can a 1991 Saturn be a classic?

In 1991 we were still burdened by a 55 mph national speed limit.  Performance was coming back, via both Mustang and Camaro’s, a Corvette boasted 300 hp, and GM was all abuzz about the launching of their new division, Saturn.  An American built car to take on the imports, we’ve heard that one before, it was a whole new division,  a whole new car with plastic body panels, you were even invited to hit one with a hammer in the showroom.  Sold with a 30 day return policy no questions asked, they sold well, in fact being the most cars sold per dealer that year.  GM was thrilled, the customers were happy, they even had a Saturn owners day at the Spring Hill, Tennessee plant for over 44,000.  The third year they were profitable, and the future looked good, for Saturn but not GM.  And when the advertising hoopla died down, so did the sales.  And in typical GM logic, they changed course for the car, and in 2009 they went away.  But today according to AACA judging rules, they are a classic, along with other such forgotten cars as the first Hyundais, Daihatsu, another GM import from South Korea, Sterling, and Eagle, VW Corrado, Suzuki Samarai, and the brands of Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Plymouth, Saab, and  Mercury.  All cars that today are 25 years old and can be considered classics.  But when confronted with possible ownership of any of these 1991 classics, how many of us would jump at the chance to own one?  1991, that was only 25 years ago, I was only....have I gotten that old too?   They look so old and unattractive, did I really want to own one back then?  Do I now?

So don’t be surprised at the next car show you attend, somebody, usually a weirdo, will show up in a Saturn, and people will gather around it, and tell stories of the one they used to have, and share fond memories.  Maybe classic can be defined by age, but classic might be better described at the feelings and emotions they stir up.  Somewhere out there among the Mustangs, Camaros, and other sporty cars lies a population that was raised on minivans, 4 door sedans, and SUV’s, and that is where all their memories lie.  They may have dreamed of a Corvette life, but reality was they may have owned a Saturn.  What were you driving in 1991?

In 1991 I was using a 1987 Escort as a work vehicle.  A base model with no options, it did its job well.  We also had a 1989 Ford Probe, the first year in black.  Great car, and somehow both managed to be stolen, the Escort found and repaired and finally traded on a 1992 Ford Ranger, the Probe recovered after insurance paid off.  Trust me, after a car is stolen and recovered, get rid of it.  For riding it was my 1985 Yamaha FJ1100, still fast for its time, and the Harley revolution was still young, too many around who remembered the AMF days of the seventies.  Escorts, at one time among the most popularly sold models, when is the last time you saw one?  Would a kid born in the nineties even know what one was?  Same with the Probe, Ford even built a Mazda 626 on the same chassis in Flat Rock, Michigan, seen any of those lately?  Try to find one on Craigslist, they aren’t out there, where did they all go?  Are they all hidden in barns for the next generation’s barn find?  Have they all rusted away, been recycled, or forgotten?  Is it possible that your 1991 Saturn, or Escort, or Probe, or Sterling will be collectible, and rare because none are left?  It seems everyone owned or knew someone who did own a 1955-57 Chevy, will we ever own up to that about a car from 1991?

For just as their were popular cars, there were unpopular cars.  Cars built to a price, some built to a quality.  Some built as disposable, some built to last-or at least the ads said so.  But whose job was it to say which car was good and the other bad?  Sales, popularity, price, service, dealer availability, or monthly payments?  Take your pick, all are right, none are wrong.  The choice is left up to us.  And we still have numerous car companies to choose from today, even with the loss of others.  How could two vehicles, built the same year, be so different?  Are people the same, different by design or different by market?  Consider Moses, a murderer and fugitive, who lived 40 years in the desert.  But God chose him to be his messenger, and today his name is known throughout history.  Why, because God chose him, for God is sovereign, and chooses as he sees fit, something we have trouble with.  We tend to want to control things, and trusting a God to take care of all things can be overwhelming.  Particularly when you consider he also chose Pharaoh at the same time, and look how different the two men were.  Pharaoh was no better a man than Moses, yet God set him on a throne to rule Egypt.  When Moses resisted him, he allowed Pharaoh to do what all men do by nature, resist God.  He could have stopped Pharaoh at any time, but chose not to.  Instead he chose to show his own greatness and mercy through Moses in the situation, who is more like us than we care to believe.  Both men were sinners, far from perfect, only one chose to follow God,while the other claimed to be a god.  But God knew it all the time, yet used both men for his glory, and to bless us.

Today he gives us the chance to choose Jesus or to reject him.  Not pressured, or forced, for true love demands a choice.  Maybe that is why 44,000 Saturn owners attended the party, it was their choice to buy one, no one forced them, and that gave them entry to the brand and the party.  Jesus is the way back to God, and a choice we all will make someday, some saying yes and some still waiting to make up their mind.  Some outright saying no, but God still being patient with them.  But in all cases God knows the beginning from the end and the middle too.  He is sovereign and answers to no one but himself.  And if he did answer to someone else, it would have to be someone like him, for he is true and honorable to himself.  God wants us to consider his greatness, going to the point of becoming a man on earth and dying on the cross.  In both good and bad people we see his mercy and grace, for all things work out for those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose, to his will.  And his will is simple, to know Jesus and be saved.  What do your actions and attitudes say about God?  A place of forgiveness, or a place of patience, as you still rebel against him?  Moses and Pharaoh, both met with God, only one knew him.  Both men’s actions recorded in the Bible, whose story do you want to emulate?  Is your life one of all about me, or one all about Jesus?  Only one type enters heaven...

So why can’t a 1991 Saturn be a classic?  By definition it is and will be recognized by that authority, even though many of us will chuckle.  But the ones who remember it will tell a different story.  Whose authority do you recognize, that of God or of man?  Two men, both men, both sinners, both recorded in the Bible.  Both immortal, but only one in heaven.  A sovereign God gave them both a choice, and they made it.  What is your choice about God?  Spirit influenced or man influenced?  What drives your decisions?  Who do you say Jesus is?  For every Corvette dreamer there were hundreds of Escort owners.  Maybe what you drive says something about you, but how you represent God says even more.  All classics at one time were used cars, for sale cheap.  Jesus paid the price no matter your trade in value.  Be a classic in God’s world, and come to Christ.  So when someone sees you they can say “I remember him, he used to be a bad dude.  Wonder what happened?”  And a chance to share how Jesus changed your life.  For every used person there is a new spirit waiting for them, don’t wait until you are a classic to know him.  By any definition, heaven is always better than hell.  No matter what you drove.  And no, second prize isn’t two Saturns...

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

Ham and eggs

My friend John used to have a very fast car, made from the choicest speed equipment money could buy, or that he could borrow.  Disguised as a blue 2 door Chevelle, this 1967 family sedan with skinny white walls prowled the streets of our area for awhile.  Even looking at it from the rear, in this day of GTO’s, SS396’s, GTX and Road Runners, Boss Mustangs, and 442’s, it showed off its single exhaust, when dual exhausts meant power.  Stock looking from every angle, it was the car to beat, as under its hood was a race engine, a back up engine from a drag racer.  No one was really sure about engine size, as the hood was kept locked and without the obligatory hood pins popular at the time.  The only clue was from the motor that idled funny, almost like it was about to stall at times.  But when the light turned green, this 3 on the tree family car shut down the competition.  Many out of town cars were embarrassed, and soon the word was to look out for this 4 door sleeper.  But it was never raced for pinks or for cash, just winning the race and seeing the look of embarrassment on the opponents face was enough.  I rode in it a few times, never in a race though, and it was fast, the cost of admission a fill up with Sunoco 260, draining my wallet of almost $4.00 while filling the tank with race gas from the pump.  It was fast, but one night at the track its weakness was discovered.

Running in a stock modified class, it had once run in the low tens, fast at the time, and John was heading there that night.  We were all excited to see just what it would do, and he had a great hole shot, had almost a car length on his lane mate, then missed the first to second shift, finishing way behind and running in the 15 second range. All that power came down to who was doing the driving, and one missed shift was to become its legacy.  Not much was seen of it afterwards, and no one dared ask “what’ll she do?” for those of us there that night knew.  You are only as good as your record, and the record that night was of first loser.  The car was just as fast, and whoever inherited it probably knew that, but that one night is how we remember it.  All the other wins meant nothing after that, and it faded into history, probably more of a legend in Jersey, until the next fast sleeper was born.

We discussed the age old question of what came first, the chicken or the egg?  Without fail our group answered the chicken, and based on scripture they were correct.  God created all the creatures great and small, then commanded them to go forth and multiply, advice still given today to newlyweds. Sadly the only book where you never find sex before marriage is in the dictionary, as they practice the procedure before entering the race.  But from the eggs we get a new generation, and each new generation has a basis on an older one.  Like ham and eggs, alone they are OK, but together they make a meal.  And one Mordecai Ham, an evangelist almost one hundred years ago exists today as an important historical man in the life of one man who shaped generations, and still has an impact today.  Bill Graham was a young man when he heard Mordecai preach the gospel, and when it touched his heart, he gave it over to Jesus.  The eggs of hope that Ham had sewn when mixed with the holy spirit had created in Billy a new creature, and he was born again.  And his impact as evangelist, diplomat, advisor to presidents, and his seed of Anne and Franklin carry on today.  One egg of ham, when fertilized by the spirit, gave birth to others, and today his crusades still fill stadiums, and in only a few minutes he can share the gospel with thousands responding.  Much like the sleeper Chevelle, the power of the gospel was found to be patient, waiting for the right moment, and when needed, gives all the power you need.  But also like the Chevelle, in the wrong hands it has no effect, and is only words.  It takes the spirit to drive it, and when spirit driven we see lives changed.  And it works through people like Mordecai Ham and others, who have a place in our salvation, who take the time to share Jesus with us.  Nothing special about us, it is the message of hope that Jesus saves and forgives we share. No special preaching, no fanfare needed, only the spirit moving on our lives, giving us a choice to make, life in Jesus or death and hell.  You may be fast and quick, have it all together, but like John found out when tested, one missed shift will follow you forever.  And you will only be remembered for what you did, becoming who you are.  Mordecai shared Jesus with Billy, after someone shared with him.  And he passes it on, do you?  Remember the first time you heard, are you still excited?  Do you share that excitement today?  Or are you still known as the fast car that lost when the flag dropped, who missed one shift and came in second?  Are you powered by the spirit?  Does your life reflect Christ and his love, or are hiding it all under the hood, your reputation louder than your actions?  Is there anything about your daily life that would cause you to be accused of being a Christian?  Are you ham and eggs, or eggs and ham, putting the eggs first, reversing the order.  I wonder if Billy ever wondered what eggs would be like without Ham?

We are only as strong as our weakest link, ourselves.  But we find all we need in Christ, and in meekness, getting his power of love to the ground, we see lives changed.  Through us, but by his spirit.  Some cars look fast, some sound fast, some are sleepers.  When the flag drops and the competition is the toughest, who do you turn to?  Billy turned to Ham, who turned him to Jesus.  Never will ham and eggs be the same. 

When we were created God placed in us an appetite for him that nothing but the spirit can satisfy.  Eggs alone and ham alone aren’t a meal.  It takes the spirit to satisfy, the perfect meal when the hunger no longer exists, where we are filled with the spirit, and will never hunger or thirst again.  One Samaritan woman at the well can testify to that water.  And Billy can testify because of the Ham.  Getting more religion and feeling less filled?  Maybe a new diet of Jesus and his spirit is all you need.  The seeds have been planted, now let God provide the growth.  The chicken came first, then the egg.  But in the beginning it was the spirit that gave the earth its shape.  If your life is unfulfilled, maybe a plate of Ham and eggs is all you need.  Over easy, or even scrambled, Jesus will feed you to overflowing. 

Something to consider when the flag drops, one missed shift can change your whole life, one decision for Christ will rescue it.  Father, son, and holy spirit, the only names in the race of humans you ever need to know. You may stumble over the chicken and the egg, but never forget Jesus came first, he created both the chicken and the egg.  And will be with us forever.  Now about that omelette....

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

one night not in Charlotte

Boone, North Carolina is more than just a beautiful mountain town.  There is no bad road leading to or from Boone if you ride a motorcycle, and even if you don’t.  To some it  is a college town, the home of Appalachian State University, to others it is a great small town to act as a get away for hiking trails, to those of us who ride the twisties one of the roads leading to “the Snake,”  more turns and less traffic than the Dragon.  And I have ridden it twice, with only one of four roads left untried.  A pleasant surprise on a cool, spring day escaping the curse of I-40.  But my next trip to Boone was to visit the Billy Graham Library, which I figured naturally to be in Boone, since that is where Billy lives and grew up.  So with careful planning and great excitement, it was off to Boone we went.

Arriving on a day where it poured, even by their standards.  We had a motel room, so we had a dry and safe place to stay, but arriving in town had us finding shelter under a gas station awning.  The convenience store adjacent to it, was a place to hang for a few minutes, and we asked where the BGL was, and  no one there had heard of it.  Surely Boone’s favorite son’s library was known, it had even been sponsored on TV.  But both clerks, and other customers all shook their head at the wet So Cal bikers, they must have thought we were nuts, and maybe we are, but I was sure someone had to know.  I mean Billy Graham, his home town.....

So after checking in, and drying off, we turned on the TV and watched the local news.  The big story was of the dangerous weather in Charlotte some 120 miles to the east.  It seems over 600 lightning bolts had hit the ground in just over an hour, we were sure glad we weren’t riding there that afternoon.  But still seeking the library, we asked the clerks, and even other guests at the hospitality gathering at the motel, surely someone would know, and someone did.  The BGL wasn’t in Boone, the reason no one would know where it was, it was and is in Charlotte, and if I had been smart and researched it better, we would have been too.  In town just in time for the 600 lightning bolts to use us as a target while riding in.  No better target in a lightning storm than a motorcycle on a highway in the rain, and in my ignorance, the Lord had used it to protect us.  I had prayed asking “Lord where is it?” and never got an answer with directions, I would have headed there.  That was the desired destination.  But his silence and the silence of others to my single request may have saved our lives.  At best it would have been a lousy ride.  But God knew, as he always does, what is best for us. and a simple detour to us, was his plan for our safety all the time.  And a reward of riding the Snake the next morning.  Maybe giving me a new insight as to why when God says no, or is quiet, it is just to get us to slow down and spend the night, seeking shelter from the storm.  In him.

That one night not in Charlotte gave me new insight to the Lord and his direction.  And how even without us being aware, he is looking out for us.  Even when we appear to know where we are going, but really are lost or misdirected, he is still guiding our paths.  But to know where to go and how to get there, we need direction.  And the best place to start is “where are you?”  The first question you ask someone when they ask for directions.  If you don’t know where you are, you have no starting point, and any direction can be wrong.  And with people, we need first to admit we are sinners.  If we don’t think we are, why would we need a savior?  The world around is enough to show of how low we have sunk, but we also have the holy spirit directing us, telling us “you need Jesus,” not an argument for Bible scholars, a denominational call for membership, or an argument to win, we all have fallen short of the glory of God, and Jesus is the way.  The way, not a way.  And until we obey the spirit, and realize we are sinners with no hope, we will not turn to Christ.  We may turn to religion, but it is not the same.  God sent his son, and then left his spirit to guide us, but we will not change until we come to know sin is wrong, and the things we are doing, the way we are living, and our belief system is wrong.  Only Jesus offers forgiveness, and is available no matter where you are, at any moment.  He was in Boone, while we were there, keeping us safe from Charlotte.  Maybe a lesson in patience too, as the old truism about not being lost as long as you have gas is true too.  We had a full tank, we still needed the spirit’s direction.

Another trip would have us returning to Boone, but after a trip to see the Billy Graham Library, in Charlotte.  A place I would give 5 stars too, a peaceful place, telling about Billy, but representing the God he served, giving Jesus all the glory.  Much like we did after seeing the lightning strikes on TV.  Up until that point he was keeping us safe, without us knowing it.  So where are you in Christ?  Who is he in your life?  A Sunday event you must go to, are you a CEO, Christmas and Easter only?  Do you believe in God, but don’t know him?  Even the start of questions, is the sign of the holy spirit calling you.  No one wakes up one morning and decides to go looking for God, the spirit is calling, and our flesh is weak.  That day we were looking for a somewhere, when someone was answering not what we wanted, but what we needed.  We smile about it now, and give thanks for my ignorance, even experienced travelers get lost, or misdirected.  Some of our best rides have been when we missed a turn, only to find a road we never knew about and were blessed.  Again, the spirit was guiding us, and Jesus knows a thing or two about being on the road.  Scripture emphasizes Jesus time on the road, born on the road, rode into Jerusalem on the road, Philip met the eunuch on the road, the two disciples met him on the road, and he fed the five thousand on the road.  He was finally crucified on the road for all passing by to see, don’t you pass by and miss him.  Lost, where are you?  Before you can ask direction, you must know where you are.  We are all on the road to somewhere, but only one road leads to heaven.  Jesus truly is the way, to heaven and to avoid the storm.  One night not in Charlotte may have revealed more about his love than any ride I have ever taken. 

When God asked Adam in the garden “where are you,” it was one of position in their relationship, for God sees everything. He knew right where Adam was, but did Adam?   Yet Adam was found hiding, he knew he was apart from God, do you?  Where are you in Christ?  It’s not too late to change the road you are on.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

reaction times

It has been sad, and rightly so, that the first auto race occurred when two cars pulled up to a stop together, the driver’s eyes met, and the race was on.  Who was fastest, quickest, and who would get there first, wherever there happened to be.  How many times have you watched American Graffiti, knowing how the race will end, but still excited.  It is the short races, the drag races, that start in a millisecond and are over seconds later that we remember, where fastest doesn’t mean quickest, and the hole shot is everything.  I have a friend Richard who used to drag race Kawasakis back in the seventies, and has an AMA plaque showing his 0.0 reaction time. No over reaction, right on schedule, perfect.  How many times have you come up to a light and the guy next to you revs his engine, trying to impress or intimidate you?  And what do you do with the challenge....losers always have excuses.  Now I am no drag racer, and my reaction times can be measured in days not tenths of a second, but sometimes you just need to protect yourself, your ego, and your image.  And some races are over before they begin....

I had just picked up a Rocket 3 that Mickey had put a Carpenter head on, producing 220 rear wheel horsepower on the dyno.  The redline going from 6500 to 9000, big and scary fast.  Loud like a NASCAR racer on the street, and just as menacing.  I had driven less than a mile, when Mr. Loud Pipes Save Lives pulled up next to me at the light.  Revving his engine, proving his testosterone to be more than any mortal man, he looked me over, “let’s race!”  Until I revved up the Rocket, and the race was over.  It was loud, scary loud, and anything that made a noise like that had to be fast.  And as the light turned green, he putt putted away, race over, I had shut him down before I even left the line.  Later riding down the 22 I wondered why everyone was driving so slow in light traffic, and looked down and saw 120 on the speedo.  Later I would cruise at 125@8000 rpm, in third gear, this was stupid fast as someone would later hang a sign on.  I later found out its sister bike went 8.99@155 mph in the quarter.  And for the week I had it, I knew that anything that challenged me I could beat.  Bring on the challengers, let’s race.  If only in my mind...and for one brief shining moment I was fast, and a champion, never having to prove it. 

Blame it all on Jungle Jim Liberman, and his Funny Car at Raceway Park.  In the early seventies Wednesday night meant drag racing there, and the funny cars were new and exciting.  And Jungle Jim was the man to beat.  Against such foes as Dyno Don Nicholson, Fearless Fred Goeske, Don”the Snake” Prudhomme, and Connie Kalitta, he was the fastest.  And everyone loved him.  And his pit crew, Jungle Pam, she of hot pants, halter tops, and tall boots.  It was a show, and at show time Jungle Jim delivered.  Sitting at Row E, the starting line, we went home deaf from the noise, and smelling of rubber and bleach from the burnouts.  The Pinto we drove in was our race car on the way home, and every light a chance to prove how fast we weren’t, I was no Jungle Jim, and the Pinto was no funny car, although it was the butt of jokes.  And over the years I have had friends with fast cars, Jay and his 1969 SS396, Por Favor had a red one, Vinny with his 1969 Boss 302, O’Grady with a 1967 Chevelle four door sedan,with a hot engine in it, stolen from a professional race team, it always idled funny, and no one ever wanted a return race with it.  And at the local Mickey D’s,where they all hung out, they ruled, until we pulled in with our motorcycles, and suddenly they were fast, but not the fastest.  Never a race to prove it, but the fact was well known among guys who like to go fast.  It seemed we all worshipped at the altar of speed, just in different cars and motorcycles, but speed, going fast quickly was still our god, and many gave their life in it.  Never knowing the true God, the one who created and loved them. 

Today we have divided into many denominations, each choosing to worship God their way, thinking it the best.  They have established rules and classes, and how to worship God.  But often fall short, forgetting about the person, and emphasizing on the denomination.  But like in drag racing, you are on your own, and the relationship between you and God comes down to you and God.  But when led by the spirit you can escape the rules, still live within them, but in freedom.  We forget sometimes that it is all about Jesus, not our church, the programs, the pastor, his books, or the TV show.  We have become desensitized, and fall into a rut, thinking this is all there is.  And then we find we can go deeper, faster and quicker in Christ than we ever thought, and soon we leave the pack behind.  Jesus has made it personal, and our reaction times change.  We see things his way, and soon find ourselves closer to him, and exhibiting the things of Christ.  We see his character in us via his fruits, the love and joy, along with peace and patience.  We don’t have to be the first or fastest, and when we follow the spirit have wisdom we never knew was there.  We see things clearly, clearer than before, for now we see things through God’s eyes, who see everything.  And when the competition comes via temptation or a trial, we know we have all the power we need, and in meekness can apply it.  No burnouts, but power fully under control, burnouts look cool, but when your wheels are spinning the power is not getting to the ground.  But when that perfect power gains contact, we then go forward, in control.  That is meekness, and just like a wheelie looks cool, you need both wheels on the ground to handle correctly.  Don’t let your show be more than your go.

That morning at the light, Mr. Loud Pipes kept revving his motor, real racers don’t, they know a launch rpm and maintain it. What happens if while revving your engine you back off and the flag drops?  You stall.  That morning I opened it up full and held it there.  Only a few seconds, but the message was sent.  And the response appropriate...

How we respond to the power of God will show in the power of our love he gives to us.  When his love agape shows through us, that love that puts all above us, who makes their concerns more important than ours, when we can act with the other persons best interest in mind, then we see that kind of love in action.  But it must be and can only be spirit based, as we can never love that way on our own.  We may rev our engines louder, louder than anyone else, but when the flag drops and we need to show that love, we need Jesus.  And that supernatural love is available from God, it is not difficult, all you need to do is become aware of it, and call on him.  Trust him.  Follow him.  And when you begin to see how much he loves you, you will begin to love others as he has loved and forgiven you. 

Meekness is nothing more than power under control, not losing traction, knowing the friction zone, and employing it.  It works in racing, and it works in love too.  Your actions may be important, but never as important as your reactions.  React in love, never lose traction in the spirit, and live in meekness.  No substitute for cubic inches other than love, no replacement for displacement other than Jesus.  We run the race to win, to gain the prize, but first you must finish, what is your reaction to that?  Better yet, who?

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com