the early church we have had beheadings, lion fights against Christians in the Coliseum, Nero lighting the roads to Rome using them as torches, and the great Holocaust in WWII.  It goes on today, where in China, India , North Korea, and other places it is against the law to even have a Bible, to speak of Jesus.  To be a Christian.  Yet so many of us still do, risking job, security, financial stability, and even physical harm sharing Jesus.  Why?

Because they are afraid of the cross, where Jesus won the victory of sin and Satan.  And Satan knows his days are numbered, and we live among the days of greater attacks to come.  Prophesied over 2000 years ago.  Who would have thought that living in a nation where it was founded on freedom of religion, that the tide would turn to freedom from religion, to evil, and that so many would be led astray.  Yet just like the hole in the fence I escaped through, Jesus promises a way out from sin.  Repent and turn to Him.  And risk ridicule, harm, and public humiliation.  So why do so many risk so much?  It must be more than joining a church, than becoming a member.  It takes the spirit to change our lives, to open our eyes to the truth, and to be set free.  Yet so many act blindly, Jesus even telling His Father to “forgive them they know not what they do.”  If you have been saved, you know how it is an affair of the heart, not just a mindset.  But few realize the price that  Jesus paid until they get threatened.  Some turn and run, some fight back.  But God knows who are His, and we win the fight, sometimes sustaining damage in the battles.  But the battles continue...

Seek God while He still can be found.  Then be still, and know that He is God.  His name is Jesus, and for that statement I could be put to death under Sharia law.  In India.  China. North Korea.  And as thousands are in Sudan, Nigeria, and other places around the globe.  And even in the US of A, our freedom to worship Jesus is threatened.  The time is near, the end is coming soon, for us a rebirth, our victory celebration and entrance to heaven, but to those who rebel, who deny Christ, the 7 worst years in the history of the world are just beginning.  What will you choose?  Where will you be when it happens?  Will you go or will you be left behind?  Do you have a hole so big in your theology that you cannot escape the evil coming?  Or do you have Jesus?  Who is the way, the truth, and the life.  Will your gospel of self save you?  Or has Jesus saved you and set you free?

Some have holes in their theology so big you can drive through them.  So it is important to know the truth, and it is a person-Jesus Christ.  The world feels so safe with its better mousetraps, I feel real security in the one who created the mouse.  And no trap will hold back the gospel, and many will continue to try.  Accept the free gift of salvation today, and proclaim it loudly.  Only in Jesus will you ever be truly secure.  And to all my fellow mice, no trap made by man will keep us from God.  And no back door, hole in the fence is needed.  Jesus had no body guards, and He went voluntarily to the cross.  Now He is asking you the same....will you pick up your cross and follow?

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

 

Porsche-the art of charging more for less

Deep down inside we are all negotiators.  Give me a price, we want to argue with it.  And over the years in sales and negotiating, I have seen several things.  One that has always amazed me, for I just don’t get it, is when someone is charged too much, like full retail on a new car, they come back with their friends, and they want them to meet you.  For some reason they think you have done the a favor, and wish to have their friends get a good deal like they did.  Go figure.  But then there are those that do figure, and will bargain, and scrimp, and argue down to the last penny.  And when done still think they could have gotten a better deal, and that somehow they are being ripped off.  While the guy who paid too much is happy and enjoying his new car, the other guy is still fuming over it.  Now to me everything is negotiable, but years ago when German cars first came to the states like BMW via Max Hoffman, you paid the sticker price, no negotiating.  No “what will it take to put you into this car today,” like the Chevy and Ford guys asked, you paid full retail, like anyone else who walked in the door.  No brother in law deals, you want it, that is the price.  And perhaps the best negotiator I saw was a retired racer selling collector cars.  The customer was looking at spending $30,000 for a Porsche, and wanted to deal.  Ash looked at him, and said he doesn’t negotiate.  The prospect pushed harder, and Ash finally relented-“I can give you $50 off,” making it sound so good that the customer took the car-thinking he got a deal.  $50 off? You can’t fill a Porsche for that!  and the man became a repeat customer to Ash.  Giving credence to the quote, Porsche-the art of charging more for less.”

Want to be the first on your block with the latest?  You pay up front, full price.  Remember when Hondas were in short supply?  You paid over retail, to me stupid, and perpetuated by the Honda factory, who would only build X amount of cars, usually the plant’s capacity, keeping the supply down, the factory operating at full capacity, and the value of the cars up, due to short supply.  And along the way Honda was training their customer base that no deals were available, creating a demand via ego for their cars.  And just like Porsche, they were charging more for less.  And once the bait was chosen, and the hook set, all the salesman had to do was write up the order.  Making money for all involved, with the promise that at trade time the car would be worth more.  Right up until the time it was to trade....

And what was paid more than retail for, then was less than trade in value.  And again the dickering would start, only to be told, that their once new car was now undesirable, but they will help them out in trade, actually doing hem a favor  by taking it in trade.  Soon your car would be resold again at a profit, telling the new customer how well they hold their value.  And it goes on and on and on....Until someone comes out with the next “I can’t live without it at any price car,”  and then Honda has to negotiate.  But back to Porsche.

Unlike Richard Hammond of Top Gear fame, I have no love of Porsches.  I consider them warmed over VW’s, especially the older air cooled, just with two extra cylinders to repair.  But with a following of loyalists, who can afford to pay too much, they thrive today.  Selling at a price that is higher than homes I have purchased, they are very expensive to repair.  $2000 for brakes all around-every 10,000 miles.  Tune ups frequently, because when out of tune they run like an old VW.  And Porsche has found, like BMW has, like Mercedes Benz has, and like Lexus is, that once hooked, the owners will pay the price.  And like we were taught at Mercedes Benz, you don’t just fix cars, you fix the owners.  The cars are easy...parts for those with broken hearts can be expensive for all involved.  But once in, you can’t get out without taking a loss, and sometimes money is cheaper than reputation.  “That’s Jim, he used to drive a 911.  Couldn’t afford the maintenance, bought a Mustang.”   Only Jim knowing he is getting more for less.  Again Porsche-the art of charging more for less applies to the faithful.  Whose wallet can still feed their ego.  With pride about to be the fall....

Which leads us to those who have trouble accepting the gospel.  The gospel is simple, we sinned, we need forgiveness, only found in Jesus.  We repent, He saves, we are born again.  Saved.  A gift that no one can purchase.  Free.  Yet some still feel the need to negotiate.  They feel they must do more, to earn their way.  But fail to trust God.  Some discount the deal altogether, nothing can be free.  We are retched, here I can donate money to the church, but keep my old lifestyle.  Yet some discount the whole idea, and are still searching for God.  They are like the Porsche owner who paid too much, and are proud of it because they can afford it.  But really can’t afford not to.  And when they finally do, their friends make fun of them for their choice.  They feel like they have sold out, when really they are getting the bargain of a lifetime.  For salvation is free, God loves us that much.  And is only available through Jesus Christ.  On His terms-you get it all for nothing.  And He gets you, how can that be fair?  So some wander away, while others tell all their friends about the deal they got.  They are just the opposite of paying more and getting less, they are paying less and getting more-Jesus makes up the difference.  And at trade in time-well no one wants to trade Jesus for anything.  Not even a new Porsche, that will only wear out.  And need maintenance, which is included with Jesus.  The main thing it takes from you is commitment.  Do you really want to be saved, or just going through the motions?  And emotions?

I hope that I have not enraged any Porsche owners, I can understand your loyalty.  But are you willing to make that kind of commitment to Jesus?  Can you be loyal to His brand?  Do you want the best, or just want to join the club?  Fortunately He is not in short supply, the price is the same today as it was yesterday, as it will be tomorrow.  His customer base is growing, and the brand loyalty is growing with it.  Will you join us, get the deal of your life-get life in Him.  Never worry about trade ins, or having enough money to maintain your relationship.  Strike a deal with Jesus today you will never get from Ash, and others like him.  Get the best, tell others, and brag on Jesus.  In life, like in the car business, word of mouth is still the best advertisement.  Now, what will it take to get you into Jesus Christ today?

God is standing by.  Such a deal He has for you.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

hybrids and lowbrids

On paper, and in theory, a hybrid is a good idea.  Take the best traits of two things and combine them into one.  And in corn, fruit flies, and music it may work, but keep me out of it in cars.  Personally I don’t see how anyone can drive a Prius,  which I think of as an ugly golf cart.  Yet we see them everywhere here in SoCal, clogging the roads, and taking up space where real cars should be.  Want to know when the gas motor cuts in, just follow the Prius cruising at 57 mph down the San Diego Freeway, thinking they are saving the planet, while setting driving relations back decades.  Saving resources, which are renewable, wasting time which isn’t.  And within the industry they are regarded as coal burners, we get electricity from coal don’t we?  And when it comes time to replace the batteries-oh what a feeling!  Fortunately the only hybrid motorcycles are the ones that when they run out of gas are pushed by their rider...consider me a hybrid in that regard.  But as a stop gap solution to running out of fossil fuel, of which we have an unknown abundance, a lot, and switching to alternatives such as hydrogen or electric, we see them even in Mercedes Benz, just trendy I guess.  But trendiness comes with a price, ask any Tesla owner how far he can go on a full charge, or how long it takes to recharge.  12 hours for a full charge, and a range of less than 100 miles, again the price for being trendy.  Plus you don’t get the aural music of a V-8 with headers, better than any stereo or sound system.  Sirius-ly.  And soon we will have lost a generation who remembers Sunoco 260, when premium was needed for performance, and electric cars came in a box with 25 feet of track, and a slot to guide them.  But those are on the testing agenda, as driverless cars are being tested, even here in San Diego where a part of I-15 has wires buried under it to guide the test Buicks.  Giving a new meaning to the ad, “wouldn’t you really rather have a Buick?”

But to society hybrids are nothing new, as far a people go.  We have Italian Americans, Polish Americans, Disabled Americans, and Texans-who were given the right to secede if they wanted to , a condition when they joined the US of A.  So being questioned one day by a Persian woman, where I was from I told her the US.  She argued no one was just an American, maybe because so many of her family had just arrived here.  “You must be some kind of American, where are you from?”  So I told her, “I am a heaven American, for my heritage is of Jesus Christ, and some day I will return there.”  Ended that conversation.  But it made me think, why don’t you here of any Christian Americans?  Can a Christian have dual citizenship?  Should we?  Would we want to?

When you become a Christian you are a new creation in Christ.  Yet so many still continue to live like they aren’t, like before they were saved.  I am disappointed when I gather with other Christians who swear, isn’t what comes from your mouth what is in your heart?  And those who brag about drinking, and still hang out and drink, hiding behind the excuse I never get drunk.  Aren’t we supposed to let nothing get between God’s spirit and our own?  R movies, just a little sex, isn’t that how porn starts?  Explain how these things, sin that is acknowledged by the world, is OK in Christians?  Don’t you get upset when someone uses God’s name in vain?  How would you feel if your wife, kids, or pastor needed you, and you had been drinking and couldn’t come to them?  How would you feel men watching your wife or daughter nude before an audience?  Yet we forget these things, and makes excuses for them.  Beware-the devil is subtle and can appear as an angel of light.  I cannot help but look back when riding through Central California and seeing all the wineries how crops were once grown there, where cattle grazed.  Now grapes grow, how trendy, and does this all spur the food shortage?  The only way you know if you had too much to drink is when you have-and who drinks alcohol not to get a buzz?  Please explain to me how to explain to an alcoholic how drinking is OK?  How you have it all together with your sin, I’d like to hear also.  And yes, Jesus’ first miracle was to change water into wine-new wine, for fermented wine, wine with alcohol has gone through a death process.  Are we going through a death process in Christ, or are all things new to us? 

Maybe what it comes down to is the old question of who is on the throne of your life?  Are you the center, making all the decisions that affect only you-a carnal Christian, or is Jesus the most important?  He is supposed to be on the throne-not us.  How does who Jesus is affect your witness?  You are already going to heaven, but what if someone who knows you are a Christian and sees you in sin, and thinks it is OK because you say you are saved.  Are you misleading them, sending a false message?  Do you love Jesus enough to let Him change your life to change others?  Or are you a hybrid Christian, one foot in the world and one foot in heaven?  If you are you are no good to either one, and a tool of evil.  Remember Cain being asked if he was his brother’s keeper?  The answer is supposed to be yes.  Your witness will tell us more about Jesus than many words you care to speak.

Jesus tells us he will drink no wine before His return, new wine, the fruit of the Spirit.  Proverbs 20:1 tells us “wine is a mocker, and beer is a brawler.  Whoever is led astray by them is not wise.”  That’s scripture, from God.  Care to argue with Him?  So I choose to be a Christian, and if you must hyphenate my status, a Christian-Texan-US-biker.  Saying a Christian is much easier.  And don’t fall back on well that is how different societies do it.  Sodom and Gomorrah were societies.  The Aztecs sacrificing people were a society.  And all great societies in the history of the world were never conquered, they rotted from within.  America-are you listening, with that glass of wine in your hand? What message are you sending your kids?  Your neighbors?  Your co-workers?  And if reminded that sin is fun, remember that being a Christian is the most fun you can ever have, and it never ends-it just gets better.  So what is in your future, what is in your today?

Maybe you drive a hybrid, but are living like a lowbrid.  Change now, watch as God gives you the choice to overcome your sin through Christ.  Take this from a man who did drugs, loved to get drunk and party, and slept around.  Until Jesus showed  me a better way.  And today I take His attitude towards those that still do, I don’t condone it, but I won’t condemn you for it.  Christ died for your sin, your choice to accept or reject.  But don’t be the hybrid living in two worlds.  A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.  So next time you tell me “it’s only a glass of wine, only a few cuss words, or just an R rated movie, my reply is “it’s just Jesus for me.”  Make no excuses, given the choice I rather drive a Corvette than a Prius.  And that is the legacy I choose to leave with you.  If you don’t know the words, you can always hum, just like a hybrid.  But we know Jesus, and know all the words to the song.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com