go somewhere for a change

 With so many of my friends facing retirement, and finding they have no plans for it, they suddenly go into a panic mode, “where will the money come from?  How am I going to live?”  And so begin to sell things off, maybe even things they love like their motorcycles, and move out of state.  Pay cash, no overhead, and then get old fast.  No old friends around, or familiar surroundings.  No guys to meet Saturday morning for a ride, no motorcycle to do it on.  The house is new and needs nothing, they sit safe and secure in the knowledge should something happen they are well off.  But don’t realize that the something has already happened, and that the life and lifestyle, friends and the rides they took, all they counted as life before, and were looking forward to at retirement, have been sacrificed in the name of security.  They no longer live, but inside just wait around to die wasting away, with no hopes, dreams, or ambitions.  Don’t think it could happen to you, to my friends they never thought it would happen to them.  So busy and productive in life, they now have flip flopped and have become useless.  They used to go somewhere for a change, now they have changed and need to go somewhere.  They have the time, the money, but not the means, the bike and the ambition are gone.  By sitting idle, they have given up their resources, and slipped into ruin.  They couldn’t wait to retire, now they find it is not all they dreamed it would be.  They talk more of the good old days, not knowing the good old days are here today.

Having been forced into retirement by health issues, I can tell you things change, but God doesn’t.  The same one who took care of you in life, the same one that will take care of you in the afterlife, will take care of you in retirement.  Retirement doesn’t mean you stop doing things, it just means you don’t do the same things.  My 500 mile days are limited to 300, we ride less, see more, stop when we want, and have found we still have a love of travel, and have adapted to a different level.  Still on two wheels, with more time we cover the same amount but in more time, our two week excursions now take six weeks, still dreaming of how long our six week rides will take.  We still get out and live, we have gotten older, not old.  I also have some who have retired, and then have to go back to work, making less money for  more hours, and hating retirement.  They trusted God their whole Christian life, but their real security was the paycheck.  Time and money was budgeted, now the time exceeds the money, their lifestyle changed, they didn’t.  Or at least not how they planned. 

A BMW brochure of all things has put my life and our future plans into perspective.  It reads “You two are not definitely local yokels.  You like rides that last longer than a piddly afternoon.  You like waking up on different coasts.  You like exploring this big, bad slab of a continent instead of putt putting around the neighborhood revving your pipes going nowhere.  Distant horizons call.”  If ever ad ad sounded like me, this was it.  How I choose to be remembered.  Local to us means where the road takes us, last summer 26 days and 7300 miles in 13 states.  It can be a long three day weekend, or an unplanned overnighter.  It can be lunch in Birmingham, dinner in Apalachacola, watching the sun set on the Gulf of Mexico.  It can be crossing time zones and arriving early for dinner, or just missing a late ice cream sundae because you lost an hour.  You may ride one day with the sun on your left, the next to your right.  You may like we did one day, cross the Mississippi seven times, or ride 430 miles in Florida and end up only 100 miles from where we started.  Yet there are days when a putt to the beach is far enough, and going nowhere is going somewhere.  That distant horizon may be the mountain pass at Rocky Mountain National Park, or the oceanfront watching the sea lions at San Simeon.  But life is still there for the living, no one has ever heard any man say “I wish I had one time for just one more business deal.”  But how many long for just one more ride, but never take it? 

So go somewhere for a change.  Trust Jesus.  Let the spirit guide you.  One trip started here, rode to Durango, life flighted to Albuquerque, and home in a rented Camry.  Talk about adventure, but through it we were reminded life was and is all about Jesus.  And when we trust him, and become flexible, we can know he has everything under control.  He knew the ride we were taking, and about what was to happen, and got us home.  Like the disciples in the boat who were afraid in the storm, he got us to the other side, just like he had told the disciples he would.  They thought of a long boat ride, the storm changed, Jesus didn’t.  I could have been retired that trip, God had other plans, and still does.  For what are you living and working, for whom are you toiling?

Ecclesiastes tells of a man who makes money, but dies childless with no one to pass it onto.  He never enjoyed life.  Like Howard Hughes did, at least in movie legend leaving it to a man who picked him up hitch hiking.  At least Howard was out and about, something he never did in later life.  And so the searcher asked himself, “for whom am I toiling, and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”   Sound familiar, too familiar?  We say we trust God, do our actions say what our mouth confesses?  How local has your yokel become?  He adds “this too is meaningless.”  

Go somewhere for a change, and let Jesus change you.  Because you are getting older doesn’t mean you have to get old.  So many roads to ride, meals to eat, and time zones to cross.  Beaches yet to walk, and friends to make.  Get out and live!  Some people make lists, some are busy riding them.  Some have dreams, some quit dreaming.  Some trust God, and led by his spirit enjoy the ride of their life.  Are you still putt putting around revving your engine but going nowhere?  Does it take a month to burn a tank of gas?  Have you quit trusting the Lord, and become a slave to security?  And become in secure?  Have you give up your dreams, sleeping less but longer?  Even the neighbors hear you and say “there he goes again, nowhere.”  The spirit is willing even if your flesh is weak.  Ask God and it will be given unto you, that means a daily future too.  If the seat of your sofa is wearing faster than the tires on your bike, you have a problem.  Get out and enjoy the abundant life Jesus promises, and live again.  We work our whole life to retire, don’t blow it when you get there.  Distant horizons call, put down the remote and start twisting the throttle again.  Go where the ads call you to go, and farther.  Get out and meet other local yokels.  Go farther than just an afternoon out, trust God and see where the ride takes you.  Jesus promises you the ride of your life, start making some new testimonies today.  Get off the escalator and ride, and live.  Enjoy life with Jesus, we didn’t quit riding because we got old, we got old because we stopped riding.  Whatever your ride, let it take you somewhere other than the couch.  Set the DVR to record and ride!  Go somewhere for a change. 

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

 

Volvo drivers

Once upon a time, when you heard Pontiac you thought GTO or Firebird.  Bonneville.  Mention Chevy and shades of Corvettes danced in your head.  SS454.   She’s real fine my 409.  Cadillac meant you had made it, you were rich.  Ford meant Mustang, we all wanted one, and Ford obliged.  Mention Plymouth and you thought Hemi, Dodge brought Chargers to mind.  American cars ruled the world.  But imports, not from Japan yet, were an interesting blend.  Mercedes Benz was high end, BMW still was “British what?”, Volkswagen sold the most imported cars in the states, MG’s were the budget sports car, we all wanted a Jaguar XKE, the French gave us sense of humor with the Peugeot and Citroen, the Japanese were still trying to sell us horrible little cars, in this pre OPEC world.  Mention each brand and your mind’s eye brings a car and a situation to mind, but then there is Volvo.  What did Volvo bring to mind?  Remember they were sold on safety, something no one was talking about, crude but basic cars, that a college professor would drive, that someone bought on a whim because it was safer than the Olds of his father.  Who thought individuality meant being different, not the butt of a joke.  A car built well, but lacking in amenities and style.  A car that seemed to last forever, born on the tundra of Sweden along with SAAB, mostly black, but safe.  The ads said so, and based on a crash, you stood a better chance of survival.  But they never mentioned the driver, nor his skills, and many of the Volvo owners we knew, were horrible drivers, feeling the safety attributes of their car made up for lack of driving skills.  It takes skill to pilot a 427 Vette, but a 90 horsepower 4 cylinder, my go kart went faster.  But as the owners bragged, they were safer, and maybe they were.  But did a safer car make a safer driver?

In 1956 Ford tried to sell safety, and failed.  Today so many moms under the influence of i-phones and SUV’s have the same skills the old Volvo owners had, but feel safe because of all the safety features in their vehicle.  You still cannot make a car stupid proof.  As they weave through traffic...I am not against safe cars, air bags work, but must have seat belts worn to be effective, I still am wary of some so-called accident avoidance features available, and Volvos still soldier on.  A far cry from my parents old wagon, nicknamed “the Dog,” because it slept wherever it was parked.  Bought and sold by Ford, they today still sell cars, but cannot based on safety alone, and have moved upscale.  They once were a snob car, at least to Mercedes Benz owners who knew better, and those of us who liked to go fast never fell for them.  The Volvos have changed, only the drivers have stayed the same, not very good.  With the exception of one P.L. Newman, who once had a Ford Boss 302 installed in his wagon, don’t mess with him, remember The Sting?   But the Volvo driver mentality hangs on, devoid of young owners, as Alfred P. Sloan once commented, “you can sell a young man’s car to an old man, you cannot sell a old man’s car to a young man.” A Volvo is an old man’s car, and so I have never met a Volvo that I wanted to own....

But yet we once were part of a Volvo press release in Sonoma.  Riding back from Canada on our Triumph Sprint RS, we stayed at The Lodge at Sonoma, my son worked for Marriott.  When we pulled in, they were introducing their new SUV, and hundreds of press types were there, if for nothing else the food and a chance to abuse someone else’s car.  But when we pulled in, the crowd gravitated to us, and the stories of Triumphs in the past started, they were interested in the new Triumphs and we made some new friends.  Until the large Swedish woman with the clipboard, banged on it and reminded them why they were there.  Triumph 1, Volvo 0, and I wondered, how many of the automotive types were excited about another SUV, at least they would be safer, but under the influence of motorcycle, it was speed, handling, and fun that won out.  And every time I see a Volvo, I am reminded of how bad a driver they are, my neighbor with two for his kids a good example.  As they sit parked, one leaking oil, and the other a just sitting.  What car isn’t safe when parked in its driveway?

A popular but incorrect story is told when you come to Christ all your problems go away.  Which leads some to think they can live as they please, with no regard for God and his scriptures.  Some wish him to be a genie in a lamp, performing their every wish, at their command.  Some feel invincible, “I’m going to heaven you cannot hurt me,”  and still live like hell.  Or drive like it.  They have been given a false sense of security, only memorize scripture that promises them good things, and if they get sick, well it must be the devil’s fault.  Or they were in sin.  God would never allow that to happen to them, the are special, important.  More important to any one who is sick, or having troubles.  They are superior, and feel safer just like Volvo owners, with no regard for other traffic.  Safe and secure in the fast lane at 50, for better mileage, cursing those who honk at them, “I’m a Christian, I’m better than you.”  And they are so far from the truth.

If you sign up for God to get things, you have missed the message.  For just as the rain falls on the Chevy and the Ford drivers, it falls on Volvos too, and the sinner and saint.  Yes things are better, you are going to heaven, you have the promises of God to assure you, but we are to change to meet God’s standard, not bring him down to ours.  As we get closer to Jesus, we see things through his eyes, in the spirit, and see sin differently.  We see the damage it makes, and as our heart changes, we see Jesus not as a spiritual “thou shalt not enjoy thyself God,” but one who loves you and wants the best for you.  He erases all the illusions and replaces them with truth, and his love.  Mercy and grace.  We are forgiven, truly born again.  God wants us to enjoy life, he is not a comic joy killer, if we think a certain thing in itself will bring us permanent joy, we are wrong, but mixed in with God’s grace, when we see it through God’s eyes it is everlasting.  God has set up ways for us to live, and when we interfere, we have accidents, and no safety feature will save us from ourselves.  Stupid hurts, sin divides, only God heals.  The brochures may tell of performance and style, safety and luxury, what does God’s brochure, the Bible tell about him?  If he was a car would you buy him?  A plane fly in him?  Based on his promises, yet we stray and believe lies, and live like hell, hoping we won’t end up there. 

So when we read “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” while some think fear, God means honor and respect of him.  We are to trust his superior wisdom, his truth, but until we do, we are just an old Volvo driver, thinking all is well because my car is safe.  The true secret of life is Jesus Christ himself, without him you will still have some good rides, maybe some safe rides, for he still loved us while we were yet sinners, but we miss out on the joy, the love, his peace and patience, which are only found via his spirit.  The secret of life is God’s presence in yours, the gospel, which is good news.  And unlike cars over the years which change, Jesus never does, you don’t have to be introduced to new doctrine or revelations, what may be new to us is eternal to him.  And we all are invited....

Still struggling with God, trying to tell him what to do?  Still demanding and not respecting?  He is patient...which leads to salvation.  God will not give up being who he is to placate us, it is us who must change to be like him.  Ever give up on God and say “he doesn’t work, look I prayed?”  He hasn’t given up on you, his safety feature of mercy is in high gear.  You cannot outrun a loving God, and unlike the Volvo you just passed, nothing can be added onto him, or subtracted form him to increase him.  Or his love for you.  God made it that way on purpose...and his purpose for your life is to know Jesus.  That simple. 

So are you a lousy driver feeling safe in a so-called safety car, or are you using the skills to avoid accidents?  Do you just have a license or know how to drive?  Are you a Christian feeling safe because of the scripture you know, or based on the one who inspired it by is spirit?  We all want more performance, only in Jesus will you get all you need.  With meekness, the power to get it to the ground.  Even a low performance Volvo spins its wheels and loses traction...mention Volvo and what do you think of?  Mention Jesus and who do you think of?  There is power and there is safety, only the saved in Christ will ever know the real difference.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

exit strategy

I didn’t realize it at the time, but this was the sixth straight summer that I had ridden cross country via Oklahoma City.  I also was reminded that things look different in the dark rather than the daylight, and when you are in a group, as opposed to riding solo.  Like any big city anymore, they are comprised of a series of freeways that form a beltway around the downtown, and then try to scatter you off in your chosen direction.  Making a game of it all at the same time.   We all like playing games, but not when we are lost, and in this case I wasn’t lost as much as I was misplaced.  Looking for old Highway 66, I had planned to stop at Pop’s, to stretch my legs and have a Coke.  Now for those who travel these roads daily, no problem, but for me, at 80 mph fighting every Okie out to run me off the road, the road split, one exit becoming two, and of course I was in the wrong lane, the left lane.  It was too late when I realized it, but gazing in my mirror, saw the right lane open, and cut over the curb, down a gulley, back up the hill and over the curb, and merged onto the freeway, never breaking stride and staying at 80.  Do not try this trick at home, I could pull it off because I was on my Tiger, described as a 2-wheeled Land Rover, an Adventure bike and with 9” of suspension travel front and rear, it was possible.  Compared to the 3” on your Sportster or slightly more on your Gold Wing, you would have been thrown clear of your bike at the first curb, the Tiger took it all in stride.  A poor exit strategy almost killed me, the Tiger never knew it.  Add that to the reasons I stay off the freeways and ride the back roads of America. 

I have been riding Adventure bikes to tour for 13 years now, for touring and those who need 1000 pounds of two wheels underneath them, luggage capacity of the trunk on your Father’s old LTD, and room for a plush animal, complete with stereo and GPS, add in a Buick sized windshield, and they don’t understand why I choose the ride I do.  Because it is comfortable, smooth, fast, handles well, and two Tigers weigh less than any bagger Harley.  At half the price....And when the road ends, you don’t have to.  And that is where many great adventures continue or begin.  Even if they are only missing an exit, or riding from California to Maine.  But we cannot know every road, or even what lies ahead, every time I have followed a rider with GPS he got us lost, many maps don’t show detours, and road construction, repairs, and poorly marked exits make the ride exciting.  Experience cannot be taught, it must be ridden, but still no matter how many times I have ridden some roads, each time can be like the first.  And different on each bike...rider optional.

Don’t tell anyone, but the exit from I-15 south to SR 94 west can be taken at 80 miles per hour, even though the sign says 30.  On the right bike.  Done it many times.  And each time I see where I could have ridden it a bit faster.  My exit strategy is different for each bike, for each condition, and usually not fully known until the curve is entered.  Call it foolish, I call it riding by faith, and do it even on the straight sections.  And of course the curves.  But with each mile I ride, I find I know more about the road and the bike I am on.  But I align it with other things in my life, and one constant remains, the more I know, reminds me of how much I don’t know.  The increase of knowledge only increases the depth of wonder and delight.  And with each new adventure one thing becomes blatantly evident, I don’t have all the answers, and for those who think they have all the answers, they haven’t heard all the questions.  We will never know all the enigmas of life, knowledge will always leave us lacking, and understanding only take us part way.  In God’s wisdom we need him, we need to trust him, yet so many try to outsmart him, to out think him, to debate with him.  And end up missing the exit and having to change plans.  Fortunately Jesus forgives, and gives us another chance.  To trust, we just read it as another chance to be stupid. 

When following a fellow rider on a new road, I follow his lines hoping he knows what he is doing.  Do we do the same with God?  Sometimes a slower rider will get passed, only to find out why he slowed down.  Do we try to outpace God, knowing what lies ahead?  Only to miss an exit and take a shortcut?  Is there a reason the spirit slows us down for our own good?  Scripture tells us more than once to trust the judgment of the Lord, that he has the wisdom in all situations, all we need to do is trust him.  Before and during, then after.  When my sons were younger, they would ride with me, not knowing where we were going, just trusting me to get them there safely.  They never knew the close calls, the missed exits, or the multitude of prayers while I was riding.  They just trusted me, without reservation.  Do we approach Jesus in the same way?  Do we rest in his arms, knowing that all things will work out for our good if we do?  Are we so consumed with ourselves we forget about those who depend and trust us?  Jesus never forgets about us!

Jesus tells us to love or enemies because they are valuable to us.  They can come in the form of missed exits, people out to get us, those who oppose the gospel and those who agree with us until we don’t agree with them.  In all cases, we need to trust the spirit more, to let him lead.  God has put in each of us a yearning for him, and once we follow that yearning, and trust then obey, our rides will take on a much different perspective.  Yet we claim to know so much, to have experienced so much, yet we have such a shallow relationship with the one who does.  And today we all will be faced with decisions he will get us through, if we trust him, and lean not on our own experiences.  Our suspensions.  The potholes are out there and out to get us, one recently took out Doug’s front wheel on his BMW.  They are there, but so is God.  And just like the shocks and forks that absorb the potholes, his spirit will do the same for us.  The road may be rough, and a shirt I saw the other day said “bad decisions make better stories,” but God will see us through.  And his exit strategy for us is heaven.  An exit that if you miss don’t get a second chance.  There are gates in hell to keep those in, not to keep us out.  Fortunately it is not too late to change the road you are on.  Or the speed you are traveling it. 

Missed exits, wrong turns have taken me places I never would have known about.  They can also be a blessing when God guides your ride.  We try to take control of things, yet God will not allow it sometimes, as he is looking out for us.  He will not allow us to take his place and be in charge,we will always fall short if we try to.  But even when you miss your exit in life, Jesus is still there to catch you.  So why wait for catastrophe when you can enjoy a better ride today?  Why ride a smooth wrong road when a great adventure awaits us on one where we need all our skills plus the spirit?  God doesn’t stop when the road ends, it is where adventure, trust and testimonies begin.  We don’t call them adventure bikes for nothing, and life is an adventure to be had.  Just like a phone call just reminded me.  We need Jesus all the time!  Only he sees the end of the ride, and all the miles in between, we only see the road from behind bars.  He sees it from the top of the mountain. 

What is your exit strategy?  Do you know Jesus?  Do you trust him?  There is a difference, and today may be the day you see him clearer than ever before.  He was there the whole time, just like the exit I missed, don’t miss him.  I made it to Pop’s, don’t miss his Pop in heaven.  You may think you know all the answers, the most important question is do you know Jesus?  And your answer is....

We will all someday enter into that eternity he has set in our minds.  He has made everything beautiful in his time...even potholes.  All you need is the right suspension, and to trust and obey.  I thought I was paying attention that morning, I was glad Jesus was.  I rest my case.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com