2019 Summer 3 - bike.org.uk · chapter 7, verse 7 Inthisissue… Asalways,averybig‘Thankyou’...

■ page 11bikers and angels

■ page 4mike’s new bike

in this issue

■ page 26the farmyard 2019

■ page 18crea�on – does it really ma�er?

www.bike.org.uk/cma summer 2019 summer 2019 www.bike.org.uk/cma page 3

Open Doors is an interna�onal ministry serving persecutedChris�ans and churches worldwide. We supply Bibles,leadership training, literacy programmes, livelihood supportand advocacy services. We also seek to mobilise the church inthe UK & Ireland to serve Chris�ans living under religiouspersecu�on.

For 150 years The Evangeliza�on Society (TES) has served theUK as a major evangelis�c organisa�on – seeking to see men,women and children brought into the Kingdom of God.We make Scriptures available where there are

none. We work to help the church engage withthe Bible more effec�vely. And we endeavour -through the arts, educa�on, media and poli�cs –to make the Bible available, accessible andcredible in our culture.

World Horizons exists on behalf of placesand people not yet prayed for, churchesnot yet planted and cross-culturalworkers not yet sent. We are a prayerbased, pioneering, prophe�c, pastoralmission movement.

Our mission is to make the life-changing wisdom ofthe Bible understandable and accessible to all.

The target:a Bible forevery biker

We are supported by, and support, the following organisations:

Partners with CMA UK

The views expressed inChainlink cannot be taken asofficial CMA policy on anysubject. The magazine is

published up to four �mes ayear, to provide informa�onfor CMAmembers and toencourage them in their

personal walk with God. Wepray that this magazine willalso s�mulate non-Chris�anreaders into thinking moreabout Jesus Christ, and alsoseeking Him for themselves.

The Bible says: ‘Seek andyou will find’ · St Ma�hew

chapter 7, verse 7

In this issue…

As always, a very big ‘Thank you’to all who have given time andeffort to contribute to this issue

of Chainlink.

As you read through each article,our hope is that you will beencouraged and challenged in

your walk with Jesus.

~~~~~~~~

Partners with CMA UK 2

National Chairman, CMA UK 4

Official Stuff... 6

From the Editor’s Garage 7

Bikers Service, Cornwall 8

Testimony on Bike Display 9

New Bike for Pete 10

The Branch, the Biker and the Angel 11

World Horizons – Thumeries 12

Geordie Memorial Magic 15

Spring Harvest 2019 16

Our Beliefs About Creation – it really matters! 18

The River of Your Mercy 19

Dolau Afon (Len’s Run) 20

Thank you Holy Joe’s! 21

Life on TwoWheels – part 2 22

Travelling Light 24

Farmyard Party 2019 26

Beaford Bike Show 28

Biker Bible – Who Pays? 29

God’s Garden 30

EMC Rally 31

https://www.bike.org.uk/cma



Recently, Sandy and I started praying aboutchanging our white BMW GS 1200 Adventure; we doquite a few miles and always look for a second handreplacement with very low mileage. It’s incrediblehow God has answered such everyday requests andenabled us to share the Gospel with everyone whohas bought or sold us a bike.

Firstly, we found another BMW GS 1200 Adventurewater cooled TE, one year old with 65 miles on theclock.

Next I listed the whitebike on theMotorcycleNews website, prayedfor the buyer God hadprepared and waitedwith great expecta�on. Ihad specifically asked God to show us His Providen�alhand at work – we didn’t want to just ‘sell someone abike’ we wanted this to be a Holy Spirit led momentin someone’s life – as well as ours!

A�er 48 hours I got a text from Sergio in Portugal tosay he was interested and eventually we agreed on aprice; which was £5.00 more than the lowest price wehoped for. A few days later Ipicked him up at Newcastleairport and took him home forlunch before he would beginhis long ride home to Portugal(1,500 miles). As we cha�ed Ishared about the ministry ofCMA and how I had beenpraying for whoever would buythe bike.

He asked, “What differencehas Jesus made in your life?”

It’s an incredibly simple yetprofound ques�on.

But if we are unable to give ananswer why would anyone givea second thought about Jesus?

What would you have said?

I have – Peace, Life, Forgiveness, Joy, Purpose,Security, Love, Mercy, Grace, Faith, Assured ofHeaven, etc., etc., etc.

Sergio considered Jesus from a philosophical posi�on,a religious process – but God wants a rela�onshipwith him.

Our day together was quite stressful as we workedthrough the red tape of bank transfers, arranging himthree days insurance to ride home that cost him

£230. It all took muchlonger than weexpected and he waseager to start –especially as a heavyrain storm wasforecast. Before he le�

I had the privilege of giving him a Portuguese BikerBible that just ‘happened’ to be on my desk. Therewas a very scary moment when he began riding onthe wrong side of the road but I led him south to themotorway and saw him on his way. Two days later hearrived in Lisbon at 2 a.m. safe and grateful for ourprayer support.

“What difference hasJesus made in your life?”

So why have I shared this with you? Over the years Ihave come to realise that there is:

No area of our lives that God is not interested in.

No circumstance that He cannot use to reach a lostbiker.

No distance too far to catch their a�en�on.

No prayer that goes unanswered.

No language that God doesn’t speak.

No limit to His Love.

‘For the Son of Man came to seek and to save thelost.’ (Luke 19:10 NIV)

So if someone asks you “What difference has Jesusmade in your life?”

What would you answer?

Let me share a li�le of what Dr S M Lockeridge said inhis spontaneous prayer, known as

‘That’s my King, do you know Him?’

“He supplies strength for the weak.

“He's available for the tempted and the tried.

“He sympathizes and He saves.

“He strengthens and sustains.

“He guards and He guides.

“He heals the sick. He cleanses the lepers.

“He forgives sinners. He discharges debtors.

“He delivers the cap�ves. He defends the feeble.

“He blesses the young. He serves the unfortunate.

“He regards the aged.

“He rewards the diligent, and He beau�fies themeagre.

“I wonder if you know Him?”

(The rest can be found online – it’s incredible.)

God bless us as we all commit our daily lives into Hishands and see His Kingdom come on earth as it is inHeaven.

By the way, Sergio was the only person whoresponded to our adver�sement!

Mike

National Chairman, CMA UKMike Fitton

Sergio on his wayback to Portugal




CMA UK Na�onal Execu�veNa�onal Chairman Mike Fi�on thefi�[email protected]�onal Treasurer Rob Urand [email protected]�onal Secretary Paul Gardiner [email protected] Member Ian Cameron [email protected] Member Oliver Hamilton [email protected] Member Amy Stalker [email protected]

CMA UK Na�onal OfficersMembership Secretary Ted Russell ted.russell@b�nternet.comNa�onal Administrator Bob Hudson [email protected] Andy & Naomi Hogan aunova�[email protected] Editor John Hodge [email protected] Steve Clarke fas�[email protected], Workbook& Publicity Ian Cameron [email protected]

CMA UK BranchesBedford Keith Sanders [email protected] Ian Brailey [email protected] VacantCarlisle Richard Lowe [email protected] & Cornwall Stephen Bamfield [email protected] Midlands Colin Wood [email protected] Yorkshire John Metcalfe [email protected] & Tay Jamie Gordon [email protected] Alan Robertson [email protected] & Dorset David Allen slingshotboy@b�nternet.comHampshire & Surrey Borders David Ball [email protected] ‘n’ Lancs James Holbrook [email protected] of Essex Phil Roberts [email protected] Steve Clark [email protected] Borders Wayne Taylor [email protected] Cheshire Sid O’Neill [email protected] East Gary Humphries [email protected] Wales Bob Hughes-Burton cmabob@b�nternet.comNorthern Ireland Roy McGarvey [email protected] Lancs Phil Parker [email protected] Wales Steve Lillyman [email protected] & Shropshire Diane Raven [email protected] Steve Clarke [email protected] Tony Knight [email protected] Valley Heike West [email protected] Mark Coupe [email protected] & Wear Tim Cannon �[email protected] Midlands Rob Jones r.jones382@b�nternet.comWest Yorkshire Oliver Hamilton [email protected]

Bikers Church Sue Brown duca�[email protected]

CONTACT US:

CMA UKPO Box 8155LoughboroughLE11 9AR

Freefone0800 015 4479

[email protected]

CMA UK is part of theCMAWorldwide International

Outreach Ministry

Registered UK Charity1080911

Acknowledgements:

Front cover artworkYasser AbuUnsplash

Printed by:Heritage PrintMerseyside

www.heritageprint.co.uk

Official Stuff...

The deadlinefor submissionof items for theAutumn/Winter2019 edition is30th Sep 2019

‘though ouroutward manperish, yet theinward man isrenewed day by

day.’

From the Editor’s Garage

Ar�cles for Chainlink are most welcome, and should preferably be submi�ed by e-mail to [email protected]

All images should be high resolu�on (originals from your camera/smartphone) and NOT embedded in a text document. Vectorgraphics are also welcome. Text documents should be unforma�ed rich text format (RTF) files. MS Word documents areacceptable, PDFs are not.

The sender must obtain permission for the inclusion of ALL names, addresses and pictures, especially of children, prior tosubmission and provide accredita�on for all material that is not original. The sender takes all responsibility for all content andrights rela�ng to all items that are submi�ed. If in doubt, please obtain verifica�on from the Na�onal Chairman or the Execu�vecommi�ee. The editor retains the right to correct spelling and grammar as appropriate.

I’ve been thinking again about God’s crea�on and amazingdesign, especially when it comes to you and me – our bodies, etal. Well, in the distant past, I’ve been involved in various types oftechnical and construc�on work: qualified in some, competent inmost.

So, as o�en as I remember to, I thank God that, for me, theelectrical system is func�oning OK apart from the memory banksfailing a bit, the plumbing is definitely OK but showing signs ofage. The central hea�ng is working but these days the insula�on,or lack of it, means the internal boiler has to work a bit harder,especially during the UK winters! The audio/visual department iss�ll func�oning but with no�ceable deteriora�on in the visuals,with some dropping off of upper registers in the audio. (I’mtalking about my body, of course – come on, keep up!)

Apostle Paul, in his first le�er to the saints at Corinth, says this:‘… but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man isrenewed day by day.’ (2 Cor 4:16)

So, even though this old body is a good bit over-the-hill, itsfounda�on is s�ll as sure today as it was when I first acceptedJesus Christ as Saviour and began to build my life upon the Rock.

I have recently been reminded of that great old hymn with theline that goes, ‘It is well with my soul’. Now, it may not always bewell with the old body, but I’m convinced that the well-ness ofmy soul has a posi�ve influence over my body. How is it for you?

Ride safe, keep more-or-less upright, be a blessing and beblessed!

John



mailto:[email protected]










































https://www.bike.org.uk

https://www.heritageprint.co.uk


Bikers Service, CornwallPhilip Head, Devon & Cornwall

Testimony on Bike DisplayPhilip Head

On Sunday, 7th April, CleerWay Community Church,which meets in the St. Cleer Primary School hall,hosted its normal Sunday mee�ng but on thatoccasion the mee�ng was sponsored by the Devon andCornwall Branch of the Chris�an Motorcyclists’Associa�on (CMA). CMA’s ministry is to reach out tothe motorcycling community, showing God’s love inevery circumstance and situa�on.

In addi�on to the normal congrega�on, an openinvita�on was made to all bikers in the area to comeand be part of the church. The mee�ng was led byPhilip Head, who showed a short video of Billy Rivers, adrug addict, thief and club biker whose life was

changed when he entered into a rela�onship withJesus Christ. Stephen Bamfield (Chairman) brought ashort address of the history and the ministry of CMA.Ma� Parsons from Cornwall’s Lifeline Ministriesbrought the word of God to us. Rebecca Dickson ledus in worship.

In the photo, le� to right, are Vince Neale (Member),Stephen Bamfield (Chairman and Treasurer) and PhilipHead (Secretary) of the Devon and Cornwall Branch ofCMA.

A�er the mee�ng, several met together for food andfellowship at Chequered Flag, the bikers’ café on theA38 near Liskeard.✞

When I met up with Mike Fi�on at Minehead for SpringHarvest this year, he introduced me to the ‘Fi�on’tes�mony for displaying on the bike, as in the picture. Ihope it might help others to follow this example if Imay share the component parts of the tes�mony,which are as follows:

Make the heading the make, model and year of yourbike. That will draw people in.

• Include the CMA logo.

• Include the url of CMA –bike.org.uk

• Make the picture full face, sothat people who see thetes�mony may recognise youand engage you inconversa�on.

• Put your name and yourinvolvement with CMAunder your picture.

• Include a relevant scripturein your tes�mony, as theWord achieves the purposefor which it is sent.

• Print it on glossy, photoquality paper with thebest possible printquality.

An example is shown here,together with a picture of thetes�mony ‘in ac�on’ on thebike.




New Bike for PeteEd.

Pete Bressington, Secretary of North CheshireBranch, collected his new (to him) Tiger Sportfrom York Triumph back in May. It was a dullbut fast and dry ride from Merseyside to York.The ride back home following the A59 throughHarrogate and towards Preston was anythingbut dull! A fantas�c ride for the two of us. Idon’t mind saying there were occasions (only afew) when I had a job keeping up with Pete.Didn’t take him long to get used to his newsteed.

We were looked a�er well at the shop andenjoyed a quick bite to eat in their café beforewe le� for home. A great a�ernoon out!✞

Tiger Sport Specs

Engine & Transmission

Type Liquid-cooled, 12 valve,DOHC, in-line 3-cylinder

Capacity 1,050 cc

Bore 79 mm

Stroke 71.4 mm

Compression 12.25:1

Max Power EC 126 PS / 123 bhp(93 kW) @ 9,475 rpm

Max Torque EC 106 Nm @ 7,000 rpm

Final Drive X ring chain

Clutch Wet, mul�-plate,assist and slip

Gearbox 6-speed

At a recent Branch mee�ng inDorset one of our members,Anna arrived with a sick bike.Naturally some of us le� theBikers Café and formed ahuddle around the machineand listened to it fire up.

Werner ‘diagnosed’ a faulty plug,plug cap or plug lead. We felt itunwise to a�empt a roadside fix asthis would require removal of thefuel tank. Trouble is, it’s the wrongtank for the bike so Anna advised it’salways difficult and messy withinevitable spilling of petrol. A sub-huddle then formed which felt thatAnna’s bike really needed to belooked over by a professional asap.

During prayers at the end of theBranch mee�ng David prayed for aguardian angel to provide Anna witha safe passage home.

Let me tell you the story of thatnight...

Anna & I decided to ride together forthe first few miles but sadly we onlymade it to the Sainsbury’sRoundabout about 15 mins rideaway before her bike packed upcompletely. Deep frowns and quickprayers!

We decided to phone anothermember, Steve, to see if he wasclose enough in his pickup to effect arescue, even though it was nowpassed 10:00 p.m. he kindly offeredto return.

When Steve and Hazel arrived westarted to look for a bank (i.e., apiece of raised ground notsomewhere to keep money) so thatwe could roll the bike up the bank,across the tailgate and onto Steve’struck.

However, there are no banks in thatarea—more deep frowns and quickprayers!

Enter the Angel...

At that point we no�ced a scaffolderdriving his loaded lorry into theSainsbury’s car park (othersupermarkets and car parks areavailable). Anna set off in hot pursuitto do her ‘damsel in distress’impression. This, naturally, workedand the enormous scaffolder told usto help ourselves to his scaffoldboards whilst he did his late nightshopping. The CCTV footage of thatnight must be interes�ng, twopeople in motorcycle clothinglegging it out of the car park withscaffold planks on a shopping trolley.

We were able to roll Anna’s bike upthe 4m long scaffold planks andsecure it in Steve’s truck (BTW, Steveis much stronger than he looks!).

The ‘Angel’ then appeared, reclaimedhis planks and drove off into thenight. PRAISE GOD!

Amazing! So God DID answer David’sprayer to provide a Guardian Angelbut not exactly in the way I wasexpec�ng. Another lesson for me.

But this is where the story reallystarts...

The next morning Steve droppedAnna’s bike off at a motorcycle gar-age.

As Werner had recognised, the guysat the garage confirmed that therewas an issue with faulty plugs, caps& leads.

When Anna went over to retrieve herbike and whilst cha�ng to the guysshe discovered that one of them hasa health issue. We now have this guyfirmly in our prayers and hearts.

Anna is convinced that the wholeepisode has been designed to ensurethis mechanic receives the prayer heneeds and an opportunity to feel thelove of Jesus in his life.✞

The Branch, the Biker and the AngelPaul Gardiner, Secretary, Hampshire & Dorset




World Horizons –Thumeries

A group of 26 from CMA UK joined with DavidGallagher from World Horizons at the small town ofThumeries, just south of Lille, in the north of France.Although some went via the tunnel and onetravelled by train, the majority met at Dover totravel together via ferry to Calais, and from there byroad some 80 miles to Thumeries, which is about 16miles south of Lille.

We were accommodated in two proper�es ownedby World Horizons. CMA UK is a regular supporterof World Horizons, whose mission is to put peoplein to countries abroad, firstly to integrate bylearning the language, becoming known, loved and

part of the local community; then to bring Jesus into that community. There are two World Horizonsproper�es in Thumeries, ‘Château Blanc’ and

‘Château du Paradies’. Our party wasaccommodated in both proper�es.

We travelled on Friday 24thMay, mee�ng up late inthe a�ernoon, se�ling in and enjoying dinnertogether at a local hostelry.

On Saturday we were free to do our own exploring.Some wanted to stay at the châteaux and relax;others went sightseeing; I went with a friend toYpres, where we visited the cathedral, walked

A group of 26 from CMA UK joined with DavidGallagher from World Horizons at the small town ofThumeries, just south of Lille, in the north ofFrance. Although some went via the tunnel and onetravelled by train, the majority met at Dover totravel together via ferry to Calais, and from thereby road some 80 miles to Thumeries, which is about16 miles south of Lille.

We were accommodated in two proper�es ownedby World Horizons. CMA UK is a regular supporterof World Horizons, whose mission is to put peoplein to countries abroad, firstly to integrate bylearning the language, becoming known, loved and

part of the local community; then to bring Jesus into that community. There are two World Horizonsproper�es in Thumeries – ‘Château Blanc’ and

‘Château du Paradies’. Our party wasaccommodated in both proper�es.

We travelled on Friday 24th May, mee�ng up late inthe a�ernoon, se�ling in and enjoying dinnertogether at a local hostelry.

On Saturday we were free to do our own exploring.Some wanted to stay at the châteaux and relax;others went sightseeing; I went with a friend toYpres, where we visited the cathedral, walked

around the ramparts, moseyed around the town,tasted the food and drink and went to the RoyalBri�sh Legion service at 8:00 p.m. where thosefallen in the wars are remembered. That servicehappens every day of the year at the Menen Gatein Ypres. People come from all over the world tobe a spectator of this remembrance.

On the Sunday morning those from Château Blancand local townspeople gathered with those atChâteau du Paradies for a morning service,followed by a shared lunch. The a�ernoon was a�me of fellowship together. During the eveningDavid showed a presenta�on of the work of WorldHorizons and some other films, which, together

with shared grub made for the end of a verypleasant day together.

Although some needed to leave early on theMonday to head for the tunnel, a large number ofour CMA group joined with local Chris�ans atChâteau Blanc for an hour of prayer and tes�monybefore leaving at around 10 – 10:30 a.m. for Calaisand the ferry home.

The pictures are of Château Blanc and a number ofus with our backs turned at the Calais dock,wai�ng to board for Dover.

Philip Head

World Horizons –

Thumeries

page 12 www.bike.org.uk/cma summer 2019 summer 2019 www.bike.org.uk/cma page 13




Geordie Memorial MagicRob Oates, North East Branch

I have been a member of the Geordie Chapter[HOG] for over 13 years and decided that Ineeded to get involved with the chapter on amore meaningful basis and get the CMA a biggerprofile in their minds and hearts. So a�er a fewyears I took on the role of chapter photographerand got involved in the chapter commi�ee. Overthe �me I have been with the chapter I havearranged for a few memorial rides for lostmembers and have always been asked to say afew words to the bikers that have taken part, butI wanted this to become a more permanentoccasion.

In January a�er tragically losing another member in anaccident, the commi�ee decided it was �me to create alas�ng memorial to the valued members that we havelost over the years.

A�er speaking to Gateshead Harley Davidson it wasdecided that a memorial bench would be a fi�ng tribute,it would be put in posi�on and securely fixed at ourdealership, not only would this let our membersremember their friends, it would also enable their lovedones to s�ll be able to remember the good �mes they

enjoyed as a chapter member.

We managed to source a good sturdy bench that wouldbe long las�ng, but a small problem we had wascompiling a list of the past members and what year theyhad passed away.

A�er ge�ng the chapter members and a few pastdirectors involved we came up with a list we could giveto the engraver for the name plates.

Once we had got them back, they were securely placedand fixed to the bench along with a few more coats of oilto help preserve the bench for years to come. A 60 milecircular ride from the dealership and back was plannedby our road crew and the date of the unveiling was setfor Easter Monday 2019.

The chapter director Barry said “We are also lucky tohave Rob Oates as our chapter photographer, who is alsoa leader and member of the Chris�an Motorcyclists’Associa�on North East Branch, who was able to say a fewpoignant words to help us remember our friends andloved ones.”

It has now been decided that this will be put in thechapter riding calendar as an annual event.✞





Spring Harvest 2019

TheDevon andCornwall Branchwaspleased to be able to respond toMike’sappeal for support at SpringHarvest. Fromall over the country CMAmembersmadetheirway toMinehead inNorth Somerset toprovide support. Aswell as raising theprofile of CMAwewere promoting LePasOpton, the SpringHarvest facility in France.

In the picture are Philip Head, Cliff Davies,TedRussell, Steph Thomas andMike Fitton.





When it comes to beinga Chris�an and faithfulfollower of Christ, whatshould we believe whenit comes to Earth'shistory and mankind'sorigins? Surely as followers of Christ we should accept Christ's teaching on these thingsas authorita�ve, even when He is at odds with secular thinking.A�er all, Scripture makes clear He is both our Redeemerand Creator. Therefore, what Jesus said about crea�on istrue, and Scripture’s teaching about His crea�ve power istrue: “All things were made through him, and withouthim was not anything made that was made” (John 1:3),“for by him all things were created, in heaven and onearth, visible and invisible” (Colossians 1:16).

During Jesus’ debate with the Pharisees over divorce, Heclearly upheld the Genesis record regarding earth historyand the origin of mankind: “he who created them fromthe beginning made them male and female” (Ma�hew19:4, quo�ng Genesis 1:27).

Jesus upheld the Genesis account of man’s crea�on“from the beginning,” as opposed to secular views ofmankind evolving billions of years a�er earth’s forma�on.He also likened His second coming to the days of Noah,upholding the Genesis Flood account as global, not local,declaring, “the flood came and destroyed them all” (Luke17:27, my emphasis; cf. Ma�hew 24:37-39).

In John 3:12 Jesus challenged Nicodemus, “If I have toldyou earthly things and you do not believe, how can youbelieve if I tell you heavenly things?” lf we can’t believeJesus about history, why should we believe Him about

the future? This is a serious ques�on, meaning we can’tpick and choose: either everything He said is true, or it isall suspect. Jesus clearly stated, “My teaching is notmine... but his who sent me” (John 7:16). How can theCreator of all things mislead, or be mistaken aboutcrea�on? Was Jesus merely a man of His �me, as someare claiming today? We are faced with a starkchoice—either we believe Jesus and His Heavenly Father,when it comes to earth history, or we say that They arein error—and that is tantamount to blasphemy!

In regard to earth history, Paul affirmed Genesis, “sincame into the world through one man [Adam], and deaththrough sin” (Romans 5:12; cf. 1 Corinthians 15:21). But ifthe fossil record is evidence of billions of years ofevolu�on, as secular science claims, then death was partof nature long before Adam’s Fall. In which case, whatare we to make of the Gospel text, Romans 6:23, “For thewages of sin is death, but the free gi� of God is eternallife in Christ Jesus our Lord”? If evolu�on is true, thendeath cannot be the wages of sin. The crea�on/evolu�ondebate is therefore no side issue—it strikes to the heartof the Gospel, and Jesus as divine, free from error, whenit comes to His claims about earth history. WhenScripture is allowed to be the Interpreter, instead ofman’s opinion, supposed contradic�ons betweenevidence (rocks and fossils) and Jesus’ tes�monydisappear.

If you want to know more—use crea�on.com’s powerfulsearch bar to access over 11,000 ar�cles wri�en byqualified scien�sts, theologians and others who upholdthe Genesis account as authen�c and reliable history.And for those who would like to delve into the theologicalissues glossed over in this ar�cle, Philip Bell's new bookEvolu�on and the Chris�an Faith lays bare the folly ofmixing evolu�on with the Bible.

Reproduced here with kind permission from the authorand Crea�on Ministries Interna�onal.

www.crea�on.com

Our Beliefs About Creation – it really matters!Gavin Cox, Creation Ministries International For I know you’re standing with me

Even though this battle is long

Your strong arms supporting me

When my legs just won’t carry on

Although I may not see your face

Or feel your presence by my side

Your mercy wipes away my tears

No matter how long I have cried

Lord I give to you my feeble heart

And you fil l it up with your love

You pour your spirit inside of me

Now I’m protected by your blood

I am not worthy of your love

That you shower down so free

You hold me in your mighty hand

And place your seal upon me

Sometimes I do not feel your hand

Lord, why am I standing alone?

Inside I’m feeling vulnerable

Where is the strength I’ve known?

When I’m going through the storm

And crashing waves won’t cease

I remember all you’ve done for me

Your compassion and perfect peace

Such forgiveness and compassion

You give to me your child each day

In the river of your mercy

You wash all my troubles away

Firm but gently you teach me Lord

How I can be more like you

You will rub away my jagged edges

Until Your image is shining through

You give me strength and courage

To stand up and to be strong

Your grace has touched me deeply

I know with you l belong

When I give you all the pieces

Of my brokenness and shame

You give me back a miracle

And make me whole again

You are the God who fights for me

And I wil l never ever stand alone

When I say ‘your will not mine Lord’

It’s then your presence is known

The River of Your Mercy

By Stephanie Thomas



https://www.creation.com


Friday 28th June saw a merry group gather in Chepstowfor a cuppa and to travel together to Dolau Afon, justsouth of Aberystwyth. Liz travelled by car, which wasreally good, as Penny’s barbecue would have been at riskof falling off the back of her bike if Liz hadn’t put it in theboot of her car!

This is the second annual event of its kind, arranged byPenny Cavill from Bristol Branch. An invita�on had beenextended to all at CMA UK.

From Chepstow to the site we rode some amazing roadswith stunning views. There were so many sweepingcurves through these Welsh country roads that thejourney truly was a delight. Thank you, Penny, forshowing us the way through such beau�ful scenery.

At Dolau Afon many camped; some stayed at the nearbyMiner’s Arms; two stayed in the cabbin across the road(yes, I know how to spell ‘cabin’, but this is Wales,remember).

Friday evening, a�er we had se�led in (apart from Robertwho didn’t arrive un�l 10:30 p.m.) we headed off to theMiner’s Arms for dinner and a �me of fellowshiptogether.

Saturday morning was a �me for breakfast and relaxa�on;however, at around midday, Vernon, the owner of the site

mounted his bike to lead us all on a half day tour with Jill,his wife, riding as tail-end-Charlie. We saw some lovelysweeping roads, picturesque hill-top views and somebeau�ful coves and beaches. A buffet lunch of gigan�cpropor�ons had been booked for us so it was a bit of astruggle ge�ng the bikes uphill a�er that. But wemanaged. Well, most of us did. Then an ice cream stopand home to Dolau Afon again at about 6 p.m.

The Saturday evening was barbecue �me with masses ofsalad, drinks, burgers and sausages galore to be put intobread rolls. Again, a BBQ of gigan�c propor�ons.

On Sunday morning, having packed for the road, we hadour own on-site Chris�an �me of Bible reading,communion, prayer and sharing around the word. It wasat the end of this �me together that Penny suggested,with the support of Liz, Len’s wife, that in future we call

this weekend ‘Len’s Run’,in memory of LenOsgood, the formerChairman of BristolBranch. (There was adouble-page report ofLen’s life in the Spring2019 edi�on ofChainlink.)

In the photo from le� toright are: Robert, Penny,Anne, Michelle, Pete, Liz,David (World Horizons),Vernon (host), Philip(Devon & Cornwall) andChris. Unless men�onedall are from BristolBranch.

Also with us on theweekend were Linda(David’s wife, WorldHorizons) and Jill (host).

Every year, we have a wonderful bunch of CMAmen and womenvolunteer to help with MAG duties in the No Fires Field andTango Gate, as well as the Holy Joe’s tent at the MAG rallies.June was MAG’s Farmyard Rally which has around 6,000 bikersattend.

Holy Joe’s is open from Friday 8.30 a.m. to Sunday aroundmidday and the team begin and end every 4-hour shift withprayer, then they serve tea, coffee and ‘the best hot chocolateon site’, according to our lovely rally goers – honest!

We all know that whilst we serve drinks, biscuits andchocolate, we are really serving the love of Jesus with asmile, a hug, an ear to listen, prayers for anyone who needsthem and Biker Bibles.

Everyone does this with humble loving care and whilst no-one expects any praise or glory for their contribution, Ithought I would encourage you all by sharing thecomments of the two MAGMarshall coordinators here:

Be encouraged, your work for the Lord doesn’t gounnoticed. Thank you for being such an amazing bunchwho can be trusted to be a place of warmth and safety –you have obviously left the fragrance of Jesus in thatplace.

By the way – Stormin is coming up 30th August to 1stSeptember 2019 – any takers? I would love to hear fromyou: email: [email protected] or text 07778 165694.

God bless,

Sandy

Hi Sandy,I just wanted to drop you a line to saya massive thank you to you and allyour CMA members who work so hardduring our events (and before) tomake sure everyone is happy and safe.You all put in so much and I some�mes

think you all get a li�le forgo�en inthe grand scheme of things.Thank you, thank you and thank youall again for making Holy Joe's such awarm, warm and welcoming and safeplace to be.You are very much appreciated by usall.

Love,Carol x

Dolau Afon (Len’s Run)For Bristol Branch, by Philip Head

Thank you Holy Joe’s!Sandy Angel-Jones-Fitton

Hi Sandy,

I wouldalso lik

e to

say thank you

to yourselves

and

the other CMA volun

teers for all yo

ur

hard work, th

e volunteers fo

r the CMA

went above a

nd beyond th

is yearwith

the help and h

ard work they

offered

and put in, an

d it hasbeen v

ery much

appreciated a

ll round.

Many thanks,

Jayne

And yes, thereis a man with agiraffe on hishead!



mailto:mailto:[email protected]


Part 2: Time for a changeIt is a tribute to my parents that in all theyears of poverty – we are talking beans ontoast as the only meal of the day onoccasions – they never took anythingwithout paying for it. They frequentlyhad to take me back to places fromwhich I had ‘borrowed’ sundry itemswhen they found out. I got progressivelyskilled in avoiding being found out.

The Grammar was a fairly tough schoolbut not as bad as the kids who hadstarted the year before had told us. Mostof the staff were psycho�c; corporalpunishment ruled OK. In the years Ia�ended the school I was caned almostdaily, hit with a blackboard eraser, cuffedacross the head enough to produce abruise and temporary loss of hearing andkicked and thwacked on the head with adic�onary. I should point out that mybehaviour was far from perfect and gotworse as �me progressed. I got so manycanings I lost count of them. I was canedfor being late, for figh�ng, for being‘cheeky’ to teachers, for breaking things,se�ng off fire ex�nguishers and manymore. I took up Judo then Chinese KungFu, not to keep fit, but to improve myability to bully others. I used to plungemy hands into buckets of sand and riceto turn them into weapons as the tutorssuggested. I hung around with somesociopaths from the Marsh Lane areawho got their kicks from violence andvandalism, many of whom ended up incourt and rightly so.

At the age of sixteen my value systemtook a twist; I became ‘Spo�y Muldoon’and simultaneously interested in theopposite sex, not a symbio�ccombina�on. Also my nose was big, its�ll is and I had this dilemma, proboscisrelated. You could buy a decentmotorcycle for the price of a nose job. Iwould never ‘pull a bird’ with a snout likemine but neither could I cruise alongQueen's Drive on a nose-job. If you haveread Part 1 you’ll know the outcome!

On the day the A level exams finished,we tanked up on cheap wine in the parkthen returned to school to look fortrouble. Wash-basins and toilets weresmashed, doors ripped off their hinges,any coats in the cloakrooms were ripped

from bo�om to top and then we wentlooking for staff to harass. The outcomewas that three of us were suspendedthen expelled from the school; the othersin the wrecking spree turned state’sevidence and grassed us up. My reac�onmay surprise you; pride in havingachieved fame at last! How sad can youget? I’d not long been expelled and wass�ll basking in the street credibility thisafforded me: this was the level of self-delusion I was wallowing in. Unknown tome, my mum had asked some of herfriends from church to pray for me. As Iregressed socially and morally thesepeople were regularly asking Mr Big todo something about it. Mum was sodevastated by my suspension andexpulsion that she asked me to go tochurch with her; although what shehoped to achieve from this I had no idea.I had no interest but agreed to go withher for a couple of weeks.

Church was, as I suspected; full of oldpeople in suits and as boring as watching

paint dry – a waste of �me as far as I wasconcerned. The speaker for the eveningwas small, wizened and Welsh. He hadbifocals that seemed very wide apartenabling him to resemble a chameleon,but his worst characteris�c was his voice,a sing-song Welsh screech as he gotexcited, accompanied by the dull thwackof his fist on the huge pulpit Bible as hepunctuated the screeches. Eventually heshut the Bible with a dull thud, a goodsign that the torture was nearly over.

Scanning the congrega�on he couldn’tsee, his scrawny neck and prominentAdam’s apple wobbling, he pointedacross the auditorium in my generaldirec�on. ‘There is a young man herewho is a sinner.’ His voice rose in pitch ashe said ‘sinner’: this was nothing new, Iknew I was one. ‘You need Jesus!’ hescreeched. ‘Like a hole in the head’ Ithought to myself, but even as I thoughtit, I could feel my eyes watering. ‘Hayfever’, I explained as I borrowed mymum’s handkerchief. I was annoyed withmyself; this horrible li�le Welshman hadinvaded my agnos�c cool. Theologically Iwas neither a believer nor an atheist. Icould not imagine how the world aroundme with all its complexity could havecome into being from a piece of snotfrom outer space and a few million years.The obvious design in nature implied aDesigner; religion may well have sometruth hidden behind the boring peoplethat embraced or propped themselvesup with it, but it was irrelevant to me. Itdidn’t bother me that this old goat called

me a sinner, but the idea of Jesus lovingme enough to die for me was like a kickin the belly. I don’t recall anything elseabout the mee�ng other than a drivingurge to get out of it.

When I eventually got to bed I couldn’tsleep. Hammering at my subconsciouswas ‘Jesus died for you’. But I didn’t askhim to! What relevance did a Jewishmartyr from some 2000 years ago haveto me, a would-be scien�st wai�ng to

see if the university would kick me outbefore I’d even started? Suddenly I sawthe situa�on without the filters ofdelusion, stupidity and arrogance. I hadtaken advantage of my dad’s illness to gocompletely off the rails. I was ge�ng abuzz from terrorising others. My years ofvandalism and violence had all butfinished off any chance of a reasonableeduca�on. I was just a sad, lonely fool. Isat up and said to the wall, “God, ifyou’re real then do something with me.”A crazy thing to do? Yes, even crazierbecause He did! What happened nextchanged my life, my thought processesand my mo�ves. A sense of peaceflooded over me and I fell asleep. Thenext morning it was s�ll present, I feltdifferent; the truth is I was different. Mymother was pleased and so were hergroup of praying fishwives. My peergroup of fellow bikers and scallies werenot; most of them feared me as a loosecannon, a ‘nut job’, but they were unableto cope with me at all as a Chris�an. Oneposi�ve thinking acquaintance informedme that it wouldn’t work as I was such anu�er. Some years later I visited theBlack Tulip pub in Batley, Yorkshire. Theplace was packed, mainly with a chapterof the local ‘Satan’s Slaves’ motorcycleclub. As we were leaving a ‘Slave’ no�cedthe ‘Jesus Saves’ on the back of myfriend’s leather jacket. He remarked tome as I passed him, ‘Been there, donethat, didn’t work!’ I quickly replied, ‘Beenthere, done that, s�ll working a�er 20years!’ He walked away, scratching hishead and blinking like a toad in a sandheap.

My peers first of all had no idea what aChris�an was. They thought everyonethat lived in Britain, a nominally Chris�ancountry, was automa�cally a Chris�an.Wrong! Others thought that people whowent to church were Chris�ans althoughgoing to church doesn’t make someone aChris�an. If you sat in a garage with amouthful of an�freeze and a dips�ck upyour ass, would that make you a car? Idon’t think so! So how does living in theUK or si�ng in church make a person aChris�an? Short answer, it doesn’t!Chris�ans are those who have realisedthat their behaviour is unacceptable tothe God who made them; the Bible callsthis ‘sin’. This sin makes any rela�onshipwith God impossible but by accep�ngthe death of Christ on the cross on theirbehalf, the rela�onship is restored. Agenuine Chris�an will see others as Godsees them and will respect life and wantonly the best for them. They won’t be

perfect but they will be working at it. Ifat the end they are mistaken and Goddoes not exist they will s�ll have lived agood life, enjoyed peace and joy and willhave contributed posi�vely to the goodof others. Similarly a person whobelieves we are all products of chance,basically pieces of meat with eyes, islikely to have no qualms about abor�onof the innocent, euthanasia of the sick orelderly, or manipula�on of the simple totheir own advantage. They will answer tonobody but themselves. But if at the endof their lives they are mistaken about thereality of God, they are in deep trouble.

So I was now a Chris�an. I s�ll met myold mates but they were freaked out bythe new me, not that I was Bible bashingthem; I didn’t know enough to lay any-thing on anyone, other than somethingweird but real had happened when Iasked God to sort me out. I guess theyfound me boring because I no longerwanted to steal, fight or cause trouble. Ifound others suspicious because I tendedto arrive on �me, work hard and I nolonger bullied others; almost ‘wussy’although no-one risked saying this to me.I realised later in life that anyone whodoes the right thing will automa�callyprick the conscience of the layabouts,the dishonest and the disobedient. Trydie�ng, regula�ng your drinking or givingup smoking and see how your peer grouptry to get you to reverse your decisionsand be like them.

Unknown to me God had a plan to sortout many of my unacceptable a�tudes.At this �me the Bootle docks wereextremely busy with ships from all overthe globe unloading and picking up stuffto take back. I was introduced to a guycalled Stan who visited the ships in theBootle docks every Thursday evening totalk to the different na�onali�es abouthis faith and offer help or hospitality tothose that wanted any. Before I becamea Chris�an I was a racist yob, eventhough one of my good mates at schoolwas Chinese. As a Chris�an I had torethink my mo�ves and a�tudes;because God loves all na�onali�es and

sees us all as equal, I had to. I now do. Towork with the ship visita�on team was agood opportunity to get to know andhelp people from other cultures andideologies. The church leaders said Ishould be different as a Chris�an,including my appearance, so atuniversity, I wore a big black coat andblack leather gloves all the �me, evenwhen I was ea�ng. Before ea�ng I stoodup and said grace loudly: not surprisinglyI sat by myself for most of the first termand was considered a total nutcase by allI met and why not?

To summarise: I was born mid World War2, I slept through the May Blitz, wasbribed to a�end Church, I lost my dinneron the Isle of Man boat, I stood on adead horse washed up on the Cast IronShore, I was bashed with a cricket batun�l it broke, I lynched a neighbour, Iformed a skiffle group, I was blamed foreverything at school and was expelledfrom the same school, I got a chemistrydegree at Liverpool University, I workedas a research scien�st for twenty years, Iwas poisoned by a ship’s cook, Iperformed opera�ons withoutqualifica�ons, I met the Son of God, Iendured two sinus washes, I was sackedfrom my first job, I freaked out onCatherine Street, I totally lost mymemory, I watched my mother die andthought I was dying, I was a�acked by agrizzly bear and buzzed by a shark in theUSA, I lectured on computer applica�onsfor 15 years, I was swindled out ofthousands of pounds, I had eightmotorbike crashes in one year, I spentthirteen years on the dole, I was a�ackedby a mad knife-woman, I wastransformed into a Klingon. I survived abrain haemorrhage despite theconsultant’s gloomy predic�ons that Iwas unlikely to survive. I also survivedskin cancer and a car crash whichresulted in my car being wri�en off.

So you’ve heard my story, all of it wackybut true. Do you think it’s a load oftwaddle, self-delusion or reality? Manythink that the world, the universe andbeyond is the product of a cosmicaccident. Or perhaps we are all figmentsof other people’s imagina�on or thataliens did a ‘2001 Space Odyssey’ on ourNeanderthal ancestors? I believe we arenot products of chance; we are specialcrea�ons responsible to a Creator. So Ileave you with the words of LarryNorman, musician, prophet and crea�vegenius: ‘Why don’t you look into Jesus?He’s got the answer!’ ✞

As a Chris�an Ihad to rethinkmy mo�ves and

a�tudes

Life on Two Wheels – part 2George Russell, Liverpool




In March, I visited some CMSmission partners whorecently started working in the Middle East. They

love the Lord and are passionate about ministryamong refugees. There are many refugees in theircontext waiting for the UN to find them a country tomove to – some have been there for over six years.They can’t really find a job or start school: they’reliving in limbo.

What really touched me was the ministry our missionpartners have started with young people. They havestarted a group for people between the ages of 15and 21 where they provide educational opportunities.They teach Maths and English and hope to add more

subjects. When I visited the group, I asked the youngpeople about their ambitions and goals for thefuture. One wanted to be an actress, others wantedto be doctors, engineers, journalists and musicians.Sadly, it will be very hard for them to accomplishthese things because of their limited access toeducation.

Later that evening I attended an Ash Wednesdayservice and most of the young people were there,serving in church with big smiles. They taught me alesson about hope and perseverance, to be thankfulfor what I have and to stop complaining.

One of the other people who really touched myheart was our driver. He and his wife left their homecountry five years ago because of persecution, withonly $500. This driver managed to get refugee statusand was supposed to move to the USA, but becauseof the restrictions on travel from certain countriesthey were not able go, even though they have thenecessary papers. In order to help his family, heworked hard doing odd jobs until he was able to buya car and use it as a taxi. This man loves the Lord andwants to serve him, but it has not been easy – and hehas just found out that he has cancer. He hopes andprays that the Lord will heal him and he still has hopethat his life will change.

Later in the trip I was reminded that God puts peoplein our lives for a reason. While at our missionpartners’ house, I met a Dutch woman who ismarried to a local man. She is a psychotherapistworking in new sensory methods to help childrenwith special needs. I connected her with another

My job takes me all over Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, buildingconnections with partners across the region. After a while, travelling becomes aburden. As I catch airport buses, go through airport security, passport control, findlocal transport, have late night meetings, sleep at hotels and guest houses, wake upearly to catch flights, experience delays, all this does get to me. So, is it all worth it?YES! Here are some stories that show why it is so worthwhile.

Travelling LightTanas Al Qassis, Thames Valley

mission partner doing similar work elsewhere in theMiddle East and we hope it will be a fruitfulconnection. God is good!

The next day I travelled to another city and met withM. M has been in this country for over 20 years and isfluent in the local language. He has helped plantchurches in the area. He told me the story of Ali.

Ali is a local man who loves Jesus. The church heattends meets at the local Anglican Church. Ali hadthe idea of opening the church up during the day,standing outside and inviting people to come inside.

Inside the church they set up a table with free Biblesin the local language. In just one year, over 50,000Bibles were taken. It is amazing, such a simple idea. Iam encouraged by such commitment to sharing thegospel.

M also told us about two Muslim brothers who cameto church and sat through the whole service. After ithad finished they came to M and told him that theyhad found what they were looking for. Theyexplained how their journey of discovery had takenthem to many different religions, but now they arehappy because they feel like they’ve found

something different. They asked Mwhat to do next,so M suggested that they read the Gospel of John.

A week later, they showed up for a special meetingfor people who are seeking to knowmore aboutJesus and Christianity. Once the meeting started andone of the attendees (who is Muslim) asked aboutJesus, the two brothers started quoting verses fromthe Gospel of John and answering the questions thatother people had. M did not have to do anythingother than sit and listen to the brothers talking aboutJesus. A month later, M noticed an elderly couplesitting in the front row and listening with excitement

and passion. After the service the man came to Mand said, “This is amazing, now I understand why mytwo boys have changed, I love it and we want to bepart of it.”

Mission is about being genuine about our faith; notscared, not shy, but transparent. When people seeChrist through us, they ask questions and their liveswill start changing. Trust the Lord for he is good andis with you all the time. So go for it and be a light.

The burden of travelling becomes light when Iremember the privilege of seeing what God is doingwherever I go.✞

“Trust the Lord for he is goodand is with you all the time”

Although not directlymotorcycle-related, this articlewas submitted by Tanas as part of theministry he isinvolved in. Remember – theministry of CMA isprimarily, but not exclusively, to the biker community.TheGospel of JesusChrist is to the ‘whosoever’. Ed.




Saturday 22nd of JuneCaz and Si went for a walk around the campsite becauseCaz felt led to ‘walk and pray’ over the campers. Siagreed with enthusiasm, always keen. They spoke to afew bikers about their bikes and how they were enjoyingthe event. A�er about 15 minutes they started cha�ngto a couple called Rick and Janet. Caz told them both herand Si were born-again Chris�ans, working in Holy Joe’s.With a look of sadness on their faces Rick said they hadbeen robbed of over £300 the previous night. The moneyhad been taken from their tent while they slept. Caz toldthem there were good people in the world as well as badpeople. As the four of them cha�ed, two bikers, bothmen walked towards them. One of the men asked,

“Were you the ones that were robbed last night?”

“Yes, it was us,” Rick said and told them that the people inthe next tent had also been robbed. The second manoffered the couple a bundle of £10 and £20 notes. Theman said he and his friends, camping opposite, had had a‘whip-round’ and collected money for them as they feltterrible about their situa�on. Rick refused the money atfirst and thanked them for their generosity. The two mensaid they couldn’t understand any biker doing this to afellow biker. Not taking ‘no’ for an answer, the two menpersisted and gave the money to Janet. The couple thengot emo�onal and so did Caz and Si. The men then askedif the couple would like to join themlater at their area of tents.

As the two bikers le�, Caz asked ifthey could pray with the couple. Theirreply was nervous but posi�ve.

“Err… yes,” said Rick. Caz prayed andthanked God for the people who hadcollected the money. She also prayedthat the robbers would be gone fromthe site. Finally she thanked God thatthey had had the opportunity towitness the good in people and forbeing right there in that situa�on.

They then le� the couple, who werevery emo�onal, but a�er a few stepsCaz told Si,

“We need to walk back and offer thema Biker Bible.” Caz told Rick about thetes�monies at the beginning and theend of the Book/Bible and that therewas a New Testament in the middle.Rick accepted the Bible and thought

about the situa�on while Caz talked to Janet.

“Can I give you something?” Caz asked. Janet nodded soCaz gave her a pink friendship bracelet she had madewith the words ‘Jesus Loves You’ wri�en on it. She toldJanet “It says ‘Jesus Loves You’ on the bracelet and doyou know what, He does.” Janet was quite emo�onal andthanked Caz for the bracelet. Rick looked interested inwhat Caz was giving Janet so she gave him a bracelet aswell, black instead of pink.

Both Caz and Si prayed as they walked away from thecouple, thanking God for the opportunity—feeling theintensity of the Holy Spirit within them as they walked.

Tom Anderson, The Lone StrangerA lone Moun�e came to Farmyard from far-off parts,(Sunderland) to clean up the tables and hand out coffeeand tea to those that needed it. As he set up home in thefield, he discovered endless numbers of people needingprayer and hot beverages. With the power of God on hisside he could help people in a way the town had neverseen before. This was no ordinary man; this was Tom, theTyne and Wear County Moun�e.

Mike and SullyFor many years Tom, our man from Canada, (although wedon’t hold that against him) only had a 1200 V-max to

play with. Then to his wife’s u�ersurprise and wonder, a light blue 1500Goldwing joined the family. Dueen�rely to its size and colour it waschristened ‘Sully’ a�er the characterin the filmMonsters, Inc.

Finding it increasingly difficult to trawlaround big rally fields because hisknees were shot, Tom looked forsome alterna�ve transport to use. Nota Segway or the usual mobilityscooter, or even a normal golf cartwould do. It had to be a ‘special rally vehicle’, accordingto Tom anyway. Having a friend like Steve, who makesfinding anything possible, he came up with an unusuallooking trike-like vehicle painted green (well, mostlygreen). Tom and his ever-suffering wife Debbieimmediately saw possibili�es and named it ‘Mike’ a�erSully’s smaller companion.

Mike the BaristaTom’s idea was to transform Mike into a workhorse forrallies so he could travel around and take hot drinks to allthe Marshals, especially during the evenings when theyneeded a hot drink most. Tom and Steve spent hourspu�ng in new ba�eries and then a new control panelbought, where else, eBay. In no �me Mike was raring togo. A front pouch was added to hold sugar and otheressen�als, with a flask mounted on each side of thepouch. This, I’m told, took a bit of metal work and a lot ofdrilling. Next was the horse’s saddle, which was put inplace of the original seat, which had seen be�er days.Why a horse’s saddle I haven’t a clue. Tom was, in fact,Canadian not American. Perhaps he was in touch with hisinner Moun�e, who knows. A�er further inves�ga�on hiswife of 46 years, who knew him be�er than anyone else,had no idea either. The final touch, for health and safetyreasons I think, was a very loud bicycle horn.

The Lone Stranger RidesIt was High Noon when Tom first set out amongst thetown’s folk, with his trusted steed Mike by his side.Actually it was about three in the a�ernoon but nearenough. At the Farmyard rally Tom and Mike had a whaleof a �me, going out at all hours, including in the middle ofthe night, delivering hot drinks to workers at far flunggates; picking up the odd drunk along the way. On hismany travels Tom talked to a lot of people who knew hewas working at Holy Joe’s. Just being out and about as awitness; cross on his back and CMA and Canadian flagsflying high, seemed to work for Tom.

Rise up like an EagleHe generally spent as much �me as possible looking atbikes and talking to bikers, praying for people andencouraging them. He had a chance to give out manyprayer cards and talked to people about anything theyneeded prayer for. One group of four bowed their headsand closed their eyes in the middle of the chaos that isFarmyard, while Tom prayed a short prayer over them.

Tom the First-aiderOne night on his way to a far-off Marshal’s gate, awayfrom all the tents, Tom came across a man laid out on theground. Not sure if he was dead, Tom fetched theMarshal and, u�lising his advanced first-aid training, hegot the Marshal to poke the man un�l he came to. Theygave him coffee and le� him si�ng on a log trying not tofall off… err… to sober up.

Mike will ride again‘Mike’ will con�nue to help Tom out at the Heart ’n’ SoulHOG rally in North Shields in July and at Stormin’ atWi�on Castle in September. In the mean�me Mike is notparked on the drive, under a cover, behind the house oreven in a shed. He stands pride of place in the middle ofTom and Debbie’s office floor. I guess it could be worse,he could be in the living room watching the cartoons.

Sully, not so muchSad news about Sully – he has lost fourth gear so Mikethe Trike is on his own now. No one wants to repair suchan old Goldwing and those that might a�empt it havebeen advised that the cost is more than the bike is worth.Good news is that Tom is on the lookout for anotherGoldwing, possibly an 1800 so Mike… err Tom, shouldn’tbe lonely for long… what am I saying—it’s just a bike,err… trike… I think. ✞

Arranged by George Laws and wri�en by Caz Laws andDebbie Anderson

Farmyard Party 2019George & Caz Laws, Debbie Anderson



Biker Bible – Who Pays?Philip Head, Devon & Cornwall

At Devon and Cornwall Branch,the Chairman has invited allmembers to pay a monthlycontribu�on towards BikerBibles. This is readily done byadding an appropriate amountto the monthly contribu�on forour mee�ng premises which

we are encouraged to do bymonthly standing order to theBranch account. We then orderour Bibles from the BranchChairman. In this way there issufficient money in the branchaccount to contribute to thena�onal Biker Bible fund forthe Bibles we order.

We understand that this is notthe only way to do it but itseems to work well for us.

Philip

Beaford Bike ShowPhilip Head, Devon & Cornwall

Saturday 22nd June saw the Devon and CornwallBranch in full swing at the Beaford Bike Show inNorth Devon. This is a very relaxing, laid back, smallshow where there is plenty of opportunity to getalongside others who have stalls and the visitors tothe show. This is our third successive year at theshow so there was the opportunity to renew oldfriendships and to be available for prayer for those in

need. Chainlinks and Biker Bibles at the ready, it wasa really worthwhile day out, all the more as theweather was exceptionally kind to us.

In the picture below are, from left to right:Stephen Bamfield (Chairman and Treasurer), PaulPope (GDPR Officer), Ross Mackenzie (Supporter),Philip Head (Secretary), Vince Neale (Prayer Co-ordinator) and Rose Pope (Supporter). ✞




Every step of our lives, every mountain top or valleydeep, God is with us. Through the wilderness andthrough the fire. In fact at every stage of our lives, God isthere watching over us. Tending to our every need. Henever leaves our side. We are beau�ful and veryprecious in his eyes. All very different. Unique and lovedbeyond measure. We are like a garden of flowers andtrees, all colours, all shapes and sizes. And our God, He isthe gardener. Creator of all things. He prunes us whenwe are growing in the wrong direc�on, wild and unruly,with His mighty hand. Like secateurs he cuts away all theunruly and messy bits and this can be so painful... and at�mes, truly awful. We must trust God for he knows whathe is doing. Like a gardener God is watching, plan�ng,cu�ng, shaping us. With tender loving care he waters uswhen we are becoming dry and thirsty – refreshing andreviving us. He shines upon us when we are cloudy andgrey, giving warmth, strength and hope, keeping usgrowing upright towards his marvellous light. And yes,we do don’t we—keep on growing. A beau�ful garden offlowers and strong tall trees. Yes, some of us are a bitwild, some of us have been ba�ered, trod upon andhave lost a few petals. Branches have fallen off. But thegardener is amazing, isn’t he! He nurtures us, breatheslife into us and makes us a whole new crea�on. Whereonce only thorns and weeds grew, now such a lovelysight, where people can come and sit and get shade andrest. A place others admire and come and stay too. Somenever leave: BUT! . . .

It wasn’t always like that, for it was once a rubbish �pwhere people came to dump their rubbish and mess.Where they piled all manner of broken, dirty anddangerous stuff there; things that damaged the soil un�lit was a place where only weeds and thorns would grow.No birds or insects. No sun or rain. But the gardener wasfaithful though and so very kind. He could see what thewasteland could become and so he cleared all therubbish away. Bit by bit. All that had gathered there overthe years, all that had been thrown and dumped thereby so many people. The wasteland was a horrible placeto go to. But the gardener kept clearing all the rubbishaway, took a long long �me and he had to burn most ofthe rubbish to get rid of it. But one day it was all gone!The wasteland was totally clean, nothing but ashesremained. The gardener then set about crea�ng abeau�ful garden from the ashes he could see there:plan�ng beau�ful flower seeds of all kinds. Trees too,acorns and grasses. It took a lot of sunshine, rain andtending of the gardener to get things to grow. With hishand, he lovingly sowed all the seeds. At first the gardenlooked bare, like nothing would ever grow there again.People came by and stared, shook their heads and le�.

But the gardener knew long ago how the garden wouldlook, how it would all turn out. You see, he had a plan, agreat and mighty plan, things no one would know about.The gardener had dreamt about the garden a long �meago and had planned every �ny detail. Every singleflower, every tree he knew. So it was no surprise to himwhen suddenly roots of many kinds started to grow, notupwards at first, but deep down into the ashes there.You see––strong, tall trees and beau�ful, lovely flowersneeded strong roots. The gardener knew this and he alsoknew it would take a while of pushing down deeply toget a firm founda�on. He waited. Then one day greenshoots started to appear in the empty garden. Li�le byli�le the shoots sprang up and grew––up and up theycame, strong and tall and then––a rainbow of colourspopped out of the top of each flower and began to openlike the wings of a bu�erfly. Beau�ful flowerseverywhere, swaying in the gentle breeze. Trees startedto grow upwards, strong branches, lush and green. Whata sight to behold to anyone coming to the garden; andmany would come. Birds, bees and all kinds of insectsarrived to live in the garden as well. The gardener knewthis would happen and he was pleased. All in his plans.What a wonderful garden it was becoming and it couldbe seen from miles around. Many came to see and beblessed there. Many came and found peace and rest.Some of the trees started to grow fruits of many kindsfor the people who visited the garden to enjoy; givingnourishment to many.

The gardener smiled and carried on working hard, dayand night in the garden. He never slept or slumbered.Good job he didn’t because some�mes thorns wouldstart to grow again and weeds threaten to choke thebeau�ful flowers growing there. Some of the peoplevisi�ng would s�ll throw their rubbish away and dumptheir mess. But the gardener was faithful and wouldcome and clear up the mess, pulling up weeds andcu�ng off branches with thorns. Clearing all the rubbishaway again and again. It took a lot of love, care andnurturing from the gardener to create such a lovelygarden but he loved his flowers and trees, every singleone of them. They were all precious in his eyes. He wasnever far away from his garden either and would alwaysknow and see how it was coming along. Always ready tohelp and He would never give up coming, never stophelping the garden to grow. The gardener would o�enstand back and sigh. He was very, very pleased withwhat he had created—his treasure and he smiled andlooked on lovingly at all he had created and said that itwas good. ✞

God’s GardenBy Stephanie

EMC Rally

Are you going to the EMC 2019 Rally at Lenchwood? Here’s a selc�on of somepics from the 2010 EMC at Storthes Hall. Can you spot yourself or your friends?

page 30 www.bike.org.uk/cma summer 2019



www.bike.org.uk/cma summer 2019

HayesChristian ConferenceCentre,Swanwick,Alfreton, Derbyshire, DE551AU,UK

Cost: £160 (all inclusive of breakfast, lunch, supperandtea/coffee breaks,ensuite room,conferencefacilities)

Contact: SandyAngel-Jones-Fittonemail : [email protected]

or text/whatsapp (UKcode)0777 8165694

Friday 1stto Sunday3rd

November 2019

CMA(UK)LadiesConference 2019


2019 Summer 3 - bike.org.uk · chapter 7, verse 7 Inthisissue… Asalways,averybig‘Thankyou’...

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