salt of the earth

For the second straight year, Speed Week at the Bonneville Salt Flats has been cancelled.  This barren mecca for land speed record seeking junkies has been shut down, and deemed unsafe for two or four wheel consumption.  Reason, safety or lack of it.  The salt is too soft, or really it has too much moisture under it, and the hard crust that forms when the water evaporates hasn’t formed.  Tell that one to drought stricken California.  Few consider the absence of water is what brings a hardness to the salt surface, but having walked on such surfaces, they give an eerie effect when water is present.  Think of walking on a thin crust that shifts under your weight, giving the illusion that you may fall in, but don’t.  Leaving indentations of where you walked, but no footprints.  Strange yes, but some can be 6-8” deep, unsettling at best.  And this year, like last year, the soft salt has given way to cancellation of Speed Week.  And although I have never attended, I have always wanted to go, especially after watching “World’s Fastest Indian” about Burt Munro. Backed up by the Rocket 3 powered Triumph racer I have seen at Triumph, the need for speed makes me want to go fast.  And faster.  Yet I am on a low salt diet, both food and Bonneville wise, so I am on an asphalt and concrete supplement, feeding daily.

0-60, and with the accompanying 1/4 mile times and speeds, we gauge how fast a car or motorcycle can travel.  Even slow economy cars go 0-60 in under 8 seconds today, fast for the horsepower robbed seventies Muscle Cars, and even comparing the real muscle from the sixties, today’s cars are faster.  And quicker.  The new Mustang 6 cylinder is 0-60 in just over 5 seconds, the turbo 4 the same, and the V-8 in just over 4!  Less time than it took to read this sentence.  To me that is quick, but nothing compared to today’s motorcycles, which can rip off 0-60 in under 3 seconds-if you can hang on.  Whereas under 15 seconds in the 1/4 was fast, now cars have dipped into the 11’s, once motorcycle only territory, and the fastest bikes are in the 9’s.  Quick, and with a speed limited 155mph, fast too.  But the price for such cars will set you back as much as my first  house, while a motorcycle for under $10,000, way under sometimes, will get you there quicker. 

And speed being relative, how about 0-100 in under 5 seconds?  0-150 in under 11 seconds?  All for the price of a new bike, if you can swing the payments on a $15,000 note.  Try that in your Prius sissy boy!  Personally I have been into the rev limiter at 155, and it is fast.  Been over 130 on my Tiger 1050.  And just yesterday hit the rev limiter at 113 in third gear merging onto the freeway on the Trophy.  All on the street, which only makes me want to do it on the track, which leads me back to Bonneville. Quick is fun, fast is fun, and the combination where it is safe is attractive to me.  Leading me back to the salt of the earth.  Where cars and motorcycles give it flavor.  Which this year will have no flavor, for the salt will be barren.  Without life, without speed.  No people, no thrills, no records to be set.  But El Mirage will open up this year, with a 12,500 foot runway of asphalt to substitute.  Closer to home, do I feel a road trip coming up?  It may not be the same, for what happens when the salt has lost its flavor?  Will a new  high speed have an * next to it, denoting a substitute for a salt free track?  Is fast at El Mirage the same as fast at Bonneville? 

Yet so many fall short of paying homage to the God of Speed.  But you don’t need to go to Bonneville to enjoy the salt of the earth.  You can when you come to Jesus.  He tells us we are the salt of the earth, and without us the world loses its flavor.  Think of that, we are the MSG of life here on planet earth, if we have Christ in our lives.  And we can be that salt and flavor on the track, in the garage bench racing, at work, or even in church.  Wherever we go Jesus is with us, remember he never leaves us or forsakes us, and therefore he gives the world flavor through us.  If you would, imagine the diet I was on after my open heart surgery.  Bland, diabetic, a thrill was broccoli soup.  No salt, few spices, and no Frosted Flakes.  Food devoid of sodium, which hardened my aorta causing it to disintegrate. The silent killer.  The same salt that is hard enough to race on, hardened my heart.  Yet many hard hearts are here today towards Jesus, not because of diet, but because of unbelief.  And just like high blood pressure brought on by too much salt causes hardening of the arteries, a life without Jesus causes a hard heart also.  No love, no compassion, and devoid of passion.  For God’s gives us passion for the things we love, without him we are hard hearted, leading to death.  Which is why the gospel is such good news, it brings life to the dead and dying.  It takes too much salt, and proportions it in the right amounts and provides flavor.  And a fragrance that is sweet smelling to God.  Think of the sweet smell of racing castor, to us heaven, but our love for Christ in our daily lives is even sweeter to him.  Bonneville may be the salt of the earth for speed, but Jesus is the salt of the earth, working through our lives for the human race.  And who runs the race not intending to win?

But just as too much salt is bad, love without Jesus doesn’t work.  Too many preach at us, becoming a loud clanging symbol, or a bell pushing us from Christ.  For without love we have nothing, for God is love.  And without God, no love, no salt for us to be.  We lose our flavor, and our purpose.  And no matter how fast we live, it is never fast enough.  Until we crash or burn out.  And Jesus is still there, offering the salt shaker of life.  Just not at Bonneville this year.

God gives life flavor through is son Jesus Christ.  Hungry for more after religion?  Talk about God but don’t know him?  Filled with church but no Jesus?  Add the salt of his love to your diet today.  Turn to Christ, he is waiting.  When he comes into your life, it has flavor.  The best witness of Jesus you can have, the spirit living in you, and you becoming the salt that life needs.  Some religion promises quick, some fast, but without Jesus you may run the race, but will never win.  You may gain trophies, but not be entered in the book of life.  Where there are no * by any names, no conditional salvation.  All of God or none of God.  No Jesus, no salt.  No salt, no spirit.  And no spirit, no life.  No matter how fast or how far you go.  What part of no don’t you understand?

0-60 in time comes up faster than we think.  Don’t delay, you can be saved today.  0-25,0-12, 0-80, all are eligible.  A class for everyone, where Jesus lets you run what you brung.  And all go home a winner.  Don’t let your God be an El Mirage, race the real race and win.  Speed Week starts now, the salt flats may be closed, but God is open now waiting to hear from you.  Now excuse me while I take a break to water a lemon tree.....no MSG added.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

used cars and $10 tacos

Years ago a man I knew sold his old car to a young kid.  All excited, the young man drove away, but was back a few minutes later, on foot.  The car had stalled at the first intersection, and wouldn’t restart,  and he was back asking for help, or his money back.  The reply he got was far from what he expected, “it’s your car, it’s your problem.”  This man whom I had respected as a coach, I now had a whole new opinion of, he had sold his reputation for a few hundred dollars.  But it was even more costly than the money he might have spent, as we all learned his true heart, and we lost all respect for him.  It is sad when money enters the situation how our attitudes and also our values change.

Buy for love and sell for money is an old mantra, and not only referring to used cars.  We all like to get the best deal, and I have overpaid more than once, and also got some incredible bargains.  I try to operate off the definition of a good deal, one in which both parties benefit, but the world is always out for themselves, and many times I am also.  Before my open heart surgery, I used to eat at a place in Bird Rock that sold 99 cent fish tacos, good fish tacos.  In the rush of giving me my change, the young girl gave me change for a $20 instead of the $10 I had given her.  To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I had given her a 10 or 20, but my conscience was bothering me.  And it did for a week, until I went back the next week, and confronted her.  I told her it was possible that she had given me too much change, and I wanted to return it.  She was amazed, and told me they had come up $10 short in the cash drawer that afternoon, and being a small family owned business they were concerned.  She was very appreciative, and thanked me.  We talked, she wondered why I had even come back, and I told her it wasn’t about the $10, but about my having to deal with myself.  Would $10 made a difference n my salvation?  In my walk with God?  On the outside it may not have shown, but on the inside I would have sold out my integrity for $10.  What would you have done?  Would you, have you sold out for less?

And so we see scripture fulfilled, that the love of money, not just money is the root of all evil.  We cut corners to make ends meet, but yet we don’t turn to God to start with.  Why is it that we trust Jesus to save our souls from hell, but don’t believe he can take care of our day to day problems?  Maybe sometimes it is easier to believe what we can’t see, than t is to believe what we can see.  When I was younger, a man’s handshake was his bond, his word.  Now we have cleverly worded contracts, that never seem to work out for me.  But in the end do, as all things work for those who love God and are called for his purpose.  His purpose, for us to show love, to be light and life to a dying world.  To be his messenger, for Jesus saves, we don’t.  Why is that important, because when we are saved, we begin to be like Jesus.  If we were the one who saved, the new believer would become like us.  Think about it, would you really want someone to act like you?  I don’t.  Me included. So take money from the equation, and see how your attitudes effect your actions.  We may all be surprised.

When we first moved to California, we rented from a man for 7 years.  When he wanted to sell us the house, he gave us an inflated price, fair to him, but not to us.  But being young, we accepted, but then changed our minds, no money changing hands.  And he wouldn’t give us back our last month’s deposit.  So we took him to court, where he claimed we had ruined the yard, and showed pictures.  But so did we, only ours had dates, showing the effects of water after we moved in. I had prepared a file to win, but the judge took it from me, he wanted the truth, and from my heart.  And it came down to one thing, the cancelled check showing where I had put the memo “last month’s deposit.”  But it had taken effort, for my bank was in Durango, Colorado, and the check was 7 years old.  But calling a lady who worked there, she knew my reputation, and spent hours trying to find the check, sending me a copy, only a few days before the records were to be shredded.  Handing it to the judge, it was a slam dunk win, and he pronounced the verdict immediately in our favor.  We won!  The money was important, but our integrity was really on trial.  Ours was true, the old landlord got caught in his lies.  All over $700.  Makes my $10 mistake pale, but he had sold out.  The cost didn’t matter.  The end result did.

Today we all will be forced to make decisions with our money.  The world has a great influence on us, usually for their advantage, not ours.  Paul tells us in Corinthians that he will let nothing be master over him, he will be a slave to no one or no thing, except Christ.  And he could say that being under the power of God, in the spirit.  Great men are really no different than us, they just make the right decisions, the right choices.  If God is for us, who can be against us?  Jesus was sold out for 30 pieces of silver, the price of a slave, have we sold out to him?  His price is your life, and he wants to make it better for us.  Those who trust him to save know that, but the daily battle of trusting him is ever present.  Try these steps in your next situation, as Nehemiah did when faced with rebuilding the walls.

1-Let the deep concern or sorrow take us to prayer, immediately, how sad when I hear “we did everything else, I guess we should pray.” 

2-Give God time to answer, and wait.  His timing is critical, and so is his answer.  Why ask if you don’t wait for his answer?

3-Face the facts of the situation honestly and fairly.  Let God be the Master of all your situations.  We may not win every battle, but we will win the war.

Today I win more fights, because I am better at choosing my battles. I go to Christ quicker, and let him handle it.  Be ruled by integrity, and not the dollar.  We are asked “what does it profit a man if he wins the world but loses his soul?”  Is a used car worth your reputation?  Will you brag to God what a great deal you made?  Money is just way of trade, but the love of it, is evil.  And many times we pay a huge price for years to come.  What is the price of your reputation?  Of your witness?  Of the words you say to others?  Or are they tainted by money?  Looking out for yourself at the expense of others? 

In God we trust, all others pay cash.  Or really beware.  Let God rebuild our walls, fix our cars, and change lives in his name.  Giving him all the glory, while he gives us all the blessings.  Seek ye first, the kingdom of God, and then all things will be added unto you.  The name on the title of your life, being written in the Book of Life should make a difference.  Does it in yours?  Face your problems with the enemy today, knowing Christ is with you.  The wonderful counselor, whose advice only works if taken.  Such a deal he has for you.  What’s in your heart is more important than what is in your wallet.  For Esau it was stew, for me almost a $10 bill.  Nehemiah trusted God, do you?

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

 

if the bike fits, ride it

My wife learned quickly after getting her motorcycle license that your motorcycle is a very personal thing.  Not so much the cosmetics, not so much the cool it makes you feel, but the way you feel on it while riding down the road.  We lowered her ride 101/2 inches, easier than stretching her the same, and suddenly the bike was rideable.  After adding a small windshield, she goes anywhere, and some places others trailer their ride to.  Just a few personal touches made a huge difference.  And soon she learned about her engine size, how fast it would go, and could hold her own with many men who would ask her questions, amazed that the pony tail hanging out of the helmet was a girl.  Under the leather jacket was the heart of a rider...and it became personal.  And so there are many bikes for many types of riders.  I have done 1000 mile days on sport bikes and arrived comfortably, and done 200 miles on cruisers, swearing I would never ride one again, until I did.  I have ridden fast at 40 mph, and slow at 100.  Personally I prefer bikes without all the goodies, but my mind as been changing lately, as all the new press bikes I ride have electronics, from throttle, to ABS, to cruise control, to mini-computers that give a wealth of info at speed.  But it still comes down to how I feel behind the handlebars, and some just take a little more time than others to get used to.  And some I never get used to...must be my age.

Yesterday I rode 300 miles of freeway, mountain roads, and high desert on a Trophy, Triumph’s BMW version of a tourer.  With an electric windshield you can adjust while moving, I was enjoying wind in my face in the mountains, and protection behind it on the freeways.  Cruise set at 80, I could fall asleep, after all that is where it is supposed to excel, but I was surprised how well it handled in the mountains.  I passed Harleys, sport bikes, and rode a pace I usually would on my Street Triple.  It handled very well, and once you got in a rhythm, the fun factor was pegged.  This 900 pound bike handles, it is a Triumph of course, but where you pointed it, it went.  And stayed, no frame shake, no rear end wanting to pass me, and looking at the rear tire, no chicken strips, and it is 200mm wide!  I came away refreshed, amazed, and impressed...but still love my Bonneville.  That does the same thing for 400 pounds less, and no windshield.  So does both my Tigers, or my old Suzuki.  Something to consider when you buy your next bike, or try one out.  Maybe the most important component on a motorcycle is the rider.

Boo hoo to those HD mavens who claim all sport bikes are uncomfortable.  Or you must ride with your feet in the birthing position. True, some sport bikes are a bit exaggerated, but above 80, they are more comfortable, and the light weight in corners doesn’t wear you out.  A new trend, for some years now has caught on, ADV bikes, or adventure bikes, sitting up like on a dirt bike, has become popular.  Once called dual sports, or scramblers, they handle as well, don’t tire you out, and handle great, with superbike power, and ABS brakes.  Why be uncomfortable when you don’t have to be.  Yet we all have the illusion of how we look while riding, my best view is from behind the handlebars, nothing cooler than riding, don’t get caught up in the fashion end of it.  Riding is much more than how I think I look to others, get over it, it is about the ride, it is personal, so enjoy the ride, and if the bike fits, ride it.  And if it doesn’t fit, ride it any way.  Unless the thought of a Prius moves you to emotion...it brings me to tears.

So get over yourself, and ride.  Better than any car, except maybe the new Mustang GT, you have a freedom on a bike no others experience.  All roads call, some will deserve your immediate answer, some will be the way to get to the ones you want, but ride.  For me, one stop along a deserted road, just me and my ride, reminds me of why I ride, sometimes even more than while riding.  It is that personal, get to know your bike, and what better way than to go riding.  So what’s your excuse?

Being a Christian builds confidence in who you are, but more importantly who you are in Christ.  We’re accepted, name written in the book of life, we are saved.  Yet many take their spiritual temperature by the hour, am I in God’s will?  Am I hot?  Am I cold?  Am I praying enough, am I going to all the church I should?  Suddenly it is all about you, when it is really all about Jesus.  It is not who we are, but who he is.  Not what we do, but what he has done.  And some micromanage themselves into a depression worrying if they are doing enough.  They focus on themselves, and forget Jesus, who loved them as sinners, and does the same now saved.  I love it when some well meaning Christian, after bragging how they read so much Bible, ask me “are you in the word?”  My answer is “is the word in you?”  Jesus is the word, is your new life all about him, or still about you?  Many ask “what would Jesus do?”  As a Christian, you have to ask?  Do you know the book or its author?  Does your walk consume you, or does the love of Christ? 

Like what you ride, many are more concerned about the bike than the ride.  The ride is life, and where you are is more important than who you are.  So where are we?  We are in Christ, and should enjoy the ride he provides every day.  So put away your spiritual thermometer, quit worrying about if you are doing enough for Jesus, you can’t, and start living in the spirit, and rejoice because you are simply, wonderfully one with Jesus.  Read your Bible because you want to, same with church.  Don’t fell forced, feel led.  Pray often, meditate, think on Jesus as the day goes, and enjoy the road you are on.  Once saved, you are on the road to heaven, and it takes freeways, back roads, gravel, and driveways to get there.  So enjoy the ride, it is that personal.  Just like riding, except you have heaven.  And can on earth also.

Jesus accepts us as we are, but also is excited about who we will become in him.  To those of us who have gotten over the all about me part, we love the ride, and get excited about it.  And when we get over ourselves, and live a life in Christ not worrying about our performance, we actually perform better.  Riding and walking in the spirit.  So where are you with Jesus?  Where do you want to be?  Still trying to impress others with your walk?   Life is more than stickers and a cool Bible cover, it is knowing the only one who can save.  It is all about Jesus.  Never take to the road without him.  Next time someone asks you about your ride “what’ll she do?”  remember it is all about who twists the throttle.  Does Jesus twist yours?  Ride in the spirit, and don’t worry about what is behind you.  Use your mirrors wisely, and keep looking ahead.  Where your eyes go, the bike will follow.  So keep your eyes on Jesus, the ultimate ride.  You will find that others don’t care about how much you know, but about how much you care.  So if the bike fits, ride it.  All the way to heaven.  And enjoy the ride.  It’s a personal thing.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

no animals were injured making this film

It is hard to believe that 6 years have passed since I made my film debut with Angelina Jolie.  It may surprise you to think I was in a film with her, it would surprise her too, but I was, and for almost two minutes in the film “SALT” I was there, or really there I was.  When Mickey called me and asked if I wanted to make some money riding a Street Triple, I jumped at it.  Triumph has many connections within Hollywood and with celebrities, and needed sound for the film SALT, would I be interested?  Was the Pope Catholic that day?  So I agreed, and my friend Stu rode along up to a deserted road in Lancaster, where I would ultimately make over 100 passes at 100 mph, and get paid for doing it.  So off on the 2009 orange Street Triple I went.  Stu and I had talked about dealing with Hollyweird types, and we wanted to be a good representative of Jesus, so planned a day witnessing.  But while praying on the way up, a 120 mile ride by itself, God spoke to me,and the impact it would have on the day was important.

Arriving at the preplanned spot, we met two sound guys, one with the script, and wanted me to follow it, making the sounds they would need.  New to motorcycles, he had no idea what he really needed, so I looked at the script, and told him I would make the sounds he needed.  Some riding at him at high speed, some away, some using all 6 speeds, and some using only three.  Maximum effect, I only hoped it wouldn’t turn out that the bike sounded like it had 12 speeds, that the audio would match the visual.  And away I went...

First using a stationary mike, the sound was impressive, but the mike overly sensitive.  At a half mile away at the top of the hill, you could hear me idle.  Wind noise was more than I was used to hearing, and so was brake noise.  They wanted sound, not noise, but got the real sound of riding.  But with repositioning of mikes, we got some great sounds.  One in particular was incredible, while he was standing at the shoulder, I rode at him going through the gears, and when I was about to hit him, at over 100, veered right and continued.  How good was it?  Listening to it later, we were blown away, best described by his words.  “You’re gonna be sitting in the theater, and hear this, and the shivers will go down your spine, and you will say ‘that was me.’”   Even after playing it a dozen times it still made my heart leap! 

And by the end of the day we were all tired, hungry, and spent time over burritos listening to me ride.  Watching the listener on headphones move to the sound...if only Angelina knew!

But the time I spent with God riding up made all the difference.  His plan for the day was different than mine.  I wanted to use the opportunity to share the Lord, never a bad thing, but he had a different way than mine planned.  His words to me that day were simple, “go and have fun.”  He had prepared the day for me, knowing my passion for him, and for riding, he provided an arena for me to enjoy and be myself.  A true witness of who Jesus is in my life, not going out to witness.  Not switched on when needed, when Jesus is in your life, all you do is a witness.  The good shows how he changed your life, the bad places you haven’t allowed him in yet.  We all had a great time, they got some great sound, and my 8 hours of riding came down to 1:41 on film.  A film I have never seen, except for that  1:41!  I let God bless me, and in doing that was a blessing to others.  Simple gospel, being yourself in Jesus, but usually the hardest thing to do.  Be yourself.

It seems we put demands on ourselves that God doesn’t.  When we just live our lives we often show more of a living God than when we try to choreograph our walk.  So truly God’s ways are different than ours, and yes, he rides.  And he loves the sinners just as much as  the saved.  The reason Jesus came into the world.  Where we can be ourselves, and still be saved.  And still live in a fallen world.  So maybe a lesson from Abraham and Sarah, with the focus on Sarah is important.  God told them they would bear children, they were old and she was barren.  But he promised, they believed, never a bad thing, until Sarah decided to do it her way.  As we do so often, God gives a vision, an idea, a plan, and we take it upon ourselves to see it comes to pass.  Isn’t the same God who promised good enough to fulfill his promises?  Does he need our interference, I mean help?  How differently my day of riding would have been if I hadn’t trusted God, he wanted to bless me, and I let him.  And others were blessed too.  And no animals were injured making this film!  It’s OK to let God bless you!  So let him!

Be all you can be in Christ.  Enjoy all the freedom you have been given in the spirit.  And tell others.  Maybe even ask yourself, “if I wasn’t a Christian, would I want to be like me?”  Lighten up and let God be God.  Learn from Sarah, her not trusting God led to a family fight between brothers that still continues today.  Isaac and Ishmael couldn’t get along as brothers, and today the Jews and the Arabs, their descendants still battle.  Just like we do if we don’t trust God.

So next time, the first time you see SALT, or Google the motorcycle sequence on Youtube.com, Angelina Jolie Triumph, think of me.  But really think of God, and how he blessed me that day.  He allowed me to be myself, still loved me,and blessed me more than I would have allowed myself to be blessed.  Jesus saves, we don’t.  We are simply messengers bringing a message of salvation to a lost and dying world.  Be that messenger, let your life be a witness of Jesus Christ, and ride and have fun.  Be you, the hardest thing to be sometimes, and let Jesus change you.  Even harder.  The blessings are there is we only let him.  For me I was more excited about riding and getting paid for it, for some it may be the movie.  Or Angelina.  But it will always be about the ride, so bring Jesus along.  The best blessings come when we let him bless us, and don’t try to do it ourselves.  Sarah learned the hard way, for me it was riding in obedience.  Trusting a loving God.  Riding more and enjoying it less?  You need Jesus...and yes, when I heard that part on the film, I stood up and said “that was me!”  We ride, Jesus saves.  Apollos planted, Paul watered, but it was God who provided the growth.  And the blessings.  Don’t wait for the film version, read his book today.  And when you get to the part where Jesus saves the sinners, you too can say “that was me.”  If you were miked up for a day of riding, what would we hear?

love with compasiion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

bridges-to get to the other side

We all know the old chicken joke about why he crossed the road, but do we realize that bridges are really the reason we get to the other side.  I am fascinated by bridges, and also their building.  Great technology, skill, and patience goes into the design and construction of them, and we have travelled many miles out of way just to cross one.  Some are famous like the George Washington Bridge, I went over it years before Martha was built underneath, making it a two level bridge.  George on top.  Prompting many a joke.  The Tappan Zee Bridge which I read lately is falling apart, how many times have I crossed that escaping from Jersey via New York on my way to Connecticut?  The Verranzano Narrows Bridge to Long Island, referred locally as “The Guinea Gangplank,” and that is but of a few in the New York Metro area.  My first time across the  Royal Gorge in Colorado with Theresa I rode across, she walked.  In case it fell.  Been over the Golden Gate too many times, sometimes visible, sometimes mired in fog.  All on the same crossing.  On trips to my grandparents we used to go over the new bridge, but when I could drive it was the old bridge in Easton, washed away in 1955 by Hurricane Diane, now referred to as the Free Bridge.  Something about the age and history...One day riding on Highway 61 from Mississippi to St. Louis we crossed over it 7 times, sadly such bridges such as the Chain of Rocks Bridge are gone. 

Ever ridden to the Florida Keys?  I forget how many bridges you cross, locally in Miami they refer to them as causeways.  Like bridges and tunnels, then the Chesapeake Bay Bridge is the only way to go to get to Delmarva from Virginia Beach.  17 miles over the Bay, and under it.  Riding along you suddenly disappear under the water...cool sensation.  But what’s Delmarva?  The peninsula of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia...the bridge to it the main attraction.  One of my favorite is the Astoria Bridge in Astoria, Oregon to Long Beach, Washington.  A great bridge really high so the ships can pass under, then long after for the river it crosses is very wide.  And free, so we have ridden back and forth over it many times, and the view...WOW!  While further east the Bridge of the Gods is a two lane bridge over the same river, steel grated, not much fun on a motorcycle, and last time we followed a semi, which made the bridge shake each time he edged forward, as we looked down 100 feet. So many bridges, so little time, but my favorite, for its length, height, and scare factor is the Mackinac Bridge in Michigan, uniting the Upper Peninsula with the glove part of the state.  I have ridden over it both ways, and it was scary enough the first time that I vowed to never cross it again.  Windy, rainy, and cold that day, reaching St. Ignace the town had closed down the weekend before for the winter-it was still September.  The bridge was celebrating its 50th birthday, been there, done that, still have the shirt.  And the Yupper is a ride all its own.  But with lanes paved and grated, the second time with Theresa the paved lane was closed, and the grate wet and slippery, a five mile prayer just to get over it.  With some sections under repair, just 5 feet from going into the lake if the wind caught you...

But the story of the men who built it, under budget and ahead of schedule is another story.  The pictures make my knees weak as you see men on girders 100 feet above the lake, no safety tethers.  The men who designed it fascinate me, as they were able to take a dream, put it on paper, and make it real.  Just some stats on this 5 mile wonder, height of the main towers over the water 552 feet-over 50 stories tall!  42,000 miles of suspension cables.  Total weight of bridge, 1,024,500 tons!  4,851,700 rivets!  Any way you look a it that is a lot of bridge.  A must see and must cross over, at least once in your riding career. 

But what did this majestic bridge replace?  A ferry, which in busy season could present you with an up to 19 hour wait!  Just to get to the other side.  Which is where we find our friends the apostles when they encounter Jesus, walking on the water in the early morning hours.  Why was Jesus walking on the water?  To get to the other side, just as he told them he would meet them.  Many concentrate on Peter also walking on it, in faith they say, but it was really obedience.  Jesus told him come and he did.  “If that is you” Peter had asked.  And of course how Jesus rescued him when he fell.  But we see here a new side to the relationship after Peter is rescued.  Up until that time Peter knew him as rabbi, teacher, had seen him feed 5000, heal the lame and blind.  He had seen the miracles of Christ, but had never experienced the miracle of salvation, the reason Jesus had come to earth, to save us.  Note Peter had travelled with him and was close to him, but on this day was so close that when he fell in fear, he yelled “Jesus save me!”  Jesus was so close he reached out and saved him...and they were instantly on the other side.  Just as he had said.  Literally and spiritually Peter was saved that day, and now knew Jesus as his savior.  And had crossed over to the other side, from death to life, from hell to heaven.  How many today will accept Jesus as a philosopher, religious figure, teacher, and even profit?  But he is really Lord and savior, and is reaching out to save us.  How many of us when faced with drowning in our sin called out to Jesus to “save me!”  To rescue me form my situation?  to get me to the other side?  But as we find, in the midst of the storm, there was Jesus, and he is in the midst of our storm today.  Not to take us around it, but to take us through it, to arrive at the other side.  Just as he says.  And he is the only way to the other side, to heaven,and being reunited with God.  I the storm you are in right now, will you call out to him to be saved?  No one else but Jesus saves.  No other god, holy man, religion, philosophy, lifestyle, or denomination can save you.  Only Jesus.

Like a bridge, he is the way to the other side.  Get to know him today as Peter did as savior.  You may have seen miracles, or even been one.  But only when asking Jesus to save you will you bridge the gap of sin and arrive on the other side.  Peter spent years with Jesus, it took a storm at 3 in the morning when he was afraid to call out to Jesus.  It wasn’t faith that made him walk on the water, it was obedience when Jesus told him to come.  He recognized Jesus at that point and went to him in obedience.  Which follows faith, which leads to trust.  Are you so close you can see him, but still not know him as Lord?  Do you pray aimlessly without knowing him?  Are you assured of getting to the other side when you die?  Peter did, and is.  But it took meeting Jesus face to face to be saved.  His outstretched hand is extended to you today, will you reach out ad grab hold of it?  Or are you still in the boat shaking and scared?

Jesus told them he would meet them on the other side.  Peter found out exactly what Jesus meant that night when he was saved.  The others were instantly there too, but without the heart experience Peter had.  That would come later.  Personally to each one.  So maybe my fascination with bridges reminds me of Jesus.  And being saved. I have no desire to walk on the water when I can ride over it.  One storm over the Mackinac will do that to you.  I never thought of it as a place of prayer, but thousands cross it everyday hoping to get to the other side.  Peter knew, I know.  Even the chicken knew.  You cross over to get to the other side.  And you thought it was a story about faith...

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

wouldn't you really rather ride a Buick?

In my defense, I admit I love motorcycles..  All kinds.  All sizes.  I have anything form Bonnevilles to Classic bikes to sport bikes in my garage right now.  Of the six, each one has a different motor.  And of the dozen or so times I have ridden from coast to coast I have done it on anything from 650 to 1100cc, from 2 to 4 cylinders.  So I rest my case even before mentioning all the bikes I ride for Triumph.  You be the judge...I love motorcycles, and motorcycling.  Guilty, serving a life sentence.  But some do stretch my affection, such as my friend Stu’s Gold Wing, aka The Buick.  It weighs as much as any two bikes I own, has a windshield the size of an NBA backboard, 1800cc six cylinder, the rear seats have arm rests, it has a trunk, a front tire the size of my rear tire, a radio, cruise control, and the new ones have airbags.  Hence the name The Buick.  All the things new cars have, including reverse, “honest officer I’m not drunk, that motorcycle backed into me...”  Its owners claim they are the ultimate touring bike, I leave that one to individual taste, with a warning, pass them whenever you can.  On one ride encountering a group of them, they never exceeded 50 mph, and when we stopped and talked I mentioned the low speed, “can’t you hear your radio if you go any faster?”  A tap on the shoulder reminded me “no they can’t.”   Like I said, in my defense...

Swapping bikes yesterday at Triumph, I am now riding a 2015 Trophy SE, their big touring bike.  Not my first, and I sorta like them.  For their size they handle-they are a Triumph after all, they go fast, great motor, and I like having bags every once in awhile when I forget to bring a bungee cord along.  But I never have listened to its sound system, and mu curiousity got the best of me yesterday, so riding down I-5 along the ocean, I adjusted the windshield up, still like wind in my face, set the cruise on 80, and turned on the radio.  Finding KGB appropriately playing Hitching a Ride by Boston.  And for the next few minutes I was in Buick land.  The sound was great, the air clean, and I was cruising with no input from me.  And when the song ended I woke up, and realized what I had done, I had ridden a Buick, just like the Wing nuts do, except I did it at 80, and could hear the music fine.  But I had lost all contact with riding, no input from my right wrist, minimal wind in my face, and no music from the 3 cylinder exhaust.  I had crossed over the line, and I asked myself “what had just happened?”  Had I aged decades for few miles?  Had I crossed over into a land where motorcycles had become car like?  I had sorta enjoyed it, but them I asked myself “wouldn’t you really rather ride a Buick?”  And the answer was, is, and will be “NO!” I was on a motorcycle, just not of motorcycling.

It was everything I don’t ride for.  I like light bikes that handle, are quick and are fun.  This was fun only because it was a motorcycle, but I was riding a Buick, a car.  I was mesmerized by the computer screen telling me I was getting 49.1 mpg at 80 miles per hour, but had lost contact with riding.  Input, just not sensory. I had crossed over into a land I hope to avoid and was the better for it.  True, for the next 1000 miles this will be my ride, but I will enjoy the wind in my face, the roar of the triple, and wearing the sides of the tires off.  Using the cruise as a defense mechanism, it helps keep the speed down, this sucker is fast, and fortunately the cruise only works to 100.  Like I said, in my defense...and parked next to the Street Triple in my garage, which has everything you need on a motorcycle and nothing you don’t, I feel a ride coming on over some curvy roads I know.  Therapy from therapy, I don’t need no doctor, just two wheels and a motor.  And no, I really rather not ride a Buick.

When Jesus left his disciples, he prayed to his father to not take them out of the world, but to protect them.  We are of God, but still live in this world.  With two kingdoms fighting for our souls, God’s and Satan’s.  And many Christians, myself included have warned new believers to get out of the world, seclude yourself from it.  Avoid any and all contact with it, and don’t get mixed up with it as long as you live.  Just the opposite of what Jesus prayed.  We are to be in the world, just not of it.  We are God’s, bought with a price, and belong to him.  And he protects us.  And think about it, where did Jesus spend all his time?  Where were you when you heard about Christ?  And where was the person who shared Jesus with you?  Out in the world!  If we are to be salt and light where are we to be it?  Out in the world!  Not covering our light under a basket, or behind a windshield, but in it.  Just not of it.  I rode behind a fairing, radio and cruise on.  But I was not of it.  Don’t fall into the trap of segregating yourself from the lost.  True bad company corrupts good morals, and we are to not even say “God bless you” to the cultists, but we are to walk in the freedom Jesus did, in the spirit protected and guided from God above.  Not from our own rules, but by God’s.  God is calling us by his spirit to live in the world, just not be overcome by it.  To not be contaminated by it, but bring life to a dying generation.  We are to be a release for those in bondage, ambassadors of Jesus Christ, not seclude ourselves with those who believe like us, shielded by doctrine and not God.  We need to live in the spirit, and enjoy all the freedoms Jesus died for.

It is possible we are walking in sin if we aren’t out in the world becoming the light of Christ and isolating ourselves.  Without us to be that light, the world is left in darkness, and it is left with only the rocks to praise God, to cry out.  To do what we are supposed to do, but neglect to do.  So try a different approach today, ask Jesus what he wants you to do, without giving him the choices.  Be warned, you will encounter Lazaruses laid in your path, don’t step over them.  You may encounter those who are the least of them, be reminded that what you do to them you are doing to Jesus.  Try showing love and courtesy, compassion and understanding, knowing that if not for the grace of God, there go I.  Find the freedom of getting out from behind the windshield of religion and experience life in the spirit.  Maybe even talk or ride with someone your parents warned you about.  God will protect you, and like he says, obedience is better than sacrifice.  Some ride protected from the wind, I like to ride in it.  I am selfish, I want everything I can get from my ride and my God.  I want to be blessed, so if you ask, “No, I really rather not ride a Buick.”  But I will share in the blessings he provides while riding it.  I love Jesus, guilty serving a life sentence. Life!

Now about those plush animals on your trunks....

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com