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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.

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?

Last Thursday, I wrapped up an eight week (!) series at Bikers’ Church called Seven Choices. The series focused on the choices we face as we journey through life. How you choose will determine if you are journeying on the road of self or the road of faith. Each week, we compared one of the seven deadly sins with one of the Beatitudes of Jesus. You can watch the videos from most of the talks here.

Those of you who do a lot of speaking know that it can be very interesting what people “take away” from your talks. Often, it’s not what you thought it would be. In the case of this series, it would seem that one of the most popular take aways was something I said that wasn’t even in my notes.

It happened near the end of the last talk. I was explaining what Jesus meant when he said, “God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right.” I was comparing it to the deadly sin of gluttony. And I said something along the lines of this:

If you life a live that go against the seven deadly sins, you will offend some people. If you make every effort to live as Jesus lived, there will be people who will not like it. Not because you are intentionally offending them, but because you are living differently. If someone is a glutton, and they see you choosing not to consume more than you need, they will think you are judging them for not doing the same. It can be said for any of the seven deadly sins. In fact, I would argue that if your spirituality is not offending anyone, then it’s likely not the spirituality of Jesus.

In the past few days, I’ve seen that last sentence quoted on Twitter, Facebook, and blogs of Bikers’ Church people more than anything else I’ve said in the series.

It’s an easy statement to misunderstand. It’s an easy statement to take as justification when you offend someone for the wrong reasons. If you’re offending someone because you’re an idiot, don’t chalk it up to your spirituality (well, it might be a result of your spirituality – or lack thereof – but that’s a comment for another post).

Having said that, I stand by the statement. I truly believe that if you are living your life, choosing the road of faith instead of being consumed by the seven deadly sins (pride, envy, sloth, greed, lust, wrath, and gluttony), there will be times when people are offended simply because they do choose the road of self. They will not like that you are living differently than they are. They will feel you are judging, even if you are not (and if you’re living as a Christ follower, then you wont be judging the heart of another).

So, be prepared. If you choose to live life differently, you will offend. Don’t wear it as a badge of honor, just keep living life differently. As we journey the road of faith, those who are struggling on the other road will see the purpose and fulfillment you have, and will yearn to change roads all on their own.

So, keep living.

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.

Last night, I was reminded again of what it’s like to be part of a church family. We celebrated with a number of our members in a water baptism service. To be honest, the service was one of the best I’ve ever experienced.

But not the entire service. The preaching was mediocre at best. I can say that, because I was the one doing the preaching. I couldn’t get any momentum. Even as I was speaking, I was telling myself that I wasn’t getting any traction. I rambled. I sucked. I kept skipping over stuff in my notes. It was one of those messages that I have to simply accept as being less that average.

Normally, when I fail to even hit the ball on a sermon, I go home very miserable discouraged. For those who speak regularly, you know how much emotion and energy goes into a message. When everything works, you go home on a bit of a high. When it doesn’t … well, you roll-up-in-a-ball-and-suck-your-thumb  need your space.

If it wasn’t for how the rest of the evening went, I would have gone home very discouraged. And yet, I found myself so excited riding home. It was simply an amazing service.

Two things happened that made it so. First, during worship I felt strongly impressed to say a word of encouragement to those who were battling major obstacles. I said a few words, then invited those who needed prayer to stand. So many stood. Then, others stood with them, putting a hand on a shoulder, or an arm around a brother. We prayed for them. We’ve only done something like that one or two other times, and it’s always a powerful moment. It’s a strong visual of the kind of family Bikers’ Church truly is.

The other thing that really knocked my socks off was the water baptisms. We had four people scheduled to be baptized. One couldn’t be there because of a sick child. So, we had the other three go into the tank and share their story. Each was great. I love hearing how God is changing a person’s heart and life. Then, I asked if anyone else wanted to be baptized. A woman came forward. Then, a young junior high boy asked his parents if he could be baptized. My heart got excited at what was happening.

Finally, we were done. Marty closed the night off in prayer, and we turned off the camera.

And then, it happened.

We have a guy who has been coming for some time now who is in a wheelchair. He was in an accident about 10 years ago and suffered some brain damage. Until he started coming out to Bikers’ Church, he was pretty much a loner. The staff who cared for him couldn’t get him to do much of anything. They say he is a completely different person since he started coming out to BC.

All through the service, and while I was asking if anyone else wanted to be baptized, he would raise his hand, trying to get my attention. I didn’t respond, because I didn’t want to put his worker on the spot.

But after we wrapped up the service, one of our guys came up to me. “He really wants to be baptized. Any chance we can make it happen?”

So, I called out to everyone. “We have one more person wanting to be baptized!” The crowd came back around our tank, and a few of our guys lifted him out of his wheelchair and into the tank. And, we baptized him.

The cheers were incredible. The smile on his face said it all.

It was then, as I looked around at the ragtag group of people who make up Bikers’ Church, that it hit me once again. This is a family. An incredible family. One I am so very blessed to be a part.

You see, there are some people who think they can experience the spiritual journey on their own. They don’t need to attend church or join with a group of people to know God. Personally, I think God values relationships too much to allow us to take this journey alone. He wants to be in relationship with us, and he also wants us to be in relationship with others.

I can’t imagine not being part of such an incredible spiritual family.

Thank you, Bikers’ Church.

Dear people of Vanier,

Like you, I’ve read the newspaper articles. I’ve heard the stories. I know what some say about your community. They say bad people live in Vanier. Drug dealers, addicts, prostitutes, bikers. They say it’s a rough community. It’s not safe to walk the streets late at night.

Some have tried to change what others say about your community. Some suggest that things are not as bad as the reports suggest. And yet, the articles continue to be written. The papers tell the stories of police raids, prostitution stings, and drug busts.

Is there any hope for Vanier? Again, some say no. They suggest that crime will always be a problem in this community. They have given up. They have no hope for Vanier.

It’s a good thing they are not God. You see, the Bible is clear: in places where it seems like people struggle with sin the most, God’s grace is more evident. (Romans 5:20) In other words, God looks at a community like Vanier and showers his grace upon it. Upon you.

I want you to know that God loves you. He has something incredible in store for your community. He believes in you. He has a purpose for each of you.

A month ago, Ken Jackson wrote an article for the Ottawa Sun describing the arrest of a twenty year old girl on prostitution charges. The arrest happened in Vanier. As he wraps up his report, he observes that the arrest is happening right below a bright neon blue cross. His final words are a quote from the police officer that Mr. Jackson has been riding along with: “It’s all happening under the watchful eyes of the cross.”

That neon blue cross can be found on the side of City Church. An amazing church in the heart of Vanier. And, beginning this Fall, the new home for Bikers’ Church. That’s right, Bikers’ Church is coming to Vanier. And we can hardly contain our excitement.

You see, many of us who consider Bikers’ Church our home know what it’s like to be on the negative side of reports. We know what it feels like to be written off. To be dismissed. To be told that there’s no hope. And yet, we discovered that the reports are simply not true. There is hope. We are not too far gone for God’s grace. We can live a life of purpose and calling.

We’re coming to Vanier because we want to take that journey with you. We think you have something to offer us. And, hopefully, we might have something to offer you as well. We believe that together we can take a journey into discovering God’s amazing and unconditional love. Some of us have been on that journey for many years. Others are just discovering it. We believe it’s an amazing journey and it will be even more amazing to enjoy it with you … the people of Vanier.

Some may wonder why we’re bothering. Why not stay in the comfortable suburbs of Arlington Woods? Why go into the heart of the city … into Vanier? Again, it’s because we believe God has something amazing in store for this community, and we want to be part of it.

Many years ago, Sir George MacLeod, an incredibly influential but unconventional Scottish Clergyman wrote these words:

“I am recovering the claim that Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles, but on a cross between two thieves; on the town garbage heap….at the kind of place where cynics talk smut, and thieves curse, and soldiers gamble. Because that is where He died. And that is what He died about. And that is where churchmen should be.”

I couldn’t agree more. And I can’t wait until we are moved in to your community.

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.

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.

If you didn’t read the first part of this story, I encourage you to go here first.

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January 9th, 1983. My family headed off to church. Three months earlier, we would have all been still in bed. However, God was doing something in our hearts, and we were all hungry to learn more. So, we were off to church. Halfway through the service, an usher came and got my step-dad. He never returned, and following the service, the same usher informed us that there had been a fire at the house. He drove us home, and as we turned the corner onto our street, I was amazed at the scene.

Our gas furnace had exploded. It blew a hole in the roof and basically destroyed the back end of the house. The front half was still intact, but everything we owned was destroyed. I remember walking through the remains after we were allowed back into the house and was amazed at how black everything was. The smell of smoke was incredible, and the entire house just felt … dead.

We would spend the next three months in a small apartment/hotel while the house was rebuilt.

Over the next few years, I continued to enjoy riding as well as discovering the spiritual journey I was now on. At seventeen, I bought my first street bike: a Kawasaki LTD 550. I loved that bike. That is, until I blew the engine.

I had some incredible mentors who walked with me during those years. Some would call them “spiritual fathers.” As a result of their leading, I decided to head to Bible College in the Fall of 1986. In my final year of school, I met Heather. She had returned to school after graduating a few years earlier. She had spent some time in Montreal, and had made a few trips to Brooklyn, NY, where she worked with kids in the projects. She had decided to come back to school in order to get a bit more training.

We talked often about her time in New York. We talked about how there were so many who simply didn’t connect with or understand Christians. The church seemed to be ill-equipped to be an influence in their lives. It was passionate talk, full of dreams about “what if?”

However, soon after we married (in 1990), we slipped into doing “traditional pastoral ministry.” We served in some amazing congregations, and were blessed by some wonderful friendships. I tried to fit in to the “suit-and-tie” pastor. I did all the right things and spoke the right language.

And yet, it wasn’t me. Don’t get me wrong, there were times when I wanted it to be me. After all, we were seeing success in our church positions. Each role seemed to be a step closer to “successful ministry.” Doors seemed to open whenever we knocked.

Not that it was all perfect. We met a lot of stupid Christians during those years. We saw a lot of politics and games being played in the name of “religion.” And yes, we experienced the death of our daughter, K.D. I wont go into details, since I wrote about her here. Yet, each of those struggles pushed us to be more successful as pastors.

During all of that, I had sold my bike. I walked away completely from all my past. In fact, to this day, I talk with people I attended Bible School with who are surprised when they find out my story. They had no idea. I simply kept it to myself.

Then, in 2001, I bought another bike. Heather and I began to ride again. We connected with Hillbilly and Nelia. Hillbilly was a guy I knew way back when I was sixteen, but we had lost touch. While I began a journey through Bible College and into ministry, Hillbilly got messed up in drugs and other adventures. When we reconnected, I learned that he had cleaned up and had turned his life over to God.

The dream of a church for bikers was one that Hillbilly had been carrying for a few years. He had been praying for someone to come alongside him who could lead such a thing. The rest, they say, is history. We launched in January of 2002 and haven’t looked back.

Over the years I have learned a lot of valuable lessons. One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned is that nothing disqualifies someone from God’s love. While he isn’t responsible for everything we experience in life, God can take our experiences and use them for good if we allow him. He’s done that with my life.

I’ve also learned that God created me … just as I am. The way I’m wired … all his fault. That means God isn’t bothered by my love of riding. He made me that way. He made you the way you are also. He’s cool with who you are. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to make changes in us … I know that there are many areas I could use change in, but he’s cool with who we are deep inside.

So, while others might find it pretty strange that a guy could be a preacher to bikers, God just smiles. After all, this is who he made me to be. Who has he made you to be?

Thanks for listening.