Today, the 26^th of April, Duckey and I went for a ride. We had originally hoped to meet up with other biker friends for a group ride. Turned out to just be the two of us. Frankly, on this day I was OK with that. I was not in the frame of mind to paste on a smile. The only reason I agreed to go on a ride was because I knew Duckey was needing to get out and ride – he hasn’t been able to because of knee surgery. I on the other hand felt no desire to do anything but stare off into space and try to wrap my brain around the events of Saturday.

Saturday was going to be my day to finalize my efforts of finally catching up on a backlog of paperwork. I sat down at my desktop computer. My financial program had been giving me a message to install an update. Learning from past experiences I backed up my financial data for the ministry and for our personal finances. That one task saved me a lot of stress. After I did the update I found my computer no longer had internet connection. When encountering a computer issue I have been told to reboot first to see if that fixes the problem. Well I restarted the computer but it would not start. It would not allow me to back up my data on an external hard drive or a flash drive. Normally I would be stressed over the fact I may have lost all my financial data and have to spend hours I don’t have to recreate said data. Ahhh, but I did my financial backups! One life lesson applied! I do have a laptop I use for minor things. I don’t trust it as it continually has glitches that has caused me to lose hours of work. My tech friend that provides assistant from afar had other obligations. So, I set out to do other tasks so I could at least be productive. Everything I tried to put my hand to gave back some type of hurdle. Friday, I had this awesome peace and excitement settle over me that I had posted on our ministry fb page. I was ready to do great things in the upcoming week to focus on getting our thrift store back open for business (thank you covid-19) and then Saturday it was roadblock after roadblock. But thanks to Duckey’s great patience we finally settled on working together to put up some screen on our outside gazebo/canopy. Then we set out for a quick trip to get some patio furniture so we can eat outside with friends and family in future days. Upon our return I went into the house to retrieve scissors to cut tags off the patio chairs. The scissors are in the drawer of the chest of drawers where my bird cage sat. I had this little zebra finch I received from a breeder friend as soon as he was able to leave his parents.  I had worked to give him this fun setup with a sink looking bird bath, beautiful thick greenery in the back to play in, a mirror with a perch, his only little wooden RV camper and other various perches. Now I love animals but it seems they love everybody else more than me. Except for my sweet Aggie that past just last August. But Soly (short for Solomon) seemed to love me lots. Instead of doing fly bys at my face he had gotten to hopping down to whatever perch my face was nearest and tilting his head. I would make finch noises at him, he would tweet back at me. Every night we sung him to sleep as we covered his cage. “Good night Sweet Soly, yeah it’s time to go… Ya know we love ya but we really must say, good night sweet Soly, good night.” Soly was fine when we left to get patio furniture. So as I said I went in to get those scissors. So of course I am going to take a moment and talk to Soly. Soly’s cage was of fair size, and he was a little bird. A couple times I have looked into his cage and not seen him… only to find him tucked in his greenery or sitting at the bottom of his cage where the bird seed dish blocked my view… Saturday as I peered around his cage, no Soly… now where could he be… I looked into the greenery and to my complete horror I saw snake skin… I know some people like snakes… I do not… I live in Florida and I understand the necessity of black snakes to keep poisonous snakes away… but for all practical and spiritual purposes, the snake, to me represents Satan… enemy number one. In that instant as I yelled for Duckey, threw open the back door and in tears yell there is a snake in the cage and he ate Soly I felt this overwhelming feeling that this was a spiritual attack. As Duckey came to my rescue and we gathered tools to get the snake out of the house and kill it I finally saw the head of the snake. A white feather from my precious Soly still hanging from it’s mouth as if to further taunt us. It had to be a horribly violent way for a sweet unsuspecting bird to die. Soly had no means of escape though my hope was he flew in his RV camper to hide, but alas that did not happen. Maybe he didn’t see what was coming. That little bird loved me. He was beginning to trust me. He was snatched away too soon. There is a lot more trauma in the world of bigger proportions. I get that. But to me in that moment it was trauma… seeing a snake where my fun, precious Soly abode. I say it felt like a spiritual attack because through that event it brought up a type of pain that I had only experienced a couple other times… in 2009 when I was battling bankruptcy and engine issues with the only vehicle I had to get me the 30 minutes to the thrift store that God had placed upon my heart to open in the midst of a recession – I still had no personal income and that vehicle was the only means to get to the thrift store to do work in hopes of turning my financial situation around… the other time was in 2015 when I discovered that my husband (not Duckey!) of 23 years was leading a secretive alternative lifestyle far from the Christian values we portrayed in our work and life. So needless to say as I revisited all that pain… coupled with lack of sleep wondering if there were other snakes in the house… and horrific dreams when I did sleep of finding more snakes…. Come Sunday morning I had no desire but to stare off into space and try to process the meaning of all this in this time frame. So when Duckey said our friends were not able to go on the ride – no offense to our friends – but I was OK with that because small talk was not on my agenda at all for the day. So we rode, just the two of us. I’ve always heard from God in the shower. But now that I have met Duckey another place I often hear from God is sitting on the ‘biker back seat’. Sitting back there taking in the passing views and being Duckey’s second pair of eyes… still allows me lots of thinking time…. Lot’s of time to listen… God brought to mind the verse about sparrows… This morning in our devotional time, I looked up that verse and read commentary related to it. Matthew 10:27-31. Jesus is teaching about the Fear of God. “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows.”

In reading the commentary on these verses, I have come to this understanding. Even the smallest thing that happens on this earth, God sees – nothing gets past Him. Everything that we suffer He, Jesus Christ has felt while He walked this earth. No servant is greater than His Master. This means that nothing we suffer is equal to or greater than what Jesus Christ suffered when He went through crucifixion on a wooden cross for us. We have 2 choices in life when we experience suffering. 1. We let it take over and cause us to no longer be fruitful or productive – basically stopping us from moving forward OR 2. We make the choice to endure until the end. We endure our pain, our sufferings knowing that when we endure to the end our life in glory will be a worthy reward. The verse talks of fearing Him – this is fearing God/Jesus Christ. We should not be afraid of Him – we should give Him great reverence. However, if one chooses not to give their life to Jesus Christ then fear as in afraid is a relevant term. He has the authority to cast those who turn their backs on Him and refuse to give their life to Him, into Hell. There is no party in Hell my friends… It’s a place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth… It’s a place where you will be devoured by the Serpent/Satan just as sweet Soly was devoured by a corn snake. So if a moment of trauma causes me to share with you about a trauma you can avoid for eternity… then so be it… God loves you most. He desires a relationship with you. Don’t think you have to completely change up your life in this instant… Just start talking to God like you would a friend. Find a Bible and in a quiet place begin to read His word. Then as your relationship builds He will teach you and talk to you. In the right moment as you learn and grow, He will help you build your life into what He has planned for you from the beginning. Whatever changes He wants to make you will at that time be ready and willing to make. God values the smallest of creatures, the tiny sparrow valued dollar wise at less than a penny. How so much more He values you!

Good night sweet Soly! Thankful for the value of a lesson your life gave….

Soly and I's selfie... 

The Journey.. Choose the Route, Count the Cost, Follow the Signs

Well Donald and I have been married one year! We squeezed in as much riding time as we could but there wasn't always time for pictures and writing. These pics are from a ride back in July. It's been a crazy busy year full of several moves and a ton of transitions as we meld two 'pushing fifty' lives into one. Fulfilling previous commitments and finding the road God has for us to travel as one, meant putting a lot of miles in between several counties on trucks and motorcycle. 

Here we are off on this ride... Donald in front....

 and me in again on the biker back seat.

 Ah, a brick paver road... kinda like some of the roads in our life.... not very smooth at all....

 then there's the occasional sighting of things Donald and I both enjoy that bring a smile to our face....

classic cars and classic pick-up trucks...

 Now this one has a for sale sign.... are you 'for sale'? or are you sold out to Jesus Christ?

 This is the kind of sign Donald and I have seen way too much this last year...... The road 'Ts' and it's left or right.... I've told Donald on several occasions.... "I think God is saying we can go either way, He will bring blessings either way we choose, however, there is ONE direction He really wants us to choose that will bear more fruit. He wants to see if we are going to pick the right ONE....."

 Sometimes you gotta glance in the mirror to make sure no one is crowding ya or trying to force you off the road or off of God's path for your life. Glancing back helps us to remember where we've been. Remembering where we've been is OK. If there is forgiving to do, you forgive. But God doesn't call us to forget. In remembering, we don't repeat actions that put us in harm's way again.

 And we always have to remember to enjoy the beauty of God's creation along the way.

 And I still think this guy is incredibly handsome! 

I am forever grateful that my 'broken road' brought this guy into my life!

  And this is my favorite way to ride.... with Duckey's arm against my knee..... 

My Knight in black leather on a steel horse, my protector..... 

 Wow in the middle of nowhere.... steps that lead to nowhere.... 

kind of like the road to nowhere when you don't have Jesus to lead, guide and direct.... 

 Curves in the road are always fun on a motorcycle, 

the curves on the road of life... hmmm maybe not so much!

Duckey and I take our Christian walk seriously. We keep God in the center of our marriage. We pray before we set out on every ride. We pray together when either one of us are struggling during the day. We pray before we close our eyes to sleep at night. We pray about God's direction for our life, we pray for our friends and family, we pray for our ministries. This year we stepped out on a limb of faith as we felt God instructed us to do... Which limb is that.... the one where Donald left his job to partner with me full time at God's Share Program and our North Ave Thrift Store. So here we are, 2 pushing 50 adults, doing RV life, starting over and all on one income. A very modest income at that. And believe me, we work HARD for that income... So while I agree following Jesus is easy in the fact that we say Yes, we believe in Jesus and we choose to follow Him and He loves us and accepts us - finding the direction He has for our life, waiting on His timing for vision He has given us and always practicing the spiritual response verses the flesh response is not always easy. Laying down the 'American Dream Life' to follow Jesus can cost us 'everything' as we know it on this earth.

 So we travel forward, glancing occasionally back to reflect to keep ourselves motivated to press on toward the goal Jesus Christ has set before us. With His help we navigate the curves, cruise cautiously over the rough parts of the road and be ever observant of those travelling around us who dart ahead and in front causing us to quickly down shift or brake.  

 Hey do you see that? Yep, but almost missed it. Another awesome vintage truck. How many things do we miss, or almost miss because we weren't looking in the right direction?

 And when we are looking in the right direction the rewards are most beautiful!

 Watch out for these roads in life.... Dead End...... The signs are usually there, bright yellow, warning us... This time easy to see but yet this is not always the case ... Dead End roads lead nowhere... There might be some sights to see along the way but in the end you gotta turn around, retrace your steps and find a new path....

 Now here's a 'sign' that's easy to read... A closed gate.... No entry.... 

Don't even think about trying to travel this road...

 And then the round-about.... Have you ever heard 'if you don't learn your lesson the first time you go 'round the mountain again'... Well if you don't know the right route to take, if you didn't learn the first time you went through the round about where you needed to exit to continue down the correct path, if you didn't read the signs correctly, if you didn't count the exits correctly to stay on the right path then you can go 'round and 'round and around until you figure it out. If you don't yield to those in the round about and try to enter prematurely you chance a close encounter with another vehicle, a crash or at the least the loud obnoxious blowing of a horn. If you are too fearful to enter the round about and your 'yield' sign becomes a permanent stop, you are going nowhere. So we approach, we observe, we yield when needed,

 we follow the curve,

 we exit on the correct path and we are off again on our life adventure - generally with both hands on the handlebars.... I took this picture for my Momma..... "look Mom, no hands!!!" (grin)

 Oh yes, and beware of cows on the wrong side of the fence.... 

there has to be a sermon in that somewhere!

 and watch our for low flying aircraft...... wait.... say what????? (just kidding.... I hope....)

 Thanks again for 'riding' with us on our journey and listening in on my thoughts as I reflect on life from the biker back seat. Stay tuned for our next blog that will take you along on our newer motorcycle on our one year anniversary journey to the Space Coast of FL as we get some serious wind therapy on our long weekend getaway.

Swamped by Green on God's Roadside Canvas

So we headed out today towards the Green Swamp area. 'Course this means passing through the round-about at Deen Still and 33. Brings back fond memories of driving through Tenerife in the Canary Islands for a mission trip. Many of their intersections are round-abouts. I wish there were some round-abouts around some of the areas in my life... but God said there would be trials and tribulations. If we allow it, going through those times makes us stronger and provides us with insight to share with others.

Everything really was green with all the recent rains in the area. The weather gal said rain was likely in the late morning. The clouds looked like they were going to bring that rain ahead of 'schedule' but thankfully they did not. Yep, rain does fall. It falls on the just and the unjust. How fitting that my Momma was quoting that scripture just the other day. But, so glad it held off for our morning ride.

While my husband has been riding motorcycles for years now, I am new to the biker culture. Before meeting Donald who everyone refers to as Duckey, I had only ever been on the back of a motorcycle maybe 3 times and that was um yeah, like 28 years ago....

As late in life newly weds we are experiencing a lot of transition in our lives. So, I have decided to combine his love for motorcycle riding, my love for taking pictures and our love of the things of God in this blog. It was an 'aha' moment I had while riding today. So when I asked him after the ride what his favorite thing about riding a motorcycle was and he said, "making memories", I felt it confirmation. We could journal our motorcycle memories with the blog while adding some reflection with spiritual application.

This was my first excursion on the bike with camera in hand. Gonna have to invest in one with a more powerful zoom one of these days!

One of the great things about today's ride was there was not a lot of traffic on this 2 lane country road. I don't know about you but some days ya just need the wide open spaces. I operate a non-profit ministry and run a thrift store which includes managing a host of volunteers. I've found a new 'happy place' riding on the back seat of my husband's motorcycle. It's a place where I can take in beautiful sights, be close to my husband and just let the stress of life melt away.

So I suppose some thought the gal on the back seat of a bike taking snapshots at 60 mph a bit odd... Oh well. We just have to get to the point that we are comfortable in being the person God created us to be and if we seem a little odd to someone else -so be it - as long as who we are is not a stumbling block to others. There has to be balance in life just like the balance one has to have in riding motorcycles. So here's a photo of Duckey's biker babe on the back seat of his motorcycle, yes Mom with my helmet on(they worry about us even when we're grown...) taking snapshots of whatever trips my fancy.

   

   

 There are so many road signs out there. Do you ever wish God would place road signs along our life path that were bright yellow and easy to understand? 'Course in order to be out here driving the roads we had to take a course that defined what all these road signs mean. Well at least we did 'back in the day'. Do they still do that? I do think God does give us 'road signs' along our way. The question is are we seeing them? Having we taken the book 'course' - you know reading that book the Bible so we understand what the signs mean. Are we really paying attention? Or do we have ourselves so engrossed in other things in life to the extent we aren't as alert as we should be to God's 'road signs' that He has so strategically placed?

 One thing I like about riding with Duckey is that he is ever so vigilant to what is going on around him. I wish I was as vigilant in every situation in my life as to what God is doing/ saying so that I would handle each and every situation that arises in the manner that would be most pleasing to God. On a motorcycle not being vigilant can be a costly mistake. The vehicle pulling out in front of you,  an unmarked speed bump, large birds swooping in front of the bike... all things the biker has to be prepared to respond appropriately to, not react. What a great object lesson for the spiritual life. Be on your guard. Discipline oneself to respond appropriately not react hastily.

 Okay so not all smells out there are good. I have smelled rotting animal flesh and other unpleasant odors. But today there was the wonder aroma of wildflowers. Not only did God give us beauty to look at... He added fragrances for us to enjoy. Now too bad they have not invented scratch and sniff photos!

Yes, I got a lot of clouds in my pictures. This was my first day shooting pics from the back seat of the bike. It's gonna take a little time to learn where to point the lens. At 55+ mph there is no time to look in the view finder, zoom in or out. Some pics I was just too late and most pics I aimed too high. Good thing one can never aim too high in life, right? If we never take aim at anything we definitely won't hit anything. At least I got pictures of clouds and a few other memorable shots to go with them.

 I really enjoy taking pictures of animals of any kind. Today none of them seemed to be up close enough to the road for a great picture. Oh wait.... a cow!

Duckey and I both like vintage vehicles. So couldn't resist getting a snapshot of this ole track hoe. Boy oh boy, I sure hope to keep myself well oiled in the word so I don't get rusty and unable to function as God intended me too!

 We did run into some attitude today... We don't mind sharing a parking spot, but these days with everything that goes on in the world, one ought to question when a vehicle pulls up quick and blocks ya in... A little courtesy would have been nice but the guy just smacked of attitude like he was spoiling for a fight with a biker... This is Duckey standing tall in my eyes. He chose to 'turn the other cheek'. Yep he was fighting to do so but he did. Proud of my man.

 Donald! Tell me you are NOT staring down the guy that blocked you in!!!

 Such a jokster! 

The thing is when one wears any kind of witness wear I think one will always be faced with at least one challenge to respond as Jesus would or react from our human standpoint. And yep, we were wearing our motorcycle ministry vests... Kind of like "here's your mission if you choose to accept it"...

We ate lunch at the Country Angels restaurant in Polk City. On Saturdays, they roll out the specialty hamburger menu! I had a stuffed Reuben burger... delish!!!! Duckey ordered a slab of cow... you know run it through the kitchen and serve it while it is still bleedin'.... well no actually he had a 2 8-oz patty burger. "Now that is how ya cook a burger" he says. He thought he wouldn't be able to eat it all... yeah RIGHT!!!

 Is this guy handsome or what!!!

 Wait... I wanna take that road over there.....

 Love the green tree tunnel!

 Hmmm this is the most rustic Lowe's sign I have ever seen...? Really Lowe's???

 Thank you Jesus for bringing us home safe. So glad that He goes with us wherever we go!

We'll see ya after the next ride when these feet rest themselves on the running boards of the motorcycle while our eyes take in the artistry God has made, smell the aromas of the great outdoors let the breezes blow 'round about us as we clear our minds of the clutter to make room for new thoughts and make some more motorcycle memories.