I was a charter member of 1st Bikers Church of Texarkana. How I became so is a story unto itself; but, I loved my church family there. I enjoyed telling people that if they ever wanted to see a bunch of big burly bikers tear up, hug, holds hands and pray, then that's the place to be.
The church members there were casual, inclusive, and had big hearts for God. But, until now, I had transportation problems and had to work, so I hadn’t been attending as much as I would have liked.
One of the things I like best about 1st Biker's Church of Texarkana is that there is nothing but sinners who go there. We all sin. We are all struggling, and we are all learning to trust God in spite of ourselves. It is when we truly begin to trust God, to love who He is, that we, ourselves, begin to change. It is not something we do because we just decide to change, it is something we do because we made a decision to let God love us in spite of our imperfections. Then, we are amazed by how He changes us.
My church had been through many trials in it’s growth, and I was so proud of it’s progress. I never failed to invite anyone I knew to come to my church for a visit!
On social media, I was able to stay into contact with a friend that I had not seen for many years, who lived out of town. It was a breath of fresh air to speak with her. She was one of my best friends as a teenager, and even today I love her as a sister!
One day, she told me she had moved back to town, and she asked me if I knew of a good church to go to. This was two weeks before I got my car.
I gladly told her of my church, and told her that if she would come pick me up Sunday, I’d gladly show her. She said, “I don’t have a car.”
I didn’t have a car either, and I told her so, but I assured her that I was working on that.
God soon blessed me with the opportunity to buy a car, fourteen months into my new single life, two weeks after that day, that I could afford. My mother paid for it and set up a car payment plan for me to pay her back. How blessed was I! I determined to pay both her and God back, by using what God gave me to bless others.
I couldn’t wait to introduce my best friend to my church family that I was so proud of. From that day forward, for a long time after, if the church doors were open, I would pick her up and we went to church together. She came to love my church family as much as I did.
God gave me what I had been praying for because He knew I would use it for His glory.
Luke 16:10
“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.”
As I set about getting to know people I normally ignored up until now, I got to know some pretty needy characters. You know the type: those who are always needing you to do them favors, or let them borrow things from you, or have you take them somewhere. It could get annoying fast if I found myself not keeping my focus where it ought to be.
On the other hand, there were times I had to draw the line so that it wouldn’t affect my own climb. I found that it was okay to say, “No, I’m sorry, I cannot help you. I have to work that night”, or, “No, I cannot spare that. If I give it to you, I won’t have enough for me until payday when I can go back to the store.”
Miss Cathy was one such neighbor that was always at my door making one request or another. Bless her heart, she had so many problems and so many things to complain about. However, I knew that she was on God’s mind, or He wouldn’t have sent her to me. I did what I could to bless her; and, so many times I found myself more blessed than I was able to bless her in the process!
Miss Cathy was always in need of groceries. She lived on a fixed income and was fast losing her health and was unable to get around much, yet she found herself riding the bus where ever she needed to go more often than she wanted to.
When she got paid, she had children who would, somehow, talk her out of what little she had until she had nothing left for herself. More than once I found her at my door with tears in her eyes as she complained and just needed a shoulder to cry on about it all.
She lived with a man in our apartment complex who was also needy and needed someone there for him. It was a mutually beneficial relationship. She took so many medications that at times others accused her of taking drugs for recreation, because they would conflict with each other and she would wind up back in the hospital.
There was a church, across town, that offered a meal every Monday night. After dinner, they offered groceries for those in need. She would beg me to take her. On nights when I didn’t have to work, I was happy to oblige.
We would go there and, sometimes, I put my name on the list to receive groceries that I, myself, needed, also. Mostly, however, I enjoyed the service and the fellowship with others like Miss Cathy. I enjoyed meeting the pastors and speaking with them. Sometimes, I saw family members and friends there that I could visit. I enjoyed helping Miss Cathy, and I let her know what a blessing she was to me.
One day, Miss Cathy wanted to go to the grocery store for some basic necessities. She just got paid, and bless her heart, she gave me $10 for gas and asked if I needed anything from the store. I just shrugged and said, “I could use a little Milk, but you really don’t have to buy it for me.” She gave me enough in gas to make up all I have done for her and more. She waved me off, and I gave her my number to call me when she was done shopping, I would come pick her up.
Psalms 46:1
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
When I got back to the store to pick her up, she was sitting there crying. I asked her, “Miss Cathy, what in the world is the matter?!”
She said she was standing in line, and there was a gentleman there with a dozen roses in his hand. She had complimented the roses and said, "She is one special woman to have a man who will do that for her!"
He said, "Here, let me get your groceries." He paid for ALL of her groceries. His girlfriend hugged her and said, "You might not know this, but Jesus loves you! and YOU are SPECIAL!"
Miss Cathy really needed that, and I really needed to hear it! I reminded her that God's greatest blessings come when you bless others with what little you have. God had seen what she was doing with her money today, and the attitude she had, and He was rewarding her!
I cried tears of joy with her when she handed me my milk. I praised God through my tears, thanking Him for Miss Cathy and the lessons He was teaching me through her.
1 Corinthians 7:34
“There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.”
The church members there were casual, inclusive, and had big hearts for God. But, until now, I had transportation problems and had to work, so I hadn’t been attending as much as I would have liked.
One of the things I like best about 1st Biker's Church of Texarkana is that there is nothing but sinners who go there. We all sin. We are all struggling, and we are all learning to trust God in spite of ourselves. It is when we truly begin to trust God, to love who He is, that we, ourselves, begin to change. It is not something we do because we just decide to change, it is something we do because we made a decision to let God love us in spite of our imperfections. Then, we are amazed by how He changes us.
My church had been through many trials in it’s growth, and I was so proud of it’s progress. I never failed to invite anyone I knew to come to my church for a visit!
On social media, I was able to stay into contact with a friend that I had not seen for many years, who lived out of town. It was a breath of fresh air to speak with her. She was one of my best friends as a teenager, and even today I love her as a sister!
One day, she told me she had moved back to town, and she asked me if I knew of a good church to go to. This was two weeks before I got my car.
I gladly told her of my church, and told her that if she would come pick me up Sunday, I’d gladly show her. She said, “I don’t have a car.”
I didn’t have a car either, and I told her so, but I assured her that I was working on that.
God soon blessed me with the opportunity to buy a car, fourteen months into my new single life, two weeks after that day, that I could afford. My mother paid for it and set up a car payment plan for me to pay her back. How blessed was I! I determined to pay both her and God back, by using what God gave me to bless others.
I couldn’t wait to introduce my best friend to my church family that I was so proud of. From that day forward, for a long time after, if the church doors were open, I would pick her up and we went to church together. She came to love my church family as much as I did.
God gave me what I had been praying for because He knew I would use it for His glory.
Luke 16:10
“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.”
As I set about getting to know people I normally ignored up until now, I got to know some pretty needy characters. You know the type: those who are always needing you to do them favors, or let them borrow things from you, or have you take them somewhere. It could get annoying fast if I found myself not keeping my focus where it ought to be.
On the other hand, there were times I had to draw the line so that it wouldn’t affect my own climb. I found that it was okay to say, “No, I’m sorry, I cannot help you. I have to work that night”, or, “No, I cannot spare that. If I give it to you, I won’t have enough for me until payday when I can go back to the store.”
Miss Cathy was one such neighbor that was always at my door making one request or another. Bless her heart, she had so many problems and so many things to complain about. However, I knew that she was on God’s mind, or He wouldn’t have sent her to me. I did what I could to bless her; and, so many times I found myself more blessed than I was able to bless her in the process!
Miss Cathy was always in need of groceries. She lived on a fixed income and was fast losing her health and was unable to get around much, yet she found herself riding the bus where ever she needed to go more often than she wanted to.
When she got paid, she had children who would, somehow, talk her out of what little she had until she had nothing left for herself. More than once I found her at my door with tears in her eyes as she complained and just needed a shoulder to cry on about it all.
She lived with a man in our apartment complex who was also needy and needed someone there for him. It was a mutually beneficial relationship. She took so many medications that at times others accused her of taking drugs for recreation, because they would conflict with each other and she would wind up back in the hospital.
There was a church, across town, that offered a meal every Monday night. After dinner, they offered groceries for those in need. She would beg me to take her. On nights when I didn’t have to work, I was happy to oblige.
We would go there and, sometimes, I put my name on the list to receive groceries that I, myself, needed, also. Mostly, however, I enjoyed the service and the fellowship with others like Miss Cathy. I enjoyed meeting the pastors and speaking with them. Sometimes, I saw family members and friends there that I could visit. I enjoyed helping Miss Cathy, and I let her know what a blessing she was to me.
One day, Miss Cathy wanted to go to the grocery store for some basic necessities. She just got paid, and bless her heart, she gave me $10 for gas and asked if I needed anything from the store. I just shrugged and said, “I could use a little Milk, but you really don’t have to buy it for me.” She gave me enough in gas to make up all I have done for her and more. She waved me off, and I gave her my number to call me when she was done shopping, I would come pick her up.
Psalms 46:1
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
When I got back to the store to pick her up, she was sitting there crying. I asked her, “Miss Cathy, what in the world is the matter?!”
She said she was standing in line, and there was a gentleman there with a dozen roses in his hand. She had complimented the roses and said, "She is one special woman to have a man who will do that for her!"
He said, "Here, let me get your groceries." He paid for ALL of her groceries. His girlfriend hugged her and said, "You might not know this, but Jesus loves you! and YOU are SPECIAL!"
Miss Cathy really needed that, and I really needed to hear it! I reminded her that God's greatest blessings come when you bless others with what little you have. God had seen what she was doing with her money today, and the attitude she had, and He was rewarding her!
I cried tears of joy with her when she handed me my milk. I praised God through my tears, thanking Him for Miss Cathy and the lessons He was teaching me through her.
1 Corinthians 7:34
“There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.”
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