here's to you Mr. Colfax, who almost made him smile

Mr. Koch, my 9th grade World History teacher must have been born without the ability to smile, or had it surgically removed when he was very young.  He never smiled, and spoke in a monotone cadence, almost rhythmic, that Lello used to make fun of.  His classes were as exciting as listening to someone read the phone book, even the white pages would have more action and enthusiasm.  But one day I was part of the only time we almost saw him smile.  We had finished our tests, and as an oral extra credit, were asked about a group of names, which included Schuylar Colfax.  Could we identify them?  My hand shot up instantly, as all but Mr. Colfax were strange to me.  “He was a former vice president of the United States under Andrew Johnson.”  And the room got quiet.  Now almost everyone knew my dad, who taught American history, so maybe they thought I had an inside track.  But when Mr. Koch asked “how did you know that?”  I replied “I learned it on Jeopardy.”  And for the split second, I saw the ends of his mouth quiver, as they attempted to form a smile.  But couldn’t.  Maybe even some teeth showed, I can’t tell, it happened so fast, but sure enough while the other kids laughed at my answer, Mr. Koch almost smiled.  Which to him was probably a full on belly laugh-the closest we ever saw him show any emotion other than simulated comatose.  Jeopardy?

Surprisingly enough many learn about facts, figures, and other trivial facts from Jeopardy.  Now this was back when the original was on only at lunch time with Art Fleming, as opposed to the semi-entertaining Alex Trebeck, so I must have watched it during a Christmas or Easter break.  Who says you can’t  learn anything from watching TV?  And I was the hit that day.  But I find as I watch it every night, it comes on here at 7pm, just before all the seniors go to bed, that I can learn from it, and feel like over the years I have been attending the University of Jeopardy.  Night school for us many years ago grads, who thought college was just 13th grade, or spent years there avoiding the draft.  “The best seven years of my  life,” a friend once commented about his college career, still sort of a degree.  But after many years, I can tell you things that interest me, but are useless in real life.  Unless, you want to be on Jeopardy.  Which my Uncle Jim did.  He was my dad’s best friend growing up, and had married my uncle’s sister, so was not technically my uncle-thankfully.  He was big, loud, and was known for being offensive, but had risen to the position of Superintendent of Schools for Bucks County, Pennsylvania.  And he was going to be on Jeopardy. 

So he passed the tryouts, and was scheduled to go on the show.  And when we were told what night it was to be aired, we all watched Uncle Jim.  We were ready for his jokes, his antics, and hopefully his big winnings.  What we got was something, or someone completely different.  He froze in front of the camera.  He stared into it, and maybe answered a few questions, taking on the personality of Mr. Koch, never smiling.  And at first it was sad, we were embarrassed, then embarrassed for him.  Then we started to giggle, then laugh, as it was so funny.  He was making a complete fool of himself on national TV-for all to see!He had put his career and his reputation in jeopardy that night, and no one ever talked about it ever-at least not in his presence.  Partly out of fear, partly out of respect, but mostly because at 6’4” and 300 pounds he was much bigger-he still would pick me up and turn me upside down when he saw me even when into being a teenager.  So silence it was....and to this day Schuylar Colfax, Mr. Koch, Uncle Jim, and Art Fleming hold an interesting relationship to me whenever I watch Jeopardy.  And if “Embarrassing moments” ever becomes a Final Jeopardy topic, I’ll bet it all, a true daily double if Uncle Jim is mentioned.  With a smile on my face of course.

When King Solomon was asked by God what he wanted, he replied “wisdom.”  Good answer.  He already had or would go on to be rich, have a 1000 wives, not sure how wise that was, and built parks, cities, monuments, and great tributes to himself.  But he trusted God, and God was so impressed with his request He honored it.  Imagine how he would have done on Jeopardy?  If only he would remember to answer in the form of a question.  So here are few from the BIBLE CHARACTERS category-all worth $1000, just to see where you are with God.  Using the wisdom of Solomon, here goes.  Answers below.

1-How old was Noah when he started building the ark?

2-How old was Jesus when He was crucified?

3-How many books of the Bible did John write?

4-What two disciples were brothers and known as “The sons of thunder?”

5-Who was Jesus’ father?  Careful, this is tricky.

Today I hope you have the wisdom of Solomon when making decisions.  We all have knowledge, but few have wisdom.  I knew who Colfax was, I just needed the right question to answer it.  Perhaps wisdom can be best described as knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, but wisdom is knowing not to put it on your fruit salad.  Many know the answers, but we  know the author of the Bible.  We know Him personally, and love Him because He loved us first-sending His son Jesus to die for us.  The correct answer on Jeopardy and in life.  I bet everything on Him, because He has bet everything on us.  Just the mention of His name brings a smile to my face and my heart.  So don’t put your future in jeopardy, turn to Him today and trust Him.  He is the right answer to all your questions.  And you don’t have to answer Him in the form of a question.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com.

ANSWERS-

1-Noah was approximately 600 years old when he started building the ark, and built it for 120 years.  Which made him about 720 yeas old when the rains came.  Middle aged for his time.

2-Jesus was 33 when he was crucified, ministering for 3 years at the age of 30, the year priests began their ministry. 

3-John the beloved apostle wrote five New Testament books, John, 1,2,3 John, and the Book of Revelation, the last one when 95 years old and after being abandoned to die on Patmos, an island with no plant life on it after being boiled in oil and not dying.

4-James and John were called Sons of Thunder by Jesus.  They were anarchists who wanted to overthrow the Roman government.  Judas was also of an anarchist background, but of a different sect.  James was the first to die a martyr’s death, John became the author in question 3.  What a difference Jesus made in their lives and can make in yours.

5-Although Joseph, a righteous man, was Jesus’ earthly father, God in heaven is His Father.  Mary was impregnated by the Holy Spirit, and Jesus is the son of God.  Here we see the Trinity.  Father, Son, and Spirit-it takes all three to be complete. And we too can call God our heavenly father, and Jesus our brother, and friend.  Via the Holy Spirit.  Separate yet one, the mystery of the ages.

one afternoon in the garden at the race track

My friend John loves motorcycles.  But he can be intimidated by the abundance of power an 883 Sportster doesn’t put to the ground.  Going 65 in a 60 zone may push the limits of his law enforcement barrier.  Let’s just say that fast and John are not found listed under the same heading.  He is very talented in other things, just hasn’t mastered the speed power a motorcycle can produce yet.  So when he approached me after hearing through a friend of a friend who races in WERA, that they needed a chaplain, he called me.  Since I had no interest, I suggested he do it, maybe the door God had opened was for him, so he took the position.  And at one of his first races he visited, at California Speedway, Penske’s Track, I attended with his CMA chapter.  Now these guys are mostly not sport bike riders, but cling to the seat when the floorboards scrape on their cruisers. So I was the closest thing to fast they knew-a far cry from anyone on the track.  But I knew Mickey and Curtis, and his dad Ray, all established names around racing, so when we met that morning, it gave John an opening to meet the front runners, instead of hanging with the back markers.  He had access to the big guys in the pit area now, and he was immediately over his head, but you wouldn’t know it by his association with these guys.  But as he hung around and listened, anyone walking by must have the impression he was with them, he was in their pit area, not open to all, elevating his status at the track.  Only when asked questions about racing and the team, he was found to be wanting, guilt not by association, but by his rookie status.  He was walking the walk, now he had to talk the talk.  But that has changed...glad to hear. We are all rookies once...how many times is up to us.

Years ago when I sponsored off road racing, both the Johnsons, not related to each other, Jimmie of future roundy round racing and Rick of moto-x fame were on the Nelson and Nelson Racing Team.  We had made the trip to Las Vegas with them to Sam Boyd Stadium, where a stadium race was going on.  And having the N and N shirt on, and hanging with the crew in the  stands during the race, many thought I was part of the team, which I was, sponsor wise, but not part of the race team.  I mostly tried to not get in the way during the race, or while in the pits.  I was guilty much like John was, by association, and allowed access to the hot pits, and the catered meals for the race teams.  Giving the illusion of knowing what I was doing, just because I knew the people that were doing it.  A pit pass and a team shirt gained me access, and was part of the celebration when Jimmie won his class that night.  I was a winner by association, having never sat in a race truck, or set foot on the course.  And like the saying goes, “been there, done that and have the t-shirt to prove it.”  Guilty by association.

We all know the story of Peter denying Jesus in the garden.  But I would like to take a different spin on it today.  I have always been taught that the aggressors, a little girl among them, were out to corner and convict him with Jesus.  But maybe try this one on for size.  What if the little girl was interested in Jesus, and seeing Peter with Him wanted an introduction?  What if she had heard of Jesus, and wanted to meet Hi, but was afraid?  “You were with Him,” she asked, hoping for an intro to Him, but he denied it.  Taking the course of fear and laying down his cross, rather than picking it up and recognizing a chance to have her meet Jesus.  Just like we do many times when people accuse us, we get defensive instead of seeing he opportunity God has provided.  A simple “why do you ask” may have changed everything that night.  Later when accused of talking like he was from Galilee, he again denied it.  Don’t we as Christians speak out own language, evident to others?  And what if someone wants to join in, when is the last time you were accused of being a Christian, and someone wanted to join your conversation?  Did you welcome them, or turn them away?  Were you too busy to share God’s love, or too busy gossiping?  Finally a group accused him, which became too much for him, and he ran, something we all have done.  Hadn’t he seen Jesus minister to the thousands, from poor to titled public servants?  And he had even been warned by Jesus of what he was to do that night, and how ironic that God provided a rooster to crow, to give a wake up call as roosters are known to do, to alert Peter to his sin and weakness.  A personal message from God that He wanted Peter to share with others.  The same Peter who less than a few weeks later on Pentecost would publicly share Jesus to a crowd of strangers, and with the spirit of God over him led 3000 to the Lord.  Only feet from Jesus when he denied Him, now Jesus resurrected he found the courage and strength to do what Jesus later would tell him to do-feed his sheep.  “Do you love me Peter, feed my sheep,” He told him three times.  Take a look around, where is the cross Jesus gave you to bear?  Are you carrying it, dragging it behind you, or have you left it at home-only used on Sundays?  Is it a decoration around your neck, or has it become a burden to carry?  To wear in public, lest someone should question you?  When someone hears you are a Christian, do you respond in love or in fear?  Jesus still had Peter in training that night, for greater things, and although Peter was much like us, he never looked back.  He didn’t whine over the fact he blew it in the garden, but rather bask in the light of what Jesus had done in life, and share it with others.

If you wear a Jesus shirt, carry a Bible, or have a bumper sticker on your car telling the world you are a Christian, they will expect you to be one.  So be careful what you advertise, and the bait you use.  And be ready to give an answer, using words if needed.  We are called to be a witness, our life should reflect who Jesus is.  Sometimes I’m a before picture, needing forgiveness, and sometimes an after, showing evidence of where He has changed my life.  But mostly I am in process, and will be for the rest of my time on earth.  And I have no problem being associated with Jesus while here.  He tells us if “we are not ashamed of Him here, He will not be ashamed of us before His Father in heaven.”  Good enough for me.  So let today be a wake up call for you.  You may be in the pits at the track, or in the pits of life, either way Jesus is there with you.  Ready to give you words when needed.  Just like sitting in church won’t make you a pew, and riding a motorcycle won’t make you a racer, just hanging with Christians won’t make you one.  The world demands evidence, can you prove what you say?  Do you live what you say?  Do you personally know the one you talk about?  Or will it take the denial in front of a little girl to teach you?  Take the attitude that even the harshest critic needs Jesus, and is looking, although they may not know it.  You have read the book, heard the stories, isn’t it about time you met the man? 

Every accusation brings you closer to Jesus.  Next time take someone with you.  Remember your first time at the track?  Guilty by association-we call it salvation.  Be found guilty today, pick up your cross and follow Jesus.  If you never engage in battle, you never will know how good it feels to win.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

driving the message home

“You are what you drive,” was a common theme when I started driving over 40 years ago.  And I must have started as a nerd, for the first two cars I drove were my parents 1966 Rambler Classic, replaced by a 1971 Pinto.  Now nobody who knows cars, or was a gear head drove Ramblers, but my dad did, and he used to taunt me, “it’s not a car, it’s a Rambler.”  But then he was driving a BMW 2002 at the time.  But it was replaced with the Pinto, which I shared with my mother, which ultimately fell apart, at one point the carburetor vibrated loose from the intake manifold, and it quit running.  Giving Found On Road Dead a whole new meaning to me.  From there I bought my Dad’s BMW 1600, which self destructed, another story in itself, and then bought one of the first Rabbits in the states.  Which surged all the time, never ran right, and spent as much time in the shop as it did on the road.  This was to become my first experience with loaner cars, the neighbors must have thought I was stealing them, as a new car appeared weekly, or was it weakly?  But it too was sold, and my van replaced it-selling it to move to New Mexico.  Where my next car was, you guessed it, another Rabbit.  It must have been the thought of an endless stream of loaners that drew me to it, but another yellow Rabbit, followed me home.  A Basic Rabbit, no options, and I mean basic, cardboard door panels, no radial tires, rubber floor mats, no radio, and the tinniest sounding car you could ever imagine.  And it too was to become tiresome, on Christmas Eve I filled it with gas, and the gas was bad, I never made it out of the parking lot.  The station paid for the repairs, but my first thought, but not my last was “oh no, here I go again,” so much for the first time my fault, second time yours” philosophy.  But the best was yet to come...or go.

Bob Allen was a friend who had gotten saved in Chicago, from a tough background.  He worked for Hosanna, and was going to visit friends back in Chicago for the first time in years, and the first since he was saved.  But he needed a car, and the Rabbit sat most of the time, I rode motorcycles most of the time.  Stunned when he asked, I was referred to Acts 2:42, where the church met and prayed, and needs were met.  Here was a need, and I could help, so off to Chicago Bob and the Rabbit went.  And never thought much about it, he would be gone for two weeks, and I was busy at work, and never really missed the Rabbit.  But being wakened early one morning by a phone call from Chicago was to change that.  It was Bob, he had been in an accident with the Rabbit.  And my first reaction amazed both of us, “are you OK?”  Before it would have been all about the car.  It seems he had gone to see some old friends, and after sharing the Lord with them, they turned on him.  When he tried to escape in the Rabbit, he turned down a one way street, the wrong way, and had an accident.  He was OK, but the Rabbit was totaled.  But somehow I wasn’t upset...maybe the shock, maybe glad that Bob was OK, but I had a peace.

Until the insurance adjuster called, and I had never dealt with a situation like this before.  Hey I was only 22 years old, and only saved a year.  Suspicious of the adjuster, as we all are, I was told they would find a comparable Rabbit in the paper for sale, for comparison purposes to find a price.  Which scared me, used cars are always cheaper, aren’t they, after all they are used?  I knew what the Basic Rabbit had cost, and I knew what I owed on it, and was waiting to find out how bad a beating I was going to take.  My friends were all praying for me, and told me it would turn out OK, just the words you want to hear, but don’t want to hear at the same time.  So when the phone rang, and it was the insurance adjuster, I was apprehensive, but still hoping. Good news.   It turned out the only Rabbit for sale was loaded with all the options.  Deluxe interior, stereo, radials, air conditioning, stripes, and the list went on.  She told me the price, and not paying attention didn’t hear it at first.  Then she told me about my deductible, and gave me a total payout for the Rabbit.  “Repeat that again,” I asked, and she did.  I was being paid more for my totaled Rabbit, after the deductible than I had paid for it new!  The difference between Basic and loaded made me enough money to pay off the loan, and pay cash for a 1973 El Camino!  What had started out as a disaster, God turned into a blessing!

I had obeyed what God put on my heart about loaning Bob the Rabbit, against others telling me no, and God had taken care of me in the midst of adversity.  I felt like Joseph in the well one minute, then handing out food to my brothers the next.  God truly had, and has a plan for me, and in adversity, He was there taking care of me.  A huge surprise to me, and Bob, was no surprise to Him.  Driving the message home, literally, of how Jesus cares for His flock, and in adversity in our weakest moments, His strength is made perfect.  A simple thing like loaning a car to a friend, had turned disastrous to the unsaved.  But in God’s economy would prove a blessing.  Far beyond the money, I learned to listen to the Spirit, and trustingly obey.  I had everything to lose, and could have, but for the grace of God. 

So still today maybe you still are what you drive.  Or in my case, what you ride.  And I ride Triumphs, and triumph in my relationship with a loving God.  Who knew that afternoon in Chicago that Bob would total my Rabbit, and that 2000 miles away in Albuquerque only one would be for sale to compare it with.  So take heart, God is in control, Acts 2:42 is true, and don’t miss any opportunity to be blessed by being a blessing.  A third Rabbit would enter my life a few years after, another deal where they messed up on the contract, and I paid some $400 under dealer cost for the car.  Cal Worthington may have had his dog Spot, I’ll take Jesus any time.  Acts 2:42, driving the message home about a loving God.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

 

Acts 2:42

⁴² ¶ And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers

 

brown skies why you make me blue

I must admit that I don’t know anyone who wants dirty air, but it is hard to find someone excited about having their vehicle smogged.  Yesterday I just got in under the wire with the Ranger, it passing magnificently, after a check engine light had been on-tighten the gas cap stupid. But when it first failed, it was because it still showed up in the truck’s memory, it hadn’t been driven enough cycles yet to be erased, so 34 miles, freeways and city later, it passed.  We can all breathe easier knowing that, I know I will.  And the readings show the air coming out of the exhaust are cleaner than the air going in-maybe we should all breathe more exhaust.  Please, don’t.  But watching the tech do the test, it was interesting, it had been years since I saw an OBD II test, the test for 1996-newer vehicles.  And as we talked, we talked of cars that failed, and why.  Certain brands were prone to early failure, Mitsubishi he said he had seen fail from as early as in the 80,000 mile mark, while some Toyota and Hondas passed at over 300,000 miles.  He talked of being a Chevy man, but had seen them fail more than he would like them to, but wouldn’t mention Ford, so I figured Ford passed better, something no self respecting Chevy guy would admit to.  And diesels now get smogged, but it is on a visual, something I understood, but can’t explain.  But today the air is cleaner, and I passed the test.  Until 2016...

The first time I was in Los Angeles was in 1975.  This Jersey boy thought he knew what bad air was, but was unprepared for what I was to see.  It was brown, and it was breathable, and it stunk.  And my eyes burned, forcing me to the beach, where at least the ocean breezes kept them cleaner.  Today’s LA air is much cleaner, tighter emissions for cars controlled by computers have done its job, and we forget how bad it was.  My only reminder going north on the 15 to Corona, and seeing the brown haze floating along the San Gabriels, reminding me of what once was everywhere, but now is more controlled.  So while watching a Starsky and Hutch yesterday, you could see the LA air as brown, it really was dirtier then, something we had all gotten used to, but accepted in lieu of warm weather.  40 years later, I breathe easier because of the cleaner air, and my smog test yesterday is proof.  Let’s all take a deep breath and exhale saying thanks!

Now LA is not exempt from being the only bad air city, they occur in places you would not expect.  How about the desert, Albuquerque?  Clean air all year, until it gets cold, and we start to heat our houses with wood, and soon a brown film begins to settle over the Rio Grande, and settles there until a big wind blows it away.  Wood pollution, nothing knew, it s recorded it journals about San Diego in the 1840’s, about brown air at night from fires, don’t tell the EPA, or we won’t be able to have our beach fires, cook outs, or be warmed by a real fire in our fireplaces....One of the most polluted places in the US of A is also one of the most beautiful-Yosemite.  Ever been in the Yosemite Basin in the summer, packed with cars, the air is so polluted it becomes dangerous.  And with all the trees to clean the air, they still can’t keep up-until winter comes and the cold winds blow it all away, along with tourists.  And just when you felt safe down on the farm, know the same cows that give us moo juice, also put off methane gas in highly toxic proportions, that wonderful smell is also dangerous.  How much more  natural can you get than a cow? 

So it seems no matter what you drive, where you drive it, what you eat, where you eat it, and where you summer or winter, air pollution is out to get you.  Unless you are a new car, and you put out better air than you take in.  And even newer motorcycles have catalytic converters, and are computer controlled, but fortunately don’t need smog tested in California.  But through technology we have cleaner air, faster cars and cycles, and can get to more places to pollute them faster than ever before.  A vicious circle if you think about it, and why many people flee to the country when they get the chance.  Back to the Garden, as I like to think of it.  But there is another form of pollution out there that is very rarely mentioned, and most don’t even realize it-noise pollution.  Background noise, white noise or whatever you wish to call it, is there.  And it is more noticeable when by its absence, for it is always present.  It comes from the electric wires, vehicle idling, factories, and even buildings-think of all the conversations going in an office with people talking, phones ringing, and printers printing-it is all pretty loud, but we are used to it.  And only on secluded starry nights do we hear nothing, a wonderful sound after all day submerged in noise, and wonder what is missing?  But with sound comes verbal pollution, in the form of swearing, gossip, and harmful things said to others about others.  Remember your mother telling you “if you have nothing good to say, don’t say anything,” that was noise pollution.  Gossip about friends at work, noise pollution.  Tell stories about others-noise pollution.  It seems every time we open our mouth, what comes out is damaging to someone.  Yet the Bible tells us to “let the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart, be pleasing to you my God,” and then further tells us, “what is on the heart comes out of the mouth.”  Now there are some dirty words spoken, you can only imagine the dirty heart saying them.  And even thinking them is sinful, so what can we do?  Who do we turn to for clean air?

Turn to Jesus, and be forgiven.  If you think on Him, you will say nice things.  If He is on your heart, your mouth will reflect it, and goodness and kindness will be spoken.  Not like the brother who wants to pray for the jerk over there, pray for the man who needs love, see him as God sees him.  And as we see God, we will respond.  If you think God is just a test to find fault with you, your words and attitude will reflect it.  But if you see yourself as He sees you, you will be forgiving and loving, the reason Jesus tells us to love God first, then our neighbor as ourselves, for no man loves his neighbor and hates himself.  And God loves us, first, so we should show love to others in Him.  Which is why He caused us to smile, you can’t get mad with a smile on your face, and why His hands were open on the cross-can’t shake hands with clenched fists.  So try to limit the noise pollution today and show others love.

And watch as two things may happen.  One it will get quieter, as so much we say is wrong, and in the quiet we can hear God better.  And also as we listen to God, we repeat what He has told us, who doesn’t want to share Jesus once you have met Him?  So we can tell a lot about your heart, by the words from your mouth.  Clean air can start right now, it shouldn’t take smog test to prove it.  A wise saying says temper your words with salt, as you may have to eat them.  And since we are the salt of the earth, giving it the flavor of God’s love, we need to give just the right amount, too much, and it’s uneatable, too little and no flavor, but just the right amount, and it is beautiful and tastes great.

With the tongue we both praise God and curse man whom was created in God’s image.  Put an end to pollution today, praise God more, and watch as the air around you clears up.  The attitudes of others change to you, and you can smile in the adversity of situations.  It is called joy, and it is unspeakable.....wonder if that just happens to be a coincidence?

in quiet love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot

many are called, few are riding

If you ride a motorcycle, you’ve seen the face.  You may not know the person behind it, but you know them none the less.  Sitting at a light, the dad looks over at you, wishing he was you, or at least the you riding the motorcycle.  After a few lights his daydreams turn to dreams, and soon he is home....still dreaming.  Maybe at one light it is a couple, and the wife catches him looking, and when the light changes, she yells “go on!” and for a moment he dreams she meant go on, get one.  All hopes fade as she berates those who ride, and what they ride the rest of the way home.  One time it may be a family, with a little boy in the back.  He waves, you nod back, his smile growing.  After a few lights, you’ve become his friend, and then his mother interrupts, “roll up the window and pay attention.”  He rolls up the window, but continues to pay attention, to the motorcycle.  As she texts her friends...paying attention.  And if you know of what I talk, then you know the symptoms, and the people behind the faces.  Better yet, you know of them, for you will never get to meet them, unless the two worlds collide-hopefully not in an accident.

I can remember the ads, “you meet the nicest people on a Honda,” Kawasaki-let the good times roll!”  “Solo Suzuki!”  All of them pointing to a freedom I knew I didn’t have, but wasn’t told about.  And it wasn’t until I started riding, the day I become the guy on the bike, instead of the man or kid in the car, that I began to understand it.  Either you ride or you don’t, no in between to those of us who ride.  Yet there is a whole culture of those who don’t who wish they could, but don’t.  They read all the magazines, know all the facts an figures, they can tell you who won the latest shoot out, and what next year’s models will look like.  They aspire to ride, but aren’t allowed to, or sadder yet won’t let themselves.  A whole untapped group of people, under the false illusion about riding a motorcycle.  Years ago when selling motorcycles, a man would come in once a month on his payday, and sit on a GT750 Suzuki, a Water Buffalo.  He would tell me all about them, and at first I thought he was a prospect to buy one.  But after a few trips that ended with “when Janey says so...” I knew he was a lost cause. And wondered how much trouble he would be in if she knew he stopped by the shop.   This poor guy knew all the terms, the guys in the shop, and I’m sure he did the same at the Honda store, too.  He had a calling to ride, but would never fulfill it.  Sad, because he would never know about a freedom we do.  A freedom that putting on a helmet would also cancel out Janey’s voice to him.  I also remember a 76 year old grandma, a recent widow, who bought an RV, and then I taught her to ride.  She bought an RV110, a big tired dirt bike, Suzuki’s answer to the Trail 90, and then was going travelling to see her kids.  She was excited to surprise them-what a kick her kids would get out of Grandma riding.  I only hoped Janey wasn’t her daughter in law.

In every social group, there are those that aspire to fit in, but are kept out.  It happens in churches to, and to Christians.  We are all at different spiritual levels in our walk with Christ.  Some still drinking the milk that a new believer needs, some the chewable type, and some toothless from many years of eating at God’s table.  But then there are some who don’t know what you are talking about, will nod approval, and then change the subject.  They know the Bible inside and out, they know the Roman’s Road tract, and the Four Spiritual Laws.  They never miss a service, and have occupied the same place in the pew for years.  But they never make it personal, you can tell by their faces.  They are like the man eying your motorcycle, they want to, but are really afraid if they were given the chance to walk in the spirit.  They live a legalistic life, obeying God, rather than trusting Him, and will share Jesus as told, not as inspired.  They live a life never knowing the true freedom in the spirit, of not only knowing the one in scriptures, but the one who wrote them and they are written about.  Some are young, and already entrenched, some caught in middle age, and some seasoned, but still looking.  Wishing they knew what walking in the spirit was all about, but being afraid to trust God and find out.  They keep the Ten Commandments, but live a life of fear.  They maybe have a wife named Janey who keeps them that way, safe and out of harm’s way, but also out of the spirit’s way.  No one ever seeks them out for advice, only they cannot see their blindness.  The spirit of the Lord calls to them daily, yet the hardness of hearing dulls it, or they answer by spending more time in prayer, reading more, memorizing more, or attending more.  More, more, more-but less of God.

Many are called, but few are chosen.  It begins with an invite to know Jesus.  A yes or no answer.  No, you are still being called, He loves you that much.  Yes, He wants more for you.  To abandon all the laws that keep you in bondage, except for the one to love Him first, and your neighbor.  He invites you to meet the Spirit, but here is where many fall short.  They follow a teacher, a pastor, a church, or a denomination.  A substitute for the Holy Spirit, and they look at those walking with God and wonder how.  Why not me?  Why them, are they better?  NO-they just trust, where others don’t.  They never live out their aspirations, their lives based on a set of rules....never feeling the wind in their face.

If you are that man gazing, the little boy waving...stop dreaming and start riding.  Today is a golden age of motorcycles.  Take the MSF course, learn to ride.  Maybe take your kids with you, and your wife.  No communicators on my bike, we don’t need them.  We communicate with signals we don’t even know we have or are using.  In the spirit.  And life can be like that too with Jesus.  Ask him today to guide you, ask “what is your will?”  And then listen, and trust.  Faith turns to obedience, and obedience turns to trust.  And soon the new found freedom only found living in the spirit is your way of life.  Many are called, but few are riding.  Feel the freedom of Jesus I your life today.  Don’t wait until Janey says so.  Trust God, and then follow Him.  Aspire to live a life full in Christ....be one of the few, the humble-the spirit filled.  Be the one at the light who is gazed at, for the light of God is shining in your life.  And if someone offers you a ride to church, say yes.  Few are called and answer yes, I am one, what do you say?  Who are you when the light changes?

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

one quick trip accross the reservation will make you a believer

I have had a bad head cold the last two days, preventing me from participating in the human race.  Sneezing, coughing, and generally miserable, I have found refuge in my garage archives, where I keep my old magazines.  Car and motorcycle mags going back to the late 1960’s, over 9000 of them, I have a a supply to keep me going for months if needed.  But yesterday was Road and Track day, from 1969-1975.  An age when I was young, still trying to figure my way through life, and enamored by such names as Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Jaguar.  When according to R&T, there were foreign cars, and other, and I was living in the land that produced the others.  So needless to say, it had a great influence on my car dreaming, and also on my car buying.  So when given the chance, I bought my Dad’s 1969 BMW 1600 from him, only 3 years old, it was in great shape.  I paid $1900 for it, cash from my paper route and summer jobs, exactly what the dealer was going to give him in trade against his new 1972 2002.  I was cool, at least among those who knew foreign cars, but in a world of SS396 Chevelles, Boss Mustangs, Olds 442’s, and AMC Javelins, I was the outsider.  My engine was only 1600cc, or 96 cubic inches-no way I could ever compete against 401, 396, or even 327 small block Chevies.  So at the drag strip, our high school parking lot was just over a 1/4 mile long, with a circle at the start, I was not even in the running.  And each day one of the guys had his turn buying a gallon of bleach, and we did bleach burnouts!  And they eyed me with suspicion-small car, non-American, non muscle.  A BMW, British what?, as no one outside of R&T readers knew what a BMW was, MG’s were the most popular sports car, from England, and VW Beetles the most popular import.  No one drove Toyotas, Datsuns, or anything Japanese, unless it was a motorcycle.  I was a stranger in a strange land, which just happened to be my homeland.  But one afternoon, things were to change....

Few people talked handling in the muscle car era, it was 0-60 and 1/4 mile times that counted, all in a straight line.  But BMW’s handled, and we had just the road to prove it on-Johnson Drive.  A road with 13 bumps in it, that had many scary stories attributed to it, and that emptied out into the Watchung Reservation, parks in the woods for the locals.  After chasing a Corvette across Johnson Drive, and having to slow for him in the corners, we hit the reservation-and I blew past him approaching the first corner.  Scaring him, and myself, as the road was shorter than the distance needed to pass, he braked, I passed, and lost him within a couple of turns, and waited for him at the first round about.  And then did it again, and again, until it was not fun anymore.  And when we stopped and talked, suddenly he was interested in my little engined BMW, that had eaten him alive.  Never again would he take a sucker bet against one-and he warned the others about my car.  Not what he had expected, not what he had wanted, and not what he had hoped for, he now was a believer.  Although true there is no substitute for cubic inches, handling in the curves can overcome speed in the straights, if you have enough turns to help you.

A few memories resurrected by the hours spent in the garage in the magazines.  Reminding me of a day when cars were affordable, sort of, and no one knew of or was impressed by a BMW.  Boy have things changed, as today BMW is luxury, and muscle cars from that era bring 6 figures, the price of your memories being the ceiling of your credit limit.  And I find it funny, not ha ha, but weird how some remember those days, especially after reading about them when they were new.  The good old days were once young, like we all were, only time has faded the memories, or custom tuned them to protect our pride, sometimes at the price of our integrity.  The word remember is found 148 times in the King James Bible, maybe an indicator of how we look back, but need to be reminded of what we are looking back at.  It seems that through out time, we forget, or alter our stories, always to make ourselves look better.  But God loves us anyway, and He knows the real story, which is often times less believable than the truth.  And so it was some 40-50 years after Jesus was crucified, that many had forgotten Him, but the few that did had a hard time sharing.  And of course doubting, but God has integrity, and although we change-our minds, morals, and ideas, He never does.  He is no fool, and although we have many versions of the Bible today, with the exception of a few , Message and the Jehovah Witness Bible, and the Mormon version, they are accurate to God’s word.  He isn’t stupid, and we find those who rewrite His word for their own advantage, blaspheme God and condemn themselves.  When first written and read, many were still alive from the time it happened, and would have been able to dispute it, but didn’t. The Torah, or books of the law were only a few thousand years old at the time, and were honored, read, and memorized.  No printing presses, or Internet to file them, so God wrote them on the hearts of men, and still does today.  And why after many years, so many seasoned believers can recite certain verses that are precious.  And can carry on conversations quoting the Bible with others.  He has written them on the hearts of believers so we can always have them with us, ready to do battle when needed, or correct when misquoted.  Like the old R&T’s I read, they reflect how it was, not how it is interpreted today. 

Today a 396 cubic inch engine seems overkill, but in 1969 it was midsized.  Filling up your car for $2.00 was not a bargain then, but a dream now.  My $1900 BMW is worth 10 times that today, so taken in perspective, things have changed.  But not Jesus.  Or His words.  They remain the same, so we don’t have to relate them to something else.  Just to Him.  Where we find the truth has stood the test of time, and editors, and He still saves today, as He did 2000 years ago.  And sadly where some still try to change His words, His message, and try to manipulate the souls of men for their own benefit.  Maybe some things don’t change with time.

So before you get suckered into a curve by some unknown, know what you are driving.  Know in who you believe, and follow Him, not some new trend.  Don’t believe it just because you have never seen it.  Some lives are built for a straight line existence, others thrive in the curves.  Know your enemy, but know Jesus first.  Keep Him between you and danger, and you won’t get suckered.  Fall back on who you know when a new philosophy comes along.  Test the spirit as we are told in 1John, and anyone who denies the deity of Jesus is lying-and many do, avoid them.

The BMW of 1969 in no way compares with the ones of 2014.  Nor does the Chevy or the Ford.  Times change, laws change, and gas gets more expensive.  Our memories fail, and legend becomes truth at the expense of integrity.  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever-a model you don’t need to change every year.  Lee Iacocca used to tell us “if you can find a better car, buy it,” I have found the best in Jesus.  What’s in your garage may tell us what is in your heart.  More than old magazines, old memories, and entertainment for a sick day, all things point to Christ-see you in the curves-there is a long straightaway ahead-enjoy the ride.  It is not always the size of the engine, but the size of the heart that drives it.  Lessons learned one afternoon in the reservation will make you a believer. 

love with compassion,

Mike

mattehw25biker.blogspot.com