Mike Shields
Mike Shields
It’s hard to remember when I haven’t been riding a motorcycle.
Bikes have been a part of my life for over 24 years. I’ve seen a good part of the states and have logged about 200, 000 miles on two wheels.
It always felt good when ever I was riding and all tensions would fall away. I use to call my bike “my psychiatrist” because when ever I was tense or ran in to a problem I could not or didn’t, want to face, I would go for a ride.
About 6 years ago I began to notice that the high, after the ride, did not last as long as it used to. I was quick to anger and restless a lot of the time. The rides were ok, but afterwards I was back to the old self.
One day, while waiting around for my wife to finish shopping, a young man asked if he could ask me some questions. I had nothing better to do so I said sure. The first question was “did I believe in God”. Well I had thought of that from time to time and considered myself sort of an agnostic. There was a possibility of God, but so far I wasn’t sure. Then he asked me “do you think you will go to heaven when you die?” After a second of thinking I said “sure” to which he replied “why?” Well I listed all the good things I had done such as being a good neighbor, helping out people when it was needed, I had not done any serious hurt to anyone and was pretty friendly to everyone, you know, I was a fairly good guy. All the time in the back of my mind while I was saying these things, thoughts were beginning to run in my head about how I had been through two divorces, had ripped off my employer of some things because I figured he owed me and he could afford it. I was also into looking and collecting pornography of all sorts even though it hurt my present wife to see it. I also wasn’t being the best father to my son for I was either working or out riding and didn’t find the time to spend with him as I should.
After that he said “let me show you something” and proceeded to show me in the Bible where it said that all people are sinners and that we all fall short of what GOD expects of us. That the wages or reward of sin is death. That meant that all of us die because we are sinful and that no matter how good we think we are, we don’t meet God’s measure. To die, because of sin had a deeper meaning also, in that death meant a separation from God forever. That after we die here, there is a judgement in which all of us stand before God. Those who have sinned are cast out to the lake of fire (hell) and the others live in heaven with Him.
“Wait a minute” I said. “I thought all were sinners therefore all would be in hell.” “That’s true” he said, “but God made a way out for us and that out is Jesus”. He started to explain about how God came to earth in human form as Jesus and that he died on the cross for our sins. This was the way out.
At that moment we got interrupted and I had to go. I was still confused about what he meant about Jesus and how he was the way out. I talked with my wife about what I had heard and asked her how she felt about Jesus and she told me that it wasn’t any of my business. That was a slap in the face. I asked other people I knew about this, but they just laughed and said to forget it and I did, for two years.
In August of 1980 I was going through my third divorce, trying to find a place to live with my oldest son, who could stay with me if certain conditions could be met. One being that I would get on first shift so I could be home when he got out of school. The others were that I find a place near his mother and that someone would be able to watch him during the time I left for work and when school started. I had two weeks left to meet the provisions necessary and nothing was working out. My boss would not let me go on first and I tried to transfer to another department, but there was not enough work there to let me in for at least a couple of months. I had not found a place to live and had gone so far as to put an ad in a few papers for weeks but nothing became of it. I was desperate, mad, upset, frustrated, and unhappy. With nothing else to do I decided to go to a bike rally in Indiana to help me relax. I usually went there every year with some friends for fun and to get away from it all. I thought that would perk me up, though more and more I was finding that after ride I felt the same as before I left. Anyway, the Indy rally was not what it had been in the past and I was not enjoying it as before. Much of what I was going through was loading up on me and the weight of it was too much. As I was sitting around I noticed a paper and started to read it. I noticed that the stories were strange, covering topics that I had not heard about, such as people disappearing.
I asked a friend what these stories were all about. He suggested I talk to a person who was a representative of the Christian Motorcyclist Assoc. (C.M.A.) and perhaps he could help me. I didn’t know how he could, but I went over there to where he was and before I knew it I had told him of all I was going through. To my surprise he said there was an answer to all my problems and asked if I were interested to know about it. You would have to be a fool to say no, so of course I said yes. All of a sudden I was hearing something I had heard before. About sin and how it was like a weight, dragging me down, and how because of sin, I was separated from God. I heard again about death, the judgement, hell, heaven and the way out. This time I understood what was meant by Jesus dieing on the cross for my sins.
After hearing all that I decided to turn my life over to Jesus and at that point things happened that were unreal. First was a feeling that a great load was lifted off my shoulders and a great joy came upon me. When I got home I burned all the porno magazines I had collected, much to everyone’s surprise. I then told my wife about what happened. To my disappointment she laughed and thought I was nuts. The next day when I went to work I was told that could start first shift the next week. That night I received a call mentioning that the person had seen my ad a month ago and wanted to know if I still needed a place to live. He had a place right next to the school that my son was to go to. The rent turned out to be just what I could afford. I was then introduced to a neighbor that watched children in the neighborhood and would be glad to watch my son from 6;00 am until school and feed him breakfast too. I believe God set this all up to show me his greatness and his love. So much has happened in these few years that I would have to write a book to contain it all. There is so much more to tell, but I hope this will give you enough of my testimony. This was edited from a larger tract I was writing which I will upload to you if you are interested. I probably need someone to proof it anyway to be sure the it runs in a way that will attract the lost.
Mike Shields