December
2005 CSBA Newsletter
From the Servant’s Desk
Luke 2:6-7
So it was, that
while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and
wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no
room for them in the inn.
I think it’s safe to say that most people
have heard the scripture, Luke 2:6-7 at some point in their lives. Mary
and Joseph are traveling on a cold night, looking for a place to stay, and the
birth of the Christ Child happens in a pen amongst the animals.
Christmas is a day of
celebration and gratitude for God’s faithfulness. Through His prophets,
God told of the coming of a redeemer, and 2000+ years ago, His promise was
fulfilled. Somehow, the story of Christmas, or the feast day of Christ’s
Mass, as it was know in the Middle Ages, took a turn toward something
else. We started the traditions of trees, colored lights, last minute
shopping, traveling to visit relatives, and striving to purchase even more
expensive gifts than we did last year.
I am certain that the current
Christmas “holiday” seasons’ festivities will continue, no matter what I might
write. My short exhortation asks only that you would consider the scene
on that first Christmas night: Mary, and Joseph, with no place to stay, the redeemer of mankind, who is the culmination of Bible
prophecies, born within humble surroundings. Nobody wanted to let Him
into his or her home.
The angel, who brought forth the Good News, doesn’t appear to the governor, the
high priests, or to any of
How often do we keep Jesus
Christ at bay? We don’t want to let Him all the way in. It’s great
that He’s in town, but maybe not so great if He’s planning to stay at MY
house. After all, we have things to do, appointments to keep, and money
to make, and spend.
This year, let’s all strive
to accept the Savior into our lives and homes, and surrender our will to His,
so we may experience His forgiveness, and love. Let’s celebrate the
anniversary of the greatest gift ever given, and that anyone could ever
receive; salvation, and eternal life, with Our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Merry
Christmas
Brian Phillips
CSBA Servant
brianp@christiansportbike.com
Christmas Time!
By Martin Gerald
Fellow Christians,
Although we are all so busy,
and feel rushed, throughout the Christmas season, let’s stop and spend some
time with our families, and reflect upon the meaning of Christmas. Jesus
Christ was born into the world to save all who would believe in him. It
is wonderful to celebrate Jesus’ birth in the winter, and to celebrate the
resurrection of Christ, in the spring. It is even more wonderful to
celebrate the gift that these events signify, during the other 363 days of the
year that are not Christmas and Easter. I don’t want to put a damper on
the celebration; I want to extend the celebration throughout the
remainder of the year.
Why not praise God, and
celebrate Jesus’ Holy Name, on December 2nd Let’s give thanks to God, for the gift of eternal life, on a
Tuesday in March. Shout, “Hallelujah!” on a hot summer’s day, when
daylight is stretching until nearly
John 3:16, 17
For God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not
perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send
His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him
might be saved.
Thank you, for letting me speak to you through this medium. Thank you, for
allowing me to serve our Heavenly Father in this organization of His children.
Your
Humble Servant,
Martin
CSBA
Chaplain
CSBA
News
2005 DRAWING TO A CLOSE
After Christmas, we all start reflecting on the end of
the year, and on what we are planning for the New Year.
I am happy to report, that
the CSBA, with God’s help, had another good year. Our membership
continued to grow, we staged six rallies in 2005, and we filled every Bible
request received…no matter what part of the globe it came from. God has
been good to us.
Some goals for the
association for 2006:
- Increase the number of rallies from six to eight,
starting with a winter meeting in
- Establish a Bible study in each CSBA chapter.
- Standardize our member wear;
one color combination, with the CSBA logo on all of our
shirts, (OK, we’re stealing the idea from Harley-Davidson but they
are the king of marketing).
- Plan a mission trip as an association in 2006, (we’ll need some volunteers for planning and
logistics).
- Establish a prayer connection for members and
friends, (no one in our association should be more than a click, or phone
call away, from a massive prayer response).
Those are a few of the items that have been on my heart. If you have anymore goal ideas, that might help the CSBA membership, let me know. brianp@christiansportbike.com
CSBA WINTER MEETING
I know…I know, the idea of
meeting in
Here is the proposal:
Have a weekend meeting to coincide with the International Motorcycle Show.
Have a speaker for Friday and Saturday evening.
Open the meeting up to all chapter leaders and members who desire to recharge their evangelistic batteries before spring.
Locate the meeting across the street from the motorcycle show, and place the whole thing in the middle of the country.
We are planning to meet from
Our keynote speaker Friday, and Saturday, will be Richard Smith, from Apostolic Faith Church of Chicago.
The hotel has a shuttle to the local airports, and the motorcycle show is right across the street.
What we need is a show of hands, emails actually, as to who is actually planning to be there. If you think that you might be able to attend, send an email to Bro Bill Gaston at brobill@partneringsolutions.com
Thanks
THE CSBA IN
You’re probably familiar with the work going on with Wim’s ministry (if you’re
not and need a PowerPoint or VCR tape, let me know) and let’s say you’d like to
help the kids in
- Keep BreakThrough Ministry and Changing Tomorrow Children’s Foundation in your daily prayers
- Visit the BreakThrough Ministry website to learn more about Wim’s vision for the kids of QwaQwa at http://www.breakthrough-ministries.com/ and/or http://www.changingtomorrow.org
- Talk
to your pastor or the director of missions for your home church. Give them the BreakThrough web link, ask
them to consider helping or better yet, plan a mission trip to
- Or…put your pastor/missions director in touch with me (Brian Phillips, 610-432-2733). I would be glad to explain BreakThrough Ministry. I’ll even come to your church and give a presentation if it’s within reasonable traveling distance.
- If you feel led, you can
make a donation at: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr
- Or, you can send a donation
via personal check to our treasurer.
Send your check made out to: "Christian Sport Bike
Assoc." including a short note indicating the money is for
BreakThrough Ministries to:
Marvin Gurganus
THIS WILL MAKE YOU THINK ABOUT MOVING WEST
From
Gene Apodaca and the
Enclosed are a
couple of pictures of the core
As a
group we agreed to submit them as candidates for the December calendar
photo if you all choose to use one. If not, no problem. Just
remember as you are all tunneling out of the latest snow, we may be wearing
rain gear when we ride but probably not. The coast won't get any colder
than 45 degrees as the night time lows. Even
God bless us all,
Gene Apodaca #169
Editor’s
Note: 80 degrees?? I just finished shoveling 3” of snow off my
driveway! Gotta check
my frequent flyer miles.
OTHER STUFF
** We have a new CSBA newsletter editor! Roberta Peart from Peabody, MA has generously
volunteered to make some sense of my written ramblings.
** Planning a CSBA rally for 2006? We’ll need rally dates and locations before
**HAVE A WITNESS TESTIMONY
TO SHARE? We’re looking for witness testimonies for future newsletters. If you’ve met someone on the road, at a show
or in a restaurant and had the opportunity to talk about your relationship with
Jesus Christ, we’d like to read about it.
Send your testimony in MS Word format to brianp@christiansportbike.com
**Don’t forget your CSBA December 2005
Calendar Download Courtesy of Bill Allen and the
You
can download your free calendar here: http://cenvachristiansportbike.homestead.com/BA_rider.html
If you have a picture from a past CSBA Ride or Rally
you'd like featured on our calendar...send it to BA_rider2@hotmail.com
*** NEWSFLASH ***
The December BreakThrough Ministries “NewsFlash” is running late for posting. It seems Wim and Bernard are busy putting the finishing touches on a new building in Leratong. When the 12/05 newsletter arrives, I’ll add it to this space. Check back later on this month.