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8/12/2006 
Will There Be
Harleys In Heaven?
BY GREG JOHNSON
Pat Karn has been a counselor at Christian Life Ministries of Rapid City, SD (and now also in Spearfish) for fourteen years. Prior to that time he was a youth pastor in Nebraska. He also does a lot of preaching and counseling at various places, including the world’s largest yearly gathering of motorcyclists.
During a breakfast interview with Dakota Voice, Karn began, “The whole Sturgis Rally thing started with me going up to just walk around and visit with people. I didn’t have a bike. I couldn’t afford one. I began to pray for a bike a long time ago, ‘God, if I could have a bike, then I could minister to the lost, lonely and hurting people who come to the Rally each summer.’ I kept praying that way for several years. Eventually I became convicted that this was a selfish prayer. I realized that if the Lord wants me to do a ministry that I won’t have to ask Him for anything; He already knows what is needed and it will be provided accordingly.”
One year (around 2000), Karn was approached by someone who asked him if he would like to do evangelism in the park during the Rally. He agreed to this and had the same opportunity the following year and did some speaking at the park. That year a friend loaned her bike to Pat to ride during the Rally. Pat thought this was pretty cool as he now had a bike to ride, albeit temporarily, but without having the payments.
Karn continued, “In 2002, a guy that I had discipled came up to me and asked if I ride motorcycles. I said that I do, but I’ve never owned one. He told me that he had two bikes and was getting rid of one, and asked if I would be interested in it. I told him I would be interested, but I’m just not in a position to buy the bike, but thanks for thinking of me.” However, much to Pat’s surprise, the fellow replied, “No, you don’t understand, I want to give it to you.” Pat recalled how his prayer for serving the Lord had changed – “Lord, if you want me to have a bike for this ministry, then I guess you will give it to me. I won’t try to manipulate my finances to buy a bike or keep asking You about it anymore.” Now, Pat finally had his own bike.
The bike given to Pat was a chopped custom, built by the Hells Angels Chapter of Minneapolis. “It’s a fast, very big, very loud, nice looking low rider. It’s black, covered with very fine orange spider webbing inhabited by Black Widow spiders.” Pat was curious as to why God would give him a bike such as this one. He found out pretty quick, as the bike chosen by the Lord turned out to be quite an attention grabber when he brought to the Rally for the first time.
Pat parks the bike and sits nearby while people inevitably come up and ask him about it. When they asked where he got it, he would tell them it was given to him. Amazed, they eventually asked what he does for a living. Pat tells them that he’s a marriage counselor and also would tell them about his preaching the Gospel. Through these unplanned encounters, people have heard about God’s forgiveness, His Love, and His beautiful plan for the married couple.
Some people might think that it’s wrong for a Christian to be hanging out at places like the Rally where alcohol is served and where things go on that one would be better to avoid. However, Pat has found that this is where many hurting people congregate – people who are hungry for what they do not yet know – people who are unknowingly and unsuccessfully trying to fill their unrealized need with the world’s false offerings of a satisfying life.
Pat told Dakota Voice, “one year a Rally visitor came up to me and we started talking. As the conversation progressed I learned that the guy had come one last time with his wife before their impending divorce. When I began to tell him about God’s plan for the husband and wife in marriage, a woman nearby suddenly became very interested in what I was saying. She turned out to be the man’s wife. She came up to us and beamed while I continued to lay out God’s design for marriage. Her husband told me that she had always told him these things, and he was now realizing that there was something to it after all – something much better than he could have imagined.” He informed Pat, “You sure don’t look like a preacher, but isn’t that just like God, here I’ve been running from Him all of these years and He sends me to an undercover agent!” A two hour conversation with the couple followed and ended with a referral from Pat to a Christian marriage counseling service in the couple’s home town. People come to the Rally and after a few of days of trying to get “filled” they began to realize there’s got to be a way to renew, and then they go back into seeking mode – looking for the next “buzz.”
At another time, Pat pulled into a popular gathering area in Sturgis a couple of years ago and parked, getting off his bike and sitting quietly at the outer perimeter. He watched as a biker pulled in and slowly rode around the area, finally parking near Pat. He began to ask Pat about his custom bike. The conversation turned to Pat’s work of counseling others. The biker said he was really wrestling with anxiety. Pat told him how the one who had given him the bike had been freed from a life of anxiety. “That must have been some counsel,” Pat’s new acquaintance commented. Pat told him, “The counsel isn’t mine; it's God’s.” The troubled man looked away, staring straight ahead and finally spoke, “That figures, I’ve been driving all night and this is my first stop. I just pulled in from Kansas City. My wife and I have been having troubles. Last night I told her that I wanted a divorce. Then I took off on my bike not really knowing where I was headed.” Pat and this man continued to talk. He learned of God’s intention that we have an intimate relationship with Him first, and that good relations with others will follow. Pat asked him what he was going to do and offered him a place to stay. However this man was on his way home, back to his wife in Missouri.
Following this event, Connie who is Pat’s wife of twenty-seven years, joined him at the Rally. They prayed for God to bring someone else. Soon a troubled couple came over and the usual conversations began. They as the others, were surprised to learn that Pat and Connie both worked in the field of healing marriage relationships. Soon more showed up to share and listen.
Connie was afraid of motorcycles and wouldn’t have anything to do with climbing onto the custom. Pat’s son had a Harley Road King that he traded with his dad for the chopper. Since that time Connie has overcome her fear of bikes and enjoys riding with Pat and helping out with his Rally ministry.
Karn adds, “When you look in the Scriptures, you read about how Jesus reached out to others who were hurting, and how He would go out of his way to be with those who were despised by many, especially the “religious types.” Many people that Pat encounters have had plenty of religion in their lives, a religion based on do’s and don’ts, and not about forgiveness and having a loving and fulfilling relationship with God their Father in Heaven.
There are a lot of unique Christian ministries going on at the Rally. There are people who minister to the hard core bikers, people who do service for Rally attendees by sharpening knives, washing bikes, holding tent meetings, and whatever it takes to be available for the Lord to perform His work.
See
Christian Life Ministries (CLM) Web Site or contact them at (605)
341-5305
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