will you still love me tomorrow? or after the new wears off

How many times have we been taken in by the ads for a new model or new car and been willing to sell all we have or will have to get it?  Probably more common than you think, as I look back on cars I have purchased when I could get financed, but still couldn’t afford a trip to the grocery store until the next paycheck.  Sometimes it starts with the ad, telling you how you life will change after you buy their car, sometimes it is the neighbor we hate because he has one upped us and suddenly your two year old sedan looks like an old man’s car compared to his new fastback.  Maybe it was the younger single co-worker with no kids and money to spend who dove you over edge, maybe a raise that finally enabled you to break even every month, but went to a new car.  Whatever the reason, we were driven to the new car dealer and drove out with a new car. 

Now this new car could come in many shapes and models.  The sedan you hate may be the car they desire, if only because it has four doors for all the kids.  It isn’t in the shop every week.  Maybe the attraction of shiny new paint is too much, a promise of better miles per gallon, or the new car smell that never lasts long enough.  But for all these reasons and more, we will go onto debt, sacrifice regular meals, wear worn out shoes and jeans just so we can peek into the garage and see the new baby we just had.  And new and beautiful it is, until after everyone has seen it, and admired your choice, and then the first payment comes.  Suddenly all the new is gone, and it is relegated to the same status as the once treasured car it replaced.  After the new wears off, when it needs service, a bath and some tlc, too many sit there and ask “will you still love me tomorrow?” 

If cars could talk, I know guys who claim they can, the new ones and the old ones would have interesting conversations.  The new would be excited about a new owner, about being new and desirable, while the older cars would look back and remember when they once were new.  And warn the new cars of things to come, to enjoy today, for some day you will be just another used car to be traded.  That as important as you were the day you drove off the showroom floor, the in between years will have taken their toll, and now a final bath and shine will try to cover up al the use and abuse.  As you now are a commodity to be sold to the highest bidder.  All the things that were going to be fixed tomorrow will be passed on to the next owner, who hopefully sees you as you were once seen when new.  How many used cars I have purchased, overlooked by buyers because the point is faded, and just needs a day of cleaning and tuning, and bought and enjoyed.  When I needed a rain car this year, a 2000 Xterra came into my life, passed over because of age and miles, but super clean and mostly all working, it serves the exact purpose I bought it for.  New tires give it a tougher look, and if you look at the side that didn’t face the sun you will be impressed by the paint, the other side faded by the sun.  So I park it with the good side facing me,and grin as this survivor fills a need.  If it could talk, I think it would be happy with its new home, a certain patina accompanying it, a car I can take to Walmart and not cringe.  It was new once....and now is new again to me.  Just an old car that needs paint....I took the time to look and see beyond the patina....

As I read the ads from Hemmings, I always wonder why the perfect car for sale will the list a few inexpensive items that need to be fixed.  Or why the guy in Florida whose car is his prize never fixed the AC?  Or how did the dents get in this flawless auto?  And why while the rest of the car is presentable, does under the hood look horrible?  I know I get in trouble asking too many questions, but sometimes you just gotta know before you buy.  Or make a commitment.  So it is when people come to Jesus.  They are told the stories of how he forgives their sin, will make them new again, but hide the things inside they don’t want him to know about.  Not knowing that with age they will take them down, but still rely on a friend, Bible study, prayer chain, pastor, or author to tell them everything is OK,when they all know it’s not.  Shiny new Christians ready to take on the world, and the world eats them alive.  The hidden sin their peers cannot see gnawing away at them, until they go onto their next religious experience, and forgetting about Jesus.  Where once they were all about Jesus, now only the external matter, the appearance of godliness, while the needed spiritual repairs go neglected.  Being a new creature in Christ has become old, still saved but joyless, as the spirit is denied.  Minor things have become big things, big things have become deadly.  They exist but not live on life support, supported by anything but Jesus, and wonder why the elite Christians look down on them.  Not knowing those looking down are just as miserable.

But these are just the kind of people Jesus died for.  The imperfect, the downtrodden, the messed up, on drugs or alcohol, divorced and abandoned, and lonely and lost.  At trade in time he doesn’t see our past, but our future, and in him it is bright.  In him. Repeat that until you believe it.  You never have to wonder if Jesus will still love you tomorrow, while still in the womb he knew you.  A person to him then, a person to him now.  He not only loves you as you are, he wants to you to see you as he sees you, and to take advantage of his promises.  Both in times of joy, and in times of trials.  Just because you need some repairs in your life, he will not trade you or forsake you.  No back row of used up lives on his lot, all are made new again.  But we need to believe Jesus, trust in his spirit, or we are calling God a liar.  Harsh words, but do we know better than God?  He will love us tomorrow, will we still love him?  Is not God more dependable than people, than our old cars?  We can see the oil leak under the car, but do we dare look and trust to see where it is coming from?  God is asking us to trust him to look, not based on religion and what he can do for us, but on who he is and what Jesus has already done. Why do we trust the man behind the pulpit but not God whom he represents? 

There are a lot of qualified mechanics out there that can solve symptoms, only God sees the cause and heals it.  Do we trust God or man?  Can God lie?  Does God lie?  If we trust him to be saved, can we not trust him with every day troubles?  In each case, let him be God, let him love you, and don’t worry about the patina.  My open heart scar only testifies to the greatness of him, each scar we have is to remind us of that.  The old body won’t matter in heaven, or in hell either.  Perform the regular maintenance as he suggests and enjoy life.  Or you too could be the one being traded as religion lets you down.  All of the Bible is inspired by God, the truth he calls Jesus.  No other name by which we can be saved.  By refusing you call God a liar.  And liars have no place in the kingdom of God.  Only Jesus gives you the opportunity to be forgiven.  Would you really want to give your life to anyone else?  Something to remember before you commit to the payment schedule.  Walk in faith that turns to trust, and never have to worry.  New models come and go, God got it right the first time with Jesus.  You can too.

love with compassion,

Mike

mattehw25biker.blogspot.com

  

whatever turns you on

It was cold in Jersey, so coming out I pushed the remote starter button to let the car warm up.  No key needed to start the car, then getting in, pushed another button and drove off.  Looking back as I drove off, I wondered “what’s the matter with this picture?”  And it centered on no key to start the car.  Now I have been around keyless starting or remote starting for some time, but still feel old school about ignition keys.  The kind you put in and twist to start.  Remember the old GM ignitions with start and run modes, you could take the key out and it still ran.  When the square topped key was to start, the round top for trunk and glove box?  And had an up and down side?  With a 50/50 chance of getting the right key when reaching in your pocket and usually losing.  They were all like that once.  Until Ford gave us a two sided reversible key, still a two key system though.  The Europeans like Saab hid the ignition between the seats, but still a two key system.  Only one key for my Rabbit, and a folding key on my 1969 BMW 1600, it never broke, but always feared it would, leaving me stranded.  How many times did you get your hand burnt looking for the key on your Honda under the tank?  Old /5 BMW’s had it in the headlight, but it was a plug, which worked on all their models.  Have one, you could start any BMW.  No security, but who stole a BMW back then?  I even had a 1971 R75/5, white,  with a white Windjammer and white Krauser bags, and a Honda ignition switch built into it, how cool was that?  But today even though you still have to put in the key to start your bike, you have to push a button to start it, after pushing the run switch to on.  Of course.  Just like an old Chevy from the fifties.  So whether you have an electric key in your pocket, one in the headlight, a pair or round and square ones, held the right way, it still takes a key to start your bike or car.  Unless it’s a dirt bike.  As they say, “whatever turns you on...”

We are told that we have overcome the world when we come to Christ.  A victory over moral pressures, sexual pressure, money pressures, the urge to cheat, and to get our own way first.  If you are having a problem with your faith because of problems, be assured that the testing is there to build it, as in this world we will have tribulation.  Tested, you are scripturally correct.  But how you handle it is up to you.  We watch as vindictive people seek revenge, thinking it is OK.  As Christians become wine sippers, because they think Jesus said it was OK to drink.  “I stop before I get a buzz.”  But like being asleep, you only know you were asleep after waking up, and only know  you have a buzz after you have one.  See how easy excuses are made.  Excuses are not overcoming the world.   Somewhere along the way the world and its ways has been let in the church, sometimes invited, and then the door shut and locked it in.  Sin is fun or we wouldn’t do it.  But the choice of a sinful eternity or one sinless is still our choice.  And reflects in our decisions and our walk with Jesus.

But how do we go on everyday amidst the trials?  By faith. the daily indwelling of the holy spirit.  Not the same faith that once worked 20 years ago, but the faith we need for today.  The rhema, the scripture just for you in the situation you are in, courtesy of the holy spirit.  When he is at work in you, you will have the ability to overcome.  Or as the Mrs. Gipper once said, “just say no.”  But say yes to Jesus.  We will be forced to give into something in every test or trial, by faith we can give into Jesus.  And the more you are tested and give in to him, your faith builds, trust grows, and soon you take on his character.  Every action will not require a prayer meeting to answer, but by abiding in him, you will know and naturally do.  Really supernaturally, as it will be by his spirit in you working, not of our own devices.  Such are the ways of those who have overcome the world, and given it all to Jesus.  When we begin to trust the unseen which is eternal vs. the seen which is temporal, the doors to heaven and the things of the kingdom are unlocked.  No special key, but a personal one just between you and Jesus.  A key that unlocks spiritual doors and allows us to overcome the physical world around us.  But for many, it is like looking for their keys lost in their purse.  Or on a ring of many.  Which key do I need?  Where is it, I know I put it somewhere?  If only we were more concerned with Jesus the key to life than to the keys to our car.  Fortunately he has given us his spirit, and even when our faith fails, he never does.

We need keys to open up doors and to start cars.  The key to heaven and God is Jesus.  He is the key that opens your heart, that opens the windows of heaven for you, and starts a new life in you.  So you can overcome the world and its ways.  No hot wired religious teaching will do, no extra set in case I lose mine.  One set of keys, one way, and one Jesus.  By one spirit.  Open to all to be opened by all who call upon his name.  So when asked whatever turns you on, we can answer, it is not a what, but a who.  Who turned me on to life and life abundantly when I trusted him by faith.  To direct my attitudes and actions, and to watch over me.  Something to remember next time you cannot find your keys, or the ones you find are for another vehicle.  Every heart has a special code that only Jesus can unlock, the perfect fit.  That no locksmith can duplicate.  Jesus, the only key you will never need a spare for.  Even in Jersey on cold days, he never fails to start......

Is your God still so remote, or has he come to earth to rescue you as Jesus has?  Unlike your extra set of keys, you will never need a spare.....

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

but the ad said....

This may be the best weekend to buy a new motorcycle, if you believe the ads.  But the ads I have been getting and reading may be true.  Bikes at cost, whatever that means, selling below wholesale, again what does that mean, and losing money on every deal.  Rather you than me.  But stepping inside the lies, rumors, and innuendoes of advertising, what does it all really mean?  Just what does your new ride cost?  The simple answer is whatever you paid for it, but what is dealer cost?  Buying my new Triumphs from a friend who owns a dealership, he gets out the invoice, adds tax and license, and the paperwork fee, that is his cost, and my price.  He also offered to give me the hold back or ad money, factories traditionally hold back 3-5% applied to warranty work or paid quarterly when the bike is registered.  So even at invoice, or his cost, he can make $500 on new bike sold at $10,000.  Big money if selling Japanese bikes.  So what is the true cost, again, what you pay.

It is tough to place a wholesale price on a new bike, but when sold it can vary greatly.  Was it traded in, bought at auction, or a lien sale?  What condition is it in?  Ran when parked means a different story than running now.  Perfect condition except it needs a battery, tires, and a tune up Is not excellent.  Dealerships add $500-1000 to their cost then pass it on to you, yet used bikes are outselling new bikes at a rapid pace.  Maybe the wholesale come on works.  But is different than dealer cost, again.  But the one I steer away from is the dealer bragging how he loses money on every deal.  Who wants to deal with a poor business that may not be there tomorrow when you need it?  Or does he make up for it at service time, parts and accessories?  Ever hear of a bump book?  There is suggested retail, and a bump book, adding 5-10% to consumer prices, then offering a discount, back to true retail, allowing us to think they gave us a deal.  So beware...there is no free lunch out there, how do you think those Harley dealers pay for all the burgers and bbq? 

But a quick Craigslist visit shows everyone discounting heavily, and every once in awhile, I respond.  Only to find added dealer markup, triple the freight charge, and assembly costs that are too high.  In truth, most dealers only make a few hundred on sale, again Harley is different, they have a 25% margin, if you pay $10,000, they make $2500.  Simple math.  Buys a lot of hot dogs.  But confronting a dealer friend about his low balling prices, he was honest.  “No one responds to my ads if I don’t.”  And you still end up paying over retail when all is said and done.  But you feel better, thinking you got a deal.  Long gone are the days like Malcolm Forbes and his Jersey mega dealership, pay cash, he pays the tax via a discount.  Back in the seventies when I sold bikes, the 2% tax New Mexico charged could be included to close the deal.  So what is dealer cost,and how does it affect you?

My old car dealer friend Vince once explained how the more he discounted, the more the customer thought he was getting ripped off.  I too found it true, and also the opposite.  If you laid them away, they tell all their friends of their great deal.  What gives with that one?  So I operated on the basis that a good deal is where both parties benefit.  Fair price, great service, don’t forget the customer.  They’ll tell their friends, your best source of advertising.  Of course cash in hand always works, but the finance company will kick back .5-1% on each deal to the dealer.  Worn out, I’ll think I’ll keep my old bike and go for a ride.  After cruising the ads of course....

So do not believe every ad you read.  Or every book about God.  Or every person claiming to have insight into God.  We have the faith to believe, do we have the faith to not believe?  Many false profits are in the world, some claiming to be Jesus himself, they may come on with a new revelation, some new book, or new word of knowledge, promising to be more accurate than scripture. More up to date.  Numerous new Bible versions have been written, so beware, some are close, but still a lie.  Some words spoken sound true, but are lies.  Remember Eve and Satan, sounded good to her.  But with disastrous results.  So what does a responsible Christian do?  How do we know the truth?  Test them, make them prove the numbers like you would buying a new bike.  See it on paper, scripturally, not an interpretation.  Works for my writings too, check them out, see if they are true!  We can all be led astray.  So test the spirits, to see if they give Jesus his proper place as God, and son of God.  If they do not recognize his deity, they are liars.  Note that Mormons and JW’s deny the deity of Jesus Christ, and are liars, so stay away.  John also warns to not even wish them God bless, as their god is not the God of the Bible.  So beware.

And so he has given us his spirit of truth, to test the spirits, to be discern if they are true or liars.  Then based on his input we can make the right decision.  There is only one true spirit, only one way to God,and only one way to heaven.  Jesus Christ, anything else is a lie.  God made it simple so we can get it, and free so we can afford it.  The world will offer different interpretations, just like selling at cost, so beware, the devil is sly, but not wise.  We are to be wise as serpents, but gentle as lambs.  So beware, whether it comes from pulpits, Bible studies, devotions, songs, yes, listen to the words and see how they match up to scripture, test the spirits.  As I hope you do with my writings.  Some mislead innocently, some deliberately.  And just like signing on the bottom line for your new ride, if a better deal comes along, it is too late, it’s yours now! 

So don’t fall for anything but the truth.  Look for his nail pierced hands, the thorny scars on his forehead.  Many will come in his name, with claims to good to be true.  Only Jesus backed up his claims with actions.  We will all face a Good Friday when we are tested, but will we celebrate an Easter ressurection like Jesus did?  Agent Mulder told us the truth is out there.  Jesus tells us the truth is in us, via his holy spirit.  Even in reruns, I’ll take Jesus.

So beware of come ons, of discounts and freebies when shopping.  The best deal is the one where both parties benefit, so shop around and compare.  You will find nothing compares to Jesus, nothing.  Knowledge puffs up, but wisdom comes from above.  And unlike a discount house, Jesus will always be there when you need him...

“Did you know we offer a free Bible cover with each membership”....you’ve been warned.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

Burritto's greatest triumph was on a Yamaha

 It may not be right to call then heroes, those whom we grew up following.  They were more normal than we expected them to be, had no special characteristics that made them unique, but somehow we became enamored with them.  The list of them dying is growing every month, as age or life style catches up with them.  Sadly the next generation will know little or nothing about them, which saddens me, so I would like to remember one man, a champion, but one who spent most of his life in the back marker category, whose love of riding and racing was his life, and he took it to many levels.  He was half of the Mexican American racers, Dave Aldana the other half, and I was fortunate to have seen him race,never knowing the behind the scene story.  Back then we were just kids who loved to ride and go fast, and hung around friends who raced, who had the talent and drive to ride fast in competition.  We saw him in On Any Sunday, he was Cycle Magazine’s Rider of the Year, had the number one AMA plate one year, and won the Daytona 200 once, competing often.  He was sponsored by Evel Knievel, sponsored Honda’s flat track team for years.  He rode Triumphs, switched to Yamaha 2 strokes, and after racing, still supported flat track racing, maybe the most American style of racing, dirt track, one that is overlooked today. Not a big  name like Malcolm or McQueen, but every bit a champion as they were.  Mention the nickname Burritto, two t’s, and you know whom I talk of, Gene Romero.  Who died from COPD last week at age 71.  Like the song by The Eagles, James Dean, “he was too fast to live, too young to die, bye bye.”  I don’t get it, but I miss him....

Never met him, never really followed his career, but whenever he was mentioned, he was admired and respected by his peers.  And what a peer group that was.  Gary Nixon, sawing off a cast to race, Dick Mann, riding while broken bones were healing, Dave Aldana in his skeleton leathers, a young and upcoming Kenny Roberts, Kel Carruthers, Jim Odom, Agostini, Rayborn, and Jim Castro, some well known, some only from On Any Sunday.  Duct tape on the helmets and shoes, back when big money wasn’t the main attraction.  Who held jobs during the week so they could raced weekends.  A man who loved racing and understood it, on all levels.  A look at the determination in his eyes when sliding sideways at over 100 mph gives us some insight, but without getting dirty and competing, you will never know.  Two of his quotes maybe say it best. 

If you've seen the film On Any Sunday, you remember the line. "I don't want to hurt anybody, but I just gotta get out there...get third or come and visit me in the hospital, man, I dig carnations.

Lying there in a full body cast and asked how he was doing, he quipped, “It’s no problem, I’ve had worse things in my eye.”  A man like most people we know, or wish we had known, and find it is too late when they are gone.  A man who even before he was a champion won the AMA Most Popular Rider of the Year Award.  A guy you would like to bench race with, introduce your kids too, and tell stories about of way back when, when we were young.  Where principals and ethics drove us, where respect was earned, and inside a very small brotherhood, your nickname was one of respect.  Things are much different today...but of course, their nicknames sanitary and clean. Too bad their reputation isn’t.

In every group or subculture, there are those who we hold up to a greater level, who we want to be like.  In Christianity it can be a pastor,worship leader, or a Billy Graham.  Names we know, and only know more about from headlines.  Sometimes we put Jesus in the same category, we can recite his famous quotes, follow him to the cross, maybe even to the empty tomb.  But then we go on our own way, doing our own thing, with limited contact with him, mostly through a church service or fellowship. We spend little time getting to know him.  We find daily life boring, because although we believe, we have no confidence in him.  Our prayers sound like begging, have no depth, and we fail to listen after we speak. We relate to Jesus on our own level, never experiencing all he has for us.  John tells us simply, “we have confidence that he will answer all our prayers if we do what he asks and obey him.”  Do your prayers show a dependence on him, or are you independent, he is your co-pilot?  In our confidence are we bold when asking, when telling or sharing, when praying for others, and acting in the spirit?  We can only be bold when we know someone intimately, when we can say without reservation what he would say, and act accordingly.  So many today sign off “in his service,” or “in his name,” but are really just using his name in vain.  Do we really trust that all things will work out for us?  Do we go to prayer expecting or hoping he will hear?  If his answer is different than your expectation, how do you respond?  When you quote the scripture “he became poor so we can become rich,” are talking of things seen or unseen?  Peace or pieces? 

Jesus came to give to us abundantly, more than we can expect.  Yet we hinder him, looking to others when we should be looking to him.  And he is always there when we do finally turn to him.  It is us who miss out when we only know about him, only know what we have been taught, or never experience Christian life as he desires.  He even will help you with your unbelief, even when you believe.  Down to the least of us, who he associates with, not wanting them to remain the least, but to bless abundantly.  And when we do it to them, we are doing it unto him.  A side of answered prayer we neglect....

I expect very few at my funeral, I am not in it for the numbers or the greatness.  I hope to see you in heaven later.  I once was in it for me, but Jesus showed me a better way.  His way.  Sadly we only remember those we choose to remember when they are gone.  Don’t miss Jesus this time around, for the next time will not be so easy.  Show love and respect for others now while they can see it, while they can be blessed.  I never knew Burritto, and have learned more about him from obituaries.  But his friends knew him well.  Jesus calls us friends if we keep his commandment.  Do you know him well?  Your funeral will tell others how well, then it is too late.  Celebrate life today, spend it with Jesus.  Not religiously, just with him.  Tell him about a ride, a dream, a problem.  Listen to him, as you would a friend.  Bench race an afternoon away.  On Any Sunday was a great movie about racing and riding, don’t let it be your Christian epitaph.

love with compassion,

Mike

parable of the wheelie

My friend Ted is perhaps the wheelie king since the departure of Doug Demokos. He will wheelie anything, and once wheelied 17 miles while his friends rode on two wheels on the freeway. So whenever I would take a new press bike down to him, he would immediately wheelie it and give his opinion. He was a fan also of going fast while doing a wheelie, and when I took down the new Thruxton, he was like a kid on Christmas day. He had plans to buy one, as GM of a multiline dealership he had already placed his order, and now was his first ride on one. So while business stopped, we all went out in the parking lot to watch Ted. Only to find he couldn’t wheelie the bike! He came back to me, complaining there must be something the matter with this bike, this had never happened to him before. Quickly I reached over, pushed the i-button, turned off the traction control, and said, “now try.” And off he went, and the front end went up, and he made several passes running through the gears, claiming to hit 60 once front wheel in the air. Ted had been dong what he was trained to do, but so was the bike. When the bike thought it was losing traction, it cut power to drive wheel, and the bike came to a halt, until it reset itself. Problem solved, ego restored, and wheelies performed, all with one click of a switch. But you had to know which switch...

Stuck on a hill in pea sized gravel on two wheels is no place to be, yet this is where I was. Add in the crowded parking lot, the 100 degree weather, and riding uphill, I was stuck. Every time I would try to spin the tire to get out of the gravel, the bike, a Tiger 800, would bog down, a light would flash, and I would sit for a moment. A victim once again of the traction control, and with no easy switch to push, you had to scroll through and hope to find it, so it was off/on, power/no power, which took minutes to go the 15 feet to pavement. I looked like a rookie, but again, the bike was doing what it was told to do, turned off I wonder why I would ever took it back on, but it is built into the engine mapping, remedied with next years model. So for now I avoid gravel on my adventure bike. Giving a new meaning to adventure.

Mickey called and said he need miles on a buy back. The Explorer was perfect, but the owner claimed at wide open throttle it would lose power, then regain it again. I immediately knew the problem, so did Mick, and I could duplicate it at ease. But I kept the bike for 500 miles just to satisfy Triumph. Again traction control, when accelerating it would put so much power to he ground, 137 hp, the rear wheel would slip enough the rider couldn’t tell, but the bike did, so cut power. Symptom identified, but problem not solved. You see, Triumph had given him a new replacement bike that would do the same thing. It was doing as programmed, the nut behind the handlebar needed to be reprogrammed too.

Just as a motorcycle can let you down and condemn you, so can our own hearts. Ever buy something based on emotion and wished you hadn’t? Ever meet the one, the girl of your dreams, only to find she was the one of your nightmares? That is our heart condemning us, which is why we need to be careful in our decision making process. I have told my sons for years never make a decision on a high or low emotion, only to be proven right when they failed. Forgiven, they start over, hopefully not forgetting. And this can strike at any time. We can be in the midst of a spiritual high, thinking all is right with us and God, and fall prey to our conscience reminding us of what we once were, and telling us God will not forgive you, you are a loser, so quit. Three lies coming to get us down, with one solution. Remember who we belong to, standing in the presence of God not by our own power, but by the power of the holy spirit, given to us when we come to Jesus. We are not righteous in ourselves, we are righteous in him and because of him. We are accepted and forgiven by God, for there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. But how do we silence the doubt in our hearts? “I believe, help with my unbelief,” a man said to Jesus. It works for us too.

We are told by John “do not love in words or tongue, but in actions and in truth.” Jesus is the truth, and when we are in his spirit, we have access to what we need to act in his love, and we will be reassured we are in him, the truth. His love. Here he is referring to a specific act, telling us in other words “return good for evil.” Pray for those who persecute you. For it is easy to pray for those we like, but the enemies, like we once were, need the truth too. Do not wait until you are confronted, ask God to allow you to show love first, for what we sew, we will reap. The Golden Rule in action. And John knew, Jesus had nicknamed him and his brother James “the sons of thunder,” as they wanted to blow up the government and take over. The same John we now know as the beloved. If he can change that heart, if he can now write do not let your heart be troubled, imagine how Jesus can change your heart?

And I know of what I write, as when my aorta exploded and a plastic one installed, my heart was changed, both physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I should be dead, as my aorta had exploded, but God used it to show his love and mercy to me, to testify of his greatness. Dead, but alive, ask any doctor. I am a miracle. But even while in rehab, I wanted to serve others, to minister, and even while out of the hospital for a few days, God was using me, sharing with Bam, a 1%er in Albuquerque, afraid of a heart procedure he was to have. Leaving the Harley store, I heard from across the store “God bless you Mike,” and he had. A changed heart, and one being changed. Who was blessed more? And the blessings continue today....

Lonely, call on someone and listen to them. Then share as God gives you the words. Hurting, visit someone hurting more, they are out there, no matter your situation. Scared for your life, remember the one who is life, and gave his. By actions and attitudes, or as St. Francis of Assisi once said, “preach the word daily, and if necessary use words.” I couldn’t have said it better. Come to life by showing love and life to others. Give and you will receive. It’s a simple as pulling a wheelie....with the traction control off. Treat the cause, not the symptom, and see Godly results. It wasn’t Ted that wouldn’t wheelie, it was the bike. Let not your bike, or your heart be troubled, for as a Harley riding friend tells me, 95% of the Harleys sold are still on the road. The other 5% made it home. And no, I still cannot wheelie, something about two wheels moving the soul...... The parable of the wheelie, Jesus and motorcycles, it just don’t get any better!

love with compassion,

Mike

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