driving topless

Although I grew up in the Muscle Car era, my roots are in sports cars.  At the time I had a 1969 BMW 1600, Cooper an Opel Rallye, Simmons a John Player Special Lotus Europa, and Timmy’s family owned a group of car dealerships, and he drove an MGB.  We were all winners when it came to bench racing, Cooper and I pretty close in the turns, and Simmons flat walked away from us in the straights.  But Timmy in his MGB, or rather his family’s store’s MGB, laid claim to being the only real sports car.  It seems the legend goes that only real sports cars come from England, and to qualify the top must go down.  The Lotus came close, being from England, but only the MGB could be driven topless.  Which changes the whole attitude when driving, and reinforces the British claim to fame.  The Germans may be faster, quicker, and more reliable, but nothing beats an afternoon ride with the top down in a British sports car.  The rest are sporty, only one is a true sports car.  Four cylinders of fun getting 20 mpg, where you could see the cylinders and count them, you had access to the plugs, and of course knew all the parts guys by name.  And they knew you.  But on those sunny days when the top was down, nothing else mattered.  Not 0-60, not the fastest in the quarter, no top speed runs here.  An intangible was at work, and it had to be British.  With the top down.

That doesn’t mean they had mastered the art of the collapsible top though.  A friend once ripped the windows out of my Midget one time putting the top down incorrectly.  It seems if it took less than five minutes to complete the task, it wasn’t British.  Or could be done alone, or even worse, when the unexpected shower came, and it was easier to drive over 60 and keep the rain from hitting you than stopping and getting soaked, while washing your interior.  A date and I once froze coming home from a picnic, she had to have the top down, and found out the hard way.  Any future dates were considered only if I had a car that didn’t leak in the rain.  But still the legacy remains, there is nothing quite like top down motoring in a British sports car.  If I need to explain, you’ve never been caught in the rain with your top down.

Isaiah tells of a time when the wolf will eat with the lamb, the leopard will be friends with the goat, and a lion with the yearling.  A time to come when all sin is gone from the world, and Jesus Christ rules and reigns.  A time when it won’t rain, my interpretation, when the road will empty, and I can ride all I want.  I do hope that there will be an MG or two there also, to truly experience the driving sensation that escapes us here so often.  We do many things based on conditions, like weather, money, time, and our wife’s permission, in heaven I cannot see struggling with a top in a shower.  Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden, it never rained until Noah, God providing a mist for the  trees and flowers.  I could see them in an MGB, top down, meeting with God, any topic but the weather.  All the animals gathered around, no need for protection, they were still perfect, no sin entered the world yet.  We forget that with it sin brought aggression, pride, and competition, and suddenly all bets were off, including the weather.  To some this is a metaphor, of the peace we get when knowing Jesus, to some a true description of what will happen.  Both are and can be reality for the Christian, but yet pride rears its ugly head.  Even in the best of churches, or families, when people are involved, the lions go hunting, and the lambs flee.

Years ago I consulted the elders of my church about a man who owed me money and couldn’t pay.  Talking with each one, 4 or 5, each one gave me a different answer, with one commonality, sue the sucker.  Make him pay.  Teach him a lesson.  Which confused this young Christian, so turning to God, always the last resort when it should be the first, I forgave him.  It wasn’t about the money, it was about my pride.  And to not loan, but give as scripture instructs.  I was free from the burden, and topless driving was back.  Nothing between me and God.  No roof to protect, no AC to cool or heater to comfort.  I found the answer in Jesus, when his spirit directed me.  A valuable lesson, topless motoring in the kingdom.  A lion may lay with the lamb then, but I can have the peace I need now.  Top down, wind in my face, enjoying the ride. 

Just like the cars we drove, many were bought on spec, on reputation, or affordability.  Seems we approach God the same way, conditionally.  Yet he loves unconditionally, he goes beyond the written word so commonly quoted to our advantage, his reputation is flawless, and his riches are endless.  Like the 10 virgins, who needed oil in their lamps, he keeps the oil in our engines, no matter how much they mark their spot.  We need the oil of his spirit in our lives, some are a little low, some need changing, some a new dipstick before they become one.  But God provides, so why go anywhere else? 

I believe that one day the Ford will lie down with the Chevy, BMW with Mercedes Benz, and MG will be resurrected.  But I am glad that on that day I will be too.  And I am now.  Maybe that is what makes topless driving so desirable, it encompasses all the best of driving, and leaves nothing between us and God.  But lest we all run out and buy British, remember the rain falls on the just and the unjust.  Which is why we need Jesus, he protects us from the storms, yet we can see him better on sunny days.  A relationship not based on spec, or on what he can do, but based on who he is.  After all, isn’t being the son of God enough to have our worship?  So maybe the motto of the  MG tells us why it the ultimate British sports car, Safety Fast.  Sounds like God to me.  All others, close the windows and turn on the air.  I wonder, does MG stand for Mighty God?  Wanna bet the elders drove sedans....

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25bikr.blogspot.com

understanding dump trucks

I’ve always wanted a dump truck.  Not sure why, definitely not practical, I have no real use for it, no place to park it, and really no place to drive it.  Yet I have always wanted one.  Maybe the Tonka truck influence of when I was a kid, maybe being a baby boomer and watching suburbia being built in the early sixties, or maybe because they just look cool, I want one.  Maybe it was Tonka naming a double rear axle dumper Big Mike, maybe riding to work in the back of one when working for the Union County Park Commission summers in high school, or maybe because they just look cool.  I have settled on a mid fifties GMC, maybe Ford Big Job, 53-56, but my first love is the B Model Mack trucks.  Must have a diesel, always thought the name Thermodyne was cool, still not sure what it means, and a two speed rear axle.  I am open to colors, but that red that Mack seemed to paint everything would seal the deal, after talking to my wife first, of course.  But I think she would understand, or at least say she did, as I have brought home Mustangs, Suzuki Samarai’s, MGB’s, Thunderbirds, and who knows how many motorcycles that were welcomed, all without prior knowledge.  I take exception to the sign in the local Yamaha store that reads “your wife called, and said you could buy what you want.”  I am considerate of her, maybe if I start leaving little hints about the Mack she will catch on.  Who knows, there may be a Ford in my future?  Or a GMC....now if they came in a convertible model I know I would stand a better chance.

And so I look, in Vintage Truck magazine for old dumpers for sale.  The Midwest is full of old farm trucks, in pretty good condition, just what I am looking for.  Do you think she has caught on to all the rides to Iowa yet?  An old GMC sits outside Woodstock, Vermont calling my name for years.  Sadly the old truck yard, outside of Ashland, Oregon is gone, so much old construction equipment, priced fair, I had been looking, but a few years ago it was gone, succumbing to yet another strip mall.  Supplanting the vehicles that might have helped build it.  I know there is one out there for me, so I still look.  And it will be parked outside, so there is still room in the garage for the bikes and her Mustang.  How could she say no?

And with a few thousand squirreled away, it seems the money could be there, but where are the trucks?  Why are the good deals always there when I don’t have the cash?  If only the two would meet...so I still dream, still look, and still desire an old dump truck.  Not quite desperate to go Dodge hunting yet, or even Studebaker, although I see on old one lately, might be for sale, but I am hanging onto Mack.  Unless a GMC or Ford Big Job breaks my heart and wallet first. 

It has been said wisdom is the nature of things, and understanding is the awareness of the difference between them.  Wisdom leads me to dump trucks, understanding says Mack.  Or GMC.  Or Big Job.  Nowhere is common sense mentioned.  But although we have the knowledge of the things of God, many fall short of the wisdom the spirit offers.  The understanding that we are offered in making decisions.  I know many people who have denied Jesus because they couldn’t understand him, the gospel not making sense.  And on paper it might not, why would God sacrifice his son for a group of people who hated him?  Why would God come down to us?  Aren’t all other deities higher and mightier and above us?  Cults have the knowledge, or at least the teaching of what they believe, as perverted from the gospel as it may seem, but they lack wisdom.  They don’t understand that denying the deity of Jesus Christ means hell.  And they say we Christians don’t get it.  We try to argue in vain, forgetting that the wisdom of the spirit is what reveals the mysteries of Christ, and our understanding of the scriptures helps us make the right decisions.  It is when we try to rationalize the things of God into earthly means we lose the translation.  It is why we need the spirit to provide the wisdom and understanding we need to know Jesus.  He reflected these in his ministry, and we can too, in the spirit.  So often we neglect to admit Jesus knows the answers before we ask, forgetting how we go through each detail, spelling it out for God, as if he was a newcomer.  Maybe if we  listened more, we would know more.  His wisdom would be imparted to us.  Understand?  Jesus is the difference.  He never said “he who has a mouth let him speak,” he said “he who has an ear let him hear.”  Wisdom comes from listening, and understanding comes from God. 

So Jesus knows all about my dump truck desire.  And there may be one out there for me.  The right one.  I have the knowledge of the trucks, I need the wisdom to see which one.  And in understanding will know which one.  So I dream and hope...but what do I do if on the way I pass a bike shop, and another dream is out there for sale?  God give me wisdom to see my way past, the understanding to know which one to buy, or the cash to get both.  You know I can carry the new bike home in the truck....I guess wisdom like dump trucks has its limits.  Jesus and his wisdom have no limits.  And he is much easier than trying to find an old B model, too.  We have never seen the wisdom in SUV’s, or the understanding.  I guess there is still hope for me.  But there is an old International for sale close to hear, might have to alter my ride plans today.  Leave the check book home.  After all, my wife has wisdom too.  Look who she married.  If only she understood me....

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

 

what's your excuse?

I met a man long ago when I was first starting out in life and everything was new and exciting.  He had written a book, “Excuses-the Disease of Failures,” and I found it fascinating.  He was still young, old to me at his ripe old mid-thirties, but had written down stories of all the excuses he had ben given by people who told him he would never succeed.  He had seen between the lines of their reasons to fail, and committed himself to never following their example again.  Not a how to book, not even a guide to being successful, he had just written down lessons he had learned for others who failed.  Learning from failure, sometimes his own, but learning from others mistakes, overcoming their excuses, and not veering from the vision he had been given.  Adversity had made him strong, he was tested and had passed, while the others still made excuses.  From it I took the idea that whenever anyone gives me an excuse, I take it as a lie.  And I don’t like being lied to....

You see I have lost almost everything three times, been fired from the best paying jobs I ever had while on top of my game, been falsely accused of things I never did, and been life flighted, made medical history and given little or no chance to live.  All without making any excuses.  I have learned from all of them, and still learning.  I have found good advice only works if taken, losers will make excuses and become a burden, and somehow blame you for their failure.  I have been frustrated when telling someone what to do when asked, and seen them disobey and go down in flames.  I have neglected good advice, thinking I knew better, I was the exception to the rule, and wished I had listened.  I tire of opinions, I rather deal with facts, and find true testimonies of Jesus Christ uplifting and encouraging.  Inspirational.  Yet I find too many who teach or instruct, have all the answers, yet have no experience.  They give advice to those sick about how Jesus will cure them, but never have been critically ill themselves, based on here say.  They never miss a paycheck, yet tell the jobless how to have faith.  They never miss a house payment, and have no idea what it is like trying to make rent.  The world is full of them, a breed of excuses of a different kind.

So many how to books have been written and read and then applied to life.  The books stores are filled with them, yet I have never seen my friend’s Excuse book anywhere.  Maybe it hits too close to home, maybe the excuse part is negative, and maybe it is easier to believe a lie than to face the truth.  Pick your reason, er excuse.  Isaiah tell us of a man who will be born, described as “wonderful counselor, mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.”  Those are some mighty recommendations, yet often he is neglected, his words twisted, excuses made, and only as a last resort his advice taken.  He charges nothing for his advice, it is readily available, and private sessions are encouraged.  He makes no excuses for who he is, or why he came.  Yet those who follow him often do.  Never taking in the fullness of who Jesus Christ really is.  He is too many times only compared to someone earthly, and sounds too good to be true.  He is prayed to but rarely listened to, and then summarily blamed when we fail.  And we still call him Lord.....

As a wonderful counselor he reveals things about us that we don’t know or will not admit.  He offers advice and the solutions to our situations, he shows us the way, even if it may be dangerous and not what we want.  He has faced every dilemma we ever will and has overcome them, even death.  Yet we neglect his advice.  He is referred to as Mighty God, unmistakenly referring to his place in the trinity, never boasting or bragging, just the fact of who he is.  Which should be enough to worship and trust him, yet we try him every day to have him prove who he is.  And he never fails.  He is the everlasting father, who knows no beginning but has always been.  Everlasting, no end in sight either, no matter how far you go back or go ahead, Jesus is always there.  He is the only one who can give eternal life because he is eternal and is the life, yet offers sinners a chance to become children of God and part of the family of God.  To enter his kingdom.  He was resurrected, so we can be also.  And finally he is the Prince of Peace.  His peace goes far beyond anything physical or emotional we may desire, it is spiritual in nature, and more than a high or a quickie nirvana.  It goes deep, beyond situations, it is Christ within us, his spirit dwelling inside of us.  It accepts no excuses, he is pure truth, and all these things are found in the person Jesus Christ, and revealed by his spirit within you when you are born again.  He is the truth, maybe that is why I don’t like being lied to, I know the truth, and on a first name basis.

So to those of you who still make excuses, please excuse me.  Excuse me from your selfish pride, thinking you know better than God.  For in your excuses, you really are admitting you know better than Jesus, your counsel is better, your decisions mighty, you won’t change because you are right, and him wrong.  You neglect he who been around since the beginning, claiming it is all new, when it is only new to you.  And you find peace when things go your way, but never know the true peace only found in Jesus.  I can hear the excuses and the name calling already, I’ll take it as a compliment, they did the same to Jesus.  I am not in the same class as him, but in his class I am still learning and trusting.  And not making excuses any more.  So what is your excuse for not trusting Jesus?  Maybe God needs to spend some time with you to see how to figure things out.  But could it be you really need to spend some time with him?  You’ve been given the answers before the test, or isn’t that good enough?

Please explain to me, what part of forgiveness do you have a problem with?  What part of mercy?  What part of being saved by grace and not works?  Admitting you are a failure is the beginning, not the end.  How do you describe your God?  We hear your words, I hope the excuses made don’t match your actions.  Loser.  Not a bad place to start, but a lousy place to end.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

Beemers and Billy

It’s 1968, right in the middle of the Muscle Car era.  Cars are pumping out over 350 hp from over 400 cubic inch engines.  For under $3000 you can burn  all the rubber your insurance premium can handle.  But on the other side of the pond, it is still about small engines with high output that handle.  And seemingly from nowhere, Bavaria to be exact, come a new sport sedan, called the 1600, or its bigger engined brother the 2002.  No one is familiar with this make, yet, and its importer Max Hoffman is about to put it on the map in the US of A.  The car, the BMW 2002, which when driven by off and on again editor of Car and Driver magazine David E. Davis, his headline is how “he blows his mind over the new BMW!”  Which in those days meant “British what?”  The Brits still ruled the sports car world, if only for another few years, but the BMW 2002 was big news, and C&D puffing it, promoting it, put it on the map, the roads of America.  And as they say, the rest is history...

The first car I bought, from money saved from paper routes and cutting yards was my Dad’s 1969 BMW 1600.  He sold it to me in 1971, for whatever he would get in trade for a new 2002, maybe the best $1900 I ever spent on a car.  But my Dad owning one to start with is something of itself, as he drove Ramblers, and commuted in a 1963 VW.  Not a car guy, it was economy.  But reading about the BMW, and it being named one of the Best 10 Cars in the World, he bought one.  The power of the press, the words of David E. Davis and others, getting him into the showroom, into a demo ride, and buying his first and them his second and last BMW.  If you think you know BMW’s, and don’t know about the 2002, you don’t know BMW!

It’s 1947, and a young itinerant preacher peaches his first public crusade in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  No one really notices, but God is moving in his life, and in 1949 decides to preach in Los Angeles, “The Christ for Greater Los Angeles Crusade ,” it is noticed by William Randolph Hearst, he of Hearst Castle and newspaper fame, and he puts out a two word memo to his international chain, “PUFF GRAHAM!”  And as the say, the rest is history, as an unknown preacher goes on to be an historical figure, leading millions to Christ, and beginning a family legacy passed on to his kids.  From humble beginnings, to even humbler and a greater future, Billy Graham is today synonimous with Jesus and crusades around the world.  Ministering to both the poor and presidents alike, you make the distinction.  A man with a message from God, promoted by a man with questionable ethics, brings a message of hope in Jesus Christ to the world, and lives are changed.  The power of the press?  Or is it really the power of the holy spirit?

We neglect to remember that all things work to good for those who love the Lord, and are called according to his purpose.  His purpose, for us to know Jesus Christ personally, to be saved.  Yet in today’s economy, Christian bashing is the norm, we are made fun of on TV, movies, and in print.  Christian movies come out, but mostly only Christians go to them.  I thought they were an evangelistic arm?  Invite an unsaved friend to the movie, be entertained, leave saved.  I hope it’s true, I only hear of church folk attending.  All the huffing, but where is the puffing?  But fortunately, bad press has never been able to deter people from coming to Christ.  Where sin abounds, grace abounds even more.  If it weren’t so, Christianity would have died thousands of years ago, yet it is flourishing today and in places we don’t expect.  Or hear about.  Yes, every six seconds Christian is martyred for their faith, yet the testimonies of Jesus Christ continue.  The Bible still the all time best selling book, mega churches springing up, but somehow Jesus stills keeps it personal.  Just like you can say you drove a BMW, I can say I owned one as my first car.  You may go to church, even read the Bible, but without knowing Jesus, it ain’t the same.  It’s not personal.  Yet many live on headlines, rather than reading the small print.

You may drive a BMW, or attend a crusade, but that won’t make you a Christian or a BMW driver.  It isn’t Billy or the Beemer that change you, it is the message.  For Billy it is the gospel, and under the power of the spirit, it goes forth, and then others continue the message.  Something about Jesus, when you meet him, you just have to tell someone.  Like your new car, you drive it around and show it off, and after everyone has seen it, the new wears off.  No one to brag to anymore.  Is your version of the gospel like that?  No longer fresh and new, just put away?  Maybe looking for something newer?  Did you know you can only revive something that was once alive, and has died?  Ask Lazarus, if you could.  Go back to the beginning, when it was fresh and new.  When enthusiasm, God within, drove you.  What drives you now, better who?  My Dad kept his 2002 for many years, even replacing the rusted fenders.  My 1600 blew an engine at 60,000 miles. The ultimate driving machine?  Today every yuppie or wanna be knows what BMW is?  But can they afford the upkeep, or is it about the perception?  Sadly the perceptions of Christians is “they want all our money,” and we bring along a set of rules designed to rob them of all fun.  Maybe said best, the holy spirit’s job is to convict, God’s job to judge, our job to love.  Are you doing your part, the loving?  I have never met a person who came to Christ and was sorry for it.  We all have to worship something, why not God?  And in Christ, it is possible. 

There are many acronyms for BMW, Broke My Wallet, Bring Money With you, Big Money Waster, and Bimbette Motor Wagon.  All pretty close to true.  Yet above Jesus on the cross, were the letters, an acronym claiming he was the son of God.  Beemers and Billy will both have an impact on you.  So will the power of the press.  Without it, BMW may still be just another car, now it is the ultimate driving machine.  Ultimate to me meaning the last.  But in Jesus we have the alpha and the omega, the first and last.  Just for kicks, see if anyone wants to trade with you on an old worn out Beemer.  Jesus is still accepting trade ins of your old sin for new forgiveness.  The ultimate driving machine will always be the holy spirit.  You may blow your mind on a car, your wallet on a BMW, don’t blow your chance at heaven on anything other than Jesus.  Maybe Paul says it best, “I consider everything else a loss after coming to know Jesus Christ.  That I may forego all others and seek his righteousness.  That only comes from God and by faith.”  David E. Davis’s review of the BMW remains one of the best reviews ever written on a car.  I have owned a BMW, and I know Jesus.  And the rest is history...

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com