Experiencing the Ride

We were out riding yesterday, perfect weather, back country, twisty roads.  Most of the seventy five miles there wasn't a cage in sight.

Travel seventy five miles, just for the sake of riding, that is something most non-riders cannot wrap their mind around.

We saw a lot of different bikes out there, waving as our paths crossed.  I have always thought  motorcycles are cool.  I like looking at them all and can appreciate the different styles.  When I'm not riding, I'm often surfing the web looking at bikes.  When I go to an event, I bring a camera and snap away.

I thought about the non-riders, how many of them are like me.  We share that admiration for the motorcycles.  But there is one huge difference between those of us who ride and those of us who do not.

The rider, throws his leg over and experiences the motorcycle in a way that goes beyond admiration.  We are moving with the bike, we know how it feels, how it turns, we have tasted something that the non-rider cannot imagine.

Many approach Jesus 

Christ that way.  They admire him, they say he is a good teacher, an amazing man.  But it stops there.  They don't put their lives in his hands, they have not come to move with him, walk with him.

When people observe us on a motorcycle, many are tempted to join us.  We have a neighbor who just this past weekend finally got her motorcycle!  I'm sure she has been watching my wife and I roll out week after week.  That has had to make an impact on her choice to get one for herself and ride.

Do our lives point to Jesus in the same way?  Do we show how amazing it is to know him, to live for him?

Do we live our lives like an open invitation to 

"Taste and see that the Lord is good;

 blessed is the one who takes refuge in him." Psalm 34:8 (NIV)

The Real Deal

I find it interesting when I come across individuals who want to appear to be bikers, yet by just  spending a little time with them you can soon tell they are not.

They may wear the t-shirts, have knowledge of motorcycles, perhaps wear a leather jacket... but they lack one thing.

They really don't ride, nor have they ever really ridden. 

When you talk to them about the joy of the open road, you can see that somewhere in the conversation you lost them.  They nod, they smile, but they don't appear to have ever understood it.  They have never really tasted the "life behind bars".

Time and observation can often erode a first impression.  Someone who appears educated can soon show ignorance, someone who appears to come from simple means can show wisdom that a college education or higher cannot provide.

Truth about who we are cannot be hidden for long. 

And that is why we go through trials as Christians.  It is easy to take the name, buy a bible and go to church.  It is yet another thing to actually walk the walk and live the life.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,  who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.  In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." 1 Peter 1:3-7 (NIV)

May we be proven to be the "real deal"

Birds

I never really paid much attention to birds until we got a pair of cockatiels.

What amazes me, after having them a few years, is that they both have very distinct personalities and habits.  We have gotten to know them as much as anyone can know and enjoy a dog or cat.

Just like when you purchase a motorcycle, you start to notice them everywhere, owning a bird causes me to see them all the time now.  Giant ones flying in the air, or small ones perched on trees.  And, of course the many birds that come to our bird feeder in the back yard.

They are beyond my ability to count, and it amazes me that with the endless number and variety they probably each have a unique personality.  I can't wrap my brain around the idea that you can know each of these the way we know our own birds.

Yet, the Lord cares for each of them, personally.  He has the ability to know them and he cares about them.

Then how much more does he know and care about each of us?

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care.[b] 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Matthew 10:29 (NIV)

To Mow A Lawn

My lawnmower died, and I haven't had a chance to replace it yet.

This, combined with the rainy days, has meant my lawn was getting pretty long.  I could only imagine what it would look like by the time I got the new lawn mower and the time to mow it...

So last night I noticed our young teenager neighbor mowing his lawn across the street.  I asked his parents if I could hire him to mow my lawn. 

What impressed me was this, after the boy mowed, his father came back outside with him to inspect the work.  They walked the lawn together, step by step, and found a few spots that the son had missed. He then had his son get the mower and take care of them.

It was encouraging to see a parent care so much that he wanted to instill that work ethic into his son.  But it also reminded me that we too have a teacher. One that walks our life with us, often pointing out our mistakes and showing us how to take care of them.

Perhaps so we can do a better job with tomorrow than we did with today.

"But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." John 14:26 (NIV)

Nothing New Under the Sun

I recently read an article about penny dreadfuls.  The penny dreadful were books, written in the 1830s, and sold for a penny a book.  What's interesting is that the topics covered were very similar to many of the video games we see today. 

And they were actually often blamed for violent behavior.

According to the BBC article I read, 

"The press, lawyers and clergymen strove to link such literature with juvenile crime and degeneracy, blaming it for violence, robberies and suicides."

See http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160502-the-shocking-tale-of-the-penny-dreadful  for the full story.

Ecclesiastes 1:9  (NIV) says "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun."

It occurred to me how, when humans commit horrible acts, we as a society are often surprised and look for a reason or someone/something to blame.  We seek to find an answer, point a finger, find a cause so we can remove it. 

But the simple fact is, when we see the acts we are simply seeing the sinful nature of the fallen race of man.

Society isn't getting worse, there really were no "good old days".  Sinful man, unrestored without God, will always look the same.

The cause of all the violence is always sin and the answer to sin is always Jesus Christ.

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23 (NIV)

Are You a Berean?

So the other day my wife and I got into a discussion about some classic rock song lyrics.

In particular, the Queen song, "Killer Queen".

Finally we brought up some YouTube links that showed the lyrics and I was amazed to find out how many of them I had totally wrong.

She, however, knew them all accurately.

The difference between the two of us was not how well we knew the songs, but how we learned the lyrics.

My wife learned them by going to the source, seeing what they were.  I went strictly by what I heard, never checking the accuracy.

The result...  I have gone for years singing along...  with the wrong lyrics!

I thought about how many people approach the Bible the same way.  We hear a sermon, or a Christian song and build a belief around what we heard, never stopping to check the source.

However, even Paul had a group of believers who double-checked him, they were commended for it.

"Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." - Acts 17:11 (NIV)

We can go on singing wrong song lyrics and it won't matter much.  However, if we are basing what we believe is true only on hearsay, we can easily fall into error.

Be a Berean!

Riding in the Rain

Although I don't particularly enjoy riding my motorcycle in the rain, yesterday my wife and I thought it well worth the risk.  Sure, it was cloudy, but it was dry when we left.

The 20 or so miles in the morning were rather nice and we arrived at Freedom Biker Church in Clayton, still dry!

So far so good!

But about three quarters of the way through the service, we could hear the rain drops bouncing off the roof.

It hadn't really let up by the time we threw a leg over and headed home. 

Both of us were soon soaked!  Our rain gear sat unused and dry in the garage at home.

It was plenty warm enough and we laughed and smiled at each other when stopped at the lights.  "Living the dream!"

Sure, that morning it was tempting not to ride, given the 40% chance of rain in the forecast.  But we both enjoy riding so much we thought it worth the risk. 

We had accepted that risk going in, so our attitudes stayed high. 

About four miles from home, the rain let up and I could see some blue sky and sun in the horizon.  That scenic view alone just filled me with a sense of joy. 

I mean, sure we had great attitudes, but we were still riding in the rain!

Life is like that ride.  Some days you get soaked, but it's our attitude that changes everything.  Before the ride started, we had counted and accepted the cost. 

And that's just how our life with the Lord should be.  Count the cost, accept the good with the bad, and don't look back.

The Son is in the horizon ahead.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV)