Tom Zimmer

The Force – Newsletter Article for February 2012

tomzimmer — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:48:55 +0000

As it turns out, the Bible is right. I know, what a surprise. Jesus said the first commandment was this: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself”. It seems so simple really. I wonder though, when I go out and about in my daily life, do I really believe that? I have often heard that I have to “go out and reach the lost for Jesus”, you know, get out there and pound the pavement like a salesman. I wonder though, whether reaching the lost this way is God’s idea, or mans idea. We are taught as we grow up, that we can get whatever we want out of life, we just have to work for it. Ok, I get it, life is about work and seeking reward for good work done for our employer. So, it makes sense that we would naturally carry over that attitude and training into our life as a “servant” of Jesus Christ. But, I would like to point out that in the verse I quoted above, it doesn’t say anything about doing or going at all, it says only that we are to Love. Love is an interesting word. We usually think of it as an feeling, and so it is, but it is so much more. Ok, in this one short article, I obviously cannot dig deeply into all the senses in which we are called to Love, but I do have one point to make. In John 15:5, Jesus says: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing“. Jesus is saying essentially that He is doing the work through our physical bodies when we are “allowing” Him to work through us, and in the second half, He is saying that whatever “we” do without allowing Him to work through us is worthless (spiritually). I added the spiritually because we all know how to put on our shoes without asking God to doit for us. What we cannot do is save anyone or convince anyone to give their heart to Jesus. Only the holy Spirit can do that.

Finally, I know that many of you have heard me or someone else say these things, probably many times, but I can tell you from my own experience, that “let go and let God” is not a concept that is easily grasped on a truly personal level.

So, may the Force (God) be with you, and may you be in the Force (God), because without the Force (God), you can do nothing!

In all things Praise the Lord!

COC&I Meeting at the VFW with Freedom Dogs for TMRA II

tomzimmer — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 22:29:28 +0000

Debbie and I went to the COC&I meeting today. We heard about a new organization that wants to clean up our political house and elect people that really want to protect our freedom and rights according to the constitution, as in Government By, of and For the People. It is called GOOOH.COM which stands for Get Out Of Our House. We were also there to support TMRA II (Texas Motorcycle Rights Association) by assisting with the Freedom Dog sales. That part went over real well, we sold out. Anyway, here are a few pics for your viewing pleasure;

Final Stop the ol’ Texas Stop Sign

tomzimmer — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 01:48:07 +0000

Is there anything better than ice cream and burgers?

Fifth Stop, Kay’s Motorcycle Mania in Nolanville

tomzimmer — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 01:45:14 +0000

Well, we headed back around 3 pm, and we decided to stop in Nolanville at Kay’s Motorcycle Mania to visit an old friend that we haven’t seen in a while. It was after 4 pm by the time we got there, but Lisa was still on the job, so we talked for a spell. It was great to see her and get caught up on life.

The shop looks as good as always, lots of shiny parts for all kinds of bikes. Check it out, it is 8 miles west of IH35 on 190 at the exit marked 439. just cross under the overpass and you can’t miss it.

Don’t ask me what they were laughing at, it was probably me.

Fourth Stop the Taqueria El Mexicano Grill #8, Wonderful!

tomzimmer — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 01:35:24 +0000

The food was great, and the service was great. Thank you Ladies!

Ok, We Arrived in Waco for Officer’s Training, Third Stop

tomzimmer — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 01:30:32 +0000

We we made it to The Church of the Open Door in Waco for Officer’s Training, and none turned into a popsicle, at least not permanently. Had breakout sessions in the morning for each officer position, and a group session after lunch.

Heading to Officer’s Training, Second Stop Valero

tomzimmer — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 01:25:12 +0000

Janice’s hands were freezing, so we stopped to warm her and everyone else on a bike up a bit. Seems the weather was a bit cooler than we had anticipated, it started at 45 and dropped to 43 degrees by the time we arrived in Waco. Oh, yes and lets not forget about the clowning around with the children’s ear muffs.

Heading to Officer’s Training, First Stop McDonalds

tomzimmer — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 01:20:03 +0000

First some breakfast. Notice the colors are ver (very) intense. I am experimenting with my camera, and I think it got carried away.

TMRA II Meeting at La Palapa this evening

tomzimmer — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:27:46 +0000

Debbie and I went to the January TMRA II meeting this evening. We had a great dinner before the meeting, held in the back room of La Palapa restaurant on the west frontage road between 290 and IH35. We had a great meeting, with several visitors, and one re-visiting member from years ago. Welcome back! Come join us next month on the 3rd thursday, same place, same time. 6pm for dinner and 7 pm for the meeting.

Oh, by the way, I am shooting in black and white because it is winter and the colors aren’t too great anyway, so I decided to re-discover mono-chrome.

Enjoy!

First Ride with Debbie’s New Helmet

tomzimmer — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 21:01:35 +0000

We went to church today on the motorcycles, even though the temperature was well below what we would have preferred. We needed to try out Debbie’s new helmet. So, off to church we went after a quick stop at my favorite restaurant (Mc Donald’s?) for some quick breakfast. The ride wasn’t bad, we dressed warm, so i wasn’t even cold at all. I had to strip off a bunch of stuff once we got there, to keep from overheating, but no big deal. After church, we went out for some lunch with out long time friends Jerry and Monica to “A Taste of Ethiopia” in Pflugerville. I have been to their weekday buffet, but never on a Sunday. Wow, what a spread. You do like eating with your fingers right? Well, for me, not so much. But they brought me a fork on request so everything was fine.

Breakfast and a new Helmet for Debbie

tomzimmer — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 22:51:56 +0000

Ok, Saturday morning and no scheduled events today, so we went out for breakfast to It’s a Grind. First pic is debbie leaving the house, second pic if Debbie pretending to be Tom while leaving the house. I am experimenting with some black and white images as you can see. The really high contrast one was an experiment. The next one is Debbie in soft focus. She likes this one. Finally, off to our favorite BMW shop for some snacks (they always have snacks on Saturday) and for some helmet try-ons. Debbie has been looking for a new full coverage helmet for about a year, and she finally found one that will work for her.

Chapter Ride to Wild Bubba’s Wild Game Grill

tomzimmer — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 21:30:10 +0000

Well, as you can see from the title, we we went all wild on y’all. Great burgers, made from most any kind of meat you want, except the California veggie kind. No Veggie burger I on this menu. We had lots of visitors, some new, and some returning. Had some good fellowship and some people even road out to the new F1 race track, such as it is, not completed yet. So, enjoy, and click for bigger!

January NLR Chapter Meeting

tomzimmer — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 03:56:43 +0000

We had our first New Life Riders chapter meeting of 2012 this evening at our usual and favorite location IHOP. Had a good meeting, and finished up with some tire kicking. Oh, yes, and while we were out kicking tires, someone from IHOP brought our donation jars out to us. Note the shot of Janice posing with them. Enjoy!

Calaveras Reservoir Photo Outing

tomzimmer — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 23:59:50 +0000

Well, vacation is almost over but I managed to squeeze in a day trip up into the hills behind my daughters home in Milpitas Ca.

Very dry obviously, but still beautiful.

Enjoy

Calaveras Res

Reflection – UCOA Chaplain’s Moment for December 14th

tomzimmer — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 04:30:02 +0000

Christmas time is a joyful time of year, especially for the children. We buy gifts and special treats that delight the little ones, and ourselves as well. For each of us Christmas can be a time of Joy, and also a time of sadness, for lost loved ones, or friends far away. Debbie and I are leaving shortly to visit family in California, and we look forward to the joy of sharing in their lives, even for few days. As some of you know, I lost a friend last week to illness, so for me, this Christmas is a time to reflect, on Gods provision this past year, I still have a job, on His sufficiency to persevere through sometimes difficult circumstances and on His sovereignty to know what is best, even when I don’t. It is also a time to reflect on the Joy I have in knowing each of you. Some of you I know well, and some not so well, but I have a love for each of you, and a desire that you will experience the Joy of Christmas in a special way this year. So I hereby give you my personal blessing, and I pray that God will fill each of you with a joy that only He can.

Attended the memorial Service for Ken Higgins today

tomzimmer — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 03:40:20 +0000

Debbie and I drove up to Lampasas after church today to attend the memorial service for a long time “best friend” this afternoon. The best friend is in quotes because the pastor that gave the sermon at the service talked about how Ken treated everyone he knew as his best friend. All Ken had was best friends. Kind of interesting if you think about it. Ken was a best friend to everyone. Anyway, it was a great service and I took lots of pictures, far more than I am posting here. I just hope I didn’t irritate anyone with all my clicking at this difficult time. As you will see from the photos, Ken was well liked, as the place was pretty much full. As I looked at the collection of photos at the service, I saw several people that I know, but that I didn’t know that they knew Ken. So, I apologize to everyone that sees these pics, but didn’t hear about the service. We will try to do better.

New Life Riders Christmas Party

tomzimmer — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 05:39:35 +0000

Second party of the day was our New Life Riders Christmas Party, held at the community recreation center of one of our members. nice facility, kitchen and meeting room with plenty of seating. We had a good crowd, and had a pot luck. All I can say is we are really lucky, cause pot luck provide plenty of great dishes, from brisket and sausage to spicy macaroni, to to… you name it we might have had it. We did the usual gift exchange, and I think everyone went home with something useful, and some people got some really neat stuff. Anyway, we had a great time, and we presented CMA oculars to two new members. We are growing like gang busters! Anyway, here are the picks; P.S. if you see some funny pics, with two guys together, really, they are just smelling me to see if they want to take the gift exchange gift I got. Honest!

Lone Star BMW Christmas Party and 1,000,000 Mile Award

tomzimmer — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 05:07:01 +0000

We went to Lone Star BMW this morning for their annual Christmas Party. Great time as usual, the BBQ was wonderful, and the cookies were never ending and highly varied. They also gave out a 1,000,000 mile award to Ardys, this cute little old lady that had just finished riding her BMW for one million lifetime miles. Now she must reeeeaaaly like to ride. Finally, Debbie won a helmet. Pretty nice actually. Ok, here are the pics;

J. W. Rock Family Information Distribution at Capuchinos

tomzimmer — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 04:54:47 +0000

We went to Capuchinos this evening to pick up the envelope containing info on the family that our New Life Riders CMA chapter and Two Lane Roadriders MC will be helping out for Christmas. We will be contacting the family and coordinating with Two Lane Roadriders for picking out presetns and delivering them to the family. Then it was off to Your Mom’s Burger Bar down the street for a late dinner. We split a Willi’s burger, that was delicious.

New Life Riders Chapter Meeting

tomzimmer — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 04:22:46 +0000

We met for our monthly New Life Riders Chapter meeting this evening, and a busy meeting it was. We presented CMA Colors to Dina now that she has completed her ministry training, Don presented a thank you to Johnny for faithful service as VP this past three years, and we discussed options for a new chapter patch to update out current patch. had a great dinner as usual, and finally had time for tire kicking at the end.

TMRA II Meeting at Lucy’s Retired Surfer Bar and Grill

tomzimmer — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 04:03:34 +0000

Debbie and I went to the Texas Motorcycle Rights Association meeting this evening at Lucy’s Retired Surfer Bar and Grill on West, downtown. This is the third of the TMRA II meetings that we held at Lucy’s, and we always have the the Juicy Lucy Burger. Mmm Good! THe meeting itself went well, and we had several new people, and some old people that had been away for a while and are now back. Hurah! The only downside, was that it was held outside, and it got pretty cold this evening. But, we made it through. Anyway, here are the pics. Enjoy!

UCOA Meeting for November

tomzimmer — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 03:37:54 +0000

We went to the UCOA meeting this evening. It was a good meeting, and in the last few months we have had several new clubs form and apply to join UCOA, so we got a quick refresher on what it means to be part of a Motorcycle Club/Ride Group, and part of a larger organization like UCOA that works to support the entire biker community. Not a big deal really, just respect every one, and work together for the common good. Chief is now out event coordinator, which should help reduce the event overload that many of us have experienced now that UCOA has far more clubs that I have toes and fingers. It has been a good year, but attending three or four events on a weekend can wear on you a bit. We also got a reminder from SickBoys MC that this is the start of the holiday season, and we need to be extra vigilant to watch for those red light running cars at intersections. As Bam Bam said, we don’t want to attend any funerals over the holidays. And finally, TwoLane RoadRiders gave checks to J.W.Rock and COC&I to support their respective organizations.

It’s a Lie – UCOA Chaplain’s Moment for November 16th

tomzimmer — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 13:37:52 +0000

Have you ever heard it said that to be a good person, you can’t smoke or drink, or swear? Or have you heard that you can be good, you just have to try harder, and someday it will get easier? Well, I want you to know that these are lies. You won’t get better and it won’t get easier and you need to stop trying.

There is only one Person who can make you better, and that is the living God. And, the really good news is that He won’t tell you that you have to try harder. Instead, when you have a relationship with Him, He will change you from the inside out.

Now, at this point I should mention, that if you think you are already pretty great, then that’s fine, God doesn’t want to fix anything that isn’t broken.

But, if you are like me, and you have some “habits” that you wish you didn’t, then know this, that God will fix those things, as you let Him.

Even better, He is the One responsible for all the work, I just get to enjoy the ride. So to be better, I just have to give up let go and let God complete His plan in and through me. It is one amazing ride, are you on board?

The COC&I Meeting, Chili Cook-off and TMRA II Freedom Dog Sale

tomzimmer — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 02:05:06 +0000

Lots of excitement today. Debbie and I went to the COC&I meeting and Chili Cook-off to support the TMRA II Freedom Dog sale to raise money for TMRA II, which is kind of strapped for cash. We had a great time, and were well supported by the biker community. In other exciting news, Jaded and Bandido Stone Cold announced their wedding plans for February next year. That will definitely be an event we won’t want to miss. Congratulations Jaded and Stone Cold! Next up, SickBoy Ra showed off his new Honda. I didn’t get the model, but talk about a super factory custom. I can only say wow! We also have lots of pics of chili preparation, then a real nice trike, with a 350 ci V8, another wow!

The meeting itself went well, with certificates of appreciation being handed out to al the clubs that supported the Bastrop Survivor benefit from Cowboy HD to San Marcos Toyota, that raised over $13,000 for a really good cause. We also had three families that were directly effected by the Bastrop fires, and lost their homes, so additional support checks were given out to those families from the J. W. Rock Foundation. As someone said, we take care of our own.

Finally, the Chili Cook-off trophies were given out to the worthy recipients. Truly a great day. Enjoy!

Don’s pics of the Chapter Ride this Morning

tomzimmer — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 03:11:57 +0000

It was really great to meet Neil’s bride Loretta and get to know them better today.
Good ride, good fellowship, good food, don’t get much better this side of heaven.

Just a few quick photos.

Blessings,

Don

Final Stop O’ Leander Cafe

tomzimmer — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 03:06:19 +0000

Last stop was to O’Leander Cafe for an early dinner with the Two Lane Road Riders ride group. Great bunch of guys and gals.

Third Stop the Veterans Memorial Park in Cedar Park for the Dedication

tomzimmer — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 02:40:58 +0000

We mad it up to the Veterans park with time to spare, but as it turns out, lots and lots of people got there early too. Fortunately we found an overflow parking lot within walking distance, and hoofed it over. The motorcycle community was very well represented as you will see from the photos. We received a great history of all of the armed forces branches, and we heard prayers from a military chaplain both at the start, and at the end. I know I couldn’t have asked for more. Anyway, I took lots of photos, so there is lots to see here. As usual, click any photo for a larger one. Enjoy! Oh, yes, and the whole park was decked out in American flags, small flags, medium flags and large flags. People holding flags, flags along the walk ways, and flags on the poles. It was wonderful!

Second stop Whataburger to meet up with TMRA and our chapter to ride over to the Veterans Park Dedication

tomzimmer — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 01:20:31 +0000

So we showed up at the Whataburger near 183 and 1431 with everyone from our New Life Riders, but it turns out the TMRA group met at the Whataburger at 1431 and Parmer. So, we missed them. Fortunately each group rode over to the park, and we saw them there. Next stop the park!

First stop The Photo Expo by Precision Camera

tomzimmer — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 00:56:20 +0000

Rather than go on a ride this morning, we decided to go to the annual Precision Camera Photo Expo that was happening today. We zoomed over to the show location and zoomed around the exhibitors for a couple of hours, including an hour spent in the Sony DSLR workshop. Very informative. Now I can finally start taking pictures. There were lots of demos of new equipment, and cameras to buy if you wanted to. I bought a travel case for mine. Enjoy!

Officer’s Meeting and Officer’s Appreciation Dinner at the Potters

tomzimmer — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 04:00:47 +0000

Can you say steak?