People assume that this will be easy for Mom and I. After all, when you were fifteen, you moved away to Costa Rica for a year. You turned sixteen while in a country far away from us. We survived that experience, so why would this one be difficult.

And yet, this time, we realize that everything changes. When you moved to Costa Rica, we knew it was for one year. We knew that you would be coming home. That one day, you would be right back in your room, cracking your same silly jokes, singing at the top of your lungs. This time, you may be gone for good. With the exception of holidays and summer (maybe), you will be gone from our home. You are beginning a new chapter in your life.

I want you to know just how incredibly proud mom and I are of you. If only you knew how many times mom and I have talked about you and your sister. Every time, we comment on how blessed we are. How amazing both of you are. How God blessed us with the most amazing daughters.

As you go off to school and begin to pursue your dreams, I want you to know a few things:

• Your mom and I will always cheer you on. Count on it. It doesn’t matter to us whether you “make it” in theater or musicals or whatever. What matters to us is that you are true to your purpose and calling in life. We believe in you and will always stand and cheer for you.
• I am amazed at your maturity. In fact, there are times when I truly wonder where you got such depth. It certainly wasn’t me. Must come from your mother. Regardless, it’s there. And I love your insight into things.
• I love that you have pursued your own grasp on God’s love. You haven’t bought into my spirituality just because I’m your dad. You haven’t bought into culture’s spirituality just because most of your friends have. No, you’ve made your relationship with God very personal. I love that. I love watching you figure out the role God plays in your life. I love seeing how you are not afraid to talk about your faith in very practical, understandable ways. As you chase after your dreams never forget that it was God who first placed those dreams inside of you. He formed you and shaped you into the incredible woman you are becoming. Chase God even as you chase your dreams.
• I love your laugh. I love your sense of humour. I love your sillyness. Even as you grow up, never grow up.
• Family is important. In fact, I dare say that it is of utmost importance. I love that you know that. Stay in touch with your sister, your grandparents, your extended family. And, of course, your mom and dad.
• Never settle for second best. No matter how others might pressure you, don’t settle just because others have.
• I will be praying for you every single day for the rest of my life.
• I hope you make better choices than I have at times.
• I will miss ringing your bell just to annoy you.
• You are a confident woman, but I still think you have no idea of the potential within you.
• You experienced pain when you were only four years old. In many ways, you carried Mom and I through the death of K.D. It helped shape you into a loving, caring, understanding woman. Always be ready to walk the journey of pain with others who may need your insight.
• I will miss your “Gosh!” (Napoleon Dynamite)
• Phoning home is never the wrong idea.
• You are your sister’s hero. Never dismiss the importance of that. Model your life so that she will always want to be just like you.
• Remind every guy who asks you on a date that your dad is the nastiest, meanest biker and has very big friends.
• If a guy cannot treat you like a princess and show you the respect you deserve, he isn’t worth it. Move on. God has someone better for you.
• No matter how successful you become, you will always be my baby girl. Give me that.
• Just know that right about now, your mother is crying. She does that when she reads stuff like this.
• There will always be a room in our home for you.
• Live the adventure God has laid out for you.
• I love you.

There is so much more I could say, but I need to save some of it for your college graduation, your wedding day, your first Broadway show, and the many other amazing moments we will share together over the years.

Dad(dy)

What’s Next for Francis Chan? A Conversation with Mark Driscoll and Joshua Harris from Ben Peays on Vimeo.

Within a minute or two of twisting the throttle, my day changed. The fatigue fell off of me as I felt the wind in my face and the power of the motor inviting me to go faster.

Ever had that happen? Ever jump on your bike and find your entire mood and energy level change the moment you turn the first corner? Sure you have.

It was in that moment that I was reminded of something that every biker understands: It’s not the destination, it’s the journey. My destination was the church office. But that was the furthest thing on my mind. I was living in the moment. The moment was sitting on an ElectraGlide, twisting the throttle, and feeling my fatigue and frustration disappear.

I turned off the radio and began to worship God. I softly sang a song that is really a prayer.

Lord, I give you my heart, I give you my soul. I live for you alone.

Every breath that I take, every moment I’m awake, Lord, have your way in me.

And then it hit me. Again.

It’s about the journey.

I have a lot of issues with religion, but at the top of the list, it’s that religion focuses on the destination. You have do do things in order to earn enough credit to get into Heaven.

The spirituality that I believe Jesus called us to experience focuses on the journey. Living in the moment. Experiencing the awesomeness of God today, tomorrow, and the day after that. It’s about twisting the spiritual throttle and feeling the power of God as you realize again he loves you just as you are.

As I was riding along, I was reminded of an experience a friend of mine had a few years ago. A bunch of us had attended an Easter drama at a local church. As the service concluded, this friend was weeping. She shared how Easter has always been about the Bunny and chocolate. But suddenly, sitting there watching this drama, she was struck by the true message of Easter. To this day, when she has a “God-moment”, she says, “It’s not about the bunny.”

You don’t have those moments if all you’re focused on is the destination. The end point. If your attention is on a day that is some time in the future, you miss the moments that God has for you to experience today. What a shame.

It’s not that the destination isn’t important. When I jumped on the bike this morning, I knew I had to get to a specific place. But I wasn’t so focused on the destination that I missed enjoying the journey.

Don’t let your spirituality be about the destination. Not because the destination isn’t important. It is. But there’s an incredible journey that God is inviting us to experience. It’s a journey full of “bunny moments”. It’s full of incredible discoveries.

So, enjoy your journey.

The first poster is of a 1903 Single. It was built in a tiny backyard shed by William S. Harley and Walter, William & Arthur Davidson. The bike was powered by a single-cylinder, 25 cubic inch engine.

When I look at the bike, the first thing I think is, I’m so glad we’ve seen advancements in motorcycle design and comfort over the years. I try to imagine myself riding across the U.S. on one of these. Yeah, right.

And yet, there’s something about the bike that causes me to pause. Of all the pictures of bikes on my wall, this is the one that I find myself looking at the most. There’s just something about it. It was the birth of something special. I’m grateful Harley Davidson didn’t stick with this model, but you can see the foundation of the company is this machine.

Recently, Harley Davidson introduced their 2011 models. It doesn’t take much observation to realize that something’s changed. I have no problem imagining myself cruising across North America on a 2011 Street Glide (pictured to the right). I think it’s a beautiful bike, and I do believe I’ve fallen in love with it. It has a 96 cubic inch motor, 6 speeds, fuel injection, and a whole bunch of bells and whistles. While I may not get a brand new bike, I do believe my next ride will be a Street Glide.

Here’s my point. If Harley Davidson had not changed, the company would no longer exist. Now, I can already hear some of you yelling at your computer screens, searching for the comments button, and pounding on your keyboard to explain to me how Harley spent many years refusing to change, how their motorcycles are technologically inferior to many of the Metric motorcycles being produced, and that the only reason Harley exists today is because the government protected them during the horrible “AMF years.”

Yes, you’re right. To a degree.

I can also hear some of you “purists” saying that the liquid cooled Harleys are not “true” HD motorcycles. That a “real” Harley is a Shovelhead. Or an Evo. While I wont debate with you over what type of motor you prefer, even the purists have to admit that their choice of Harley wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for changes made over the years.

The posters on my wall remind me that change must happen if you are to continue to grow and survive.

It’s true of the motorcycle industry, and it’s true of our lives individually.

In what ways are you different today than a ten years ago? Five years ago? One year ago? Is the change for the better or for the worse? If it’s for the worse, what are you doing to make it better? What’s changed in you?

If you can’t answer that, then I would suggest that something is seriously wrong in your life. If you cannot see areas where you are growing, becoming better, seeing change, then I believe you are in trouble. And, a government bailout wont save you.

When I look back over the years, I am amazed at how much I’ve changed. Oh, the foundation is still relatively the same. The values my mother instilled in me as a child are still very much there. The transformation that occurred in my life when I began my journey of following Christ is still very real. The call to ministry that God put on my heart is still strong. But how I view life has changed drastically. How I see the church has changed significantly. I don’t pastor the same way I did ten years ago, or even five years ago.

And yet, as I sit here at my desk, a new week in front of me, I cannot help but ask God to continue to change me. To tweak the areas of my life that need growth, to work on attitudes that need transforming. To help me live life differently.

Why not choose an area of your life that needs change and decide to begin the transformation this week?

When the issue was first brought up on this particular forum, the first few people to post focused on the people who have loud pipes. Rather than discuss the bylaw, they chose to criticize the riders, calling them insecure, idiots, and a few other things. Fortunately, a few more intelligent posts showed up that turned the discussion back to the bylaw at hand.

This post really isn’t about the bylaw. Although, I will say that I get frustrated whenever government introduces another law against motorcyclists. Lawnmowers and hair dryers also produce more than 90 decibels, but we don’t see a law against their use. No, this law is very clear that it relates only to motorcycles. It is another attempt by another city council to make it hard for motorcyclists to enjoy their passion.

I believe one of the reasons they get away with it is because we motorcyclists rarely put away our differences and stand together. Sport Bike riders and Cruisers are too busy making fun of each other to recognize that we need to speak with one voice.

If you were to come into Bikers’ Church, you would find a scripture paraphrased on our projection screen. The verse is Galatians 3:28. Here’s how we’ve paraphrased it:

At CCBC there can be no division into Harley and Metric, sport bike and cruiser, hardcore and weekend rider. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all on a common spiritual journey to discover God’s grace through Jesus Christ.

We take that very seriously. We stand together. We want to create a culture where what you ride makes no difference. We are part of something that includes those who are quite different than us. Rather than focus on the differences, we choose to stand together.

Isn’t that true of many areas in life? I know it’s true in the church world. We focus so often on our differences that we are unwilling to stand together. We want to show how we’re different than the church down the street – we’re better, more effective, more loving … and all the while, none of us truly get it. Jesus made it clear, “They will know we are Christ followers by our love for one another.”

I think it’s easier to point a finger at those we don’t agree with than it is to find commonality so that we might stand together and make a difference.

What about you? Do you put your energy into finding areas of division or commonality?

So, I’ve decided to toss it out to you, my dear readers. What are the things you enjoy most about this blog? What brings you back for more? Do you like the mixture of stuff, or do you prefer the posts to go in a particular direction. When I first began this blog (years ago now!), the purpose was summed up in my tagline: reflections along the journey. I saw it as simply a place where I could share with those who I’ve connected with some of the things I discover as I journey through this life.

Okay, you’re turn. What would you like to see on my blog? What are the areas you enjoy most?

My friend, Judy posted this on her blog, and I thought it was too good to pass up.

Go here, enter a bit of info about yourself, and find out how long you have to live.

Btw, I’m going to die on Monday, July 30th, 2040.

Those of you who do a lot of speaking know that it can be very interesting what people “take away” from your talks. Often, it’s not what you thought it would be. In the case of this series, it would seem that one of the most popular take aways was something I said that wasn’t even in my notes.

It happened near the end of the last talk. I was explaining what Jesus meant when he said, “God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right.” I was comparing it to the deadly sin of gluttony. And I said something along the lines of this:

If you life a live that go against the seven deadly sins, you will offend some people. If you make every effort to live as Jesus lived, there will be people who will not like it. Not because you are intentionally offending them, but because you are living differently. If someone is a glutton, and they see you choosing not to consume more than you need, they will think you are judging them for not doing the same. It can be said for any of the seven deadly sins. In fact, I would argue that if your spirituality is not offending anyone, then it’s likely not the spirituality of Jesus.

In the past few days, I’ve seen that last sentence quoted on Twitter, Facebook, and blogs of Bikers’ Church people more than anything else I’ve said in the series.

It’s an easy statement to misunderstand. It’s an easy statement to take as justification when you offend someone for the wrong reasons. If you’re offending someone because you’re an idiot, don’t chalk it up to your spirituality (well, it might be a result of your spirituality – or lack thereof – but that’s a comment for another post).

Having said that, I stand by the statement. I truly believe that if you are living your life, choosing the road of faith instead of being consumed by the seven deadly sins (pride, envy, sloth, greed, lust, wrath, and gluttony), there will be times when people are offended simply because they do choose the road of self. They will not like that you are living differently than they are. They will feel you are judging, even if you are not (and if you’re living as a Christ follower, then you wont be judging the heart of another).

So, be prepared. If you choose to live life differently, you will offend. Don’t wear it as a badge of honor, just keep living life differently. As we journey the road of faith, those who are struggling on the other road will see the purpose and fulfillment you have, and will yearn to change roads all on their own.

So, keep living.

Ever have one of those weekends where nothing could get you down? That’s what the Hamilton Trip weekend was like for me. It was great to see the guys in Hamilton excited and so proud to be seeing their church become a reality. It was also amazing to see the support from the seven guys who rode many hours to be their for HBC.

But as much as the HBC launch was great to see, the highlight of the weekend for me was hanging with some of the guys from Ottawa. We’ve talked for years about doing a “men’s ride” and finally we had a weekend where it was just guys heading out on their bikes. We laughed, we joked around, and we did a lot of riding.

Mind you, I was riding a “girl’s bike.” Instead of taking my Wide Glide, I decided to enjoy the trip in comfort and took Heather’s ElectraGlide. What a difference! Yes, her bike is eight years newer than mine. Yes, it has 160,000 fewer kilometers than mine. Yes, it’s a bagger with a full fairing and a stereo system. And yes, I’m ready to move on to a new bike!

On Saturday, we pulled out of the Hamilton area knowing that rain could hit at any moment. Sure enough, half an hour into our ride home, the rain started. And it came in buckets. All day long. We decided to take the scenic route home, and rather than six hours of riding in the rain, we ended up riding a little over ten hours. And no, I didn’t bother with my rain gear.

But what a difference riding the ElectraGlide instead of the Dyna. It took much longer to get soaked right through to my skin. And even at my wettest, I still loved the comfort of the big bike.

I also loved the attitude of the guys riding with me. Every time we stopped, we’d laugh at how wet we were. We’d joke about the trip. We made light of the crappy day. After all, if you’re going to ride, you might as well accept that you’ll ride in rain from time to time. The best part of all was that we did it together.

It’s funny, but there are times when I love riding alone. My road trip was amazing because I did it at my speed, my way, my timing, etc. Sure, it would have been great to have Heather with me, but for the most part, it was great taking the trip on my own.

However, there are also times when there is nothing like riding in a group. Especially a group of guys that you trust, respect, appreciate, and yes, love. Guys you care deeply about.

That was the kind of weekend I had.

So, congrats to Hamilton at the launch of your Bikers’ Church. Thank you Heather for allowing me to spend the weekend in comfort. And thumbs up to the guys who made the trip so perfect, even in the rain. And Bruce, please don’t ever leave a can of Pam on an open flamed stove.

Just ignore … or place a comment so I can use it for testing