Indoor Flat Track 2018, St. Paul

We were treated to some of the most exciting racing action ever last Friday evening at the inaugural IFT (Indoor Flat Track) event at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds Coliseum held in conjunction with the Donnie SmithBike Show.  Having spent all day Thursday AND Friday helping with the set up for the bike show over at RiverCentre in downtown St. Paul, I was quite tempted to just skip the races and get a good night’s sleep since we still had another two days to go manning our booth at the show.  Fortunately, Jane saw it as an opportunity to get the old deadbeat (me) to take her out on what, by stretching the definition to the limit, could be called a date.  So, a quick 50-minute drive from the bike show to our house, and then another quick 50-minute drive back to the fairgrounds found us seated in time to still catch a couple of the semi-finals. ( And what a great wife I have to give me that little push I needed!)

Of course, I knew that Billy Hofmeister planned to have his “Lee’s Speed Shop” modified Iron Head 900 Sportster in the competition, but I had no idea who he had lined up to ride it, or the number it would carry or even the name of the class it would complete in.  In fact, his bike has a fresh paint job on it this season with lettering on the tank that is a bit harder to pick out than it has been in previous iterations. That meant I really had my eyes peeled to identify Billy’s bike. Each race started just below where we were seated so I couldn’t’ really get a look at them there.  

So here we are sitting in the stands next to Brian Klock and some of his friends, watching one of the last semi-finals and I keep thinking that the #101 bike running in second place might just be Billy’s, but they are moving fast enough that for the life of me I can’t read the lettering on the tank or even tell for sure that it’s an Iron XL.  What’s more, I didn’t want to sound like I was starved for attention, so I kept my mouth shut to those around me about my suspicion that it might be the bike with my porting. 

When the rider of the 101 bike came underneath and won the semi on the very last turn, and the crowd went wild in reaction, I knew it was time for Jane and I to make a trip to the pit area to find just who we should be cheering on.  Of course, I was pretty hyped to find that it was indeed Billy’s bike carrying the 101 number plate, with rider extraordinaire Mac McGrew giving the crowd the biggest thrill of the night, …at least up to that point.

E.J. Ebensteiner Photo

So, back to our seats where I did my level best to act as though I was still modest as I let everyone know that the excitement we had just witnessed could be linked (no matter how tenuously) to my porting.  But the show wasn’t over yet.  As Mac lined the old Sportster up for the finals in the Pro Hooligan class, we all expected quite a show, but no one could foresee just how that show would unfold.  At the very start of the race, going into the first corner in the middle of several other bikes, somehow Mac wound up on the ground and separated from the bike.  

Apparently neither he or the old Iron Head were quite ready to call it a night just yet though, because Mac quickly picked up the still running Sportster and pointed it toward the rest of the pack.  A 10-lap race on such a short track doesn’t allow much time for making up ground, but over the next bunch of laps Mac worked his way up from dead last all the way to second place, when he caught his handlebar on another bike, sending the Iron Head into the wall and breaking the front wheel.  Not quite a fairy tale ending, but definitely some of the most action-packed racing one is likely to see anywhere!

Congratulations and a big thanks to Mac McGrew and Billy Hofmeister for all the big shots of adrenaline!  That performance was the talk of the bike show for the rest of the weekend.

Heroic shop dog confronts predator...

then closes the door behind her!

This morning on our way to the shop, Lady (our Airedale), earned her keep by chasing a vagrant coyote off of our property. Fortunately for all involved, her 12+ years have slowed her down a bit, so she did not physically apprehend the offender. Never one to bask in her moments of glory, Lady was still thoughtful enough to close the door upon entering the shop...

Mass Murder in Parkland Florida: Consider This ...

For those few who are willing to consider the actual reason behind the latest schoolhouse mass murder in Parkland, Florida, even if you are already dug in on whichever side of the trench warfare regarding gun bans you find yourself, I have a couple links that state the reality far better than I could.

The first link is titled "Hollow Soul Bullets" by Pastor Doug Wilson.  You might note that Wilson's blog  "Blog and Mablog" is one that I peruse almost daily, for not the least of which reason is that he is a true wordsmith. 

The second link, to a piece called "Statist Prayers for Parkland USA" written by Toby Sumpter, takes a slightly different road to the same conclusion, but is equally edifying (note that one of the links in Doug's post is to this second article).

If I thought I could improve on, or add to, these fine articles I would try, but they seem to have really nailed the core issues. I will just add this thought: Banning guns to stop murders is like putting a band aid on the chest of someone with heart disease.  It does nothing to fix the sickness below the surface, and in fact can only serve to exacerbate the problem by pretending it is a cure when it is only a feel-better placebo.  Come to think of it, in that respect it is also like false religions which teach you to perform rituals or do good things to make up for the bad you have done, when you really need the heart transplant that only Jesus Christ can provide!

 

NEW

“NEW”

Here we are just over a week into the New Year, so it seems natural that our minds are still on new things.  Some of us may be facing new challenges in our lives; some of us may have new health issues to deal with; some may even be facing new situations we don't know how we will deal with. All of these might be new, but not necessarily in a positive manner.  On the other hand, some of us may be contemplating some wonderful new things, such as newly born children or grandchildren, new jobs or new opportunities.  

All these new things that may come with this NEW year, led me to do a survey of the word “new” as found in our New Testament.

What I found is that the word "new" is used 61 times in the New Testament.  Interestingly the most numerous of the uses is as an adjective describing wine, which occurs 12 times.  This is in a large part due to the parable Jesus told of the need to put new wine into new bottles along with the folly of using new cloth to mend an old garment.  In fact, if one adds the times the word new is used to describe wine, bottles and cloth, it accounts for over one third of the total. 

In a similar manner, if one adds all of the occurrences of the word “new” used in regard to prophesy of our future, where it is used to describe the new heavens and new earth which we look forward to, the new name God will write upon us, the new Jerusalem which is the city of our God, and the new song we will sing, the total is 10.

In John 13:34 we find the word “new” to describe a new commandment given to us by Jesus.  “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”  That verse serves as a good example of the bulk of the 6 verses using “new” relating to a commandment or doctrine.

Nine times “new” refers to the new testament or new covenant:  Matthew 26:27-28  “And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”  

If I may quote John Gill here, as to the significance of thispassage: “ … the cup, was an emblem and representation of his precious blood, whereby was exhibited a new dispensation, or administration of the covenant of grace; and by which it was ratified and confirmed; and whereby all the blessings of it, such as peace, pardon, righteousness, and eternal life, come to the people of God: the allusion is to the first covenant, and the book of it being sprinkled with the blood of bulls, and therefore called the blood of the covenant, But the second covenant, or the new administration of the covenant of grace, for which reason it is called the New Testament, is exhibited and established in the blood of Christ the testator.”

Finally, 6 times we find the word “new” describing a new man; a new person. 

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”  

Galatians 6:15  “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.” 

Of course, in both of those passages the term used instead of man is creature, or creation as many translations put it.  Either way, the point is the same; being “in Christ” results in such a change that scripture refers to it as a new creation or new man.  We find that reinforced by the following:

Ephesian 4:22-24  “If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation [way of life] the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”

Colossians 3:8-10  “But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:”

Both of those passages give a contrast between the old man and the new man.  The old person who is satisfied to continue in sin versus the new creation in Christ Jesus.  And depending on where you find yourself in your relationship to God, these may be among the most important uses of the word “new” that we find in the Bible.  This experience of becoming a new creation can often serve as a checkpoint for us, giving assurance of salvation to those who have experienced it; as the Bible promises Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” 

On the other side of that coin is that the lack of the experience of becoming a new creation should serve as a dire warning. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. Being a new creation in Christ is not optional! If any man is not in Christ, he has no salvation for there is no salvation outside of Christ.

I would caution you though, that we need to trust the Bible over our experiences.  It could very well be that some of you trusted Jesus as your Savior at a young enough age that this change into a new person was not as drastic or apparent as for some of us, such as myself, who were real scoundrels before God brought us to salvation later in life.  If you have loved Jesus, and truly followed him for as long as you can remember, then you have your assurance.

If, however, you have never trusted Christ as Savior; never experienced this supernatural act of God wherein he made you a new creation and all things became new, today is the day you can change all that and begin a new life in Christ. If you understand that you are a sinner who deserves the judgment of God, and believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, took on human flesh and lived a sinless life so that he would be an acceptable substitute for you, died on the cross to pay for your sins and in return gives you credit for his righteousness, then you are on the verge of beginning a new life.

As we read in Romans chapter 10: “The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”