I met him once.  Sat in his sermons a half dozen times.  My husband, Patrick, also a motorcycle rider and musician, connected deeply with David Foster.  Notice the past tense in my sentence?  Yes, the man departed at the early age of 59.  Healthy, vibrant, a passionate motorcycle rider, and captivating man of God, David Foster slipped away in his sleep.  Napping.   Just like that.  After a routine jog.

Having moved to Nashville some seven years ago while keeping my toes in NYC all along, I had yet to find a “church home” — that place where I felt ultra connected to the people and more importantly the Paster/Reverend/Minister, etc.  For me to connect with the man or woman who dedicates their lives to worship and thus teaching the Holy Word, I need  to be moved, stunned, bowled over.  And I need excellent music to accompany the experience.  And they need to be a human being, doing, experiencing.

This was all available at The Gathering in Nashville.  And the best for me was this Pastor with whom I was becoming more comfortable also rode motorcycles.   He was crazy about riding.  He was funny, yet poignant and serious and real.  The real deal.   He also felt GOD on that two wheel freedom machine.

But I postponed the deeper connection with this Pastor.  Busy.  Working. Busy missing NYC.  Busy with basically nothing when it all came down to it.

I’m shaken to the core about this man’s sudden passing.  Truly, this is a man that you might find hiking up Bear Butte having ridden his motorcycle to Sturgis, on a pilgrimage to hang with God in unconventional ways.

He’s a family man.  A devoted loving husband with children.  A devoted brother to his family who gathered with him.

There’s a steep, pricy lesson I’m learning here since this man simply slipped away:  I don’t want to postpone God anymore or the people, the opportunities, the magic that comes my way that will provide a closer connection with the UNIVERSE, with the ENERGY, with the LIGHT, with the HIGHER POWER.

David Foster was a dynamic man of God.  Yes, a Renegade.  Any one of my hardcore biker family members would have seriously dug his messages and even would want to ride with him, hang out, ponder what he says even while they might be partying.  His messages of God and JESUS were that penetrating to the soul.  Because he was the real deal.

Conventional church was not David Foster’s way of representing GOD.  He did it through GATHERING.  The Gathering.  Just getting together in a rented out movie theater.  A smart move, too.  Killer sound system and video, folks could bring in their Starbucks, have messy bed head and sour breath from partying the night before.  You just had to come as you ARE.  That’s all he asked.  Come messy if you want.  We’re all messy anyway, he’d say.

That’s what God asks of us in the WIND while riding.  Just come as you ARE.   Show up for the love and the peace, and the wisdom and the awe.  Learn some lessons that feed your soul.  Learn your truth and live the truth.

Here is his last earthly sermon, the last in his series called “Messy Like Me”  and chose the sermon for April 1st, 2012.  

http://www.thegatheringnashville.com/online-campus/media/

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Of course I STILL ride and STILL own a motorcycle.  Life without one would cause me great pain.  My motorcycle is my breath.  She’s my oxygen.  She is the bloom in my life.

Miss Tigerlily.   MY SOULO companion.

There is a rumor going around which makes me chuckle.  That I no longer have a motorcycle because upon my FACEBOOK there is no recent photos of my adventures. Ah, such a nasty rumor.  As you can well tell, as a word nerd, my efforts have gone into writing so many other things for the people for whom I work.  I miss my blogs and books… it’s HIGH time to get back to the craft for myself which really is for my beloved riding family to enjoy as well.

Oh I have my kickass Miss Tigerlily, the road kitten.  She was in need of repair.  Money was tight.  Now she is fixed as of this week.

And then there’s the luxury of time to ride.  You see, I expanded my cool niche for myself as an Event Manager and Marketing Specialist in the Motorcycle Industry.  Funny, too, it’s just a more comprehendible title for my self-titled “Go To Girl” role.   Since last Sturgis, I’m working on a great many more events and rallies.  Working with the Jay Allen Road Show, too, since moving on from the beloved Broken Spoke, Lazelle Street.

I’m working my a$$ off behind the scenes of these events and rallies that you ride to and enjoy.    I’m sacrificing my riding time to accomplish deadlines.  All because I freaking LOVE this lifestyle so much and want my brothers and sisters to have a throw down great time at the rallies.

Sometimes a girl will lay off her riding time for family.  In this case, my family is you.

See you on the road and keep on s’miling.

Kisses and Dreams Come True on Two Wheels.

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