Black Sheep

SubScribe by calling: (951) 777-0503 or click: BSHDFC E-Mag December 2018 | Page 5 Marty Edwards IP/BlackSheepHDFC.org Come senators, congressmen Please heed the call Don't stand in the doorway Don't block up the hall For he that gets hurt Will be he who has stalled There's a ba le outside And it is ragin'. It'll soon shake your windows And ra le your walls For the mes they are a-changin'. ~Bob Dylan Lately we've been hearing, "Harley-Davidson Motor Co. is going through some major changes." Changes in HOG (Harley Owners Group), changes in bike models, changes is adver sing and marke ng. Why? Because Harley-Davidson Motor Co is a business and they want to stay in business. Benjamin Franklin said, "When you're finished changing, you're finished." Old bikers don't generally like to change. The phrase "See No Evo" came about when the beloved "shovelhead" motor was abandoned for the Evo or Evolu on motor. I felt the same way when the Evo was abandoned for the Twin-Cam motor. Now, the Twin-Cam is a thing of the past. When I first started riding, I liked So ails, ape- hangers and loud fishtail pipes. As I got older I came to appreciate the wind-breaking features of a fairing and GPS. Change is inevitable – survival is op onal. Black Sheep has changed quite a bit in its first twenty years. Our first bylaws took up a mere half page. Today, our bylaws are several pages! In the old days there was no mentorship training, a member could put almost anything they wanted on their vests and everybody rode a Harley- Davidson (even though the bylaws le the door wide open for "all American v-twins.") Today, mentorship takes four to five months, our vest have become semi-uniforms with only few modifica ons and we're star ng to see Victory and Indian motorcycles among our ranks. Many of our members resisted these changes but today most would agree that they were good ideas. Twenty years ago, you probably didn't have an email address, and now it's hard to imagine life (or your business) without it. Ten years ago, Facebook didn't exist, but now one-and-a-quarter billion people and millions of businesses use it to communicate and adver se. We have had to change and will have to con nue to change and adapt if we are to thrive or even survive. Social and media are not words we o en hear in biker circles, but today Twi er, Facebook and an "E-Magazine" like this are three of our most powerful tools for evangelism and recruitment. Change can be a very good thing! So, here's the ques on: "Will the Black Sheep con nue to change with the mes and adapt – or will we become a bunch of good-ol-boys (and girls) who dig in and reminisce about the shovelhead and black- and-white TV? The status quo can be so much more comfortable but effec ve ministry is the objec ve. Our language changes, our message does not. Our methods change, our principles don't. Our rules of opera ons change, God's rules don't. Our tools change, our mission does not. The Bible says, "Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever!" (Hebrews 13:8) …and yet Jesus reached a rela vely small number of people within a small geographical area. Today, (a er giving the Great Commission to twelve pioneers) the message of Jesus Christ is on the radio, television, the internet, in books, films , podcasts and movies and is translated into every language on earth. There are Chris an ministries that reach out to people of different languages and cultures including sub-cultures like surfers, prisoners, cowboys, porn stars and, well – bikers! Chris an ministry has adapted and those resis ng change are just a part of history. So, when our first prospec ve member rides up on a "Livewire" (the first electric Harley- Davidson), or some funky looking new touring bike (a Harley that looks more like a BMW), we do not DARE tease, make fun of or beli le anybody! Why? Because it's not about motorcycles, it's about JESUS. We will con nue to EMBRACE PEOPLE and ADAPT METHODS. I've never been a fan of the status quo or "hanging in there." When we are finished changing, then we're just plain finished. EvErything ChangEs But JEsus https://wheelsofgrace.com/product/more-than-a-subscription/

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