Four years that I have been at my home church. Four years that our Building Commitee has laboured intensly for a new sanctuary. Last weekend we did another ground breaking (for real this time), and today I stopped by to drop off some equipment submittals to our Project Manager. I was unable to volunteer today, and with regret too. There in the hole in the ground was a very pleasing sight. One of our members who has donated time and equipment to move the dirt, and my Pastor and our newest patched member of our "Bikers for Christ chapter" tying rebar for the footings.
I couldn't help but feel pride in what I saw, and I mean a righteous pride. Just for a bit of background let me ramble on what I felt. There was a man in our church (Joe) who just a few months ago had his neck broke in a truck accident, but was there with his family and equipment to do a job. WOW!!!!
Then there is our newly patched BFC member, Oscar "Cornbread", who has taken time to volunteer in 90 degree heat, I'll tell ya something about ol' Oscar. When he first got his scooter (Hog), I honestly didn't think he'd ever settle down with the throttle enough to accept his responsibility to the Motorcycle Ministry and get his patch. Well he finally did, got his patch, has ridden with a bigger purpose ever since, and I'm here to tell ya, he's going to be one of my most dedicated warriors for the gospel. I can just tell it.
Then there's the Pastor (Josh) , in overalls, sweat soaked, working like the man he is. I'm gonna brag on him a little. He's under 30 leading a church full of real men and real women. No offense intended to pastors of churches, but there are few I've known who would get out there and mix it up in the dirt, sweat like a maniac and still keep that big grin of his going.
I think I can honestly that I have a case of righteous pride for the real MEN in our church, not because of their abilities, but because of what God has given them to do and they do it, no questions, no negotiations, no whinning, just do it. What a pleasure it is to know that I can count on them to do the right thing everytime, all the time because of what the Lord has done in their lives. Yep... can't wait to get in there with'em.
Thanks guys
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Liars & Thieves
I woke up this beautiful morning and crawled in my van to go to work, and WHAM!!! I noticed all my pens were out of the cup I put change in, checked the cup and yes... all my anti-dehydration change was gone! I had forgotten to lock my van. Looked again and my wallet was also gone. BOOM!!!! credit cards, debit cards, Drivers Lic., insurance card, all of it
There are two things in this world that I have a very hard time dealing with. Lying & Thievery!
I only had about 15-20 bucks in cash at the most. The plastic only takes a couple of phone calls to replace and freeze the account, but what I'm really dreading is my Drivers License.
Did you know? That in our illustrious state of Missouri, to get a license renewed, or replaced takes and act of the INS & Dept. of Homeland Security.
Yes, my friends, you have to have picture ID's, SS card, two other forms of ID, a couple of pieces of mail, Birth Certificate, Green Card, Purple card, Sears card, and likely your last Birthday Card.
But I DON'T have a green card, I'm an American, caucasion, 45, thinning hair on top, with gray in my beard from trying to make a living in this country with the economy in the toilet.
I don't have a picture ID, they took it. I don't have a Sears card, their interest is too high and I don't really like their stuff. I do have a couple of birthday cards though, but I'd have to prove they were for me!!!!!!
Yes, I have a very hard time with thieves. For a woman they would feel for lack of a better term " raped and pillaged", for guys...... It's more like "hey there little coward, come and take it from me and we can find out how amitious you are"
Yeah, I think that's it... when guys get stolen from it's and insult, because you didn't have the opportunity to make the poor sucker earn what he really wanted.
That, my friends, is todays soap box.
There are two things in this world that I have a very hard time dealing with. Lying & Thievery!
I only had about 15-20 bucks in cash at the most. The plastic only takes a couple of phone calls to replace and freeze the account, but what I'm really dreading is my Drivers License.
Did you know? That in our illustrious state of Missouri, to get a license renewed, or replaced takes and act of the INS & Dept. of Homeland Security.
Yes, my friends, you have to have picture ID's, SS card, two other forms of ID, a couple of pieces of mail, Birth Certificate, Green Card, Purple card, Sears card, and likely your last Birthday Card.
But I DON'T have a green card, I'm an American, caucasion, 45, thinning hair on top, with gray in my beard from trying to make a living in this country with the economy in the toilet.
I don't have a picture ID, they took it. I don't have a Sears card, their interest is too high and I don't really like their stuff. I do have a couple of birthday cards though, but I'd have to prove they were for me!!!!!!
Yes, I have a very hard time with thieves. For a woman they would feel for lack of a better term " raped and pillaged", for guys...... It's more like "hey there little coward, come and take it from me and we can find out how amitious you are"
Yeah, I think that's it... when guys get stolen from it's and insult, because you didn't have the opportunity to make the poor sucker earn what he really wanted.
That, my friends, is todays soap box.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Christian Bikers ward off Hoodlums
Funny thing. To the general public the "Christian Biker" is no different than any other. Saturday evening last my wife and I along with 2 other couples decided to storm "Branson Landing" to terrify and bewilder all at "Famous Dave's BBQ", Harley's roaring, leather vests and Patches, declaring our mission of who we were and what we were about.
Of course you get stared at... that's part of the mystery, but after a tremendous meal of good BBQ, good fellowship we retired outside the establishment taking in the cool evening air and atmosphere of the Landing at night.
It wasn't but a few minutes then there was a small group of boys wearing their street thug attire roaming around. We of course had our chuckles amongst ourselves as to the terror these boys were projecting. We didn't get the opportunity to chat with these young gents, but we did notice that just behind us was a mother and her 2 young'uns. She stated that they were getting the creeps from these rather harmless, and mis-directed "utes". That they had run across them a couple of times and they had gotten kind of rowdy down the way earlier.
She stated that she had seen us standing there and the safest place she could think of to be was behind a group of bikers.
While they were preparing to go inside for supper, and we were about ready to leave, we didn't get a big opportunity to chat, but we did give each of the kids one of our "Biker Coins" with scripture and the plan of salvation.
It was a very good evening and Oscar, who is a new Patched member now has his nickname.
if you see him, just call him "Cornbread"
Of course you get stared at... that's part of the mystery, but after a tremendous meal of good BBQ, good fellowship we retired outside the establishment taking in the cool evening air and atmosphere of the Landing at night.
It wasn't but a few minutes then there was a small group of boys wearing their street thug attire roaming around. We of course had our chuckles amongst ourselves as to the terror these boys were projecting. We didn't get the opportunity to chat with these young gents, but we did notice that just behind us was a mother and her 2 young'uns. She stated that they were getting the creeps from these rather harmless, and mis-directed "utes". That they had run across them a couple of times and they had gotten kind of rowdy down the way earlier.
She stated that she had seen us standing there and the safest place she could think of to be was behind a group of bikers.
While they were preparing to go inside for supper, and we were about ready to leave, we didn't get a big opportunity to chat, but we did give each of the kids one of our "Biker Coins" with scripture and the plan of salvation.
It was a very good evening and Oscar, who is a new Patched member now has his nickname.
if you see him, just call him "Cornbread"
Friday, August 15, 2008
A Faith for Men
Before I get slammed for being a sexist because of this title, I want all to know I am not one.
I'm just curious and wish to ask a few questions, and hopefully answer a few, and overall clear some mud. Ladies, you may answer these also, but they are mostly directed for guys.
Do you regularly attend church services? if so, how often? if not, why?
What do you like best or least about your church?
Do you attend Sunday School or any other Bible study outside regular service?
why or why not?
Do you find church offering a challenge?
I'll leave this posted for a few days, please respond in the comments and then in a couple of days, we'll discuss manliness and how it works in Christianity.
I'm just curious and wish to ask a few questions, and hopefully answer a few, and overall clear some mud. Ladies, you may answer these also, but they are mostly directed for guys.
Do you regularly attend church services? if so, how often? if not, why?
What do you like best or least about your church?
Do you attend Sunday School or any other Bible study outside regular service?
why or why not?
Do you find church offering a challenge?
I'll leave this posted for a few days, please respond in the comments and then in a couple of days, we'll discuss manliness and how it works in Christianity.
Monday, August 11, 2008
The " Biker"
I got this on an e-mail one time and kept is around. For those who can't get past the assumption that all people on two wheels are bad and vicious, here's something to take notice to.
THE BIKER
I saw you, hug your purse closer to you in the grocery store line.But, you didn't see me, put an extra $10.00 in the collection outside thestore as I walked in.
I saw you; pull your child closer when we passed each other on thesidewalk.But, you didn't see me, playing Santa at the local mall.
I saw you, change your mind about going into the restaurant.But, you didn't see me, attending a meeting to raise more money for thehurricane relief.
I saw you , roll up your window and shake your head when I rode by.But, you didn't see me, riding behind you when you flick ed your cigarettebutt out the car window.
I saw you, frown at me when I smiled at your children.But, you didn't see me, when I took time off from work to run toys to the homeless.
I saw you, stare at my long hair.But, you didn't see me, and my friends cut ten inches off for Locks of Love.
I saw you, roll your eyes at our leather jackets and gloves.But, you didn't see me, and my brothers donate our old ones to those that had none.
I saw you, look in fright at my tattoos. But, you didn't see me, cry as my children were born and have their name written over and in my heart.
I saw you, change lanes while rushing off to go somewhere.But, you didn't see me, going home to be with my family.
I saw you, complain about how loud and noisy our bikes can be. But, you didn't see me, when you were changing the CD and drifted into mylane.
I saw you, yelling at your kids in the car.But, you didn't see me, pat my child's hands, knowing he was safe behind me.
I saw you, reading the newspaper or map as you drove down the road.but, you didn't see me, squeeze my wife's leg when she told me to take the next turn.
I saw you, race down the road in the rain.But, you didn't see me, get soaked to the skin so my son could have the car to go on his date.
I saw you, run the yellow light just to save a few minutes of time. But, you didn't see me, trying to turn right.
I saw you, cut me off because you needed to be in the lane I was in. But, you didn't see me, leave the road.
I saw you, waiting impatiently for my friends to pass. But, you didn't see me. I wasn't there.
I saw you, go home to your family. But, you didn't see me. Because, I died that day you cut me off. I was just a biker.
A person with friends and a family. But, you didn't see me.
This is in hopes that people will understand the biker community.
I hope younever loose someone that rides.
EVEN IF YOU DON'T LIKE US, RESPECT OUR RIGHTS TO RIDE WHAT WE CHOOSE AND TAKE A FEW EXTRA SECONDS TO BE SURE WE'RE NOT IN 'YOUR' WAY
LIVE TO RIDE . . RIDE TO LIVE
THE BIKER
I saw you, hug your purse closer to you in the grocery store line.But, you didn't see me, put an extra $10.00 in the collection outside thestore as I walked in.
I saw you; pull your child closer when we passed each other on thesidewalk.But, you didn't see me, playing Santa at the local mall.
I saw you, change your mind about going into the restaurant.But, you didn't see me, attending a meeting to raise more money for thehurricane relief.
I saw you , roll up your window and shake your head when I rode by.But, you didn't see me, riding behind you when you flick ed your cigarettebutt out the car window.
I saw you, frown at me when I smiled at your children.But, you didn't see me, when I took time off from work to run toys to the homeless.
I saw you, stare at my long hair.But, you didn't see me, and my friends cut ten inches off for Locks of Love.
I saw you, roll your eyes at our leather jackets and gloves.But, you didn't see me, and my brothers donate our old ones to those that had none.
I saw you, look in fright at my tattoos. But, you didn't see me, cry as my children were born and have their name written over and in my heart.
I saw you, change lanes while rushing off to go somewhere.But, you didn't see me, going home to be with my family.
I saw you, complain about how loud and noisy our bikes can be. But, you didn't see me, when you were changing the CD and drifted into mylane.
I saw you, yelling at your kids in the car.But, you didn't see me, pat my child's hands, knowing he was safe behind me.
I saw you, reading the newspaper or map as you drove down the road.but, you didn't see me, squeeze my wife's leg when she told me to take the next turn.
I saw you, race down the road in the rain.But, you didn't see me, get soaked to the skin so my son could have the car to go on his date.
I saw you, run the yellow light just to save a few minutes of time. But, you didn't see me, trying to turn right.
I saw you, cut me off because you needed to be in the lane I was in. But, you didn't see me, leave the road.
I saw you, waiting impatiently for my friends to pass. But, you didn't see me. I wasn't there.
I saw you, go home to your family. But, you didn't see me. Because, I died that day you cut me off. I was just a biker.
A person with friends and a family. But, you didn't see me.
This is in hopes that people will understand the biker community.
I hope younever loose someone that rides.
EVEN IF YOU DON'T LIKE US, RESPECT OUR RIGHTS TO RIDE WHAT WE CHOOSE AND TAKE A FEW EXTRA SECONDS TO BE SURE WE'RE NOT IN 'YOUR' WAY
LIVE TO RIDE . . RIDE TO LIVE
Friday, August 8, 2008
Motorcycle Fatalities on the Rise
There has been a lot of press in the last few months about the increase in motorcycle crashes and fatalities. Kinda makes you wonder why..... let's see if we can find out.
A Lady recently told me to be very careful, because there's been a lot of crashes and deaths lately and most (over half) were on bikes. I told her that I agreed, I had heard the tragic news myself. I had no choice but to reply with this. "Yes, they should take all of those hospital expenses, and funeral expenses and send them to Congress to be paid". When she asked why, I simply said " the reason is because there's a lot of folks buying and riding that have no business on a motorcycle, they are riding out of desperation to save money because of outrageous fuel prices" Yes, there is an economic side to increased riders on the road.
Unfortunately, most of these deaths are riders with 2 years or less experience. Does that mean that those with more experience are imune? Nope, it just means that things happen fast on the road and you'd better be able to react fast ( mostly with the throttle), Motorcycling is a great fuel saver, it is one of the best things in life I can think of for relieving stress, but with that, we need to pay attention. The cagers (cars) have no mercy or sense, they can text, dial the phone, read the Wall Street Journal, apply make-up, drink a soda, and kill people all at the same time, and in the end when there is a bike laying on the side of the road dead or dying, there is always the popular apology " ooops, my bad".
I saw a helmet sticker one time that read " 15 miles and 15,000 dollars don't make you a biker"
To my fellow scooter trash out there is say " keep your mind on the road, how many of these incidents could have been avoided if YOU were paying attention", "ride like your life depended on it"
To the cagers out there who think that what they are doing and where they are going is infinitely more important than anyone else, I say this " Pay attention, some of these riders aren't real nice when they get cut off, and some get real mean when you cause them to drop their ride"
Have fun on the road
A Lady recently told me to be very careful, because there's been a lot of crashes and deaths lately and most (over half) were on bikes. I told her that I agreed, I had heard the tragic news myself. I had no choice but to reply with this. "Yes, they should take all of those hospital expenses, and funeral expenses and send them to Congress to be paid". When she asked why, I simply said " the reason is because there's a lot of folks buying and riding that have no business on a motorcycle, they are riding out of desperation to save money because of outrageous fuel prices" Yes, there is an economic side to increased riders on the road.
Unfortunately, most of these deaths are riders with 2 years or less experience. Does that mean that those with more experience are imune? Nope, it just means that things happen fast on the road and you'd better be able to react fast ( mostly with the throttle), Motorcycling is a great fuel saver, it is one of the best things in life I can think of for relieving stress, but with that, we need to pay attention. The cagers (cars) have no mercy or sense, they can text, dial the phone, read the Wall Street Journal, apply make-up, drink a soda, and kill people all at the same time, and in the end when there is a bike laying on the side of the road dead or dying, there is always the popular apology " ooops, my bad".
I saw a helmet sticker one time that read " 15 miles and 15,000 dollars don't make you a biker"
To my fellow scooter trash out there is say " keep your mind on the road, how many of these incidents could have been avoided if YOU were paying attention", "ride like your life depended on it"
To the cagers out there who think that what they are doing and where they are going is infinitely more important than anyone else, I say this " Pay attention, some of these riders aren't real nice when they get cut off, and some get real mean when you cause them to drop their ride"
Have fun on the road
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
God's Time
God's time. A term we all like to use now and then to let others know that we are being patient with our wants or needs or encouraging others until he is ready to fulfill them according to His plan.
Very commendable and yes, whether we truly feel it in our hearts or not is beside the point. I was instead going to take this in a whole different direction.
Let's assume that we are members of a Motorcycle Ministry and we are at a Rally to share our faith, hand out tracts, so on & so forth. Or let's assume we are doing VBS, or on a mission trip with our church and we are ministering to kids and families. Now let's assume our church is having an outreach project and inviting people from all over the neighborhood, town, or county to reach the unchurched or barely churched.
We are gung ho to get there and do the Lords work, we are on a mission and there is nothing going to get in our way. OOOOOPS! you guessed it .. yes .. absolutely.... YOU GOT IN THE WAY!!!!!
Have you ever been on an outreach project, found yourself chatting with one of your team buddies and during your conversation about " how we're gonna set this place to rolling" you kind of glance around and see a lot of unfamiliar faces around? yet you keep your conversation going with your buddy, or at that bike rally you've got a handful of tracts and coins but you never seem to find anyone to give them to, yet you did find a couple of good deals on chaps, or a booth that's selling the coolest rally t-shirts? Ever been on a VBS team and seen a strange kid looking kind of lost, not knowing where to go or what to do, and you quietly watch them pass by as you continue to look past them to your next duty?
Yes, I've been guilty a few times.. those are the times I remember, not counting the times I did it and was too busy with my own world to pay attention to my mission. So There.. I admitted it...can you? will you? have you?
That's what brings us to the title... God's time
When we are in a situation as this we are on God's time, not ours....His mission, for His work, to be obedient to His will according to His word.
At a rally or outreach event we are there for Him and we should keep our minds to our task.
If you see a person you don't know at an out reach event, it doesn't matter that they are friends of brother Bill or sister Cindy, we don't know them but they need to know us.
That little confused kid could be the next Billy Graham, or an angel among us checking our Christian resolve. I have pondered this a lot. Believe it or not, I've even lost sleep over this issue.
Thinking back, one of the reasons I'm in the church I attend now or at all is because the firm handshake and the reaching out of those whom I met in that church. On the street or on out reach projects is where the metal meets the road, where we need to rely on the Holy Spirit, pull out all the stops, get up all the courage we can muster and simply say "Hi".
There is some statistic out there that states that 1 in 50 church goers shares their faith once in a year. I don't remember the actual number but it is incredibly scary.
If we were to truly put on the whole armor of God, then it would be 1 in 50 who don't share.
Let's say Hi, be friendly, leave good tips, share who we are, build some relationships, and maybe, just maybe, this country would change, one heart at a time.
Very commendable and yes, whether we truly feel it in our hearts or not is beside the point. I was instead going to take this in a whole different direction.
Let's assume that we are members of a Motorcycle Ministry and we are at a Rally to share our faith, hand out tracts, so on & so forth. Or let's assume we are doing VBS, or on a mission trip with our church and we are ministering to kids and families. Now let's assume our church is having an outreach project and inviting people from all over the neighborhood, town, or county to reach the unchurched or barely churched.
We are gung ho to get there and do the Lords work, we are on a mission and there is nothing going to get in our way. OOOOOPS! you guessed it .. yes .. absolutely.... YOU GOT IN THE WAY!!!!!
Have you ever been on an outreach project, found yourself chatting with one of your team buddies and during your conversation about " how we're gonna set this place to rolling" you kind of glance around and see a lot of unfamiliar faces around? yet you keep your conversation going with your buddy, or at that bike rally you've got a handful of tracts and coins but you never seem to find anyone to give them to, yet you did find a couple of good deals on chaps, or a booth that's selling the coolest rally t-shirts? Ever been on a VBS team and seen a strange kid looking kind of lost, not knowing where to go or what to do, and you quietly watch them pass by as you continue to look past them to your next duty?
Yes, I've been guilty a few times.. those are the times I remember, not counting the times I did it and was too busy with my own world to pay attention to my mission. So There.. I admitted it...can you? will you? have you?
That's what brings us to the title... God's time
When we are in a situation as this we are on God's time, not ours....His mission, for His work, to be obedient to His will according to His word.
At a rally or outreach event we are there for Him and we should keep our minds to our task.
If you see a person you don't know at an out reach event, it doesn't matter that they are friends of brother Bill or sister Cindy, we don't know them but they need to know us.
That little confused kid could be the next Billy Graham, or an angel among us checking our Christian resolve. I have pondered this a lot. Believe it or not, I've even lost sleep over this issue.
Thinking back, one of the reasons I'm in the church I attend now or at all is because the firm handshake and the reaching out of those whom I met in that church. On the street or on out reach projects is where the metal meets the road, where we need to rely on the Holy Spirit, pull out all the stops, get up all the courage we can muster and simply say "Hi".
There is some statistic out there that states that 1 in 50 church goers shares their faith once in a year. I don't remember the actual number but it is incredibly scary.
If we were to truly put on the whole armor of God, then it would be 1 in 50 who don't share.
Let's say Hi, be friendly, leave good tips, share who we are, build some relationships, and maybe, just maybe, this country would change, one heart at a time.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Being Boss or Bossy
It is amazing the things we think about at any given moment on any given day. Just this afternoon I was thinking back to one of my favorite phrases from a very little remembered movie. The movie was "Space Camp", and in the movie there was a very skilled and talented young lady who was just chomping at the bit to be in command ( or so I remember). Because of her skill and confidence, she was always jumping in and trying to take control of the situation and everyone else.
You know those kind, they are so good at their job that they want to do yours too because it can effect theirs and they want control over the outcome no matter what because their life, their career, their growth, their glory, their reputaion, their total being might be messed up or they will be less thought of because they are so good and it's all about THEM! and YOU might mess it up!
Well... her mom told her that being Boss and being Bossy are two different things.
While over the years I've thought about this phrase often, not because I liked the movie but because of the simple truth of the statement. I've thought about the age of a person, experience of a person, maturity, all kinds of factors that would affect such definition of the two, and I've come to a few conclusions.
1. The biggest culprit with being Bossy comes from pride
2. A Bossy person is likely overly competetive
3. A Bossy person is so confident in their ability that they rarely can see that anyone else
has any ability at all. (unless of course it strongly enhances their ability)
4. A Bossy person looks first at who the blame should fall on in case of eminent or potential
failure. (they never seem to have any flaws themselves though)
5. A Bossy person loves the one letter word "I" and they use it often.
1. The Boss, leads with humility
2. The Boss, knows there's a bigger picture.
3. The Boss, knows that those in his/her charge all have talents and abilities.
4. The Boss, takes and accepts the responsibility of the outcome of the job or project.
5. The Boss, uses a two letter word "WE"
I'm sure there are about a thousand books that cover this subject much more scientificly than I
have, but in a nutshell, that's the way I see it.
the way my Pop always said " I don't need to know everything about it or how to do it, I just need to have the right people with me who do".
Yeah Pop... you're a pretty smart guy
You know those kind, they are so good at their job that they want to do yours too because it can effect theirs and they want control over the outcome no matter what because their life, their career, their growth, their glory, their reputaion, their total being might be messed up or they will be less thought of because they are so good and it's all about THEM! and YOU might mess it up!
Well... her mom told her that being Boss and being Bossy are two different things.
While over the years I've thought about this phrase often, not because I liked the movie but because of the simple truth of the statement. I've thought about the age of a person, experience of a person, maturity, all kinds of factors that would affect such definition of the two, and I've come to a few conclusions.
1. The biggest culprit with being Bossy comes from pride
2. A Bossy person is likely overly competetive
3. A Bossy person is so confident in their ability that they rarely can see that anyone else
has any ability at all. (unless of course it strongly enhances their ability)
4. A Bossy person looks first at who the blame should fall on in case of eminent or potential
failure. (they never seem to have any flaws themselves though)
5. A Bossy person loves the one letter word "I" and they use it often.
1. The Boss, leads with humility
2. The Boss, knows there's a bigger picture.
3. The Boss, knows that those in his/her charge all have talents and abilities.
4. The Boss, takes and accepts the responsibility of the outcome of the job or project.
5. The Boss, uses a two letter word "WE"
I'm sure there are about a thousand books that cover this subject much more scientificly than I
have, but in a nutshell, that's the way I see it.
the way my Pop always said " I don't need to know everything about it or how to do it, I just need to have the right people with me who do".
Yeah Pop... you're a pretty smart guy
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