April
2007 CSBA Newsletter
From
the Servant’s Desk:
Just a few
lines before you start the newsletter.
There were some “words” tossed around on the CSBA message board starting
with my “New Directions” article some months back, culminating with the plans
for the May rally at Deal’s Gap.
Let me be
clear on a few points:
I still believe the mission of every born again believer is to spread the Word
and the Good News of Jesus Christ. As a
“Association of Christians” we’re obligated to be witnesses for Christ.
We’ve
grown to over 1000 members. We’re not a
small group of “zealots with a plan” anymore.
The size of our membership dictates we have to come up with a better way
to serve both the unsaved and the association.
We’re working on that.
I hold no
animosity or ill feelings against anyone.
Message board postings are just…words.
We have work to do. We’re only
passing through; this life is but a vapor.
The warm weather is upon us, let’s get on with The Lord’s work.
Brian Phillips CSBA Servant
Guest
contributor -Ron Anderson (CSBA #579)
Back protector, boots,
leathers, gloves, helmet, gas, oil and tires all checked. Are you ready for your ride? Are you really?
As a member of CSBA you are hitting the street as an ambassador of Christ (II
Cor
So what does that mean,
being an ambassador of Christ? It means that we are to represent Him and work
towards His interests. Stop and think about that for a moment; it is an awesome
responsibility we have shouldered. When you proclaimed yourself to the world as
a Christian, you moved into a fish bowl.
Non-Christians are observing your words and, even more importantly, your
actions. Everything you say and do reflects on Christ, either positively or negatively.
In II Cor 8:20-21, as well as other places, we find
that we are not only called to avoid wrongdoing, we are to avoid the
possibility that what we do could appear to be wrong. We need to be in the world but not of it, and there
are reasons that this is important from the standpoint of others:
- The sad truth is that most non-Christians are not
searching for reasons to follow Christ; they are
looking for reasons to not
have to follow Him. Seeing Christians involved in activities that
are the opposite of what we proclaim allows the world to easily dismiss us as hypocrites and Christ as a
sham.
- It can lead non-Christians to believe that these
activities are fully acceptable for followers of Christ. “Gee, that guy’s
a Christian and here he is (drunk / flaunting the law / cursing /
_______), so it must be OK.” Approaching salvation
from the wrong mindset can easily result in someone believing they have it
when they don’t. I doubt any of us
wants to end up standing in front of Christ having to answer why we were
integral in the loss of one of His sheep.
Whether you consider
yourself an evangelist or not, that is exactly what you are. Don’t think for a
moment that because you aren’t running in “revival mode” your words and actions
aren’t having an effect on how others view Christianity. The question isn’t so
much “What would Jesus do?” it’s “What would Jesus have me do?” and to find that out you have to ask Him! Of course asking
is only half of the equation, since we must then listen for the answer with
discernment. As a general rule the answer is not supplied by some disembodied
voice speaking in our ear or a message written in refrigerator mold -- and if you do get an
answer that way, be very certain you know who it's coming from! God speaks
to us through His Word and for Him to be able to do that we need to spend time
daily in reading and prayer.
If you’re just going out
riding, what you do is between you and God. If you are going out riding as a
Christian you are accepting a degree of responsibility for the salvation of
those you come in contact with. Yes, prepare your bike and your body, but also
go out having put on the full armor of God, conducting yourself as an
ambassador of Christ should, and be prepared to give an answer to everyone who
asks for the hope that is within you.
CSBA NEWS
2007
CSBA Rally Information
Deals Gap, NC -
http://csbatriadnc.web.aplus.net/gap2007.html
The Deal's Gap Rally theme: is "Renew 2007”
Based on the Romans 12:2 do not be conformed to
this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove
what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Here
we go folks… The 2007 gathering at the
Gap is less than 2 months away!
If
you’ve never been to Deal’s Gap, get ready for a wonderful experience; the
roads are great; the locals are friendly; the fellowship is memorable and the
food is the best that
We
have members to lead the daytime rides, and we have evening presentations and
Bible study. As in past years, we’ve
started the day with a prayer meeting.
Kickstands usually go up after
Reserve a
room NOW http://www.microtelrobbinsville.com/ 888-771-7171.
If you’ve
been to “The Gap” before, you know how to prepare. For first time attendees, good tires and a
well-maintained bike are essential. A
good mind-set may be even more important.
Ride within your limits! Don’t be
concerned about how fast the rider in front of you is taking the corner. YOU take the corners within YOUR comfort
zone.
The CSBA
has yet to have an “accident-free” Deal’s Gap Rally. I pray 2007 is the year we break the string.
Art Lohman
(CSBA #866) wrote:
Last
year was my first time ever attending a sport bike rally with these faithful
speed junkies known as CSBA. It was not easy getting to Deals Gap; I rode a
sport bike almost 800 miles by the time all was said and done, each way,
through the rain, and yes...uphill both ways. At the rally I rode the Dragon
and slayed that beast! I hung out and talked with other dudes on bikes at the
crossroads of time, the damn, on bridges, at the overlook, and just on the
roadside. Spending time hanging out on the bike and sharing with folks was a
blast for me. We laughed ourselves sick in the ice cream shop across from the
hotel, we had to have 7 people crammed in one room to save money, and we spent
time thanking God that we were living, not just existing. I hope all of ya
consider coming this year. I wouldn’t expect claps of thunder and life changing
visions, but there will be some good riding, good laughs, good talk, and we
will leave knowing a little bit more about the God who loves us and calls us to
be warriors.
Bob
Brown (CSBA #284) wrote:
As the time for the spring rally gets closer many of
you who are planning on attending or debating whether you should take the time
to come down to Deals Gap this spring might want to know what to expect this
year.
Brian Phillips and I have tried to put together a weeks worth of fun,
fellowship and teaching. Our common goal is to nourish our family of brothers
and sisters; it is also a chance to share our testimony with our fellow sport
bikers and ourselves.
"Fun” Make no mistake about it, we are holding the rally in
one of the best places in the country to ride.
The roads with the first hint of warm weather gives us the chance to
share our passion for both Christ and motorcycles. This forms a common bond for us and this is
the prefect place to relax and enjoy the beauty that God has created. Scott
Journigan and I are planning rides that will satisfy every type of rider, from
the guy who is new to sport biking and looking to improve, to the experienced
rider who is challenged by the roads. It is a chance to share a meal with our
brothers and talk about bikes and anything else in a Christian environment.
"Fellowship" the sharing of time with someone of kindred
spirit. We can ride alone, we can pray and we can serve Christ alone
anytime of the year and in just about any moment we chose. The rally is not
about being alone, it is about the family of Christ and the brotherhood of the
Holy Spirit, it is about loving our Father and as a group recognizing what he
has done for us. It is a place to be encouraged by others and supported; it is
the place to revitalize your spirit and commitment to the Lord.
"Teaching" We are very fortunate to have some great teachers among
us, Men who have lived their faith and have the ability to put into context and
actions God's words and his plans for us.
Art Lohman will be doing a exciting week long lesson, that will be taught lunch
time during the course of each day, it will be the responsibility for Scott and
I to plan rides that vary in length and skill level so that we end up in a
common place during the middle of the day, from the riders looking for his next
fix of adrenalin to the guy who just wants to enjoy the scenery we will do
everything we can to make sure you have fun and end up in the same place
to share a noon time meal and Arts inspirational teaching.
Tim Moore will teach a lesson plan for any group that is headed in a direction
that makes it impossible to meet up with the rest of the group because of a
ride planned to some distance place, Tim's knowledge of he bible and his
ability to explain in simple terms Gods plans for us make him a excellent
teacher.
Wim van Rensburg, from
As a diverse group of Christians we have been down many different paths in
life, as individuals we have all experienced hardship and the joys that are
part of life. Your experience and how you overcame it or how you are still
struggling with any type of problem is how we gather strength from each other;
it is about sharing the one special passage to sometimes just knowing you are
not the only one with this type of problem. This is a great place to hear about
marriages, dealing with kids, jobs and finances, this is the place to find out
how your brother and sisters with the help of the Holy Spirit and the armor of
the Word dealt with the same type of problem.
It is the chance to hear about the victory over problems on a one on one
basis with your fellow believers.
Brian and I share one common goal about this rally and that is the sharing of
the gift we have in Jesus Christ. It is
about learning what he has in store us as His children and how we might enjoy
life more abundantly. This is the chance for the sport bike community to see
what the CSBA is all about, it is a chance for us to show others that we can
love life, love each other and have inner peace because of our salvation, it is
a chance for someone else to see what we have as a band of brothers for Christ,
it is our chance through our actions to open the doors to anyone else who is
seeking that inner peace.
I look forward to seeing you there..Bob
Well…are you coming this year?
Contact Rosi Crawford (CSBATriadNC@triad.rr.com)
PA
SUMMER Fun Ride!
*
* Meets in
* Spends Friday-Sunday morning in
* Coach Stop Inn (800-829-4130)
* "Fun weekend of riding with Christians"
Contact
Bob Brown (bob@EmpireGP.com)
And/or
Jon Treese (jtreese@shentel.net)
Rocky Mountain
Rally - June 29 –
Contact Bob
Owens (rowens3298@comcast.net)
"The
Pine Cone Rally" -
Sport-touring paradise!! The
ultimate in CSBA adventure rides!!!
You'll need more than just your good riding skills to win this one. You'll need to polish up your best detective skills and have your thinking cap on as you follow directional clues and search for points while motoring along on some of Virginia's most scenic roadways in the CSBA's first ever “Road Rally". Saturday July 21, 2007, beginning and ending in the town of AltaVista, VA,
The CSBA presents
"The
Contact
Bill Allen (ba_rider2@hotmail.com)
http://cenvarallye.homestead.com/index.html
“Seneca Rocks Prayer Retreat Weekend"
Seneca Rocks, WV,
Location:
Yokum's Vacationland in
Seneca Rocks, West
2 Motels, Cabins,
Campground and Teepee's available.
We'll be based at the
"New Motel" next to Harper's General Store.
Our emphasis will be on a
time of Prayer and fellowship.
Friday will be arrival
day...get there early enough to squeeze in some local riding if you can!
Saturday is "big
ride" day!
Ice Cream Ride Friday
night!! Great Ice cream and a huge gift shop at Smoke Hole Caverns. Maybe
again
Saturday depending on how
long we are at the restaurant for the...
Saturday night "big
eating." The whole group gathers at a nice restaurant.
There will be Prayer
Meetings Fri. night, Saturday night, and Sunday morning as well as a brief
devotional on Saturday morning.
Expect a blessing and an
uplifting weekend of prayer with lots of Christian fellowship...both on the
bikes and off.
Contact Bill Allen (ba_rider2@hotmail.com)
http://csbadg.homestead.com/WV.html
PA FALL Fun Ride!
*
* Meets in
* Spends Friday-Sunday morning in
* Coach Stop Inn (800-829-4130)
* "Fun weekend of riding with Christians"
Contact
Bob Brown (bob@EmpireGP.com)
And/or
Jon Treese (jtreese@shentel.net)
What was
Meant for Evil, He Meant for Good
Art Lohman
|
Well the
jury is still out: some guys said I grabbed too much brake and high sided as
another bike tumbled end over end at me, and another bro said I tucked the
front end as the other bike hit me. All I know is I woke up without my bike, in
an ambulance, and there was pain!
The crash
happened in turn 1 coming off the Daytona superstretch during the GTU endurance
race, I was doin' pretty good for a newbie -- nice line, good lean angle -- and
then I saw two bikes sliding on the ground right in front of me; I was just too
close.
Conscious
in the ambulance, I started praying, thanking God for sparing me, and asking
Him to use this time of trial to accomplish something good. It's interesting
what you think about when you're enduring intense pain.
|
I started
thinking how so many folks were suffering around the planet, yet had no hope in
Christ. The thought just set me on fire and when they finally reset my hips so
I could think clearly, I prayed with Brian and a young member of our crew to
rededicate his life to Christ.
After
those guys left the hospital for the night, I was laying in the ER when I heard
the curtain next to my bed being pulled back. The older man in the next bed
looked in and asked if I would tell him about God! We had a good talk. Please
pray for Eric.
I limped
out of the hospital the next day with two broken arms in my CSBRacing shirt to
try and make the riders meeting in the morning. The race officials let me speak
at the meeting, and we shared some laughs and some hope with the racers, who
were genuinely pleased at the effort made to be with them at the meeting
following such a tough crash.
Brian
Smith also suffered a broken wrist and toe from the crash as well. He kept his
spirits high, encouraging some of the other guys and me as well. I think my
pastor summed it up best one Sunday morning when he said, "Deliverance
from a terrible circumstance does not always mean taking away the trial."
God allows
His hope and strength to shine through us during the tough times. We made some
new friends this week and we owe a lot of bros thanks for getting us back home
safe.
Lets roll
out CSBRacing, and ride with a purpose!
Speaking
of the
The folks in CSBA Maryland put up their own web page. Check out www.mdcsba.org
Wim
van Rensburg of BreakThrough Ministries will be coming to the
If
all goes as planned, Wim should be arriving in RDU, i.e., Raleigh-Durham “
Late
on the 14th, Marvin and Wim will be pulling into Robbinsville to
spend a few days at Deal’s Gap. We’re
hoping to put Wim in front of a church or two in the Robbinsville area and
he’ll also speak to the CSBA membership one evening.
Wim
will be returning to
Some
of you might be asking yourself: “Who is this guy?” Wim is the president, bookkeeper, boss-man,
truck driver, public relations head and chief mechanic for BreakThrough
Ministries of
Others
reading this article might think: “This sounds great! How can I help?”
I’m
so glad you asked. IF….you
feel led, please make your home church aware that Wim will be available to meet
and speak to any church or civic group while he’s here in May.
**Second: Some of us have been trying to
get Wim over her for the Deal’s Gap Rally for a number of years now. Outreach missionaries in the
**Third: Flying someone back and forth from
Again,
IF…you
feel led, please consider making a donation to help defray the travel
costs. Make your check payable to:
“Christian Sport Bike Assoc.” and mail to: Marvin Gurganus,
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.
Board Resignation AND Board Appointment
I regret to announce that Kevin Arnold submitted his
resignation from the Board of Directors.
Kevin has been with the CSBA since the early days. I ask all those reading this post to keep
Kevin in your prayers.
We do, however, work for an awesome God. When He takes something away, look for Him to
provide something else. I take pleasure
in announcing M. Scott Journigan (CSBA #184) as our newest CSBS Board
member. Scott has been with the CSBA for
some time and has demonstrated his desire to serve Jesus Christ in whatever
capacity The Lord points him.
CSBA
Board Members
|
Brian Phillips Servant |
Bill Allen Vice Pres. |
Tim Moore |
Marvin Gurganus Treasurer |
|
M. Scott Journigan |
|
Art Graham |
Ron Anderson Web Master |
|
Jon Treese |
Art Lohman |
Martin Gerald Chaplain |
|
FROM THE
CSBA EMAIL BAG
Dear Friend,
Loving greetings to you in the precious name of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ. We are happy to share with you that we are privileged in
spreading the Gospel among the poor and downtrodden and oppressed who don’t
know any thing about the Living God
THE GRACE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST BE WITH YOU. AMEN.
PHILIPPIANS 4:23.
At the outset I want to introduce to you of myself that I am
ANIL KUMAR and I am a minister of the Gospel and presenting the Good News to
the dying souls located in Andhra Pradesh, State of India. Please permit me to put forth the background
information of our work here.
I lead nearly 50 pastors in my
area. Our group is not helped or supported by any churches or organization. Our
group’s main aim is to achieve more converts. We mainly try to start churches
in villages. I often conduct pastor’s conferences and leadership training and
open air meetings and try to achieve more converts.
There are lots of churches and
Christian organizations in our Andhra Pradesh, but it is very difficult to find
churches in rural areas because there is no proper Transport facility, no
proper electricity supply and no food items available.
The people from
this area are very anxious to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 90% of the
Indian population belongs to Hinduism and only 2.5% is Christian. In
Under my
leadership we form as a group and meet in one place every month and prepare our
plans of that month and move forward and try to achieve more converts. We
mainly concentrate in villages and rural areas and tribal areas because there
many Hindus there and some don’t even know who Jesus Christ is.
As we mainly
concentrate in the villages and tribal areas people there in villages work as daily
laborers and construction laborers and cropping field laborers. They have to
work and eat food and because they are poor, the offerings in our churches are
less, so the pastors in our group suffer with a lack of even the minimum of
necessities.
If any one suffers
in our group due to lack of some things, we, as group, encourage each other and
move forward and try to achieve more converts. Many of the pastors don’t have
enough things to give to their families and many suffer with a lack of minimum
things.
Our aim is to
preach the gospel to the people who have never so far heard about it; they are
in rural areas and villages and tribal areas. Please pray for us that our lord
will give all of the necessary things to us.
We are suffering with financial constraints to maintain the
co-workers of the OUR MINISTRIES consisting of 50 poor servants of God as well
as 10 needy children. We are taking care of 10 children with things we have in
our church. We are taking care of the welfare and benefit of the parentless and
helpless suffering little children, besides our aim of the work of God in our
church. I and my co-workers are attending Gospel services in the remote parts
and adjoining hamlets to get the perishing souls saved.
During the course of our Evangelical efforts, it so happened
that I was approached for a charity by a small young boy of below 10 years of
age with torn clothes and weak structure having a baby laying on his shoulders.
He seemed to be very pitiable and came with begging arms. This scene touched my
brotherly feelings and I curiously enquired about his circumstances to become a
beggar.
Then he explained to me that his father left his family, due
to poverty stricken conditions, in a drunken stage, leaving his mother when she
was pregnant. His mother occupied the Lord’s call after giving birth to a baby.
As there is no one in the family to look after him, the burden of the
maintenance of the baby also fell on his shoulders.
The pathetical story sympathetically moved my heart and I
began thinking. Suddenly in thoughts, it flashed the quotation:
“HE THAT HATH PITY UPON THE POOR LENDETH UNTO THE LORD; AND
THAT WHICH HE HATH GIVEN WILL HE PAY HIM AGAIN” PROVERBS
Accordingly, I began praying for running an orphanage. With
the able guidance of generous minds and the valuable prayers of faithful
elders, I could be able to start for the homeless and refused children a
shelter, food, clothes, medical aid and education.
This is very adventurous to me as I am poor financially, yet
with the prayerful donations and contributions collected from the charitable
gentry, I was able to maintain it. Yet I am facing troubles and hurdles in
getting the daily bread and minimum needs for the children
We are taking care of 10 children at the present time. Hence,
I humbly request your generosity to kindly remember the suffering little
children, those who are struggling a lot for their daily needs, in your kind
and compassionate heart and in your prayers.
“HE THAT HATH A
I once again prayerfully come to you with a heavy heart to
request your prayer support in order to continue the philanthropic service
among the little orphan children. There are many orphan children in my place.
They are suffering a lot.
Please pray for the deprived and desolated orphan children
and bless them abundantly in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ In fine, I ASK
you to kindly pray for us and our ministry as we always pray for you, all the
members of your blessed family and all your dear ones. God Bless you.
Thanking you and may God’s love and blessings abound toward
you daily. Amen.
Please feel free
to ask any details of our ministry or regarding my family. Please continue praying
for us and for the prayer requests. We need bibles to give to church
members as the bible is very much important for Christians. We are waiting for
our Lord to show us a way to give bibles to the converts and to believers.
Please pray for our lord to open doors to get bibles.
I need your prayer support. I look
forward to your kind response, prayerfully and hopefully.
I haven’t written any letters to big people like you. If
there are any mistakes in the letters please kindly excuse me and please pray
for us. Firstly we need your prayer support.
Yours in His Vineyard,
Anil Kumar
Money
Here’s
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.
CSBA
T-SHIRTS
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 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@verizon.net
Editor