I will admit that it probably does seem somewhat unusual to pull up to church on a sportbike and attend an elders meeting while unzipping racing leathers. But the Lord has called me and other brothers at the Island Alliance Church in Maryland to a lost people group of thousands of men who gather with their families on the weekends all over the country to race sportbikes. I attended my first race on Easter Sunday 2006, and by the end of the day, the Lord had led the racing officials to ask me to come on staff in the role of chaplain to this high energy bunch of adrenalin junkies. We hold church services on the track, and between the races build relationships with men who only call on God at the beginning of a curse word. So grab a helmet and welcome to our ministry where the track becomes a lesson in helping others find Christ.
The roadracing world is a most interesting place to say the least. Traveling at over 150mph down a long straight, engine screaming at 14,000rpm, as you begin to hang off the saddle of a two-wheeled stallion, the bike leanes so far over that your knee is scraping the ground at 120mph in turn one with another bike 18 inches from your head.
Modern day gladiators wage this adrenalin filled battle for speed armed only with nerve enough to push the limits of safety to the very edge while carrying just enough wisdom to know when that 1 inch wide patch of rubber that keeps a bike on the track is getting ready to break loose. It is a world of risk and adventure, marked with dramatic displays of damage and pain as riders and bikes exceed the boundaries of physics, and raw speed propels both into unyielding punishment from stone and earth.
Surviving in this competitive and dangerous environment demands that each rider know how to follow the line. The line is the narrow strip within each racetrack that represents the fastest way through the course. Personal success and victory hang in the balance between the rider’s skill and mastery of his machine to ride the perfect line.
A strong analogy can be made about our individual lives as we take this glimpse behind the checkered flag. Because just like the racetrack has many lines that can be followed by racers, with only one line leading to victory, so to, can we begin to follow a line in our lives that seems to be very well traveled, but falls short of a podium finish.
We pursue homes and possessions, diligently working, getting the kids to their sports and activities on time, paying the bills, keeping the lawn straight and, somewhere after a rushed dinner and internet time, we grab a few hours of welcomed sleep. Sounds pretty familiar doesn’t it? All of us screamed down this line jammed with thousands of riders, dragging our knees and pushing harder and faster, passing others, yet never getting ahead.
But this line looks good, and indeed we must be diligent with our work and family responsibilities. Yet God tells us, “.., 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. (Romans 12:2, NKJV) There is another line, less traveled, not because of its complexity or demands of perfection from imperfect humanity, but because we have not prioritized our lives to walk as faithful men, setting aside the time to talk with God in prayer, seeking Him through reading His Word and getting together with other brothers in Christ to encourage each other. Every line we chose can allow us to travel at breakneck speeds on this track of life, but when our minds are renewed, through the power of the Holy Spirit as we recognize the gift and hope of Jesus Christ, we won’t just exist in life, we start to live. Our lives become beacons of hope for others, a strong arm to embrace the shoulder of a struggling brother, and your day to day struggles become balanced with sufficient time for the work, as well as love and laughter.
I was following the line on turn 5 at Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia, leaning over as far as I could, when out of the corner of my eye, another bike appeared just inches away alongside of me. The rider was off the line, going for a pass that required extra effort to throttle up and lean his bike. When we hit the apex of the turn, his rear wheel slipped out from under him, and I glanced in time to watch him wad hard in the gravel. I thought of this message at that exact moment, and praised God all the way to pit in. Blessings to all of you, my brothers, as we bear the standard of the Risen Christ to a selfish and hurting world.
Art Lohman.
