By Bikers For Christ M/M
Arizona Bike Week / Cave Creek Bike Week is one of the best kept Biker Rally secrets in the USA. What most people don’t know is that they both happen the same week every year…. And they’re only a short beautiful 30-mile ride apart. We had 35+ Bikers for Christ members in town that week from multiple states, and of course our chapters in Arizona. We had a blessed time of ministry on the streets from Thursday to Sunday. It was an awesome time of shaking hands and making new friends. We passed out literally thousands of BFC Gospel tracts, spent a lot of time Blessing Bikes and Bikers, praying over others, sharing amazing fellowship, ate lots of meals together, etc. We had so much fun it should have been illegal… And just remember in some countries – it is. So please remember to thank God for any personal freedoms here in America that you may still have.
On Thursday our first stop was to check into our guest homes, hotels, and campgrounds. Then we headed for Harley-Davidson of Scottsdale to check in with the rest of the crew. We’d like to personally thank H-D of Scottsdale for allowing us to set-up a booth in their parking lot for Bike Blessings, Prayers, etc. There were hundreds of bikes rolling in every hour or two… So, our members worked in shifts to pray over people, and bless bikes and bikers. H-D of Scottsdale were also so gracious to allow us to use the Wedding chapel in the dealership for a Sunday morning church Service during the rally.
Later in the day we all headed for a group dinner. The fellowship and the food were such a blessing. After dinner – we hit West World in Scottsdale. That is where a lot of the action takes place during Bike Week. They have 100 + vendors, and some top National Rock and Roll Acts. We got our armbands for entrance to the vendor area, and the headlining Concerts. Arizona Bike Week brought in some Heavy Hitters: Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Christopher Shayne Band (one of my favorite bands that many haven’t heard yet) … and they also had Rob Zombie (for the serious metal-heads), and some other great bands on the main stage. There were also lots of free bands playing on the smaller outdoor stages. Lisa, Brad, and their staff do an amazing job on AZ. Bike Week. And you really get a lot of bang – for your bucks…
On Friday we rode out to Cave Creek Bike Week. The scenery was beautiful. Cave Creek is a cool little town that is bustling with restaurants, tons of vendors, and lots of free entertainment. We got into town before noon and the place was jumping. Parking is always a little tough as the bikes line up both sides of the street… but God always provides. We found some prime real estate – great parking spaces and all together.
1st stop was the “Horny Toad” Restaurant for some great food and fellowship. They also serve up some of the best fried chicken on the planet. We took over most of their restaurant’s back room. The service was amazing, the plates were huge, and the food was incredible as usual. Then it was time to hit the vendors. Trask Engineering famous for their incredible turbo-charged machines had some sweet custom bikes on display. One of our BFC members Lil Joe has one of their turbos and it is an incredible piece of equipment. 150+ plus on an H-D on a dragstrip has got to be a serious adrenaline rush. There were dozens of vendors on both sides of the street, and we spent quite a few hours there. It was an awesome afternoon looking at all the cool items and grabbing a few must haves… And again, hundreds of Gospel tracts got passed out to the crowds at Cave Creek. There were some awesome bands playing in the open-air bars too.
We of course headed back to H-D of Scottsdale to pray for more folks and pass out more Gospel tracts… It’s what we do. We spent a few hours there. It was awesome, and very fruitful ministry time.
Then we went as a group to an Italian restaurant. They had a large outdoor patio that was really cool and held our crew. A sweet couple asked our waitress to hand us a gift card for their restaurant. It covered quite a few meals for the folks that were out in the booth that day, and a few others. God’s blessings and surprises are amazing.
Then we headed back to Westworld to check out more bands and vendors, and of course to pass out more Gospel tracts. What is such a blessing is that thousands of people take the BFC Gospel tracts, and only a handful refuse them. We get contacted at HQ frequently about people who want to know more about a relationship with the Lord, and many want to reconnect with our chapters for prayers for their families, rides, and some want info about what makes BFC different.
On Saturday morning – our Tucson Chapter cooked breakfast for everyone, and we again prayed together, broke bread together, and had some amazing fellowship. Then we were off for more scenic rides and doing ministry everywhere that we went. Later that day a large pack of us attended an M/C event and again saw lots of old friends and made new friends. God opens so many incredible doors for us to share the love of Jesus with so many in the motorcycle community. We are honored that we’re always welcomed with respect as friends of those that we visit with. We again hit H-D of Scottsdale, prayed over more people, and had an early dinner. And of course, back to Westworld for the Skynyrd concert. The Christopher Shayne Band opened things up and got the people rockin’. They play a mix of classic and southern rock, and old school metal. An amazingly talented band. Lynyrd Skynyrd put on an exceptional concert. Playing a lot of the old favorites, and some of their new stuff too. Totally enjoyable. I missed seeing Gary Rossington on the stage. Please keep him in your prayers for continued health problems. They still had three lead guitar players with David Johnson (a legendary guitarist from the same era) joining Ricky, and Sparky and they really tore it up. Johnny Van Zant has been doing a great job of trying to fill his brother’s shoes, and he’s a sweet guy with a great voice. All in all, it was a night to remember. We rolled back to our beds excited about what the next day would bring.
Sunday morning it was back to H-D of Scottsdale. We had use of their beautiful little Chapel for our church service. The place was packed. Pastor Z. led worship and got the troops worshipping the Lord. Pastor Tom Watchorn shared a challenging message. It was a beautiful time in the Lord. We said our goodbyes to one another and prayed over those riding or flying home. We also said goodbye to all of our friends that staff H-D of Scottsdale a truly amazing team of people.
Special thanks to Kamut (our AZ. State Elder), Phoenix Chapter Elder David for a truly amazing job coordinating things, and our other AZ. Chapter Elders: Gus, Rocket, and Pastor Pete for their help (and their beautiful wives).
Ministry is all about working together. We all left thankful seeing the amazing things that the Lord had done in our midst. Lives were touched, people were blessed and ministered to. As always God is good – all the time. We look forward to this event every year, and we’re thankful that God got the glory for another incredible outreach.
Biker For Christ International www.BikersForChrist.org Email: bfcintlhq@hotmail.com
