OH DEER!

OH DEER!
(My Evening Ride)
I saw you standing over by
the highway fence with wires high
waiting for the moment when
you felt it right to jump, and then…
because I had my eye on you
I know you had me sighted too.
So then I slowed as caution wills;
It’s dangerous riding in these hills.
when sun has set and darkness falls
and trees close in like curtained walls.
Then two eyes were shining bright
as lit up by my bike’s headlight.
Though I’m warned, I have no fear
especially of a single deer,
but then I see more eyes appear
and begin to wonder why I’m here
and then they jump and start toward me;
not just one, but two… then three.
I’m nervous now but stay my course
while thinking this just might get worse.
So I crank her open to get past
the first and second, third and last
still several yards before the road
a different story had I slowed.
But now I slow and wipe my brow
I’m down the road and past them now.
One thing’s sure as I think back
remembering that buck and his big rack.
If we’d locked horns as thought we might
I wouldn’t have made it through the night.
Marvin Wallace

 

Wheel He or Won’t He?

Using rotating wheels to determine if a driver is about to roll.

  

Will this car pull out in front of you? Watching for the front wheel to begin rolling is a more reliable predictor than making eye contact with the driver.

For Those Of Us On Two Wheels, The most likely clash with another vehicle pulling into our lane from a side road, parking lot or driveway. How can we know if the driver will hit the gas and shoot point blank into our immediate path of travel? When it comes to that anxious driver poised to pull out from our right or left, is there a way to detect the driver’s intent?
If there’s a wheel there is a way. Determining if a vehicle is beginning to move forward is most practical if we look to the car’s front wheel. Our brain has a much easier time detecting even the subtlest wheel rotation than it does trying to discern if the mass of the vehicle itself is moving slightly from right to left (or vice versa). When you see the wheel on the vehicle beginning to rotate counterclockwise? Be ready; the vehicle is about to enter your lane and space!
But what about eye contact? Even if a driver appears to be looking directly at you, he or she may be looking beyond, never even noticing you. And, even if the driver does see you, they could easily misinterpret the distance and speed at which you are approaching, believing that you are farther away than you are.
Always anticipate the move. Even if you are confident that a driver will not pull out, be ready when they do. The way to do this is by managing your speed. Ask yourself if you could smoothly and safely stop your motorcycle to avoid contact if that driver began to pull out. I always tell myself that driver does not see me so I am already taking defense measures when approaching this type situation. Looking and anticipating while still carrying excessive speed takes away your options and limits your space and time you have to work with should the driver enter the lane ahead of you. And He or she wheel. I mean they will.
Keep the contact patch between the lines

Michael Theodore
National Road Captain

 

Posting Events

 You can now view ASR events on the new web site just click on Event Espresso.

If you would like your event posted on the new ASR web site please email your information to me and I will get it up on the new website. Everyone can post their events on our two ASR face book  sites the ASR friends and ASR discussions sites. There is a event page set up were you can post your up coming events.
 
Thank you so much.
Michael Theodore
National Road Captain

Pain In The Grass

How to deal with lawn clippings on the roadway.

Grass on the roadway can be a non- issue or an extremely slippery condition. If possible,slow down using clear pavement ahead of the covered are.

I’ve Got A Grass – Fed Beef, And based on recent conversations, with other riders I am not alone on this issue. We see this all to much while out on the road enjoying a nice ride. Homeowners mowing their lawns and throwing abundant grass clippings onto the roadway can create a special kind of threat to motorcyclist.
Dry grass will typically blow away as vehicles pass through or a nice breeze sweeps it off the roadway. But if grass is wet,it will cling to the surface and can be like grease under your motorcycle tires. If possible, when confronted with grass- covered pavement leading up to the grassy area. Keep your eyes up, look well ahead to increase stability. To maximize your traction, minimize steering,braking and throttle inputs and coast through the grass patches. If the equivalent of one of these Chia Pet patches of pavement appears in a corner,you should minimize your lean angle and look to the exit,not down at the grass or toward the edge of the road.
Remember that grass will stay wet longer than the pavement will. So after a rain shower or in the morning when dew blankets the landscape with moisture, the road surface may be dry, but the grass clippings may still be wet and slippery.
The best way to avoid this problem is ride only as fast as you can see and anticipate the possibility before you encounter it. Slow down and if there is any clear pavement in your lane ride on that instead of over the grass clippings.
If you see homes with lawns especially on the weekends when homeowners are most active doing yard work. There is a good chance someone will be mowing. Larger lawns like those found in rural areas where we like to ride, are often maintained with large tractors that process large amounts of grass and throw it greater distances. While discharging grass onto roadways is illegal in many areas, it remains a big threat to us riders. Anticipating the condition and riding smoothly and calmly through it will reduce the likelihood that grass on the road will clip you.
Keep the contact patch between the lines

Michael Theodore
National Road Captain

How To Get What You Want

I don’t know about you, but I like to have nice things! I love the feel of a Harley and the sound of the wind while riding. I love the feel of a great rifle and waiting for that deer to walk by on opening morning of hunting season. I love the feel of a great book in my hands. I love the beauty of a new Rolex and matching Hart Schaefer Marx suit from Dillard’s! I love the ride a new Lamborghini Diablo! Oh ok, some of those things I have never experienced but sure do want to!!

So how do I get what I want? I could tell you what my Grandpa told me and that’s to go get a job and make some money!! I could tell you to go rob a bank or steal the Lamborghini. I could tell you that you could come and ask me to buy the Rolex for you as a gift! There are a lot of both good and bad ways to obtain the things that we want in this world. I believe however that the good book contains a great secret to obtaining both the things that we need and also the things that we want!

Jesus said to seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all of these things would be added to you!

To many times we get caught up in the wanting of things that we would like to have and even just wanting the things that we may need! WE want, want, want, and then forget that the priority in life should be about what we can do in His kingdom and not what we get done in our little fiefdom! I may need things to survive and I may also want nice things as well, but if I put the things in life first, then we stand little chance of receiving the real blessings of what God has for us!

The stress that we find in our day to day lives always seems to come from worrying about how we are going to get what we want! We worry about bills, tuition, doctors’ reports, careers, family issues, and all the other things that occupy our minds! Yet we are not to live in fear but in peace! Why worry about what we cannot control, and we cannot seem to fix on our own and worry about what we are doing to further His kingdom! When we wake up in the morning and doing His work is the first thing on our minds, the rest of the day seems to take care of itself! We put Him first in our life and He puts us first in His!! Make him your priority and he will make you His priority!

All I want is what I really really want and that is Jesus!! I want Him FIRST! I want to make sure that He is my FIRST priority! As for me and my house, we will serve Jesus FIRST! Nothing is more important than Him! Nothing takes his place at the top of my life! Nobody treats me like he does when I treat him the way HE deserves to be treated!

If you want something and I mean anything, the I suggest seeking His kingdom first and then just let it be added to you!!

Pastor Randy Hennigan

What is our Focus, what is our mission field?

From time to time we need to stop and make a self-examination of the direction were going in. This applies to individuals and I feel especially leadership. For me this occurred after a discussion with a brother who felt “I had lost focus in what ASR is all about” Well I must say I was taken back by the statement and instead of allowing my pride to  lash out I instead took the statement to heart. I certainly did not want to overlook the obvious, did I miss a directional change in this ministry and was unaware? Maybe I miss the mark on what I felt the Lord Jesus Christ put in my heart for direction of this ministry. After gnawing on it for a while. I did the only thing left to do; I took it to Jesus in prayer. I am now thankful there is nothing wrong with examining one’s self on occasion if your true to yourself it can either correct your direction or confirm you have “Stayed the Course”.

After prayer (and a little more gnawing) I feel the Lord confirmed what I had already felt since taking this position. Our main focus is souls and our mission field is everyone. This is not in the ASR bylaws or on any document associated with ASR it’s a direct mandate from Jesus Christ

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” Mark 15:15

As Christians Baptized in the Name of Jesus, filled with the Holy Ghost, living an overcoming life we are even more pressed to fulfill this directive to the best of our ability. Brother Luke put it like this.

For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required; and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. Like 12:48

Hello that’s you and I. The funny thing is I look at the members of this ministry, many are doing just that. They are giving back, doing all they know and do to reach the lost. So I feel our focus and mission field are evident and we are pursuing  these goals set forth by the word of God.

I have also observed greater awareness for outreach in our events. I see members becoming bolder in their approach in reaching souls one on one. We have had a steady increase in membership. We had record offering for Motorcycle for missionaries. Events now seem to have family, friends and acquaintances, as it should be. Let me say as many of you know, you reach more people through friendship than any other form of outreach available to us.

The blessing for ASR is that Jesus Christ has facilitated us the opportunity to take it a step further by allowing to use something we enjoy doing and using it as a medium to not only be available to reach everyone as directed but to the motorcycle community at large. Have you all not prayed for folks that were not in a leather cut or chaps in a gas station, restaurant or rest stop that noticed your back patch, sure you have that’s the “everyone” I am speaking about. Do we also not reach out to those souls of the biker community from all walks of life under the same circumstance, of course we have. You see our mission field is not limited ONLY to the MC’s of this world we go “way” beyond that, we have a greater mandate and an effective motorcycle ministry to fulfill God’s bidding.

“Iron Sharpeneth iron: so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend” Proverbs 27:17

Fellowship is another aspect of out ministry. Sometimes it’ a blessing just for a chance to get out and ride with brethren of like faith and you know what, there is nothing wrong with that either. This allows us to bind together and allow me to encourage you if this is the case always be ready for an opportunity to be a witness. This is “our” ministry; this is our focus, reach lost souls, this is our mission field along with and of course including all of the biker community. I have tried to express myself that whatever we put our hands to do with respect to an event we do it first to the best of our ability starting with prayer and also with an planned opportunity to reach for the lost. I have seen that happening in event after event that I have attended this year. Some have seen had more fruit than others don’t forget it’s our job to sow the seed no one I know has ever filled anyone with the Holy Ghost other than Jesus Christ

This ministry is not perfect and some things we do (in Leadership) I know rubs some people the wrong way. I get it. You know I don’t try to focus on the negative I like to observe the positive strives that were achieving now. After prayer, after searching my soul to see if we were in fact fulfilling that which Azusa StreetRiders was set out to do I feel that we are working at that mandate Jesus Christ assigned to each and every one of us. Were doing the best we know to do reaching souls with the resources we have. Is there more we could do well yes and those days are coming so press yourselves even the more to figure out what else can we do to be even more effective.

 

More on the New Disaster Relief Ministry of Azusa StreetRiders

I am posting this on behalf of Sis Amber Holland & Bro Steven Belrose

In 2017, the Texas coast was faced with the worst storm in the last 10 years. As we all prepared for the typical, seasonal hurricane, we soon realized we were way over our head, that we could never be prepared enough for what was going on around us. As we started to prepare for the absolute worst, it rapidly became apparent that this was going to be a devastating hurricane. As the winds blew and the rain squalled, many stayed and withstood the storm. We watched as our homes and property were torn to pieces. It soon became apparent that help was going to be needed on ever corner. it was laid upon the hearts of a few members what we could provide and do in the rescue of countless stranded families. The lord allowed a few of us to come together to aid our fellow man in their time of need. Boats were brought in and countless volunteers worked around the clock to reach stranded families and neighbors to bring them to a safe haven. At the end of our rescue attempts, the idea was tossed into the air about being able to do this as a group in the future. Little did we know, that the idea would be revisited, and would be seriously considered to become reality on a national level.

So now we would like to introduce to our ASR brother and sisters, the approval and full blessing of the national organization of ASR, the Azusa StreetRiders Emergency Response Team!!! We have been given full authority and power to form and organize regional emergency response teams throughout the United States and our other world wide chapters. For now, we are looking for those who want to go above and beyond just riding two wheels. We are looking for those that have the time and energy to be able to reach out beyond our local communities and touch a soul who needs help far beyond their own control. If you have a desire for an outreach ministry far beyond the norm, then this is the team you’re looking for…

Our idea is to set up regional teams throughout the United States to start with. From there, we will be in touch with our overseas chapters to set up coordinators to help set up teams within their areas. We are also looking into training organizations and facilities to help us prepare ourselves better incase certifications are necessary.

All of this is going to take some time to set up and organize. What started out as a whimsical idea and said in jest, has now turned into reality. We are proud to be apart of an organization who would support volunteers that are willing to give of themselves and time to be the angel in the hour of need to those that have been devastated. We hate the idea of any catastrophic event happening to anyone in any area of the world, Whether it be family or business, sinner or saint.

God has called each of us to sometimes bare the load of our brothers. In the Bible, we remember the story of where Cain slew his brother Able. The lord came to Cain and asked,  where is your brother? His reply was, “Am I my brothers keeper?” That story rings true today. Sometimes the load my be to much for one man to carry or try to recover from. That is where the ASR Emergency Response Team will step in and try to help make the load lighter.

Anyone interested finding out more information, please feel free to contact me anytime night or day. You can contact Amber Holland anytime through Facebook, Email, Text or Call.

You can contact me @ (936)465-8477

Email: amberaah@yahoo.com

7 Tips for Fall Motorcycle Riding

Autumn is definitely the best time for riding. With the cool, crisp air and the captivating colors of autumn, no one can deny that this is the perfect time to hop on your motorcycle and explore the beauty of the great outdoors.
Any rider will agree that fall motorcycle riding can be pretty rewarding for a number of reasons. For one, you don’t have to bear the heat. You don’t have to put up with the traffic, either! It is just you and your beloved bike on the wide, open road. How exciting can that be?
However, riding your motorcycle during this time of the year also comes with its own set of challenges so make sure you take the necessary precautions to avoid any unpleasant surprises that will spoil an otherwise remarkable experience.

Fall Motorcycle Riding Tips: How to Stay Safe on the Road

Brush up on your riding skills. If you haven’t been riding your bike lately, it is possible that your riding skills may have become a little rusty so do some slow speed maneuvering and braking drills before taking your motorcycle out for a spin. Remember, it is always better to be safe than sorry!
Use the right tires. Are you still using those sporty tires you used this summer? Well, this is the perfect time to change them. Sporty tires are made with softer rubber and are great for warm weather but they tend to lose their traction in colder weather. Use touring tires instead.
Check your lights. Now that the days are shorter, you will probably go riding in the dark so check your headlights, brake lights and turn lights are in great working condition.
Watch what you wear. Autumn is notorious for greatly fluctuating temperatures so dress appropriately to counter these abrupt changes. Wear a leather jacket to keep you warm since the wind and dropping temperature can easily tire you out and impair your senses. Layering up may be a good idea but if you find it exhausting, you may choose to wear heated gear instead. You may also want to bring several pairs of riding gloves so you’ll have the perfect pair whatever the weather.
Don’t forget your rain gear. You wouldn’t want to get caught up in the rain without the appropriate motorcycle safety gear since it can significantly affect your riding ability and increase your risk of hypothermia, a potentially dangerous condition wherein your body loses heat faster than it can produce it.
Look out for those leaves. Yes, the changing colors of autumn may be a sight to behold but you need to look out for those falling leaves! While it may look unassuming, a pile of dry leaves can cover potholes and other inconsistencies on the road that may increase your risk of encountering accidents. Sharp objects hidden beneath the debris can also give you a flat tire and put you in danger. Moreover, wet leaves can make the road slicker than it usually is and reduce your bike traction so drive slowly until you have come past the obstacle.
Be extra cautious. While you need to be cautious and alert every time you take your motorcycle out for a ride, you need to be especially careful during this time of the year. The morning frost will leave a thin layer of ice on road surfaces making them more slippery than usual while strong gusty winds can easily set you off balance.
Fall motorcycle riding can be fun but you need to take extra precautions to make sure you reach your destination without a hitch!
Enjoy your Autumn short riding season
Always keep the contact patch between the lines
Michael Theodore
National Road Captain

 

ASR October Fall Events

Fall time is the perfect time to pack your bike up and head out to an ASR fall event.

1st Annual Bike & Car Show

Well of Life Pentecostal Church in Sullivan, Indian would like to invite you to join them on Saturday October 6 from 10 AM till 5 PM. The Bike & Car Show will be head at the Shelburn Community Center.

Sunday October 7 come join Well of Life Pentecostal Church. Service time starts at 10 AM.

There is a host hotel it is the Wyndham hotel                                                                       907 w.State Road 154                                                                                                                         Sullivan, In 47882                                                                                                                                    wyndhamhotels.com                                                                                                                            812-268-6391                                                                                                                                         Contact Shad Akers for more information                                                                                 812-562-1299

 

1st Annual Biker Sunday                                             October 13                                                                  Clendenin Pentecostal Church

Clendenin, West Virginia

Join us as we host our first Biker Sunday event. This event will begin with a ride on Saturday through some of WV’s most beautiful scenery. We will be visiting Kanawha Falls, Hawks Nest State Park, as well as the New River Gorge Bridge. The ride will include minimal interstate riding. We will travel along the Kanawha River via Rt 60 to Gauley Mountain, where we will begin a twisting, winding ascent to Hawks Nest at 1,257ft. A free picnic lunch will be served at Hawks Nest. We will then return along Rt 16 back to Rt 60, and back to Charleston. Sunday morning at 10:00 am, we will convene at Clendenin Pentecostal Church for the Biker Sunday Service with dinner following. The dinner will be $10.00. All proceeds from the dinner and donations will benefit Motorcycles for Missions. We invite all to attend.

 

ASR North Texas Chapter First Annual Fall Retreat

October 17-20

The North Texas Chapter is hosting their first annual fall retreat in the beautiful Texas hill country.
Details:
The host hotel is the Comfort Suites located at
1489 I-35 North New Braunfels, Tx. 78130 Ph: 830-643-1100
Rooms are $69.00 per night plus tax (when you ask for the ASR Rate) for either a single King or a double Queen and includes a hot breakfast. PLEASE MAKE RESERVATIONS ASAP.
The schedule will be as follows:
Wednesday 3pm-6pm Meet and Greet at Golden Corral
1042 I-35 North New Braunfels,Tx. 78130 (Just across the Hwy. from the hotel)
Thursday 9am Morning devotional
10am KSU to Alamo and Riverwalk for and afternoon of site seeing
12:30pm lunch on the Riverwalk
after lunch, site seeing and shopping at Alamo Plaza.
6pm Meet for supper (location TBD)
Friday 9am devotional
10am KSU for a great scenic ride through the beautiful Texas hill country
6pm catfish for supper
Saturday Breakfast and everyone have a safe and pleasant journey home.
Room TOTAL for 3 nights is $233.91
If you have any questions please contact Bro. Earp at 682-229-6240