New Bike Projects

My parents came up for a few days, so we enjoyed an early Christmas together, as they will be leaving for Texas this week to spend some time with my brother Rick and his family. Dad has been helping me with a couple of bikes I've come by recently, a 96 Honda Nighthawk 750 (shown here) and a 97 ATK 260 dirt bike. I always enjoy the time with them, and the help my dad gives in working on bikes is always invaluable to me. We had the Nighthawk all assembled, everything back together, hooked up a battery and gave it some gas. After a couple of coughs, it fired right up! Yet almost instantly, we discovered fuel leaking out from under the carbs, and ended up tearing it right back down to remove the carbs, then totally dismantle them, to replace a set of tiny O-rings that had gone bad. Painstaking, meticulous, time-consuming job, and the local Honda had to order the parts! So even though we had it together and running, it is now back apart, while we await the arrival of the O-rings. Frustrating? Yes. Still enjoyed the time with my folks? Absolutely.
Hey, they both will be back on Tuesday, so if the rings come in by then, we still may get this finished for someone before Christmas! Here's hoping...

CMA at IMS

I spent part of Sunday afternoon at the annual International Motorcycle Show at the Cobb Galleria Centre. What a show it was! All the major manufacturers were there, with examples of their 2014 lines on display. "Motorcycle Heaven", if there ever was one.
I had not planned to go this year, as our eldest daughter Ansley was in town for the weekend. Yet several of my CMA (Christian Motorcyclist Assn.) friends had urged me to come join them, as CMA had a large booth set up. Lisa said they were going to do a little shopping, so I should go. I rode over, took in the show, and hung out with these guys while there. Glad I did.
I've actually been a CMA member since about 1998, but didn't ride with them much during the 2000's. As a pastor at Hebron, I rode with the church group, the Spirit Riders, a great bunch of folks. Now that I am gone from Hebron, I really don't ride with them much anymore. The members in two local CMA chapters, CrossTies (where my old membership was) and KneeBenders (a sport bike chapter) have reached out to me, welcomed me, and given me a new riding group home. I've fallen in with another great bunch of folks.
Doors close, but new ones open. I look forward to great riding years ahead, with my CMA brothers and sisters.

Half Century Road Trip

Last weekend I completed an epic road trip with my childhood friend Lyle Branton. We both are now 50 years old, and planned to motorcycle ride across the southern states, with specific objectives being riding the scenic Natchez Trace Parkway end to end, and riding across the entire panhandle of Florida beach front.
We met up north of Atlanta on Sunday, September 22, and rode through the foothills of north Georgia, through the beautiful valley of Chattanooga, then across the remaining Appalachians to Nashville. Tent camping for the night by a pristine lake, we rode west Monday to the north terminus of the Parkway, first enjoying the food and country music nostalgia of the famed Loveless Café. Then we started down our first stretch of the Parkway.
The Natchez Trace Parkway is approximately 444 miles long, winding through the hill country of Tennessee, down through the northwest corner of Alabama, then all the way across Mississippi to Natchez. We rode as far as Tishomingo, and made camp in a state park, again on a beautiful lake with the moon rising over the waters. We awoke to grey skies and drizzle on Tuesday, and got as far as Tupelo before hard rain forced us to hold up in a gas station/barbeque joint for two hours. When the worst had passed over the Parkway, we continued on, still in rain, but by the time we arrived in Jackson, the storm has cleared. We dried out in a hotel that night, and hit the road Wednesday morning in clear skies and warm temps to complete our journey down the Parkway. Finally reaching the famed road's southern terminus, we celebrated in Natchez with tamales at the local fave, Fat Mama's. After a some photos down by the Mississippi River, we blasted east across the state on Hwy 98, making for Mobile, AL, for an evening with my friend Greg Sweatt's dad.
Our journey along coastline began as we crossed Mobile Bay bridge at sunset. The colors in the sky were unlike any I had ever seen- all the pastels of the color palette were present, from bright gold of the setting sun, to brilliant orange, red, purple, various blues, even green, all reflected in the glass-like surface of the bay. Breathtaking. We spent a wonderful evening and Thursday morning with Mr. Sweatt, then loaded up and ran south through Fair Hope, then Foley, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and on into Florida. We passed through Perdido Key, where my sister-in-law had a condo for several years, then Pensacola, Fort Walton, Destin, and made camp just off the beach at Topsail Hills State Park.
Friday we rode through Seaside, Laguna Beach, then Panama City. Finally beyond the tourism part of the Panhandle, we rode beachfront through quaint little coastal and fishing towns, around the "Big Bend" of what locals call "Old Florida". This was to be my favorite leg of our whole ride. Mexico Beach, Port St. Joe, Apalachicola, Eastpoint and Carabella, all with vistas out across Panhandle islands, peninsulas and keys. We crossed towering bridges over wide expanses of water, beheld tidal flats and rocky shorelines, under deep blue skies. I rode much of Big Bend in silent worship, unable to speak or even listen to music. The beauty was indescribable. We passed through Lanark Village and Panacea before swinging over to Perry, to spend a delightful evening with Lyle's oldest sister Peggy and her husband Dick.
Saturday we arose, said goodbyes to our wonderful hosts, and rode one last time down to the Gulf of Mexico, about a mile behind Peggy and Dick's place. Swinging north, we throttled up out of Florida into south Georgia, and turned east along Hwy 84 through Quitman, Valdosta, Waycross, Jesup, and Hinesville, catching I-98 then I-16 into Savannah to my daughter Ansley's  place for the night. We enjoyed watching UGA defeat LSU, ate at the popular Crab Shack out on Tybee Island, then got a good night's sleep before our final leg home.
Sunday we said goodbye to Ansley, Savannah, and the Atlantic Ocean and blasted west on I-16 for home. We parted ways in Dublin, he toward I-75 and Fayetteville, me up Hwy 441 to my folks in Eatonton and then on home to Dacula. This was a fantastic adventure with a nearly life-long friend, celebrating our half century out on the open road. Nearly 2100 total miles through five states, from the hills of Appalachia to the Mississippi River, across the Gulf coast and over to the Atlantic coast. "Epic" is the word I use to describe the trip. God guided us through beautiful places, to wonderful family and friends, and a four-decade friendship was deepened. Worth every minute and mile.

In this "season of uncertainty" I've lived in since leaving Hebron back in February, there have been times I've felt confident about the future, and times I've felt fearful. Now that we are seven months out on our own, there are days that the worry and anxiety grows. Into that, God led me to this passage in the Bible today-
"You are my servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you.
Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."
Isaiah 41:9b-10
Even as we prepare to help plant and pastor a new Phoenix Community Church in Lawrenceville this fall/winter, the concern of raising support and doing various things to earn a living weighs heavy on my heart at times. Since I was 19 years old, I have served on staff vocationally at one church or another. Being unemployed for the first time in my adult life and trying to find ways to make money, even while eagerly anticipating the church plant, stresses me. But God came near to me today, with this passage. It's as if He spoke it into my heart.
He still has me, He is not through with me, and He will protect, preserve, and provide for me and my family. I am in good hands.

This past Saturday, I fulfilled a "bucket list" item.
It's been a dream of mine for several years to (1) own a sport bike, (2) ride it on the track at Road Atlanta, and (3) "hit the ton", i.e. go over 100 mph. I can now say I have done all three. I'd like to say "check- done that", but I want to do it again!
At the encouragement of my friends Jonathan Landwer and Brian Morris, I joined NESBA, the North East Sport Bike Assn, and signed up for one of their track days at Road Atlanta. In preparation, I bought all the appropriate gear, got the Triumph tuned up, and began to study the track via YouTube videos. By Saturday morning, I knew that track like my own street.
I had registered in the "novice" group, having never done a track day before, and being a recent sport bike rider. Upon arrival, the weather, which had been rainy all week, closed in again, and poured as soon as I pulled into the paddock area. "Great," I was thinking, "maybe I shouldn't have come." I did not want my first track day to be run in the rain, on a wet track. I grew anxious, somewhat afraid.
Jonathan arrived, as did Brian, and as we all got our bikes and gear situated, the rain began to subside. By the time the morning rider meetings were held, the sun began to break through, and soon, the track was drying enough to ride on. The advanced group went out, followed 30 minutes later by the intermediate group, then finally, my group. Each group had a 20-25 minute session on the track, and my group had several NESBA control riders mixed in, to insure we were okay and riding safely.
As the novice group left the starting area and began to loop around the track, my anxiety was replaced by focus. With each subsequent lap, and each subsequent session on the track, I gained confidence, increased my speeds, and took corners sharper and quicker. I was by no means as fast as most others, even in my group, but I was improving my skills, growing in comfort and confidence, and flat-out having fun. On the back straight, I broke 100 mph on every lap, and topped out at 122 mph by the end of the day. The bike was capable of much more, but for my first time out, that was plenty for me. Maybe 150 next time???
For a guy who underwent spinal neck surgery six weeks ago, I felt pretty good. I wore a neck brace every time I went out, just in case, and several riders and NESBA officials commended me on riding so soon after my procedure. One control rider even called me "Iron Man." Well, I do have a metal plate in my neck...
What a blast it was! I certainly am hooked on speed, in a controlled environment like that. Its hard to describe what hitting triple digits in mph feels like, but its addicting. That's a "bucket list item" I want to check off again, in the near future. Thanks to NESBA and my friends Brian and Jonathan for a memorable day.

 

I had the pleasure of spending a day with my friends Jonathan Landwer and Brian Morris at a NESBA track day at Road Atlanta recently. I couldn’t ride myself, due to my recent surgery, but I had a blast watching these guys blast around the track that afternoon. I hope to ride myself in a track day soon, Lord willing.

I got thinking about what makes a successful track day, and how that compares to a successful walk with Jesus Christ. I found some common elements. Here’s just a few, as I see them:

For a successful track day, you need the right equipment. A properly prepped sport bike is better than say, a big, heavy, low cruiser. The right riding gear is a must- full face helmet, full body armored suit, gloves, and track boots. And of course, the right tools and materials to keep the bike in top form are essential as well. The same can be said of walking with Christ. We need the Bible, the “full armor of God” as found in Ephesians 6, and how to properly use these.

A successful track day includes heeding vital instruction, and following the rules of the track and the sponsoring group. Failure to abide by these will get you expelled from the event and/or seriously injured. I find this true in large measure to following Christ also. God has given us vital instruction in His Word, with guidelines to veer us out of danger and keep us “on track” as in Psalm 119:105. Failure to follow God’s ways will result in personal pain, life misdirection, and disqualification from being effectively used by God for His kingdom purposes.

A successful track day includes the enjoyment of the shared experience with other like-minded riders, racing with each other around the track, then sharing stories, ideas, tips, and a helpful hand in the paddock. We also see our skills improve, as we learn to go faster, safer, in the company of fellow riders and under the instruction of dedicated control riders. The longer we walk with Christ, in the company of fellow Christ followers, the more we enjoy the journey, the more we grow in our gifts and calling. “Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” as Proverbs 27:17 states. The Christian life was meant to be lived in community with each other, growing together, serving together, doing life together, and reaching the world together with the love of God.

Observations from a track day.

Today has been a very significant day. It was exactly one year ago this day that my dear friend and brother in Christ, Aaron Smith, died of cancer. Ironically, I spent the past two days in the very same hospital Aaron spent his last days, Piedmont in Atlanta. In fact, I was discharged today to return home after surgery on my neck, and Aaron returned to his new home in Heaven this day last year. Many parallels. I have a somewhat lengthy recovery, whereas Aaron experienced instant healing before the Father. A special day indeed.
I am reminded how frail and fleeting our time on earth really is. Life and health can vanish in an instant, and pain is a part of living here. We worry ourselves with so many things, but in the light of eternity, all that really matters is a daily, vibrant, obedient walk with Jesus Christ. Everything else is rubbish, like the apostle Paul wrote.
I look forward to the day when there will be no more suffering, no more pain, no more aging, no more cancer. God the Father will make all things new, and make it permanent. The body eventually breaks down, but one day, we will be forever restored. The older I get, the more aches and pains I endure, the more loved ones I say goodbye to, the more I look forward to that eternal restoration.
And I look forward to seeing my old chum Aaron again.

A friend once told me, "It's tough getting old... I don't recommend it."
Well, I've been feeling old lately. Neck problems, pain in one of my wrists, and now a knee injury.
I've been having increased pain and issues over the years from an old neck injury, that now has resulted over time in two degenerative discs in the base of my neck. Chiropractic, physical therapy, pain injections, medications, none have remedied the problems. So now I am facing surgery.
Then I recently damaged my knee, while climbing stairs in our home. The resultant MRI shows not one, but two tears in my meniscus in my right knee. Now, two surgeries. Problems come in pairs...
I'm praying for healing, but I also know healing can come through the gift of modern medicine. I hope to get healthy again after these, to be about my active lifestyle again.
This has been a pain in the neck...and the knee...

In this "land of Midian" I've been in since leaving Hebron, God has given me a few opportunities to preach and teach, I've done a lot of writing (new blog, Twitter, etc.), but what seems to be generating the most income is buying/selling. Even last fall, I bought the Kawasaki ZR-7s, only to trade it with a guy for two bikes, the Triumph Sprint and the Kawasaki Vulcan. God was already positioning me to do this, before I ever knew I would be in the stage of life I find myself in. After getting the Vulcan running, I sold it within 3 days for a good profit. I needed to buy a smaller, newer, lower-mileage truck, and Lisa found one, a Ford Ranger, down in Snellville. I got it for a great price, with the money I made off the Vulcan. I then fixed up (with my father's help) my old Chevy 1500, and sold it for a profit, to friend in town.
Now, another friend has had this little 1983 Honda CX650 for many years, but since buying a much newer bike, has not had the time to fix the old one back up. He gave it to me to see if I thought it would be worth fixing, and if it is, I'll settle up with him then. Its a rather uncommon motorcycle, one Honda didn't make many of, and didn't make it for many years. I hope to massage it back to life, and turn it for a little extra cash as well. We'll see...
God is providing, day by day, as I seek and depend on Him.
"Give us this day our daily bread..." He certainly has with me, served up with a helping of motorcycles and pickup trucks!

The other day I had to take my wife’s car to a local NTB store to replace a pair of front tires and get an alignment done. While they had her car back, I found myself in a conversation with one of the customer service reps, a guy named Tony. He had commented on how much he liked the body style of my wife’s 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix, how he had owned one of the old 70′s era GPs, and our conversation rolled on from there to other great classic muscle cars of our youth. I could tell Tony was about my age, the way he talked about cars from the 70′s through the early 80′s. In the course of talking, I found out he had been through two divorces, since he referred to “my first ex” and “my second ex”, and the cars he had owned while married to them. Tony has a daughter from one of them, and that too came up in the context of a “cool old Firebird” he had bought her a few years ago. He had a huge love for cars, specifically muscle cars, and shared how his dream would be to own an early 70′s GTO, or better yet, a Judge. I listened as Tony talked on, with no other customers in the store at the time, until he had to take a call. I walked back down the hall to the customer break room, hoping to continue a conversation with him in a few minutes. They finished my wife’s car soon thereafter, and when I returned to check out, Tony had left on break, so I drove off.
I thought about Tony on the way home, and wondered if I had missed an opportunity to share something of my faith with him. I prayed for him, that someone would share Christ with him, and that Tony would someday come to faith in Christ. I asked God, “When I am in a conversation with a person, I would like to be able to give a quick thought-provoking word from You, like Jesus so often did. Not some smart quip, just something to leave them thinking. If nothing else, help me find a way to insert a word of my testimony, what Christ means to me. Father, Help me make the most of these brief encounters with people, for You.”
I’m reminded of Jesus’ discussion with the woman at the well, in John 4. He turned the conversation so easily to the condition of her heart, by simply moving from the water in the well, to His “living water” for the soul. I would love to be able to turn conversations to Christ like that, to leave people a taste of the life and love of Jesus, so they might begin to thirst for more of Him. I guess that is what we all should be about, every day, with those we cross paths with daily.

Life has been a whirlwind since I left Hebron last month. Settling into the "new normal" has been an interesting time. God is bringing so many encouragers across my path, friends from high school and college, from previous ministries I've served, as well as current friends from across town and around the world. It's an unsettling time, seeking God's new path for me, but it's been a precious time as well, being in position to slow down and listen for His "still small voice." I see so many of my peers at my stage of life, that God has radically altered the direction of their lives and work, and sending them off new directions. Sometimes, God uses the accumulated experiences and successes of the past, and multiplies them for many to benefit from. Other times, He completely redirects us to new fields, new opportunities, new horizons, and asks us to jump and trust Him. I'm not sure which way God will lead me, But I keep coming back to this assurance He gave me in His Word, a few weeks ago-
"Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or imagine, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21
2013 is going to be an amazing year, wherever God leads us. It will be beyond my imagination.

The Road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

And I must follow, if I can,

Pursuing it with eager feet,

Until it joins some larger way

Where many paths and errands meet.

And whither then? I cannot say. -JRR Tolkien

 

A friend once told me, “Life is like a road trip. Even if you know your final destination, the joy is still in the journey.” I completely agree. The unexpected twists, turns, detours, discoveries, even the disappointments and setbacks- they all contribute to the great adventure. God’s been good to me, more than I’ve deserved. I can only hope that I have been an encouragement to those I’ve met along the way, as much as they have been to me. Even now every new person I meet leaves a piece of his/her story with me, and I’m enriched.

I'm entering my second century of life this year, and embarking on a new career path. Time marches on, and change must come. I read this somewhere once, and find it certainly rings true- "When you accept change as inevitable, you won't be crushed when it comes." In fact, change often can be very good, when we have opportunity to reflect on it. God is always moving us forward, urging us on, and leading us by the hand.

Recently I had a rather extraordinary dream. I was suddenly a child again, 8 or 9 years old, and I was on a school bus, about the third row back on the right, with my “Hot Wheels” tin lunch box (I really had one) and my Miami Dolphins book satchel (I had one of those too). Suddenly, the bus driver pulled the bus over to the curb, in a completely deserted, unfamiliar place. He got up, came to me, took me by the arm, and escorted me off the bus, firmly shoving me though the door. As I stood on the curb, watching the bus drive away, I felt a stab of fear, wondering, “Why did he do this to me? What do I do now?” Suddenly, I felt a great presence behind me, a large, strong, warm hand took my left hand, and a deep yet comforting voice spoke, “Its going to be okay. I got you. Let’s go.” I looked up, seeing no face in particular, but a large, reassuring father figure guiding me forward, holding my hand. The terror faded, replaced with a peace, and I thought, “I’m going to be fine.”

I am reminded of these passages from Scripture-

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

I take great comfort in these and many other verses I have read or others have sent me over the years. God is good, His ways perfect, His timing spot-on, His love for us unfailing, unchanging.

There are more roads to ride, more miles to cover, more people to meet, more memories to make. With God as my guide, I know whatever happens on the road of life, He’s got me. I’ll be fine.
*I have come to understand that in the dream, God is both the bus driver, and the father figure. He had to get me off my comfortable place on the "bus", so He could lead me to new places. I will follow Him.