WOW!!!!! What a weekend! Left Friday afternoon in a sleeveless t-shirt, came home tonight wearing leather! The weather change simply served to remind me that God never changes. He has a plan for each of us and that plan will come to pass if we will simply yeild to His Lordship! We were blessed with great accomodations, wonderful weather and awesome friends to share it with.
There were thousands of bikers, many neat people we personally met and some great opportunities to work out the Great Commission. This sorta brings me to my thoughts for this week. For the first time in a while, Sonja, the boys and I along with the Gores, were in our element. You see bikers are a brotherhood. There is something about two wheels that unites some of the most different and unique people. Now there were some that were outside the brotherhood even though they ride. These folk are more concerned with the way their bike looks, sounds, runs or how expensive their leather and accesories are. This doesn't supprise me. Never does. What does supprise me is when spiritual brethren are in this group. I encountered several groups this weekend who seemed more concerned with themselves than the people they encounter. I walked by some looking intently for an opportunity to engage them, but received the cold shoulder. Some others seemed more interested in name dropping than finding common ground to labor on.
Sonja and I are average people. This weekend afforded us several opportunities to meet people where they were and hopefully encourage them along their journey with Jesus. Some we met near their bikes, some in the venues, some at events and some were just in a parking lot experiencing a little trouble. Now I'm not saying that we are perfect, just open. It is amazing how many times The Lord will open a door if we only look for the opportunity. It seems to me that many of the brethren want to wait for the opportunity to come to them. If we wait for opportunities come to us, they will generally pass us by. The "If we build it, they will come." mentality is destroying the work of the kingdom. We must be ever on the alert for the ocassions when God places us where He wants us so that the people who need a touch can be touched. Jesus went where people were. Should we do less? The challenge issued to the disciples two thousand years ago still rings true today. Jesus told the disciples to spread the gospel as they went along their way. Whereever we are, we are the people of God in God's place.
My challenge to each of us this week is to look for each opportunity that God affords us and take Him up on the invitation to join Him. Till next week.
There were thousands of bikers, many neat people we personally met and some great opportunities to work out the Great Commission. This sorta brings me to my thoughts for this week. For the first time in a while, Sonja, the boys and I along with the Gores, were in our element. You see bikers are a brotherhood. There is something about two wheels that unites some of the most different and unique people. Now there were some that were outside the brotherhood even though they ride. These folk are more concerned with the way their bike looks, sounds, runs or how expensive their leather and accesories are. This doesn't supprise me. Never does. What does supprise me is when spiritual brethren are in this group. I encountered several groups this weekend who seemed more concerned with themselves than the people they encounter. I walked by some looking intently for an opportunity to engage them, but received the cold shoulder. Some others seemed more interested in name dropping than finding common ground to labor on.
Sonja and I are average people. This weekend afforded us several opportunities to meet people where they were and hopefully encourage them along their journey with Jesus. Some we met near their bikes, some in the venues, some at events and some were just in a parking lot experiencing a little trouble. Now I'm not saying that we are perfect, just open. It is amazing how many times The Lord will open a door if we only look for the opportunity. It seems to me that many of the brethren want to wait for the opportunity to come to them. If we wait for opportunities come to us, they will generally pass us by. The "If we build it, they will come." mentality is destroying the work of the kingdom. We must be ever on the alert for the ocassions when God places us where He wants us so that the people who need a touch can be touched. Jesus went where people were. Should we do less? The challenge issued to the disciples two thousand years ago still rings true today. Jesus told the disciples to spread the gospel as they went along their way. Whereever we are, we are the people of God in God's place.
My challenge to each of us this week is to look for each opportunity that God affords us and take Him up on the invitation to join Him. Till next week.