Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/1515062
16 | WheelsOfGrace.com | #71 Onramp Onramp Don't get technical on me regarding the year of your birth. Because if you ride a Harley, that was the birth year of the EL, the first OHV production bike with the basic architecture that continues to this day. And since that was a Leap Year, that really makes the 45-degree V-Twin still one year away from being 21. It's almost a grown up! Keeping it original while making it modern is always a challenge in any industry. Think about that silly iPhone you have. Basically, the same since 2004, yet light years ahead of what it was when first introduced to the market. Harley has done a masterful job, in my opinion, maintaining the strong attachments to its V-Twin roots, but constantly updating them to bring you the current iteration; Milwaukee 8, improved suspension, 3 engine sizes from which to choose, etc., etc. Almost enough to make me want to trade-in my '06 Road King. Almost…. Okay, I know, Aeramacchi, Topper, Golf Carts, the Porche-designed V-Rod engine, the Street series, not to mention the Live Wire (I said, "Don't mention it!) and a few others that have missed the mark. But like a wise master builder, they've always come back to what they do best; the V-Twin. Original, fresh, can't-do-better- than-that Milwaukee muscle. I was hooked the first time I rode one and still am. Do you ever look back at the dreams you gave up, the purity you compromised, and the short cuts you took that tainted the outcome? Perhaps way too many aging riders struggle with feeling like the character Marlon Brando played in 'On the Waterfront'. "I could have been a contender!" was his agonizing wail about what might have been had he not taken a dive under pressure from the crime bosses. He didn't stay true to his roots. Compromise always kills, just an inch at a time. Congrats to Harley for keeping it true for 87 years if you forget the Leap Year point of view. But what if there was something that has been keeping it true for 2,000 years? Actually, there is! And it has hundreds of local outlets in just my County and thousands of people 'on staff' to meet your spiritual, personal, and social needs. Guessed its identity yet? That's right, the Church. It's still going strong despite the many predictions of its impending demise. How has that been possible? 1 Timothy 3:16 reveals the secret to its durability and unstoppable growth: "By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory." People who study Mission estimate that worldwide 75,000 people a day are converted to Christianity. Impending demise? I don't think so! Granted, the Church has had a few Aeramacchis and Toppers of its own, but it has come back to this; lives have been changed because of the centrality of Jesus Christ. All history is divided over Him; BC (Before Christ) and AD (Ano Domini – Year of our Lord). Maybe you're like me and many others; you've got a BC story and an AD story. What was the year of your rebirth? Are you still a contender, having lived up to the call put upon your life at that moment you bowed the knee to Christ? If not, get out of your Golf Cart, off your 250 Sprint, and keep it true! Off the main highway: I'm not putting down the 250 or 350 Sprint imported from Italy and branded Harley, the venerable H-D Golf Cart, the Topper, or even the Whizzer. They're all fine versions of what they were. But they're not the main thing produced by Harley over the years. Business guru Steven Covey said it best; "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing." Here's to keeping Christ, the Main Thing, as the main thing in my life! Milepost 14 on the Highway to the 316 Highway to the 316 Highway 1936 – THE YEAR YOU WERE BORN 1936 – THE YEAR YOU WERE BORN