If you see a chance, take it ....

To paraphrase the Steve Winwood song, if you see a chance to ride in December in 60-plus-degree weather - take it! In addition to the balmy weather, I had another perfect 'excuse' to ride - the monthly meeting of the Romans 8 Riders was this evening.

I saw about a half-dozen motorcycles drive down my street today, and I was itching to hit the road during the day, when it topped out at 66 degrees, according to turnto10.com weather. But, I chose to do the responsible thing, and spent the daylight hours roofing an overhang on my landlord's property. By the time I was losing daylight, I only had a few courses of shingles left to nail. The meeting didn't start until 8 p.m., but most people arrive at 7 and eat dinner and fellowship at the restaurant. I was determined to finish the roofing job, since I only had a little more to go, and didn't want to have to drag out the tools and ladder a second time. It took me wearing a headlamp while I was on the roof, but I got the job done.

I didn't finish the roof in time to join my fellow Romans 8 Riders for dinner, but at least I would make it to the business meeting. It was still about 58 degrees at 7 p.m. when I began the 25-mile ride from my apartment to the restaurant. The trip is mostly highway, and I was thankful that my fingers didn't turn white and numb, like they do when it's below 50 degrees.

As I pulled my bike up to the restaurant, I saw about a half-dozen other people had also rode their bikes to the meeting, where dates for fund-raising dinners, a Christmas party, a fellowship and a visit to the VA hospital were announced. We also received a handout listing the dates of major CMA events for next year's riding season.

The ride home was a bit cooler, but still warm for December. I rode part of the way with Duke and Cameron, the only other guys who live in South County.

Besides being able to ride without numb fingers, I had another bonus - some of my bike's top-end speed came back tonight. A few months ago, I first noticed that my bike would go no faster than 65 mph on the highway (previously, I have had it up to 90-95 mph no problem). I haven't figured out why my bike lost some top-end power (a new fuel filter and spark plugs didn't help), but tonight, I got it up to 80 mph. The only thing I did recently was add some fuel stabilizer/conditioner to my gas tank on the last fill-up. Maybe the carbs need a good cleaning ... a good winter project.

How I Came to Ride, Part 2 - The CMA

In October, 2008, I was going through several life-changing events. Having gone to court for my divorce at the end of August, I was having a tough time emotionally. Court went smoothly, since it was a simple, uncontested divorce, but I wasn't prepared for the emotional aftermath. Something inside of me (I later realize it was God) told me I had to deal with these emotions head-on, instead of drinking and using women to numb them. So, I got active in AA and found a Christian-based divorce recovery group at a local church. Soon after, I made a decision to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.

Around this time, I was also working on getting my motorcycle license, when I got an email from Pam, a friend of mine. She forwarded me an email from her friend, Bob, who I had met once before. I forget what the email was about, but Bob's email signature had a link to a group called the Christian Motorcyclists Association. So I clicked on the link and learned about the CMA, whose main purpose is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the motorcycling community. I thought it was great there was an organization that combined two of my new interests - Jesus Christ and motorcycles.

I saw that Bob was the road captain of the local CMA chapter, Romans 8 Riders, so I emailed him to ask some questions. He invited me to the chapter's next monthly meeting, which was at a Bickford's restaurant. I had no idea what to expect when I walked into the restaurant. I didn't know if I would fit in - I didn't even own a motorcycle yet. Several members greeted me, some of them were intimidating looking - a few big guys, with tattoos, earrings, leather, including one guy named "Spike" (now our chapter president) - but their smiles and friendly attitudes made me feel welcome. They had dinner before the meeting, and followed with a group prayer.

Well, I've been going to just about every monthly meeting of Romans 8 since November 2008 and quickly got to know everyone. After several months, I became a CMA member and earned a back patch after completing a ministry training course, and then was voted in as a member of Romans 8 Riders chapter soon after.

You couldn't ask for a nicer bunch of people. Besides the meetings, I've participated in group rides, bike blessings, bike shows, retreats and a toy run. I've gotten to know people from other CMA chapters also. My CMA brothers and sisters helped me find my first bike, improved my riding skills, prayed for me and encouraged me when I've gone through difficult times. Basically, they have helped me to become a better biker and a better Christian.