The day was bright and clear with a few stray clouds around. The forecast only had a slight chance of rain and the temps in the morning were in the forties, we were going to have a good day. And we did. I had a good ride up to the diner where we meet for breakfast. I caught up with R/T, his girl, and ANLR 21. We hung out for a bit in the parking lot and then we went in to eat. Jlasure, johnric42, cabanaboy, and andyr joined us for breakfast along with Stephen, frindle, and Martin. I was glad to see so many folk coming out and getting a chance get to know folk a bit better, we also got to hear and see some pics from Cabanaboy's trip down to North Carolina and back with his dad. J-mac also brought his three kids plus they brought a friend. We had a good breakfast and some fun time talking and then we went out for the riders' meeting. Out there, k-pilot, Bill, and XIII were waiting for us. We split into two groups and not three because my lead group rider, jlasure, took a spill on the track last weekend. That's three of the chapter members that crashed on the track this year. Thankfully, his injuries were minor and he'll be riding next month. We had an abbreviated riders' meeting because all those in attendance rode with us before. The safety tip for this month was leaves, watch out for them. Plus it had rained yesterday and wet leaves in a shady corner was a possibility.
After a prayer for safety we headed out, with myself leading the lead group with five, and andyr leading the chase group with five. The scenery today was just awesome. I was hoping to have someone shoot some video footage today, but it didn't work out. On our first road we got stuck behind a truck carrying two other trucks, piggy-back style. After a few miles we turned off that road and hit the twisty roads. We almost became part of a Chevrolet Aveo when the driver didn't realize we were there and they were in the wrong lane. THAT was close! After getting back to the main road we got over a big ridge and guess who we caught up to, the same red truck carrying the piggy back trucks. UGGH! We continued to get behind cars on the roads we rode on, I guess folk were out enjoying the leaves changing color for autumn. I don't think we rode one twisty road all day where we didn't get behind a slow car, oh well. We stopped for gas about 75 miles into the ride and found out that Cabanaboy had a bird hit his bike's engine and there were blood and feathers on it. Some of that same blood got on XIII's bike as well. After lunch I too got a bird with my headlight, watch out birds. Lunch was really good, we had a spunky waitress and delicious food. It was nice to relax a bit, share some video on our phones and watch some college football.
Just before lunch we had a chance to go by Pocono Raceway, and hoped we could get a couple of laps in, but, no luck, the gates were closed. After lunch, we stopped for fuel, then started heading south back toward home. We tried a new road recommended by andyr and that's a keeper. Two more turns and we were going over Blue Mountain. We had one driver pull over for us, but got stuck behind another car on the other side of the mountain. We continued to get caught by slow drivers but eventually hit the last set of corners to ourselves. Hurray! As we stopped two traffic lights before our endpoint I heard something above me, it was a jet! We were stopped in the glide path of the airport at this traffic light. Also, our five bikes didn't set off the traffic light sensor, so we had to move up so that a truck could trip the sensor and we could get a green light. Once we stopped we hung out for 10-20 minutes laughing and sharing stories about the ride. We made plans for next month's ride and the International Motorcycle show in New York City. Good times were had by all, with no crashes and no involvement with law enforcement. Below is the message for this month.
Scripture Readings for November 2013
This month we start an eight part series called Lessons in Christian Living. This month the message was Put Christ First. Our text for this message was Matthew 6:33- But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. The first part is "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness".Our first passage for this part was Psalm 37:3-5= 3 Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. 4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. 5 Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. This passage has a lot of truth in it. First, trust in the Lord and do good, in other words live right, according to God's commands and trust Him to do His part in your life. Next, take delight in the Lord, not booze, sex, or stuff, but in God. When we do this He grants our hearts desires in His perfect timing. I shared that the leather pants and jacket I was wearing I had always wanted but couldn't find one. Well, I got one for $225 used off of ebay and in great condition and I didn't realize what it was until I received it in the mail. God is good. Finally, whatever you do commit it to God, and He will help you. How awesome is that?! :D The next passage I Samuel 15:22 spoke about obedience, it said: “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams." We hear that God wants us to obey His commands more than any sacrifice or offering we could give Him. Psalm 119:34 calls us to follow God with all our heart: Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions; I will put them into practice with all my heart. Finally, we read how God's Word was given for us to teach us: 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
The second part of this message was "all these things will be given to you as well". Our first passage for this part was Isaiah 40:11- He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young. Here we see God as the gentle shepherd coming to lead us and love on us. Who would want to follow a God like that? Our next passage is from Philippians 4:4-7= 4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Here we see that God wants us to trust Him to provide for us. While we wait upon Him, He gives us His peace. Finally, we read from Matthew 6:7-8= 7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! It's good to know God knows exactly what we need, so we can rely on Him. In doing so it frees us to put Christ first and to seek His kingdom. I encourage you all to do that this month. God bless, happy thanksgiving, and I'll see you in December.
