Well this ride was a ride of contrasts. First of all, this had to have been the warmest October ride ever with temps topping out at 88F. It was hotter for this ride than it was on August's ride. The day started warm with some mist/fog as I rode up to the diner for breakfast. I frequently had to duck behind my windscreen to keep the fog off my helmet visor. But I made it safe to the local fuel stop, topped off my tank and then went to the diner. I met up with a few people and went in to eat, wondering where were the 16 that were supposed to come. It was good to catch up with frindle, rktec, old guy, and others. Later on wild willie and nick came in, our Long Island natives. Not long after them came in Hector, (dude! Where you been?) and it was good to catch up with the three of them.
Once I paid for breakfast, I went out and checked out who showed up. It was cool to see Sal and the friends he brought Harold and Willard on their two vintage mounts. Eric on a new Tiger and Daryl on his Guzzi cruiser had also shown up. The panda brought his new to him Ultra Glide Classic. Also k-pilot and andyr on their Ducati's and jlasure on the mother ship. J-mac came on his V-max 'cause his Bandit needed a chain and it was cool to see XIII here shooting some pics. It was cool also to see Bill come on his hockey mask bike. I said some quick hellos and waited for folk to return from getting fuel. We had the rider's meeting, said a prayer for safety and then split riders into group according to pace. We had four groups in all with about 4-6 riders in each group.
We did encounter some construction traffic as we went through Port Clinton but it at least was moving. We made our left turn and headed west and went right by the lead group who was stopped at a food market. We didn't even see them, at least I didn't and no one told me. What I didn't know was that XIII took a rock to the radiator and was out of commission. Thankfully Sal was able to go home and get his truck with mastiff and they got XIII home. Our group made it to our next route change although we kept encountering people pulling trailers. We got behind two of these even before we got the lunch stop. It must have been trailer Saturday and no one told us. At our gas stop before lunch we met up with James from Maryland and his SWEET Aprilia, calling R/T, you should have come!
Lunch was really good and it was cool getting to know James, and talking with Willie and Nick. While we were there the other groups showed up except the fast group which had radiator issues. Two of panda's riders bailed out so it was just him and 1 other rider. We all had fun catching up on the ride up and the things we encountered. After lunch we saw a DeTomasso Pantera pull up, a neat classic car. I shared the Word and we broke into two groups with myself and andyr leading them. Some people had to leave for home, so we were down to about 10 riders. We made our way across the Susquehanna and really had the first road to our self which was nice because it's a gem. However, after that it was pickup truck Saturday, because even though we were on sparsely populated roads, it seemed there was always a pickup in front of us. Oh well. Just when we got free of some traffic, we come into town and have to stop because the town is shut down to watch a tractor parade. Yep, I'm not making it up. We saw all kinds of tractors, but we got bored and tried to detour around the town. We scared some goats and chickens on the road, (get to the other side!) but with no mishap. I took one wrong turn and by the time we got back to our road the other group had gotten ahead of us. Well, we did get around them, once we caught up to them. Those Ducati riders go fast!
By now, we were seeing clouds and noticing that we had missed a rain shower (thank you Jesus) since the roads were wet underneath the trees where the sun hadn't burned off the moisture yet. Well, yours truly almost had an "off road excursion" due to a wet leaf slick corner. Thankfully the Good Lord, anti lock brakes, and not too much speed and I could chalk it up as experience. After that we got stuck behind yet another pick up truck for 6-7 miles and finally had the road to ourselves, yes! Wait, one mile into it we get stuck behind two monster tractors, on a brand new paved road. AUGGGGH! The minivan in front of us must have sensed our frustration because as soon as the last tractor turned off, they waved us by. Thank you!! From there we made our way to our final gas stop encountering some more wet streets. We went by a fairgrounds that had something going on, and did we sit in traffic! It wasn't too long, but it sure was hot. We made our final stop, got some cold drinks, gassed up the bikes and laughed about our adventures. As always, it was great to see everyone. Let's do this again next month. The Scriptures are in the post below.
Scripture Readings for October 2013
This was our final "assurance" message, the assurance of guidance. Our text scripture was Proverbs 3:5-6 which says: Trust in the Lord with all your heart;do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. If you split this verse into four parts, you get your four steps to guidance.
Step 1 trust in the Lord
Psalm 32:8 says:The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. The Lord is looking out for us and has a plan for our lives. How cool is that? Next Romans 12:1-2 tell us our next move: And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. So, in giving our life to God, and turning from the world, we begin to learn how to follow God and He begins to reveal His plan for us. Jeremiah 17:5-8 is the final section for this step, it says: This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land. But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit. This scripture paints a good word picture for us that shows us the benefits of trusting God.
Step 2 do not depend on your own understanding
Isaiah 55:8-9 tell us: “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. We can see that God is way beyond us and we can see that Jesus set an example of obedience for us. John 6:38 says: For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. Even Jesus came to live for the Father and we should too.
Step 3 Seek His will in all you do
Matthew 6:31-34 Jesus us what we should be focused on: “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. With our focus on God and His will we can begin to seek out God's plan for out lives.
Step 4 He will direct your paths
How will He do this?
He will use His word to guide you: Psalm 119:105 says: Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.
He will use His Holy Spirit to direct you, I Corinthians reads: But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.
When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. For, “Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ. So the Holy Spirit not only guides you but leads you into truth. '
Finally God uses His wisdom to guide us. James 1:5-8 says:
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. In conclusion, ask God for His wisdom, believe He will give it to you, and step out in the path He has for you. May God bless the reading of His word. See you all next month.
