5/27/2008
<br>Author: Devin Pickard
<br>Title: Biker Sunday 2
<br><br>Do you ever have those moments where you think back in time and then mumble to yourself, “What in the world was I thinking?”  A few years ago, 3 of my buddies and I took a trip out West to ride motorcycles and see the sites.  We went to Sturgis….we saw Mount Rushmore….we got up close and personal with wild buffalo….we rode our bikes doing 75 mph down the interstate without helmets…..we saw Crazy Horse, the largest sculpture in the world….by the way, did I mention that we rode our motorcycles really fast without any protection for what housed the only pea brains that we had?  I am satisfied that my 3 Evil Knevil wannabe friends told their families about our foolish adventures without any proper head protection, but in case they didn’t, I will try to protect their identities and reputations as men of “good sound minds and judgment”.  Let’s just call these fellows Martin (Marty) Smith, Bradley (Brad) Davis, and the guy who owns Freeman Wood Products (there are two Freeman brothers, Todd and Teryl – I am not referring to Todd).   As I recall our experience of two-wheel traveling the Bad Lands, I shiver to think of what might have happened had one of us crashed.  Currently, 20 states have in place what is considered “full helmet laws” for anyone riding a motorcycle, meaning, if you are riding a bike, you had better be wearing a helmet.  Statistics point out that a person not wearing a proper protective helmet is twice as likely to receive a serious head injury in a crash as someone who is wearing a helmet.  I am sure some of you are now thinking that we wouldn’t have much in the form of a brain to lose anyway, considering our decision making…..but we looked so cool and <i>everyone else was doing it.</i>      <br><br>You would think the “everybody else is doing it” rationalization would have ended for these grown men several years ago…but alas, not for the 4 Einsteins from the small town of Centerville, TN.  Once again, for the umph-teen time, we fell under the weight of peer pressure.  I am going to go out on a limb here….and though it may have nothing to do with risking life and limb on a speeding missile….I bet you have succumbed to some sort of negative influence from people around you before as well.  But you know, peer pressure does not always have to be bad.  One of the best experiences of my life was spending 4 years in Henderson, TN. at Freed-Hardeman University.  The peer pressure there was generally very positive.  Most everyone on the campus tried to encourage each other to do the right thing, make good choices, and live a Christian life.  In that environment, it was much easier to follow the advice of the good angel on your shoulder as opposed to the one on the other shoulder holding the pitchfork.  As the old saying goes, if you play with hogs, you’re gonna get muddy.<br><br>This weekend will bring about our second annual Biker Sunday.  We are so very excited about the possibility of having a building full of visitors, both biker and non-biker alike.  This worship event last year was a tremendous success and we certainly believe this year will be no different.  We currently have at least 2 or 3 people who are now members of Fairfield who first came to us via Biker Sunday.  These folks liked it around here so much that they decided to stay.  This fact alone made all of our efforts worthwhile.  Who is to say what this years event might produce….more friendships….more opportunities for service….more saved souls?  Whatever the case, God has given us the chance to minister to a group of people who in times past have been given a bad rap.  A few bad apples can spoil any well intentioned group…..whether they are bikers or Christians.  I can assure you that the world is full of many fine people who choose two wheels as their primary source of transportation, and many of them will visit us Sunday.  We hope that this day will give us an avenue in which we can be a source of positive peer pressure to those who may be searching for encouragement, understanding, compassion and love….and I can guarantee you this….you won’t see anyone leaving our building muddy.<br><br><center>~Dedicated to the loving memory of motorcyclist Melissa Coen~</center><br><br><br>Ride the extra mile - Devin<br><br>