A Divine Appointment in Sturgis

I woke up at 5:45 this morning to a brisk, cool 62-degree morning. After getting ready in the washroom, we saddled up and met Diago at 6:30 in front of the KOA office.

We filled our tanks and pointed our bikes north toward Sturgis. It was about an hour’s ride from Custer, and as we made our way through the beautiful Black Hills, I couldn’t help but think about how different this trip was going to be from the last time I was here.

Seventeen years ago, I came to Sturgis with my friends Ed and Deb. I remember the motorcycles, the crowds, and the excitement of the rally. The town looked much the same today, although there were far fewer bikes than I remembered.

But this time, I wasn’t coming as part of the crowd.

This time, I was coming to minister to the bikers.

God has changed my life. Through the saving grace of Jesus, He has transformed my heart and given me a new purpose. What once may have simply been a motorcycle destination has now become another place where God has given us an opportunity to share His love.

We arrived at Grace Lutheran Church in downtown Sturgis around 8:00 a.m. for their pancake breakfast. The CMA Command Center was operating out of the church, and at 9:00 we headed upstairs for church service.

We began with praise and worship, surrounded by our CMA family. Our CMA CEO, John Ogden, and Becky were sitting in the front row. Ben and Rachael Larson, our youth national evangelist, were sitting beside us, along with many other CMA officers, board members, and leaders.

There is something special about worshiping with people who share the same heart for Jesus and the same desire to reach others.

We love our CMA family.

We love serving together.

And we love that God allows us to take the Gospel into places where people might not expect to find it.

A Platform God Has Given CMA

As I listened to the history of Sturgis and CMA’s involvement here, I was reminded again that God is always working through people who are willing to say yes.

Sturgis began as a dirt-track motorcycle race in 1938. That first year, the only Harley-Davidson in the race won.

But CMA’s history in Sturgis goes back decades as well.

Herb Shreve, the founder of CMA, and his family came to Sturgis in 1972 and set up the first CMA camp in the park. They were asked to leave that year, but they came back the following year.

And they kept coming.

Today, CMA continues to have a presence in Sturgis, the largest motorcycle rally in North America.

What an incredible reminder that God can use even the smallest beginning when we are willing to be obedient.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

CMA has been given a platform here in Sturgis, and year after year, faithful men and women continue to step onto that platform and shine the light of Jesus.

You can even find CMA mentioned in the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame. I’ll leave the link below for anyone who would like to read more about that history.

Ministry in the Museum

After church, we volunteered at the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum until about noon.

What a great experience!

We were surrounded by vintage motorcycles, motorcycle history, and bikers walking through the museum. But more than that, it was an opportunity to slow down.

And sometimes slowing down is exactly what creates a divine appointment.

The museum was quieter than the streets outside, and there was time to talk. We could meet people, hear their stories, hand them a tract, offer a word of encouragement, or simply let them know that someone cared.

Sometimes ministry doesn’t look like standing on a stage.

Sometimes it looks like standing beside someone and listening.

Sometimes it’s a prayer.

Sometimes it’s a smile.

Sometimes it’s a small tract placed into someone’s hand.

And sometimes it’s simply saying, “God bless you.”

At noon, we headed back to the Command Center for lunch. The ladies had prepared grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, chips, and all kinds of desserts.

Once again, I was reminded that ministry takes many forms. Some are out in the streets talking to bikers, while others are behind the scenes preparing meals and serving those who are serving.

Every role matters.

Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 12 that the body of Christ has many members, but we all have a part to play.

And what a beautiful picture of CMA that is.

The Streets of Sturgis

After lunch, we headed out to minister in the parking lot near the post office.

By now, the motorcycles had arrived.

Now it sounded like Sturgis.

The rumble of engines filled the streets. The crowds were growing. Bikes were everywhere. People were walking in every direction, and the energy of the rally was unmistakable.

We made our way through the crowds and eventually found ourselves right in the middle of the noon photo on Main Street.

After that happened, we had another divine appointment.

We saw CMA CEO John Ogden. He immediately recognized Melvin.

Melvin is not exactly difficult to remember. He is almost always dressed the same way—camo shirt, carpenter jeans, riding boots, long salt-and-pepper gray hair braided down his back, and his brown leather CMA vest.

Then we ran into Jane and Jay Wilber, the region’s national evangelist. We had met them before, although I couldn’t immediately remember where.

Jay looked at us and asked, “Were you at the Indiana State Rally?”

“Yes!”

Then he asked, “Didn’t you play Jesus in the skit with the CMA youth?”

Melvin smiled and said, “Yes.”

Jay responded, “That was so good. There wasn’t a dry eye in the place.”

And he was right.

It was a beautiful performance. The kids lip-synced to Thank You Jesus while acting out the story, with Melvin dressed in a white robe portraying Jesus.

It was one of those moments that reminded us that God can use something as simple as a skit to touch someone’s heart.

We never know what seeds we are planting.

We may not always see the harvest.

But we are called to be faithful.

Praying Over the Bikers

At the parking lot, we began praying for bikers as they arrived.

We handed out rag tracts and angel gospel tracts. We prayed with people, and every person we prayed for was appreciative.

What a privilege.

There is something powerful about stopping in the middle of a motorcycle rally and simply asking someone, “Can I pray for you?”

People may not always be ready for a sermon.

But most people are willing to receive a prayer.

And when we pray, we are inviting God into the moment.

Philippians 4:6 reminds us to bring everything to God in prayer.

So that’s what we did.

We prayed.

We encouraged.

We shared.

And we trusted God to do what only He can do.

Melvin and I took a little time to walk Main Street and admire all the motorcycles. We found an ice cream truck and enjoyed a nice, cold cone of ice cream as we walked.

Because ministry doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the journey too!

Eventually, we made our way back to the parking lot ministry. A dark rain cloud had moved overhead, and we waited, expecting a downpour.

But it never came.

Just a few drops.

Then it stopped.

Another little reminder that God was watching over us.

Another Divine Appointment

As we walked back toward the Command Center, we passed the Indian Motorcycle demo booth.

Diago wanted to look at the new bikes, so we stopped and started talking with a few of the representatives.

I was telling one of the women about our Alaska adventure when she mentioned that another representative had been born and raised in Juneau.

Before long, the young man came over.

“Hey! I hear you were in my hometown!”

I smiled. “Yes! You’re from Juneau, right?”

We laughed and talked about Alaska—the incredible scenery, fishing, wildlife, and everything we had experienced.

Then I told him, “We’ve ridden over 9,000 miles in 57 days!”

His face lit up.

He thought that was amazing.

And for a few minutes, we weren’t strangers anymore. We were simply two people talking about a place we both loved and the incredible creation of God.

We shared our social media pages with him, and once again I thought:

Was that just a motorcycle conversation, or was that another divine appointment?

I’ve learned on this journey that I don’t have to know the answer.

I just have to be willing to stop.

The Noon Photo

On our way back to the Command Center, we saw a store called Sturgis Rally Photo.

Diago said, “Let’s see if they have the noon photo.”

We walked inside.

And there it was.

We were right in the front, on the right side!

The funny thing is, we never planned to be in that picture.

We weren’t waiting for the photographer.

We weren’t trying to get in front.

We were simply walking down the street at noon when the photographer asked someone to stop the motorcycles riding through.

So we stopped.

We helped him out.

He took the picture.

And somehow, we ended up in the front row of the famous noon photo in downtown Sturgis!

Of course, I had to buy the picture.

And so did Diago.

Sometimes the best moments are the ones you never planned.

Proverbs 16:9 says, “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.”

We may make our plans.

But God directs our steps.

God’s Provision

We made it back to the Command Center just in time for dinner.

And once again, the ladies had prepared an amazing meal—pork chops, scalloped potatoes, broccoli, carrots, and summer squash.

These women are true servants.

They love feeding everyone and taking care of those who are out ministering.

Their service may happen behind the scenes, but it is every bit as much ministry as what happens on the streets.

Jesus said in Matthew 25:40, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

Every act of service matters when it is done for Jesus.

While we were eating, the big rainstorm finally rolled through.

By the time we finished dinner and were ready to leave, the sun was shining again and the rain was gone.

God protected us.

God provided for us.

And He gave us everything we needed for the day.

One More Prayer Before Heading Home

We rode across town to see Diago’s brothers, who had ridden out to Sturgis.

They were staying at an old nursing home that allows bikers to put their tents up on the lawn.

We sat together and talked about life, motorcycles, travel, and family.

Before we left, we prayed for healing for his brother’s hand.

Another conversation.

Another prayer.

Another opportunity to bring someone before the Lord.

Then it was time to head back to Custer, about an hour south of Sturgis.

The temperature was a perfect 80 degrees as the setting sun began to paint the sky. We rode through the Black Hills with the evening light surrounding us.

It was one of those rides where you almost don’t want the road to end.

We arrived back at camp around 8:00.

Even then, the ministry wasn’t over.

Melvin began talking with a teenage boy camping next to us. The boy was interested in our motorcycles, and before long, Melvin was sharing the good news of Jesus with him.

While he was talking, I went to take a shower.

When I returned around 9:00, it was completely dark.

I sat underneath our pop-up canopy at the picnic table with nothing but a flashlight, uploading video footage, charging our equipment, and writing today’s blog.

And as I sat there thinking about everything that had happened, one thought kept coming back to me.

The Destination Is on the Map, But the Appointments Are God’s

After 57 days on this incredible journey, one thing continues to stand out more than anything else:

The destination may be on our map, but the divine appointments are on God’s.

We may think we’re simply riding from one place to another.

But God keeps placing people in our path who need encouragement, prayer, kindness, or simply a reminder that they are loved.

A biker.

A museum visitor.

A motorcycle representative from Juneau.

A friend from a rally we almost forgot about.

A teenage boy at a campground.

A brother needing prayer.

A stranger who simply needed someone to stop and listen.

None of these moments were on our itinerary.

But they were on God’s.

And maybe that’s what this entire journey has been teaching us.

Don’t rush past the people God puts in your path.

Don’t be so focused on the destination that you miss the appointment.

Don’t be so busy riding that you forget to stop.

Because sometimes the greatest part of the journey isn’t the road we’re traveling.

It’s the person God places beside us along the way.

So we keep riding.

We keep praying.

We keep watching.

And we keep saying yes.

Because this isn’t just a motorcycle trip.

We’re Wrights On A Mission.

And our mission isn’t simply to ride across America.

It’s to follow wherever God leads, love whoever He puts in our path, and share the hope we have found in Jesus.

As Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Our path may change.

The weather may change.

The plans may change.

But God doesn’t.

And after 57 days, we’re still trusting Him to direct every mile.

The journey isn’t over yet.

There are still roads to ride.

People to meet.

Prayers to pray.

Stories to tell.

And divine appointments waiting somewhere ahead.

So let’s keep riding.

Let’s keep watching.

Let’s keep saying yes.

Because we are—

Wrights On A Mission.

If you’d like to continue riding along with us as we make our way back across the country, we’d love to have you join us on YouTube and Facebook at Wrights On A Mission.

The journey isn’t over yet.

And we can’t wait to see where God leads us next!

https://www.sturgismuseum.com/class-of-2002-1/christian-motorcyclist-association