Things did go well today, no crashes and no breakdowns, sort of. :? We all met up for breakfast and had a good time. We met up with some new faces and some old friends that I haven't seen in a while (moorepower and nattydrez!). I came back out from breakfast and it seemed the maintenance glitches were coming upon us with a vengence. One rider needed air for their tires, one guys' bike refused to start across the street, another rider was missing a bolt in his kickstand, and I had to make group adjustments. To explain further; last year it was always chaotic to have riders select groups by pace. We would have some select groups by ego and not ability and crashes would result. Other times, we would have 11 in one group and 3 in another with not a lot of difference in pace. So, this year since I know a bunch of our riders, I have been trying to place them in equal groups in a pace they would like. This our second time doing it and it's been working pretty well. This month was a challenge because folk that said they were coming didn't come, we had maintenance issues, and others show up that didn't say they were coming. So, I had to regroup folk while troubleshooting some of the maintenance issues as well. Fun times.
We got started about 10-15 minutes late, but we were soon on the move. I had 6 folks in my group and we were the lead group. The weather was cloudy with a little moisture on the roads due to last night's rain. We waited at a few turns that weren't marked real well, but besides that we were on the move. The roads were curvy but the surface was bumpy, but hey, we were in the coal regions of PA, bumps are part of the charm. :) By the time we got past the coal mines everyone was smiling. We got to lunch ahead of two of the groups with only one U-turn, so that was a plus. We ate lunch at Bobby's of New York in Drums, Pa and we all had enough to eat. If you go there, a personal pizza is enough for two, you have been warned! :wink: After lunch I shared the Scripture and 75% of the group had to leave for various issues, which was a shame because the roads after lunch were nice!! The five of us that were left tore up to Wilkes-Barre, got some gas and then zoomed home down on I-476. It was a good time. A big thanks to rktec, johnric42, and andyr for leading groups. I couldn't do it without you guys, you're the best! Next month, the Pocono Screamer.
Special thanks to Laurence and Sandy for taking some awesome photos! Hope you don't mind us sharing them!
Scripture Readings for May 2012
The theme for this months' Scripture was "it will cost me too much". It speaks to a concern of those that might not follow God because they feelridepersonal relationship with Him will cost them too much in their life. The four Scriptures below address that concern.The first Scripture from Psalm 116:12 which states, "What can I offer the Lord for all He has done for me?" When we do consider all the Lord does for us and we count our blessings we realize how grateful we are for God's goodness to us. Our next Scripture, Mark 8:36, helps take us to the next level. That verse says, "And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?" In considering this Scripture it does put the whole "cost" dilemma in perspective. After all, how priceless in your soul?! What would be worth trading for it in this life only to face loss in the next life? Our next Scripture is from Luke 18:29-30 which states, "“Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, will be repaid many times over in this life, and will have eternal life in the world to come.” In this Scripture the disciples had told Jesus that they had left their homes to follow Jesus, those verses was His answer. So, not only does God bless us for obedience in this life, but also gives us eternal life in the one to come. Clearly, what we give up to follow God is small in comparison for what we shall receive. Our final Scripture is I Peter 2:24, "He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross, so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed." When we consider "costs" Jesus has paid more for us than we shall for Him. He came down and became a human, born as a baby, grew up just like us, than preached the Good News to mankind that they can have relationship with God through Him, then died on the cross for our sins. If anything, we are indebted to Him for His kindness and mercy to us, and all He asks is that we come to Him and receive Him as our Lord and Savior. My friends, if you live for Him, you'll life will never be the same. It's an adventure worth having.
May God bless you all and I'll see you all next month
