A Near Death Experiance

The patient was obviously on her deathbed. Three weeks ago everyone came for a last visit before she passed on. Last week was to be the wake (usually called visitation in these parts), and the funeral would be today. But something unexpected happened on that deathbed. The patient showed a tiny spark more life left in her than anyone had expected. Even though there was at least one person present that seemed willing to administer a lethal injection, in the end it was decided that it would be prudent to put the patient on life support for two weeks to see if she had any real hope of recovery.

During those two weeks of life support, things looked hopeless. I readily admit that a week into that life support my wife and I had given up hope and accepted the fact that the patient would be lost and should be allowed to die with dignity.

As of last Sunday, it looked as though the funeral would be today after all. But mid week, all of that changed. The patient is still very weak, and there is no assurance that she will survive to live to a ripe old age, but there is a great hope that is evident in her that had been missing before.

Of course the "patient" that I have been describing is our own beloved Valley View Baptist Church. Two weeks ago we were to vote on closing, being without a pastor and down to 21 members (or less), However, there were enough members at that meeting who were not quite willing to close just yet. The vote was put off for two weeks until after the yearly meeting of the Minnesota LaCrosse Association of the North American Baptist Conference, in the hopes that member churches could offer some guidance.

Despite the prayers and offers of support from the member churches in the association, Jane and I came to the conclusion (based primarily on being better informed) that perhaps it was for the best that Valley View Baptist close its doors.

But all that has changed now. Dennis Ingolfsland, one of our members, has volunteered to take over as our pastor on a part time basis. Dennis, beside being a professor at a nearby Christian college, has often preached for us when our former pastor was out of town. I am confident that the entire membership at Valley View is delighted at this turn of events. Best of all, I believe that the membership is going into this with the realization that we will all need to be involved in regaining the health of Valley View Baptist. I don't think any of us have any illusions of growing into a large church; in fact I am not sure we really even want to. But we do wish to restore the church to the point where it can survive as a God honoring body of Christ were the gospel is preached!

Please continue to pray for us.

Answered Prayers

If you follow this blog regularly you may remember that I asked for prayers concerning the future of ValleyView Baptist since our pastor had moved on, and we were unsure if we could get another due to our small numbers. In the past few weeks we have been on the verge of closing the doors permanently. In fact, this Sunday we were scheduled to vote on disbanding.

But, tonight I received a call from Wyman, one of our deacons, with some very encouraging news. I won't go into detail yet, but if you have been praying for us, then I'd like to thank you from the bottom of my heart, because I do believe your prayers have been answered! And as is so often the case our most gracious Father has chosen to answer them in a most unexpected way.

More to follow....

Man of Galilee

Here's another from my great grandfather, L.J. Schlattman's book of poetry, Gleanings from Life.

Man of Galilee

In the hills of Galilee,
I would follow as He walked,
On the shores of Galilee,
I would listen as He talked;
Always healing human ill,
Always teaching love devine:
Pleading, "Whosoever will,
Come, and comfort shall be thine."

Wonderous man of Galilee,
Face so meek and eye so mild;
Teach me how to follow Thee,
I would be thy loving child;
Teach me how to watch and pray,
Give me hope and faith and love;
In thy footsteps all the way,
Lead me till I land above.

Wonderous man of Galilee,
Thou hast balm for all my woe;
All my ills I bring to Thee,
Thou dost ease them, this I know.
Take and fold my troubled heart,
To Thy bosom warm with love;
Help me ne'er from Thee to part,
Lead me to that home above.

Breaking News - Nostalgia Drag Race at Union Grove June '09

Here is some great news for those of you who are fans of nostalgia drag racing and don't live near a coast. That's right, were finally going to have one here in the center of the country! So mark the date; June 12-14, 2009 at Great Lakes Dragaway in Union Grove Wisconsin.

I will be adding more details shortly, but here is a teaser. They will be running all pre 1972 vehicles; Top Fuel Front Engine Dragsters, Nitro Burning Funny Cars, Blown Gassers and Altereds, Super Stockers, A F/Xers, Jet Cars, Wheelstanders, Hot Rods, and MOTORCYCLES.

Of course, the part about MOTORCYCLES is of particular interest to me. If you have been following my blog, you already know that I have a lot of interest in vintage drag bikes, and have been toying with the idea of building one. This event put me over the tipping point.

The only question now is what combination of parts I will use. I still have the heads and cylinders from my last drag bike, which was a 120 cubic inch Knucklehead. But, I also have a very nice set of vintage dual Linkert Knuckle heads that would look killer on a 50's style Knuck drag racer. The third option is to use a set of single carb Knuck heads (which I also have) with the Scot blower that was once used on a real live '50s drag bike. You can read more about it from an earlier post here.

So, what do you think? I am kind of leaning toward the dual Linkert motor because of it's classic look and simplicity to build. Still, the blower has some great history to it....

The Venerable 4 Speed Clutch - Part 1

Harley Davidson used the same clutch on all of it's Big Twin models from 1941 to 1984, with only a few changes. These days it is commonly referred to as a 4 speed clutch even though it continued in use on the early 5 speed transmissions. These days it is commonly renounced as being a piece of junk. I am sure that helps to sell more modern clutch conversions, but the clutch itself hardly deserves the assessment.



The complaints generally go something like this: "The bike still tries to creep forward even with the clutch lever pulled all the way in." The clutch is grabby." "It's hard to get into first gear." "It's hard to find neutral."



A few items are all it generally takes to make the clutch work "as good as new." A few more trick can make it better than new.



Here are some common problems and solutions.

1. Oil soaked and gummy fiber plates - solution: replace the discs. There have been a lot of "stop gap" measures to avoid replacing the fibers over the years such as baking to draw the oil out, spraying with brake cleaner and such. None of the work particularly well. Buy even the cheapest replacement fibers you can get, and you will be much more satisfied.



2. Glazed fiber plates - solution: same as above, replace the discs. A stop gap measure is to "rough up" the surface, usually by rubbing them on some concrete



3. Primary chain or belt misaligned - solution: align. If your clutch basket is inboard in relation to the engine sprocket, when you pull in the clutch, the basket will naturally move out to align with the engine sprocket. This takes up the free space between the plates that pulling in the clutch was supposed to give, resulting in a dragging clutch.



4. Primary chain or belt too tight - solution: adjust. Very similar to number 3 above. Obviously adjusting a chain is pretty easy. Some belt drives are non adjustable due to rigid primary housings. Consult the manufacturer as to why his product doesn't fit correctly. I am sure he will tell you that it is the first time he has heard of this problem. Then switch to a chain.



5. Clutch hub studs grooved - solution: replace the studs or the clutch hub assembly. This manifests itself in a dragging clutch due to the fiber discs (which have the small holes that the studs go through) being hindered from moving due to the grooves. If you choose to repair this by replacing studs, you can convert it to a 5 stud at the same time. The only advantage to a 5 stud is that allows a finer adjustment for the springs.



6. Clutch basket dogs grooved - solution: replace dogs or basket.This is similar to #5 above, except that it is the steel plates that have worn grooves into the dog s on the basket. This is far less common than grooved studs.



7. Clutch pressure plate warped -solution: replace. If the pressure plate is not flat, it will be very difficult to adjust the clutch so that the plate releases evenly. The best solution to this is to upgrade to an aftermarket aluminum pressure plate, often referred to as a precision pressure plate.



8. Clutch springs out of adjustment - solution: adjust. This can show up in a couple of ways. Springs that are not adjusted with enough tension can slip. Springs that are adjusted too tightly may coilbind before there has been enough movement of the pressure plate to allow full disengagement. The most prevalent problem, though, is not adjusting the springs for even pressure. This can cause the cause the clutch to be grabby or to drag. Your service manual tells you to adjust the three nuts on the clutch hub studs so that there is 1 inch between the stock pressure plate and the inside of the spring retainer. That is a good starting point, but for best results you need to pull in the clutch while watching the pressure plate and adjust those nuts so that the pressure plate comes out evenly. In other words, if one side of the plate starts to move before the other, adjust the nut on that side in a half turn or two until the pressure plate comes out evenly. Turn the pressure plate to different points in its rotation and double check this release. This is a major cause of a grabby clutch, and is easy to remedy!



9. Clutch pushrod and adjusting screw not having "squared off" ends - solution: machine them or replace them. This fits hand in hand with #8 above. Somewhere along the line, someone came up with the bright idea of making a clutch adjusting screw (the screw that goes into the center of the pressure plate) with a ball bearing in the end. Obviously they thought this would be a plus if you did not adjust the clutch with enough free play. The problem is that it aggravates the problem of the pressure plate not releasing evenly as described above. Picture the difference between balancing a 5 gallon pail on top of another 5 gallon pail (with lid). Now picture balancing the 5 gallon pail on a basketball. Any small difference in spring pressure from one side of the pressure plate to the other will be magnified by "balancing it on an adjusting screw with a ball on the end of it. Usually the pushrod itself will have an end that is already "squared off."



10. Insufficient travel of pressure plate for full disengagement. solution: restore full travel. This can be as simple as adjusting the clutch free play. Obviously if your clutch lever moves an excess amount before it starts to move the pressure plate, it may hit its full travel before the pressure plate has moved far enough to fully disengage the clutch. It is best to unhook the clutch cable, and then adjust the screw in the center of the pressure plate. In most cases this can be accomplished by turning the screw in until it lightly bottoms, and then back off a quarter turn. Then go back, hook the cable up, and adjust the free play at the lever. You must leave some free play or the throw out bearing will burn up. This is all it should take if all else is in good stock working order. There are a couple of other possible issues though. One is if you have a set of the really thick aftermarket grips that are on the market today. Your clutch lever will bottom out on this grip before it traveled as far as it would with the stock grip. (when I drag raced, I wouldn't run any grip at all on the clutch side just to add a little more travel) Another potential problem is in some of the clutch cables I have seen. In an effort to make clutch cables more "flexible" some of them have been "woven" with wires that are not stiff enough. I have seen cables that actually stretch somewhat as the lever is pulled, and then relax again when the lever is released. Sort of like using a big spring to release your clutch.

Well, that pretty much covers the common causes and solutions for the 4 speed clutch problems, at least those that have come to mind. I may remember more later. In a future post I intend to cover some tricks and tips for high performance use. All in all, great performance can be realized without resorting to replacement of this durable clutch with one of a different design.

(note: I tried both the "numbered list" function, as well as the "bulleted list" function and they both change to the goofy flower when I publish the post. Maybe I should add "Blogger" to my book of shame.)

Church and the Gospel

How "Church" should be done is a subject that is at the forefront of more than just a few disagreements among Christians for the last .... well for the last 2000 years. In light of that fact, it should come as no surprise to us that it comes up often today.

One question that has come to my attention recently pertains to who the worship service should be "aimed" towards. It may be that the "seeker sensitive" service that was all the rage for quite some time now, may be on its way out in "modern" churches. Some would argue that the seeker sensitive service missed the mark, because it was aimed at the wrong target. A church service should be for the Christian, not for the person who is trying to decide whether or not they should become one, they say.


Frankly, I agree with that assessment, to a point. Anyone who has followed this blog for any time probably realizes that I am a conservative Baptist (and I hope that term has no connotations that I am unaware of). As such I don't have much time for the whole seeker sensitive thing. From what I have seen of it, the seeker sensitive church, to a large extent, has come down to luring in people (who are interested in spiritual things) by promising to be relevant and entertaining, and to enhance their life, but never really getting to the subject of sin and the answer to sin.


Now a second way of looking at a church service has more merit, in that a church is an assembly, and a Church (note the capital C) is an assembly of believers (and being a Baptist, I would add baptized believers). John 4:23 says "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him." Hence a church service, or worship service would rightly focus on those who are already Christians.


So far, this second type of service is a pretty good description of ValleyView Baptist over the past year and a half that my wife and I have been members. Nearly all of the sermons from our pastor (who has recently moved on to another church) were basically aimed toward edifying the body of Christ. While the subject of sin and the gospel were certainly not avoided, neither were they stressed because after all, those receiving the sermons were professed Christians. This is NOT meant in any way to reflect adversely on him; the fact is we miss and love him dearly.


In this vein of "doing church" specifically for the Christian, I recently heard a pastor say that he no longer invites people to church. He said he does his evangelism only after getting to know someone. Some of you may agree with him. Others may be shocked. Me? Well ....


I have to agree that there is no point to inviting someone to your church if the gospel is not going to be preached. And just as important, if sin is never going to be mentioned, there is no point in preaching the gospel, since the man with a terminal illness who doesn't know it, will have little use for a life saving medicine. Wasn't that a major problem with the seeker sensitive service? So, by all means, if you are not going to preach about sin and the gospel, don't invite unbelievers to your church. But I do believe that may come with its own issues.


I have heard (from more than one source) that young people attending Christian colleges, in many cases, cannot even articulate the basic tenants of the faith. Do you think there is a chance that many of these never really were born again? After all, if they grew up in the typical seeker sensitive church, they may have never been told of their desperate need of a saviour. But does this not also apply to the child who grew up in a church where "church" was done just for Christians?


Let me tell you a little story that helps explain how I come down on this issue. Nearly 10 years ago, my wife and I attended a church service due directly to an invitation in the form of literature brought to our door. No, not Jehovah's Witness or Mormon; some Baptist's go door to door also.


This was a fairly small church. Small enough that new faces were noticed by everyone, not least by the pastor. In retrospect, I have no doubt that the pastor of that little Baptist Church modified his sermon "on the fly" in order to present the gospel to these strangers. I would bet that he did the same the following Sunday. By the third consecutive Sunday, he probably expected us and prepared accordingly.


If you haven't already guessed, that chain of events is how our most merciful God chose to save me. Maybe that prejudiced me, but I certainly would never feel shorted by a pastor who felt the need to preach a little hell fire and damnation topped off with the good news in place of an edifying sermon. In fact, I believe that a little more preaching of the law (which identifies sin) and the gospel would be a God honoring addition to any way that you might chose to "do church."

One last point. If you, as a pastor, seldom preach the law and the gospel, just where do you expect your flock to learn to evangelize? Or do you plan on doing it all yourself?

The Modern Evangelical

One of my daily stops on the Internet is a blog called The Recliner Commentaries. Dennis, the blogs author, does a great job of compiling current news items and adding his Christian perspective in the form of commentary. One of today's entries was a post called The Evangelical vote The whole article is well worth reading, but the gist of it was a list of many of the issues that are by and large supported by Democrats, but would not/should not be supported by a Christian. Dennis ends with the statement that he is "at a loss to understand how Evangelical Christians can vote Democrat with a clear conscience." This is my answer to that statement.

I think the explanation of how Evangelical Christians can vote Democrat is obvious. The term "Evangelical" itself has gone the same way as the term "Christian". Early on in New Testament times, the term Christian meant only one thing. A born again follower of Jesus Christ. Today I think we would be extremely generous in estimating that 20% of those calling themselves Christian would match that first century definition.

Even so, the term "Evangelical Christian." Unless I am mistaken, the term Evangelical came into popular use during the last century to differentiate those who were serious Christians from those who were not. Calling yourself a Christian had lost its meaning from overuse by those who were only nominally Christian, or in my view not really Christians at all. In fact, I would submit that those who claim to be Christians, but have never been born again, are guilty of breaking the command in Exodus 20:7 "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." I hold to the view that the purest meaning of this command has to do with calling yourself a Christian , and yet the taking of that name to yourself having no effect.

This is nothing new. Even as Paul explains in the book of Romans, not all of national Israel were God's elect. Romans 9:6 says in part "....For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:" I don't believe we are misusing the words by applying it thus: For they are not all Christians, which are of Christianity, or they are not all Evangelicals, which are of Evangelicalism.

So if the question is how to understand how Evangelical Christians can vote Democrat with a clear conscience, my answer is that "they are not all Israel, which are of Israel."