Howdy!

John's Story:
 

Back in the early 1970's, watching television one day, I witnessed this dude on a Harley Davidson motorcycle jump some cars. Not much at team sports, I'd found mine. It was Evel Knievel. Being only thirteen, all I had was an old, green, banana seat bicycle and a desire to somehow escape my situation of invisibility, low self esteem, and being poor.

 I managed to scavenge enough scrap wood and cinder blocks from around the trailer park we lived in to construct a takeoff, and landing ramp, complete with a safety ramp just like Evel had! My tools consisted of a screwdriver, a pair of pliers, a hammer, and the ignorance of a young, fatherless boy, not knowing what what wasn't possible.

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 The year was 1972. Dad had moved us a little over a year earlier from Louisiana to Texas in an effort to escape a poor decision he'd made, and abandoned us at the Hut Mobile Park, Lot 45, in Friendswood Texas...complete with a barren refrigerator, a stale loaf of bread, a gas stove for heat, no hope, and little else. This is what Christians would call the beginning of my 'falling away from God' period of life. I became rebellious and did what you could imagine that any rebel child would do with zero supervision. From the 10th grade on, I was working a minimum of 32 hours a week while in high school. I purchased a used car before I had a drivers license and even drove myself to drivers Ed! I'd catch up on my sleep in classes. I had a car note, a dirt bike note, and a checking account by the time I was sixteen. Mom provided us kids a roof and food, but not much else.
I'll stop that story here because it starts getting too deep.

But just in case you're curious - I did jump ramp to ramp 27'-10" on that bicycle in the trailer park. Nobody ever beat it that I knew of. 

 

 When I met my wife Brenda in 1978, her father told her I was a "lone wolf" and a "loose cannon". He was right. I'm sure some people may deserve one description - but hardly ever two. I'm not very proud of that.

 Brenda and her family became a compass of sorts to me and I think it probably saved my life. Key word is "family". We married young, had two daughters, and currently have three grandsons, a son-in-law, and and now a future son-in-law on the way! I've always said there's no book on how to raise children, but that's wrong. The Bible is full of directions, especially the book of Proverbs. 

 I was never taught how to be a good man. We learned the hard way. We were left fatherless and to our own devices in our formative years. Personally, I think it made me untrusting of others and selfish. When it came to raising children, my method was to do just the opposite of what my dad did. If what he did, affected us like it did, then the opposite must be the right thing to do. Later in his life he did apologize but it wasn't really satisfying. Maybe I'm just hard. I did tell him I forgave him though.

 In 1975 I called him to see if he'd take me in when I was a senior in high school because me and mom had a huge argument about moving place to place so much, so Dad, and his then wife, agreed to let me to live with them and they actually paid my car note and gas for me. That was a huge relief for those few months. He never taught me or my brother anything that I can remember - that is with one exception. To love the Lord. I thank God he took us to Sunday School and Church. I accepted Christ as my Savior at the age of nine at a church camp in Little Rock Arkansas. Christians aren't perfect. Take your children to a bible believing church. Their little souls are your responsibility.

 I do remember that once in front of our trailer Dad tried to teach us golf - a game he never mastered. Greg, my big brother, got a black eye from dads errant swing of a 3 wood during our first 'lesson' if I remember correctly...and that was the end of our golf aspirations.

 

 In my early 20's, when we first married, I still had that desire to make a living jumping motorcycles but life has a way of happening. You know what I'm talking about. We have bills to pay. I did perform in a few shows but never anything notable. I've been lit on fire, jumped through walls of fire, and have scars from racing motocross and other escapades on motorcycles. Thinking back on it, I believe God had his hand on me. Someone, somewhere, must have been praying for me. 

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 In the early 1980's I started taking off work when the Thrill Show and Destruction Derby came to Houston. I'd walk down on the floor of the Astrodome a day or two before the event and introduce myself to the stunt teams and performers, get to learn about stunt work, and help out. I met several well known stunt people and dreamed of jumping in the dome. But in 1985, something happened that deeply affected my mindset and re-directed my focus. It was Friday before the Saturday night show and I met Karel Soucek (soo-check) on the floor of 'The Dome'. Karel had successfully gone over Niagara Falls in a barrel. I don't remember what we talked about that day. I wish I did. I do remember him as a really nice guy though. I also remember that Friday that the barrel he was using was shaped like a coffin. He died performing his stunt the very next night. Evel and his son Robbie were even there. Wikipedia doesn't have the facts precisely about how the stunt went down but it's close enough I guess. I'll tell you this - the water container he fell in to wasn't what he'd told them he needed. Even though Evel tried to talk him out of it - he agreed to use the one that was delivered anyway.

 Me, having a 3 year old daughter, a wife, and the responsibilities that went with that...well, let's just say it was a quiet drive home that night. I thought to myself, as I did many times before - what would my dad do at this point because I need to do the opposite. So, I eventually sold my bike and gave up on that dream. I kept my job/s, we bought a house, raised a family, and did the responsible things. Not abandoning my family for selfish reasons.  

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 Fast forward four decades and I'll be honest, that kids dream was put on a back shelf but never really forgotten. I'd reach back there and dust it off now and then. I honestly don't know if this is my ego, a desperate grasp at youth, or what it is. I hope it's not an ego thing and I do know my age - my body tells me every time I get up after sitting a while! I just know the desire to accomplish what that thirteen year old kid had in his head all those years ago has never escaped my mind. No matter where I was, or what I was doing...the dream never actually died. As I matured, it became obvious to me that there's only one Evel Knievel and jumping cars would've never sustained us. That's just the reality. It was a child's dream. 

 To warm up the crowd before jumping a motorcycle ramp to ramp, it has always been standard practice to perform wheelies via Evel Knievel. Back in the day I could ride a wheelie with the best of them. At one point I was wheelieing over a see-saw and jumping over people using a small ramp I built. I wheelied in a parade once or twice. Today, my body probably wouldn't be resilient enough to recover if I crashed jumping cars, but I darn sure can do a wheelie! That's where the idea came from. I looked up what the world record was and shazam - here I am! Can a 68 year old hang on to the handlebars for this long? (There is a claim out there of a 310 mile record but it isn't published in Guiness World Records...yet) Whatever it becomes, that's my goal to beat. 

 I decided that if I feel capable of something, then I'm trying it before age really catches up with me and I regret not giving it a shot. Wheelieing a rocking chair is not my idea of a good time. I don't want to be one of those guys that 'the older I got - the better I was'. 

 I'm not riding alone. God, my co-pilot, has spared me (and you) for a reason. As far as I'm concerned, as Christian, I haven't been living up to my full potential. We're supposed to be salt and light to a dying world. I've been a closet Christian unwilling to share my faith. We should be using our God given talents to spread the gospel. Not hide it under a bushel. (Matthew 5:15). Riding a motorcycle on one wheel is something I used to enjoy doing and I was really good at it. Let's see if I still am. I invite you to join me in this journey.

 No matter how large or small you feel your talent may be...one more soul won to Christ is worth it! 

 Be bold, be humble, be salt and light.

Share Jesus with someone you know today because tomorrow isn't guaranteed.

“Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels” (Luke 9:26).

 This is a reminder to us all...don't be a closet Christian. Even Evel Knievel said this while giving his testimony about being a follower of Christ - If only I would have done it sooner.