January
2007 CSBA Newsletter
From the Servant’s Desk:
Matthew 10: 37 – 39
“He who
loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of
Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is
not worthy of Me. And he who does not
take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of
Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who
loses his life for My sake will find it.”
Did you
ever read the verse above and it came back hours or days later when you were
involved with a decision? “Am I making
this choice for me or is the decision for Christ’s Kingdom?”
I peruse
the CSBA message board regularly and sometimes I wince when I read a post about
desires for “things” or boasting about possessions and abilities. The desire for money usually has a way of
worming its way on to the board as well.
At my
church, we’ve been going through the Book of Matthew for quite a few weeks
now. I love the Gospel of Matthew. Nine years ago when my world was coming apart
at the seams, I found myself sitting alone reading Matthew. It was the first time I ever read anything in
the Bible from beginning to end. Matter
of fact, it was one of the few times I actually had a Bible in my hands. I wasn’t saved but I had started going to
church, lots of churches, as I was REALLY between a rock and a hard place!
I remember finally crying out to Jesus in my head one night: “Whatever you want
me to do, I’ll do it.” “I can’t make it
through all this alone.”
I went to bed that night and actually slept for the first time in weeks. I woke up with the feelings of desperation
and hopelessness gone! I knew then, baby
Christian that I was; I had a friend in Jesus.
From that cold morning to this day, I serve The Lord.
But in
case you’re new to the CSBA or a new Christian, God didn’t take away my
plethora of problems. He merely gave me
the strength to endure every last one of them to a conclusion; some of which
weren’t so pleasant, but as I look back, it’s obvious
God knew what He was doing.
Those
early days as a new believer were weird.
I tried to tell my friends and associates what God had done for me and
started immediately to notice my personal “friend count” dropping fast. I wasn’t doing much better with my
family. After some months, I realized
that most of those people weren’t really my friends. My family couldn’t do much about me as I
lived in the same house and paid the bills, so there was an eventual
accommodation to Dad’s “getting religion”.
My
Christian journey started with the Book of Matthew. I have since read and re-read Matthew many
times in the last nine years. It keeps
drawing me back when I have tough decisions on the agenda. For me, Matthew always seems to have the
appropriate answers to my quandaries.
Jesus
didn’t sugar coat His words. Sin was sin, love was love and sacrifice meant sacrifice all.
When we
accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we must commit 100%. Our jobs, relatives, bikes, cars, toys and
other things of this world must come after Him who saved us. Sounds simple, but the devil is in the
details, isn’t he?
God bless.
Brian
Phillips
CSBA
Servant
brianp@christiansportbike.com
CSBA
NEWS
New
Year, New Direction – Revisited
By Brian Phillips
There was reaction
to the December article about the direction and mission of the CSBA. Praise God!
Some people actually read the newsletter!
Some
members were very much in favor of a renewed focus on Biblical principles while
others were not as enthusiastic.
For
readers to have swings to both ends of the spectrum indicate I did a poor job
of conveying the message. Allow me to
try again.
1.
“CSBA rallies will become more purpose oriented….. CSBA events should be for a
generalized or specific purpose/s, i.e., fund raising for a cause, learning
about a specific Book of the Bible, Christian men and/or Christian women’s
prayer retreats. The bikes will still be
there, but they won’t be the reason for attending an event.“
What
I was implying was to put more effort into providing a meaningful Christian
event for people who take time off from work and travel to a CSBA rally. There should, and will be, an agenda of
activities to help Christian riders deepen their walk, learn something they
didn’t know before and have an opportunity to fellowship aside from the usual
day rides.
If
a member or group of members wants to put on an event and call it a “CSBA
Rally,” then an agenda or itinerary would be needed. If, on the other hand, a group of CSBA
members want to get together for a day or weekend ride, that’s fine, it just
won’t be listed on the events page as a “rally.” It’s not semantics. A “rally” provides something extra; a
“gathering” (for lack of a better word) is merely that, a get together for the
purpose of riding.
A lot more planning is needed for a rally but the results should have more
meaning for people who can only get away once or twice
a season for an extended period.
2.
“Sponsor and bring Wim van Rensburg from Harrismith
If we’re going to provide support for Wim’s kids, I
think it’s critical to learn about the needs and the mission statement first
hand. By bringing Wim to the States, we
can arrange to put him before a number of church bodies in
I
overstepped my boundaries on this one. I
can’t remember ever being so blatant about asking for money, and I
apologize. It was an inappropriate
string of sentences.
3. “I think it’s time we start acting like a
Christian assembly.
If
your main reason for claiming to be a CSBA member is to be able to get together
with riding buddies you’ve met at rallies, maybe you’re here for the wrong
reason.
If you don’t have a home church and you feel you don’t need a home church, you
might be here for the wrong reason.
If
you don’t feel moved to help people that are less fortunate than yourself, you
might be here for the wrong reason.
If
you don’t believe the Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God, you’re here
for the wrong reason.”
I
still feel we should start acting like a Christian assembly. I also feel if you belong to the CSBA merely
to ride with people you mesh well with, you’re missing the point of belonging
to a Christian organization. All
Christians should be willing to step outside of their comfort zones. It’s not always fun or pleasant, but there
should be some willingness to try.
If you don’t have a home church, I think you need to ask yourself, “Why not?”
If you don’t have empathy for those less fortunate, I think you need to pray
about that.
If
you don’t believe the Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God, you’re here
for the wrong reason…but we can try to help you with that issue.
My
point of last month’s article was to emphasize that we’re different. We’re not like most other motorcycle
groups. We have standards that transcend
those written by worldly writers, advertisers and media executives. Our standards were written thousands of years
ago by men inspired by God. We have an
obligation to do our best to pass those standards on to those we come in
contact with. If you’ve let it be known
you’re a Christian and you don’t think those around you are watching and
gauging your behavior, you’re kidding yourself.
If
you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you’re born again (John 3:3). You have received a precious gift; to live with God for an
eternity. It is your faith that has
saved you; not anything you’ve accomplished.
But…we’re obligated to tell others of this wonderful gift we’ve
received. That is one of the things
we’re going to try and emphasize as we go forward.
And
To Give You An Idea Of Why I Wrote The Article Above
Just
stumbled across this HD advertising video clip a few days ago:
Money
I mentioned money
in one of the newsletter articles and it dawned on me that I seldom elaborate
on the issue of CSBA money. Here’s a
thumbnail sketch of what happens with your dues.
- $2.00
(10%) of every $20.00 member dues payment is sent to BreakThrough Ministry
in
- CSBA
“gear”, i.e., T-Shirts, stickers, patches and banners - not much of an
annual expense as there’s a relatively small demand for T-Shirts and
stickers.
- Bibles
and the shipping costs - this expense is usually taken care of by the CSBA
annual Run For The Word.
- There
are miscellaneous expenses incurred, i.e., postage, and infrequent expenses
incurred to organize and run a rally.
- Annual
donation to CSB Racing - the board had approved of a donation in both 2005
and 2006 for water bottles to be distributed at race events. We also purchased a pop-up tent in 2006
for CSB Racing to be used at events (we own the tent).
Our
expenses as a large organization are low.
There are no salaries, rent, equipment or monthly bills of any kind,
except for the monthly bank fee of the CSBA checking account. No CSBA funds are used for board members to
attend events. Our website is managed by
an individual who donates his time and expertise.
The
bottom line: Your board of directors is
a tight fisted group. We do our best to
use your dues money to further the work of spreading The Good News of Jesus
Christ.
Tentative
Rally Information
Deals
Gap, NC -
Contact Rosi Crawford (CSBATriadNC@triad.rr.com)
"The
Blue Ridge Road Rally" - Beginning
and ending in
Benefit Ride for: Breakthrough-Ministries/ Changing Tomorrow Children's
Foundation
Contact
Bill Allen (ba_rider@hotmail.com)
Rocky
Mountain Rally - June 29 –
Contact
Bob Owens (rowens3298@comcast.net)
Seneca Rocks, WV Prayer Weekend – Dates Pending
Contact
Bill Allen (ba_rider@hotmail.com)
PLEASE 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
If you
can, 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
$25.00
a month would make
a huge difference in the lives of kids who pretty much have nothing.
If you feel led, you can make a donation at: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr
Or,
send your check made out to: "Changing Tomorrow
Children’s Foundation" to:
Brian Phillips
Remember,
every dollar received goes to Wim’s kids. There
are no salaries or administrative costs.
Track
Day Anyone?
Joe Cotterino is trying to get a group of 10 riders together
for a track day in the eastern US.
If you interested,
email Joe at: cowboy-6@christiansportbike.com
Volunteers STILL Needed
I’m going
to try this again, because I know we have talented people out there.
- CSBA T-shirts and Merchandise. I was foolish enough to assume that we
could get by with one mono-colored CSBA T-shirt. Yet another reason why I am not in the
private business sector. I’d
starve! We need someone or a group
of “someones” to design and market CSBA shirts
and other merchandise that would be of interest to the members. If we make a few dollars on these items,
that’d be nice too.
- Event volunteers.
- Newsletter articles. Got something on your mind? Want to review a product? Just back from a great Bible study
weekend and you’ve learned a new perspective on a Book of the Bible? Type your submissions in MS Word
please…and hit “spell check and grammar” before sending it in.
- National events coordinator. Whoa! What a job! Keep track of pending CSBA events by
communicating with the event leader/chair-person/diva, etc. and posting
current event information on the CSBA website via our web-guy Ron
Anderson. As far as dates, hotels,
activities and contact info, the buck would stop at your desk. Let me point out, having dropped the
ball numerous times as the current events coordinator, I’m looking for a
detail-oriented person. I mean
someone who LIVES to wrest order from chaos. You don’t have to attend all the
events. You don’t have to attend
any of the events. You don’t even
need a bike, just an organized way of doing things and are comfortable
with pestering people.
If you feel led to volunteer for any of the above, email me at: brianp@christiansportbike.com
Thanks
FROM THE
CSBA EMAIL BAG
Brian,
Could you
make some suggestions or successful items that you have been using to reach the
sport biking community? I know on the West Coast that it is close to being a
cult following. You are right in that the riders almost worship their bike. I
really appreciate the help and plan on working to unify CSBA on the West Coast.
Corki
Hi
Brian,
Thank
you my friend. That means alot to me. It has been
difficult at best sometimes, but through the strength I receive from GOD, and
the knowledge that my son is in HIS hands, I am able to move on and look
forward to seeing all my Christian brothers and sisters one day. GOD bless you and this organization. If we (as Christians) can
just turn one unbeliever in our lifetime, well, it's just an awesome feeling.
My son was that way. I know he brought a number of people back to GOD, and
maybe that is what he was put here for. Think of it. If we, as CSBA members
have been actually drawn to this organization by divine design, we have a
genuine opportunity to make a difference as well. Someday, if you would like to
hear the story of my son, I would be happy to witness to you GOD'S true power
and miracles. Thanks again and go with Christ in your travels.
Your
brother in Christ,
Mark
N. Ballard #187
Received
Dear
Brother,
I
saw your web page; I felt the love of Jesus. How nice to be involved in mission
work projects, which are the ways through which we can harvest souls. People
are only interested in Preaching and Teaching and not in Practical mission
work. We are so happy that you are involved in this work of not only preaching
the gospel but also getting into the grass root level and helping the people.
I
am herewith sending the ministry information for your kind reference.
Our church is interested in mission work; your people can come here and witness
the work. We are badly in need of doctors. Even students who are doing MBBS can
come and help us and learn the tropical diseases.
We are doing ministry among the tribal, rural, and urban poor, and among the
children and women. The name of the mission is called BETHESDA MISSION and it
is legally registered with our government. We have 12 slums and village branch
churches where we teach children of the lower socio-economic group and conduct
medical clinics and Awareness programs. These we do to reach the un-reached
first and then share the love of Jesus and the gospel with them. Sometimes,
they are amazed at the concern that we show them in the Lord’s name. Some of
the target population belongs to the untouchable group, and when they see that
we talk to them lovingly and help them with small things, they are literally
moved by this action. They can’t mingle with the high caste group in their
society, and worse is they can’t use the common well or anything that belongs
to the higher caste. We need prayers from you.
The children of this group can’t afford to go to school because the parents are
not in a position to send them to school. We want to educate them with
Alternative Education and teach them the things that are necessary for life.
Our
church address:
#14 ,
You can verify our authenticity by clicking on to Google Earth.com.
Pastor, I can arrange Pastor's
conferences here so that many pastors will be benefited by your messages. You
can come here with your church elders and share the messages with our people.
With regards,
Danny
From
Beth Levering
Mark
your calendars! The 4th Annual Creation Museum Motorcycle
Rally date has been set! This year’s rally will be held on
Please
let me know if you have any questions/comments at this point, but look for more
information in the future. Keep praying for the
Beth
Levering
Programs
& Special Events Coordinator
800.350.3232
ext 441 * 859.727.2299 fax
CSBA
Board Members
|
Brian Phillips Servant |
Bill Allen Vice Pres. |
Tim Moore |
Marvin Gurganus Treasurer |
|
Kevin Arnold |
|
Art Graham |
Ron Anderson Web Master |
|
Jon Treese |
Art Lohman |
Martin Gerald Chaplain |
|
THE NEW
CSBA T-SHIRTS ARE NOW IN STOCK
New one
color / one style CSBA T-Shirts are in stock.
Sizes range from Medium to XX Large and remain at a cost of $18.00
including shipping. Check out the new
style at: http://www.christiansportbike.com/store/index.htm.
You can
order your shirt using
“THE
CHRISTIAN SPORT BIKE ASSOC.”
And mail
to:
Marvin Gurganus
Be sure to
indicate that your payment is for a CSBA T-shirt. Thanks
NEED A
CSBA STICKER?
We
have new stickers in stock! Current
color choices are white, blue, red, and black (transparent background).
And the cost?
If you feel moved, you can make a donation to the Bible Fund, or Wim’s kids, at BreakThrough Ministry (http://www.christiansportbike.com/donate.cgi). The stickers are a gesture of thanks to the
membership for helping the CSBA to be a Christian association that makes a difference for Jesus Christ, both
here, and around the world.
Email your
name, address, member number, and
sticker color (white – blue – black – red) to brianp@christiansportbike.com.
OTHER
STUFF
**Don’t
forget your CSBA January 2007 Calendar Download Courtesy of Bill Allen and the
Central VA Chapter
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
Take
care & God bless,
Brian Phillips brianp@christiansportbike.com
CSBA
Servant
Roberta Peart RAPfencing@netzero.net
Editor