Reno's Bike

"Reno's Bike", Color Negative Film, shot on Pentax K1000, w/ Sigma 35-70mm.

Once upon a time we used to attend a store-front pentecostal/charismatic church that could reasonably be called a "Biker Church." Not that all, or even most, in attendance were bikers: probably half the membership were and half were not. Of the half that were, many were not really what you think of when you hear the term bikers. But some of these were serious bikers that had come to know Jesus Christ and led completely different lives from where they had previously been.

Well, very different anyway. They still rode their Harleys, and definitely did not fit in down at the First Baptist Choir Rehearsal. But they really really loved Jesus, and one of these was a guy named Reno. Formerly an outlaw biker involved in drug running, gun running, jail time, and gunfights (from which his arm and left eye were still scarred), he would have looked like the rough and scary guy he formerly was, except for the perpetual joy of a life in Christ that constantly rested upon his face in a broad smile and quick laughter. His Bible was always at his fingertips and "hymns and psalms and spiritual songs" were constantly upon his lips.

Where much is forgiven, there is much love. If you doubt the life changing power of Jesus of Nazareth, two hours at the dinner table with Reno would show you what you need to see. Ten Thousands of churches across America would be benefited by taking their clean-cut seminary-manufactured Pastor out of the pulpit and put a man like this in his place. Our nation would be better for it too.

One Sunday we had my beautiful wife's trusty Pentax K1000 on hand and happened to find Reno's Bike (he named it "Liberty" – partly from the feeling of exhilaration when he rode, partly from our Liberty in Christ, and, I think, partly from a sense of patriotism) parked on the sidewalk right outside the Church doors. Several people had to step over me to get in the door as I lay on the sidewalk trying to get the angle and exposure right. I never could get the inexpensive general purpose zoom we had on it to capture the narrow focal plane I envisioned, and in the end had to manipulate it in Photoshop (on my old Beige G3) to get the focus right in on the leather biker's vest with all the Christian patches on it.

And that really does say it all.



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