James 4:14 says; “you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

We have all heard about the loss of True Few Arron and others in our community this month, and now the loss of Bandido James. That news has hit some of us harder than others, but it serves as a wake up call for everyone. We know that riding a motorcycle can be dangerous, and I’m sure that is at least part of the very reason some us do ride, but it is extra painful to hear that someone as young as James was taken from us, while riding. Some of you, like me, are much older than James, and if we were taken, you could at least say we had a full life and we went doing what we always enjoyed. But, James was too young, he had been married less than two years. He had his whole life ahead of him.

It had only been in the last couple of years that James had come to accept Christ as his saviour, and he had made some positive changes in his life. I know I anticipated a bright future for him in this world, but it was not to be. God had other plans; plans to take James home. We don’t understand, and it hurts. It hurts a lot. So, now we must come together to support Samantha, the families and our brothers and sisters that are grieving. And, that is what we will do. We will come together because we are all family. Our family, community and faith will sustain us.

We have all seen the dates on a tomb stone, with the date on the left showing birth, and the date on the right declares death. In the middle, between the dates is a dash, and we all live somewhere in that dash, between birth and death. A dash isn’t very long, it is just one small little character, and yet it signifies our entire life experience. As for me, I want to make my dash count for something, and I pray that is your desire as well. James played hard, and he worked hard, and he made his dash count. He has gone to be with his saviour now, and I think, if he could, he would tell us; Make your dash count. You only get one.

An Invitation