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It was hard waking up this morning. As I brewed a pot of Biker Coffee Company black liquid, I realized I might need multiple pots of coffee to get moving today. It was going to be that kind of day … so I thought. I sat and read a few chapters from the Bible and then headed out to jump on my bike. I decided to take Heather’s bike so that I could enjoy some great music for the commute.

Within a minute or two of twisting the throttle, my day changed. The fatigue fell off of me as I felt the wind in my face and the power of the motor inviting me to go faster.

Ever had that happen? Ever jump on your bike and find your entire mood and energy level change the moment you turn the first corner? Sure you have.

It was in that moment that I was reminded of something that every biker understands: It’s not the destination, it’s the journey. My destination was the church office. But that was the furthest thing on my mind. I was living in the moment. The moment was sitting on an ElectraGlide, twisting the throttle, and feeling my fatigue and frustration disappear.

I turned off the radio and began to worship God. I softly sang a song that is really a prayer.

Lord, I give you my heart, I give you my soul. I live for you alone.

Every breath that I take, every moment I’m awake, Lord, have your way in me.

And then it hit me. Again.

It’s about the journey.

I have a lot of issues with religion, but at the top of the list, it’s that religion focuses on the destination. You have do do things in order to earn enough credit to get into Heaven.

The spirituality that I believe Jesus called us to experience focuses on the journey. Living in the moment. Experiencing the awesomeness of God today, tomorrow, and the day after that. It’s about twisting the spiritual throttle and feeling the power of God as you realize again he loves you just as you are.

As I was riding along, I was reminded of an experience a friend of mine had a few years ago. A bunch of us had attended an Easter drama at a local church. As the service concluded, this friend was weeping. She shared how Easter has always been about the Bunny and chocolate. But suddenly, sitting there watching this drama, she was struck by the true message of Easter. To this day, when she has a “God-moment”, she says, “It’s not about the bunny.”

You don’t have those moments if all you’re focused on is the destination. The end point. If your attention is on a day that is some time in the future, you miss the moments that God has for you to experience today. What a shame.

It’s not that the destination isn’t important. When I jumped on the bike this morning, I knew I had to get to a specific place. But I wasn’t so focused on the destination that I missed enjoying the journey.

Don’t let your spirituality be about the destination. Not because the destination isn’t important. It is. But there’s an incredible journey that God is inviting us to experience. It’s a journey full of “bunny moments”. It’s full of incredible discoveries.

So, enjoy your journey.

I have five posters hanging on one of the walls in my office. They were issued by Harley Davidson as part of their 100th Anniversary in 2003. Each poster shows a bike from a different era in Harley’s history. In a very simple way, they tell the interesting story of an iconic company.

The first poster is of a 1903 Single. It was built in a tiny backyard shed by William S. Harley and Walter, William & Arthur Davidson. The bike was powered by a single-cylinder, 25 cubic inch engine.

When I look at the bike, the first thing I think is, I’m so glad we’ve seen advancements in motorcycle design and comfort over the years. I try to imagine myself riding across the U.S. on one of these. Yeah, right.

And yet, there’s something about the bike that causes me to pause. Of all the pictures of bikes on my wall, this is the one that I find myself looking at the most. There’s just something about it. It was the birth of something special. I’m grateful Harley Davidson didn’t stick with this model, but you can see the foundation of the company is this machine.

Recently, Harley Davidson introduced their 2011 models. It doesn’t take much observation to realize that something’s changed. I have no problem imagining myself cruising across North America on a 2011 Street Glide (pictured to the right). I think it’s a beautiful bike, and I do believe I’ve fallen in love with it. It has a 96 cubic inch motor, 6 speeds, fuel injection, and a whole bunch of bells and whistles. While I may not get a brand new bike, I do believe my next ride will be a Street Glide.

Here’s my point. If Harley Davidson had not changed, the company would no longer exist. Now, I can already hear some of you yelling at your computer screens, searching for the comments button, and pounding on your keyboard to explain to me how Harley spent many years refusing to change, how their motorcycles are technologically inferior to many of the Metric motorcycles being produced, and that the only reason Harley exists today is because the government protected them during the horrible “AMF years.”

Yes, you’re right. To a degree.

I can also hear some of you “purists” saying that the liquid cooled Harleys are not “true” HD motorcycles. That a “real” Harley is a Shovelhead. Or an Evo. While I wont debate with you over what type of motor you prefer, even the purists have to admit that their choice of Harley wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for changes made over the years.

The posters on my wall remind me that change must happen if you are to continue to grow and survive.

It’s true of the motorcycle industry, and it’s true of our lives individually.

In what ways are you different today than a ten years ago? Five years ago? One year ago? Is the change for the better or for the worse? If it’s for the worse, what are you doing to make it better? What’s changed in you?

If you can’t answer that, then I would suggest that something is seriously wrong in your life. If you cannot see areas where you are growing, becoming better, seeing change, then I believe you are in trouble. And, a government bailout wont save you.

When I look back over the years, I am amazed at how much I’ve changed. Oh, the foundation is still relatively the same. The values my mother instilled in me as a child are still very much there. The transformation that occurred in my life when I began my journey of following Christ is still very real. The call to ministry that God put on my heart is still strong. But how I view life has changed drastically. How I see the church has changed significantly. I don’t pastor the same way I did ten years ago, or even five years ago.

And yet, as I sit here at my desk, a new week in front of me, I cannot help but ask God to continue to change me. To tweak the areas of my life that need growth, to work on attitudes that need transforming. To help me live life differently.

Why not choose an area of your life that needs change and decide to begin the transformation this week?

There’s an interesting discussion happening on a motorcycle forum I am part of. The city of Edmonton recently passed a noise bylaw that specifically targets motorcycles. According to the bylaw, motorcycles cannot generate more than 90 decibels at idle or 96 decibels in motion. Anything more can result in a $250 fine.

When the issue was first brought up on this particular forum, the first few people to post focused on the people who have loud pipes. Rather than discuss the bylaw, they chose to criticize the riders, calling them insecure, idiots, and a few other things. Fortunately, a few more intelligent posts showed up that turned the discussion back to the bylaw at hand.

This post really isn’t about the bylaw. Although, I will say that I get frustrated whenever government introduces another law against motorcyclists. Lawnmowers and hair dryers also produce more than 90 decibels, but we don’t see a law against their use. No, this law is very clear that it relates only to motorcycles. It is another attempt by another city council to make it hard for motorcyclists to enjoy their passion.

I believe one of the reasons they get away with it is because we motorcyclists rarely put away our differences and stand together. Sport Bike riders and Cruisers are too busy making fun of each other to recognize that we need to speak with one voice.

If you were to come into Bikers’ Church, you would find a scripture paraphrased on our projection screen. The verse is Galatians 3:28. Here’s how we’ve paraphrased it:

At CCBC there can be no division into Harley and Metric, sport bike and cruiser, hardcore and weekend rider. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all on a common spiritual journey to discover God’s grace through Jesus Christ.

We take that very seriously. We stand together. We want to create a culture where what you ride makes no difference. We are part of something that includes those who are quite different than us. Rather than focus on the differences, we choose to stand together.

Isn’t that true of many areas in life? I know it’s true in the church world. We focus so often on our differences that we are unwilling to stand together. We want to show how we’re different than the church down the street – we’re better, more effective, more loving … and all the while, none of us truly get it. Jesus made it clear, “They will know we are Christ followers by our love for one another.”

I think it’s easier to point a finger at those we don’t agree with than it is to find commonality so that we might stand together and make a difference.

What about you? Do you put your energy into finding areas of division or commonality?

This past weekend a bunch of us from Bikers’ Church headed down to Hamilton, Ontario to support our friends in the launch of the newest Bikers’ Church in Canada. It was exciting to see the interest that was shown in the new church. Ken, the Hamilton Bikers’ Church pastor, believes he will see many new faces when they have their second service, this Thursday night.

Ever have one of those weekends where nothing could get you down? That’s what the Hamilton Trip weekend was like for me. It was great to see the guys in Hamilton excited and so proud to be seeing their church become a reality. It was also amazing to see the support from the seven guys who rode many hours to be their for HBC.

But as much as the HBC launch was great to see, the highlight of the weekend for me was hanging with some of the guys from Ottawa. We’ve talked for years about doing a “men’s ride” and finally we had a weekend where it was just guys heading out on their bikes. We laughed, we joked around, and we did a lot of riding.

Mind you, I was riding a “girl’s bike.” Instead of taking my Wide Glide, I decided to enjoy the trip in comfort and took Heather’s ElectraGlide. What a difference! Yes, her bike is eight years newer than mine. Yes, it has 160,000 fewer kilometers than mine. Yes, it’s a bagger with a full fairing and a stereo system. And yes, I’m ready to move on to a new bike!

On Saturday, we pulled out of the Hamilton area knowing that rain could hit at any moment. Sure enough, half an hour into our ride home, the rain started. And it came in buckets. All day long. We decided to take the scenic route home, and rather than six hours of riding in the rain, we ended up riding a little over ten hours. And no, I didn’t bother with my rain gear.

But what a difference riding the ElectraGlide instead of the Dyna. It took much longer to get soaked right through to my skin. And even at my wettest, I still loved the comfort of the big bike.

I also loved the attitude of the guys riding with me. Every time we stopped, we’d laugh at how wet we were. We’d joke about the trip. We made light of the crappy day. After all, if you’re going to ride, you might as well accept that you’ll ride in rain from time to time. The best part of all was that we did it together.

It’s funny, but there are times when I love riding alone. My road trip was amazing because I did it at my speed, my way, my timing, etc. Sure, it would have been great to have Heather with me, but for the most part, it was great taking the trip on my own.

However, there are also times when there is nothing like riding in a group. Especially a group of guys that you trust, respect, appreciate, and yes, love. Guys you care deeply about.

That was the kind of weekend I had.

So, congrats to Hamilton at the launch of your Bikers’ Church. Thank you Heather for allowing me to spend the weekend in comfort. And thumbs up to the guys who made the trip so perfect, even in the rain. And Bruce, please don’t ever leave a can of Pam on an open flamed stove.

When I was a pre-teen, my mom married a biker. For me, nothing could be better. My step-dad was a former member of a 1%er motorcycle club. While he wasn’t still in the club, his passion for motorcycles was greater than anything else in his life. Again, for a 12 year old boy, there was nothing wrong with that! On weekends, my parents would host parties, and I would come home to find Harleys lining the street outside my house. Bikers would be sitting on the front porch, the lawn, and all over the back yard. It was awesome! In my heart, I became a biker during those days, riding my dirt bike, counting the days until I was able to get my motorcycle license and a real bike.

I saw a lot of crazy things during those years. There was the time a very drunk guy invited two equally inebriated women to climb onto his bike and the end of the night. They took off, three up on the Harley. They didn’t get far. Two blocks later, they ran a red light and were t-boned by a car. All three lived, although the guy spent a few months in a full body cast.

Then there was the night a bat got lose in the house. At 3 AM, I woke up to five or six bikers crashing around the house, trying to catch the bat. Most were still battling whatever drink caused them to pass out earlier, and all were wearing pillow cases over their heads to protect their hair (and long beards) from becoming the nesting ground of the bat. There was even one biker hoping around on a single leg, his wooden leg in his hand, swinging wildly at the bat. In the end, it was our cat that finally got a hold of the critter.

Of all the memories, none is as vivid as the memories of Mountain Man. To be honest, I don’t know how tall he really was, but to a thirteen year old kid, he was a giant. For years, I believed he was over seven feet tall. In reality, he was closer to six and a half feet. Still, he was a big dude. People didn’t call him Mountain Man because he was short.

For many years, Mountain Man was a hero to me. You see, he stood up for me one time when our family was out having fun. We went to a park and my brother and I were horsing around on a slide. An attendant at the park tried to kick us out, and Mountain Man came over and suggested to the guy that he reconsider. With knees shaking, he reconsidered. And, my brother and I were left alone the rest of the day.

I wanted to be feared like Mountain Man. I wanted to be able to walk up to someone and suggest that they reconsider.

It’s funny how your perspective can change as you get older.

Today, I’m 6′ 2″. I’m probably only a few inches shy of Mountain Man’s height. I ride a cool bike. I’m told that I can be intimidating. And yet, I have no desire to be feared. If anything, I want to be seen as a man of peace. Sure, I’d still like to tell some people to reconsider, but not because they’ve angered me. I want to tell people to reconsider the choices they’re making because I see how their choice will lead them down a destructive path.

After we started Bikers’ Church, I hoped to come across Mountain Man. I met a few others who remembered the parties with my parents, but no one could tell me what happened to Mountain Man. It was only a few years ago that I learned he had died of cancer. He died alone. And suddenly, my childhood awe of Mountain Man became a sadness for how his life ended.

What kind of person do you want to be known as? What kind of person are you already known as? Sometimes the Mountain Men are not all they seem to be.

Looking over my past few posts, I realize that it’s been a few since we’ve talked about motorcycles … so, here we go!

Those who’ve followed me for awhile know that I’ve been having issues with my bike. I know exactly what’s going on, but still, it’s taking longer than I had hoped to get her back on the road.

It all started when I drained my tank last fall to send my tins down to Arizona so that my friend, Jason, at HellcatCustoms could paint them. He did an amazing job, and when I got them back, I excitedly put the bike back together and filled it up with gas.

And that was my problem.

What I should have done was clean the tank first. You see, my bike (and tank) are old. I ride a 1994 Dyna WideGlide. It has over 200,000 kms. With the tank empty for five months, rust built up in it. Rust that I should have cleaned out before reinstalling it.

The rust made it through the filter and into my carb.

After trying a whole bunch of things, I finally figured out what was going on. And so, a few weeks ago, I pulled the tank back off, cleaned it out (filling it half full with soap & water, dropping in about a dozen nuts and bolts, and shaking it like mad). After it was cleaned, I “Kreemed” the tank. Basically putting a new coating inside the tank. Rust problem was solved.

Or so I thought. I still had issues with the carb. I was still getting a bit of crap in the gas. Finally, this weekend, I figured it out. The accelerator pump has a diaphragm that was breaking apart.

So, new kit is ordered and should be in tomorrow. Hopefully by this time tomorrow, the bike will be up and running like new.

So, why am I calling this post “The Bond”? Great question. Glad you asked.

During this entire ordeal, many of you have seen my comments about enjoying Heather’s bike. She has been great at letting me take out her 2002 Electra Glide whenever mine was on the fritz. I’ve probably put as many miles on her bike as on mine this year. And, I love her bike. In fact, I have basically converted over to the “couch-side” and am ready to give up the Dyna for a little more comfort.

That is until I get on my Dyna. When she’s running right, I fall in love all over again. There is a connection that I have with this bike. One that is difficult to explain. One that only a few people – those who ride – can understand. We’ve been across the U.S. together. She never let me down once during that long road trip.

As I sit here tonight, in my backyard, with the garage open, I look over at her. She’s sitting there patiently. Her carb is apart. I don’t think she’s enjoying this any more than I am. She wants to run. She wants to roar. She wants me to take her out for a good long ride.

Hopefully this week.

I can’t remember who sent me the link to this video (or I’d give ya credit), but this is my kind of riding video!

I’m currently reading Dave Nichols’ book, One Percenter: The Legend of the Outlaw Biker. I’m finding it an interesting read, although I don’t disagree with some of the reviews I’ve read on the book that Nichols would have benefitted by using a ghost writer to clean up the writing.

Still, I just finished reading a section about the movie Easy Rider, the film that started it all for many a biker. Nichols spoke often with Peter Fonda, and his insight into the real message of the movie needs to be heard even today. So, I thought I’d reprint it for you:

Most of the world didn’t get the message of the film Easy Rider. The truth is plain to see if you wade through the allegory. Captain America encapsulates the spirit of what this country was originally based upon. He is hope and the spirit of true freedom from oppression, just as Billy represents the ugly American frontier spirit and the conscienceless masses yearning to consume Mother Earth without compassion. Captain America is Thomas Jefferson’s concept of liberty, while Billy is the willingness to burn it all to the ground through mindless consumption.

The term “easy rider” is Souther slang for the old man of a whore. He doesn’t have to work, doesn’t have to pay for his sex, and gets the easy ride. The film shows us that we have collectively raped and brutalized Liberty and made her our whore. America is still about freedom, but it’s the freedom to eat more Whoppers and Big Macs while the rain forests burn. Billy thought that freedom could be bought and sold in the marketplace. You score big and you retired in Florida, mister. Captain America knew that we as a country “blew it” because we stopped being about something and just concentrated on getting that one big score.

Guess what, people. Billy won that argument. Look around you. Just as Captain America and Billy took their cash and bought two-wheeled symbols of decadence and excess, we all ride the highways – a country on luxury wheels and cell phones, a country without roots, without a tribe … lost. As such, we’re moving too fast to care about our neighbor, to raise a barn, to stop for a downed bro. We’re all on the move to get our thing together, score big, and retire in Florida, mister. Yuppiedom is the holy church of personal greed and its members are the “me” generation.

Now, here’s the surprise ending: we are racing toward our date with those rednecks in their ancient pickup truck. The sword of Damocles is poised and Liberty is dropping her scale. The lessons are staring us in the face in Easy Rider. The bikers stop to fix a flat at a farmer’s house. And then later, they stop at a commune. In both cases they meet people who are living off the land and doing their own thing in their own time. They are people who chose to be caregivers to the earth rather than takers and exploiters. The boys ride on toward their doom, refusing to stop, to take a stake and be about something, to join those who are about building something real. Over 37 years ago Peter Fonda made sure Captain America told us plainly, “We blew it.” And you know what? All these years later, when our leaders look us straight in the eyes and lie boldly, when a man is measured not by the compassion in his heart for his fellow man and Mother Earth, but by the size of his wallet and toys … we’re still blowing it, man.

Thoughts?

I apologize in advance if I end up just rambling with this post … but something’s been bugging me for a few days now, and it boiled over yesterday.

How is it that in 2010, people can still be so gullible that they believe everything they read, or see on television, without ever checking the facts? Is it because they are just too lazy to actually look into it? Or is it because we really do want to simply trust those who deliver the news or speak with authority?

As a preacher, I tell people all the time, “Don’t just believe something because I say it’s true. Look into it for yourself. Come to your own conclusion. If you accept something as a spiritual truth just because I’m telling you it is, then you’re foolish.” I say that because I’ve seen far too many people get hooked into cultish-type groups simply because they don’t take the time to discover spiritual truth for themselves.

Since I encourage those who sit under my teaching to do this, I don’t think I’m out of line to suggest that we do it when it comes to others who speak with authority.

Over the past week, I have found myself becoming a news-junkie again. For a season, I was hardly reading any news reports or watching much more than the half hour evening news, but this past week, I’ve been flipping back and forth between CNN and CBC. And it’s amazed me just lazy reporting has become. Much of the stuff that is reported is completely inaccurate. Other stuff contains just enough truth to make the listener buy it fully.

I understand why it’s this way. The news media needs quick, catchy headlines. They needs stories that will cause the listener to tune in. It’s all about grabbing our emotions and our attention. CBC currently has a commercial promoting their news channel. In the commercial, the question is asked, “What makes a great story?” All of the recognizable news personalities answer it with one or two words. What I found interesting is that not one of them used the words truth or accuracy in answering what makes a good story.

As I biker, I’m used to seeing inaccuracies in the media. News reports refer to motorcycle gangs even though there is no such thing. I am not aware of a single motorcycle group that refers to itself as a gang. Sensationalized headlines paint every guy riding a Harley as potential bad news. And people buy it, hook, line, and sinker.

Even the police buy into it. Now, I know a lot of great police officers. In fact, 90% of them are amazing people doing an amazing, thankless job. And yet, let’s be honest, they are indoctrinated into believing that bikers are guilty until found innocent. As a result, they truly believe they are in the right when they pull over a biker for no reason.

I know some of you think that this is a rant because I was stopped yesterday. It’s not. The officer who pulled me over was very nice. I had no issue with him. Actually, I felt sorry for him. He pulled me over for no reason other than how I looked. Yes, profiling. He truly believed that it was legitimate to use the excuse, “Just checking paperwork” as a reason for pulling over a law-abiding citizen. He could have run my license plate while following me and discovered that there are no outstanding warrants, no criminal charges, no reason to pull me over, but all he saw was a biker, and stopped me because bikers are bad.

I spoke with a member of a club this past weekend who told me about having dinner with his brother and his new girlfriend. The girlfriend asked the biker why he feels it’s okay to pimp out girls for prostitution. The biker laughed and asked her why she thought he was a pimp. She told him it was because he was a member of that club, and from what she understood, all the members of that club had prostitutes working for them. Now, this guy has a 9 to 5 job (and yes, I’ve seen him at his job). He also works two other jobs to bring in extra money. He pays taxes on all three jobs. He works like a dog. And yet, he’s painted with a brush simply because of a patch on his back.

My point in all this rambling is this: in this day and age, when there is so many ways to check out facts, why do we as a culture just accept what authorities and news outlets tell us is true? Why don’t we take the time to actually research a few things and discover truth for ourselves? I challenge people to do that with spiritual things, and I try to make the effort to do it with every other area of my life.

What about you?

Eight and a half years ago, I took a shower. I’ve taken a few more since then, but it was while enjoying that particular shower, that the idea of hosting an event to promote all of the various groups and organizations in Ottawa was birthed. I envisioned a dozen or more tables, with each group letting people know about why they exist, the events they host, and other information that people might find valuable.

We set the date for early April and sent out invites to the different groups. The response was excellent, and we waited patiently for the big day to arrive. The day before the event, the weather was looking questionable. There was a chance of flurries, and it was clearly going to be a cold day. Still, we were not expecting to wake up the morning of the Info Day to discover the worse blizzard recorded ever on that day. Snow began falling early in the morning, and by mid-morning, the ground was completely covered.

And yet, people came. By the end of the day, we estimated about 300 people came through the doors. For us, it was a huge success, and we immediately began planning next year’s event.

Four years later, the Info Day was getting stale. The numbers had not grown past the 300 or so people who attended faithfully each year. The suggestion was made that we incorporate a Swap Meet into the Info Day. But our Swap Meet would be open to the everyday Joe. We wouldn’t charge for setting up a table. And we would encourage anyone to come and sell their used stuff.

It worked. The first two years with the Swap Meet added to the event, our numbers jumped to 600. And then last year, we saw a huge increase as the event exploded, and over 1500 people attended.

We had no idea what kind of numbers we would see this year, our eighth year. There were threats of thunderstorms for the late afternoon, and yet once again, by the end of the day, we had matched last year’s numbers. It truly was incredible to us.

What makes this event so successful? I am absolutely convinced it’s all about the volunteers. Almost everyone at Bikers’ Church steps up and participates. In fact, we usually have about 90% of our membership serving during the day. Even some of those who are not members sign up and take the time to help out for the day.

Our volunteers represent us well. They work hard – incredibly hard – and they always have a smile for anyone they greet. Sure, everyone has their moment, but every volunteer comes to this event with the same goal: to serve the motorcycle community.

We do two events annually: The Info Day & Swap Meet and The Motorcycle Appreciation Day. These two events are now the second and third largest single day motorcycle events in Ottawa (the largest is Ride for DAD, an event we also serve). Imagine … a church has two of the three most attended events by the motorcycle community. I believe that says something. It says something about the people who make up The Bikers’ Church.

I am so very proud of them.