CHAPLAIN’S CORNER

Starting Line to Checkered Flag…

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7

Of all the classes racing, I have a fondness for the Vintage class on Saturdays. Part of that is I can remember when the bikes racing Vintage were brand new! Just seeing the Suzuki RMs, the Kawasaki KXs, the Yamahas and the Hondas (especially the two strokes) brings back so many good memories. Throw in the exotics like the Pentons, Huskys and the occasional Bultaco and I’m 16 years old again!

Six years ago, I started a quest. I was determined to find an example of my very first motorcycle. After three years of Internet searches, phone calls and emails, I found one; a 1967 Bridgestone 90 Sport. Before

you ask, yes, it is the same company that makes tires.

It is unrestored and will remain that way. This last weekend it earned a blue ribbon at the Riding into History antique show in St. Augustine.

One thing I have learned about the bike. I can tune it, clean it, detail it, and polish it but it is still an old motorcycle. Nothing changed or improved since 1967.

Jesus has a very different plan for those who put their trust in Him. II Corinthians 5:17-18 says, “Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah (Jesus) gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and Him… .”

When we find and accept the free gift of salvation from Jesus, we have a new heart. We see the world and each other through his loving eyes. Our minds are changed.

Romans 12 1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops wellformed maturity in you.

An old motorcycle will remain an old motorcycle. Your life in Jesus will be a new walk EVERY DAY!!!!

“The Good Race” joy service is every Saturday night from 7:30 to 7:45 pm. We meet at the CMA tent. Bring a chair and come join us!

Blessings on and off the road,

Jim and Betty Edleston CMA